NATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
Maharashtra signed an MoU with RMI for technical support in EV Policy: Maharashtra
government has signed an MoU with the United States-based Non-Profit
Organisation, Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), to provide technical support for
Maharashtra’s Electric Vehicle (EV) policy. The MoU was signed at Glasgow,
United Kingdom, at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP26).
Maharashtra state EV policy aims to have a 10 per cent share of EV vehicles of
total registrations in India by 2025.
Maharashtra’s new draft Electric Vehicle
(EV) Policy 2021 aims to bring at least 146,000 new battery-operated electric
vehicles (BEVs) on state roads by 2025, estimated to comprise about 10% of all
new vehicles registrations by that time. The policy aims to incentivise the
purchase of 100,000 electric two-wheelers, 15,000 e-autos, 10,000 cars, 20,000
goods carriers (both three and four-wheelers) and 1,000 e-buses.
Note: Maharashtra Capital: Mumbai;
Maharashtra Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari; Maharashtra Chief Minister: Uddhav
Thackeray.
2.
India launches 41st Scientific Expedition to Antarctica: India successfully
launched the 41st Scientific Expedition to Antarctica on November 15, 2021. The
first batch of its contingents comprising of 23 scientists and support staff
has reached the Indian Antarctic station Maitri. Four more batches will be
landing in Antarctica by mid-January 2022. The Indian Antarctic program began
in 1981 and has completed 40 scientific expeditions.
The team of 48 members at the 41st
expedition is being led by Dr Shailendra Saini, Scientist National Centre for
Polar & Ocean Research (Voyage Leader), Shri. Huidrom Nageshwar Singh,
Metrologist, India Metrological Department (Leader, Maitri Station) and Shri.
AnoopKalayilSoman, scientist Indian Institute of Geomagnetism (Leader, Bharati
Station). Currently, there are three permanent research base stations in
Antarctica, named DakshinGangotri (1983), Maitri (1988) and Bharati (2012).
3.
Bhopal’s Habibganj Railway Station renamed as Rani Kamlapati Station: The Habibganj
railway station in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh has been renamed after 18th-century
Gond Queen of Bhopal, Rani Kamlapati. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will
inaugurate the revamped Rani Kamlapati railway station on November 15, during
his visit to Bhopal. The railway station has been redeveloped with modern
airport-like amenities at a cost of Rs 450 crore under Public Private
Partnership mode in three years. Rani Kamlapati was the last Hindu queen of
Bhopal and pride of the Gond community.
4.
TVS Motor became 1st Indian 2-wheeler maker to join UN Global Compact: TVS Motor Company,
the flagship company of TVS Group, has joined the United Nations Global Compact
(UNGC), the world’s largest voluntary corporate sustainability initiative. TVS
Motor has become the 1st Indian two-wheeler and three-wheeler manufacturer to
join the UNGC. TVS Motor will also engage in collaborative projects which will
advance the development goals of the UN, particularly the Sustainable
development goals (SDG).
Note: United Nations Global Compact
Headquarters: New York, United States; United Nations Global Compact Executive
Director & CEO: Sanda Ojiambo.
5.
Nation observed its 1st edition of Audit Diwas on 16th November: Audit Diwas is
celebrated to mark the historic origin of the institution of Comptroller and
Auditor General of India (CAG) and the contribution it has made to the
governance, transparency and accountability over the past several years.
Currently, former Lt. Governor of UT of Jammu Kashmir G. C. Murmu is serving as
CAG of India. He is the 14th CAG of India. His tenure started in August 2020.
About the CAG: CAG is the
Constitutional Authority in India. It was established in accordance with
Article 148 of the Constitution of India. CAG is empowered to Audit all
receipts and expenditures of the central as well as state governments. The CAG
is the statutory auditor of Government-owned corporations. It conducts
supplementary audits of government companies, where the Government is having an
equity share of 51 per cent.
6.
National Press Day: 16th November: National Press Day is observed on 16th
November every year to celebrate free and responsible press in India. On this
day the Press Council of India started functioning as a moral watchdog to
ensure that the press maintains high standards and is not constrained by any
influence or threats. It also commemorates the day when the Press Council of
India started functioning.
History of the Day: In 1956, the First
Press Commission was planned to form a Press Council to protect freedom of the
press in India. On 4 July 1966, the Press Council was established in India. It
came into effect from 16 November 1966. Therefore, 16 November is celebrated as
National Press Day every year.
About Press Council of India: The Press Council
of India was formed in 1966 under the Press Council Act of 1978. It exercises
authority even over the instruments of the state in its duty to safeguard the
independence of the press. It ensures that the Indian press is not affected by
any external matter.
Note: Press Council of India Founded: 4
July 1966, India; Press Council of India Headquarters: New Delhi.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
IQAir Air Quality Index: Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai among world’s top 10 polluted
cities: According
to the data from air quality and pollution city tracking service from IQAir, a
Switzerland-based climate group, Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai are among the top
ten most polluted cities of the world. Delhi topped the list with AQI at 556,
Kolkata and Mumbai recorded an AQI of 177 and 169, respectively, at 4th and 6th
position. The cities with the worst AQI indices also include Lahore, in
Pakistan, and Chengdu, in China. Here are the ten cities with the worst air
quality indicators and pollution rankings, according to IQAir:
1)
Delhi,
India (AQI: 556)
2)
Lahore,
Pakistan (AQI: 354)
3)
Sofia,
Bulgaria (AQI: 178)
4)
Kolkata,
India (AQI: 177)
5)
Zagreb,
Croatia (AQI: 173)
6)
Mumbai,
India (AQI: 169)
7)
Belgrade,
Serbia (AQI: 165)
8)
Chengdu,
China (AQI: 165)
9)
Skopje,
North Macedonia (AQI: 164)
10) Krakow, Poland
(AQI: 160)
About the IQAir: IQAir is also a
technology partner of the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP). An AQI
between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and
200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, then 401 and
between 500 is considered ‘severe’.
2.
International Day for Tolerance: 16th November: The United Nations
observes “International Day for Tolerance” on 16th November every year. The
United Nations is committed to strengthening tolerance by fostering mutual
understanding among cultures and peoples.
History of International Day for
Tolerance:
In 1994, UNESCO marked the 125th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth paving
the way for the proclamation of 16 November as the International Day for
Tolerance by the UN. This day pays tribute to the values of the Mahatma of
peace, non-violence and equality. The UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the
Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence rewards significant activities in the
scientific, artistic, cultural or communication fields aimed at the promotion
of a spirit of tolerance and non-violence. The prize is awarded every two years
on the International Day for Tolerance, 16 November.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1.
Lewis Hamilton wins 2021 F1 Brazilian Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton
(Mercedes-Great Britain), has won the 2021 F1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix (earlier
known as Brazilian Grand Prix). Max Verstappen (Red Bull – Netherlands) came
second while Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-Finland) came third in the Brazilian
Grand Prix 2021. Max Verstappen is leading the World Drivers’ Standings with
312.5 points, 19 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton (318.5).
2.
VVS Laxman will take charge as next National Cricket Academy (NCA) head: Board of Control
for Cricket in India (BCCI) President, Sourav Ganguly has confirmed, that
former India batter VVS Laxman will be the next head of the National Cricket
Academy (NCA). Laxman will take over from his former batting colleague Rahul
Dravid, who was recently appointed as chief coach of the Indian team following
the end of Ravi Shastri’s tenure.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1.
Total corpus of PIDF reaches Rs 614 crore: The total corpus of Payments
Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) of RBI has reached Rs 614 crore. The
PIDF scheme was launched by RBI in January 2021, to subsidize deployment of
payment acceptance infrastructure (PoS) in Tier-3 to Tier-6 centres with a
special focus on the North-Eastern States of the country. At that time it was
decided that, RBI will make an initial contribution of Rs. 250 crores to the
PIDF covering half the fund and the remaining contribution will be from
card-issuing banks and card networks operating in the country.
Initially when the scheme has launched the
corpus of PIDF was Rs. 345 crore (Rs. 250 crores contributed by RBI and Rs. 95
crores by the major authorized card networks in the country). Now various other
Authorised Card Networks (Rs. 153.72) and Card Issuing Banks (Rs. 210.17
crores) have increased their contribution to the PIDF Scheme hence taking the
total corpus to Rs. 613.89 crore (approx Rs 614 crore).
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
1.
IOCL and NTPC tied up to collaborate in Renewable Energy: National Thermal
Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) signed an MoU with Indian Oil Corporation
Limited (IOCL) to collaborate in the field of Renewable Energy and mutually
explore opportunities for the supply of low carbon/RE RTC (round the clock)
captive power. This is a first-of-its-kind novel initiative by two leading
national energy majors of India, to support the country’s commitment to
achieving renewable energy targets and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This
comes in the backdrop of Indian Oil announcing its plan to build the country’s
first green hydrogen plant at its Mathura refinery.
Note: NTPC Limited Founded: 1975; NTPC
Limited Headquarters: New Delhi, India; NTPC Limited Chairman & MD: Gurdeep
Singh.
DEFENCE
1.
India, Singapore and Thailand Trilateral Maritime Exercise SITMEX–21 begins: The 3rd edition of
the Trilateral Maritime Exercise named SITMEX–21 is being held from 15 to 16
Nov 21 in the Andaman Sea. The Navies of the India, Singapore and Thailand will
participate in the event. Indian Naval Ship (INS) Karmuk is participating in
the 3rd edition from India. It is an indigenously built Missile Corvette. The
event is being hosted by Royal Thai Navy (RTN) in the Andaman Sea with an aim
to enhance the cooperation between the participating navies towards augmenting
the overall maritime security in the region.
About the SITMEX: SITMEX is being
conducted annually since 2019 with an aim to enhance mutual inter-operability
and imbibing best practices between the Indian Navy (IN), RSN and RTN. The
maiden edition of SITMEX was hosted by IN off Port Blair in September 2019. RSN
hosted the second edition of the exercise in November 2020. The 2021 edition of
the exercise is being hosted by RTN in the Andaman Sea.
OBITUARIES
1.
Padma Vibhushan awardee historian and author Babasaheb Purandare passes away: The eminent
historian, orator and noted author from Maharashtra, Balwant Moreshwar
Purandare has passed away. He was 99. The author was popularly known as
Babasaheb Purandare. Purandare wrote extensively about Maratha warrior king
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. He had earned the moniker ‘Shiv Shahir’ which
literally means Shivaji’s bard. He was felicitated with India’s second-highest
civilian award, Padma Vibhushan, on 25 January 2019.
2. Noted Indian author Mannu Bhandari passes away: Renowned author Mannu Bhandari has passed away. She was 90. She was born in Bhanpura city of Madhya Pradesh in 1931 and grew up in Rajasthan’s Ajmer. Her father Sukhsampat Rai was a freedom fighter, who worked on English to Hindi and English to Marathi dictionaries. Bhandari was also one of the key members of the Nayi Kahani movement of Hindi literature. Some of Bhandari’s notable works include Mahabhoj (1979), Ek Plate Sailab (1962), Yehi Sach Hai aur Anya Kahaniya (1966), Teen Nigahen Ek Tasveer (1969), and Trishanku (1999).
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