NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Govt
of India to Abolish National Anti-profiteering Authority: National Anti-profiteering Authority (NAA) is the anti-profiteering
watchdog of GST and it is all set to be subsumed into the Competition
Commission of India (CCI). NAA’s investigation arm will continue to function in
some form under CCI. The official said that the move will reduce the
multiplicity of regulators as CCI can handle cases independently. The plan is
to transfer cases to CCI after NAA’s term ends. NAA’s role is to make sure that
the benefit of tax rate reduction reaches the consumer immediately. This has
been the role of NAA primarily because the GST council has been rejigging the
rates in the last five years. NAA has little to do when rates go up.
About NAA: The National Anti-profiteering Authority (NAA) was established under
section 171 of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017. The NAA was set up
to monitor and to oversee whether the reduction or benefit of input tax credit
is reaching the recipient by way of appropriate reduction in prices.
2.
Uttarakhand High Court to be shifted to Haldwani from Nainital: The Uttarakhand High Court will be shifted from Nainital to Haldwani.
This decision was taken in a cabinet meeting held under the chairmanship of
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami in Dehradun. Uttarakhand cabinet has also
decided to make strict amendments in the conversion law, wherein forced
conversion will now be a cognizable offence. With provision of 10 years of
punishment under the new law. For this, a bill will be brought in the assembly.
The Centre has
handed over a 45-acre area near Haldwani for the high court. On October 27, the
Central government handed over 45 acres of HMT land in Ranibag, near Haldwani,
to the state government for its possible use to benefit the people of the area.
Note:
Uttarakhand Governor: Gurmit Singh; Uttarakhand Chief minister: Pushkar Singh
Dhami; Uttarakhand Population: 1.01 crores (2012); Uttarakhand Capitals:
Dehradun (Winter), Gairsain (Summer).
3. UP
Government to Build Ramayana, Mahabharata, Buddhist Circuits: The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet approved the New Tourism Policy to foster the
state’s religious potential and also establish the state as the hub of
religious and spiritual tourism in the country. The state under the policy will
develop separate religious circuits. Key Points:
a) As per the vision, the places associated with Lord Rama will be
developed as the Ramayana Circuit and religious places associated with Lord
Krishna as Krishna Circuit.
b) State Cabinet Minister AK Sharma informed about the new tourism policy
and development of new areas informed that Ayodhya, Chitrakoot, Bithoor, and
other places of significance during the Ramayana period will be included in the
Ramayana circuit.
c) Mathura, Vrindavan, Gokul, Govardhan, Barsana, Nandgaon, and Baldev will
be included in the Krishna circuit while the Buddhist circuit will include
Kapilvastu, Sarnath, Kushinagar, Kaushambi, Shravasti, Ramgram, and other
places.
d) The cabinet minister informed that Mahabharata and Shaktipeeth circuits
will also be developed in the State under New Tourism Policy.
e) Mahabharata circuit has also been envisaged. In this, places like
Hastinapur, Kampilya, Echhatra, Barnawa, Mathura, Kaushaand mbi, Gonda,
Lakshagriha have been selected.
f)
The Shaktipeeth circuit will also be developed. It
will extend from Vindhyavasini Devi, Ashtabhuja to Devipatan, Naimisharanya,
Maa Lalita Devi, Maa Jwala Devi, Shakumbhari Devi from Saharanpur to Shivani
Devi, Chitrakoot and Sheetla Mata, Mau.
g) Gorakhpur, Balrampur, Mathura, Sant Ravidas Sthal, Maa Parameshwari
Devi, Azamgarh, Bighu Ashram of Ballia, Bateshwar of Agra, Hanuman Dham
Shahjahanpur have been included.
4. Bihar
govt signed agreement with ICCR to showcase its soft power to world: The Bihar government has signed an agreement with the Indian Council of
Cultural Relations (ICCR) to help artists from the state, handicrafts &
several other ethnic arts expected to get international exposure. ICCR has come
up with the initiative of ‘Bharat ke Rajyon ka Sanskritik Sammelan’ to promote
Indian culture abroad. The objective of this agreement is to make the
partnership between the State and ICCR more meaningful, bringing in active
involvement, and institutionalizing the same.
Note: Bihar
Capital: Patna; Chief Minister: Nitish Kumar; Governor: Phagu Chauhan
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
Climate Change Performance Index 2023: India ranked 8th in the list: The Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2023 released which was
published by three environmental nongovernmental organizations viz.
Germanwatch, NewClimate Institute and the Climate Action Network (CAN)
International. India rose two spots to rank eighth out of 63 countries in the
Climate Change Performance Index 2023 (CCPI). In the Greenhouse Gas Emissions
and Energy Use categories, the country was rated “high”. In the Climate Policy
and Renewable Energy categories, it earned a “medium” rating.
In 2022 and
2021, India stood in the 10th spot. In 2020, it ranked ninth on the list. Since
signing the Paris Agreement in 2015, India has updated its Nationally
Determined Contribution (NDC).
Key
Highlights:
a) In the overall standings, no country ranked first, second or third on
the index. Denmark, with a score of 79.61, ranked fourth, followed by Sweden
with 73.28 points. India scored 67.35 points.
b) India’s ranking in categories: In GHGs, it ranked 9, Renewable Energy
(24), and Energy Use (9), and on Climate Policy (8).
c) It should be noted that India ranked at top in the grouping of top 10
emitters. It is followed by Germany and Japan at 2 and 3 positions of this
grouping.
d) The worst performers in the overall ranking are Iran, Saudi Arabia and
Kazakhstan. They are particularly weak in renewables and heavily reliant on
oil.
e) Saudi Arabia is the country with the highest per capita GHG emissions
among the G20 nations.
2. India
Set to Become World’s Most Populous Country in 2023: UN Report: India is projected to surpass China as the world’s most populous country
in 2023, with each counting more than 1.4 billion residents this year,
according to the 27th edition of the United Nations’ World Population
Prospects, 2022. More About the Report:
a) The world’s population, estimated to reach 8 billion by this year, could
grow to 8.5 billion in 2030, and 10.4 billion in 2100, as the pace of mortality
slows, said the report released on World Population Day.
b) The world’s population was growing at its slowest pace since 1950,
having fallen below 1% in 2020, UN estimates showed.
c) In 2021, the average fertility of the world’s population stood at 2.3
births per woman over a lifetime, having fallen from about 5 births in 1950.
Global fertility is projected to decline further to 2.1 births per woman by
2050.
d) The United Nations said more than half of the projected increase in the
global population up to 2050 will be concentrated in eight countries – Congo,
Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and the United
Republic of Tanzania.
e) Countries of sub-Saharan Africa are expected to contribute more than
half of the increase anticipated through 2050.
3. US
Imposes $1.4 mn Fine on Air India Over Delay in Refunds: The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has fined Air India $1.4 million
(around Rs 11.3 crore) for delaying refunds worth $121.5 million (around Rs 985
crore) to passengers whose flights were cancelled during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Air India is
among the six airlines that were probed by the US government. Totally, over $600
million in refunds were paid and $7.25 million penalties imposed against six
airlines for “extreme delays in providing refunds,” the US DOT said. Other
airlines facing the DOT action include Frontier Airlines, TAP Portugal,
Aeromexico, El Al Airlines and Avianca.
Under US law,
airlines and ticket agents have a legal obligation to refund consumers if the
airline cancels or significantly changes a flight to, from and within the US,
and the passenger does not wish to accept the alternative offered.
4. World
Heritage Week: 19th to 25th November: The Department
of Archives, Archaeology and Museums is celebrating World Heritage week
commencing from November 19 to November 25, 2022. The World Heritage Week is
observed to promote the conservation of culture and heritage. The week – long
celebration aims to create awareness about traditions and culture. The World
Heritage Week is celebrated by UNESCO and several other international
organisations. In India the World Heritage Week is celebrated by the Archaeological
Survey of India.
The Member
States of UNESCO adopted the World Heritage Convention in 1972. 191 state
parties have ratified this World Heritage Convention including India. World
Heritage sites belong to all the people of the world, irrespective of the
territory on which they are located.
Note:
Archaeological Survey of India Founder: Alexander Cunningham; Archaeological
Survey of India Founded: 1861; Archaeological Survey of India Director General:
V. Vidyavathi, IAS; Archaeological Survey of India Parent organisation:
Ministry of Culture; Archaeological Survey of India Headquarters: New Delhi.
5. World
Fisheries Day: 21st November: World
Fisheries Day is annually celebrated on 21st November. This day is dedicated to
highlighting the critical importance of healthy ocean ecosystems and to ensure
sustainable stocks of fisheries in the world. World Fisheries Day also explores
finding solutions to the increasingly interconnected problems that the world is
facing to follow sustainable models of our ocean ecosystems while safeguarding
the interest and growth and development of the fisherfolk community all across
the world.
History
of Fisheries Day: The first World Fisheries Day was celebrated on
November 21, 2015. On the same day, it was the grand opening of the
International Fisherman’s organization was held in New Delhi. A forum for the
World Fisheries consortium was established around 1997 and was famously called
WFF (World Fisheries Forum). Under this forum, several participants across the
world actively took part in it. Around 18 countries signed a global consensus
document that marked the standardization of practices.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1.
Paddler Sharath Kamal becomes first Indian player elected to ITTF: Star Indian paddler Achanta Sharath Kamal has become the first player
from India to get elected in the Athletes’ Commission of the International
Table Tennis Federation (ITTF). The online elections took place between 7 to 13
November 2022. 10 athletes were elected for the ITTF Athletes’ Commission for a
four-year term from 2022 to 2026. Eight athletes were elected from Asia,
Africa, Europe, South America, North America, and Oceania region and two were
highest-voted para-athletes.
2.
Switzerland won first Billie Jean King Cup title by defeating Australia: Switzerland won their first Billie Jean King Cup title after Belinda
Bencic saw off Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic in the second match of the finals
with a lead of 2-0. Jil Teichmann had earlier prevailed 6-3 4-6 6-3 over Storm
Sanders last year.
3. Mehuli
Ghosh won gold medal in the Asian Airgun Championship: Indian shooter Mehuli Ghosh has defeated South Korean Eunyoung Cho to
clinch the Women’s 10-meter Air Rifle gold medal at the Asian Airgun
Championship in Daegu, South Korea. The junior women’s gold was bagged by
Tilottama Sen who beat compatriot and qualification topper Nancy 17-11 in the
10-meter air rifle event. In the youth women’s event, India’s Gautami Bhanot
won Gold, Yukthi Rajendra Silver and Hazel won Bronze medals.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. German
Bank ‘KfW’ to Provide 150 million Euro Loan to SBI for Solar Projects: State Bank of India has signed a 150 million euro (Rs 1,240 crore) loan
agreement with the German development bank KfW for funding solar projects. The
long-term loan, under the Indo-German solar partnership, will facilitate new
and upcoming capacities in the solar sector and further contribute to the
country’s goals announced during the COP26.
The
Development of This Partnership: In 2015, New
Delhi and Berlin had signed a memorandum of understanding to foster solar
energy through technical as well as financial cooperation. Through this
agreement, Germany had expressed its willingness to provide the concessional
loans to India in the range of 1 billion euros through KfW.
The successful
closure of the phase-1 under the solar partnership- promotion of solar/PV
between SBI and KfW, paves the way for the current phase-2 in our partnership
with this German lender, Ashwini Tewari, a managing director at SBI said. With
this facility, he added, the bank has taken another step towards sustainable
financing arrangements for meeting the nation’s renewable capacity goals and
upholding environmental and social standards.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
1. 5G may
Contribute up to 2% to India’s GDP by 2030: The
launch of 5G services will strengthen India’s position as an economic and
technology powerhouse globally and is expected to boost 2% of the country’s
gross domestic product (GDP), amounting to approximately $180 billion by 2030,
according to a new report by industry body Nasscom.
The report
titled, “5G — Unfolding India’s era of digital convergence” was released on the
side lines of Nasscom Tech Innovation Conclave (NTIC) 2022, added that “5G is
expected to create new value through hyper-connectivity and become a catalyst
for digital transformation across industries”.
Sectors such as
healthcare, energy and utilities, manufacturing, and retail are expected to
benefit the most from large-scale 5G adoption. For example, certain aspects
such as adequate infrastructure upgradation and fiberisation for 5G deployment,
along with network densification need to be addressed to realise the utmost
benefit of the technology across industries, the report noted.
2. Blackstone
launches its Asian Data center business from India: Global asset manager Blackstone Group has forayed into the data center
business in Asia with a planned capacity across two large hyperscale data
centers in India. It plans to increase it to 600 MW over the next two years
through presence in five locations in the country. Blackstone launched its data
center platform Lumina CloudInfra on 15 November 2022. Initially the data
center will be set up in Mumbai and Chennai, and later on it will be set up in
Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad and Pune.
National
Data Center:
a) The government data center has been set up and managed by the National
Informatics Centre (NIC). The first Data Centre was launched in Hyderabad in
2008, followed by NDC Pune in 2010, NDC Delhi in 2011 and NDC Bhubaneswar in
2018.
b) It operates 37 small Data Centres at various State Capitals to provide
services to the Government at all levels.
c) National Data Centre (NDC) at Bhubaneswar is a Cloud-enabled Data Centre
which has been offering cloud services to Government Departments since its
inception.
d) The National Data Centres form the core of e-Governance Infrastructure
in India by providing services to various e-Governance initiatives undertaken
by the Government of India.
3.
Sandhya Devanathan Appointed as Meta’s New India Head: Facebook-parent Meta has appointed Sandhya Devanathan as its new top
executive for the country two weeks after the departure of former India head
Ajit Mohan. Devanathan will transition to her new role on 1 January 2023.
Devanathan currently serves as vice president of gaming for Meta’s Asia-Pacific
(APAC) division. Key Points:
a) In her new role, Sandhya Devanathan will report to Dan Neary, vice
president of Meta’s overall APAC business.
b) Devanathan served as the country managing director for Singapore and
business head for Vietnam.
c) On 3rd November 2022, Meta announced the departure of erstwhile country
head, Ajit Mohan, with immediate effect.
d) On 15 November, the company announced the departure of Abhijit Bose,
country head for WhatsApp India, and Rajiv Aggarwal, public policy director for
Meta India.
e) The exits come amid the largest single layoff phase for Meta. On 9
November, Meta’s chief executive Mark Zuckerberg announced that the company
will be laying off 11,000 of its employees, or about 13% of its workforce, and
freeze all hiring for at least until March next year.
OBITUARIES
1. Indian Basketball Legend Abbas Moontasir passes away: The former India basketball captain and Arjuna awardee, Gulam Abbas Moontasir, passed away in Mumbai. He was born in Mumbai in 1942. His basketball debut came in 1960 in an exhibition game against Australia. He captained the national team in the 1969 and 1975 Asian Basketball Championships in Bangkok. He was part of the Indian team at the 1970 Asian Games, which finished sixth after topping a group that also contained China, Thailand and Malaysia. In the same year, Muntasir was selected in the Asian All-Star team and received the Arjuna Award, the first basketball player to receive this honour.
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