66th MONTHLY ISSUE DECEMBER 2020 EDITION Vanik’s Current Affairs Banking | Railway | Insurance | SSC | UPSC | OPSC | PSU Contents

Topics of the Month ------1 Economy ------14 RBI in News ------14 SBI in News ------15 Other Banks in News ------16 Financial News ------20 MOU and Agreement ------22 Rating and Survey ------24 Fund and Financial Allocation ------25 Corporate Business and E-Business ------26 Committee and Its Head ------26 State News ------28 National ------39 International ------47 International and National Summits ------49 Ranking and Index ------53 Bilateral ------54 Award ------57 Person in News/Newly Appointed ------60 Sports ------61 Science and Technology ------63 Defence ------65 Important Days ------67 Book and Author ------70 Obituary ------71 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER – 2020

MAJOR ISSUES OF THE MONTH

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ATMANIRBHAR BHARAT 1 3.0 SCHEME On 12 November 2020, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman along with Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Anurag Thakur launched Atmanirbhar Bharat 3.0 to boost Covid-hit economy.The net stimulus announced amounts to Rs.2.65 Lakh crore. She also informed that the total stimulus announced by the Government and Reserve Bank of till date, to help the nation tide over the COVID-19 pandemic, works out to Rs. 29.87 lakh crore, which is 15% of national GDP. Out of this, stimulus worth 9% of GDP has been provided by the government.

1. Boost for Employment- Atmanirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojana Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched a new scheme 'Atmanirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojana' to incentivise the creation of new employment opportunities during the COVID-19 recovery phase. Eligibility criteria: 1- The establishments which are registered with EPFO, if add new employees compared to reference base of employees as in September 2020 as under (a) minimum of two new employees if reference base is up to 50 employees or less; (b) minimum of five new employees if reference base is more than 50 employees. 2- The establishments which will be registering with EPFO after the commencement of the Scheme will get subsidy for all new employees. The scheme will be operational till June 30, 2021. Who will be regarded as the new employees? Any employee who joins EPFO registered establishments on monthly wages less than Rs. 15,000. Also, the employees with the said wages who lost their jobs during COVID-19 pandemic (1 January 2020 to 30 September 2020) and are employed on or after 1 October 2020, will be regarded as the new employees. The Central Government will provide subsidy for two years w.r.t. new eligible employees at the below- mentioned scale: (a) Establishments employing up to 1000 employees: Employee's contributions will be 12% of the wages and the Employer's contributions will also be 12% of the wages, totalling 24% of the wages. (b) Establishments employing more than 1000 employees: Employee's EPF contributions will be 12% of EPF wages. It is to be noted that the subsidy will be credited in Aadhaar seeded EPFO Account (UAN) of the eligible new employee. Earlier, Prime Minister Rozgar Protsahan Yojana (PMRPY) which was implemented till 31.3.2019 to incentivize formulation and creation of new employment. Under the scheme, Rs. 8,300 crores has been given to 1,52,899 establishments covering 1,21,69,960 beneficiaries. 2. Launch of ECLGS 2.0 The Finance Minister launched ECLGS 2.0 for supporting stressed sectors and the tenor of additional credit under ECLGS 2.0 to be 5 years, including a one-year moratorium on principal repayment. The scheme will be available till March 31, 2021. The version 2.0 of the scheme will provide much-needed relief to the stressed sectors by helping entities sustain employment, meet liabilities and will also benefit the MSME sector which provides goods and services to eligible entities. The Scheme is to be utilized for 100% guaranteed collateral-free additional credit at capped interests rates to: (a) Entities in 26 sectors identified by Kamath Committee, in addition to the health care sector with credit outstanding of above Rs. 50 crore and up to Rs. 500 crore as on 29 February 2020. (b) Entities with outstanding up to Rs. 50 crore previously covered under the existing scheme. (c) No upper ceiling on annual turnover. (d) Additional credit up to 20% of outstanding as on 29 February 2020. (e) Entities to be up to 30 days past due (SMA 0) as on 29 February 2020.

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Rs. 3 lakh crore existing Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS 1.0) The Scheme was announced as part of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan and is extended till 31 March 2021. The Scheme will be fully guaranteed and collateral-free. An additional credit up to 20% of outstanding loans as on 29 February 2020 for entities with outstanding credit up to Rs. 50 crore as on 29 February 2020 and an annual turnover up to Rs. 250 crore, which was up to 60 days past due as on 29 February 2020 Eligible entities: The eligible entities under this scheme are MSME units, business enterprises, individual loans for business purposes and MUDRA borrowers. Scheme update as on 12 November 2020: (a) Rs. 2.05 lakh crore sanctioned to 61 lakh borrowers (b) Rs. 1.52 lakh crore disbursal 3. Atmanirbhar Manufacturing Production-linked incentives for 10 Champion Sectors Finance Minister has announced a booster of Rs. 1.46 lakh crores for Atmanirbhar Manufacturing Production- linked incentives for 10 Champion Sectors. The has already approved PLI schemes for 3 sectors at a cost of Rs. 51,355 crores as mentioned below: (a) Mobile manufacturing and specified electronics components at a cost of Rs. 40,995 crores (b) Critical Key Starting Materials (KSM), Drug Intermediates and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) at a cost of Rs. 6,940 crores. (c) Manufacturing of Medical Devices at a cost of Rs. 3,420 crores. 10 more Champion Sectors will now be covered under the Production Linked Incentives Scheme to boost the competitiveness of domestic manufacturing and is expected to give a significant boost to economic growth and domestic employment. ESTIMATED EXPENDITURE SECTOR ON NEW PLIS (IN CRORES)

Advance Cell Chemistry Battery Rs. 18,100

Electronic or Technology Products Rs. 5,000

Automobiles and Auto Components Rs. 57,042

Pharmaceuticals Drugs Rs. 15,000

Telecom and Networking Products Rs. 12,195

Textile Products Rs. 10,638

Food Products Rs. 10, 900

High-Efficiency Solar PV Modules Rs. 4,500

White Goods (Acs and LED) Rs. 6,238

Speciality Steel Rs. 6,322

Total Rs. 1,45,980 4. PM Awaas Yojana (PMAY)-Urban Several measures have been taken in the past for the revival of the Housing and Real Estate sector and there's a need for further measures to enable the sector to generate more employment. For this, an additional outlay of Rs. 18,000 crores will be provided for PM Awaas Yojana (PMAY)-Urban through additional allocation and Extra Budgetary Resources. This will help 12 lakh houses to be grounded and 18 lakh houses to be completed. 5. Support for Construction & Infrastructure The performance security on contracts to be reduced to 3% instead of 5 to 10% and will be extended to ongoing contracts which are free of disputes and to Public Sector Enterprises. The States will be encouraged to adopt the same. Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) will not be required for tenders and will be replaced by the Bid Security Declaration.

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The relaxations will be given till 31 December 2021 under General Financial Rules and will provide relief to contractors by reducing locking up of capital and cost of BG. 6. Demand booster for Residential Real Estate Income Tax relief for Developers & Home Buyers The economic slowdown due to COVID-19 has led to a decline in prices of residential units. The Finance Minister has announced to raise the differential from 10% to 20% (under section 43CA) for the period from the date of the announcement to 30 June 2021 for only primary sale of residential units of value up to Rs 2 crores. A consequential Relief up to 20% shall also be allowed to buyers of these units under section 56(2)(x) of IT Act for the said period. Section 43CA of IT Act Presently, it restricts differential between circle rate & agreement value at the rate of 10% - Prices may actually be lower than this. 7. Rs. 1.10 lakh crore Platform for Infra Debt Financing – Rs. 6000 crores Equity infusion in NIIF Debt Platform The investments made by 3 NIIF funds in downstream funds, platforms and operating companies is Rs 19,676 crores. A debt platform has been set up by NIIF Strategic Opportunities Fund, comprising an NBFC Infra Debt Fund and an NBFC Infra Finance Company. The debt platform has a loan book of Rs. 8,000 crores and a deal pipeline of Rs. 10,000 crores. NIIF AIFL and IFL will raise a debt of Rs. 95,000 crores from the market and will provide infra project financing of Rs. 110,000 crores by the year 2025. The government will only invest in Rs. 6000 crores as equity and the remaining equity will be raised from private investors. 8. Support for Agriculture An estimated increase in fertiliser usage of 17.8% over the actual usage in 2019-20 of 571 lakh metric tonnes has been noted. In 2016-17, the fertilizer consumption was 499 lakh metric tonnes which were expected to increase to 673 lakh metric tonnes in 2020-21. In light of this, the government will provide Rs. 65,000 crores for subsidised fertilisers, helping 140 million farmers. 9. Enhanced outlays under PM Garib Kalyan Rozgar Yojana An additional outlay of Rs. 10,000 crores will be provided for PM Garib Kalyan Rozgar Yojana in the current fiscal year to boost rural employment. It is to be noted that the Scheme is already in progress in 116 Indian districts and Rs. 37,543 has already spent to date on PM Garib Kalyan Rozgar Yojana. 10. Boost for Project Exports On behalf of the Government of India, Exim Bank has extended the Lines of Credit (LOC) to provide assistance to developing countries under IDEAS scheme. It also promotes Indian export by mandating recipient countries to import 75% value of the LOC. It is to be noted that to date 811 export contracts, aggregating USD 10.50 bn are being financed under Lines of credit. Rs. 3,000 crores will now be released to EXIM Bank for promotion of the project exports through Lines of Credit under IDEAS scheme. 11. Capital and Industrial Stimulus An additional budget outlay of Rs. 10,200 crores will be provided towards Capital and Industrial expenditure. 12. Research and Development for COVID-19 Vaccine Development Rs. 900 crores provided for COVID Suraksha Mission for Research and Development of Indian COVID-19 Vaccine to the Department of Biotechnology. Additional Expenditure including Capital Housing for All - PMAY-U Rs. 18,000

Boost for Rural Employment Rs. 10,000

R&D Grant for Covid Suraksha- Indian vaccine development Rs. 900

Industrial Infrastructure, Industrial Incentives and Domestic Defence Rs. 10,200 Equipment

Boost for Project Exports – Support for EXIM Bank Rs. 3,000

Boost for Atmnanirbhar Manufacturing - Production Linked Incentives Rs. 1,45,980

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Support for Agriculture – Fertiliser Subsidy Rs. 65,000

Boost for Infrastructure – equity infusion in NIIF Debt PF Rs. 6,000

Atmanirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojana (overall Rs 36,000 cr) Rs. 6,000

Total Rs. 2,65,080 15TH SUBMITS ITS REPORT FOR FY22-FY26 TO PRESIDENT 2 KOVIND The Fifteenth Finance Commission, led by Chairman N.K. Singh has submitted its report for the period 2021-22 to 2025-26 to the President Ram Nath Kovind recently. Members of the Commission: Ajay Narayan Jha, Prof. Anoop Singh, Dr. Ashok Lahiri and Dr. Ramesh Chand The Commission was asked to give its recommendations on many unique and wide-ranging issues in its terms of reference. Apart from the vertical and horizontal tax devolution, local government grants, disaster management grant, the Commission was also asked to examine and recommend performance incentives for states in many areas like power sector, adoption of DBT, solid waste management etc. The Commission was also asked to examine whether a separate mechanism for funding of defence and internal security ought to be set up and if so how such a mechanism could be operationalised. The Commission has sought to address all its ToRs in this Report to the Union government

This report has been organised in four volumes. Volume I and II, as in the past, contain the main report and the accompanying annexes. Volume III is devoted to the Union Government and examines key departments in greater depth, with the medium-term challenges and the roadmap ahead. Volume IV is entirely devoted to the states. It should be noted that this is the first time that a chapter on the health care scenario of the country is introduced along with recommendations in order to boost public-health spending in a post-pandemic era.The target is that the Centre alone should be able to spend at least 2.1% of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) on health in the next five years. As per the terms of reference (ToR), the Commission was mandated to give its recommendations for five years from 2021-22 to 2025-26 by 30 October, 2020. Last year, the Commission had submitted its report containing recommendations for the year 2020-21, which was accepted by the Union Government and tabled in the Parliament on 30 January, 2020. The interim report had reduced States’ share in the divisible pool of taxes from 42% to 41% for the current year, after the dissolution of Jammu and Kashmir as a State.

Centre releases Rs 2,200 cr for 42 cities for improving air quality; Greater Mumbai received highest Based on the recommendations of XVFC, the central government has recently released Rs 2,200 crore as the first installment to 15 states for the improvement of air quality measures in their cities. Under this, 42 cities will be covered with a population in excess of one million. This grant will be used under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) to improve air quality in these cities. • The states (State Finance Department) shall transfer grants-in-aid directly to all local bodies • The local bodies in the list shall entrust one urban local body as a nodal entity to receive the grants. • Greater Mumbai (Maharashtra) has received the highest share of funds, Rs 244 crore followed by Kolkata, West Bengal (Rs 192 crores), Bengaluru, Karnataka (Rs 139.5 crore) and Chennai, Tamil Nadu (Rs 90 crore). About Fifteenth Finance Commission (XVFC): The Fifteenth Finance Commission was constituted by the on November 27, 2017 in pursuance of clause (1) of Article 280 of the Constitution and Finance Commission (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1951.

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• The Constitution, through Articles 280 to 281, provides for finance commissions, set up every five years, as a mechanism to divide taxes and revenues vertically i.e. between the Centre and states, and horizontally, i.e. among all states, based on their levels of development, prosperity and regional needs.

PM MODI LAUNCHES “HAR GHAR NAL YOJANA” IN UTTAR 3 PRADESH Prime Minister , on November 22, launched the ‘Har Ghar Nal Yojana’ (Tap Water to Every Household) for the residents of Uttar Pradesh’s Sonbhadra and Mirzapur district. Government was committed to solving the water scarcity problem and hence the scheme of worth Rs.5,555 crores was launched in the state Why was the region chosen? This region is full of natural resources. Despite the region having many rivers like Ganga, the Ghaghara, the Yamuna and the Sarayu, water scarcity prevails in the region. Thus, “Har Ghar Nal Yojana” has been launched. Also, the the river water and the underground water in the region is getting polluted rapidly. Therefore, it is important to provide clean drinking water to the region. What are the benefits? The scheme will benefit 21,87,980 villagers in Mirzapur. In Sonbhadra, 19,53,458 families will be benefitted by the scheme. Rs 3212.18 crore and Rs 2343.20 crore will be spent under the scheme. The total cost of the scheme is Rs 5555.38 crore. What is Har Ghar Nal Yojana? The scheme was launched to provide tap water to every Household. Objectives The main objective of the scheme is to provide tap water for every household. Benefits The water of lakes and river will be purified and supplied to the families in Sonbhadra. Eligibility All households are eligible to claim the benefits of the scheme. What are the main components of the scheme?  The following are the main components included in the scheme  Development of drinking water sources, bulk water transfer, treatment plants and distribution network to every rural region.  Removal of contaminants from the dirty water.  Water Quality laboratories, training, HRD, retrofitting of completed and ongoing schemes to provide FHTCs at minimum service level, support IEC, development of utilities, water quality testing & surveillance, R&D, knowledge centre, capacity building of communities, etc.

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RBI MOHANTY PANEL FOR BANK LICENSE TO LARGE 4 CORPORATE HOUSES In a series of proposals, an Internal Working Group (IWG) of the (RBI) has recommended the guarded entry of corporates into the banking space, conversion of big NBFCs into banks and hike in promoters’ stake to 26 per cent from 15 per cent. The group also proposed a hike in minimum capital for new banks from Rs 500 crore to Rs 1,000 crore. Key Highlights  The committee recommended raising the cap on promoter stake in private sector banks to 26% of the paid up equity after 15 years of operation.Currently, banking regulations make it mandatory for promoters of private sector banks to reduce their ownership to 40% within three years and to 15% in 15 years.  The committee also recommended giving banking licences to large corporates or industrial houses after necessary amendments to the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 and strengthening of the supervisory mechanism for large conglomerates.  According to the committee, large non-banking finance companies with asset size of more than Rs.50,000 crore including those owned by corporate houses should be considered for conversion into banks, provided they have completed 10 years of operation. Payments Banks on the other hand could look at converting to a small finance bank after a track record of three years of experience.  The committee also suggested capping of bank’s investment in any new or existing entity to 20%. However, they may be permitted to make total investments in financial or non-financial services company which is not a subsidiary or JV or associate upto 20 per cent of the bank’s paid up share capital and reserves.  The minimum initial capital requirement for licensing new banks should be enhanced from Rs 500 crore to Rs 1,000 crore for universal banks and from Rs 200 crore to Rs 300 crore for small finance banks. The initial voting capital should be raised from Rs 150 crore to Rs 300 crore in five years, it said.  Non-operative financial holding companies (NOFHC) should continue to be the preferred structure for all new licenses to be issued for universal banks. However, it should be mandatory only in cases where the individual promoters, promoting entities and converting entities have other group entities, the IWG said.  While banks licensed before 2013 may move to an NOFHC structure at their discretion, once the NOFHC structure attains a tax-neutral status, all banks licensed before 2013 should move to the NOFHC structure within five years from announcement of tax-neutrality, it has proposed.  According to the committee, till the NOFHC structure is made feasible and operational, the concerns with regard to banks undertaking different activities through subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates need to be addressed through suitable regulations.  Banks currently under NOFHC structure should be allowed to exit from such a structure if they do not have other group entities in their fold. 5 RASHTRIYA EKTA DIWAS 2020 On the 145th birth anniversary of Sardar Patel, PM Modi commemorated the day as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas and paid homage to the great leader at the Statue of Unity on October 31, 2020. For the celebrations, he took part in Ekta Diwas Parade at Kevadia, Gujarat, and administered the Rashtriya Ekta Pledge.

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Highlights from the Visit: India’s First Sea-Plane Service: Prime Minister also launched India’s First Seaplane service between the Statue of Unity near Kevadia in Gujarat’s Narmada district and Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad. The seaplane is a 19-seater seaplane and will be operated by SpiceJet. He also inaugurated Water Aerodrome in Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad. Inauguration of Sardar Patel Zoological Park: Prime Minister inaugurated Sardar Patel Zoological Park popularly known as Jungle Safari in Gujarat’s Narmada district. It is the fastest ever built Jungle Safari. It has two aviaries (enclosure for keeping birds in) – one for domestic birds and another for exotic birds. Inauguration of Unity Glow Garden & Cactus Garden: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Unity Glow Garden which is the first-of-its-kind in India & Cactus Garden. Ekta Mall: Ekta Mall displays a wide range of handicrafts and traditional items from all over India symbolizing unity in diversity. It is a special store constructed near the State of Unity, tourists can buy handloom and handicraft products belonging to different states under one roof. It has been developed on the theme of Unity in Handicraft & Handloom Diversity. Children Nutrition Park & Mirror Maze: It is the world’s first ever technology drive nutrition park for children and is spread over an area of 35, 000 square feet. The nutrition park includes a Nutri train which runs across the park to various theme based stations such as ‘Phalshaka Griham’, ‘Payonagari’, ‘Annapoorna’, ‘Poshan Puran’, and ‘Swastha Bharatam’. The park will raise awareness about nutrition through edutainment activities like Mirror Maze, 5D Virtual reality theatre and Augmented reality games. Unveiling of Kevadia Mobile app: He introduced a website of Statue of Unity in all the United Nations (UN) official languages and launched the Kevadia Mobile App. The Website and app will guide tourists visiting the Statue of Unity, Kevadia. Arogya Van & Arogya Kutir: The Prime Minister also inaugurated Arogya Van & Arogya Kutir. Arogya Van (Health Forest) has 5 Lakh Plants of 380 different species spread over an area of 17 acres. Arogya Kutir has a traditional treatment facility named Santhigiri wellness centre which provides healthcare based on Ayurveda, Siddha, Yoga and Panchakarma. Ekta Cruise Service: The Prime Minister inaugurated the Ekta Cruise Service through which tourists can experience beautiful views of the Statue of Unity. The 40 Minute Ferry Boat Service operates from Shrestha Bharat Bhavan to Statue of Unity by covering a distance of 6 kilometres. The boat is capable of ferrying 200 passengers at a time. A New Gora Bridge has been built specially for the operation of the ferry service. A Boating Channel has been constructed to provide boating services to tourists visiting the Statue of Unity. About Rashtriya Ekta Diwas and why is it celebrated? Rashtriya Ekta Diwas or National Unity Day was started by the Indian Government in 2014. According to the official statement by the Ministry of Home Affairs, this day will be providing an opportunity to reaffirm the strength of our nation to face the threats to integrity, unity, and security of the country. In 2018, this day was celebrated in Gujarat, and the Statue of Unity was dedicated which honours and depicts Sardar Patel.

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CHINA LAUNCHES WORLD’S FIRST 6G EXPERIMENTAL 6 SATELLITE China successfully launched the world's first 6G experimental satellite on November 6, 2020. The satellite was launched into the orbit aboard a single rocket along with 12 other satellites. The 6G satellite weighs approximately 70kg and has been named after its co-developer, the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC), which worked with Chengdu Guoxing Aerospace Technology and Beijing MinoSpace Technology on the project. The development comes a year China began development of its next-generation mobile internet connection, which is expected to be rolled out in 2030. What is 6G satellite? Though 6G technology is still years away from becoming a reality, as per Chinese engineers, the satellite will test a type of communication waves that could boost the current streaming speeds by 100 times. Key Highlights  The 6G communications test satellite was launched into the orbit along with 12 other satellites.  The 13 satellites also included 10 from Argentina and it is said to be the 351st launch by the Long March 6 rocket.  Satellogic signed a contract with China Great Wall Industry Corporation, an arm of China’s main space contractor, in January 2019 for launches to deploy 90 satellites. Satellogic has previously received funding from Chinese tech giant Tencent.  The mission also carried and launched three additional satellites. One was the UESTC (also known as Tianyan-05) remote sensing satellite jointly developed by new Chinese commercial satellite companies ADAspace and MinoSpace.  Another payload, Beihang SAT-1 was developed by Spacety, a commercial satellite maker based in Changsha, central China, in collaboration with Beihang University, an aerospace university in Beijing.  Beihang SAT-1 also carries a NPT30-I2 electric propulsion system developed by French startup ThrustMe.  The final satellite, named Bayi-03, involved students from the Jinshan Middle School in Taiyuan. Carrying an ultraviolet telescope developed by Origin Space, a Chinese asteroid mining company. Background China had launched the research and development of 6G technology in November 2019 just days after 5G networks had become available in the country. The Chinese Technology Bureau had formed a panel comprising 37 telecommunication specialists from institutions, universities, institutions and corporations, which was tasked with laying out development of 6G and proving its scientific feasibility.

Page | 9 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER – 2020 VIRGIN HYPERLOOP COMPLETES FIRST-EVER HUMAN TRIAL IN HYPERLOOP 7 POD IN US Virgin Hyperloop successfully completed the first-ever human trial in the hyperloop pod at the 500 metre DevLoop test facility in the Las Vegas,United States (US) on November 8, 2020. Josh Giegel, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, Virgin Hyperloop and Sara Luchian, Director of Passenger Experience of Virgin Hyperloop, were the first people in the world to ride on Hyperloop.  They travelled 500 metres in 15 seconds in newly-unveiled XP-2 vehicle, reaching 107 mph (172 Km per hour).  The testing campaign will continue with Pune native and Virgin Hyperloop Power Electronics Specialist, Tanay Manjrekar to ride next in Hyperloop. About the Vehicle: The 2 passengers made their maiden voyage on the newly-unveiled XP-2 vehicle, designed by Bjarke Ingels Group, which was custom-built with occupant safety and comfort in mind. Hyperloop:  It is a next-generation travel system which uses pods or capsules travelling at high speeds through low- pressure tubes erected on columns or tunnelled underground using magnetic levitation.  It is fully autonomous and sealed eliminating driver-related errors.  The idea of ‘Hyperloop’ was first publicly mentioned by Elon Musk in 2012.  The concept has been “open-sourced” by Musk and SpaceX to encourage others to take the ideas and develop them. Hyperloop in India:  Maharashtra Government recognized hyperloop as a public infrastructure project and approved the Virgin Hyperloop-DP World Consortium as Original Project Proponent (OPP) for the Mumbai-Pune hyperloop project. It was expected to run along Mumbai-Pune Express Highway.  In October, 2020 Virgin Hyperloop announced a partnership with Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) to conduct feasibility study for a proposed hyperloop corridor from Bangalore Airport.  In 2019, Virgin Hyperloop signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Punjab’s Transport Department.

NATIONAL WATER AWARD 2019 FOR WATER 8 MANAGEMENT  Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu virtually presented the Second National Water Awards.  The award ceremony has been organised by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation through virtual platform.  Tamil Nadu won the first place in the Union ministry of Jal Shakti’s 2nd National Water Awards for 2019 under the best state (normal) category for the conservation and management of water. Maharashtra and Rajasthan has been placed at second and third place.  Indira Gandhi Government High School, Katterikuppam, Puducherry secured the 1st place in the ‘Best School’ category.

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Other Awards of Tamil Nadu:  Vellore and Karur districts of Tamil Nadu secured the 1st and 2nd position under the category of Revival of River.  Perambalur district secured the 2nd position under the category of Water Conservation at national level.  Sasthavinathur village panchayat in Thoothukudi district secured the 1st place under the Water Conservation category for the South.  Madurai Corporation secured the 1st prize under the Best Urban Local Body which took water conservation efforts.  Hari Kuppuswamy, ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore; T Pradeep, IIT-Madras and Va Tech Wabag Limited, Sunnambu Kolathur, Chennai secured the 1st, 2nd and 3rd positions respectively under the Best Research/Innovation/adaptation of New Technology for Water Conservation category.  Manikandan, Coordinator, Kovai Kulangal Pathukappu Amaippu, Coimbatore and Professor Sakthinathan Ganapathy Pandian, CWG Campus, Anna University secured the first and second positions under the Best Water Warrior category in South Zone. Maharashtra becomes second best state in water conservation efforts in the country  Maharashtra has become the second best state in water conservation efforts in the country and has bagged six awards in different categories of National Jal Shakti Awards for the year 2019. The state has won the first prize in the water regulatory authority category for the second consecutive year.  Similarly, Sangli District Administration has bagged the top prize in the river revival category for reviving Agrani river.  Aniket Lohiya of Manavlok, an NGO from Beed, won the ‘Water Warrior’ award. The organization has been working for the development of forest, land and water in Marathwada district. Maharashtra received three more awards and underlined the work done for the most valuable asset for human being. Udhampur conferred with National Award for water conservation In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, District Udhampur has been conferred with National Award for water conservation under Jeevika Project launched by the District Administration. 9 2020 INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE The 13th Edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) officially known as Dream11 Indian Premier League 2020 took place at the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Mumbai Indians won their 5th IPL Title by defeating First-Time Finalists Delhi Capitals by 5 wickets in the Final at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Mumbai Indians became the Second Franchise after Chennai Super Kings to win two back-to-back Indian Premier League Titles. AWARD PLAYER Orange Cap KL Rahul (India) of Kings XI Punjab (Highest Run Scorer of the Season) Runs – 670 Matches – 14 Purple Cap Kagiso Rabada (South Africa) of Delhi Capitals ( Highest Wicket-Taker of the Season) Wickets – 30 Wickets, Matches – 17. Most Valuable Player Jofra Archer (England) of Rajasthan Royals Paytm Fairplay Mumbai Indians Emerging Player Devdutt Padikkal (India) of Royal Challengers Bangalore Runs – 473 (50’s – 5) Game Changer of the Season KL Rahul Powerplayer of the Season Trent Boult (New Zealand) of Mumbai Indians Super Striker of the Season Keiron Pollard (West Indies) – Strike Rate of 191.42 Most Sixes Ishan Kishan (India) of Mumbai Indians. 30 Sixes, Matches – 14

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Indian Premier League (IPL): Chairman – Brijesh Patel Headquarters – Mumbai (Maharashtra)  Most Expensive Player : Patt Cummins 15.5 cr ( Kolkata Knight Riders )  First player to score century in DREAM11 IPL 2020 : K L Rahul  Rahul is now only the third player after Virender Sehwag and David Warner to hit an IPL century both as captain and non-captain.  KL Rahul Became the fastest Indian (60 innings) to reach 2,000 IPL runs  Shikhar Dhawan became the first player to hit two consecutive centuries in IPL  RCB pacer Mohammed Siraj became the first bowler to bowl two maiden overs in an IPL match  Virat Kohli becomes first cricketer to reach 9000 T20 runs  The Indian Premier League clash between Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings in Sharjah saw 33 sixes — a joint record in an IPL match.  MS Dhoni became First player to play 200 IPL matches  Rohit Sharma became second player to play 200 IPL matches  Shikhar Dhawan became the 4th batsman to score 5000 runs in the IPL.  David Warner became the fastest overseas batsman and 5th player after Virat ,Raina and Rohit to reach the 5000-run mark in the Indian Premier League.  Dream XI Game Changer of the Season: KL Rahul – 975 Fantasy Points  Tata Altroz Super Striker of the Season: Kieron Pollard (Mumbai Indians) – Strike Rate of 191.42  CRED Power Player of the Season: Trent Boult (Mumbai Indians) – 16 wickets in powerplay  Fair Play Award: Mumbai Indians Third Season of 2020 Women’s T20 Challenge: The Third Season of the Women’s T20 Challenge 2020 officially known as Jio Women’s T20 Challenge took place simultaneously in UAE from November 4-9,2020. The Group matches took place at Dubai & Abu Dhabi whereas the Final took place at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in UAE. It was a three-team tournament which consisted of 3 Group Matches and followed by a Final. The tournament was established by the BCCI in 2018. The Three Teams: The Three Teams are IPL Supernovas, IPL Trailblazers and IPL Velocity. IPL Supernovas were captained by Harmanpreet Kaur, IPL Trailblazers captained by Smriti Mandhana and Mithali Raj captaining IPL Velocity. All Three captains belonged to India. Winner: i.Trailblazers defeated Supernovas by 16 runs to lift their Maiden Women’s T20 Challenge at Sharjah. ii.Smriti Mandhana of Trailblazers was adjudged Player of the Match for her knock of 68 in the Finals. Key Points: i. Radha Yadav (India) of Supernovas Became the first bowler in the history of Women’s T20 Challenge to pick up a 5-wicket haul when she took 5 wickets in the Finals against Trailblazers. ii. IPL Supernovas had won the previous two Challenge Titles. They won the 2018 season title at Wankhede, Mumbai (Maharashtra) and 2019 Title at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, Rajasthan. iii. Radha Yadav was named as Player of the Series for taking 8 wickets in the Tournament. iv. Natthakan Chantham became the First Thai Cricketer to be represented in the Tournament. v. Chamari Atapattu (Sri Lanka) of Supernovas was the highest run scorer of the Season. She scored 117 runs.

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Page | 13 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER – 2020 ECONOMY RBI IN NEWS RBI panel proposes to raise promoters cap to 26% in private banks  An internal working group set up by the RBI has proposed to raise the cap on promoters’ stake in private banks from the current 15 per cent to 26 per cent in 15 years.  The Reserve Bank of India had constituted the internal working group (IWG) on June 12, 2020, to review extant ownership guidelines and corporate structure for Indian private sector banks.  The group has also recommended that large corporate/industrial houses may be allowed as promoters of banks only after necessary amendments to the Banking Regulations Act, 1949 to deal with connected lending and exposures between the banks and other financial and non-financial group entities.  The panel also suggested well run large Non-Banking Finance Companies (NBFCs) with an asset size of Rs 50,000 crore and above, including those owned by a corporate house, may be considered for conversion into banks – subject to completion of 10 years of operations.  It recommended the minimum initial capital requirement for licensing new banks should be enhanced from Rs 500 crore to Rs 1,000 crore for universal banks and from Rs 200 crore to Rs 300 crore for small finance banks. RBI asks lending institutions to implement waiver of interest on interest scheme  The Reserve Bank asked all lending institutions, including non-banking financial companies, to implement the waiver of interest on interest for loans up to Rs.2 crore for the six months moratorium period beginning March 1, 2020.  Under the scheme, the lending institutions have been mandated to grant ex-gratia payment to certain categories of borrowers through crediting the difference between simple interest and compound interest for the period between March 1- August 31, 2020.The government has asked the lending institutions to complete crediting the amount in the accounts of borrowers by 5th November. Two entities start testing products under RBI's regulatory sandbox  Testing of products under the RBI's regulatory sandbox, which was delayed due to COVID-19 pandemic, has started, with two entities starting the 'test phase' with their products.  Live testing of innovative products is done under the regulatory sandbox approach.  The two companies are Jaipur based Natural Support Consultancy Services Private Limited and New Delhi based Nucleus Software Exports Limited.  Natural Support Consultancy Services, Jaipur is testing the product 'eRupaya'. It is a set of Near-Field Communication (NFC) based prepaid card and NFC-enabled Point of Sale (PoS) device to facilitate offline Person-to-Merchant (P2M) transactions and offline digital payments in remote locations.  New Delhi-based Nucleus Software Exports is testing the offline digital cash product 'PaySe'. The product proposes to help in digitisation of payments in rural areas, starting with Self Help Groups (SHG), through an offline payment solution and a digitised SHG-centered ecosystem. Ensure all accounts are linked with Aadhaar by March 31, 2021: FM to banks  Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman asked banks to ensure all accounts are Aadhaar-seeded and linked with Permanent Account Number (PAN) by March 31, 2021.  The minister also asked banks to ensure they are using the latest technology applications to close loopholes in the banking system and to promote unified payments interface-based (UPI) digital transactions and Rupay cards to make the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) a global brand. RBI to Evaluate Impact of ‘RBI Kehta Hai’ Campaign  The Reserve Bank is all set to evaluate the impact of multi-media public awareness campaign ‘RBI Kehta Hai’, which was launched in 14 languages to educate public about good practices, regulations and initiatives in banking and financial sector.  ‘RBI Kehta Hai’ was the first even 360 degree campaign initiated by the central bank using all mass media, including media such as television, radio, newspapers, hoardings, web banners, gifs, social media and SMS. RBI cancels Certificate of Authorisation of five PSOs  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cancelled the Certificate of Authorisation (CoA) of five Payment System Operators (PSOs), including Aircel Smart Money Ltd and Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System Ltd.  The five PSOs, which also includes Pyro Networks Pvt Ltd, Card Pro Solutions Pvt Ltd, and InCashMe Mobile Wallet Services Pvt Ltd, were issued COA for issuance and operation of prepaid payment instruments.

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RBI announces co-lending scheme for banks, NBFCs for priority sector  Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has revised the loan scheme of the Co-origination Model between Banks and Non-Banking Financial Companies – Non-Deposit taking – Systemically Important (NBFC-ND-SIs) launched in September 2018 with the improved”Co-Lending Model (CLM)“.  The Scheme CLM helps banks to provide loans along with NBFCs (Non-Banking Financial Companies) including HFCs (Housing Finance Companies) for priority sector borrowers based on a prior agreement.  The co-lending banks will take their share of the individual loans on a back-to-back basis in their books while NBFCs are required to retain a minimum of 20% share of the individual loans on their books.  Both entities need to formulate Board approved policies for entering into the CLM and place the approved policies on their websites. On the basis of this Master Agreement will be prepared including terms and conditions of the arrangement.  The CLM will not be applicable to foreign banks (including WOS) with less than 20 branches.  NBFCs will be the single point of interface for the customers and will enter into a loan agreement with the borrowers.  All transactions (disbursements/ repayments) between the banks and NBFCs relating to CLM have to be routed through an escrow account maintained with the banks.  Escrow accounts are a financial instrument in which an asset or escrow money is held by a third party on behalf of 2 other parties that are in the process of completing a transaction.  With regard to grievance redressal, co-lenders are required to provide a suitable arrangement to resolve any complaint registered by a borrower with the NBFC within 30 days.  If the complaint is not resolved, the borrower has the option to escalate the same with the concerned Banking Ombudsman/Ombudsman for NBFCs or the Customer Education and Protection Cell (CEPC) in RBI RBI to extend trading hours to 3:30 pm from 2 pm starting November 9  The Reserve Bank announced phased restoration of trading hours for various debt as well as currency market from Nov. 9.  The market opening time was revised to 10 a.m. instead of 9 a.m. for all segments. Closing timing too was revised to 2 p.m.  From Nov. 9, 2020, the trading hours have been extended by 90 minutes till 3:30 p.m. for most of the segments. In case of ‘market repo in government securities’ the timing from next week will be 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and ‘tri-party repo in government securities’ 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Trading hours for ‘Commercial paper and Certificates of Deposit’, ‘Repo in Corporate Bonds’, ‘Government Securities’, ‘Foreign Currency/ Trades including Forex Derivatives’, ‘Rupee Interest Rate Derivatives’, and ‘Call/notice/term money’ will be 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. However, the market will continue to open at 10 a.m. instead of 9 a.m. RBI Becomes World’s 1st Central Bank to Reach 1 million Followers on Twitter The number of followers of the Reserve Bank of India(RBI)has increased from 9.66 lakh to one million or 10 lakh on Twitter. With this, the central bank of India is now the first-ever such bank in the world to reach these many followers in the micro-blogging site. The US Federal Reserve has about 6.67 lakh Twitter followers and the Frankfurt-headquartered European Central Bank (ECB), the second most powerful monetary authority in the world, has about 5.91 lakh followers. Currently, the RBI handle is followed by over 1 million people.

SBI IN NEWS SBI Signs Pact With Luxembourg Stock Exchange State Bank of India (SBI) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Luxembourg Stock Exchange (LuxSe) to set up a long-term cooperation mechanism, and promote ESG (Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance) and green finance. SBM Bank India and PayNearby collaborates to launch neo banking platform ‘Nivesh’  The SBM Bank India, a wholly-owned subsidiary of State Bank of Mauritius, has announced to launch a ‘neo banking platform’ to reach its customers in the country with the help of technology.  The neo banking service launched is called ‘Nivesh’ and is a unique Goal Based Recurring Deposit Platform.  The bank has tied up with fintech PayNearby to launch the project on pilot basis.  What is Neo Banking?  A neobanking (also known as an online banking, internet-only banking, virtual banking or digital banking) is a type of direct bank that operates exclusively online without traditional physical branch networks.

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Mercedes-Benz joins hands with SBI to target HNI customers  Mercedes-Benz has joined hands with State Bank of India (SBI) to offer financial benefits to the lender’s High Net Worth Individual (HNI) customers.  This collaboration will give the luxury automobile manufacturer access to State Bank of India’s High Net Worth Individual (HNI) customer base, while the bank’s customers will enjoy exclusive benefits at the time of booking a Mercedes-Benz car. SBI Becomes 1st Corporate Partner of edX from India to Offer Massive Open Online Courses  SBI(State Bank of India) has entered into a strategic partnership with edX, a global non-profit education platform to expand the learners’ perspectives and access to knowledge beyond the classrooms. As part of this partnership, SBI will offer its Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) on the edX platform(edx.org.) from November 2020.  With this partnership, SBI becomes 1st Corporate Partner of edX from India. IFFCO Bazar Partners With SBI YONO Krishi App www.iffcobazar.in, the e-commerce arm of IFFCO has announced its integration with the SBI YONO Krishi, which is the dedicated portal catering to the farmer’s needs. Paytm Partners with SBI Card and Visa to Launch Contactless Co-Branded Credit Cards in 2 Variants  SBI Card and Payment Services ltd.(SBI Cards) partnered with Paytm and Visa to launch contactless co- branded credit cards, India’s next generation credit cards. The credit card will be available in two variants, namely, Paytm SBI Card and Paytm SBI Card SELECT.

OTHER BANKS IN NEWS HDFC Bank, ICCI join hands to support SMEs, start-ups  Private lender HDFC Bank has joined hands with ICCI (Inventivepreneur Chamber of Commerce and Industries In its endeavour for supporting SMEs and Start-ups.  Through this alliance, ICCI will be engaging, enrolling and supporting various Start-ups /SMEs /MSMEs in a bid to facilitate inter-alia financial and other facilities to/from HDFC Bank.  As a part of this partnership, HDFC Bank may offer bank accounts to Start-ups that are supported by INVENTIVEPRENEUR and recommended by INVENTIVEPRENEUR. IPPB ties-up with PNB MetLife to extend PMJJBY Insurance  India Post Payments bank (IPPB) has tied-up with PNB MetLife India Insurance, for its customers availing the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY).  Key features of PMJJBY are:  Availability: It is optional for all persons who have savings account with IPPB  Primary KYC: Aadhaar will be the primary KYC  Entry age: Minimum – 18 yrs (on the date of enrollment), Maximum – 50 yrs(Age near Birthday)  Maximum maturity age: Completion of 55 years (Age near Birthday)  Coverage terms: 1 year (renewable) – June 1 to May 31 each year  Sum assured: Maximum coverage of Rs 2,00,000 per life irrespective of multiple accounts/multiple certificate of insurance held under the PMJJBY scheme. The cover of Rs 2 lakh comes at less than one rupee per day.  Premium: Rs 330  Premium payment mode: Annual. However, the 1st-year premium depends on the quarter in which scheme is opted HDFC Bank’s m-cap crosses Rs.8 trillion market cap for the 1st time  The Market Capitalization (m-cap) of HDFC Bank crossed INR 8 Trillion for the first time. It became India’s third company and the first bank to achieve this milestone. Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS) and Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) are the only two companies to have achieved the landmark.  RIL is India’s most valued company having a market value of INR 13.17 Trillion followed by TCS at INR 10.13 Trillion. YES Bank in partnership with Worldline introduces SMS Pay on POS terminals Private lender YES Bank launched an SMS Pay functionality on POS terminals, which enables merchants to accept contactless payments from customers.The facility was launched in collaboration with French payment services company Worldline, adding that the facility would allow merchants to accept remote payments on POS terminals and thus allow customers to transact safely and remotely. HDFC Bank Launches SmartHub Merchant Solutions 3.0 for SMEs  The private sector lender HDFC Bank has launched SmartHub Merchant Solutions 3.0, India’s first comprehensive banking and payment solution for merchants.  The new solution will allow merchants and self-employed professionals to instantly open a current account and start accepting payments in-store, online, and on-the-go.

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 SmartHub 3.0 will be available in app based, web based and a range of PoS devices. India Post Payments Bank launches home-delivery service of Life Certificate  India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) announced the launch of its doorstep delivery service of Life Certificates, known as Jeevan Pramaan, in a bid to facilitate ease of retired government employees.  Jeevan Pramaan is an Aadhar based Digital Life Certificate for Pensioners.It was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 10 November 2014.  Jeevan Pramaan has been developed by the Department of Electronics and IT, Government of India. Equitas Small Finance Bank launches ‘Eva’ savings account for women; appoints Smriti Mandhana as brand ambassador  Equitas Small Finance Bank (Headquarter-Chennai) has launched a women-centered product ‘Eva’.  Eva is a unique savings account for women to address the well-being of Indian women in every aspect such as health, wealth and prosperity.  The Bank has roped in Indian Woman cricketer Smriti Mandhana as the brand ambassador for its newly launched product ‘EVA’.  Key features of Eva Savings Account  Eva is available for all women like salaried/homemakers/businesswomen/senior citizens/transwomen as well as non-resident women.  The women customers will get 7% interest on deposits.  It also offers free health check-up and unlimited teleconsultation with women doctors, gynecologists and mental health experts.  Eva also offers PF waiver and discounted gold loan rates for women customers, along-with 25-50% discounts on lockers. HDFC Bank, IndusInd in ‘red flag’ list on nearing foreign investment cap  Private sector lenders HDFC Bank and IndusInd Bank have been put in the so-called ‘red flag’ list, a system used for monitoring foreign portfolio investor (FPI) limits. A listed company enters the list when the available legroom for overseas investment is less than 3 per cent of the permissible limit.  FPIs can invest up to 74 per cent in both HDFC Bank and IndusInd Bank. The current FPI shareholding in case of HDFC Bank is 71.3 per cent, while that of IndusInd Bank is 73.1 per cent  Besides these two, Novartis India and Procter & Gamble Hygiene and Health Care are the only other companies in the red-flag list. HDFC Bank launches ‘Mooh Band Rakho’ campaign to create awareness on Cyber Frauds  HDFC Bank Ltd.announced the launch of “Mooh Band Rakho,” a campaign to increase awareness on cyber frauds and preventing them.  It supports the International Fraud Awareness Week 2020, the global movement to minimise the impact of fraud which is being held from November 15 – 21.  The Bank will conduct awareness programme about not sharing card details, CVV, Expiry Date, OTP NetBanking/ MobileBanking Login ID & Password over Phone, SMS, email and social media,which will help general public keep their money safe. Lakshmi Vilas Bank becomes DBS India; 94-year old bank part of history now  Tamil Nadu-based Lakshmi Vilas Bank (LVB) with pre-independence lineage lost its identity after its merger with the Indian subsidiary of Singapore's DBS Bank. The debt-ridden 94-year old old bank's fate was sealed with Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approving Scheme of Amalagamation.  All the branches of LVB will function as branches of DBIL with effect from November 27  With non-performing assets (NPAs) soaring, the bank was put under the prompt corrective action framework of the RBI in September 2019.  Previously Reserve Bank places Lakshmi Vilas Bank Ltd under moratorium and had capped all cash withdrawals from the bank to twenty five thousand rupees.  RBI had also appointed the former Non Executive Chairman of Canara Bank, T. N. Manoharan as the banks’ administrator for the moratorium period. RBL Bank selects Amazon Web Services to drive digital transformation RBL Bank has selected Amazon Web Services (AWS) as its preferred cloud service to drive digital transformation. Indian Bank, Canara, Axis, South Indian Bank Buy Equal Stakes In Fintech Firm IBBIC  Indian Bank, Canara bank , Axis bank, South Indian Bank, Bank of Baroda(BoB) acquired 6.67% stakes (representing 50,000 equity shares) each in the proposed financial tech firm, IBBIC Pvt Ltd. for Rs 5 lakhs.  IBBIC Private Limited is proposed to be incorporated as a financial technology company with an objective of providing a platform for exploring, building and implementing Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) solutions for the Indian financial services sector, the banks said in separate filings to exchanges.

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Karnataka Bank launches CASA campaign  Karnataka Bank launched CASA (current account, savings account) mobilisation campaign which will run from November 17 to March 4, 2021.  The bank stated that it intends to mobilise over 4.10 lakh current and savings accounts with an accretion of 650 crore of business. LIC launches its first digital application ANANDA  Life Insurance Corporation of India launched its first Digital Application, ANANDA, an acronym for Atma Nirbhar Agents NewBusiness Digital Application.  The Digital application is a tool for the on boarding process to get the Life Insurance policy through a Paperless module with the help of the Agent / Intermediary. Kotak Mutual Fund launches Kotak ESG Opportunities Fund  Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Company(KMAMC) has launched Kotak ESG Opportunities Fund. The New Fund Offer (NFO) of the scheme will close for subscription on December 4.  The fund will focus on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors and the Principles for Responsible Investing (PRI).  KMAMC is the first asset management company to sign the United Nation’s Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI). Kotak ESG Opportunities Fund will be managed by Harsha Upadhyaya. RBI fines PNB, PhonePe, 4 other firms for violation of norms  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a total fine of over Rs 5.78 crore on six entities.  These are Punjab National Bank(PNB),Sodexo,PhonePe,QwikCilver,Delhi metro rail corporation Ltd(DMRC) and Muthoot finance.  Sodexo is slapped with the highest fine of Rs 2 crore; PNB and QwikCilver Solutions Rs 1 crore each; PhonePe Rs 1.39 crore; Muthoot Vehicle & Asset Finance Rs 34.55 lakh; and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Rs 5 lakh. RBI imposes Rs 1 crore penalty on Punjab National Bank State-run Punjab National Bank stated the RBI has imposed a penalty of Rs 1 crore on it for contravention of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act 2007 (PSS Act) Bharti AXA General Insurance launches cancer awareness drive on social media Bharti AXA General Insurance has launched #CancerSendsNoNotifications campaign – a special initiative to increase awareness and spread knowledge on detecting the disease early among people in India. This campaign was held on November 7th National Cancer Awareness Day Paytm introduces Payout Links for businesses  Paytm has launched Payout Links for businesses, enabling them to instantly process payouts to customers, employees and vendors, without collecting their bank details.  The receiver needs to simply open the link and is automatically provided a list of saved accounts such as Paytm Wallet, Paytm UPI and connected bank accounts, which can be chosen to receive money instantly. Since no other information is needed, the receiver is free from having to remember his bank details, and the risk of human errors is effectively removed. Karnataka Bank Launches its 1st Contactless, RuPay Debit Card, ‘National Common Mobility Debit Card’  On November 9, 2020 In accordance with the vision of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA),Karnataka Bank Limited launched a new indigenous RuPay debit card- National Common Mobility Card(NCMC). This card is the bank’s 1st ever contactless debit Card.  The card is an international Contact-less, debit cum prepaid and interoperable transport card, a ‘One Nation One Card i.e., a card with many benefits’. BSE StAR MF launches a direct investment portal for corporates BSE StAR MF, the Mutual Fund distribution platform of BSE (formerly ), launched ‘StAR MF Corp Direct Portal’, a direct investment portal for corporates with more features. The portal will simplify and provide end-to-end value-based services to the Asset Management Companies (AMCs), distributors, investors, and mutual fund industry participants. Muthoot Finance to be added to MSCI India domestic index  As part of MSCI’s (Morgan Stanley Capital Index) semi-annual review of indices, Muthoot Finance will be added to the MSCI India Domestic Index from the close of November 30.  MSCI is at the forefront of constructing global benchmarking indices, and the MSCI India Index is designed to measure the performance of the large- and mid-cap segments of the Indian market. Merger of HDFC ERGO Health Insurance with HDFC ERGO General Insurance complete  The merger of HDFC ERGO Health Insurance, which was earlier known as Apollo Munich Health Insurance, with HDFC ERGO General Insurance, has been completed with the approval from the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI).

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 The merger makes HDFC ERGO the second largest private insurer in the accident and health insurance business, expanding its product suite to over 50 products in this segment. RXIL Initiates 1st Trade Credit Insurance Backed Transaction with Tata AIG General Insurance, ICICI Bank and YES Bank in Sandbox Receivables Exchange of India Limited(RXIL) has initiated a Trade Credit Insurance (TCI) backed transaction in the Sandbox environment. In this TCI backed transaction, RXIL has collaborated with TATA AIG as the insurer, ICICI bank and YES Bank as financiers. Axis Bank Acquires 57,743 shares in CSC e-Governance Services India Ltd for Rs 36.38 crore Axis Bank Ltd acquired 57,743 shares in CSC e-Governance Services India Ltd for Rs 36.38 crore. The transaction is for 9.91% equity stake in CSC e-Governance as a strategic investment by the bank. The transaction is likely to be completed by December 2020. ICICI Bank Launches ‘ICICI Bank Mine’ ICICI Bank launched ‘ICICI Bank Mine’(inspired by ‘Millennial Network’), India’s first comprehensive banking programme for millennial customers, in the age bracket of 18-35 years old.It is a first of its kind proposition in industry. It is India’s 1st full banking stack for millennials. It also offers the millennial customers a mobile first, highly personalised and experiential led banking experience. Airtel Payments Bank partners with Bharti Axa General Insurance to offer car insurance Airtel Payments Bank has partnered with Bharti AXA General Insurance to offer comprehensive car insurance to the payments bank’s customers. The Smart Drive Private Car Insurance offers financial protection against damage to the vehicle due to accident, theft, and natural and man-made disasters. AU Small Finance Bank Signs Agreement with Care Health Insurance Co. as Corporate Agent for Health Insurance Products AU Small Finance Bank Ltd signed an agreement with Care Health Insurance Company Limited (formerly known as ‘Religare Health Insurance Company Limited’) as Corporate Agent for Health Insurance Products. HDFC Bank Limited has been voted as the “Most Outstanding Company – Financial Sector” HDFC Bank Limited has been voted as the “Most Outstanding Company – Financial Sector” in India in the poll conducted by Asiamoney, a well-established financial publication. HDFC has been given the honour for the 2nd consecutive year. RBL Bank and Visa Launched Instant Payouts “Visa Direct” for FinTechs RBL Bank (formerly known as Ratnakar Bank) in partnership with Visa launched the latter’s processing capability “Visa Direct” that allows safe, convenient, real-time and secure funds delivery directly to financial accounts using credit and debit cards. This partnership underlines RBL’s “Partners ka Bank” philosophy. Axis Bank to buy 19.002% stake in Max Life against 17% earlier Axis Bank has announced that it will acquire 19.002% stake in Max Life as against 17.002% stake decided earlier. The decision has been taken after, the RBI rejected Axis Banks proposal to buy 17.002% stake in Max Life. HDFC ERGO implements AI enabled solution to automate motor claim settlements HDFC ERGO General Insurance, India’s third-largest non-life insurance company in the private sector, announced the launch of the AI tool IDEAS (Intelligent Damage detection Estimation and Assessment Solution) for motor claim settlements. RBI imposes monetary penalty on DCB Bank, Jio Payments Bank for rule violations  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed monetary penalty on DCB Bank and Jio Payments B ank for various rule violations.  The central bank has imposed a penalty of Rs 22 lakh on DCB Bank for non-compliance with certain provisions on marketing/distribution of mutual fund/insurance etc.  In the case of Jio Payments Bank, the RBI imposed a penalty of Rs 1 crore for non-compliance with RBI directions on timely submission of application in the case of reappointment of Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer under Section 35B of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (the Act). Aegon Life Insurance Launches ‘Life + 36 critical illness Insurance’ Plan on Flipkart  Aegon Life Insurance Company Limited launched ‘Life + 36 critical illness Insurance’ on Flipkart. The policyholder of the plan will get the benefit of life protection along with a lump sum amount on diagnosis of any of the 36 critical illnesses.  The starting premium of the plan is Rs 153 for a life cover of Rs 1 lakh plus Critical Illness cover of Rs.10,000. BoB in association with EAP India Introduced ‘Employee Assistance Program’, a Well-being Programme for its Employees Bank of Baroda (BoB) in association with EAP India introduced an ‘Employee Assistance Program’, a Well - being Programme for its employees and their family members 24×7.Initially, this program has been introduced as a pilot project in Mumbai Zone and its corporate office.

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Infibeam Avenues collaborates with Bank Muscat for digital payment services  E-commerce and online payments services provider Infibeam Avenues Limited announced its collaboration with Bank Muscat, Oman’s biggest bank, to offer high-end payment gateway services to merchants in Oman.  Under the agreement, Infibeam Avenues, through its digital payment solution, CCAvenue Payment Gateway Service (CPGS), will process online card transactions of various payment networks for Bank Muscat and help the bank to authorise online payment for its merchants which intends to boost fast growing e-commerce sector in the region, a company statement stated.

FINANCIAL NEWS NSE to launch first agricultural commodity futures contract in December  Leading stock exchange NSE stated it will launch its first agricultural commodity futures contract for crude degummed soybean oil on December 1.  The contract will facilitate the soybean oils processing and allied industries in India and overseas, a perfect hedging tool for managing their price, the National Stock Exchange stated. The contract is a monthly expiry cash settled futures contract with a trading lot size of 10 metric ton (MT) and price basis as Kandla. Centre mandates e-invoicing system for firms with turnover of Rs 100 cr or more from January 2021  The government has made it mandatory for companies with annual turnover of Rs 100 crore and above to go for e-invoicing for business to companies (B2C) transactions.  This new rule will be applicable from 01 January 2021.  Currently, e-invoicing is mandatory for companies with annual turnover of at least Rs 500 crore.  Under the system, companies will have to raise e-invoices through a unique invoice reference portal and generate the IRN (invoice reference number).  Otherwise the companies concerned will not be able to move goods for business-to-business (B2B) transactions. IFSCA approves draft Banking regulations for banking operations at IFSCs  International Financial Services Centres Authority, IFSCA has approved draft Banking regulations for banking operations at IFSCs. The IFSC Authority approved the International Financial Services Centres Authority (Banking) Regulations, 2020. This will pave the way for putting in place the rules for the various aspects of banking operations that would be permissible at the IFSC.  It also permits a person residing outside India (with a networth exceeding USD 1 million) to open foreign currency accounts in any freely convertible currency at an IBU (IFSC banking units) CCI approved transfer of 100% shareholding of Sinochem & ChemChina to new company wholly owned by China’s Central SASAC CCI approved the transfer of 100% shareholding of Sinochem Group Company Limited (Sinochem) and China National Chemical Corporation Limited (ChemChina) to State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration (Central SASAC), a new company wholly owned by China. CCI Approves Acquisitions pertaining to Orix and GEH & Sinochem, ChemChina and Central SASAC  The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved the acquisition of Orix Wind SPVs by Greenko Energy Holdings (GEH) from ORIX Corporation (Orix) and equity stake in GEH by Orix.  As per the proposed combination GEH (and/or a subsidiary of GEH) will acquire the Orix Wind SPVs’s equity stake from Orix. After this Oris will acquire equity stake in GEH. SEBI Launched SMARTs Program to Strengthen Investor Education as a part of World Investor Week 2020  Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) launched Securities Market Trainers (SMARTs) prog ram, as a part of World Investor Week (WIW) 2020 being celebrated by SEBI in India from Nov 23, 2020 to Nov 29, 2020.  The education programs to be conducted under this will be free of cost to investors. It will be borne from SEBI’s Investor Protection and Education Fund (IEPF).  The trainers of the programme are termed as SMARTs who also got trained at Maharashtra-based National Institute of Securities Market (NISM).  World Investor Week (WIW) campaign promoted by International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) to raise awareness about the importance of investor education and protection. IOSCO Headquarters– Madrid, Spain NPCI Gives Approval to ‘WhatsApp Pay’ to start UPI in India  The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) gave approval for ‘WhatsApp Pay’, to operate its payment service on Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in India.

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 Available in 10 regional languages – The payment feature on Whatsapp will be available in 10 regional languages, as it partners with 5 banks in India to launch its service namely, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, the State Bank of India, and Jio Payments Bank. NPCI has capped of 30% on the total transaction volume on the UPI network of all Third Party App Providers (TPAPs)  The decision behind the capping of 30% at TPAPs transaction volume in UPI is to address the risks and further protect the UPI ecosystem.  The existing TPAPs, who exceed the specified cap, will get 2 years from January 2021, to comply with the same in a phased manner.  30% cap will be calculated on the basis of the total volume of transactions processed in UPI during the preceding three months on a rolling basis. SEBI Enhances Foreign Investment Cap limit of Mutual Funds from $300 million to $600 million  Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) issued a circular on “Enhancement of overseas investment limits for mutual funds” under which the foreign investment limit per mutual fund (MF) house has been doubled to $600 million, from the existing $300 million, within the overall industry limit of US $ 7 billion.  It also said that mutual funds can make investments in overseas Exchange Traded Fund (ETFs) subject to a maximum of $200 million per mutual fund, compared to $50 million earlier, while maintaining the overall industry limit at $1 billion. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund to buy 2.04% stake in Reliance Retail for Rs 9,555 crore Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund(PIF) will buy 2.04% equity stake in Reliance Retail Ventures Limited (RRVL), a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited(RIL) for Rs 9,555 crore(about USD1.3 billion). This is the largest investment made by any fund so far in RRVL. Tax payers generate 4.95 crore e-invoices in first month  Tax payers generated 4.95 crore e-invoices in the first month of the launch of the service.  The e-invoice system was launched on October 1, 2020 as part of the goods and services tax regime for the businesses with aggregate turnover of more than Rs 500 crore in the financial year.  Besides e-invoices, 6.41 crore e-way bills were generated in October which was highest in any month since the launch of the service.  GST e-invoice is the introduction of the digital invoice for goods and services provided by the business firm generated at the government GST portal. The concept of GST e-invoice generation system has been taken into consideration for the reduction in GST evasion Govt provides Rs 670-crore support to Regional Rural Banks to meet regulatory capital  In a bid to strengthen capital base, the union government has provided Rs 670 crore to Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) considering their importance in agriculture finance during these difficult times.  As per the current scheme for recapitalisation of RRBs, the capital support is provided to these banks by the Centre, concerned state governments and the sponsor banks in the ratio of 50:15:35, respectively to enable them to meet the regulatory requirement of capital to risk weighted assets ratio (CRAR) of 9 per cent. Composition Taxpayers can now file NIL statement through SMS Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN), the IT backbone of GST system, has launched the facility of filing of NIL statement for Composition Taxpayers. With this, Composition taxpayers can now file NIL statement in Form GST CMP-08 through SMS and without logging in to the GST portal. CMP-08 is a quarterly statement of self-assessed tax to be submitted by Composition Taxpayers. Govt set to divest 10% in GIC Re, New India Assurance  Government is set to offer 10% shares in the country’s largest non-life insurance company New India Assurance through an offer for sale to the public. The Centre may also do a similar dilution in the General Insurance Corporation (GIC Re). However, the timing is not decided.  The government had divested close to 15% stakes in both New India and GIC in 2017. The disinvestment of GIC Re resulted in a mop-up of Rs 11,370 crore and New India’s IPO raised Rs 9,600 crore..  GIC Re has a market cap of Rs 21,333 crore, while New India’s share price values the company at Rs 17,000 crore. A 10% dilution would give the government close to Rs 4,000 crore.  All listed companies are required to have at least 25% of their holding with the public. In May this year, Sebi had relaxed the 25% minimum public shareholding norms for listed companies in the wake of the Covid outbreak. The regulator asked stock exchanges not to take any penal action against companies that were to comply with the minimum shareholding rule between March 1 and August 31. NPCI Launches ‘RuPay Festive Carnival’ for RuPay users National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) launched, ‘RuPay Festive Carnival’, a flagship campaign for RuPay users. The RuPay users with this launch can enjoy compelling benefits and attractive discounts on products of various categories.

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Centre extends Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme till Nov 30  Union Government has extended Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) by one month till 30th of November or till an amount of three lakh crore is sanctioned under the scheme, whichever is earlier.  The ECLGS was announced as part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat Package to provide fully guaranteed and collateral free additional credit to MSMEs, business enterprises, individual loans for business purposes and MUDRA borrowers.  Borrowers with credit outstanding up to Rs. 50 crore as on 29th of February 2020 and with an annual turnover of up to Rs. 250 crore are eligible under the scheme.  Interest rates under the scheme are capped at 9.25 per cent for Banks and FIs and 14 per cent for NBFCs.  Tenure of loans provided under the scheme is four years, including a moratorium of one year on principal repayment.  About Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme:  The Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme provides 100% guarantee coverage by National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company (NCGTC) to Member Lending Institutions (MLIs), on GECL of up to Rs. 3 lakh crore to eligible MSMEs. MSMEs for the purpose of this Scheme will include MSMEs/ Business Enterprises which are constituted as Proprietorships, Partnerships, Registered Companies, Trusts and Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs), and also interested borrowers under PMMY SEBI launched ‘Flexi Cap Fund’  In order to give more flexibility to the mutual funds, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) introduced ‘Flexi Cap Fund’ as a New Category under Equity Schemes.  With this Flexi Cap Fund the Schemes should have minimum investment of 65% of total assets in the equity & equity related instruments.  It is an open-ended dynamic equity scheme that invests in large, mid or small cap company stocks, i.e., there is no restriction in terms of allocation to any market cap.

MOU AND AGREEMENT DIPAM inks agreement with World Bank  Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) has signed an agreement with the World Bank, to provide advisory services to DIPAM for asset monetization.  DIPAM is mandated with facilitating monetization of non-core assets of government CPSEs under strategic disinvestment or closure and enemy property of value of Rs. 100 crore and above.DIPAM has a framework for monetizing non-core assets.  The government has set a target of raising Rs 2.10 lakh crore from disinvestment in the current financial year. Of this, Rs 1.20 lakh crore is to be raised through CPSE disinvestment. HDFC Life, HDFC Ergo partner for complete cover against Covid -19 HDFC Life Insurance and HDFC Ergo Health Insurance have partnered to launch a combi product that aims to provide a complete financial protection package in the current Covid-19 pandemic. Called Click 2 Protect Corona Kavach, the policy will provide all the benefits and features of Click 2 Protect 3D Plus and Corona Kavach. NSDL Payments Bank partners with HDFC ERGO to offer customised Insurance Solutions HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company has tied up with NSDL Payments Bank Limited to offer a range of general insurance products to the bank’s customers. The partnership aims to bring together the deep distribution network of NSDL Payments Bank and the strong innovation pipeline of HDFC ERGO to contribute towards financial inclusion in the country. HDFC Ltd to Acquire 19.9% Stake in Renaissance Investment Solutions ARC for Rs 49.8 lakh HDFC(Housing Development Finance Corporation) Ltd will acquire 19.9% stake in Renaissance Investment Solutions ARC (Asset Reconstruction Company) Private Ltd for Rs 49,87,500. FinTech unicorn Razorpay launches corporate cards in collaboration with Visa  Indian FinTech unicorn Razorpay announced the launch of RazorpayX Corporate Cards, in collaboration with Visa.  The new corporate cards aim to provide relief and stabilise the financial operations of COVID-19-affected startups and SMEs.  The new cards will enable founders to free up working capital expenses with zero personal risk and liability and a repayment offering of up to 45 days of interest-free credit. IBM to Acquire SAP Consulting Partner TruQua IBM said that it has acquired TruQua, an IT services and consulting company focused on SAP’s finance and analytics technologies.

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Mastercard, USTATED join hands for Project Kirana to empower women through financial inclusion  Global payments technology major Mastercard has joined hands with the United States Agency for International Development (USTATED) for Project Kirana that will help increase revenue streams, expand financial inclusion and digital payments adoption of kirana shops that are owned or operated by women.  To begin with, as many as 3,000 such women are targeted to be enrolled under this project in certain places in Uttar Pradesh. FICCI FLO inks pact with IESC, IIM Shillong to mentor women entrepreneurs FLO, the women wing of the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), stated it has signed an agreement with Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Shillong and Incubation and Enterprise Support Centre (IESC) to mentor entrepreneurs. Bharti Airtel to acquire 5.2% stake in Avaada MHBuldhana for Rs.4.55 cr Bharti Airtel stated it will acquire 5.2 per cent stake in solar power company Avaada MHBuldhana for Rs.4.55 crore in an all-cash deal. TCS to Acquire 100% shares of Postbank Systems AG from Deutsche Bank Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) signed an agreement with Deutsche Bank AG, under which TCS will acquire a 100% of the shares of Postbank Systems AG(PBS) from Deutsche Bank AG. Marg ERP And Paytm Partners To Resolve MSMEs Payment Issue Digitally One of the biggest enterprise solutions providers in India, Marg ERP, with over 50 per cent market share in Pharma and FMCG sector nationally, has come together with Paytm to facilitate seamless transactions for MSMEs. Under this joint venture, the duo empowers MSME using this new integrated payments solution called MargPay developed by MARG ERP Limited. Mobikwik Partners with Amex to launch its 1st card, ‘MobiKwik Blue American Express Card’, a Digital Prepaid Card Mobikwik partnered with American Express (Amex) to launch its first ever Card, ‘MobiKwik Blue American Express Card’, a digital prepaid Card on Amex network. It is the 1st card for millennial users. It is the 1st prepaid payments card of Amex with a flexible credit limit. With this launch, MobiKwik becomes the first non- bank Indian company to become a member of the American Express network and issue Cards in India. Hero MotoCorp Signed Distribution Agreement with Harley-Davidson for Indian Market Hero MotoCorp signed a distribution agreement with Harley-Davidson Motor Company for Indian market, as a part of “The Rewire” a plan to change its business model in India. ISB inks MoU with Indian Council of World Affairs  The Indian School of Business (ISB) and Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).  As per the MoU, both will work together in the areas of diplomacy, culture, economy and trade, education, international relations, sciences, social sciences, communications, and media. BASF-Bosch Joint Venture to Accelerate Digital Innovations in Agricultural Sector Bosch and BASF Digital Farming have signed a 50:50 joint venture (JV) agreement to globally market and sell smart farming solutions from a single source in the future. Tata AIA Life Insurance Partners with PayBima to Distribute its Life Insurance Solution through Digital sales  Tata AIA Life Insurance Company Limited entered into partnership with PayBima(PayBima.com), the digital arm of Mahindra Insurance Brokers Ltd.,(MIBL) as a Broker to distribute its industry-leading life insurance solutions.  Abu Dhabi’s SWF is first notified fund to get 100% income-tax exemption  Finance Ministry announced that Abu Dhabi’s Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) - MIC Redwood 1 RSC Limited - has become the first foreign SWF that has been notified and granted 100% income-tax exemption for the long-term investments to be made in the specified priority sectors in India. 7.73% equity share capital of Jio Platforms Limited (JPL) acquired by Google International LLC  The Competition Commission of India (CCI) under Section 31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002 has approved an acquisition of 7.73% equity share capital of Jio Platforms Limited (JPL) by Google International Limited Liability Corporation-LLC (GIL).  JPL is a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited(RIL).  GIL is a wholly owned subsidiary of Google LLC(collectively with all Google LLC subsidiaries, Google). AGS Transact, Utimaco partner to provide cyber-defence technology for digital payments Global IT security solutions provider Utimaco and AGS Transact Technologies, an end-to-end cash and digital payment solutions provider, have entered into a partnership to provide security solutions for payment and automation solutions.

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TCS acquires Pramerica Services unit from Prudential The IT major will acquire the staff and select assets of Pramerica Systems Ireland, Prudential Financial Inc. (PFI)’s subsidiary based in Letterkenny, Ireland. Stashfin Partners with Visa to Launch Co-branded Prepaid Cards with Credit Lines Stashfin has partnered with Visa to launch co-branded prepaid cards with credit lines. The credit line card can be used at physical merchant locations and ATMs(Automated Teller Machines) as well as in Visa-accepted online modes. Reliance Retail buys Urban Ladder for $24.4 million Reliance Retail stated it had acquired a 96% stake in Urban Ladder for about $24.43 million. NSE arm acquires ed-tech firm Talent Sprint The NSE Academy Limited, an arm of the National Stock Exchange, has acquired a majority stake of 51 per cent in the Hyderabad-based TalentSprint, a deep tech education firm. Muthoot Finance launches ‘Gold Shield’ scheme in partnership with Bajaj Allianz General Insurance One of the largest gold loan NBFC company, Muthoot Finance has launched a gold jewellery insurance scheme called ‘Gold Shield’ in partnership with Bajaj Allianz General Insurance. ICICI Lombard, FreePaycard to offer health insurance solutions ICICI Lombard in partnership with Freepaycard, an online pre-paid card trading platform, has launched Group Safeguard Insurance.The plan will be offered to the members of Freepaycard, allowing them to receive an assured amount in case of any injury or hospitalization for treatment. HAL inks Rs 400-crore pact with Tech Mahindra for project Parivartan Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) said the company has signed a contract worth Rs 400 crore with Tech Mahindra for implementation of enterprise resource planning (ERP) to support its project Parivartan.Project Parivartan is a comprehensive business transformation exercise initiated by HAL through technology enhancement and centralised ERP. IBM, Indian Oil Corporation collaborate for digital services Tech giant IBM stated it has collaborated with Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) to transform the latter’s customer experience using digital tools. TransUnion CIBIL partners with MoSPI to launch MSME Credit Health Index Credit Information Company TransUnion CIBIL has partnered with the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) to launch the First Edition of the Quarterly MSME Credit Health Index. The index will provide a reliable measure and benchmark of the growth and strength of MSME (Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises) in India. CCI approves acquisition of General Insurance Business of Bharti AXA by ICICI Lombard The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the acquisition of General Insurance Business of Bharti AXA General Insurance Company Limited (Bharti AXA) by ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Limited (ICICI Lombard) under Section 31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002. Bharti AXA is a general insurance company registered with the IRDAI and is a joint venture held by Bharti General Ventures Private Limited (51%) and Societe Beaujon (49%). Nestlé acquires healthy meals startup Freshly for up to $1.5 bn Nestlé USA announced that it has acquired Freshly for $1.5 billion — $950 million plus potential earnouts of up to $550 million based on future growth.

RATING AND SURVEY India’s GDP to Contract by 10.6% in Fiscal 2020 from Earlier -11.5%: Moody’s The Moody’s Investors Service has revised upwards the India’s GDP(Gross Domestic Product) for the Fiscal 2020 (April 2020-March 2021) to -10.6%(contract by 10.6%) from -11.5% projected earlier. The upward revision is due to the latest stimulus prioritizes manufacture and job creation, and changes the focus to longer- term growth. Other global agency Prediction of India’s GDP in FY 21: • Fitch Ratings- contract by 10.5%(-10.5%) • S&P (Standard & Poors) Global Ratings- contract by 9%(-9%) • World Bank- contract by 9.6%(-9.6) • International Monetary Fund (IMF)- contract by 10.3%(-10.3%) Goldman Sachs projects India’s GDP for 2020 at -8.9%; For 2021 at 10%; 2021 at 7.2% Goldman Sachs has made the following projections for GDP growth rate of India in its latest report titled V(accine)-Shaped Recovery’: Calendar Year 2020= -8.9% Calendar Year 2021= 10% Calender Year 2022= 7.2%

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Fitch Solutions revises India’s fiscal deficit forecast to 7.8 per cent from 8.2 per cent earlier for FY21 Fitch Solutions has revised its estimate for India’s fiscal deficit to 7.8% of GDP for 2020-21 from 8.2% projected earlier. This was mainly driven by a strong recovery in tax revenues during Q2FY21. The rating agency expects India’s economy to contract by 10.5% in the year ending March 2021 and growth to rebound to 11% in FY22, even as output in early 2022 will still be 16% lower than under its pre-coronavirus forecasts.

FUND AND FINANCIAL ALLOCATION ADB to lend $50 million to West Bengal to improve resource planning  The Asian Development Bank said it has approved a USD 50 million loan to improve operational efficiencies and resource planning and management in West Bengal.  The loan will be supplemented by a USD 350,000 technical assistance grant for capacity building, monitoring of IFMS (Integrated Financial Management System) reforms, and strengthening the integration of social and gender aspects in reform areas.  On September 25, 2020, ADB approved two loans worth USD 570 million (about Rs 4,200 crore) for urban sector projects in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

IREDA sanctions loans worth Rs 12,696 crore in 2019-20 The Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd (IREDA) has sanctioned loans of Rs 12,696 crore and disbursed Rs 8,785 crore. Loan sanctioned during the (financial) year including co-financed projects/takeover loans would support capacity addition of 5,673 MW (in 2019-20) as against 3,266 MW in 2018-19. CMD of IREDA:- Pradip Kumar Das NABARD sanctions RS 74.31 crore for Meghalaya roads The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has sanctioned over Rs 74 crore for the construction of 6 new roads and improvement of 24 existing roads in Meghalaya.Under this sanction, 22 village roads, 6 other district roads and 2 major district roads will be covered which are proposed to be completed within three years. UN release $25 mn for women-led projects fighting gender-based violence The United Nations humanitarian chief has released 25 million US dollars from its emergency fund to support women-led organisations that prevent and respond to gender-based violence.The funding has gone to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and UN Women that have been asked to channel at least 30 per cent of it to organisations run by women that prevent violence against women and girls, and help victims and survivors with access to medical care, family planning, legal advice, safe spaces, mental health services and counselling. NABARD Sanctioned Rs 8504.30 lakh under RIDF scheme during 2020-21 National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has sanctioned loans worth Rs 8504.30 Lakh under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) to the Government of Goa for the latter’s various Social Infrastructure Projects. P&G India announces Rs.400 crore India Growth Fund  Procter & Gamble (P&G) India has announced a growth fund of Rs 400 crore to give a hand to the government’s vision of a self-reliant country.  The fund would be utilised to localise manufacturing of finished products, procurement of raw materials and packaging materials and to adopt go-to-market innovations and technology.  This new fund is part of P&G India’s ‘vGROW’ program that focuses on identifying and collaborating with start-ups, small businesses, individuals or large organisations offering innovative industry-leading solutions. USAID Provides 3Million USD to COVIDActionCollab to Reduce the Effects of COVID-19 in India Catalyst Management Services (CMS), a part of Catalysts Group ideated COVID Action Collaborative (CAC – COVIDAction Collab), partnered with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) over a virtual event to support the COVID-19 response of India. USAID has provided 3 million USD (around Rs.22 Crore) over 2 years to support the CAC (COVIDAction Collab) partnership. ADB Approves USD 132.8 Million Loan to Modernize Power Distribution Network in Meghalaya The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a USD 132.8 million loan to Modernize Power Distribution Network in Meghalaya. Objective– To improve power quality and upgrade the power distribution network in Meghalaya. FinMin to release Rs. 6000 Cr. under Special Window to States, as second tranche The Ministry of Finance released Rs 6,000 crore as the second tranche to 16 States and 3 Union Territories under the special window to states for meeting the GST compensation cess shortfall. 21 States and 3 UTs have so far opted for the Special Window under Option I and the finance ministry has facilitated loans of Rs 12,000 crore to date under the special window.

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USTATED provides $3 m to COVIDActionCollab to mitigate effects of Covid-19 in India  Catalyst Management Services (CMS), a part of Catalysts Group, has ideated COVID Action Collaborative, partnered with the United States Agency for International Development (USTATED), to support India’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.  USTATED will provide $3 million over two years to support the COVIDActionCollab (CAC) partnership, which was formally announced through a virtual conference. German Bank KfW extends 545 Million Euros funding to MMRDA Infrastructure Projects  Frankfurt-based German state-owned development bank KfW (formerly KfW Bankengruppe) extended two loans totaling 545 Million Euros (~ INR 4, 767 crore) to the Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) for infrastructure projects in Mumbai.  The fund will support two key mass transit projects in Mumbai. The projects are Metro Line 4 from Wadala in Central Mumbai to Kasarvadavli in Thane, and Metro line 4A that extends to connectivity from Kasarvadavli to Gaimukh in Thane. Airtel buys 5.2% stake in Avaada Energy’s arm Bharti Airtel Limited, an Indian multinational telecommunications services company has picked up a 5.2% stake in Avaada MHBuldhana Private Limited, a solar power firm for INR 4.55 Crore. Avada Energy Pvt Ltd is developing a captive solar power plant in Maharashtra and will become operational by March 2021. The Acquisition was an all-cash deal.

CORPORATE BUSINESS AND E-BUSINESS Flipkart offers customised group health insurance cover issued by Bajaj Allianz Flipkart, announced that it now offers group health insurance cover ranging from 3 lakh to Rs.20 lakh issued by Bajaj Allianz General Insurance and Care Health Insurance to its large and growing pan-Indian customer base. Edelweiss Tokio Life launches Covid Shield+ Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance has announced the launch of Covid Shield+ insurance coverage,specifically designed to cater to the financial expenses caused due to COVID-19. Flipkart, GiveIndia Foundation provide 50,000 PPE kits to UP E-Commerce Company Flipkart in collaboration with GiveIndia Foundation provided 50,000 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits to the state government.Till now, Flipkart has distributed over 1 million medical gowns and 6 lakh N-95 masks across the nation. Amazon India launches first all-women virtual customer service in Bengaluru Building on its diversity, equity and inclusivity efforts, Amazon India announced the launch of its first all- women Virtual Customer Service (VCS) site in Bengaluru with 60 women. Twitter launches ArtHouse to support brands to create engaging Twitter-first content Twitter India has introduced ArtHouse, a creative suite of services to assist brands in creating and optimising Twitter-first content.ArtHouse is a fully integrated service that connects brands with the creative capital of influencers, artists and editors. IAF is expecting three to four Rafale jets to be delivered every two months. The induction of all 36 Rafale jets are expected to be completed by 2023. COMMITTEE AND ITS HEAD NITI Aayog Forms Panel To Study Feasibility Of Hyperloop Tech In India Government think-tank NITI Aayog has formed a high-level panel to explore the technological and commercial viability of the Virgin Hyperloop technology for ultrahigh speed travel in India, weeks after its first test was completed with humans on board.The committee has NITI Aayog member VK Saraswat as its Chairman and Adviser (Infrastructure Connectivity, Niti Aayog) Sudhendu Jyoti Sinha as its convener.Its other members are Railway Board Chairman & CEO VK Yadav. RBI restricts withdrawals from Jalna-based Mantha Urban Coop Bank for 6 months Reserve Bank of India imposed restrictions on withdrawals from Maharashtra-based Mantha Urban Cooperative Bank for six months.The As per the directions, the bank will not, without prior approval of RBI in writing, grant or renew any loans and advances, make any investment, incur any liability including borrowal of funds and acceptance of fresh deposits, disburse or agree to disburse any payment, among others. Expert panel recommends 5 technologies for drinking water, sanitation  A high-level multi-disciplinary technical panel in the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation has recommended five technologies, three for safe drinking water and two for sanitation, an official statement stated.The panel was headed by K VijayRaghavan.

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 The technologies include Grundfos AQpure, a solar energy based water treatment plant based on ultra- filtration, Janajal Water on Wheel, an Internet of Things (IoT) based electric vehicle to deliver safe water to households and Presto Online Chlorinator, a non-electric online chlorinator for disinfection of water for removal of bacterial contamination. R Chandrasekaran The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has set up a 9 member working group headed by R Chandrasekaran to revisit the product structures of engineering tariffs relevant to the retail businesses and provide suitable recommendations to revise them. The committee will submit the report within 3 months. Govt sets up Inter-Ministerial Committee to strengthen capital goods sect Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Minister Prakash Javadekar informed that the government has set up an Inter-Ministerial Committee to strengthen the capital goods sector. The Minister stated, the 21-member Inter-Ministerial Committee will be headed by Shri Arun Goel, Secretary of Department of Heavy Industries. Sandip Bhagat Securities and Exchange Board of India(SEBI), set up a 7-member expert group chaired by Sandip Bhagat, partner at S&R Associates to review the frameworks of the share based employee benefits & issue of sweat equity and recommend policy changes. US President-elect Joe Biden announces 12 member task force to deal with COVID-19; Indian-origin former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy to co-chair group  US President-elect Joe Biden has formed a 12-member coronavirus task force to formulate a blueprint for containing the coronavirus disease that has infected millions and damaged the US economy.  The task force will be headed by three co-chairs, which includes, former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner David Kessler and Marcella Nunez-Smith, a professor of public health at Yale University. Former Petroleum Secretary MM Kutty to head Commission for Air Quality Management in Delhi-NCR and Adjoining Areas  The Centre has set up the ‘Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas’.  MM Kutty, the former secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and ex- to Delhi government has been appointed as the Chairperson of this new body to manage the air quality management in Delhi-NCR and adjacent areas. RBI creates Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH) with Shri Senapathy (Kris) Gopalakrishnan as Chairperson  The Reserve Bank of India has created a Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH). The aim of RBIH is to promote innovation across the financial sector by leveraging on technology and creating an environment which would facilitate and foster innovation.  Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH) would be managed by a Governing Council (GC) consisting of 10 members (including a chairperson). Shri Senapathy (Kris) Gopalakrishnan, co-founder and former co- Chairman, Infosys, has been appointed as the first Chairperson of the RBIH.  RBIH will collaborate with financial sector institutions, technology industry and academic institutions and coordinate efforts for exchange of ideas and development of prototypes related to financial innovations. Mr. Agustin Santos Maraver The First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) also known as the Disarmament and International Security Committee under the chairmanship of H.E. Mr. Agustin Santos Maraver(Spain)(Chair of 1st committee of 75th UNGA) adopted two India-sponsored resolutions on Nuclear Disarmament they are, ‘Convention on Prohibition of Use of Nuclear Weapons’ & ‘Reducing Nuclear Danger’ under ‘Nuclear Weapons’ cluster. Shashi Shekhar Vempati Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has constituted a committee to review guidelines on Television Rating agencies in India. Prasar Bharti CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati will be Chairman of the Committee. Vidisha Maitra Indian diplomat Vidisha Maitra was elected to the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), a key(5th Committee) UN(United Nations) committee. M M Kutty Appointments Committee of the Cabinet(ACC) approved the appointment of M M Kutty as the 1st Chairperson of the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas.M M Kutty is a former secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

Page | 27 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER – 2020 STATE NEWS ANDHRA PRADESH Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy Launched Interest Free Loan scheme “Jagananna Thodu”  Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy launched a flagship scheme “Jagananna Thodu” aimed to benefit several small traders and street vendors. The Scheme is allocated with a fund of 905 Crores to benefit 9.05 lakh street vendors and traders.  It Provide Interest Free loan upto Rs. 10,000 to street vendors and marginal traders.  Central Government Initiative for Street Vendor-PM SVANidhi:  Ministry of Housing & Urban Affair launched a scheme PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi( PM SVANidhi).  To empower Street vendors the scheme provides Collateral free loans up to Rs. 10,000 for one year.  Interest Subsidy @7% per annum on regular repayment of loan  Cashback upto Rs.1200 per annum on undertaking prescribed digital transactions.  The duration of the scheme is till March 2022, and implemented by Small Industrial Development Bank of India(SIDBI). Abhayam’ app for safety of women passengers launched in A.P. Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy launched “Abhayam” mobile phone application which helps women and children travelling in taxis and autorickshaws to raise an alarm in case of any emergency. APSSDC signs MoU with Four Firms – IBM India, SPI, ITDC & LVPA to promote Skill Development of Youth  Andhra Pradesh State Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC) signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Four Separate Firms – IBM (International Business Machines) India, Singapore Polytechnic International (SPI), India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) and LV Prasad Film & TV Academy (LVPA) for promoting Skill Development among Youth.  IBM India has partnered with Andhra Pradesh (AP) Government to set up a Centre of Excellence (CoE) in the Information Technology (IT) sector.  Singapore Polytechnic International (SPI) partnered with APSSDC to provide industry-led courses in advanced manufacturing, food innovation and processing and entrepreneurship to be offered in skill colleges.  LVPA will set up and operate a CoE(Cenetr of Excellence) in the media and entertainment sector in Visakhapatnam district.CoE will offer courses in 2D animation, digital photography, editing, VFX.  AP Government has partnered with ITDC to set up a CoE in the hospitality sector.

ARUNACHAL PRADESH India’s first solar-based water supply project launched in Arunachal Pradesh  India’s first solar-based Integrated Multi-Village Water Supply Project (IMVWSP) was dedicated to the people of Arunachal Pradesh by Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.  The solar-based lift water supply project for 39 villages in Lower Dibang Valley district in northeastern Arunachal Pradesh was commissioned at a cost of Rs 28.50 crore.  The project is designed to provide drinking water to 17,480 people and has been conceived as an integrated project with an element of drinking water, green energy and tourism component in it.  He also launched the “Arunachal Jal Sankalp“, a state government dedicated flagship programme to supplement the Jal Jeevan Mission and to sustain the drinking water systems. Pakke Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh to provide insurance cover against COVID-19 for it’s ‘Green Soldiers’  Pakke Tiger Reserve (PTR) in Arunachal Pradesh has become the first in the eight-State northeast to provide insurance cover against COVID-19 for “green soldiers”.  57 frontline staffs of the Park have been insured for nine months against health issues due to infection by the Novel Coronavirus. The ‘Wildlife Trust of India’ (WTI), an NGO, paid the insurance amount with support from ‘Foundation Serge.  The insurance coverage is of Rs 1 lakh each; but a few who would be retiring soon have been insured for Rs 50,000. MoU signed between SAI and Arunachal Pradesh government In order to develop the sports infrastructure at the National Centre of Excellence in Itanagar, an MoU was signed between the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and Arunachal Pradesh government.

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ASSAM First cow hospital of Northeast inaugurated in Assam’s Dibrugarh  A cow shelter in Assam’s Dibrugarh inaugurated Northeast’s first-ever cow hospital, on the occasion of Gopashtami.  The hospital, Surbhi Aarogyashala, is set up by Shree Gopal Gaushala at a cost of Rs 17 lakh. Assam’s Tezpur Litchi gets GI tag  Tezpur Litchi of Assam has been granted the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.  The news has been confirmed by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), an apex body under the Union ministry of commerce and industry, which is responsible for the export promotion of agricultural products.  Kaji Nemu and Chokuwa Rice of Assam got GI tags recently. Assam’s Rupsi Airport to Start its Commercial Operation by January 2021 Airports Authority of India (AAI) stated that Rupsi Airport at Kokrajhar district, Assam is ready to start commercial operation under the Regional Connectivity Scheme(RCS) by January 2021. It is Assam’s 7th airport and Northeast’s 14th airport. Assam CM lays foundation stone of Indo-Israeli Centre of Excellence for Vegetables Protected Cultivation at Khetri near Guwahati  The Chief Minister of Assam Sarbananda Sonowal laid the foundation stone of Indo-Israeli Centre of Excellence for Vegetables Protected Cultivation at Khetri on the outskirts of Guwahati on 2nd November 2020.  The Indo-Israeli Centre of Excellence for Vegetables Protected Cultivation is estimated to be set up at an investment of Rs 10.33 Crore.  The CoE will provide exposure to latest Israeli technologies to the farmers of Assam and help them in maximizing their production and income.

ANDAMAN & NICOBAR A & N Administration signs Tripartite Agreement with USOF, BSNL for Operation & Management of CANI-SMC Project  A Tripartite Agreement was signed between Andaman & Nicobar Administration (A & N), Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF), BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd) for operation and management of Chennai-Andaman & Nicobar Islands Submarine Cable (CANI-SMC) Project.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the INR 1224 Crore worth Submarine Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) connecting Chennai and Port Blair in August, 2020. Assam Education Dept launches toll free tele-education helpline number for govt school students  In Assam, the Education department has launched a toll free tele education helpline number for government school students.The helpline number is to guide 6th to 10th standard students on subject matters and psycho-social aspects.  The tollfree no is – 18003453578. would work on all 6 days in week except Sunday from 10 am to 3 pm.

BIHAR Sworn in as CM for seventh time in 20 years  Nitish Kumar, the head of Janta Dal (United), has b een sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Bihar for the seventh time on 16 November 2020. This is the fourth successive year that he is being appointed to the post. He was first sworn in as CM in 2000.  The 69-year-old Kumar, was administered the oath of office by Bihar Phagu Chauhan at Raj Bhavan in .  14 other ministers were also sworn in from which, seven are from BJP, five from JD (U) and one each from ( VIP) and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM).  BJP legislature party leader Tarkishore Prasad and Deputy leader Renu Devi have been made the new Deputy Chief Ministers.  The incumbent National Democratic Alliance (NDA) emerged as the winner with majority vote in the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, by securing 125 seats in from 243 seats (needed 122 seats for a majority). Following the victory, Nitish Kumar was elected leader of the NDA and the 37th Chief Minister of the state. PFC, REC sign MoU with SJVN to provide INR 8, 520 Crore loan for Thermal power plant in Buxar, Bihar  Power Finance Corporation Ltd (PFC) & REC Limited (formerly known as Rural Electrification Corporation Limited) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SJVN Thermal (P) Limited

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(STPL) at Power Finance Corporation (PFC), New Delhi for extending Term Loan of INR 8520.46 Crores for 2×660 MegaWatts (MW) Buxar Thermal Power Project, Bihar.  The 2x660MW Thermal project will be commissioned in the Financial Year (FY) 2023-24.  The power plant will generate around 9828 Million Units of Energy and will meet the future power requirements of Bihar and other states.

CHANDIGARH Chandigarh UT administrator VP Singh Badnore launched ‘Wildlife Rescue’ app Chandigarh UT administrator VP Singh Badnore launched the mobile-based application ‘Wildlife Rescue’ for monitoring of wildlife rescue, reporting and release of wildlife online. The app works on all Android smartphones.

CHHATTISGARH Chhattisgarh Fortified Rice Distribution & English Medium School Schemes on the occasion of statehood day  On the occasion of statehood day (Rajyotsav) of Chhattisgarh i.e. on November 1, 2020, the state’s Chief Minister (CM) Bhupesh Baghel virtually launched welfare initiatives for their people which include two key schemes viz. distribution of fortified rice through Public Distribution System (PDS) and Swami Atmanand Government English Medium School Scheme.  The fortified rice distribution scheme will be launched on pilot basis in Kondagaon district of the state which will aid in checking malnutrition and anemia. It will be distributed through fair price shops (FPS).  The CM also inaugurated Rs 130 crore Swami Atmanand Government English Medium School Scheme for setting up of English medium schools which aims at providing education in English to the children. Initially, 52 schools will be started.  He inaugurated Mukhyamantari Shahari Slum Swasthya Yojana.  CM also released the third installment of Rs 1500 crores under Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojna to 18.38 lakh farmers.  He dedicated 132/33 KV Power Sub Station in Bijapur district and 87.5-km long 132 KV Barsur- —- Bijapur electricity line which will ensure electricity supply to 23 remote villages in the naxal-affected district  The CM virtually dedicated five newly-built tourist resorts as part of the Tribal Tourism Circuit in different districts.

DELHI Delhi Airport achieves new height in Asia Pacific for Carbon Accreditation The Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport has become Asia Pacific’s first Level 4+ (Transition) accredited airport under ACI’s Airport Carbon Accreditation programme. The Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) is the global standard for carbon management in the airport industry. Delhi Government launches Jeevan Seva app for COVID-19 patients The Delhi government launched the Jeevan Seva app to aid Delhi’s Covid patients and their families for a safe commute to hospitals and healthcare facilities in the city. The app, launched in collaboration with EVERA will use electric vehicles as ambulances to transfer non-critical cases to healthcare facilities in Delhi, free of cost.

GOA Goa CM launches WhatsApp helpline for women in distress Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant launched a Whatsapp helpline 7875756177 for women in distress in the state at Police Headquarters, Panaji. Goa Government to install statue of Football Great Late Diego Maradona The Goa government will install the life-size statue of late Argentine football legend Diego Maradona in the coastal belt of North district by early next year. The statue would be installed somewhere at Candolim or Calangute to inspire the football playing youth.

GUJARAT PM Inaugurated Hazir-Ghogha Ferry service in Gujarat Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated the Ghogha-Hazira Ro-Pax ferry service in Gujarat. This will be the second such ferry service to be launched by the PM after the Ghogha-Dahej route three years ago, which is now dysfunctional.

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Gujarat HC becomes first state apex court to live-stream proceedings on Youtube The Gujarat High Court became the first high court in the country to live-stream its court proceedings on Youtube in order to enhance access to courts, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.

HARYANA Haryana CM Launches ‘Project Air Care’ in Gurgaon to fight Air Pollution  Haryana Chief Minister (CM), Manohar Lal Khattar virtually unveiled ‘Project Air Care’ to combat rising Air Pollution in Gurugram,  Haryana. 65 Wind Augmentation Purifying Units (WAYU) would be set up at areas with high Air Quality Indices (AQI) in Gurugram to improve the air quality.  The project is a result of public-private partnership between Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) and GSK (GlaxoSmithKline) Consumer Healthcare.  The Air Purifiers have been developed by CSIR-NEERI (Council of Scientific & Industrial Research- National Environmental Engineering Research Institute), IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) Bombay.  They will be installed and maintained by Indian Pollution Control Association (IPCA).  The Air Purifiers will be installed at various locations under the GSK’s CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) Project ‘Mission  Created by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute and IIT-Bombay, the air purification units convert pollutants like PM2.5 and PM2.10 particles, volatile organic compounds, and carbon monoxide, into carbon dioxide using a filter.  These devices can reduce PM10 by 60-70 % and PM2.5 by 30-40 % at traffic junctions.

HIMACHAL PRADESH HP govt launches ‘Him Suraksha Abhiyan’ to sensitize people about Covid-19 pandemic  Himachal Pradesh, the state government launched ‘Him Suraksha Abhiyan’ to sensitize the people regarding Covid-19 pandemic and also to collect information regarding symptoms of diseases like TB, Leprosy, sugar and blood pressure by door to door campaign throughout the State. This campaign will continue till coming 27th December, across the State.  Under this Abhiyan about 8000 teams comprising of Health, Ayurveda, Women and Child Development, Panchayati Raj Departments, District Administration and NGOs would be involved in this campaign. Govt of Himachal Pradesh Partners with ADB to Improve the Infrastructure in Mandi District  The Government of Himachal Pradesh(HP) partnered with Asian Development Bank(ADB) to improve the infrastructure in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh. Jai Ram Thakur, Chief Minister of HP virtually inaugurated and laid foundation stones for various development programs worth Rs.15 crores in Mandi district of HP.Rs. 9 Crores out of the estimated cost of Rs.15 Crores required for the constitution of the facilities will be provided by ADB and the balance will be spared by the Government of Himachal Pradesh.

JAMMU AND KASHMIR BSE signs 4 MoUs with Mission Youth, Government of J&K to spread Financial Literacy  BSE Limited (formerly known as Bombay Stock Exchange Ltd) signed four Memorandum of Understandings (MoU) with Mission Youth, Government of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) to spread financial awareness, support economic development, encourage sustainable livelihood in the Union Territory of J&K.  The MoUs have been signed with an aim to develop Youngsters to develop skills to make a career in BFSI (Banking, Financial Services and Insurance). Special postal covers on “kangri” and “kehwa” released in J&K On the occasion of Constitution Day The Lieutenant Governor of Jammu & kashmir Manoj Sinha released two special covers on the themes- Kangri and Kehwa of the Postal department at Raj Bhavan in Jammu.It was launched for the promotion of cultural facets of Jammu and Kashmir. Kangri is a small pot filled with lighted charcoal which is carried close to the body as a means of keeping warm, while Kehwa is traditional green tea consumed in Kashmir. J&K Sports Council inks MOU with Cricketer Suresh Raina’s Cricket Academy to develop budding Cricketers in UT The Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council enters into MOU with Cricketer Suresh Raina’s Cricket Academy to develop budding Cricketers in the Union Territory.

JHARKHAND Jharkhand Assembly passes resolution on ‘Sarna Code’ seeking separate Identity Code for Tribals

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Jharkhand Assembly unanimously passed a resolution on ‘Sarna Code’ during a special one-day assembly session.The resolution seeks inclusion of Sarna as a separate religion in the 2021 census.

KARNATAKA Bengaluru’s Bowring Medical College Named After The Bowring and Lady Curzon Medical College and Research Institute in Bengaluru has been named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.The institute was set up in 2018-19 on the campus of Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital in Shivajinagar in the heart of Bengaluru. Haveri railway station named after freedom fighter Mahadeva Mailar The Karnataka government notified the naming of Haveri Railway Station after the freedom fighter Mailara Mahadevappa. Following a request by the state government, the union home ministry has approved the name change of the railway station. Karnataka’s Mysuru to Get India’s First Sandalwood Museum India’s first Sandalwood Museum is being established in Aranya Bhavan in Ashokapuram, Mysuru, Karnataka. The museum is set up by the Regional Forest Department to educate farmers about the significance of cultivation of sandalwood. Embassy Group Signs MoU with Govt of Karnataka to Improve Government Schools in Bangalore The Embassy Group signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with the Department of Education, Government of Karnataka, for the all-round improvement of Government Schools in Bengaluru(Bangalore), Karnataka. About Embassy Group: Chairman and Managing Director– Jitu Virwani HeadQuarters– Bengaluru(Banglore), Karnataka Karnataka aims to become a $50-bn bio-economy by 2025  The Karnataka government announced that it has set a target to become a USD 50 billion biotechnology market by 2025, contributing to half of the national bio-economy projected to be achieved by then.  The government released its first draft of the Bio-economy Report 2020 at the Bengaluru Tech Summit, highlighting achievements and earmarking targets for the next five years.  The report also claims that the same has grown by 14-17 per cent in the previous two years and that the state contributes 10.3 per cent to the gross state domestic product (GSDP) of USD 221.82 billion. While the report estimates the bio-economy of the state at USD 22.6 billion (Rs 1,67,240 crores) and growing at present, it is projected to USD 42 billion by 2025. Vijayanagara became Karnataka’s 31st District Vijayanagara, which will be carved out of Ballari district, is set to be Karnataka’s 31st district after Cabinet nod. Chief minister BS Yediyurappa had last year announced he will soon place a proposal before the cabinet for approval of carving out Vijayanagara district, which is named after the capital of historic . Karnataka’s Coastal Security Police Launched “Kadalu App” for fishermen in Udupi Karnataka’s Minister for Fisheries, Inland Transport Department and Muzrai launched the “Kadalu App” to support and help the fishermen.The app launched at the Fishing Awareness programme held in Moodukudu, Krishnapura, near Udupi. Karnataka Government signs Agreement with Tata Technology to upgrade 150 Government ITIs The Government of Karnataka entered into an agreement with Tata Technologies to upgrade and modernize 150 Government ITIs (Industrial Training Institute) at a cost of INR 4, 636.50 Crores to create increased employment opportunities to youth of the state. Each ITI will be upgraded at the cost of INR 30 Crore and duration of agreement is ten years and nine months.

KERALA Kerala launches “Parivarthanam” scheme for better livelihood of fisherfolk The government of Kerala has launched a pioneering eco-sustainable programme called ‘Parivarthanam’, to improve the livelihood of the fishing community. The scheme aims at improving the livelihood skills of youngsters along the coastline and also enable socio-economic uplift of the fishermen community. ICAR-CIBA, ADAK sign MoU to Increase Brackish Water Fish Production ICAR-CIBA (Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Institute of Brackish Water Aquaculture) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Agency for Development of Aquaculture Kerala (ADAK) to set up a multi-species fish hatchery at Odayam in Thiruvananthapuram district to increase brackish water fish production in Kerala.

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Kerala govt launched ‘Green Innovation Fund’ Dr. Thomas Isaac, Kerala Finance Minister launched Green Innovation Fund(GIF), a six-month-long, cohort- based fund -linked accelerator program for social impact startups. The fund is a joint initiative of Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM), Haritha Keralam Mission and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), India. India’s 1st solar-powered miniature train launched at Veli village, Kerala  India’s first of its kind solar energy-driven miniature train was inaugurated at the Veli Tourist Village, Kerala by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.  It is a Rs 10 crore project and covers a distance of 2.5 km with 3 bogies. It features a fully- equipped rail system, including a tunnel, station and a ticket office.  Apart from this, he also dedicated Rs 5 crore Urban Park and Rs 2.5 crore swimming pool at the Veli tourist village which is located on the outskirts of the capital Thiruvananthapuram where the Veli lake meets the Arabian sea. Union Minister of State (IC) for Tourism & Culture inaugurates “Tourist Facilitation Centre” in Kerala Union Minister of State (IC) for Tourism & Culture Shri Prahlad Singh Patel inaugurated the “Tourist Facilitation Centre” in Kerala.The facility has been constructed under the project “Development of Guruvayur, Kerala” under PRASHAD Scheme of the Ministry of Tourism at the cost of Rs. 11.57 Crores. Kottoor Elephant Rehabilitation Centre in Kerala is Set to Become World’s Largest Care & Cure Centre  Kottoor Elephant Rehabilitation Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala is being upgraded to International standard and is set to become the world’s largest care and cure centre for elephants. The upgradation of the centre is a part of the special program of the government of Kerala for the protection and conservation of elephants.  The project is implemented at a cost of Rs.108 crore funded from the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board(KIIFB).

LADAKH Ladakh gets largest solar project at Leh station  The Union Territory of Ladakh has got the largest solar power project setup under the Centre’s ‘’ initiative at Leh IAF station to provide sustainable energy alternative to fossil fuel and traditional methods of energy generation.  The project namely ‘Provision of Solar Photo Voltaic Powerplant 1.5 MW’ has been completed within 12 months well before the completion deadline of March 31, 2021. The total cost of the project is Rs 122 crore.  It is the largest installed solar project till date out of the target of 300 MW in three phases for defence sectors and 14 MW for Leh region as set by the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy SpiceJet launches dedicated freighter services to Leh in Ladakh Airline major SpiceJet launched dedicated freighter services connecting Leh with the rest of the country. Accordingly, the airline operated its first freighter flight from Delhi to Leh carrying 13 tonnes of cargo The flight was operated by SpiceXpress, the dedicated cargo arm of SpiceJet.

MADHYA PRADESH Digital museum opens at Maharaj Bada in Gwalior, MP In Madhya Pradesh, a digital museum has been opened at Maharaj Bada in Gwalior for the public. The museum is developed by Gwalior Smart City and entry for the public is being made free for a few days. It is the first center of its kind in Gwalior and Bundelkhand area and will play a role in educating school students. Madhya Pradesh launches unique initiative- local4Diwali hashtag  In Madhya Pradesh, the Handicrafts Development Corporation has launched a unique initiative- local4Diwali hashtag under the ‘Vocal for Local’ campaign in the festive season. The objective of this campaign is to encourage the products of local artisans to make them self-reliant.  The sale of locally produced earthen lamps, cotton and silk handloom textiles is being promoted by the Handicrafts Development Corporation under the Local4Diwali hashtag. MP CM launches roadmap to Aatma Nirbhar Madhya Pradesh  Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched a roadmap to Aatma Nirbhar Madhya Pradesh.  On this occasion, the Chief Minister said special attention will be given to education and health in self- sufficient Madhya Pradesh.A network of hospitals will be established across the state for this purpose.  He also transferred the interest-free loan of 10 thousand rupees each into the accounts of rural street vendors under the Chief Minister rural Street Vendor Loan Scheme.

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 The Mukhya Mantri Rural Street Vendor Scheme has been launched by the state government, on the line of Pradhanmantri street vendor scheme. Its objective is to make available an amount up to 10 thousand rupees as working capital loan through banks to the street vendors in rural areas.  Under the scheme, the state government will bear 14 percent interest subsidy on loans up to 10 thousand rupees per beneficiary. Also, a credit guarantee will be given by the state government under the scheme. Survey of vulture habitats starts in Madhya Pradesh  Survey of vulture habitats, considered an important part of Ecosystem, has started in Madhya Pradesh. According to Wildlife Headquarters, after this survey, the vultures will be counted in the state. For this work, Van Vihar National Park of Bhopal has been made the nodal agency.  In Madhya Pradesh, Tribal Welfare Dept to be changed to Tribal Affairs Dept  In Madhya Pradesh, the name of the Tribal Welfare Department will be changed to Tribal Affairs Department. This was announced by the Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan at a program organized on the birth anniversary of martyr Birsa Munda at the Madhya Pradesh Tribal Museum in the capital Bhopal. MP govt forms ‘cow cabinet’ for protection and promotion of cattle Madhya Pradesh government has announced the first of its kind cow cabinet for the protection of cows.The amended law brought changes to the previous cow slaughter Act 2004 passed by the BJP government. Tribal Pride Day 2020 in Madhya Pradesh – November 15  Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Chief Minister(CM) of Madhya Pradesh(MP) has decided to celebrate the Tribal Pride Day in Madhya Pradesh(MP) on 15th November 2020 to commemorate the birth anniversary of Freedom fighter and martyr Birsa Munda. He also stated that starting from 2020 every year the 15th November will be celebrated as Tribal Pride Day.  Birsa Munda was born on 15th November 1875 in Jharkhand.  Shivraj Singh Chouhan also stated that the “Samras hostels” will be established across the state, which will provide accommodation to the children of all the communities. ii.He also stated that 10% seats in the tribal hostels will be reserved for poor children of other communities. iii.As a part of the programme, Ranbankure, a short film based on self-esteem of tribal genitals was screened. Panna Tiger Reserve of Madhya Pradesh gets UNESCO Biosphere Reserve status  In Madhya Pradesh, the Panna Tiger Reserve has been included in the ‘World Network of Biosphere Reserves’ list of the UNESCO.  This is the 12th biosphere reserve from India to be included in the ‘World Network of Biosphere Reserves’, and third from Madhya Pradesh, after Pachmarhi and Amarkantak.

MAHARASHTRA India’s first-ever E-resource centre and virtual court “Nyay Kaushal” inaugurated in Nagpur  The (CJI) Sharad Arvind Bobde and Justice DY Chandrachud of the Supreme Court, jointly inaugurated India’s first-ever E-resource centre and virtual court called “Nyay Kaushal” at Judicial Officers Training Institute in Nagpur.  The Nyay Kaushal will facilitate electronic-filling of cases in the Supreme Court, any High Court as well as district courts across the country to enable speedy justice for litigants, by utilising technology.  The virtual court will be working from Katol in Nagpur district of Maharashtra. Asia’s first solar power-enabled Textile Mill to be unveiled in Parbhani district of Maharashtra  The first solar power-enabled Textile Mill in Asia is set to be set up in Parbhani district, Maharashtra.  Spread across 30 acres of land, the Jai Bhawani women’s cooperative textile mill, will be first in Asia that will operate entirely on solar power.  The overall cost of setting up the project is around Rs. 100 crore. In a first, Mumbai Metro to have vibration-absorbing tracks  For the first time in India, the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd., MMRCL will lay vibration-absorbing tracks on the Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ Metro Line-3 with an estimated outlay of Rs.23,000-cr.  The corporation has started trial production of the High Vibration Attenuation Booted Twin Sleeper Blocks,HVABTSB to lay tracks with the help of a machine from Sonneville AG, Switzerland.  It will have 27 underground stations en route and is expected to be operational in 2021. Maharashtra Schools to celebrate November 8 to 14 as Children’s week Ahead of Children’s Day on November 14, the Maharashtra state education department has asked schools in the state to celebrate Children’s week between November 8 and 14.

MEGHALAYA India International Cherry Blossom Festival in Shillong cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic

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India International Cherry Blossom Festival, the calendar event of Meghalaya which attracts record number of tourists annually in Shillong, has been cancelled this year in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic. The capital, Shillong hosts the only Cherry Blossoms festival in India

ODISHA Odisha launched a mobile application – “Secha Samadhan”  Naveen Patnaik Chief Minister (CM) of Odisha launched a mobile application – “Secha Samadhan” to enable farmers to directly connect with the Water Resources Department.  Other initiatives:  i.The Go Swift portal developed by the Water Resources department enables the industries to apply for water.  ii.The department has also launched a website : www.waterallocationod.nic.in for the distribution of water to commercial establishments and others.  iii.The CM also launched portals to provide online services for community lift irrigation projects under the Biju Krushak Yojana. this portal was developed to receive and process the applications of the farmers for installation of CLIPs.  On 19th October 2020 Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister of Odisha launched the electricity consumer service portal “Mo Bidyut” and mobile application, over a virtual platform. PM Modi Inaugurated Office-cum-Residential Complex of Cuttack Bench of ITAT in Odisha Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated the Office-cum-Residential Complex of Cuttack Bench of Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) in Odisha to provide modern tax services.This bench will also provide services to Northeast and as it will help the Kolkata bench (West Bengal) in meeting the pending appeal. Odisha government adds fish nutrition to anganwadi diet chart  Odisha government introduced fish and fish-based products in Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP) on a pilot basis in order to reduce malnutrition among the vulnerable people in the hard to reach areas of the State.  Initially, the fish based products will be added in the SNP diet chart for children, aged between three and six years, pregnant and nursing women and adolescent girls in 50 Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) of Mayurbhanj district.  The Department of Women and Child Development and Mission Shakti (WCD&MS) inked a pact with WorldFish for a five-year technical collaboration to pilot and scale it up as part of the SNP. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) is supporting the pilot project.

PUDUCHERRY Puducherry launches Free Breakfast Scheme “Dr Kalaignar Mu Karunanidhi Kaalai Sitrundi Thittam” Puducherry Government formally launched a free breakfast scheme “Dr Kalaignar Mu Karunanidhi Kaalai Sitrundi Thittam” (Dr Kalaignar M Karunanidhi breakfast scheme) named after Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Dr Kalaignar M Karunanidhi for Government and Government aided school’s students.

PUNJAB Cabinet minister Narendra Singh Tomar virtually inaugurates Phagwara mega food park in Punjab Union Food Processing Industries Minister Narendra Singh Tomar virtually inaugurated the Rs 107.83 crore mega food park at Phagwara in Kapurthala district of Punjab which is likely to generate 5,000 jobs.So far, 37 mega food parks have been sanctioned across the country, of which 20 have started functioning.

RAJASTHAN Letter of Understanding signed between Rajasthan, UN World Food Programme  A Letter of Understanding (LoU) has been signed between the Rajasthan government and United Nation”s World Food Programme (WFP) for proposed participation to achieve food and nutritional security goals.  The LoU has been signed with Women and Child Development, School Education, Rural Development and Tribal Regional Development departments so that the target of food and nutritional security can be achieved by taking the necessary support from these departments. Rajasthan govt to give Rs 6,000 to women becoming mothers for second time  Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot stated Rs 6,000 will be given to women becoming mothers for the second time under a new government scheme.He stated the beneficiary women will get the amount directly in their bank accounts in five phases.

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 The scheme will not only help fight malnutrition, but will also increase awareness among the people about the importance of a mother”s health and her nutrition level for proper development of children, he stated in a statement.  There will be an annual expenditure of Rs 43 crore for the scheme.  Woman and Child Development Minister Mamta Bhupesh stated the objective of the Indira Gandhi Matritva Poshan Yojana is to improve the nutrition level of pregnant women and children up to the age of three years 8000MW renewable park to light up India-Pak border areas in Rajasthan  India’s border areas with Pakistan in Rajasthan would soon be illuminated with renewable energy as the state government will soon ink an MoU with National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) to establish Ultra Mega Renewal Energy Power Park.  The park to be set up near borders areas will be of 8,000 megawatts (MW) capacity, which will comprise 4,310 MW of wind energy; 3,760 MW of solar energy and 120 MW of power from biomass. Currently, Rajasthan’s solar generation capacity is 4,883 MW.  Meanwhile, the Rajasthan government had also approved a proposal for setting up solar power parks to generate 10,000 MW green energy with an investment of Rs 50,000 crore.  The state has given nod to the proposal of Adani Green Energy Limited to set up solar power parks at five locations and a solar panel manufacturing unit which will generate around 7,500 direct and indirect jobs.  Rajasthan shares over a 1000 Kilometre-long International border with Pakistan, which is supplied power through traditional methods. Child Rights Week observed in Rajasthan from Nov 14 – 20, 2020  The state government of Rajasthan is observing child rights week from November 14 to 20, 2020 through skill development activities, awareness programmes and new welfare schemes.  The initiatives were taken from the Nehru Child Protection Fund, which was announced in the 2020-21 State Budget.  During the week the CM Ashok Gehlot launched Vaatsalya Yojana and Samarth Yojana for orphan and destitute children. He also inaugurated a skill development and counselling centre for children in Jodhpur.  During the programme, CM also released a booklet having guidelines for the implementation of “Vatsalya Yojana” and “Samarth Yojana” for the benefit of children in the state. Rajasthan to be first state to legalise mask-wearing  Rajasthan government is planning to make a law on wearing face mask mandatory to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the state.If the Bill gets the nod in the state assembly then Rajasthan will become the first state in the country to enact a law for making masks mandatory.

TAMIL NADU SIDBI Signs MoU with TamilNadu Govt to Develop MSMEs in the State Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with TamilNadu(TN) government to develop the MSMEs(Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) ecosystem in the state. Under the MoU, a Project Management Unit (PMU) will be set up by SIDBI in TamilNadu. Tamil Nadu CM launches ‘Thee’ app The app is for the general public to reach the Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services in cases of fires, floods, mishaps in wells, chemical or gas leaks and other accidents Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami launched ‘Thee’, a mobile phone-based application for the benefit of the general public to reach out to the Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services when in need. Tamil Nadu, HCL to set up disaster management analytics centre Tamil Nadu government and HCL will set up a Disaster Management – Data Analytics Centre to strengthen the State’s disaster management efforts in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Disaster Management Centre of the Tamil Nadu government (in Chepauk, Chennai) is responsible for the overall management of disasters across the entire state. Tamil Nadu fisherman starts India’s first and only radio channel for fisherfolk A fisherman from the Ramanathapuram district’s Pamban town has started ‘Kadal Osai FM 90.4’, India’s first and only radio channel for fisherfolk.

TELANGANA Telangana top performing state with maximum functional drinking water tap connections Telangana has been adjudged as a ‘top-performing’ state in the country followed by Bihar and Goa for providing a high number of functional tap water connections. The latest data shows that Telangana has ensured 69.56 per cent of its households in the rural belt have access to water.

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Palle Pragathi Panchayat Secretary app and Palle Pragathi Inspection Officer app Launched IN Telangana  Telangana launched the two mobile applications, Palle Pragathi Panchayat Secretary app and Palle Pragathi Inspection Officer app to monitor and improve the Palle Pragathi works, works undertaken by the gram panchayats.  Palle Pragathi Panchayat Secretary(PS) app was designed to improve the daily and monthly activities of the secretaries.  Palle Pragathi Inspection Officer app was designed for the daily functioning of the concerned officers. Telangana Academy for Skill and Knowledge (TASK) to train 30,000 students in AI, ML  The Telangana Academy for Skill and Knowledge (TASK) has joined hands with Microsoft and NASSCOM FutureSkills to roll out the ‘March to Million’ initiative in the State.  The Nasscom initiative is aimed at skilling 10 lakh youth nationally in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) and Data Science by 2021.  The Telangana State Council of Higher Education (TSCHE) will work with the TASK to reach out to at least 30,000 students in the State. KTR launches TS-bPASS, simplifies building clearance Telangana Municipal Administration Minister KT Rama Rao has launched the TS-bPASS initiative. TS-bPASS provides an instant approval for buildings in plots of above 75 sq yards and upto 600 sq yards, based on self certification. Telangana govt’s 1st Rythu Vedika Inaugurated by K Chandrashekhar Rao to Address Farmers’ Issues  Chief Minister (CM) of Telangana, Kalvakuntla Chandrashekhar Rao, inaugurated the state’s first Rythu Vedika at Kondakandla village in Jangaon district of Telangana. Rythu Vedika is Telangana government’s initiative to address the issues faced by farmers by bringing them under one platform and help them to attain higher returns.  The state has earmarked Rs 572.22 crores towards the total construction cost at Rs 22 lakh per Rythu Vedika.Of the total cost, Rs 12 lakh will be met by the agriculture department and the remaining Rs 10 lakh will be met from MNREGS funds.  Mission Bhagiratha will provide tap water to Rythu Vedikas. Each Rythu Vedika will have two rooms and two toilets with a plinth area of 2,046 sq feet.

TRIPURA Govt of Tripura Launched “Mukhyamantri Unnat Godhan Prakalp” to Make Tripura Self Sufficient in Milk Production The Government of Tripura contemplated a 3-year plan to introduce sex-sorted artificial insemination of cattle under the Mukhyamantri Unnoto Godhan Prakalpa(MUGP) scheme to make Tripura self-sufficient in milk production by ensuring that more cows are born through selective chromosome selection.

UTTAR PRADESH UP Governor Anandiben Patel gives assent to Ordinance on “Unlawful Conversions”  Uttar Pradesh(UP) Governor Anandiben Patel gave assent to “Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020” (Uttar Pradesh Vidhi Viruddh Dharm Samparivartan Pratishedh Adhyadesh 2020) which aims to curb forcible or “dishonest” religious conversion including those for the sake of marriage.  The ordinance states that a marriage will be declared “shunya” or null and void if the main intention of the marriage was to “change a girl’s religion”.  The law makes unlawful conversions a non-bailable offence and cognizable offence and Offenders will face jail terms of upto 10 years.  If a minor, woman or person belonging to Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribes were converted through unlawful means, it could invite a jail term of minimum of 3 years and could be extended to 10 years with a fine of INR 25, 000. Uttar Pradesh Cabinet clears Proposal to Rename Ayodhya airport as Maryada Purushottam Sri Ram Airport Uttar Pradesh(UP) Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, cleared the proposal to rename the Ayodhya airport as Maryada Purushottam Sri Ram Airport, , Ayodhya, UP. UP Government Okays Ambitious Ganga Expressway Project Worth Rs. 36,402 Crore The Uttar Pradesh government has approved an ambitious 594-km Ganga Expressway project worth 36,402 crore running along the river from Haridwar to Allahabad.

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PM Modi launches ‘Har Ghar Nal Yojna’, 3,000 villages in Uttar Pradesh to benefit Prime minister Narendra Modi launched ‘Har Ghar Nal Yojna’ (tap water to every household), for Sonbhadra and Mirzapur in Vindhya region of Uttar Pradesh via video conference. The scheme worth Rs 5,555.38 crore is aimed at providing water to over 41 lakh villagers in two districts. The scheme will benefit 21,87,980 villagers in Mirzapur. In Sonbhadra, 19,53,458 families will be benefitted by the scheme. The water of lakes and river will be purified and supplied to the families in Sonbhadra. Gorakhpur to host International Bird Festival in February 2021 International bird festival will be organized in Gorakhpur in the month of February. It will attract international tourists at Ramgarhtal Lake for bird watching. Prime Minister virtually Inaugurates & lays foundation stone of 614 crore Multiple projects in Varanasi,UP Prime Minister virtually Inaugurates & lays foundation stone of 614 crore Multiple projects in Varanasi,UP Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated & Laid the Foundation Stone of Multiple development projects for Varanasi in Uttarpraesh related to Agriculture, Tourism and Infrastructure. According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) the Total cost implication of these projects is INR 614 crore.  Key Points:  The projects inaugurated include upgradation of Sarnath Light and Sound show, upgradation of Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital Ramnagar, sewerage related works, infrastructure facilities for protection, conservation of cows, multipurpose seed storehouse, Sampurnanand Stadium.  He also inaugurated 105 Anganwadi Kendras and 102 Gau Ashray Kendras.  He laid foundation stones for redevelopment of Dashashwamedh Ghat and Khidkiya Ghat, Barracks for Uttar Pradesh Provincial Armed Constabulary (UP-PAC) or Pradeshik Armed Constabulary (PAC), upgradation of multi-purpose hall in Girija Devi Sanskritik Sankul, repair work of roads in the city and development of tourist places, and parking facility along with redevelopment of park in Beniya Bagh. UP’s Chandauli Tops NITI Aayog’s Aspirational Districts of September 2020 The Chandauli district of Uttar Pradesh(UP) tops the NITI Aayog’s ranking of Aspiration districts of September 2020.The ranking accounted for the progress made by 112 districts across 6 development areas during September 2020.

UTTARAKHAND Union Environment Ministry approves construction of Rs 1,100 Crore Song Dam Drinking Water Project in Dehradun The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has approved the construction of the Song Dam Drinking Water Project worth Rs 1100 crore in Dehradun. This project , will provide 24-hour drinking water to the city of Dehradun and will give a rebirth to River Rispana Originally built on the Song River, the dam is about 148 meters high and aims to generate power up to six megawatts. SIDBI Signs MoU with Uttarakhand Government SIDBI had signed MoU with the Uttarakhand Government to develop MSMEs in the state.The MoU was signed in the presence of Trivendra Singh Rawat, Chief Minister of Uttrakhand, Manoj Mittal, Deputy Managing Director, SIDBI and other dignitaries Country’s first moss garden comes up in Uttarakhand’s Nainital district India’s first moss garden has been developed at Khurpatal in Nainital district, Uttarakhand. The main aim behind developing the garden was to conserve the various species of moss and other bryophytes. Uttarakhand CM Inaugurates Dobra-Chanthi Suspension Bridge In Tehri-Garhwal  Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat inaugurated the 725-metre long Dobra-Chanthi suspension bridge in Tehri-Garhwal district.  This project is the longest motorable single lane suspension bridge in India.  The bridge, opened for the public, has been built in 14 years over the Tehri lake with a cost of Rs.95 crore. It would help connect Pratap Nagar town with Tehri Garhwal district headquarters. Uttarakhand CM launches free Wi-Fi service for govt colleges, universities Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat launched free high-speed WiFi service for all government colleges and universities in the state. Uttarakhand is the first state in the country to provide free internet to all government colleges and universities. Dehradun Municipal Corporation launches Plastic Lao MASK LE JAO initiative In Dehradun, the Municipal Corporation has launched an initiative named Plastic Lao MASK LE JAO to fight against the menace of plastic waste and contain the spread of Covid-19.It has distributed Five thousand face masks in exchange for plastic waste.

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WEST BENGAL World’s first Tram library for children launched in Kolkata  On the occasion of Children’s Day, a first-of-its kind in the world, library on tram for children was launched in Kolkata, West Bengal on 14 November 2020.  A tram is a rail vehicle that runs on tramway tracks along public streets.  The ‘Kolkata Young Reader’s Tramcar’ is the world’s first such tram library.  The tram would run on Shyambazar-Esplanade and Esplanade-Gariahat routes, spanning across north and south Kolkata, every day from morning to evening.  It has been jointly developed by the West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) and Apeejay Anand Children’s Library and will have around 1,000 books. West Bengal govt accepts expert panel’s recommendation to reduce syllabus for classes 10th and 12th for 2020-21  The West Bengal government has accepted the recommendations of an expert panel to reduce the curriculum at secondary and higher secondary levels due to the pandemic, Education Minister Partha Chatterjee stated.  The syllabus reforms committee, the secondary board and higher secondary councils have suggested changes in the Madhyamik (class 10) and Uchha Madhyamik (class 12) curriculum for the 2020-21 academic year due to the COVID-19 situation.  An official of the syllabus reforms committee stated, there will be a 30-35 per cent cut in the course load at the secondary and higher secondary levels. Mamata Banerjee launches “Government At Doorstep” scheme  From December 1, West Bengal will launch an initiative to take government services to the doorsteps of people. ‘Duare Duare Sarkar’ or government at the doorstep.  To run until Gandhi Jayanti on January 30, the initiative will attempt to ship pending companies to folks.  From 11 am to 3 pm every day from December 1, government camps will be held in every block in the state where people can come and demand any service they have not received yet. From Waste to Art: In Kolkata, a park decked up with used tyres Kolkata is set to get a unique art installation – a park decked up with used tyres at Esplanade area of the city. The “Tyre Park’ has been conceived and developed by the West Bengal Transport Corporation.The idea behind the park is that waste can be converted into art. NATIONAL NEWS Rs 2 lakh crore investment in 5,000 compressed bio-gas plants in offing  Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) signed Memoranda of Understandings (MoUs) with 8 leading oil & gas marketing companies & technology providers to set up 900 Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG) plants with an outlay of Rs 30,000 Cr across India under the Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT) initiative.  Letter of intent for 600 CBG plants have already been given and with signing of MoUs for 900 plants, a total of 1500 CBG plants are at various stages of execution.  What is Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT) initiative?  Launched in October 2018 by the Government of India (GoI) , it envisages setting up of 5000 CBG plants by FY 2023-24 with production target of 15 MMT with an approximate investment of Rs. 2 lakh crores.  It will also contribute towards doubling farmer’s income by 2022  India will see an investment of Rs 2 lakh crore in setting up 5,000 plants that will produce gas from bio and crop wastes by 2023-24. IOCL Successfully Tests “zero-emission e-mobility” Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL), through its company statement, has notified that it successfully conducted a ‘Proof of Concept’ feasibility study on ‘zero-emission electric mobility’ at one of its fuel stations in Bengaluru, Karnataka. This study will help in promoting electric mobility in the country. L&T bags Rs 7,000-cr order to construct part of Bullet Train project  Infrastructure major Larsen and Toubro (L&T) said it has bagged an order worth over Rs 7,000 crore to construct a part of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR), also known as the Bullet Train Project.  The transportation infrastructure business of L&T Construction has secured mega contract from the National High-Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL) to construct 87.569 km of the approximately 508 km MAHSR project.

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 In accordance with the study Zero-Emission Electric Mobility is a concept that allows the electric vehicle (EV) to charge using solar power and ensuring zero emissions. OIL launches seismic survey in Mahanadi onland basin Oil India Limited (OIL) launched the Rs 220 crore seismic survey programme at Kakatpur in Puri District, Odisha in the Mahanadi Basin (Onland) as a part of the National Seismic Programme (NSP). This was launched to locate oil and gas in Indian sedimentary basins. FIGO, UNICEF India, FOGSI & 3 other organizations partner to strengthen POSHAN Abhiyaan  Organizations – International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO), UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) India, Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI), Pregnancy and Obesity Nutrition Initiative (PONI), Alive & Thrive, Nutrition International and ARTIST for Her (Asian Research & Training Institute for Skill Transfer) have partnered to strengthen the implementation of the POSHAN (Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition) Abhiyaan.  POSHAN Abhiyaan also known as National Nutrition Mission was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 8 March, 2018 (International Women’s Day) from Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan.  Andhra Pradesh (AP) ranked 1st in the country for overall implementation of POSHAN (Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nourishment) Abhiyaan”. Health Minister Harsh Vardhan addresses Boston Center of Excellence for Health & Human Development Health Minister Harsh Vardhan addressed the Boston Center of Excellence for Health and Human Development through Video Conference. Ministry of Tourism organizes a webinar on “India’s Hidden Gems”under Dekho Apna Desh Webinar Series  The Ministry of Tourism’s Dekho Apna Desh Webinar series titled “India’s Hidden Gems” on 21stNovember 2020 focused on hidden gems of India.The webinar was presented by Bindu Menon.  The travel journey started from Amarambalam, Nilambur, which lies in the North of Kerala. Nilambur is a small town on the banks of the Chaliyar river in Mallappuram district, Kerala. This place is renowned for ‘Conally’s Plot’ or the oldest teak plantation in the world. SAFAIMITRA SURAKSHA CHALLENGE  Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri launched Safaimitra Suraksha Challenge across 243 Cities to ensure that no life of any sewer or septic tank cleaner is ever lost again owing to the issue of ‘hazardous cleaning'.  The Challenge, launched on the occasion of World Toilet Day i.e. on November 19, 2020, is aimed at preventing ‘hazardous cleaning’ of sewers and septic tanks and promote their mechanized cleaning.  Representatives from 243 cities across the country took a pledge to mechanize all sewer and septic tank cleaning operations by 30th April 2021.  The initiative is in line with PM Modi’s vision, who has always placed the safety and dignity of sanitation workers at the core of the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U)  The actual on-ground assessment of participating cities will be conducted in May 2021 by an independent agency and results of the same will be declared on 15 August 2021.  Cities will be awarded in three sub-categories – with population of more than 10 lakhs, 3-10 lakhs and upto 3 lakhs, with a total prize money of Rs.52 crores to be given to winning cities across all categories. Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad releases “My Stamp on Puja” virtually Union Minister of Communications, Ravi Shankar Prasad released a “My Stamp on Chhath Puja”. He also released a Special cover on the theme ‘Chhath – A symbol of Simplicity and Cleanliness’. My Stamp is a new concept initiated by the Department of Posts where common persons or corporate organisations can now book orders and get personalised photographs or images of a Postage Stamp. From 1 Jan, 2021 FASTag is mandatory for all 4-wheeled vehicles sold before Dec 2017  NMinistry of Road Transport and Highways has issued a notification making FASTags mandatory for all four wheel vehicles from 1st January 2021. This will apply to old vehicles as well as M and N category of motor vehicles sold before 1st December, 2017.  As per Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, the FASTag had been made mandatory for all registration of new four wheeled Vehicles since 1st December 2017 and is being supplied by the Vehicle Manufacturer or their dealers. It had further been mandated that the renewal of fitness certificate will be done only after the fitment of FASTag for the Transport Vehicles. For National Permit Vehicles the fitment of FASTag has been mandated since 1st of October, 2019.  The Ministry said that a valid FASTag is also mandatory while getting a new third Party Insurance through an amendment in certificate of Insurance, wherein the details of FASTag ID will be captured. This will be applicable with effect from 1st of April 2021.

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Govt To Establish 14 More Aerodromes For Seaplane Services  The Government of India plans to set up 14 more water aerodromes across India under the Regional Connectivity Scheme(RCS) UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) of the Ministry of Civil Aviation(MoCA). This follows the launch of the first seaplane service between the Statue of Unity in Kevadiya of Narmada Gujarat and Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad.  The potential sites where this could be set up include the Tehri Dam in the state of Uttarakhand, Khindsi Dam and Erai Dam in Maharashtra, Guwahati riverfront, and Umrangso reservoir in Assam. This also includes the Prakasam barrage in Andhra Pradesh, Havelock, Neil, Long, and Hutbay islands in Andaman & Nicobar. Raksha Mantri Unveiled A-Sat Missile Model in DRDO Bhawan, New Delhi A model of Anti Satellite (A-SAT) Missile installed inside the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Bhawan premises, New Delhi, was unveiled by Union Defence Minister (Raksha Mantri) Rajnath Singh. ‘Mission Shakti’ was country’s first ever Anti-Satellite (ASAT) Missile Test successfully conducted on 27th March 2019 from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island in Odisha, where a fast-moving Indian orbiting target satellite in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) was neutralised with pinpoint accuracy. With this, India became the fourth nation in the world with the capability to defend its assets in outer space. Digital news, OTT added under I&B Ministry  The Centre has decided to bring all content streamed on OTT platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, besides news and current affairs content on digital platforms, under the ambit of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.  “films and audio-visual programmes made available by online content providers” and “news and current affairs content on online platforms” have been brought under the ambit of the I&B Ministry through amendments to the Allocation of Business Rules, 1961. MNRE scales up PM-KUSUM scheme goal to 30.8 GW of solar capacity by 2022 The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has issued an order for the scale-up and expansion of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) Scheme. The target now is to achieve enhanced solar capacity of 30.8 gigawatt (GW) by 2022 with revised Central financial support of Rs.34,035 crore. In February 2019, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs had approves the launch of the PM-KUSUM scheme. The scheme aims providing financial and water security to farmers. Previously the scheme had aimed to add a solar capacity of 25,750 MW by 2022. The total Central financial support then supposed to be provided under the scheme was Rs.34,422 crore. Components of the Scheme:  The scheme has 3 components  Component A– 10,000 megawatts (MW) of decentralized ground mounted grid connected renewable power plants of individual plant size up to 2 MW.  Component B– Installation of 17.50 lakh unique solar powered agricultural pumps with an individual pump capacity of up to 7.5 Horse Power(HP).  Component C– Solarisation of 10 lakh grid connected agricultural pumps with unique pump capacity of up to 7.5 HP.  All three components of the Scheme combined together will result in saving of about 27 Million Tonnes of CO2 emission per annum. Centre gives green signal to 21 cold chain infrastructure projects The government has approved 29 projects under schemes for integrated cold chain and value addition and creation of backward and forward linkages (BFL). 1. Inter-Ministerial Approval Committee (IMAC) meeting chaired by Union Minister for Food Processing Narendra Singh Tomar has approved 21 projects, leveraging investments worth Rs.443 crore supported with a grant of Rs.189 crore under the Scheme for Integrated Cold Chain and Value Addition have been approved. 2. Eight additional projects leveraging investment worth Rs.62 crore with grants of Rs.15 crore under the BFL Scheme were also approved Prime Minister to dedicate Two Ayurveda Institutions to the nation at the 5th Ayurveda Day on 13th November  The Prime Minister will dedicate two future-ready Ayurveda institutions to the nation at the5th Ayurveda Day on 13th November, 2020.  These arethe Institute of Teaching & Research in Ayurveda (ITRA), Jamnagar and the National Institute of Ayurveda (NIA), Jaipur.

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 Ministry of AYUSH, since 2016, has been observing ‘Ayurveda Day’every year on the occasion of Dhanwantari Jayanti (Dhanteras). This year, it falls on 13th of November. Saffron Production in India being extended to the North East Region  Saffron production, which was till now restricted to a limited geographical area in the Union territory of Jammu & Kashmir, is now being extended to the North East of India.  The Pampore region of Jammu & Kashmir, which is commonly known as Saffron bowl of Kashmir, is the main contributor to saffron production in India. It is followed by Budgam, Srinagar, and Kishtiwar districts.  However the government is now looking to explore the feasibility of growing saffron in North East region of India, with the same quality and higher quantity.  North East Centre For Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR), an autonomous body under the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India conducted a pilot project, under which, the Botany and Horticulture department of Sikkim Central University carried out tests to understand the soil and actual pH conditions of Yangyang of Sikkim. Cabinet approves revamped VGF scheme with outlay of Rs.8,100 crore  The government on Wednesday approved the revamped viability gap funding (VGF) scheme envisaging a total outlay of Rs.8,100 crore for encouraging investment in social as well as economic infrastructure projects.  The revamped scheme will provide financial support to PPP projects in the infrastructure sector spread over a period of five years ending 2024-25.  Of the total amount of Rs.8,100 crore, Rs.6,000 crore has been earmarked for PPP projects in the economic infrastructure segment and remaining Rs.2,100 crore for social infrastructure projects PM Narendra Modi unveils Swami Vivekananda’s statue on JNU campus  Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi unveiled a statue of Swami Vivekananda in JNU Campus, New Delhi through video conferencing.  The event was also attended by Union Minister for Education Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and JNU vice- chancellor Jagadesh Kumar.  It took renowned sculptor Naresh Kumawat seven months to complete this statue of Swami Vivekananda on the JNU campus. President gives nod for renaming Shipping Ministry as Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways The President of India has gave his assent for renaming Shipping Ministry as the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways by exercising of the powers conferred by clause (3) of Article 77 of the Constitution and by amending the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961. IRCTC Bharat Darshan Yatra to start from December 12  The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) will organise ‘Bha rat Darshan–Dakshin Bharat Yatra’ from Hyderabad and Secunderabad from December 12 to 18.  The theme of the yatra, which will cover Sri Rangam (Ranganathaswamy temple), Brihadeswara temple at Thanjavur, Rameswaram, Madurai Meenakshi and Kanyakumari, is to ‘Show India to Indians ‘.  The facility of boarding and de-boarding this tourist train will be available at Secunderabad, Khammam, Nellore, Vijayawada, Warangal, Ongole, and Renigunta. PM Modi Unveils 12.6 ft ‘Statue of Peace’ in Rajasthan  Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually unveiled the ‘Statue of Peace’ dedicated to Jain Monk Acharya Shree Vijay Vallabh Surishwarji Maharaj.  The 151-inch (12.6 ft) tall statue was inaugurated by PM Modi on 16 November, 2020 on the occasion of the 151st birth anniversary of Acharya Shree Vijay Vallabhsuri, at Vijay Vallabh Sadhana Kendra, Jetpura, in Pali, Rajasthan.  The Statue of Peace has been made from Ashtadhatu, which means 8 metals, and includes Copper as the major constituent. Sports Ministry announces incentive structure to fund 500 private academies  Ministry of Youth Affairs And Sports Kiren Rijiju has introduced an incentivisation structure to extend monetary support to 500 private academies, through the Khelo India Scheme over the next four years starting FY 2020-21.  In this model, private academies shall be graded into different categories based on quality and achievement of players trained by the academy, level of coaches available at the academy, quality of field of play and allied infrastructure, availability of sports science facilities and staff.  The 14 priority disciplines identified for excellence in 2028 Olympics will be eligible for receiving support in the first phase. L&T Emerges as Lowest Bidder for the India’s Longest River Bridge in Northeast  Larsen & Toubro(L&T) has emerged as the lowest bidder with Rs.3166 crores for the construction of the 20 kilometer(km) 4 lane road bridge across River Brahmaputra connecting Dhubri of Assam to Phulbair of

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Meghalaya on National Highway(NH) 127B. This will be India’s longest Bridge over a River in the northeast.  National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) is the executing agency and is expected to be completed by 2026-27.  This river bridge project is financed by JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency). Finance Ministry Approved the Creation of 1st ever National Database of Unorganised Labour  Ministry of Finance gave its nod for the creation of the first ever “National Database of Unorganised Workers (NDUW)” with an expected outlay of Rs 650 crore.  This project will include migrant workers also and the benefits to be provided through this database will encourage them to enroll on the website. Lonar lake in Maharashtra and Sur Sarovar in UP Added to Ramsar sites  Sur Sarovar also known as Keetham Lake in Agra, Uttar Pradesh and Lonar Lake in Maharashtra, the only crater lake of Country has been added to the ‘Ramsar Sites’. These 2 wetlands have been included in the ‘List of Wetlands of International Importance’ established by Article 2.1 of the convention.  Sur Sarovar is the 2440th site of Ramsar and Lonar lake, the 2441st site.  Sur Sarovar and Lonar lake are the 40th and 41st Ramsar Sites in India respectively.  With the inclusion of these 2 wetlands, the total number of Ramsar Sites in India is 41, the highest in South Asia. Recently, 2 Wetlands were designated as Ramsar Site, namely, Kabartal Wetland also known as Kanwar Jheel in , Bihar(first such wetland in Bihar) Asan Conservation Reserve(ACR) in Dehradun( first such wetland from Uttarakhand) MoHFW Launches 3-Month accelerated SAANS Campaign to Reduce Childhood Pneumonia Deaths  The Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) launched a 3 month accelerated SAANS (Social Action and Awareness to Neutralise Pneumonia Successfully) campaign to reduce childhood pneumonia deaths.  Target of the Initiative– To reduce less than 5 pneumonia deaths, per a 1000 live births, to less than 3 deaths by 2025 through the accelerated SAANS (Social Action and Awareness to Neutralise Pneu monia Successfully) initiative. PM Narendra Modi Unveiled the Rs.100 Commemorative Coin & Postal Stamp to Mark Centennial Foundation Day of University of Lucknow Prime Minister Narendra Modi, unveiled the University of Lucknow’s centennial commemorative coin of Rs.100 over a virtual platform. He also released the commemorative stamp issued by the India Post and its cover at the event organised for the celebration of the 100th Foundation day of the University of Lucknow,Uttarpradesh. MEITY and IBM India collaborate to upskill members of CSC ecosystem in AI & Cloud  Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MEITY) and IBM (International Business Machines) India have collaborated to establish an education & Skilling ecosystem through Common Services Centre (CSC) Academy (part of the Common Services Centre scheme) to upskill members of the CSC ecosystem in new age technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Cloud.  CSC Academy, IBM India along with implementation partners CSR Box, Uva Jagriti Sansthan and Jeevitam will focus on exposing village level entrepreneurs to new-age technologies like AI and cloud.  The collaboration aims to provide access to employment to 4000 village level youth in identified rural areas.  IBM India will provide content from its skilling programs – SkillsBuild and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) for Girls, which is currently being used for training services and in community development programs across 6000 CSC Academies. Prakash Javadekar Launched ‘India Climate Change Knowledge Portal’ to Provide Information on Various Climate Change Initiatives Union Minister of Environment Forest and Climate Change Mr. Prakash Javadekar has launched “India Climate Change Knowledge portal” to provide information about the Government initiatives towards climate change to the citizens. PM Modi Inaugurates 3rd global renewable energy event RE-INVEST 2020  Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 3rd Global Renewable Energy Investment Meeting and Expo (RE-INVEST 2020) to woo investors for investing in clean .India has set an ambitious target of having 175GW of renewable energy by 2022 and 450GW by 2030.  The summit is organised by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.The theme for RE-Invest 2020 is ‘Innovations for Sustainable Energy Transition’.

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 The partner countries for the RE-INVEST 2020 are Australia, Denmark, France, Germany, Maldives, the United Kingdom along with European Union and US agencies.The partner states are Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated India’s renewable power capacity is the 4th largest in the world and it is growing at the fastest speed among all major countries. He stated, the renewable energy capacity in India is currently 136 Giga Watts, which is about 36 percent of the country’s total capacity. Agriculture Minister unveils ‘Sahakar Pragya’ to impart training to primary cooperative societies in rural areas Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar unveiled Sahakar Pragya. The 45 new training modules of Sahakar Pragya of the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) will impart training to primary cooperative societies in rural areas of the country along with Lakshmanrao Inamdar National Cooperative Research and Development Academy. Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot e-launches ‘National Portal for Transgender Persons’  The Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry launched a National portal for transgender persons to apply for certificates and identity cards.The portal had been developed within two months of the Ministry notifying the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Rules, 2020, on September 29.  The portal transgender.dosje.gov.in would enable the applicant to track their application and register their grievances in case of delays. Railway launches completely digitized online Human Resource Management System Indian Railway has launched a completely digitized online Human Resource Management System (HRMS).Vinod Kumar Yadav, Chairman and CEO of Railway Board launched HRMS modules of Employee Self Service, PF Advance and Retirement Settlement. The modules will benefit over 27 lakh families of both serving and retired Railway employees. Several other modules of HRMS are already operational in the Indian Railways. Nitin Gadkari inaugurates Highway projects worth over Rs 7400 Cr in Uttar Pradesh  Union Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated and laid the foundation stones of 16 National Highway projects worth 7477 crore rupees in Uttar Pradesh.  These highway projects includes a road length of 505 kilometers and will provide better connectivity, convenience to the public as well as lead to economic growth in the state. PM Narendra Modi Chaired 33rd PRAGATI interaction  Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi chaired the 33rd PRAG ATI (Pro-Active Governance And Timely Implementation) meeting which reviewed the multiple projects, grievances and programmes in the presence of concerned Secretaries of the Union Government and Chief Secretaries of the State Governments.  The projects that reviewed were of the Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH), Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and Ministry of Power.  These projects worth Rs 1.41 lakh crore, were related to 10 states and union territories (UTs), including Odisha, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar Launched Nafed’s Honey FPO Programs In 5 States  Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare virtually inaugurated the Honey Farmer Producer Organizations (FPO) Programs of National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (NAFED) under the “Formation & Promotion of 10,000 FPOs” Scheme in 5 states (West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan).  The areas covered under the Honey FPO programme are, Sundarbans in West Bengal, East Champaran in Bihar, Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, Morena in Madhya Pradesh and Bharatpur in Rajasthan.  The NAFED,one of the Implementing Agencies(IAs) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, will support the establishment of the Honey FPO programme in the five states. Cabinet approves Capital infusion into NIIF Infrastructure Debt Financing Platform  As a part of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat 3.0 package, the Union Cabinet has approved the infusion of Rs 6,000 crore equity in National Investment and Infrastructure Fund’s (NIIF’s) Debt Financing platform in the next two years i.e., 2020-21 and 2021-22.  Out of the proposed amount, only Rs 2,000 crore will be infused in the current financial year i.e. FY2020- 2021.  This financial aid will help the entity to raise Rs 1.10 lakh crore by 2025 for financing infrastructure development projects in the country. International version of UMANG app launched by IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad  On the completion of three years of the UMANG (Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance) app, the international version of the app has been launched.

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 The UMANG international version is for select countries including US, UK, Canada, Australia, UAE, Netherlands, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand, and will help Indian international students, NRIs and Indian tourists abroad to avail government of India services anytime.  The app will also help in taking India to the world through ‘Indian Culture’ services available on UMANG and create interest amongst foreign tourists to visit India. Additionally, the government also announced that it is integrating Common Services Centres service into the Umang app. ESIC extends ABVKY scheme up to June 2021  ESI Corporation (ESIC) has announced the extension of the “Atal Beemit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana” (ABVKY) by another one year up to June 30, 2021 and relaxed the eligibility conditions for the period between March 24, 2020 and December 31, 2020.  The Corporation had earlier introduced (on a pilot basis) a new cash benefit under ABVKY – effective from July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2020, to provide cash compensation to insured persons rendered jobless. This has been extended up to end-June next year.  The original eligibility conditions of the ABVKY scheme would, however, hold good for those rendered unemployed on or before March 23, 2020 and on or after January 1, 2021 Govt Approved Subsidized Loans worth Rs 3,971.31 cr for Micro-Irrigation Projects; Tamil Nadu received highest loan approval  Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (MoAFW) has approved subsidized loans worth Rs 3,971.31 crore under Micro Irrigation Fund (MIF) for implementing micro-irrigation projects.  It should be noted that MIF is created with the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) for implementing micro-irrigation projects.  The maximum loan worth Rs 1,357.93 crore has been approved for the state of Tamil Nadu, followed by Rs 790.94 crore for Haryana, Rs 764.13 crore for Gujarat, Rs 616.13 crore for Andhra Pradesh, Rs 276.55 crore for West Bengal, Rs 150 crore for Punjab and Rs 15.63 crore for Uttarakhand. AAI hands over Lucknow airport to Adani group on lease for 50 years  The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has handed over the Lucknow airport to the Adani group on lease for a period of 50 years. Apart from this, Adani group has taken over/will take over operations of 5 more airports.  In February 2019, the Central Govt had privatised six major airports of the country namely Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Mangaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, and Guwahati.  The right to run all these 6 airports has been won by Adani Group for 50 years.  Adani group has taken over the operations of Jaipur, Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram in September 2020, Mangaluru on October 31, 2020, Lucknow on November 02, 2020 and will take on the operations of Ahmedabad Airport on November 11, 2020. Indian Railways Launches ‘Meri Saheli’ Initiative for Safety of Women Train Passengers  Indian Railways launched the ‘Meri Saheli’ initiative to ensure safety of women passengers on trains across all zones.  Meri Saheli is an initiative of (RPF).  Under the initiative a team of young lady RPF personnel will visit all the passenger coaches including ladies coaches to identify women passengers.  The team will note down the details of the women passengers namely coach number & seat number, particularly if a lady is travelling alone in the train.  The lady passengers will be briefed about RPF Security Helpline number- 182, Government Railway Police(GRP) Security Helpline number- 1512 and other precautions to be taken during the journey by the team. Government extends Deadline to Make Payment under Vivad Se Vishwas Scheme till March 31, 2021 Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), Government of India has notified extension of payment deadline for direct tax legacy dispute resolution scheme (Vivad Se Vishwas) from 31st December, 2020 to 31st March 2021. The deadline for making a declaration under the scheme has also been notified as 31st December 2020. Direct Tax Vivad se Vishwas Act, 2020 was enacted on 17th March, 2020 to settle tax disputes between individuals and the income tax department. NITI Aayog, QCI Launch National Program and Project Management Policy Framework Initiative to Transform Infrastructure Sector in India  NITI Aayog and Quality Council of India (QCI) launched the ‘National Program and Project Management Policy Framework’ (NPMPF), with the aim of bringing radical reforms in the way infrastructure projects are executed in India.  Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways and MSMEs Nitin Gadkari unveiled the Indian Infrastructure Body of Knowledge (InBoK), a book on the practice of program and project management in

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India, and launched the framework, along with Union Minister of Commerce and Industry & Railways Piyush Goyal, NITI Aayog VC Rajiv Kumar and CEO Amitabh Kant, QCI Chairman Adil Zainulbhai.  India will require an investment of around $5 trillion by 2040 to develop the infrastructure for sustaining its economic growth. Ayush Ministry Ties Up With Invest India to Setup Strategic Policy Unit The Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) and Invest India will collaborate to set up a strategic policy unit called “Strategic Policy & Facilitation Bureau (SPFB)” to facilitate planned and systematic growth of Ayush Sector means SPFB Bureau will support the AYUSH ministry in strategic and policy making initiatives. Dynamatic Technologies Ltd, CSIR-CSIO sign MoU for joint development of futuristic solutions  Bangalore-based Dynamatic Technologies Ltd and CSIR-CSIO (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – Central Scientific Instruments Organisation) signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for designing, developing and manufacturing futuristic solutions for defence and aerospace, healthcare and agriculture industries.  The partnership with CSIO is aligned to Government of India’s vision of Atma Nirbhar Bharat. Cabinet approves Rs 10,000 crore project to improve dams in India  The cabinet committee on economic affairs approved a Rs 10,211-crore project to improve the safety and performance of select dams across India.  The dam rehabilitation and improvement project (DRIP)–phase II and phase III–is financially supported by the World Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.  DRIP will be implemented over a period of 10 years in two phases – each of six years with two years overlapping from April 2021 to March 2031. The first phase of this project started in 2012. DST launches SERB-POWER schemes to support women scientists & researchers in science and engineering  The Union Minister of Science and Technology, Harsh Vardhan has launched the ‘SERB – POWER’ schemes which aim to encourage and support emerging as well as eminent women researchers to undertake R&D activities in frontier areas of science and engineering.  Objective: SERB-POWER scheme is formulated to mitigate gender disparity in science and engineering research funding in various S&T programs in Indian academic institutions and R&D Laboratories, to ensure equal access and weighted opportunities for Indian women scientists engaged in research and development activities.  SERB-POWER stands for Science and Engineering Research Board – Promoting Opportunities For Women in Exploratory Research. IREDA signs MoU with MNRE; sets Revenue target of INR 2406 Crores in the FY 2020-21  Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India setting key targets for the year 2020-21. IREDA has set a Revenue Target of INR 2406 Crores for the current Financial Year 2020-21.  The MoU was signed by MNRE Secretary, Indu Shekhar Chaturvedi and IREDA CMD, Pradip Kumar Das.  IREDA has financed more than 2700 Renewable Energy projects in India with cumulative loan disbursements to the tune of INR 57, 000 crore rupees.  It has supported green power addition Capacity of 17, 259 Megawatt (MW) across India. Railways to implement artificial intelligence, data analytics for better operational efficiency in association with ISB, Hyderabad  The railways is set to go big with artificial intelligence and data analytics to improve its operational efficiency and has tied up with the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad to analyse the data generated by the national transporter.  The Railway Board has taken a decision to appoint a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) in every zonal railways whose mandate will be to keep track of emerging technologies in analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) and use it in the rail system. TRIFED Signed MoU with JD Centre of Arts to Preserve Tribal Craft Traditions Through Collaboration The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the JD Center of Arts (JDCA) for collaboration on joint socio-cultural research work and anthropological study of tribal art and tradition in the tribal dominated regions of India. Objective-To preserve the arts, crafts and traditions of the tribal communities.

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Centre releases Rs 2,200 cr as first installment to 15 states for improvement of air quality  The Centre has released 2,200 crore rupees as the first installment to 15 states for the improvement of air quality measures in their million-plus cities. The amount has been released based on the recommendations of the 15th Finance Commission.  The states which have been given the amount include Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Cabinet approves Rs 1810 crore Investment Proposal of 210 MW Luhri Stage-I Hydro Power Project  Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the investment of Rs.1810.56 crore for 210 MW Luhri Stage-I Hydro Electric Project located on river Satluj situated in Shimla & Kullu districts of Himachal Pradesh (HP) .  This project is implemented by Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (SJVNL) on Build-Own-Operate-Maintain (BOOM) basis with active support from Central Government and State Government. Prasar Bharati signed MoU with BISAG-N to Launch 51 DTH Educational TV Channels  Prasar Bharati, the public broadcaster of India signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-Informatics(BISAG-N) of Gujarat under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to enable 51 direct-to-home (DTH) Educational television(TV) channels to all DD Free Dish Viewers.  The 51 channels comprises Swaym Prabha under the Ministry of Education (22 channels), e-Vidya for classes 1 to 12 of National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) (12 channels), Vande Gujarat owned by Government of Gujarat (16 channels) and DigiShala under MeitY (1 channel) will be available for the viewers as DD co-branded channels. AAI signed MoU with NVVN, subsidiary of NTPC to set up Solar Power Plants in Airports Airport Authority of India(AAI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN) Limited, a subsidiary of NTPC Limited, to set up solar power plants at the Airports under AAI and to promote the adoption of electrical vehicles at AAI Airports. India’s First Sea-Plane Service  Prime Minister also launched India’s First Seaplane service between the Statue of Unity near Kevadia in Gujarat’s Narmada district and Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad.  The seaplane is a 19-seater seaplane and will be operated by SpiceJet.  30 percent of the seats will be priced at Rs 1,500 under the UDAN scheme.  This is the first of the five seaplane services in Gujarat. The other spots are Dharoi dam in Mehsana district, to connect ambaji and shatrunjay dam in Palitana of Bhavnagar district and Tapi will be started in the next phase.  He also inaugurated Water Aerodrome in Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad. INTERNATIONAL NEWS 15 Asia-Pacific Nations sign World’s Biggest Free Trade Pact ‘RCEP’ in 37th ASEAN virtual Summit 2020 hosted by Vietnam  15 Asia-Pacific countries including 10 members of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and their 5 Free Trade Agreement (FTA) partners China, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia signed the World’s largest regional free-trade agreement “Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership – RCEP” on the sidelines of the 37th ASEAN virtual Summit 2020 hosted by Vietnam.  RCEP is an agreement between member states of ASEAN and its Free Trade Agreement (FTA) partners.It aims to create an integrated market with 15 countries, making it easier for products and services of each of the signatory countries to be available across the region.  India had pulled out of the pact citing reservations that goods manufactured by China could come into India under the RCEP through other Third World Countries, and further increase the skewed trade balance with China. Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP):  .RCEP was introduced during the 19th ASEAN meet held in November, 2011.  Member States of ASEAN and their FTA partners are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, FTA Partners – China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. Virgin Hyperloop completes first-ever human trial in hyperloop pod in US  Virgin Hyperloop stated it has “successfully” completed the first-ever human trial in the hyperloop pod at the DevLoop test facility in the US.

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 Two passengers, both company staff, travelled 500 metres in 15 seconds, reaching 107 mph (172 km per hour), marking the completion of the first-ever trial, the company stated.  The testing campaign will continue with Pune native and Virgin Hyperloop Power Electronics Specialist, Tanay Manjrekar, riding next, the company stated.  The Maharashtra government has deemed hyperloop a public infrastructure project and approved the Virgin Hyperloop-DP World Consortium as the original project proponent (OPP) for the Mumbai-Pune hyperloop project. Guadalajara named World Book Capital 2022 Guadalajara (Mexico) was named World Book Capital for the year 2022 by the Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, on the recommendation of the World Book Capital Advisory Committee. World’s biggest pink diamond in Australia mine stops production The world’s largest pink diamond mine has shut its doors after exhausting its reserves of the expensive gems, global mining giant Rio Tinto said. The Argyle mine, in the remote Kimberley region of Western Australia, churned out more than 90% of the world’s pink diamonds – sought after for their incredible rarity. Turkey bans smoking in public places to curb virus spread Turkey’s interior ministry has banned smoking in public places across the country to curb the spread of COVID–19. Smoking would be banned in busy streets, bus stops and public squares when necessary. Guadalajara named World Book Capital 2022 Guadalajara (Mexico) was named World Book Capital for the year 2022 by the Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, on the recommendation of the World Book Capital Advisory Committee. Tbilisi (Georgia) was named as the World Book Capital 2021 and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) for 2020. nOPV2 vaccine for Polio becomes the 1st Ever Vaccine to be listed under WHO’s EUL The World Health Organization (WHO) listed nOPV2 (novel Oral Polio Taccine type 2) Polio vaccine produced by Indonesia’s Bio Farma PT for Emergency Use Listing (EUL), this is the first approval by WHO of its kind amidst several outbreaks in several parts of the world.The nOPV2 vaccine is aimed at containing outbreaks of circulating Vaccine-Derived Polio Virus (cVDPVs) in African Countries, Meditarranean countries as well as Western Pacific and Southeast Asian Region. UK Government announces First sponsors for 2021 UN Climate Change Conference UK (United Kingdom) Government announced SSE, ScottishPower, NatWest Group and National Grid as the first Principal Partners for the 2021 United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference also known as COP26. COP26 is scheduled to take place on November 1-12, 2021 at SEC Centre, Glasgow, Scotland (UK). COP26:  COP26 is the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference.  It will be jointly organized by the UK & Italy.  the conference will be the first “Global Stocktake” which was outlined in the Paris Agreement.  “Global Stocktake” will assess whether the result of climate actions being taken is in part with the goal of keeping the increase in global average temperature to within 2 degrees Celsius.  Arsenal Becomes First Premier League club to sign up to the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework:  Football club Arsenal became the first Premier League club to sign up for United Nations (UN) Sports for Climate Action Framework.Through this initiative UN aims to bring the global sports community to support the ambition to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. WHO rolls out global strategy to eradicate cervical cancer by 2050  The World Health Organization (WHO) launched the global strategy to fast track the eradication of cervical cancer. WHO aims to reduce more than 40% of new cases and 5 million related deaths by 2050, with a combination of vaccination, screening and treatment.  For the first time, 194 countries, including India, committed to eliminate cancer, following the adoption of a resolution at the World Health Assembly 2020 in Geneva. US Election 2020: Joe Biden wins Presidency defeating Donald Trump  Joe Biden has won the US elections defeating Donald Trump. His Oath of Office as the 46th President of the US will be administered by the Chief Justice of Supreme Court. He is to assume office on January 20, 2021. The election results make Trump the first one term president since 1990. This year, the US vote counting was delayed. The delay in declaration of US Election results was due to several reasons. The foremost was that different state in the country adopt different polling, counting processes.  Joe Biden served as the 47th Vice President during Obama administration between 2009 and 2017. In 2009, during the Great Recession, he oversaw the infrastructure spending of America.

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UAE: First Arab Country to generate electricity from coal  The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is all set to become the first Arab Gulf country, and probably the last, to generate electricity from coal, as; the Acwa Power of Saudi Arabia is developing a $3.4 billion Hassyan coal plant in Dubai.  In this regard, the company has already inked a long time agreement with Japan’s Jera Co under which the latter will supply coal.  The capacity of the plant will be 600 megawatts (MW) initially which will be increased to 2,400 MW by 2023. ‘Quarantine’ named Cambridge Dictionary’s Word of the Year 2020 Cambridge Dictionary has named ‘quarantine’ as the Word of the Year 2020,the year that saw people around the world being forced to remain isolated indoors in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. ‘Lockdown’ and ‘pandemic’ turned out to be runner-ups for Word of the Year. Typhoon Goni (strongest typhoon of 2020) hits the Philippines  Typhoon Goni, claimed as the world’s strongest typhoon of 2020 has hit the south of the Philippines’ main island of Luzon.  Goni is one of the strongest storms to hit the Philippines since 2013’s Haiyan, which killed more than 6,300 people. Bangladesh and US launch joint naval exercise CARAT Bangladesh 2020 The Bangladesh and US navies launched the ‘Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Bangladesh 2020’ to expand relationships and broaden maritime awareness between the two countries.The sea- phase of the exercise will take place in the Bay of Bengal with ships from both countries. United States formally exits Paris Climate Agreement to curb climate change  United States (US) became the first country to formally exit the Paris Climate Agreement. The formal exit from the agreement happened over a period of three years, after President Donald Trump declared pull-out from the climate accord in June 2017.  US is the second largest emitter of Greenhouse gases in the world (1st – China), accounting for a total of 25 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.  US had promised to reduce its emissions by 26 percent to 28 percent by the year 2025 from 2005 levels. Govt of Bangladesh Signed MoU with BPL & SII to buy 3 crore Doses of AZD1222 – COVID-19 Vaccine Government of Bangladesh signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Beximco Pharmaceutical Limited (BPL), Bangladesh and the Serum Institute of India (SII) for the supply and distribution of 3 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine ‘AZD1222’ in Bangladesh. The AZD1222 vaccine is at the final stage of development at the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca. INTERPOL Created Two Cybercrime-related Communication Services  The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) has created two secure and flexible services to facilitate cybercrime related communication among law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders to ensure more effective and coordinated action based on timely intelligence.  Cybercrime Knowledge Exchange (CKE) workspace: It handles general, non-police information and is open to all relevant users globally. It enables these users to discuss the latest cybercrime trends, prevention strategies, detection technologies and investigation techniques.  Cybercrime Collaborative Platform-Operation: The first of its kind, it assists in the law enforcement operations, with access restricted to the operational stakeholders only. INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL SUMMIT India to host G20 Summit in 2023 instead of 2022  India is set to host the G-20 summit in 2023, instead of 2022 — the 75th year of Independence.  Indonesia will assume G-20 presidency in 2022 after a swap with India, Indonesian foreign minister Retno Marsudi stated, adding that the change of plan was agreed considering that Indonesia would also chair the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2023.  India was earlier slated to host the summit in 2022 with the Osaka declaration of the G20 stating last year that “we look forward to meeting again in Saudi Arabia in 2020, in Italy in 2021, and in India in 2022”.  The G20 (or Group of Twenty) is an international forum for the governments and central bank governors from 19 countries and the European Union (EU).19 countries:-Australia,Canada,Saudi Arabia,United

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States,India,Russia,South Africa,Turkey,Argentina,Brazil,Mexico,France,Germany,Italy,United Kingdom,China,Indonesia,Japan and South Korea. PM Modi attended 5th G-20 Leaders Summit at the invitation of King of Saudi Arabia  Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the 15th G-20 Leaders Summit at the invitation of the King of Saudi Arabia.  The summit is chaired by Saudi Arabia in a virtual format under the theme – Realising the Opportunities of the 21st Century for All.  This will be the second G20 leaders meeting in 2020. The focus of the upcoming G20 Summit will be on an inclusive, resilient and sustainable recovery from COVID 19.  India will enter the G20 Troika, along with Saudi Arabia, when Italy takes over the Presidency of the G-20 on 1st December, 2020. 80th All India Presiding Officers’ Conference to be organized at Kevadia on Nov 25 A two day 80th All India Presiding Officers’ Conference will be organized at Kevadia, Gujarat on 25th of this month. Speaker Om Birla stated that the theme of this year’s conference is Harmonious Coordination of Legislative, Executive and Judiciary- Key to a Vibrant Democracy. 12th Counter Terrorism Dialogue between India and the European Union held virtually The 12th Counter Terrorism Dialogue was held virtually between India and the European Union (EU). The Dialogue was co-chaired by Mr Mahaveer Singhvi, Joint Secretary for Counter Terrorism, Ministry of External Affairs of India and Ms Joanneke Balfoort, Director for Security Policy, European External Action Service. PM Modi Virtually Attends 12th BRICS Summit  Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually addressed the 12th Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) Summit on 17 November 2020.  The theme of the 12th edition of BRICS Summit was “Global stability, shared security and innovative growth”.  The Summit was held under the Chairmanship of Russian President Vladimir Putin.  The key issues discussed by the leaders included intra-BRICS cooperation and other key issues in the global context, like the reform of the multilateral system, measures to mitigate the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, cooperation in Counter Terrorism, trade, health, energy and people to people exchanges.  India will be taking over the Chairmanship of the BRICS in 2021 and host the 13th BRICS Summit in 2021.  It would be the third time that India will take over the BRICS Presidency since its inception. Previously India was the Chair in 2012 and 2016. Eight MoUs announced during ongoing Bengaluru Tech Summit 2020  During the ongoing Bengaluru Tech Summit, eight MoUs were announced with Finland, UK, Sweden, USA and Netherlands. Karnataka and Finland have decided to come together to work in the areas of Artificial Intelligence for public service in Agriculture, transport, health, safety, governance and service delivery.  Karnataka and Sweden have agreed to facilitate innovative applications across different sectors, including smart city, health, manufacturing, product testing and validation.  Karnataka and USA have come together to incubate early stage start ups and generate employment in the Electronics System Design and Manufacturing sector. With the UK the state has come to an understanding for creating citizen centric Artificial Intelligence solutions in public service, education, water, energy and last mile delivery.  Karnataka and Netherlands will forge their potentials to build best practices in cyber security and privacy domains. It will also work towards creating India’s first sector agnostic international market and assist at least 10 Karnataka start ups to enter the international market.  The Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Dr. C N Ashwath Narayan has stated that the MoUs announced today will be a key to improve the ecosystem and explore possibilities to initiate innovation, science and research focused cooperation. 17th ASEAN-India Summit  Prime Minister Narendra Modi co-chaired the virtual 17th ASEAN-India Summit 2020 along with Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister of Vietnam, the current Chair of (Association of Southeast Asian Nations). The Summit saw the participation of all ten ASEAN Member States.  During the summit India announced a contribution of US$ 1 million to the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund.  The Leaders also welcomed the adoption of the new ASEAN-India Plan of Action for 2021-2025.

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 India and ASEAN countries agreed to explore ways to increase trade despite India’s exit from the 15-nation Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement as it does not address the outstanding issues and concerns of India.  (The RCEP free trade agreement signed between China, Australia,New Zeeland, South Korea, Japan, and ten ASEAN Nations.)  PM Modi had also called for an early review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITGA). ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations):  Members – Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.  Chair – Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister of Vietnam  Headquarters – Jakarta, Indonesia Hardeep Singh Puri inaugurates UMI 2020 Conference  Hardeep S. Puri, MoS (I/C), Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs inaugurated the 13th Urban Mobility India Conference on “Emerging Trends in Urban Mobility”.  The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, had issued the National Urban Transport Policy, 2006 (NUTP) to ensure safe, affordable, quick, comfortable, reliable and sustainable access for the growing number of city residents to jobs, education, recreation and such other needs within our cities.  As part of the NUTP, the Ministry has been organizing the annual international Conference-cum-Exhibition on Urban Mobility India popularly known as UMI. Nirmala Sitharaman Attended 1st BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting Virtually Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman virtually participated in the 1st BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting under the Chairmanship of Russia. 2nd World Health Expo held in Wuhan, China The Second World Health Expo is being held in Hubei’s Capital City, Wuhan in China from November 11-14, 2020. The World Health Expo will showcase the Latest Technology in Fitness Sports and the most realistically restored anti-epidemic Scenes. ISB to organise 3rd edition of Deccan Dialogue on Nov 16 The Indian School of Business (ISB), in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs organised the third edition of Deccan Dialogue on November 16, on a virtual platform. The theme of the Dialogue is ‘Crisis and Cooperation — Imperative in times of the pandemic’. PM Modi Leads Indian delegation at 20th Summit of SCO Council of Heads of State  The 20th Summit of SCO Council of Heads of State was held on November 10, 2020, in Video Conference Format.  The Meeting was chaired by the Russian President Vladimir Putin.  Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi led the Indian delegation.  All SCO Member States were represented by their Presidents, while India and Pakistan were represented at the level of Prime Minister.  This was the third meeting that India participated after becoming a full member in 2017  India will host the next regular Meeting of SCO Council of Heads of Government on November 30, 2020 in virtual format. About Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO): The SCO comprises eight member states — India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan andUzbekistan; four Observer States (Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia); and six “Dialogue Partners” (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey). Secretariat– Beijing, China Secretary-General– Vladimir Imamovich Norov Home Minister to inaugurate “Sarhad Vistar Vikasotsav 2020 “in Gujarat  Home Minister Amit Shah will inaugurate “Sarhad VistarVikasotsav 2020 “at Dhordo village situated in the forward border area in Kutch district of Gujarat.  “Sarhad Vistar Vikasotsav 2020” is aimed to address the problems relating to health, education and road connectivity in remote and border villages, so that standard of living in such areas can be improved considerably. PM Modi addresses Third Annual Bloomberg New Economy Forum virtually  Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Third Annual Bloomberg New Economy Forum through video-conferencing on 17 November 2020Some other Speakers of the forum included, Director-general of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, former US President Bill Clinton, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, and Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres.

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 The Bloomberg New Economy Forum was established in 2018 by Michael Bloomberg, to build a community of leaders to engage in real conversations leading to actionable solutions about the critical challenges facing a world economy in the throes of a historic transition.  The inaugural Forum was held in Singapore and the Second Annual Forum was hosted in Beijing. T S Tirumurti virtually addresses the 44th Annual G-77 Foreign Ministers Meeting  India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) Ambassador T S Tirumurti virtually addressed the 44th Annual Meeting of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Group of 77 (G77) .  The Title of the Forum was ‘Global response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the obstacle it poses to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)’.  He emphasized that India has pledged 15 million dollars for GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance. About Group of 77 (G77):  Chairmanship of G77 (2020) – Guyana  Headquarters – New York, United States of America (USA) (United Nations Headquarters) 8th BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation Ministerial meeting  The 8th BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation Ministerial meeting was held on 13 November 2020 through a virtual platform for Science and Technology cooperation among the member countries, which are Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.  The meeting was held under the Chairmanship of Russian Federation. (Russia is the Chair for 12th BRICS Summit)  The Union Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Harsh Vardhan represented the Indian delegation at the meeting  The meeting concluded with the adoption of BRICS STI(Science, Technology and Innovation) Declaration 2020.  During the meeting, BRICS Members applauded India’s scheme ‘SERB–POWER’ (Promoting Opportunities For Women in Exploratory Research) to encourage and support emerging as well as eminent women researchers to undertake R&D activities in frontier areas of science and engineering.  India offered to host the 9th BRICS STI Ministerial Meeting and the 11th BRICS STI SOM in 2021. 15th East Asia Summit 2020  The External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar represented India at the 15th East Asia Summit (EAS) on 14 November 2020 on behalf of PM Modi.  The virtual summit meeting will be chaired by the Prime Minister of Vietnam, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, and see participation from all the 18 EAS countries —10 ASEAN countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam), Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Russia and the United States. FIP organises virtual version of Delhi Book Fair this year The Federation of Indian Publishers (FIP) has organised a virtual version of Delhi Book Fair this year in light of the Corona pandemic. The book fair organised in partnership with PragatiE is a two day online event. NMCG organised three-day virtual ‘Ganga Utsav 2020  A three-day long Ganga Utsav 2020 from November 2-4, 2020 was virtually organized by National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) amid COVID-19 to spread awareness about river Ganga and the need to keep the river clean and rejuvenated.  The event was attended by Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Ministry of Jal Shakti.  German development agency (GIZ) has collaborated with NMCG for a project, ‘Support to Ganga Rejuvenation’, in which transformational learning resources are designed for the Indian schools to bring behavioural change in the school children towards conservation and rejuvenation of the Ganga river.  In this regard, Ganga Box, an innovative learning tool, was launched by Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.  A joint project titled “Urban River Management Plan” between NMCG and National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs was also launched during the fest.  The iconic Indian comic character,Chacha Chaudhary becomes the Brand Ambassador for Namami Gange Project 40th SAARCFINANCE Governors’ Group meeting  The SAARFINANCE Governors meet twice a year concurrently with the IMF(International Monetary Fund)/ WB(World Bank) Annual and Spring Meetings.  Shaktikanta Das, Governor of Reserve Bank of India(RBI) chaired the 40th SAARCFINANCE Governors’ Group meeting in a virtual format. He inaugurated the SAARCFINANCE Sync, a closed user group secure communication network.

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Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ Chairs a Virtual National Conference on ‘Empowering Through Zero- Shunya Se Sashaktikaran’  Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, Union Minister of Education chaired and addressed a virtual national conference on ‘Empowering Through Zero- Shunya Se Sashaktikaran’.  It was organised by Sri Aurobindo Society.  He launched an e-book, ‘Innovation and Leadership Casebook – Covid Edition’. It comprises the innovative efforts and work of the education officers and teachers.  A research report that was prepared by Cambridge on ‘Zero-Investment Innovations for Education Initiatives’ (ZIIEI) was launched. ZIIEI is a nation -wide education programme of Sri Aurobindo Society and HDFC Bank. 27th APEC Economic Leaders’ summit 2020 held virtually  The 27th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ summit 2020 was virtually hosted by Malaysia from Kuala Lumpur on Nov. 20, 2020. It was chaired by Malaysia’s Prime Minister Muhyiddin bin Haji Muhammad Yassin under the 2020 APEC Malaysia theme of “Optimising Human Potential towards a Resilient Future of Shared Prosperity. Pivot. Prioritise. Progress”.  APEC leaders had endorsed the APEC Putrajaya Vision 2040 that will make free and fair trade the focus of the APEC agenda for the next two decades.  New Zealand will chair the APEC in 2021.  About Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC):Members– 21 countries, Head Quarter– Singapore RANKING AND INDEX Bloomberg Billionaires Index Jeff Bezos is ranked in 1st position with a net worth of USD 187 Billion. The Bloomberg Billionaires Index ranked Elon Musk, co-founder & CEO of Tesla as the world’s 2nd richest person with a total net worth of USD 140 Billion after surpassing Bill Gates(USD 129 Billion), co-founder of Microsoft. Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries Ltd(RIL) ranked in 10th position with a net worth of USD 74.4 Billion. Global Employability Ranking and Survey (GEURS) 2020  The GEURS 2020 was released by the Times Higher Education and French HR Consultancy group ‘Emerging’.  Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi has been ranked as the best institute in India and 27th globally, in terms of employability of its students.  Globally, India has been ranked among the 15 best-performing countries in employability, improving from its 23rd rank in 2010. Globally, IIT Delhi ranked at 27.  California Institute of Technology, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University ranked at 1st ,2nd and 3rd position respectively. Worldwide Cost of Living (WCOL) Index According to the Worldwide Cost of Living (WCOL) annual report from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) revealed that Hong Kong is the world’s most expensive cities followed by Zurich, and Paris. Global Bribery Risk Matrix  The list by TRACE, an anti-bribery standard setting organisation, measures business bribery risk in 194 countries, territories, and autonomous and semi-autonomous regions.North Korea topped the list.  According to this year’s data, North Korea, Turkmenistan, South Sudan, Venezuela and Eritrea present the highest commercial bribery risk, while Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden and New Zealand present the lowest.  India is at 77th position with a score of 45 in a global list that measures business bribery risks of 2020.  The list has been topped by Denmark for lowest bribery risk which is followed by Norway and Finland. On the other hand the North Korea ranked last i.e. at 194th position with a total highest risk score of 93. EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2020 According to the seventh edition of EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2020, Ajit Premji, the founder and chairman of Wipro, has topped the list of India’s philanthropists 2020 with a total donation of Rs 7,904 crore.HCL’S Shiv Nadar, 75, ranked second with Rs 795 crore donation.With a donation of Rs 458 crore by richest India Mukesh Ambani, who is the Chairman of Reliance Industries, came third. Interstate Migrant Policy Index (IMPEX)  The index has been developed by Mumbai-based research non-profit India Migration Now (IMN).

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 Kerala, Goa, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh have been most successful in integrating migrant workers.  India’s average IMPEX 2019 score for 28 states and the Union Territory of NCT Delhi is 37 out of 100, reflecting the limited attention paid to integration efforts in destination states.  The index could help bureaucrats and stakeholders in evolving policy for India’s 455 million internal migrants who remain one of the most excluded groups in the country. This figure is from Census 2011, and may have changed between 2011-20. UK’s Lord Gerry Grimstone launched UKIBC’s ‘Doing Business in India Report 2020’; Maharashtra Showed max incremental improvement The 6th edition of United Kingdom India Business Council’s (UKIBC) Doing Business in India Report 2020 titled “Doing Business in India: The UK Perspective” was virtually launched by the UK Investment Minister Lord Gerry Grimstone at a roundtable with Indian industrialists during his virtual visit to India. BMI (Body Mass Index)  A review of BMI (Body Mass Index) of various countries’ teenagers has been recently published in the international medical journal “The Lancet”, according to which India is placed at 196th rank with respect to BMI in boys & ranks 198th in girls.  India’s boys ranked 180th with an average height of 5.46 feet while girls ranked 182nd with an average height of 5.06 feet.  This review covered school-aged children and adolescents for ages 5-19 years from 1985 to 2019 in 200 countries and territories  Country with Tallest Boys-The Netherlands, Country with Tallest Girls-The Netherlands  Country with Shortest Boys-Timor-Leste, Country with shortest Girls-Guatemala  Country with highest BMI in both Boys & Girls-Pacific island countries  Country with Lowest BMI in both Boys & Girls-India Tamil Nadu tops Indian states in new investments in H1FY21: CARE Ratings Tamil Nadu leads Indian states in attracting investments during the first half of FY21, having managed to grab 16 per cent of the funds that came into India during the period, according to CARE Ratings. Kerala best-governed state while Chandigarh top union territory: PAC Report Kerala has been adjudged the best-governed state in the country, while Chandigarh emerged the best-governed union territory according to the Public Affairs Index-2020 released by the Public Affairs Centre.In states, Uttar Pradesh has been ranked last. In the small state category, Goa has been ranked first. BILATERAL India, Vietnam Virtual Defence Bilateral Talks  India and Vietnam hold virtual Defence Ministers bilateral talks where India was represented by Union Minister Rajnath Singh, Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Vietnamese side was represented by General Ngo Xuan Lich, Minister of National Defence of Socialist Republic of Vietnam.  In order to further deepen bilateral cooperation, both sides signed an implementing arrangement for cooperation in the field of Hydrography. It was signed between Dehradun (Uttarakhand) based National Hydrographic Office, India and Vietnam Hydrographic Office in the presence of the two Ministers.  Vietnamese Defence Minister invited Rajnath Singh for ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Defence Ministers Meeting Plus being hosted by Vietnam on December 10, 2020 through virtual mode. APEDA holds Virtual Buyer Seller Meet with Germany  A virtual networking meet with German importers was also organised to promote export of fresh fruits and vegetables from the country. The event was organised by APEDA in collaboration with Embassy of India, Berlin and German Agribusiness Alliance.  The event comprised of presentations by the Indian side on the strength of Indian agricultural products in exports specifically grapes and fresh fruits and vegetables. India, Finland sign MoU in the field of Environment protection and biodiversity conservation India and Finland signed an MoU for developing cooperation between two countries in the field of Environment protection and biodiversity conservation. Israel Committed its Partnership with India for future with Low Carbon, Pollution Levels A digital conference of the India-led International Solar Alliance (ISA) was held where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has committed his partnership with India for lowering carbon and pollution levels in future.

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India announces over 100 high-impact projects worth Rs 592 crore for Afghanistan  India announced a new phase of over 100 high-impact community projects in Afghanistan worth USD 80 million (Rs 592 crore) as the country’s development portfolio in the war-ravaged nation has reached over USD 3 billion (Rs 22,200 crore) so far.  It was announced at the 2020 Afghanistan Conference by the External Affairs Minister of India, Dr S. Jaishankar.  2020 Afghanistan Conference was organized in Geneva from 23-24 November 2020 virtually. The Conference was co-hosted by the United Nations, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, and the Government of Finland. PM Modi launches RuPay Card phase-2 in Bhutan  Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi and Bhutan Prime Minister Lotay Tshering jointly e-launched RuPay card Phase-II which will allow Bhutanese card holders to access RuPay network in India.  RuPay cards issued by the Bhutan National Bank can be used at ATMs for Rs 1 lakh and for Rs 20 lakh at point-of-sale terminals.  In August, 2019 Prime Ministers of two countries jointly launched RuPay card Phase-I during Modi’s visit to Bhutan in August, 2019.  Rupay Card Phase-I enabled India’s RuPay card holders to access ATMs and PoS terminals across Bhutan.  A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between India and Bhutan for cooperation in the space sector to instill the knowledge of space, science and technology in children. Other Initiatives:  PM Modi extended his support for the establishment of an ICT (Information & Communications Technology)-enabled knowledge-based society in Bhutan.  He also welcomed BSNL’s (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited) agreement with Bhutan regarding the 3rd International Internet Gateway.  India, Bhutan are working rapidly to send Bhutan’s satellite to space with the help of ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) in 2021. For this purpose, Bhutan’s four space Engineers will go to ISRO in December, 2020. India-Luxembourg  Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a Bilateral Summit with E. Xavier Bettel, Prime Minister of Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in virtual format.  They welcomed the conclusion of various agreements between the two countries, including those between their financial market regulators, stock exchanges and innovation agencies.  The two Prime Ministers agreed to strengthen cooperation on realizing effective multilateralism and combating global challenges like the Covid-19 pandemic, terrorism and climate change. AIM-Sirius Innovation’ programme launched for Indian & Russian school children  Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and Sirius, Russia, launched ‘AIM-Sirius Innovation Programme for Indian and Russian school children.  Over a two-week programme, from 7th to 21st of November , 48 students and 16 educators and mentors will create 8 virtual products and mobile applications addressing global challenges across a range of areas like applied cognitive science, health and well-being, and artificial intelligence. India & Maldives inks 4 pacts during Foreign Secretary Shringla’s visit  India and the Maldives have signed four agreements, during the visit of Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla to the Maldives.  MoUs signed includes:  Grant of $100 million by India, which is part of India’s “$500 million package” for the Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP), that will link capital Male with three islands. India will also provide a $400- million line of credit for the project through EXIM, the largest such infrastructure venture undertaken in the Maldives.  Setting up soil and plant testing laboratories through a grant of 1.71 million Maldivian rufiyaas,  Establishing a drug detox facility through a grant of 7.7 million Maldivian rufiyaas  Cooperation in sports and youth affairs India, Nepal Launch construction of 3rd Integrated Check Post to boost Trade  India and Nepal launched the construction of 3rd Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Nepalgunj, Nepal.  The portion of ICP on Nepalese side will be built at Nepalgunj.The Portion on Indian side will be built at Rupaidiha (Uttar Pradesh).  It is being constructed at a cost of INR 147.12 Crores(Nepalese Rupee ~NRs2354).The facility will be built on about 61.5 hectares of land.  It should be noted that, India has ICP on the India-Nepal border at Birgunj and Biratnagar, which were operationalised in April 2018 and January 2020.

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India provides 50 Metric Tons of food aid to people of Djibouti  India has provided 50 Metric Tons of food aid to the people of Djibouti as part of its assistance to friendly countries to overcome natural calamities and the COVID-19 pandemic. Ambassador of India to Djibouti Ashok Kumar handed over gift of food items to the Secretary-General of the country’s Ministry of Social Affairs and Solidarity Mme Ifrah Ali Ahmed as part of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to Djibouti delivered by INS Airavat.  In a statement, Ministry of External Affairs stated that the step was part of SAGAR II (Security and Growth for All in the Region) through which the Government of India is providing 270 Metric Tons of Humanitarian assistance to friendly countries in the region. Indian Naval Ship ‘Airavat’ reaches Port Sudan under ‘Mission Sagar-II’  As a part of Mission Sagar-II, the Indian Naval Ship (INS) Airavat reached Sudan on 2nd November 2020 with 100 tonnes of food aid  Under Mission Sagar-II, INS Airavat will deliver food aid to Sudan, South Sudan, Djibouti and Eritrea amid the COVID-19 pandemic.  It is in line with the Prime Minister’s vision of Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) and highlights the importance accorded by India to relations with her maritime neighbours and further strengthens the existing bond. India provides NPR 1 Billion Tranche to Nepal Housing Reconstruction Project  Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Vinay Mohan Kwatra handed over a cheque of NPR (Nepalese Rupee) 1 Billion (~ INR 62.5 Crores) to Bishnu Prasad Paudel, Finance Minister of Nepal as reimbursement of Nepal Housing Reconstruction Project.  India announced a reconstruction drive in Nuwakot and Gorkha District of Nepal after it was severely hit by the 2015 earthquake.  It has pledged to construct a total of 50, 000 houses in the two districts.  India has partnered with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) for providing Socio-Technical Facilitation to the house owners to rebuild their homes as per Government of Nepal’s earthquake-resilient norms.  In September, 2020, India handed over NPR 1.54 Billion (~ INR 96 Crore) to Nepal for post-earthquake reconstruction assistance in Nepal.  Cabinet approved signing of Indo-Spain MoU to develop scientific and technical collaborations in astronomy  The Union Cabinet has apprised the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru (Karnataka) and the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC) and the GRANTECAN, S.A. (GTC), Spain to develop scientific and technical collaborations in the astronomy field. Cabinet approves signing of MoU between India and UK on cooperation in the field of Telecommunication/ICTs To strengthen the bilateral cooperation and mutual understanding in the field of Telecommunications, and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) between India and the United Kingdom (UK), the Union cabinet has approved the signing of MoU between Ministry of Communications, India and the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS) of the UK Government for co-operation in telecommunications. Cabinet approves Indo-Israel MoU on cooperation in the field of Health and Medicine The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has approved the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Israel on cooperation in the field of Health and Medicine. NITI Aayog’s AIM and Sirius (Russia) Launched 14-Day “AIM–Sirius Innovation Programme 3.0”  National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and Sirius, Russia launched a 14 days long (from 7–21 November 2020) virtual programme named “AIM–Sirius Innovation Programme 3.0” for Indian and Russian school children.  This year’s cohort comprises the best Russian students from the Sirius Centre and the best Indian students and Atal tinkering labs (ATL) in-charges from the top 150 teams of the 2019 ATL Marathon. 5th Joint Working Group on Coal held virtually between India and Indonesia  India successfully hosted the 5th Joint Working Group (JWG) on Coal between India and Indonesia via Video conference from New Delhi due to Pandemic.  The JWG was co-chaired from Indian side by Vinod Kumar Tiwari, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Coal, Government of India and by Jonson Pakpahan, Director for Mineral and Coal, Non Tax State Revenue of Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Republic of Indonesia.

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1st Virtual Indo-Africa Summit 2020 Held  The first-ever virtual Indo-Africa Summit, organized by IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Indian Merchants’ Chamber) and Africa Business News (CNBC Africa), was held.It was addressed by Union Minister Piyush Vedprakash Goyal, Ministry of Commerce and Industry.  India’s target is to enhance ties to 100*100 matrix by 2025, i.e. a target of USD 100 billion Bilateral Trade and USD 100 billion of Investment between India and Africa. Narendra Modi and Italy’s Giuseppe Conte Co-Chaired Virtual India-Italy Summit 2020  India-Italy virtual summit was held which was co-chaired by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Italy Prof. Giuseppe Conte.  The leaders discussed a wide range of issues including political, economic, scientific & technological, space and defence cooperation and also adopted ‘Action Plan for 2020-2024’ along with inking of 15 Memorandums of Understanding (MoU). Cabinet approves MoU on Cooperation in Physical Culture and Sport among BRICS Countries The Central Government has approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries on cooperation in the field of physical culture and sports. It was apprised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) for strengthening of bilateral relations with BRICS member countries. Cabinet approves MoU between ICAI and Vereniging van Registercontrollers (VRC), the Netherlands The Union Cabinet also approved the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and the Vereniging van Register controllers(VRC), the Netherlands for strengthening and development of the Accounting, Financial and Audit Knowledge Base between the Netherlands and India. AWARD Vinisha Umashankar Vinisha Umashankar, a 14-year-old studying in 9th grade at a private school in Tiruvannamalai, has won the prestigious Children’s Climate Prize(given by Sweden) for designing a mobile ironing cart using solar panels to power a steam iron box rather than conventional charcoal. Naseeruddin Shah  Naseeruddin Shah receives Aditya Vikram Birla Kalashikhar Puraskar  The Aditya Vikram Birla Kalakiran Puraskars were presented to emerging theatre personalities Neel Choudhary and Irawati Karnik. K Sivan Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala presented Doctor of Science honorary doctorate upon ISRO Chairman K Sivan. UP best performer in inland fisheries, Odisha is best Marine state  Uttar Pradesh was awarded as best performing state in inland fisheries sector while Odisha got the award of the best Marine state on the occasion of 'World Fisheries Day' observed on 21 November, by the Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India.  An estimated investment of Rs. 20,050 crore for a period of 5 years from financial year (FY) 2020-21 to FY 2024-25 in all States/Union Territories has been alloted to Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana.  Targets:Enhance fish production by an additional 70 lakh tonne and increase fisheries export earnings to Rs.1,00,000 crore by 2024-25. Raah Foundation Raah Foundation wins Palghar CSR Award 2020 under the category of Village Development for outstanding contribution towards sustainable socio-economic development of Palghar, Kokan region at the 2nd edition CSR conclave and awards Dialogue Palghar on 6th Nov 2020. Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ Union Education Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ was conferred with the Vatayan Lifetime Achievement Award at a virtual ceremony.The Vatayan International Awards are presented by the Vatayan-UK organization in London to honor poets, writers, and artists for their works in the respective fields. Dr Satish Mishra National Academy of Medical Sciences(NAMS) (India) announced that Dr Satish Mishra the Principal Scientist of the Division of Molecular Parasitology and Immunology at Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – Central Drug Research Institute (CSIR-CDRI), Lucknow has won the “Dr. Tulsi Das Chugh Award 2020” for his research work on the life cycle of Malaria Parasite which involves two hosts and 3 invasive stages.

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Ruskin Bond  Ruskin Bond, one of India’s most cherished authors, has been conferred the Tata Literature Live! Lifetime Achievement Award for 2020. Bond has been recognised by the Indian Council of Child Education for his contribution to the growth of children’s literature in India.  Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra, for which he was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award and his other semi – autobiographical work With Love from the Hills reflect his profound connection to both India and nature. Malayalam author S Hareesh wins the JCB Prize for Literature 2020  Malayalam writer S Hareesh has won the JCB Prize for Literature for 2020 for his novel Moustache. It is his debut novel.  The novel has been translated into English by Jayasree Kalathil and published by HarperCollins India.  Established in 2018, the JCB Prize for Literature is regarded as the richest literary prize in India. It honours distinguished work of fiction by an Indian writer working in English or translated fiction by an Indian writer. Russia’s Lakhta Center wins Emporis Skyscraper Award 2019  The Emporis Skyscraper Award, one of the world’s most renowned prizes for high-rise architecture, has been given to a 462-metre-high Lakhta Center in St Petersburg this year.  The skyscraper which has been, designed by GORPROJECT and RMJM, is not only the tallest building in Russia but is the tallest building in entire Europe and the fourteenth tallest building in the world. Dr. K S Subramanian Dr. K S Subramanian, Director of Research of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu who is also a National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) Chair Professor, won the Fertiliser Association of India(FAI) Golden Jubilee Award 2020 for his contribution in the field of nano- fertilisers and its role in improved use while ensuring the safety of environment. Bangladeshi teen Sadat Rahman wins International Children’s Peace Prize 2020  Sadat Rahman from Bangladesh has been awarded the prestigious International Children’s Peace Prize 2020.  The award was presented to 17-year-old Sadat by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai on 13 November 2020, during a ceremony in the Netherlands.  He was awarded the prize for his involvement in setting up his social organization and mobile app ‘Cyber Teens’ to stop cyberbullying.  The International Children’s Peace Prize is given annually since 2005 by the International children’s rights organization KidsRights based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. introduces award for civil servants to promote good governance  Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh launched “Scheme for Chief Minister’s Award for Good Governance” to recognise and reward progressive and extraordinary work executed by authorities officers that promotes good governance.  The award will probably be given yearly to a person or a staff to the executive secretaries, deputy commissioners, heads of division, heads of engineering departments (CEs or equal) and to any official or division. The award will embrace a money prize of Rs 1 lakh for the person class and Rs 2 lakh for group class. Russia’s Lakhta Center wins Emporis Skyscraper Award 2019  The Emporis Skyscraper Award, one of the world’s most renowned prizes for high-rise architecture, has been given to a 462-metre-high Lakhta Center in St Petersburg this year.  This marks the first time that the prestigious award has gone to a project in Russia in the 20-year-long history of the award.  The skyscraper which has been, designed by GORPROJECT and RMJM, is not only the tallest building in Russia but is the tallest building in entire Europe and the fourteenth tallest building in the world. HelpAge India and Queen Mother of Bhutan receive 2020 UN Population Award  Her Majesty Gyalyum Sangay Choden Wangchuck, Queen Mother of Bhutan, was announced as the individual laureate for the 2020 United Nations Population Award. HelpAge India was announced as the award’s institutional laureate.  Her Majesty Gyalyum Sangay Choden Wangchuck is a longstanding champion of sexual and reproductive health and rights and the need to end violence against women, girls and children in Bhutan.  HelpAge India working in 20 States across India, the organization also provides employment opportunities to older people, advocates for their rights in the community and helps local organizations to support them. Winner of 2020 UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize:  Centre Résolution Conflits (CRC) from the Democratic Republic in Congo received the 2020 UNESCO- Madanjeet Singh Prize for its efforts to defend the human rights and its commitment to rescue the child soldiers from militia groups and rehabilitation and reintegration into their home communities.

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 UNESCO created the UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize in 1995 to mark the United Nations Year for Tolerance and the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.(International Day for Tolerance 2020 – November 16) CSIR-CDRI Scientist Dr Susanta Kar Honoured with Prof. A N Bhaduri Memorial Lecture Award-2020 Dr Susanta Kar, Senior Scientist, Molecular Parasitology and Immunology, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research- Central Drug Research Institute (CSIR-CDRI), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh was honoured with “Prof. A N Bhaduri Memorial Lecture Award 2020” by Society of Biological Chemists(India) or SBC(I), Bengaluru for his contribution towards defining the survival tactics of Leishmania donovani. Leishmania donovani is a protozoan parasite that infects the macrophages and the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis (Kala Azar). Kerala’s Responsible Tourism Mission Receives World Travel Mart’s ‘Highly Commended’ Award Kerala”s Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission received World Travel Mart’s ‘Highly Commended’ Award in the category of ”Meaningful Connections.” for its activities that aimed at promoting RT during the COVID-19 pandemic.It received the award for its activities like ”Work at Home Videos” developed by RT Mission entrepreneurs and storytelling audio and video series of various Mission units in the state that posed multiple challenges to the tourism sector. India-Japan Cooperation Won the OECD’s 2019 MAP Award India-Japan Cooperation won the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)’s 2019 Mutual Agreement Procedure(MAP) Award in category 4 for pairings of jurisdictions that dealt most effectively with their joint caseload for transfer pricing cases. Netflix’s ‘Delhi Crime’ Wins Top Prize At International Emmy Awards 2020 Netflix’s India Original series “Delhi Crime”, helmed by Indian-Canadian director Richie Mehta, has bagged the best drama series honour at the 48th International Emmy Awards. Malayalam Film ‘Jallikattu’ Selected as India’s official entry for Oscars 2021 A Malayalam film “Jallikattu” directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery, has been selected as India’s official entry for the International Feature Film category at the 93rd Academy Awards or 2021 Oscars. Pilibhit Tiger Reserve gets global award for doubling tiger population The Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR) and the Uttar Pradeash Forest department have bagged the first-ever international award, TX2, for doubling the number of tigers in four years against a target of 10 years. Malayalam Writer Paul Zacharia selected for Ezhuthachan Puraskaram 2020 Noted Malayalam writer Paul Zacharia has been selected for 2020 Ezhuthachan Puraskaram, for his contribution to Malayalam literature during the past five decades. Ezhuthachan Puraskaram is the Kerala government’s highest literary honour, named after Ezhuthachan, the father of the Malayalam language. Dinesh Katre, Senior Director of C-DAC Won Emmett Leahy Award 2020 Dr. Dinesh Katre, Senior Director & Head of Department (HOD), Human-Centred Design and Computing Group, Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune won the Emmett Leahy Award for 2020. The Emmett Leahy Award was instituted in 1967 in the United States of America (USA) to honour the pioneers in the field of Information and record management & the winners were awarded by the Emmett Leahy Award Committee. 14th The Asian Film Awards Academy (AFAA) announced the winners of the 14th Asian Film Awards (AFA14) held at Busan, South Korea. Karsh Kale and the Salvage Audio Collective won the Best Original Music Award 2020 for the film Gully Boy directed by Zoya Akhtar. Best Actor Lee Byung-hun for “The Man Standing Next” (South Korea) Best Actress for “Better Days” (Hong Kong, Mainland China) Best Film Parasite directed by Bong Joon Ho (South Korea) Best Director Wang Xiaoshuai for So Long, My Son ( China Mainland) S Hareesh’s Moustache wins JCB Prize for Literature’ 20 Moustache, authored by Malayalam writer S. Hareesh and translated to English by Jayasree Kalathil, has won the 2020 JCB Prize for LiteratureThe JCB Prize for Literature is regarded as the richest literary prize in India. As per the norm, the Malayalam author will receive a Rs.25 lakh cash prize and the translator will receive an additional Rs.10 lakh. Naravane Conferred Honorary Rank of General of Nepali Army by President Bhandari  chief General M M Naravane was conferred the honorary rank of General of the Nepali Army by President Bidya Devi Bhandari at a special ceremony, a decades old tradition that reflects the strong ties between the two militaries.

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 Indian Army Chief General MM Naravane visited Nepal from November 4-6, 2020 to strengthen overall ties including in areas of defence and security between India and Nepal. He visited Nepal at the official invitation of Nepal Army Chief Purna Chandra Thapa. Filmmaker Hariharan bags the prestigious JC Daniel Award Ace filmmaker Hariharan has bagged the prestigious JC Daniel Award for 2019. PERSON IN NEWS/NEWLY APPOINTED WORLD Roch Marc President Roch Marc Christian Kabore will serve another five years as Burkina Faso”s president, according to provisional results announced by the National Independent Electoral Commission. Greg Barclay New Zealand’s Greg Barclay elected as new chairman of International Cricket Council. HGe will succeed Shashank ManohaR Mala Adiga US President-elect Joe Biden appointed an Indian-American, Mala Adiga, the policy director of his wife Jill Biden, who will be the First Lady. Duarte Pacheco Mr. Duarte Pacheco has been elected as the 30th President of the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU).(IPU):Headquarters– Geneva, Switzerland. Francisco Sagasti Peruvian politician Francisco Sagasti has been sworn-in as the country’s interim President. Michael Holding Former West Indies fast bowler Michael Holding has been appointed as a new patron of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) Foundation. Aung San Suu Kyi Myanmar’s ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party leader Aung San Suu Kyi, has claimed landslide victory in the 2020 Parliamentary election to form the next government. Pia Dandiy Indian American Pia Dandiya has been appointed the White House Fellow for the year 2020-21. Maia Sandu Maia Sandu has won Moldova’s presidential election Priyanca Radhakrishnan Indian-origin New Zealand politician Priyanca Radhakrishnan has created history by becoming the first Indian-Kiwi woman to become a minister in New Zealand. Alassane Ouattara Alassane Ouattara, President of Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire) won the 3rd term as the President with his landslide victory in the 2020 Ivory Coast Election securing 94.27% of the vote. John Magufuli John Magufuli Won 2nd Term as President of Tanzania Hashim Thaçi Hashim Thaçi, President of Kosovo, resigned to face charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

NATIONAL GC Murmu Girish Chandra(G.C.) Murmu, 14th Comptroller and Auditor General(CAG) of India elected as the External Auditor of Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) for 3 years. Vidisha Maitra India’s Vidisha Maitra was elected to the UN body – Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) with strong support of the member states. SK Mishra’s The Union government has extended the tenure of ED() Sanjay Kumar Mishra by one year . The ED is a central investigative agency that enforces two central laws– the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). Nitish Kumar Nitish Kumar took oath as the Bihar chief minister for a fourth straight term. Actor Sonu Sood Actor Sonu Sood has been appointed as state icon of Punjab by the Election Commission of India (ECI). Akshay Kumar Singh Akshay Kumar Singh, the Indian Oil Corp (IOC) director-pipelines, has been appointed as the new managing director and chief executive of Petronet LNG

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Ltd, India’s biggest gas importer. Kash Patel Indian-American Kash Patel has been named as the Chief of Staff to the Acting US Defence Secretary Chris Miller, the Pentagon has announced. SN Rajeswari Oriental Insurance Company Limited’s (OICL) Chairperson & Managing Director SN Rajeswari has been appointed as Whole-Time Member (Distribution) of the insurance regulator Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI). Navneet Munot Navneet Munot, Chief Investment Officer of SBI Funds Management, has decided to quit the organisation and join HDFC Mutual Fund as Managing Director and CEO. N. Chandrasekaran Tata Chemicals appoints N. Chandrasekaran as chairman of board Achyuta Samanta The Kandhamal MP and KIIT & KISS Founder Achyuta Samanta has been honoured to be elected as the President of Volleyball Federation of India. Virat Kohli Virat Kohli named brand ambassador for sanitation brand Vize Rohit Sharma Rohit Sharma, India’s leading cricketer, signed with Financepeer, Google incubated education fee financing company, as its brand ambassador. Rajiv Jalota Rajiv Jalota appointed chairman of Mumbai Port Trust Harpreet A De Singh Harpreet A De Singh, the first woman pilot of Air India, has been appointed as the chief executive officer (CEO) of Alliance Air PVG Menon Electronics Sector Skill Council of India (ESSCI) appointed PVG Menon as its Chief Executive Officer(CEO). Lt Gen Harpal Singh Lt Gen Harpal Singh has been appointed as the next Engineer-in-Chief of the Indian Army. Dilip Rath During the General Assembly of International Dairy Federation (IDF), Dilip Rath, Chairman of National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) was unanimously elected to the Board of IDF. India will host the 1st post COVID -19 IDF World Dairy Summit 2022 in New Delhi. Dilip Rath as the Secretary of the Indian National Committee took initiative for hosting. India ranks 1st among the world’s milk-producing nations and also has the largest bovine population in the world. Gyanendro Gyanendro Ningombam from Manipur was appointed as the President of Ningombam Hockey India(HI). Ramesh HDFC Bank Appoints Ramesh Lakshminarayanan as its New CIO Lakshminarayanan Rajkummar Rao Syska Group announces Bollywood actor Rajkummar Rao as its new brand ambassador AK Gupta AK Gupta, the new Managing Director and CEO of ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) took charge. Before this, Gupta was Director (Operations) of the company. Yashvardhan Kumar Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha to be next Chief Information Commissioner Sinha SPORTS FIFA Rankings: India rise four spots to 104 The elite football body, FIFA, has released the international rankings for November 2020, India has moved up to 104, a significant rise of four spots, in the recent FIFA rankings. Belgium have kept their place on the top, followed by France, Brazil, England, and Portugal. Sports Ministry restores Archery Association of India as National Sports Federation The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports restored the Archery Association of India as a National Sports Federation, allowing the promotion and regulation of Archery in India. ATP Finals in London Daniil Medvedev(Russian) beats Dominic Thiem(Austrian) to win ATP Finals title The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) is the governing body of the men's professional tennis circuits - the ATP Tour, the ATP Challenger Tour and the ATP Champions Tour.

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China’s Chen Meng claims her maiden ITTF Women’s World Cup title The world number one Chen Meng beat Chinese compatriot Sun Yingsha 11-13 11-6 11-9 11-6 11-8 to win her maiden ITTF Women’s World Cup table tennis title in held in Weihai, China, from 8 to 10 November 2020. The 2020 ITTF Women’s World Cup was the 24th edition of the ITTF-sanctioned event. Younis Khan appointed Pakistan’s batting coach until 2022 T20 World Cup Former captain Younis Khan will continue as the men’s batting coach of Pakistan until the ICC Twenty20 World Cup in 2022. The Twenty20 World Cup 2022 is scheduled to be held in Australia. Trailblazers beat Supernovas by 16 runs to win Women’s T20 Challenge title Trailblazers beat Supernovas by 16 runs to win clinch the Jio Women’s T20 Challenge title. Smriti Mandhana starred with the bat while Salma Khatun picked three wickets as Trailblazers beat Supernovas by 16 runs to clinch the Jio Women’s T20 Challenge title at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Novak Djokovic lifts ATP Year-end No. 1 Trophy for 6th time; equals Pete Sampras’s record  Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic was given the ATP Tour No. 1 trophy on 15 November 2020, for finishing 2020 as the year-end No. 1 (world number one).  With this, he has become the only second player in tennis history, after Pete Sampras, to receive the trophy sixth time.  Earlier Djokovic had finished as world number one in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2018.  Before this, only Pete Sampras has managed to finish six years on top of the rankings which he did between 1993 and 1998. BCCI ropes in MPL Sports as official Kit sponsor for Team India The BCCI formally announced MPL Sports apparel and accessories as the official kit sponsor and merchandise partner of both the national men’s and women’s sides as well as the U-19 team, replacing Nike.As per the newly-inked strategic partnership, MPL Sports has entered into a three-year agreement from November 2020 to December 2023. FIFA cancels Women’s Under-17 football World Cup; India to host 2022 edition  The Women’s Under-17 football World Cup in India, which was initially postponed to next year due to COVID-19 pandemic, was cancelled by FIFA, but India was handed the hosting rights of the 2022 edition.  The FIFA cancelled both the women’s U-17 World Cup and U-20 World Cup which were scheduled to be held in India and Costa Rica respectively but handed both the countries the hosting rights of the 2022 editions. 2020 Alexis Valentine International Boxing Tournament  Indian boxers Amit Panghal, Sanjeet and Ashish Kumar have claimed gold medals at the 2020 Alexis Valentine International Boxing Tournament held in Nantes, France.  Amit Panghal won the gold in the 52 kg-weight category,  Sanjeet won in the 91 kg final bout  Ashish Kumar won the gold medal in the 75 kg weight category.  Apart from this, Kavinder Singh Bisht, won silver in the 57 kg weight category.  Three Indian boxers namely Shiva Thapa (63 kg), Sumit Sangwan (81 kg) and Satish Kumar (Over 91 kg) had secured the bronze medals for India. Jio named title sponsor for 2020 Women’s T20 Challenge The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced Jio as the title sponsor for the 2020 edition of the Women’s T20 Challenge.The Women’s T20 Challenge held from November 4 to November 9, in Sharjah, UAE. Paris Masters 2020: Daniil Medvedev defeats Alexander Zverev to win his maiden title World No.5 Daniil Medvedev of Russia has won the 2020 Rolex Paris Masters title by defeating World No.7 Alexander Zverev of Germany, 5-7, 6-4, 6-1.This is the maiden Paris Masters title of Medvedev. Javier Mascherano Former Barcelona and Argentina great Javier Mascherano announced his retirement from football. Lewis Hamilton Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-Great Britain) has won the Turkish Grand Prix 2020 Jannik Sinner Jannik Sinner(Italian tennis player) captured his maiden ATP Tour trophy at the Sofia Open in Bulgaria. Lewis Hamilton Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-Great Britain) has won the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix 2020 Ritu Phogat Former Indian wrestler and now a Mixed Martial Arts star, Ritu Phogat won her third consecutive MMA championship title in Singapore.

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Shane Watson The former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson has announced retirement from all forms of cricket Marlon Samuels West Indies batsman Marlon Samuels has announced his retirement from all forms of professional cricket. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY SpaceX, NASA, ESA launch Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich mission  A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched an advanced ocean-mapping satellite into orbit for NASA and the European Space Agency from California.  The Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite is named for Michael Freilich, the former head of NASA’s Earth science division who died of cancer in August.  This $97 million satellite is the first in what will be a pair of identical ocean-focused satellites; the next, Sentinel-6B, will launch in 2025. Pfizer Inc & BioNTech Completed the COVID-19 Vaccine – “BNT162b2” Trial with 95% Success Rate Pfizer Inc of the United States of America(USA) and its partner BioNTech of Germany completed the Phase 3 trial of their COVID-19 vaccine candidate, BNT162b2 against SARS-CoV-2 with 95% effective, highest success rate. India becomes 4th nation to get IMO nod for navigation satellite system India has become the fourth country in the world to have its independent regional navigation satellite system recognised by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) as a part of the World Wide Radio Navigation System (WWRNS).The other three countries that have its navigation systems recognised by the IMO are the US, Russia and China. India's AI supercomputer Param Siddhi 63rd among top 500 most powerful non-distributed computer systems in the world  According to 56th Edition of the TOP500 project which ranks and details the 500 most powerful non- distributed computer systems in the world, India’s Supercomputer – PARAM Siddhi-AI – Ranked 62 in the list of most powerful non-distributed computer systems in the World. Japan’s Fugaku topped the list, the second & third rank were taken by US (United States) Supercomputers “Summit” & “Sierra”.  Another Supercomputer, Pratyush(at Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune) – Ranked 77 featured in the Top 100 while “Mihir”(National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecast (NCMRWF), Noida) – Ranked 144 featured in the list of Top 500 supercomputers in the list.  PARAM Siddhi-AI was established in 2020 under the National Supercomputer Mission (NSM). It has a Rpeak capacity of 5.267 Petaflops and Rmax capacity of 4.6 Petaflops.  It will be installed in the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing’s (C-DAC) unit, Pune. NASSCOM launches Future Skills Prime digital learning platform  National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) has launched a digital learning platform called the Future Skills Prime to encourage remote and self-paced learning. The platform has been launched under a joint partnership between the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India, NASSCOM, and the IT industry.  Under this initiative, around 4.12 lakh learners will be offered subsidised access to certified courses in 10 emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Internet of things, Big Data Analytics, Robotic Process Automation, Additive Manufacturing/3D Printing, Cloud Computing, Social & Mobile, Cyber Security, Augmented/Virtual Reality and Blockchain. IIT Guwahati launches Australia-India Water Centre along with University of Western Sydney Australia-India Water Centre was inaugurated virtually through a Webinar, in view of the pandemic situation. The Water Centre is led by University of Western Sydney from Australia and IIT Guwahati from India along with 21 other partners from India and Australia. Dan Tehan, Minister for Education – Government of Australia, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, minister for Jal Shakti – Government of India were present. Indian Astronomers collaborate with 2020 Nobel Physics Nobel Laureate for Thirty Meter Telescope Project  Indian astronomers have collaborated with the 2020 Physics Nobel Laureate Prof. Andrea Ghez for the design of back-end instruments and possible science prospects of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) project.  The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) is a proposed extremely large telescope (ELT) which is planned to be installed at Maunakea on the island of Hawaii.The TMT project is an international partnership between CalTech, Universities of California, Canada, Japan, China, and India , to revolutionize the understanding of the universe and the enigmas in it.

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DRDO develops fire detection and suppression system for passenger buses The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed for passenger buses a technology called ”Fire Detection and Suppression System (FDSS)”.DRDO’s Centre for Fire Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES), Delhi has developed the technology. SpaceX launches 4 astronauts into space SpaceX launched Four Astronauts (3 Americans, 1 Japanese) to the International Space Station on the first full- fledged taxi flight for NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) by a private company. They were launched by Falcon Rocket from the Kennedy Space Center. The capsule has been named as “Resilience”. The crew was led by Commander Mike Hopkins, Shannon Walker, Victor Glover (First Black Astronaut on a long- term space station) mission and Japan’s Soichi Noguchi (First person in 40 years to launch on three types of spacecraft). IIT Guwahati formulates efficient “pincer” catalytic systems that transform biomass wastes into valuable chemicals A research team of IIT Guwahati has formulated efficient “pincer” catalytic systems that transform biomass wastes into valuable chemicals. Tiny amounts of these “pincer catalysts” repeatedly convert large amounts of industrial waste such as glycerol into lactic acid and hydrogen. IIT Kharagpur researchers develop cellulose nano-crystals from cucumber peels for food packaging  Researchers at IIT Kharagpur have developed cellulose nano-crystals from cucumber peels, raising the possibility to create environment-friendly food packaging materials in future.  The cellulose nano-material developed from raw cucumber waste by Professor Jayeeta Mitra and research scholar N Sai Prasanna at IIT Kharagpur has addressed this challenge of finding an environment-friendly substitute to food packaging materials. IISc and Indian Oil R&D inks MoU for hydrogen-generation technology  The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and the Research and Development Centre of Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) have signed an MoU to develop and demonstrate biomass gasification-based hydrogen generation technology.  This technology will be used for producing fuel cell-grade hydrogen at an affordable price.  The developed technology will be scaled up and demonstrated at IndianOils R&D Centre at Faridabad. Microsoft Collaborates with NSDC to empower with digital skills  Microsoft has collaborated with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to impart digital skills to more than one lakh underserved women in India over the next 10 months.  This initiative is an extension of Microsoft’s partnership with NSDC announced in July 2020 to provide digital skills to over 1 lakh youth in the country over the next 12 months. IIT Roorkee develops world 1st biosensor to detect harmful detergent pollutant  A five-member team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee have developed the world’s first specific reliable bacterial biosensor to detect the presence of common environmental pollutant- Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate /Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SDS).  The IIT Roorkee team has developed a whole-cell biosensor using Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 strain as a framework (chassis). The system involves a highly specific regulator along with a fluorescent protein that is produced only when SDS is present in the sample. IIT Bombay to launch website for students’ emotional needs IIT Bombay announced its plans to release a self-help website for students to elevate their emotional well-being. Titled ‘Bandhu’, the website will allow for self-exploration through quizzes, stories, and other elements, stated director Dr Shubhasis Chaudhuri. IIT Madras students’ create online game to spread Coronavirus awareness Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) researchers have developed a digital game ‘IITM Covid Game’ to create awareness about Covid-19 virus among the general public, particularly children. First indigenous Petcoke-based high energy supercapacitor developed by ARCI would benefit EV industry The first indigenous Petcoke-based 1200 F supercapacitor device has been developed with the help of high performance porous activated carbon electrodes, a move that would be commercially attractive for Electric Vehicles (EVs) industry. International Centre for Clean Water at IIT-M set to Collaborate with DG TAKANO to Introduce New Clean Water Technologies in India International Centre for Clean Water (ICCW), an initiative by IITM(Indian Institute of Technology Madras) to collaborate with DG TAKANO, Japanese firm NMDC Ltd & IIT-Hyderabad Launched NICE Program to Support Deep-Tech Startups NMDC Ltd under the Ministry of Steel, in association Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad launched NICE (NMDC Innovation and Incubation Centre) Program a deep technology startup support system at IIT Hyderabad. NICE Program is a joint initiative of NMDC and i-TIC Foundation, Technology Business Incubator(TBI) at IIT Hyderabad.

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ISRO Launched India’s Earth Observation Satellite EOS-01 and 9 Others from Sriharikota  In its first mission of 2020, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on November 7, 2020 has launched its latest earth observation satellite EOS-01 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) or Sriharikota Range (SHAR), Andhra Pradesh (AP) along with 9 international customer satellites fromLithuania (1), Luxembourg (4), and the US (4). These were carried off by Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)-C49.  EOS-01 is a part of ISRO’s RISAT (Radar Imaging Satellite) series of SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellites and originally named RISAT-2BR2 but was changed to EOS-1 as per new naming criteria.  It should be noted that this was PSLVs 51st mission, 76th launch mission from SDSC SHAR, and 110th Spacecraft mission of ISRO. NASA Detected first fast radio burst in Milky Way galaxy National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) detected a bright Fast radio bursts (FRB) and X -rays, which lasted for a millisecond, from the Milky Way galaxy for the first time ever. This signal, called FRB 200428, was found in April inside the Milky Way galaxy for the first time and was also the first to be traced to a magnetar, which are dead stars that have the most powerful magnetic fields in the universe. Australia to host Temporary Ground Station Tracking facilities for ISRO’s Gaganyaan Mission  Australian Space Agency (ASA) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) are working together to set up Temporary ground station tracking facilities in Australia for ISRO’s Gaganyaan Mission.  Gaganyaan Mission is an ambitious plan of ISRO to put an Indian in space by 2022.  India’s Gaganyaan Mission will make India just the 4th Nation to send a crew into space.United States(U.S.), Russia, China were the 3 nations which had already send Humans to space. IIT Guwahati Develops Space Optical Communication Using Light Beams A research team led by the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT Guwahati) has developed a free-space optical communication system for information transfer. In free-space communication, an IIT Guwahati statement says, data in the form of voice, text or image is transmitted using light wirelessly rather than through optical fibres and it represents the next generation of communications technology. NASA, ESA launch ‘Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich’ – Ocean Observation Satellite to monitor Rising Global sea levels ‘Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich’ – A Satellite developed by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), United States (US) & European Space Agency (ESA) to monitor rising global sea levels was successfully launched into the orbit by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. DEFENCE 2nd Batch of Three Rafale Fighter Jets land at Jamnagar Air Base in Gujarat  2nd Batch of Three Rafale Fighter Jets landed at the Jamnagar Air Base in Gujarat.  The Second batch will be stationed at Hasimara Air Force Station, West Bengal.  With the arrival of the Three fighter jets, Indian Air Force (IAF) now has 8 Rafale Fighter jets.  The First five of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France were officially inducted in September at Ambala Air Base in Haryana. Joint coastal security exercise, “Sagar Kavach” held at Paradip Coast, Odisha A two-day joint coastal security annual exercise “Sagar Kavach” was held at Paradip Coast, Odisha. It was carried out by the state governments of Odisha and West Bengal. 2nd edition of SITMEX-20 held in Andaman Sea  Ships including indigenously built ASW corvette Kamorta and missile corvette Karmuk are participating in the 2nd edition of India, Singapore and Thailand Trilateral Maritime Exercise SITMEX-20 in Andaman Sea.The two day exercise got underway.  First edition of SITMEX, hosted by Indian Navy, was conducted off Port Blair in September last year. India Conducts Tri-Service Combat Exercise “Bull Strike” at Teressa Island Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) conducted a three-day Tri-Service Combat Exercise code named “Bull Strike” at Teressa Island in Nicobar Group of Islands.The exercise focussed on interoperability and synergy among three services – Army, Navy and Air Force to maximise combat potential. CORPAT  India-Thailand Coordinated Patrol (Indo-Thai CORPAT) between the Indian Navy and the Royal Thai Navy was conducted in Andaman Sea.  The Indian side was represented by Indian Naval Ship (INS) Karmuk, an indigenously built Missile Corvette while Thailand was represented by His Majesty’s Thailand Ship (HTMS) Kraburi

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 NOTE:-India and Thailand also hold an annual bilateral maritime exercise MAITREE since 2006. 2nd Phase of Malabar Naval Exercise 2020  Phase 2 of the 24th Edition of the Four-nation Naval Exercise Malabar 2020 took place in the Arabian Sea from November 17-20, 2020. This is the First time since 2007, that all the QUAD (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) Countries (India, United States, Japan, Australia) are participating in the Malabar Naval Exercise.  Participants:Indian Navy (IN), United States Navy (USN), Japan Maritime Self -Defence Force (JMSDF), and Royal Australian Navy (RAN).  Australia is taking part in the exercise for the first time after 2007.  The Phase-1 of the Four-Nation exercise took place in the Bay of Bengal from November 3-6, 2020. 27th edition of India-Singapore Bilateral Maritime Exercise (SIMBEX-20) Held in Andaman Sea  Indian Navy (IN) hosted the 27th edition of India – Singapore Bilateral Maritime Exercise SIMBEX-20 from 23 to 25 November 2020 in Andaman Sea in a “non-contact, at sea only” format amid COVID-19. It is an annual exercise between IN and Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN). India Successfully Test Fires Nuclear Capable BrahMos from Sukhoi 30 MKI off Bay of Bengal  The Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully test-fired an air launched version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from a Sukhoi fighter aircraft in the Bay of Bengal  The aircraft took off from an airbase in Punjab & reached the Bay of Bengal after mid-air refuelling.  The missile successfully hit a sinking ship in the Bay of Bengal, with deadly accuracy.  This test was the longest range BrahMos strike that was undertaken by the Sukhoi 30 MKI platform  Developed by DRDO, the air-launched version of nuclear capable BrahMos has a strike range of 300 km with the capability to hit targets at sea or land in all weather conditions. Indian Coast Guard ship ‘C-452’, designed and built by L&T, commissioned at Ratnagiri  Western Seaboard Commander Additional Director General (ADG), Rajan Bargotra virtually commissioned the Indian Coast Guard Ship ‘C-452’ at Ratnagiri, Maharashtra. It is the 52nd ship in the series of 54 Interceptor Boats.  It has been designed and Indigenously built by Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Shipyard Limited in Surat, Gujarat. India successfully flight-tested Enhanced Version of PINAKA Rocket System from ITR, Odisha India successfully flight tested the Enhanced version of PINAKA Rocket System from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur, Odisha. It has been indigenously developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The enhanced variant of the Pinaka Rocket can hit a target 45-60 Kms away. OshoCorp Global becomes 1st Private firm to Receive Indian Army’s Approval for Manufacturing Specialised Tank Ammunition  For the First Time, Indian Army has given Project sanction order to Private Firm OshoCorp Global for development and supply of Specialised ammunition for its Main Battle Tanks T-72 and T-90. The Project’s cost is over INR 2, 300 Crores and it has a potential for future domestic and export orders.  The 125mm APFSDS (Armour Piercing Fin Stabilised Discarding-Sabot) ammunition is the primary tank ammunition, utilised for destruction of enemy tanks  OshoCorp was also recently selected by the Army for development and supply of Auxiliary Power Units (APU) for the T-72 and T-90 tanks. United States offers F-18 Naval fighter jets for Indian Navy’s requirements The United States of America (USA) has offered its F-18 Naval Fighter Jets for the Indian Navy’s Requirements of Combat jets for its aircraft carriers. The US Government has offered to provide the naval fighter aircraft under a Government proposal at the meeting between Defence delegations of both countries during 2+2 meetings. Indian Navy’s fifth Scorpene class submarine ‘INS Vagir’ launched  The Union Minister of State for AYUSH and Defense (Independent Charge) Shripad Naik launched the 5th Scorpene-class submarine ‘INS Vagir,’ in the Arabian sea waters at Mazgaon Dock, Mumbai through video conferencing on 12 November 2020.  Vagir is a part of the six Kalvari-class submarines, designed by French naval defence and energy company DCNS, and being built in India.  They are being built as part of Indian Navy’s Project-75.  INS Kalvari is the first of the six Scorpene-class submarines, which was launched in 2015 and commissioned into service in late 2017. It was followed by INS Khanderi, Karanj and Vela respectively. India Successfully Test Fires Quick Reaction Surface-To-Air Missile off Odisha Coast  India successfully test-fired the Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile (QRSAM) system off the coast of Balasore in Odisha on 13 November 2020.

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 The system achieved a major milestone by a direct hit on to a Banshee Pilotless target aircraft at medium range and medium altitude.  The QRSAM system has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in association with Bharat Electronics Limited and Bharat Dynamics Limited for the Indian Army Indian Navy inducts two ‘MQ-9B Sea Guardian’ American Predator drones on lease  Indian Navy inducted two ‘MQ-9B Sea Guardian’ unarmed drones (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles – UAV) procured from the United States (U.S.) on lease. MQ-9B Sea Guardian became the first defence hardware to be procured on lease under the new Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020.  The drones have been leased from an American firm, General Atomics for a period of 1 year for surveillance in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).  The drones will be based at Naval Air Station in Rajali, Arakkonam, Tamil Nadu. Indian Army launches cycling expedition in Gujarat & Rajasthan to commemorate 1971 Indo-Pak War victory Konark Corps of Indian Army has launched a 1971 kilometers cycling expedition in Gujarat and Rajasthan to commemorate the commencement of the Golden Jubilee Victory Celebrations of in the Indo-Pak War of 1971. DRDO flags off first Varunastra, a heavy weight torpedo Satheesh Reddy, Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman, DRDO flagged off the first Varunastra, the heavy weight torpedo that was delivered to the Indian Navy at a ceremony held at BDL, Visakhapatnam Unit. China’s Ballistic Missiles DF-26B and DF-21D hit Target in Paracel Islands The Chinese conventional missiles namely DF-26B intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) and DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) have successfully hit a moving ship (mobile at-sea) target in disputed waters south of Hainan Island and north of the Paracel Islands. US Destroys mock ICBM with Ship-Launched Raytheon SM-3 Block IIA for First Time Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) System-equipped Navy destroyer, United States Ship (USS) John Finn launched a Raytheon Standard Missile (SM)-3 Block IIA to successfully shot down a mock intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) target for the first time during a missile defense test by Pentagon, Headquarters the US Department of Defense. Russia test-launches Tsirkon hypersonic missile in the Arctic Russia successfully test-fired a Tsirkon hypersonic cruise missile in the Arctic, the country’s Defence Ministry has announced. The frigate Admiral Gorshkov in the White Sea fired a Tsirkon hypersonic cruise missile, hitting a naval target 450 km away in the Barents Sea at a speed of over Mach 8. IMPORTANT DAYS November 1 World Vegan Day November 2 International Day to End Impunity UNESCO launches a global awareness campaign for Crimes against Journalists 2020 “Protect Journalists. Protect The Truth”. November 2-6 International Stress Awareness Week 2020 November 5 World Tsunami Awareness Day The theme of the 2020 World Tsunami Awareness Day is “Strengthening disaster risk governance”. November 6 International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict 2020 November 7 National Cancer Awareness Day 2020 November 8 International Day of Radiology International Day of Radiology Theme 2020 is Radiologists and radiographers supporting patients during COVID-19. November 8 World Urbanism Day/World Town Planning Day November 9 National Legal Services Day November 10 World Science Day for Peace and The theme:-“Science for and with Society”

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Development 2020 November 11 National Education Day/Rashtriya This day is celebrated on the birth anniversary of Shiksha Diwas Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the first Education Minister of Independent India. November 12 Public Service Broadcasting Day Public Service Broadcasting Day is celebrated every year on November 12 to commemorate the first and only visit of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, to the studio of All India Radio, Delhi in 1947. November 12 World Pneumonia Day The theme:-“ “Every Breath Counts” November 13 World Kindness Day The theme:-“ Kindness: The World We Make – Inspire Kindness. November 13 ‘Ayurveda Day’ In India, the ‘Ayurveda Day’ is observed every year on the occasion of Dhanwantari Jayanti (Dhanteras). Dhanvantari is the Hindu god of medicine The theme of the 2020 National Ayurveda Day is — Ayurveda for COVID-19 pandemic. November 14 World Diabetes Day The theme:-“: “DIABETES: NURSES MAKE THE DIFFERENCE”/ The Nurse and Diabetes November 15 World Day of Remembrance for Theme:- “First Responders” Road Traffic Victims (World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims is marked every year on Third Sunday in the month of November). November 16 International Day for Tolerance UNESCO in partnership with New Delhi Office, released an illustrative book titled “A Day With Gandhi” authored by Aarya Chavda to pay tribute to the values of peace, non-violence and equality. November 16 National Press Day November 17 International Students’ Day November 17 National Epilepsy Day Epilepsy is a chronic disorder of brain characterized by recurrent ‘seizures’ or ‘fits’. November 18 National Naturopathy Day November 19 Women’s Entrepreneurship Day (WED) November 19 World Philosophy Day World Philosophy Day is observed on the third Thursday of November every year to strengthen people’s commitment to philosophy by fostering philosophical analysis, research, and studies on major contemporary issues. NovemberWorld 20 Children’s Day 2020: The theme:-“ ‘ Investing in our future means investing in our children’. November 20 Africa Industrialization Day The theme:-“ “Inclusive and sustainable industrialisation in the AfCFTA and COVID-19 era”. November 21 World Television Day The Television was invented by John Logie Baird in 1924. November 21 World Fisheries Day Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the “Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana” (PMMSY) at an estimated investment of 20050 crore rupees for a period of five years from 2020-21 to 2024-25. The scheme aims to achieve fish production to 22 million metric tonnes by 2024-25 and also to create an additional employment opportunity to about 55 lakh people. This year World Children’s Day theme is November 24 Martyrdom Day of Guru Tegh Bahadur being observed November 25 International Day for the The theme:-“ “Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Elimination of Violence against Prevent, Collect!”. Women

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November 26 National Milk Day The National Milk Day is celebrated every year in India to honour Dr. Verghese Kurien, who is considered to be the father of India’s White Revolution(MILK). November 26 Indian Constitution Day The day commemorates the adoption of the Constitution in On this day in 1949, the Constituent Assembly of India formally adopted the that came into force on 26 January 1950. November 27 National Organ Donation Day November 29 International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People November 30 Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare

National Pharmacy Week 2020 The 59th National Pharmacy Week (NPW) was celebrated throughout the country from November 16-22, 2020. The theme of the NPW 2020 is “Pharmacists: Frontline Health Professionals”. AAI observes Aviation Safety Awareness Week 2020 Airports Authority of India (AAI) is observing the Aviation Safety Awareness Week 2020 from 23 November to 27 November 2020. World Heritage Week November 19 to November 25. Theme: ‘Shared Cultures, Thread Heritage, Shared Responsibility’, Ministry of AYUSH Observes Third Naturopathy Day The National Naturopathy Day is observed in India on 18 November every year, to promote positive mental and physical health through drugless system of medicine, called as Naturopathy. The day was declared by the Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy), Government of India, on November 18, 2018. As a part of the occasion, National Institute of Naturopathy (NIN), Pune under Ministry of AYUSH has organised a series of webinars on ‘Gandhian philosophy of Self Reliance through Self Health Reliance’ on Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary celebrations from 2nd Oct 2020. The 48-day program of webinars will continue till the third National Naturopathy Day, which falls on 18 November 2020. Lung Cancer Awareness Month Lung cancer is the most common cancer worldwide, and is observed during the entire month of November every year. The objective of Lung Cancer Awareness month to raise awareness about the risk factors that increase the possibility of developing lung cancer. Maharashtra to observe National Unity Week from Nov 19 to 25 Maharashtra will observe the National Unity Week from 19th to 25th of November. Minister for Skill Development and Minority Development Nawab Malik appealed that in order to increase social harmony in the state, everyone should participate in this programme. National Children’s Day Children’s Day in India is celebrated on 14 November every year as a tribute to India’s First Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. Before 1964, Children’s Day in India was celebrated on 20 November (the date observed as Universal Children’s Day by the United Nations). After the death of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in 1964, the Children’s Day celebration date was changed from 20 November to 14 November, the birthday of Jawaharlal Nehru. World Antimicrobial Awareness Week 2020 Theme:-“United to preserve antimicrobials“. World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) -18-24 November every year aims to increase awareness of global antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and to encourage best practices among the general public, health workers and policy makers to avoid the further emergence and spread of drug-resistant infections. November 15 to 21: National Newborn Week The theme of National Newborn Week 2020 is “Quality, Equity, Dignity for every newborn at every health facility and everywhere”. The National Newborn week, dedicated to promote the reduction of newborn mortality rate in India. This was conceptualised by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. India Newborn Action Plan which was proposed in 2014,is an aim to reduce the preventable newborn deaths and stillbirth to single digit, less than 10 per 1000 live births by 2030, with intermediate targets for 2017(24 per 1000), 2020 (21 per 1000) and 2025(15 per 1000).

Page | 69 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER – 2020 BOOK AND AUTHOR BOOK AUTHOR “The Battle of Belonging” Shashi Tharoor “Balochistan: Bruised, Battered and Francesca Marino Bloodied” “Your Best Day Is Today!” Anupam Kher ‘How to Be a Writer’ Ruskin Bond ‘Majhi Bhint’ Bhagat Singh Koshyari, governor of Maharashtra “Rasaathi: The Other Side of a Sasindran Kallinkeel Transgender” “Archaeology and the Public Purpose: Nayanjot Lahiri. Writings on and by M N Deshpande” ‘Boskiyana’ A new Hindi book on Gulzar, veteran Indian poet-lyricist has been edited and compiled by Yashwant Vyas “I Am No Messiah” Sonu Sood(autobiography) “Insomnia: Army Stories” Rachna Bisht Rawat Pandemonium: The Great Indian Banking BY Tamal Bandyopadhyay Tragedy” ‘Till We Win’ – Book on COVID-19 by AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria and co-written by Chandrakant Lahariya, who is a leading public policy and health systems expert and Gagandeep Kang, a renowned vaccine researcher and virologist is set to be released in November, 2020. “The Age of Pandemic (1817-1920): How Authored by Chinmay Tumbe they Shaped India And the World” “Jugalbandi: The BJP Before Modi” Vinay Sitapati ‘Your Best Day Is Today!’ ““Archaeology and the Public Purpose: Nayanjot Lahiri Writings on and by M N Deshpande”

PM Modi releases book on life and ideals of Guru Nanak Dev Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a book on the life and ideals of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism and first of its 10 gurus.The book has been penned by Kirpal Singh, who is based in Chandigarh. Books by Indian writers feature in 2020 ‘100 Notable Books’ selected by The New York Times Critically-acclaimed books by three Indian writers have featured among this year’s ‘100 Notable Books’ list of The New York Times that also includes former US president Barack Obama’s newly released memoir ‘A Promised Land’.  ‘A Burning’ by India-born Megha Majumdar.  Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line’ by Deepa Anappara  Samanth Subramanian’s ‘A Dominant Character: The Radical Science and Restless Politics of J. B. S. Haldane’  Red Pill’ by British-Indian author Hari Kunzru Scottish writer Douglas Stuart wins Booker Prize for debut novel ‘Shuggie Bain’ Scottish author Douglas Stuartwon the Booker Prize for fiction with his first novel Shuggie Bain, with judges saying his tale of love and alcoholism set in Glasgow in 1980s was destined to be a classic. HarperCollins to publish Kiwi PM Jacinda’s Biography ‘Jacinda Ardern: Leading with Empathy’ ‘Jacinda Ardern:Leading with Empathy’ – A Biography of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will be published in 2021 by HarperCollins.The book will be authored by Supriya Vani and Carl A Harte. Bidhya Devi Bhandari Releases Pictorial Anthology on Mahatma Gandhi in Nepali language titled ‘Maile Bujheko Gandhi’ Bidhya Devi Bhandari, President of Nepal released a pictorial anthology on Mahatma Gandhi in Nepali language, titled ‘Maile Bujheko Gandhi’(the Gandhi as I understood or ‘My understanding about Gandhi’)at a special function in Shital Niwas, Kathmandu in the presence of Vinay Mohan Kwatra, Ambassador of India to Nepal. The book was published by the Embassy of India along with B. P. Koirala India-Nepal Foundation.

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VP Venkaiah Naidu Virtually Launched the Book Titled “Thavaasmi: Life and Skills Through the Lens of Ramayana” M. Venkaiah Naidu, Vice President(VP) of India launched the book titled “Thavaasmi: Life and Skills through the lens of Ramayana” over a virtual platform. Rallabandi Srirama Chakradhar authored the book along with the co-author Amara Sarada Deepthi. The “Thavaasmi: Life and Skills through the lens of Ramayana” is a 4 volumed book prepared by the Thavaasmi team and students and teachers from various schools who participated in the online program. These 4 volumes provide insights about the Ramayana, the first Indian epic. OBITUARY R. Doraikkannu Agriculture Minister of Tamil Nadu R Doraikannu passes away at 72 Mesut Yilmaz Veteran Politician and former prime minister of Turkey, Mesut Yilmaz has passed away Nar Bahadur The three-term former chief minister of Sikkim, Nar Bahadur Bhandari, passed Bhandari away. Don Talbot Legendary Australia swimming coach Don Talbot passes away Ashish Kakkad Filmmaker-actor Ashish Kakkad passes away Faraaz Khan Bollywood Actor Faraaz Khan passes away TN Krishnan Noted violin maestro and Padma awardee TN Krishnan has passed away Sean Connery Sean Connery, the Scottish actor best known for his portrayal of James Bond, has died aged 90 Sushila Devi Sushila Devi, wife of Odisha Governor Prof Ganeshi Lal, passed away at SUM Ultimate Hospital in Bhubaneshwar City. Ray Clemence Former England, Liverpool and Tottenham goalkeeper Ray Clemence has died aged 72. Satyajit Ghosh Satyajit Ghosh, Former India and Mohun Bagan Football Player Passed Away Sudarshan Rattan Bollywood filmmaker Sudarshan Rattan passed away Carlos Gonzalez Veteran author and Gujarati columnist of Father Carlos Gonzalez Valles SJ, Valles SJ popularly known as Father Valles passed away. Ken Spears Ken Spears, co-creator of the beloved animated series Scooby-Doo, passed away in Brea, California . Khalifa bin Salman al Prince Khalifa bin Salman al Khalifa, Prime Minister(PM) of Bahrain passed Khalifa away Sanchaman Limboo The former Chief Minister of Sikkim Sanchaman Limboo has passed away after prolong illness. Ravi Belagere Noted journalist and writer Ravi Belagere from Karnataka passed away Asif Basra Bollywood actor Asif Basra allegedly died by suicide at a private guest house in McLeod Ganj, Himachal Pradesh. Soumitra Chatterjee Veteran Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee passes away Satyajit Ghosh Former India and Mohun Bagan defender Satyajit Ghosh died of cardiac arrest at his home town at Bandel. Jerry Rawlings Ghana’s former president Jerry Rawlings passes away Arjun Prajapati Padma Shri awardee & sculptor Arjun Prajapati passes away Chandrawati Haryana’s first woman MP and former Puducherry Lt.-Governor Chandrawati passed away. Masatoshi Koshiba Japanese Nobel laureate physicist Masatoshi Koshiba passes away Raymond Neal The former England international football goalkeeper, Raymond Neal Clemence Clemence, has passed away Bhanwarlal Meghwal Rajasthan Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Bhanwarlal Meghwal has passed away PG Kakodkar Former SBI Chairman PG Kakodkar passes away John Thomas Goslin Vice Admiral John Thomas Goslin Pereira(retd.), Indian Navy’s former Chief Pereira of Materials, passed away Faqir Chand Kohli, Faqir Chand Kohli, (F.C. Kohli), known as the father of Indian Software Industry, passed away in Mumbai. James Wolfensohn James Wolfensohn, former World Bank president, passes away

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Sadiq al-Mahdi Sadiq al-Mahdi, Sudan’s Last Democratically Elected Prime Minister Passed Away Diego Maradon Former Argentina Football Player & FIFA World Cup Winner, Diego Armando Maradona passed away.Under his captaincy, Argentina’s National Football Team won the FIFA World Cup that held in Mexico against West Germany in the year 1986. Ahmed Patel veteran Ahmed Patel passes away.Patel was Lok Sabha MP for three terms from 1977 to 1989 and MP since 1993 representing Gujarat. Tarun Gogoi Former CM of Assam Tarun Gogoi passes away

Cyclone Nivar Nivar Cyclone made a landfall near Puducherry, south of Chennai with a wind speed of 85 to 95 kmph. Ambur, Tiruvannamalai, Vellore and Arani also experienced a wind speed of 50 Kmph. The Nivar is the 4th Cyclone to hit the North Indian Ocean Region in 2020. The storm was named “Nivar” based on the guidelines of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). Nivar was selected from the names suggested by Iran. Longest migrating small bird Willow Warbler spotted in Kerala’s Punchakkari The bird was spotted by Nirmal George, NSS Programme officer of Sree Gokulam Medical College and Research Foundation, in the capital district. Willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus), one of longest migrating small bird which breeds throughout northern and temperate Europe and the Palearctic, sighted for the first time in the country at Punchakkari in the capital. High Biodiversity in 49% of Ganga River: Wildlife Institute of India Survey Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in the second phase of its survey of the entire main stem of Ganga river (Main river without its tributaries) found that 49% of the river has high biodiversity and increased biodiversity sightings. Scientists have stated that this indicated reduction of pollution levels and a healthier state of the river. 10% of high biodiversity areas fall alongside national parks and sanctuaries such as Rajaji National Park in Uttarakhand, Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh and Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary, Bihar. The study was initiated by WII on behalf of the National Mission for Clean Ganga. “Rohanixalus”: New Genus of Tree Frog Discovered in Andaman Island and A team of researchers from India, China, Indonesia and Thailand had found a new genus of tree frogs in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and the Northeastern parts of India. The new genus was named “Rohanixalus” after Rohan Pethiyagoda, taxonomist from Sri Lanka. The research team was led by Professor S D Biju of Delhi University. Indian students contributed $7.6 billion to US economy last year Indian students contributed $7.6 billion to the US economy in the academic year 2019-20, even though there was a 4.4 per cent drop in the total number of Indian students, according to a report. China remained the largest source of international students in the US. According to the US Department of Commerce, international students contributed $44 billion to the US economy in 2019, including $7,69 billion from Indian students. 30 Indian cities Will Face ‘Water Risk’ by 2050; Jaipur tops: WWF report About 30 Indian cities will face increasing “water risks” in the next few decades according to a new report released by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Globally, the report estimates that “hundreds of millions of people in cities across the globe could face dramatically increased water risks.” 100 cities will witness a massive rise in water risks by 2050. The list also includes cities such as Beijing, Jakarta, Johannesburg, Istanbul, Hong Kong, Mecca and Rio de Janeiro. The list of Indian cities was topped by Jaipur (Rajasthan) which is followed by Indore (Madhya Pradesh) and Thane (Maharashtra). Among 100 cities, Jaipur ranked 45th and Indore featured at 75th.

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