NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Shahjahanpur
District of UP Amongst Top Ranked District on the Jal Jeevan Mission: Shahjahanpur has become number one in the country in giving maximum
number of tap connections in a month. Under the Jal Jeevan Mission,
Shahjahanpur has created history in providing tap connections to every
household in rural areas.
According to the
data given on the website of Jal Jeevan Mission, Bulandshahr, Bareilly,
Mirzapur have also got a place in this survey. This achievement is being
considered as a big leap in the matter of rural drinking water supply. In this
survey, districts are selected across the country on the basis of the progress
of the scheme. About The Best Performers:
a) Shahjahanpur stood first in two categories. It has made it first in the
aspirant category by giving 28419 tap connections in October alone. According
to the website, till October 1, 44557 families were given tap connections.
While till October 31, the figure of providing tap connections has reached
72976.
b) Bulandshahr in second place in best performance and third in fast moving
districts. It has provided 21260 household tap connections in October. Till
October 1, the number of tap connections was 97129, which reached 118389 till
October 31. Bulandshahr has made it to the aspirant category as the second
state to provide 6 percent FHTC (where the supply starts from the tap) in a
month.
c) Bareilly (with 619114 marks) stood second in the best performing
category and was third in the aspirant category by giving tap water connections
to 22,222 families in October.
d) Mirzapur (600,050 marks) stood second in the fast moving category for
ensuring tap water connections to 20,655 families, officials said.
2. Maharashtra
Government Doubles Pension of Freedom Fighters: The Maharashtra Government has decided to double the pension of freedom
fighters from ten thousand to twenty thousand rupees per month. Accordingly,
freedom fighters associated with India’s freedom struggle, Marathwada Mukti
Sangram and Goa Liberation Movement will benefit from this decision. This will
benefit around 6,229 surviving patriots across Maharashtra who had taken part
in India’s freedom struggle (1947), the Marathwada Liberation struggle (1948)
and the Goa Liberation movement (1961). The largesse will entail an additional
annual burden of Rs 74.75 crore on the state exchequer, for the pension scheme
launched way back in 1965.
The Other
Decisions: The state cabinet also cleared a proposal to
allow Socially and Educationally Backward Classes candidates (Marathas) to
avail jobs quota under the category of economically weaker sections (EWS),
whose constitutional validity has been upheld by the Supreme Court. In this
regard, the cabinet approved the recruitment process started after September 9,
2020, said a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).
The cabinet
approved a proposal to raise Rs 35,629 crore through loans to fund road
development projects in the state, it said. This will help in expediting land
acquisition for such projects.
3. Govt
to Set up 100 Academies to Promote Archery Amongst Tribal Children: Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda has said the government
has decided to set up 100 archery academies in the country to promote talent
amongst tribal children by nurturing their archery skills. Mr. Munda said, his
Ministry is continuously working for enhancing educational and health
facilities and also focusing on generating employment in the tribal areas. He
informed that the government is setting up Eklavya Model Residential School and
implementing ‘Pradhan Mantri Adi Adarsh Gram Yojna which aims at mitigating
gaps and providing basic infrastructure in villages with significant tribal
population.
4. Retired
IAS Arun Goel appointed as Election Commissioner of India: President Droupadi Murmu has appointed retired IAS Arun Goel as the
Election Commissioner in the Election Commission with effect from the date he
assumes the office. A Punjab cadre officer of the 1985 batch, Goel will join
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioner Anup Chandra
Pandey in the poll panel.
Former Chief
Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra had retired in May this year, handing
charge to Rajiv Kumar. The poll panel has been a two-member body since and had
to handle several crucial issues including the demands for disqualification of
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren. The poll panel will have its full
strength when it decides the election schedule for Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura
and Karnataka in the coming months.
Notably: According to the law dealing with appointment, service conditions and
retirement of election commissioners, a person can hold the office of an EC or
CEC for six years or till the age of 65, whichever is earlier. Mr Goel will be
in office till December 2027.
Note: Chief
Election Commissioner of India: Rajiv Kumar; Other Election Commissioner: Anup
Chandra Pandey; Election Commission Formed: 25 January 1950; Election
Commission HQ: New Delhi.
5. A book
titled ‘The World: A Family History’ authored by british historian Simon Sebag:
British Historian Simon Sebag Montefiore has
released a new book titled ‘The World: A Family History’. In ‘The World: A
Family History’, Montefiore he tells how humanity evolved by the stories of
different and famus families. The two-part book, which will be published by
Hachette India, will tell the story of humankind in “a ground-breaking, single
narrative that will forever shift the boundaries of what history can achieve”.
Notably: Some of Montefiore’s previous books are: ‘Stalin: The Court of The Red
Tsar’, ‘Jerusalem: The Biography’, ‘Written in History: Letters That Changed
the World’, among others.
6. Shaheedi
Diwas or Martyrdom Day of ‘Guru Tegh Bahadur’: 24th November: Guru Tegh Bahadur was the ninth Sikh Guru and second Sikh martyr, who
sacrificed his life for religion and for the protection of the human rights.
The martyrdom day of Guru Tegh Bahadur is celebrated every year on November 24.
Guru Tegh Bahadur’s Martyrdom Day is also observed as Shaheedi Diwas. He was
the father of the tenth Guru, Gobind Singh. It was on 24 November 1675, Guru
Tegh Bahadur sacrificed his life for the sake of people who did not even belong
to his community. to protect religion, human values, ideals and principles. The
sites of his execution and cremation were later converted into Sikh holy places
namely Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib and Gurudwara Rakab Ganj Sahib in Delhi.
About
Guru Tegh Bahadur: Guru Teg Bahadur is also known as Hind Di
Chadder– Protector of India. He was born in Amritsar, Punjab, India in 1621 and
was the youngest son of Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh guru. He became the 9th
Guru of Sikhs on 16 April 1664, a position earlier occupied by his
grand-nephew, Guru Har Krishan. He had travelled in different parts of the
country, including Dhaka and Assam, to preach the teachings of Guru Nanak, the
first Sikh guru. Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed on the orders of Mughal Emperor
Aurangzeb in Delhi for resisting the forced conversions of Hindus in Kashmir.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. India
Launches Official Website and Theme of SCO 2023: India has launched the official website of the Shanghai Cooperation
Organisation (SCO) as it will host the next SCO summit as a chairman of
organisation in 2023. The website highlights the events that will be undertaken
under the chairmanship of India next year.
The theme of the
event is “For a SECURE SCO”. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had floated the
concept of SECURE at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in
China in 2018. Explaining the SECURE concept, the Prime Minister said ‘S’ for
security for citizens, ‘E’ for economic development, ‘C’ for connectivity in
the region, ‘U’ for unity, ‘R’ for respect of sovereignty and integrity, and ‘E
for environment protection.
Significance
of India’s Presidency: Until September 2023, India
would be the President of the SCO. This rotational presidency is significant
for India for three major reasons.
a) First, from a regional perspective, amidst the tensions over the
Sino-Indian border and politically unstable neighbourhood, being the first
South Asian country host of SCO, how India would project itself would be
significant for the region.
b) Second, from a geopolitical perspective, New Delhi could be seen renewing
its policy towards Central Asia which also implies a change in understanding of
the extended territorial neighbourhood. Consequently, the upcoming presidency
would be significant for New Delhi’s reach toward Central Asian countries.
c) Third, the SCO presidency is preceded by India’s non-permanent
membership in the United Nations Security Council and would be followed by
India hosting the G-20 summit. Thus, the tenure will reflect any continuity or
change in New Delhi’s understanding of multilateralism and its behaviour in
international and regional organisations.
2. Network
Readiness Index 2022: India ranked 61st: India has moved
up by six slots to improve its position and rank 61st as per the Network
Readiness Index 2022 (NRI 2022) report prepared by a US-based Portulans
Institute, an independent non-profit research and educational institute. Network
Readiness Index 2022: India
a) According to the report, India ranked first in ‘AI talent
concentration,’ second in ‘Mobile broadband internet traffic within the
country,’ and third in ‘Annual investment in telecommunication services,’
fourth in ‘ICT Services exports,’ fifth in ‘FTTH/Building Internet
subscriptions,’ and sixth in ‘AI scientific publications.’
b) While India’s overall rank is 61st the country’s rank among
lower-middle-income countries is 3rd. In each of the 4 pillars of the score,
India’s score was higher than the average score in the group. On the other
hand, India ranked 11th within the Asia and Pacific region.
c) India has done particularly well in AI talent concentration,
International Internet bandwidth, and Mobile broadband internet traffic within
the country. On the other side, the country’s weakest indicators were
Happiness, Online access to financial account, and gender gap in Internet use.
d) India has greater network readiness than would be expected given its
income level. India is ranked third among 36 lower-middle-income countries,
after Ukraine (50) and Indonesia (59). In all pillars and sub-pillars, India
outperforms the income group average in all pillars and sub-pillars.
Globally: The United States ranks first on the list, with an overall score of
80.3. Singapore comes in second with a score of 79.35, and Sweden comes in
third with a score of 78.91. Singapore leads Asia Pacific, followed by South
Korea and Japan.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1. Carlos
Alcaraz becomes the youngest world No. 1 ATP Player: Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz has become the youngest year-end ATP World
Number 1, making him the first teenager to achieve this feat. Alcaraz has shown
an incredible rise in the world of tennis this year. He soared from number 32
to the top of this sport’s mountain on September 12, which is also the biggest
jump to number one in 50 editions of year-end ATP rankings. Key Points:
a) Before this 19-year-old star, the youngest year-end ATP World Number 1
was Lleyton Hewitt of Australia, who was 20 years, 275 days in age at the time
of his crowning in 2001.
b) On the other hand, Alcaraz will be 19 years, and 214 days old on
December 5, the 2022 year-end ranking date after the last ATP Challengers Tour
events of the season.
c) Alcaraz has joined Nadal (2008, 2010, 2013, 2017, and 2019) as Spain’s
year-end world number 1.
2. Formula-1
Racing: Red Bull’s Max Verstappen wins Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix: Formula One (F1) world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull team won the
season ending F1 Abu Dhabi race in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The battle
for second place remained a major story with Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez
entering the race tied at 290 points, but it was Leclerc who came out on top
with a second-place finish on the Yas Marina Circuit.
Max Verstappen
was his record 15th title of the 2022 season. He also ended the 2022 season as
the world F1 champion. He won his first F1 world championship title in 2021. He
also holds the record for winning a maximum 15 races in a single season. He
broke the previous record of 13 race victories in a season jointly held by
seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher (2004 season) and four-time world
champion Sebastian Vettel (2013 season).
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. HDFC
Bank, Canara Bank Get RBI Approval for Rupee Trade with Russia: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) allowed HDFC Bank Ltd and Canara Bank
Ltd to open a special “vostro account” for trade in Rupees with Russia. This
paves the way for cross-border trade in the Indian currency, especially between
New Delhi and Moscow. Three other Indian banks — State Bank of India, IndusInd
Bank and UCO Bank — had earlier received the necessary permissions from the
regulator to roll out rupee trades. Before this, SBI had said it was opening a
special rupee vostro account to handle Russia-related trade settlements. The
state-owned lender said it is “making necessary arrangements and processing
requests received from various banks, including Russian banks, duly following
RBI guidelines”.
How RBI
Develop This Mechanism: In July, the central bank had
introduced a new arrangement for settling international trades in rupees. The
mechanism, enabling the invoicing, payment and settlement of exports and
imports in rupees, is aimed at promoting trade. It would also restrict dollar
outflows at a time when the local unit has been depreciating.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
1. Goldman
Sachs Slashes India’s GDP Forecast for 2023 to 5.9%: Goldman Sachs Group Inc. sees India’s economic growth slowing next year,
citing a hit to consumer demand from higher borrowing costs and fading benefits
from pandemic reopening, while lowering its growth forecast. Gross domestic
product (GDP) may expand by 5.9% in calendar year 2023 from an estimated 6.9%
this year.
About The
Inflation: Upside risks to inflation means the Reserve Bank
of India will likely raise the benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points in
December and another 35 basis points in February, to hit a terminal rate of
6.75%, Goldman economists wrote. The benchmark rate stands at 5.9% now. Annual
headline CPI inflation rose to 7.5% in September from below 7.0% in July.
Wholesale price inflation, however, has declined for four straight months, from
a peak of 16.6% in May to 10.7% in September.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. Khalid
Jawed’s wins the 2022 JCB Prize for Literature: Author Khalid Jawed’s “The Paradise of Food”, translated by Baran
Farooqi from Urdu, won the fifth JCB Prize for Literature. The book, originally
published as “Ne’mat Khana” in 2014, is the fourth translation to win the award
and the first work in Urdu. “The Paradise of Food” tells the story of a
middle-class joint Muslim family over a span of fifty years where the narrator
struggles to find a place for himself, at odds in his home and the world
outside.
Jawed received
the prize money of Rs 25 lakh along with a trophy, a sculpture by Delhi artist
duo Thukral and Tagra, “Mirror Melting”. Baran Farooqi also received an
additional Rs 10 lakh for the award. The winner was selected by a panel of five
judges, consisting of journalist and editor AS Panneerselvan, author Amitabha
Bagchi, author-academician Rakhee Balaram, translator-historian J Devika and
author Janice Pariat.
2. Tibetan
spiritual leader Dalai Lama honoured with Gandhi Mandela award: The 14th Dalai Lama was conferred the Gandhi Mandela Award 2022 at
Thekchen Choeling in Dharamshala’s McleodGanj by Himachal Pradesh governor
Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar. The Tibetan spiritual leader, receiving the peace
prize from the New Delhi-based Gandhi Mandela Foundation. The event was
attended by former Chief Justice of India Justice KG Balakrishnan and former
Supreme Court Justice Gyan Sudha Misra.
This time, the
awardee, Dalai Lama, was selected by a jury including former Chief Justice of
India KG Balakrishnan and Justice Dipak Misra, former Supreme Court Judge Gyan
Sudha Misra, former Chief Justice of Nepal Justice Kedarnath Upadhyay and
former Chief Justice of Bangladesh Justice MD Tafazzul Islam.
About the
award: The award is given to personalities who have
carried forward the legacies of Gandhi and Mandela by making significant
contributions in the fields of Peace, Social Welfare, Culture, Environment,
Education, Healthcare, Sports and Innovation.
3. 53rd
IFFI 2022: Chiranjeevi honoured with Indian Film Personality of the Year 2022: At the opening ceremony of the 53rd International Film Festival of India
(IFFI), Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi was honoured with the Indian Film
Personality of the Year 2022 award. In a career spanning nearly four decades,
Chiranjeevi has acted in more than 150 films, primarily in the Telugu film
industry. About Megastar Chiranjeevi:
a) Chiranjeevi is a renowned Indian actor, film producer, philanthropist
and politician who has predominantly worked in Telugu cinema. Actor Chiranjeevi
has starred in over 150 films in his career. He has acted in Telegu, Tamil, and
Hindi movies. His debut with Punadhirallu in 1978 set the screen for him.
b) In 2006, he was honoured with the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest
civilian award, for his contributions to Indian cinema and was presented with
an honorary doctorate from Andhra University.
c) In his four decade film career, Chiranjeevi has won the Andhra Pradesh
state’s highest film award, the Raghupathi Venkaiah Award, three Nandi Awards,
and nine Filmfare Awards, Telugu.
d) He served as the Minister of Tourism for the Government of India from 2012 and 2014.
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