Daily GK Updates - 19th November, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Union Minister for Rural Development inaugurates SARAS IITF 2019: The Union Minister for Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Agriculture inaugurated the SARAS India International Trade Fair(IITF) Mela 2019 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. SARAS IITF Mela empowering rural women through Self-Help Groups is one of the top priorities of the government. More than seven crore women have joined Self-Help Groups so far and the Ministry is making all efforts to take this number to 10 crores. Women self-help groups play a very crucial role in the fulfilment of two important goals, namely poverty alleviation and women empowerment.

Note: Union Minister for Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Agriculture: Narendra Singh Tomar.

2. Yediyurappa inaugurates three-day Bengaluru Tech Summit: Karnataka Chief Minister B. S. Yediyurappa has inaugurated the three-day Bengaluru Tech Summit at Bengaluru Place. More than 3500 delegates, 12,000 visitors and 200 speakers are participating in this Summit. 250 Exhibitors will showcase their services, products, and technologies to visitors. The summit is expected to be attended by global tech leaders, investors, industry captains, research heads, policymakers and startups from India and 20 foreign countries. This IT event will focus on artificial intelligence, Cyber Security, Space and Drone Revolutions, Electric vehicles, 5G, Genomics, Trends in Agriculture etc.

3. Smriti Irani Inaugurates Bharatiya Poshan Krishi Kosh (BPKK) to Tackle Malnutrition: The Ministry of Women and Child Development in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation launched India’s first Poshan Atlas to create a repository of diverse crops. The Poshan Atlas was inaugurated by Smriti Zubin Irani along with Bill Gates in New Delhi. The Bharatiya Poshan Krishi Kosh is a repository of diverse crops across 128 agro-climatic zones to help enable better nutritional outcomes. The Kosh aims to reduce malnutrition among women and children across the country, through a multi-sectoral results-based framework, including agriculture.

4. NHM Jammu & Kashmir launched BMEWMP programme in J&K, Ladakh: National Health Mission Jammu & Kashmir, has launched the Bio-Medical Equipment Waste Management Programme (BMEWMP) in the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. The biomedical equipment management was the need of the hour to improve the patient care facilities in the health care institutions. The objectives of the program are designed in a way that the equipment in the district level health care facility will have an uptime of 95%, in sub-district hospital 90% and in PHC 80%.

5. International cherry blossom festival 2019 celebrated in Shillong, Meghalaya: Meghalaya Chief Minister has Inaugurated the 4th International Cherry Blossom Festival 2019 held in Shillong, Meghalaya. For the 1st time, India & South Korea jointly celebrated this festival that witnessed the celebration of unique autumn flowering of Himalayan Cherry Blossoms (scientifically known as the Prunus serrulata). South Korea Ambassador to India Shin Bong-Kil joined the celebration.

Note: Chief Minister of Meghalaya: Conrad K Sangma; Governor: Tathagata Roy.

6. ADB to provide USD 91 million loan for Comprehensive Water Management in Karnataka: The Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed USD 91 million loans under Karnataka Integrated and Sustainable Water Resources Management Investment Program (IWRM). The project will help to modernize the Vijayanagara Channel irrigation systems, prepare river basin management plans in the Krishna river basin that will help improve irrigation water use efficiency and contribute to improving sustainable water security in Karnataka. The investment program will help the Government of Karnataka in strengthening its institutions involved in integrated water resource management and modernizing the irrigation system infrastructure for improving water use efficiency in the State

Note: Capital of Karnataka: Bengaluru; CM: BS Yediyurappa; Governor: Vajubhai Vala.

7. Justice SA Bobde sworn in as 47th Chief Justice of India: Supreme Court Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde (63 years) was sworn in as the 47th Chief Justice of India (till April 23, 2021) by President Ram Nath Kovind. Justice Bobde succeeds Justice Ranjan Gogoi, who retired on 17 November. Justice Bobde was elevated as a Judge of the Supreme Court on April 12, 2013. He was part of the five-judge constitution bench which delivered the landmark Ayodhya verdict.

Note: Supreme Court established: 28th January 1950.

8. ECI to establish a visiting chair in memory of TN Seshan: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has decided to establish and fund a visiting chair on an interdisciplinary approach to Electoral Studies in memory of TN Seshan (former CEC). It will be established in the Centre for Curriculum Development at India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM), New Delhi (from 2020-2025). The Chair will be mentored by Former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) N Gopalaswami. The Visiting Chair programme will be targeted at young academics with a proven track record in fields relatable to electoral studies. The Chair will also be expected to curate one national level seminar on specific aspects of Electoral Studies.

Note: Election Commission formed: 25 January 1950; Headquarters of Election Commission: New Delhi; Chief Election Commissioner: Sunil Arora.

Former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) TN Seshan who passed away recently on November 10, 2019.

9. ISRO to launch Cartosat-3, 13 commercial nanosatellites on 25th November: India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C47) will launch Cartosat-3 and 13 commercial nanosatellites into Sun Synchronous orbit from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota. Cartosat-3 satellite is a third-generation agile advanced satellite having high-resolution imaging capability. PSLV-C47 is the 21st flight of PSLV in 'XL' configuration, which is with 6 solid strap-on motors. PSLV-C47 will also carry 13 commercial nanosatellites from the United States of America as part of a commercial arrangement with New Space India Limited (NSIL), Department of Space. This will be the 74th launch vehicle mission from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota. The launch is tentatively scheduled at 09:28 Hrs (IST) on 25th November 2019.

Note: ISRO Director: K.Sivan; Headquarters: Bengaluru; Established: 1969.

10. Quami Ekta Week to be observed across the country from 19-25th November: The Quami Ekta Week (National Integration Week) is being observed across the country from the 19th to 25th November 2019. The week is observed to highlight the strength and resilience of the nation to withstand any potential threats to the secular fabric. These occasions will also provide an opportunity to reaffirm age-old traditions and faith in the values of tolerance, co-existence, and brotherhood in a multi-cultural and multi-religious society.

The programmes to be observed during Qaumi Ekta Week:

19th Nov	National Integration Day
20th Nov	The Welfare of Minorities Day
21st Nov	Linguistic Harmony Day
22nd Nov	Weaker Sections Day
23rd Nov	Cultural Unity Day
24th Nov	Women’s Day
25th Nov	Conservation Day

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. GoI to extend Visa-on-Arrival facility to UAE nationals: Government of India (GoI) has decided to extend the Visa-on-Arrival facility to nationals of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for a period of up to 60 days with double entry for business, tourism, conference and medical purposes. This facility is aimed at further strengthening people to people and trade links as well as strategic ties between the two countries. This facility is available at six designated International Airports namely, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai.

Note: Visa-on-Arrival is available only to those UAE nationals who have earlier obtained an e-Visa or a normal paper Visa for India. Pakistan Origin UAE nationals will not be eligible for Visa-on-Arrival Scheme.

2. 6th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus begins in Bangkok: The 6th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) has begun in Bangkok, Thailand. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh along with 17 other Defence Ministers of ADMM-Plus countries are attending the meeting. Earlier, Mr Singh reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral defence relations with the respective leaders and discussed ways to further improve the ties.

3. World Toilet Day: 19 November: World Toilet Day is observed across the world on 19th November with an aim to motivate millions across the world on issues of sanitation. The theme for 2019 is ‘Leaving No One Behind’. It’s all about inspiring action to tackle the global sanitation crisis and help achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6), which promises sanitation for all by 2030.

Note: In 2013, the United Nations General Assembly officially designated 19th November as World Toilet Day. World Toilet Day is coordinated by UN-Water in collaboration with governments and partners.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Shooter Shreyasi Singh crowned National Champion in Women’s Trap: Reigning Commonwealth Games champion Shreyasi Singh won the women’s Trap Gold at the ongoing 63rd National Shooting Championship for shotgun events in New Delhi. Shreyasi representing Bihar shot 42 out of 50 birds to claim the crown, while Rajeshwari from Punjab managed 38 hits to settle for silver. Pragati Dubey of Madhya Pradesh won bronze with a finals score of 31. This was Shreyasi’s fourth individual career National title but her first in Women’s Trap.

2. Stefanos Tsitsipas beats Dominic Thiem to win ATP Finals title: Greek tennis player Stefanos Tsitsipas has won the ATP Finals beating Austria's Dominic Thiem 6-7, 6-2, 7-6 in London. It is Tsitsipas's third title of the season and comes a year after he was crowned champion at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan. Tsitsipas had qualified for the finals after defeating six-time champion Roger Federer in the semi-finals.

3. Indian women clinch five gold medals in Asian Youth Boxing C'ship: Indian women have clinched five gold, while men bagged two silver at Asian Youth Boxing Championship in Mongolia. All five women finalists, Naorem Chanu (51kg), Vinka (64kg) Sanamacha Chanu (75kg), Poonam (54kg) and Sushma (81kg) won Gold for the country in a phenomenal sweep. Among the men, Selay Soy (49kg) and Ankit Narwal (60kg) settled for the second place after going down in their respective summit clashes. India signed off with 12 medals in the event with bronze coming from Arundhati Choudhury (69kg), Komalpreet Kaur (81kg), Jasmine (57kg), Satender Singh (91kg) and Aman (91kg).

4. England qualifies for UEFA Euro 2020 football tournament: England has qualified for the 4UEFA Euro 2020 football tournament. Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 99th international goal as Portugal secured its place at the Euro 2020 finals. Portugal are the defending champions, having won the 2016 edition.

Note: The 2020 UEFA European Football Championship (UEFA Euro 2020) is scheduled to be held in 12 cities in 12 European countries from 12 June to 12 July 2020.

DEFENCE

1. Indian Army conducts ‘Sindhu Sudarshan’ exercise in Rajasthan: The Sudarshan Chakra Corps of the Indian Army conducted ‘Sindhu Sudarshan’ exercise in Barmer, Rajasthan. Around 40,000 jawans of the Indian Army are participating in the exercise.’ Sindhu Sudarshan’ exercise will continue till December 05. The aim of the exercise was to evaluate the capability and battle readiness of the defence forces in an integrated air-land battle in a semi-developed terrain of the desert. Newly inducted armed helicopter Rudra, manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) equipped with electro-optical pods, helmet-mounted sights and night vision goggles was used in the exercise. Apart from Rudra, newly inducted K9 Vajra (South Korean self-propelled 155 mm howitzer) was also used in the exercise.

Note: Motto of Indian Army: “Service Before Self”; Founded: 1 April 1895; Headquarters: New Delhi.

2. 1st Indo-Qatari joint Naval Exercise Za’ir-Al-Bahr (Roar of the Sea) begins in Doha: The Bilateral Maritime Exercise Za’ir-Al-Bahr (Roar of the Sea) between the Indian Navy and Qatari Emiri Naval Forces has been started in Doha to enhance interoperability between the two navies. The exercise (five days) will include a three-day ‘harbour phase’ and two-day ‘sea phase’. From the Indian side, Indian Navy Guided Missile Stealth Frigate INS Trikand and Patrol Aircraft P8-I are participating in the exercise. The versatile Anti-Ship Missile equipped Barzan Class Fast Attack Craft along with Rafale multi-task fighter aircraft will participate from Qatar Navy. The sea phase will include a tactical maritime exercise involving the domains of surface action, air defence, maritime surveillance and interdiction operation and anti-terrorism.

Daily GK Updates - 18th November, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Yogi Adityanath inaugurates North India’s 1st sugar mill which will produce ethanol: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has inaugurated North India’s first sugar mill which will produce ethanol direct from sugarcane. The mill was inaugurated in Pipraich area of Gorakhpur, which is a unit of Uttar Pradesh Sugar and Sugarcane Development Corporation Limited. The mills, which previously produced around 8,000 quintals of sugar, will now produce more than 50,000 quintals of sugar every day.

Note: Governor of Uttar Pradesh: Anandiben Patel.

2. Defence Minister inaugurates Sisseri Bridge built by BRO: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated Sisseri Bridge, built by the Border Road Organisation (BRO) on Pasighat-Bomjir Highway, Arunachal Pradesh. The 200-metre long bridge between Jonai-Pasighat-Ranaghat-Roing road will provide connectivity between Dibang Valley and Siang to meet the long-pending demand of the people of Arunachal Pradesh.

Note: Director-General of BRO: Lt. Gen.Harpal Singh; Headquarters: New Delhi; Founder of BRO: Jawaharlal Nehru.

3. Mumbai tops Water Quality Report for State Capitals by BIS: The Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Shri Ram Vilas Paswan has released the Water Quality Report for State Capitals & Delhi as analysed by Bureau of India Standards (BIS).  Bureau of India Standards (BIS), on the basis of quality of piped drinking water being supplied in the country has ranked the States, Smart Cities and even Districts. Mumbai has topped the ranking, Hyderabad and Bhubaneshwar share the joint second spot while Ranchi is on the third. Delhi is ranked at 15th.

4. Justice Dr Ravi Ranjan takes oath as Chief Justice of Jharkhand HC: Justice Dr Ravi Ranjan took oath as the Chief Justice of Jharkhand High Court. Justice Ranjan has been appointed as the 13th Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court. The post was lying vacant since May this year after the former Chief Justice, Anirudh Bose was appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court. Justice Dr Ravi Ranjan was a judge in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. He was elevated to Additional Judge of the Patna High Court on July 14, 2008. Later, he was appointed as a permanent judge on January 16, 2010. He also served as the Acting Chief Justice of the Patna High Court for a brief period last year.

Note: Governor of Jharkhand: Draupadi Murmi; Chief Minister: Raghuwar Das.

5. Justice Akil Abdulhamid Kureshi sworn in as Chief Justice of Tripura High Court: Justice Akil Abdulhamid Kureshi was sworn in as the new Chief Justice of the High Court of Tripura. Justice Kureshi was serving as a judge of the Bombay High Court before his transfer to Tripura. The Supreme Court collegium headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi had recommended Justice Kureshi’s elevation as Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, but the recommendation was not approved by the Department of Justice.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Gotabaya Rajapaksa wins Sri Lanka Presidential election: Sri Lanka’s former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa has won the Presidential election. He is the brother of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Gotabaya got 52.25 per cent of the total valid votes. According to the final vote count released by the country’s Election commission, he received around 6.9 million votes against his main rival, Sajith Premadasa who got around 5.56 million votes. Gotabaya served as the Defence Secretary during the end of the LTTE War. He will succeed Maithripala Sirisena. The 2019 Sri Lankan presidential election was the 8th presidential election and this was the first Presidential election in Sri Lanka where no sitting president, prime minister or opposition leader was contesting.

Note: Sri Lanka Capitals: Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte; Currency: Sri Lankan rupee; Prime minister: Ranil Wickremesinghe.

2. Pakistan first country to introduce new typhoid vaccine into routine immunization programme: Pakistan became the first country in the world to introduce the World Health Organization (WHO)-recommended typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) into its routine immunization programme. It is the first typhoid vaccine that can be given to children as young as 6 months of age and confers longer term protection against typhoid. The government of Pakistan is launching the vaccine introduction with a campaign in Sindh Province, which is the centre of an ongoing extensively drug-resistant (XDR) typhoid outbreak that began in November 2016.

In 2017, 63% of typhoid cases and 70% of typhoid deaths in Pakistan were among children younger than 15 years of age. With funding support from the Global Alliance for Vaccine Initiative (Gavi), the Vaccine Alliance, the vaccine introduction will begin with a two-week vaccination campaign targeting 10 million children 9 months to 15 years old in urban areas of Sindh Province. It will be followed by a transition to routine immunization of 9-month-old infants in all parts of the province once the campaign ends. The vaccine will be introduced in neighbouring Punjab Province and Islamabad next year and then nationally in 2021.

Note: Typhoid, a serious illness caused by Salmonella Typhi, is spread through contaminated food and water and disproportionally impacts children and low-resource communities in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. The Global Burden of Disease study estimates that, in 2017, there were nearly 11 million typhoid cases and more than 116 000 typhoid deaths worldwide.

After Pakistan, Liberia and Zimbabwe are also preparing to introduce TCV next year with support from GAVI.

In January 2018, Typbar TCV became the world’s first conjugate vaccine prequalified by the WHO. That enabled the procurement and supply to UNICEF, GAVI, and Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO). The company announced a price of $1.50 per dose for procurement by GAVI-supported countries.

3. US$500 million to reduce Mumbai’s congestion: The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has lent US$575 million for projects to ease congestion in Mumbai, India, and boost private capital investment in renewable energy, power transmission and water infrastructure.

A loan of US$500 million granted to the government of India is expected to fast-track work on Mumbai’s suburban railway network, improving the safety and daily commute of millions of passengers across the city. The funds will contribute to a quadrupling of Virar-Dahanu Road corridor (64km) to provide an extension of the suburban railway service to connect peripheral areas with Mumbai. The project will also see the construction of a new suburban railway corridor of 28km between Panvel and Karjat to cater to commuters in the area which is experiencing rapid urbanisation and population growth. Rail is the primary means of transport in Mumbai, where the suburban network totals almost 400km and carries more than 7.5 million passengers a day.

As part of its firm commitment to financing sustainable infrastructure, the Bank also approved a loan of US$75 million to Tata Cleantech Capital Limite, a financier of renewable energy in India.

The total value of AIIB investment in India is now reported to be US$2.9 billion since the AIIB began operations in January 2016.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Korea’s Kim Joo Hyung wins Panasonic Open: South Korea’s Kim Joo Hyung has won the Panasonic Open held at the Classic Golf and Country Club in Gurugram, India. India’s Shiv Kapur finished tied runner-up with S. Chikkarangappa. The victory has made Hyung the second-youngest winner behind Thailand’s Chinnarat Phadugsil on the Tour at 17 years and 149 days.

2. IAAF officially changes its name to “World Athletics”: The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has officially changed its name and will now be known as “World Athletics”. The name has been changed in a bid to make the sport more accessible. The IAAF was founded in 1912 as the International Amateur Athletic Federation and changed its name to the “International Association of Athletics Federations” in 2001.

3. Spain’s striker David Villa retires from football: Spain’s striker David Villa has announced his retirement from football. He represented Spain in three World Cups and was also a member of the Spanish side that lifted the trophy in 2010, and won the European Championships in 2008. He netted 59 times for Spain which is a national record. His achievements also includes a Champions League title with Barcelona, as well as two La Liga wins and a World Club Cup medal.

4. Harmeet Desai claims Indonesia Open TT Championship: Indian paddler Harmeet Desai wins men’s singles title at International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Challenge Indonesia Open 2019 Table Tennis tournament held at Batam, Indonesia. Harmeet had defeated compatriot Amalraj Anthony by 11-9, 9-11, 11-9, 11-9, 10-12, 11-9 score.

5. Sarita Devi elected as member of AIBA athletes commission: Laishram Sarita Devi (Manipur) is among the 6 boxers from 5 continents who were elected as members of AIBA Athletes Commission. She was inspired by Muhammad Ali’s achievements and turned professional in boxing in the year 2000. She is DSP in Manipur Police. The election of the Athletes Commission members was organized during AIBA Men and Women World Boxing Championships 2019 in Russia. Boxers from all over the world voted for new members – one per continent, except Europe which has two representatives.

Note: International Boxing Association Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. New rules framed under IBC for rescue of non-bank lenders: The Government of India has issued fresh rules under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) to govern the rescue of non-bank lenders. The new rules are likely to help out distressed shadow banks and housing financiers, which have been battling a liquidity crunch for a year. These entities will be covered by a special window under the bankruptcy code, which will be notified from time to time. Reserve Bank of India has been given the authority to decide which companies will be taken up to a bankruptcy tribunal under these rules. The bankruptcy tribunal will appoint an administrator who will be nominated by the regulator, will try to stitch together a turnaround plan. In case a turnaround of the financial institution is not possible, the tribunal will gather the views of the regulator before deciding to liquidate it.

2. ICICI Bank launches ‘Maha Loan Dhamaka’ to provide on-the-spot loan approvals: ICICI Bank has announced the launch of its own loan mela- ‘Maha Loan Dhamaka’ - to provide on-the-spot loan approvals. ICICI bank plans to organise 2,000 such ‘Maha Loan’ camps across the country in rural and semi-urban locations and on the company premises in the current fiscal. The first camp was inaugurated at Deesa in Banaskantha district, Gujarat. Recently, public sector banks held loan melas in over 400 districts in two phases in October to boost sagging credit growth due to the economic downturn.

AWARDS AND HONOUR

1. Veteran actors Sridevi and Rekha conferred with ANR National Award: The veteran actors Sridevi and Rekha were conferred with the Akkineni Nageswara Rao National Award for 2018 and 2019 respectively. The award was presented by renowned Telugu actor Chiranjeevi. The award is instituted by the Akkineni International Foundation and honours those who have made a lasting impact on Indian cinema.

2. Rezwana Choudhury Bannya gets ICCR Alumni award in Dhaka: Renowned Rabindra Sangeet exponent from Bangladesh Rezwana Choudhury Bannya has conferred the ICCR distinguished alumni award in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The award was given away by the High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh Riva Ganguly Das in a musical function organised by the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre (IGCC). Rezwana Choudhury Bannya is widely recognised as a great exponent of Rabindra Sangeet. She is known for her distinctive style of singing. She has established a musical school ‘Shurer Dhara’ in Bangladesh to carry forward the Guru-Shishya tradition as practised in Shantiniketan. Distinguished Alumni Award was instituted in 2015 to recognise foreign students who have studied in various Indian Universities under the ICCR sponsored scholarship schemes and made an exemplary contribution in varied fields.

DEFENCE

1. India successfully conducts first night trial of surface-to-surface medium-range missile Agni-II: India on November 16 successfully conducted the first night trial of surface-to-surface medium-range nuclear-capable missile Agni-II from Dr Abdul Kalam Island off Odisha coast. The Agni-II is an intermediate-range two-stage ballistic missile (IRBM) which can carry a payload of 1000 kg over a distance of 2000 km. This is the first time that the sophisticated missile was test-fired at night. The test was carried out by the specially formed Strategic Forces Command (SFC) of the Army with logistic support from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The entire trajectory of the trial was tracked by a battery of sophisticated radars, telemetry observation stations, electro-optic instruments and two naval ships located near the impact point in the down-range area of Bay of Bengal.

Daily GK Updates - 17th November, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. 8th International Conference on Agricultural Statistics to be Held in New Delhi: The 8th edition of the International Conference on Agricultural Statistics (ICAS-VIII) will be held in New Delhi from 18th to 21st November 2019. The conference is being organized by the Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, ISI-CAS, FAO, the USDA, ADB, World Bank, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Eurostat, AfDB and various other organizations. Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar will inaugurate the event. The Chief Guest for the event is Bill Gates. Theme of the Conference: ‘Statistics for Transformation of Agriculture to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)’.

2. Darjeeling Green and White Tea gets Geographical Indications (GI) tag: Darjeeling green and white teas, whose price varies from Rs 3,000 -Rs 10,000 per kg, have received Geographical Indication (GI) tag for the domestic market, which will put to rest any doubt about their authenticity and quality. Both these premium teas have been registered as a GI in the country with effect from October 24, 2019, which means that any teas sold as Darjeeling white and green teas in the domestic market without GI will not be considered authentic teas. Darjeeling black tea is already registered as GI.

Note: Geographical indications mean indications which identify a product as originating from the territory of a member, or a region or locality in that territory, where a given quality, reputation or other characteristic of the product is essentially attributable to its geographical origin.

Darjeeling white tea has a unique aroma. While the leaves used for making black tea undergo withering and oxidation, those used for making white tea do not face any withering and oxidation. In other words, white tea undergoes minimum processing and the terminal buds with rich pubescence of tea shoots are merely dried in natural sunlight. This allows the buds to retain the covering of velvety silver colour. Darjeeling white tea brews have a pale yellow/light translucent colour and has a slightly sweet flavour with no ‘grassy’ undertones sometimes associated with green tea. Darjeeling white tea has good demand in the US and European Union. The annual estimated production of Darjeeling white tea is one lakh kg.

3. Union Minister Harsh Vardhan launches SAANS campaign to curb pneumonia deaths in kids: Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Harsh Vardhan has launched SAANS Campaign which stands for ‘Social Awareness and Action to Neutralise Pneumonia Successfully’. The aim of the campaign is to reduce child mortality due to pneumonia, which contributes to around 15% deaths annually of children under the age of five. The campaign was launched in Gandhinagar, Gujarat at the 6th National Summit on Good, Replicable Practices and Innovations. The HMIS data for 2018-19 ranked Madhya Pradesh on top in the number of child deaths due to pneumonia, followed by Gujarat on second.

4. 1st National Agrochemicals Congress held in New Delhi: The 1st National Agrochemicals Congress was held in New Delhi between November 13-16, 2019. The theme of the event was: Country’s Status on Various Fronts of Agrochemicals.  The Congress is conducted in view of the role chemical pesticides still continue to play in pest management as more and more target-specific and environment-friendly products are being introduced. From now onwards, it will be conducted once in every three years.

5. CBI sets up online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (OCSAE) Prevention/Investigation Unit at New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation has set up an online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (OCSAE) Prevention/Investigation Unit at New Delhi under its Special Crime Zone. The territorial jurisdiction of the online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (OCSAE) Prevention/Investigation Unit of CBI will be throughout India. OCSAE unit will collect, collate and disseminate information regarding publication, transmission, creation, collection, seeking, browsing, downloading, advertising, promoting, exchanging, distribution of information relating to online child sexual abuse and exploitation.

6. NCDEX ties up with NSE Indices to launch AGRIDEX, India’s first agri index: National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX) has partnered with NSE Indices Limited and launched  India’s first agri index — ‘NCDEX Agridex’, for easy reference to price variations in agricultural commodities. The AGRIDEX tracks and replicates the performance of the ten most liquid commodities traded on the NCDEX’s platform. It is an index futures contracts.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Russian President Vladimir Putin invites PM Modi for Victory Day celebrations in May: Russian President Vladimir Putin invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Victory Day celebrations in May next year as the two leaders had an "excellent meeting" in Brasilia and discussed ways to further cement their special strategic partnership. Modi, who is in Brazil for the 11th BRICS Summit which will focus on building mechanisms for counter-terrorism cooperation and strengthen India's ties with the world's five major economies, met Putin on the sidelines of the meeting and reviewed the full range of India-Russia relations. PM Modi also tweeted in Russian about the meeting. Mr Putin said that bilateral trade has registered a growth of 17 per cent.

Note: The annual May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow, where Russia shows off its military might, commemorates the May 1945 allied victory over Nazi Germany.

2. Bill Gates Surpasses Jeff Bezos as World’s Richest Person: Bloomberg: Billionaire philanthropist and Microsoft Corp. co-founder, Bill Gates has surpassed Amazon chief executive officer Jeff Bezos to become the world’s richest person on Earth with a net worth of $110 billion, according to the latest Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Gates, 64, had briefly topped Bezos (55), whose net worth stands at $109 billion. Europe’s richest person, Bernard Arnault, is third with $102.7 billion. Reliance Industries Limited Chairman Mukesh Ambani is the richest Indian in the list positioned at 14th spot with net worth of $56.7 billion.

3. World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims 2019: November 17: World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victimsis celebrated on Third Sunday in November every year. This year World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims is celebrated on 17 November, 2019 Purpose of this day is to remember those killed and injured on the roads, together with their families, friends, and others affected. Theme 2019: “Life is not a car part”.

Note: The day was started by the British road crash victim charity, RoadPeace, in 1993 and was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2005.

4. International Students’ Day: November 17: The International Students’ Day is celebrated on November 17 around the world, with special focus on ensuring education is available for all students.

Note: The date 17 November was chosen to be the International Students’ Day to commemorate the day in 1939, during World War II, when University of Prague was stormed by Nazis after demonstrations against the killing of Jan Opletal and the occupation of Czechoslovakia. Nine student leaders were subsequently killed, over 1200 students sent to concentration camps, and all Czech universities and colleges were closed.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. India Finishes Fourth in Medal Tally with 26 Medals in 2019 Asian Shooting Championships at Doha: The 14th edition of the Asian Shooting Championships, 2019 was held from 5 to 13 November 2019 in Doha, Qatar. India won total 26 medals (5G-10S-11B) to be placed at fourth spot in the medal table. China stood first with highest number of medals (45), followed by South Korea (21) and North Korea (11). Host nation Qatar won 3 medals to be placed at 8 spot among 16 nations that participated in the Championship. Winners of Gold Medal:

Udhayveer Sidhu, Vijayveer Sidhu, Gurpreet Singh – 5 m men’s standard pistol team

Angad Vir Singh Bajwa – Men’s Skeet

Manu Bhaker – Women’s 10 m air pistol

Anjum Moudgil, Kajal Saini, Tejaswini Sawant – Women’s 50 m rifle prone team

Abhishek Verma, Manu Bhaker – Mixed 10 m air pistol team

2. India record best-ever medal haul at World Para Athletics Championships, wins 9 medal: India has won 9 medals at the World Para Athletics Championship held in Dubai finishing in the 24th position. This is the best medal-winning haul by India. Out of these 9 medals, India won two gold, two silver and five bronze, securing 13 qualifying spots at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Until this edition, London 2017 had been India’s best ever show where the para athletes finished with five medals (one gold) in the joint 34th place. China topped the medals tally with 59 medals including 25 gold. Asian Para Games 2018 champion javelin thrower Sandeep Chaudhary stood out among the Indian performers by setting a new world record (F44) on the way to clinching the gold with a personal best 65.80m in men’s javelin F64 category

3. India’s first-ever day-night pink ball Test match to be played at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens from November 22: In a historic move, the first-ever day-night pink ball Test match on Indian soil will be held at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata from 22–26 November 2019 against Bangladesh. India is the only major Test-playing nation which has not played a day-night Test match before. For Bangladesh also, it will also mark their debut test with the pink ball on the international stage. Although Indian players have played with a pink ball before, but that ball was manufactured by the Australian company Kookaburra. The pink balls for the upcoming Test has been made by Sanspareils Greenlands (SG) of Meerut.

4. Senior Journalist Rajat Sharma Quits as DDCA Chief: Senior journalist Rajat Sharma has resigned from the post of President of Delhi and Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) on November 16 citing his inability to continue amidst “various pulls and pressures” within the organisation. Rajat Sharma said: “It seems that it may not be possible to carry on in DDCA with my principles of integrity, honesty and transparency, which I am not willing to compromise at any cost.”

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

1. NCAER predicts India’s GDP growth at 4.9% in FY20: The National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) has predicted India’s GDP growth rate for 2019-20 (FY20) at 4.9%. This comes a day after Moody’s cut its calendar year 2019 GDP forecast for India to 5.6 per cent from 6.2 per cent.

2. Google to launch checking accounts next year in a tie-up with Citigroup: Google will launch a checking account service next year in collaboration with Citigroup and a credit union at Stanford University. It will be launched under a project code named Cache. Google is working on a system that will host checking accounts clearly bearing the brands of the financial institutions.

3. Vodafone Idea posts India’s biggest ever quarterly loss at Rs 50,921 crore: Telecom firm Vodafone Idea has reported a record loss of Rs 50,921 crore for the July- September quarter 2019. This is the highest ever quarterly loss for any Indian company. The loss was reported as the company made a provision for the Supreme Court’s ruling on payment of average gross revenue (AGR) dues. Rs 30,774.5 crore was a one-time loss the company incurred due to the recent Supreme Court verdict.

Reliance Communications posted a mega loss of Rs 30,142 crore, registering India’s second biggest quarterly loss after Vodafone Idea. The firm was mainly hit due to provisioning for liabilities after the Supreme Court ruling on the AGR issue. Anil Ambani has submitted his resignation as director of Reliance Communications, even as the firm continues to remain under CIRP (Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process). Four other directors, including Smt. Chhaya Virani, Ryna Karani, Manjari Kacker and Suresh Rangachar have also submitted their resignation.

Bharti Airtel posted a loss of Rs 23,044 crore for the quarter ended September 30, due to Rs 28,450 crore provisions towards adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues.

AWARDS AND HONOUR

1. Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik received the Italian Golden Sand Art Award 2019: Acclaimed Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has been conferred the Italian Golden Sand Art Award, 2019 at a ceremony in Rome, becoming the first Indian to win the prestigious award for his contribution to sand art. Representing India at the International Scorrano Sand Nativity event held in Lecce from November 13 to 17, the acclaimed artist created a 10-foot high sand sculpture of Mahatma Gandhi along with Russian artist Pavel Minilkov.

2. Luka Modric Wins the 2019 Golden Foot Award: Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric has been announced as the winner of the 2019 Golden Foot Award. The Croatian, Luka is the 17th winner of the prestigious award which is exclusively ‘dedicated to the best footballers ever.’ The Golden Foot Award is an international football award given to active players of at least 28 years of age for their outstanding on-field achievements, both as an individual and a team player and for their personality. The award can only be won once.

ORBUTIRIES

1. Goa DGP Pranab Nanda dies of cardiac arrest in Delhi: Goa's Director General of Police Pranab Nanda has died due to cardiac arrest. Nanda was on a visit to Delhi after attending official functions in Goa. He was 57. The 1988-batch IPS officer was transferred to Goa on February 25 this year.