NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. PM
Modi inaugurates two-day Global investors’ meet in Dharamshala: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi has inaugurated a two-day Himachal Pradesh Global investors’ meet
– ‘Rising Himachal’ in Dharamshala. The event is being organised by the
Himachal Pradesh government to attract investment and create employment
opportunities in the state. Ambassadors from 16 countries, 209 foreign
delegates along with local entrepreneurs will participate in the mega event.
The State government has set a target of signing pacts worth 85,000 crores
rupees during the meet.
Note: Himachal Pradesh Capital: Shimla;
Governor: Bandaru Dattatreya; CM: Jai Ram Thakur
2.
Lucknow railway station gets ‘Health ATM’: The Indian Railways has installed
two ‘Health ATMs’ at the Charbagh railway station in Lucknow. The kiosks,
promoted by YOLO Health ATM, provide 16 health check-ups for Rs 50-100. There
are two types of check-ups a 9-minute one that costs Rs 100, and a 6-minute one
that costs Rs 50. The report is delivered instantly to the email or smartphone
of the user. The check-ups include body mass index, blood pressure, body fat,
haemoglobin, metabolic age, muscle mass, weight, height, temperature, muscle
mass, basal metabolic rating, visceral fat, oxygen saturation, pulse rate,
blood glucose, and bone mass. Health ATMs can be defined as private, walk-in medical
kiosks with integrated medical devices for basic vitals, cardiology, neurology,
pulmonary testing, gynaecology, basic laboratory testing and emergency
facilities and staffed by a medical attendant.
Note: Uttar Pradesh CM: Yogi Adityanath;
Governor: Anandiben Patel; Capital: Lucknow
3.
Odisha government signs pact with Tata Strive, Tech Mahindra for skill
upgradation:
The Odisha state government signed agreements with Tata Strive and Tech
Mahindra to add new dimensions in skilling and employability of the youth. The
agreement between Directorate of Technical Education and Training and Tata
Strive is aimed at imparting life skills to the students of all 49 government
Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in the state. The pact between Tech
Mahindra and the Biju Patnaik University of Technology will see setting up of a
centre for excellence in artificial intelligence and machine learning. It will
work on the proof of concept for real-life business problems to keep up with
the market demand and enhance employability of engineering students.
Note: Chief Minister of Odisha: Naveen
Patnaik; Governor: Ganeshi Lal; Capital: Bhubaneshwar.
4.
Govt allocates unique HS code for Khadi: The Union government has allocated a
separate Harmonized System (HS) code for Khadi to give impetus to the export of
this fabric. Allocation of HS code to the khadi will help the government to
plan the export strategies effectively. Earlier, Khadi did not have exclusive
HS code and all the export data regarding this fabric used to come under the
normal fabric head.
Note: Khadi is being promoted in India by
Khadi and Village Industries Commission, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium
Enterprises. Khadi is handspun, hand-woven natural fibre cloth from the Indian
Subcontinent, mainly made from cotton.
5.
IIT-Madras launches affordable standing wheelchair: Indian Institute
of Technology-Madras, in collaboration with Phoenix Medical Systems, launched
the country’s first indigenously-designed standing wheelchair. Wheelchair named
“Arise”, was designed and developed by the TTK Centre for Rehabilitation
Research and Device Development (R2D2), headed by Sujatha Srinivasan, a
professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at IIT-Madras. The
wheelchair is priced at Rs 15,000. The assistive device helps the
wheelchair-bound move from a sitting to standing position, and vice-versa,
independently.
Note: IIT Madras Established: 1959, in
Chennai, TamilNadu.
6. PS
Sreedharan Pillai takes oath as Governor of Mizoram: P.S Sreedharan
Pillai (65-years) took oath as the Governor of Mizoram (15th). The Chief
Justice of the Gauhati High Court ‘Ajai Lamba’ administered the oath of Office
and Secrecy at Raj Bhawan in Aizawl. P.S Sreedharan Pillai replaced Governor of
Assam Jagdish Mukhi (additional charge- Mizoram).
Note: Mizoram capital:
7.
HRD Minister and Harsimrat Kaur badal to launch 3 books on Guru Nanak Dev Ji: Union Human
Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ and Minister for Food
Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal will launch three books on Guru
Nanak Dev Ji at Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Khalsa College, the University of Delhi,
on the occasion of 550thBirth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. The National
Book Trust has published three titles: Guru Nanak Bani, Nanak Bani, and Sakhian
Guru Nanak Dev to spread the message of Guru Nanak Dev’s writings among readers
of Indian sub-continent. These books, published originally in Punjabi, shall be
translated into 15 major Indian languages.
8. National Cancer Awareness Day: 7
November: The National Cancer Awareness Day is
observed annually in India on November 7, to spread awareness on cancer, its
symptoms and treatment. The day was first observed in 2014 as and when
announced by the union health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan. The day coincides with
the birth anniversary of scientist Marie Curie (Marie Skłodowska Curie), winner
of the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Note:
World Cancer Day: February 4th
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
The two-day ‘BIMSTEC Conclave’ begins in Visakhapatnam: Union Minister of
State for Shipping Mansukh L. Mandaviya has inaugurated the two-day BIMSTEC
(Bay of Bengal initiative multi-sector technical and economic cooperation)
Conclave at Visakhapatnam. Vizag port trust is hosting the conclave first time
ever since the formation of BIMSTECH in 1997. Seven-member countries that
include Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal, Bhutan are
participating in the conference. The thrust would be to discuss and share
experiences in increasing productivity, availing investment opportunities,
development of free trade zones, development of tourism and measures required
for safety and security. Ease of doing business, sharing of expertise, and
emulation of best practices would be few among the deliberations.
2.
Ministry of Tourism participates in three-day-long WTM in London: The Ministry of
Tourism has participated in the three-day-long World Travel Market (WTM) in
London, UK. The theme for India Pavilion at WTM 2019 is ‘Incredible India -
Find Incredible India’. This year, the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma
Gandhi and the Statue of Unity are also being promoted and publicized in the
India Pavilion at WTM 2019.
3.
Lok Sabha Speaker addresses 6th Speakers’ Summit of G 20 Countries: Lok sabha speaker
Om Birla composed the Indian Parliament delegation for 6th parliamentary summit
of G20 countries, held in Tokyo, Japan 2019. G20 presiding officer of
parliament attended the summit. The summit had three sessions on separate
themes related to trade, technology and sustainable development. The gathering
of this summit was about the terrorism which destroying the system of economy.
Note: President-Shinzo Abe; Capital: Tokyo;
Currency: Yen.
4.
China approves drug to cure Alzheimer’s disease: China’s National
Medical Products Administration has officially approved an indigenously
developed Alzheimer’s drug called GV-971 (sodium oligo-mannurarate). The
Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica (SIMM) under the Chinese Academy of
Sciences, which has developed the drug jointly with the Ocean University of
China and Green Valley Pharmaceutical Co Ltd, after 22 years of research.
Extracted from brown algae, the oral drug is the world’s first multi-targeting
and carbohydrate-based drug, which will now be available to patients from 29
December, 2019.
Note: Alzheimer disease is an irreversible,
progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory, thinking ability, and
the capability to carry out simple tasks.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1.
Manu Bhaker bags gold medal in Asian Shooting Championships 2019: India’s Manu
Bhaker has won a gold medal in women’s 10m air pistol event at Lusail Shooting
Complex, Doha, Qatar. She put up a dominant showing, shooting 584 in
qualification and 244.3 in the final to take gold. Vivaan Kapoor & Manisha Keer
also won the Gold medal in junior trap mixed event at the Asian Shooting
Championships 2019.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1.
Govt sets up fund to revive stalled housing projects: The Union Cabinet
has decided to set up 25 thousand crore rupees fund to revive stalled housing
projects. According to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the government will
put in 10 thousand crore rupees in the Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) while
State Bank of India (SBI) and Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) will provide 15
thousand crore rupees taking the total size to
25 thousand crore rupees. It will finance over 1,600 stalled housing
projects comprising about 4.58 lakh housing units across the country. The fund
will provide relief to developers that require funding to complete a set of
unfinished projects and consequently ensure delivery of homes to the home
buyers.
2.
Ujjivan Small Finance Bank launches Instant Digital Savings and Instant FD Account:
The
finance service company, Ujjivan Small Finance Bank (SFB) has launched an
instant digital savings account (SA) along with Fixed Deposit (FD) and
Privilege Savings Account to offer distinctive banking and digital services to
its customers.
Instant Digital SA account: This account has
the restriction of Rs 1 lakh deposit & has the unlimited free transactions
on the bank’s own ATM (automated teller machine) and 6 free transactions for
other bank ATMs per month.
Instant Fixed Deposit (FD): With interest rate
ranging from 5.5% (7 days to 29 days) & up to 8.3% (799 days), the
customers can invest in this account up to a maximum of Rs. 1 Lakh without a
Savings Account.
Privilege SA: This account comes
with the eligibility for a monthly salary of Rs. 30,000 or above on maintaining
a Monthly Average Balance of Rs 25,000 / opening a Fixed Deposit of Rs. 10
Lakh. It provides a higher accidental insurance cover of Rs. 2 Lakh.
Note: Headquarters of Ujjivan Small Finance
Bank: Bengaluru; Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer: Samit Kumar
Ghosh.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
1.
Tech Mahindra acquires New York-based BORN Group for $95 million: IT services firm
Tech Mahindra Ltd (Tech M) has acquired BORN Group, a New York-based digital
content and production agency, for $95 million. The acquisition will help to
boost the electronic and mobile commerce segment globally, and equipped to
deliver enhanced user experience to customers of Tech Mahindra globally. BORN’s
services include consulting, content creation, maintenance and hosting
services, digital and social marketing, among others. It has clients such as
Google, Tata, Red Bull and TAG Heuer.
Note: Chairman of Mahindra: Anand Mahindra;
MD & CEO: C.P. Gurnani; Headquarters: Pune, Maharashtra.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1.
Italian movie ‘Despite the Fog’ to open at 50th IFFI this year: Italian movie
‘Despite the Fog’ will be the opening movie at the 50th edition of
International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2019. The 100-minute film directed
by Goran Paskaljevic narrates the tale of a child whose parents drown while
trying to migrate to Italy in a rubber boat. The 50th edition of IFFI witnessed
the screening of over 200 best films from 76 countries.
Note: The 2019 Golden Jubilee edition of
the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) is to be held from the 20th of
November till the 28th at Panjim, Goa.
DEFENCE
1.
GRSE delivers fast patrol vessel, ‘Annie Besant’ to Indian Coast Guard: Garden Reach
Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE) delivered Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV) ICGS
Annie Besant, the second in the series of five such ships, to the Indian Coast
Guard. A medium-range vessel with a length of 50 metres, a width of 7.5 metres
and displacement of around 308 tonnes, the FPV is capable of operations in the
maritime zones of the country. These powerful, fuel-efficient platforms are
designed to perform multipurpose operations like patrolling, anti-smuggling,
anti-poaching and rescue operations. ICGS Annie Besant is designed for a
maximum speed of 34 knots with an endurance of more than 1,500 nautical miles.
Note:
GRSE Founded: 1884; Headquarters: Kolkata, West Bengal.
OBITUARIES
1.
Former Maharashtra minister Babasaheb Dhabekar passes away: Senior Congress
party leader & former Maharashtra minister Babasaheb Dhabekar (89-years)
passed away in Mumbai. Mr. Dhabekar was water resources minister when the Shiv
Sena-BJP alliance government came to power for the first time in the 1990s.
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