Daily GK Updates – 28th Nov, 2020

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Narendra Singh Tomar virtually inaugurates Phagwara mega food park: Union Food Processing Industries Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has virtually inaugurated the Rs 107.83 crore mega food park at Phagwara in Kapurthala district of Punjab. So far, 37 mega food parks have been sanctioned across the country, of which 20 have started functioning. The mega food park, spread over 55 acres of land and that will benefit 25,000 farmers, is equipped with warehouses in 3,944 square meters, silos with 20,000-tonne capacity, cold storage with 3,000-tonne capacity as well as individually quick-frozen and deep freezer units and other facilities.

Note: Chief Minister of Punjab: Capt. Amarinder Singh; Governor: V.P. Singh Badnore.

 

2. ‘Abhayam’ app for safety of women passengers launched in A.P: Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy launched “Abhayam” mobile phone application which helps women and children travelling in taxis and autorickshaws to raise an alarm in case of any emergency. To start with, 1,000 auto rickshaws equipped with Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled GPS devices would be rolled out in Visakhapatnam city. About 5,000 vehicles would be brought on to the platform by February 1, 50,000 by July 1 and 1 lakh by November 2021 covering Vijayawada and Tirupati and other towns later.

 

3. Cabinet approves Rs 6,000 Crore infusion in NIIF Debt Platform: The Union Cabinet approved equity infusion of Rs 6,000 crore in NIIF Debt Platform sponsored by National Investment and Infrastructure Fund. This was informed by information and broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar after the Cabinet meeting. The proposal to invest Rs 6,000 crore as equity into NIIF is part of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat 3.0 package announced earlier this month. This would be towards equity support to infrastructure finance companies such as India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd (IIFCL) and a subsidiary of NIIF.

 

4. Mamata Banerjee launches “Government At Doorstep” scheme: From December 1, West Bengal will launch an initiative to take government services to the doorsteps of people. ‘Duare Duare Sarkar’ or government at the doorstep. To run until Gandhi Jayanti on January 30, the initiative will attempt to ship pending companies to folks. From 11 am to 3 pm every day from December 1, government camps will be held in every block in the state where people can come and demand any service they have not received yet.

 

5. NITI Aayog forms panel to study feasibility of Hyperloop technology in India: Government think-tank NITI Aayog has formed a high-level panel to explore the technological and commercial viability of the Virgin Hyperloop technology for ultrahigh speed travel in India, weeks after its first test was completed with humans on board. The committee has NITI Aayog member V.K. Saraswat as its Chairman and Adviser (Infrastructure Connectivity, NITI Aayog) Sudhendu Jyoti Sinha as its convener. Its other members are Railway Board Chairman & CEO V.K. Yadav, the secretaries of the ministries of Housing and Urban Affairs, Road Transport and Highways, and the Maharashtra government’s Transport Secretary.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation’s Chairman, the Delhi Metro’s Managing Director, the IIT-Delhi Director and the Chairman (Technology Information) of the forecasting and assessment council are also its members.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. ‘Quarantine’ named Cambridge Dictionary’s Word of the Year 2020: Cambridge Dictionary has named ‘quarantine’ as Word of the Year 2020. The word has been named the word of the year based on data that showed that it was one of the most highly searched words on the Cambridge Dictionary this year. Cambridge editors have noticed that people are using the word in a new way this year describing a “general period of time in which people are not allowed to leave their homes or travel freely so that they do not catch or spread a disease.” This new sense of quarantine has now been added to the Cambridge Dictionary.

“Quarantine was the only word to rank in the top five for both search spikes and overall views (more than 183,000 by early November), with the largest spike in searches (28,545) seen in the week of March 18-24, when many countries around the world went into lockdown as a result of Covid-19,” as per an official release.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. New Zealand’s Greg Barclay elected new ICC Chairman: Auckland-based commercial lawyer and director of New Zealand Cricket (NZC) since 2012, Greg Barclay has been elected as the new chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC), after the second round of voting. Barclay succeeds India’s Shashank Manohar who stepped down in July 2020 and will replace Imran Khwaja, who is currently the interim chairman. He was serving as NZC’s representative on the board of the International Cricket Council and had also served as the director of ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2015.

Note: CEO of ICC: Manu Sawhney; Headquarters of ICC: Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Cabinet approves RBI’s proposal to merge Lakshmi Vilas Bank with DBS Bank: Union Cabinet has approved the merger of capital-starved Lakshmi Vilas Bank (LVB) with DBS Bank India. The Reserve Bank of India on 17 November proposed the merger of the lender with the Indian arm of Singapore’s DBS Bank. The 94-year-old LVB will now cease to exist and its equity completely wiped out. Its deposits will now be on the books of DBS India. Lakshmi Vilas is the second bank to need a rescue this year, and the third collapse of a major deposit-taking institution in 15 months and the first since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

As part of the amalgamation, DBIL will infuse fresh capital of Rs 2,500 crores into LVB. This also marks the first instance when India has turned to a foreign entity to bail out a struggling domestic bank. Under the deal, DBS got 563 branches, 974 ATMs and a $1.6 billion franchise in retail liabilities. Earlier, the RBI had placed LVB under a one-month moratorium till December 16, during which withdrawals for depositors have been capped at Rs 25,000.

About DBS Bank: DBS was the first foreign bank to receive a banking licence after the central bank allowed foreign banks to set up a wholly-owned subsidiary in 2014. “With DBS likely to use digital capabilities to enhance its physical footprint in India, the proposed deal could lead to a 30-40% increase in Indian assets of DBS.

Note: Managing Director & CEO of DBS Bank India Ltd: Surojit Shome; DBS Bank India Limited Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra; DBS Bank India Limited Established: 2014.

Lakshmi Vilas Bank Headquarters: Chennai, Tamil Nadu; Lakshmi Vilas Bank Founded: 1926.

 

2. RBI restricts withdrawals from Jalna-based Mantha Urban Coop Bank for 6 months: Reserve Bank of India imposed restrictions on withdrawals from Maharashtra-based Mantha Urban Cooperative Bank for six months. The RBI, in a release, said it has issued certain directions to Mantha Urban Cooperative Bank, Mantha District Jalna, Maharashtra, from the close of business on November 17, 2020. As per the directions, the bank will not, without prior approval of RBI in writing, grant or renew any loans and advances, make any investment, incur any liability including borrowal of funds and acceptance of fresh deposits, disburse or agree to disburse any payment, among others.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. SBI Signs Pact With Luxembourg Stock Exchange: State Bank of India (SBI) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Luxembourg Stock Exchange (LuxSe). The MoU will help SBI and LuxSE set up a long-term cooperation mechanism, and promote ESG (Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance) and green finance. Through this MoU, the Luxembourg Stock Exchange would work towards creating a sustainable environment for issuers, asset managers, and investors in terms of ESG focused funds and bonds.

 

2. India can attract $120-160 billion FDI annually by 2025: CII-EY report: India can expect to attract $120-160 billion of foreign direct investment (FDI) annually by 2025 if it manages to increase the FDI to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio between 3-4% from less than 2% now, Confederation of Indian Industry and EY said in a report. This can aid in bringing back India’s GDP growth rate to 7-8% range,” they said in the report titled ‘FDI in India: Now, Next and Beyond’. As per the report, India has observed a GDP growth of 6.8% in the current decade, with FDI to GDP at around 1.8%. The report highlighted that a large untapped opportunity beyond four major states remains to be explored. Four Indian states- Maharashtra (28%), Karnataka (19%), Delhi (16%) and Gujarat (10%)- attracted around 75% of the FDI inflows in the country from October 2019 to June 2020.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Delhi Crime bags Best Drama Series at the International Emmy Awards: The Netflix show, Delhi Crime has won the Best Drama Series award at the 48th International Emmy Awards 2020. Delhi Crime is the first web-series from India to win an International Emmy Award. The show is written and directed by Richie Mehta and features actress Shefali Shah as the main character. The complete list of 2020 International Emmy Awards winners:

Best Drama Series:  Delhi Crime (India)

Best Comedy Series:  Ninguem Ta Olhando (Nobody’s Looking) (Brazil)

Best Actress:  Glenda Jackson, Elizabeth Is Missing (United Kingdom)

Best Actor:  Billy Barratt, Responsible Child (United Kingdom)

Best TV Movie/Mini-Series:  Responsible Child (United Kingdom)

Best Short-Form Series:  #Martyisdead (Czech Republic)

Best Non-English Language US Primetime Program:  20th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards and Reina Del Sur – Season 2

Best Telenovela: Orfaos Da Terra (Orphans Of A Nation) (Brazil)

Best Documentary:  For Sama (United Kingdom)

Best Arts Programming:  Vertige De La Chute (Ressaca) (France)

Best Non-Scripted Entertainment:  Old People’s Home For 4 Year Olds (Australia)

 

DEFENCE

 

1. Indian Army successfully testfires Land-attack version of BrahMos missile: Indian Army successfully test-fired a land-attack version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands territory. The supersonic cruise missile successfully hit its target, which was on another island.

About BrahMos supersonic cruise missile: The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile is the world`s fastest operational system in its class. DRDO has recently extended the range of the missile system from the existing 298 km to around 450 km. Brahmos is a universal long-range supersonic cruise missile system that can be launched from land, sea and air. The missile has been jointly developed by DRDO, India, and NPOM, Russia, through the joint venture BrahMos Aerospace.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Veteran Actor VM Badola passes away: Popular actor Varun Badola’s father, Vishwa Mohan Badola (VM Badola) passed away due to age-related issues. He was 84. V M Badola began his career as a journalist but later steered towards performing arts, venturing into theatre in Delhi. He also went on to do more than 400 plays for the national public radio broadcaster All India Radio in his career spanning over five decades. Varun Badola is best known for his appearance in shows such as Koshish – Ek Aashaa, Des Mein Niklla Hoga Chand, Astitva.. Ek Prem Kahani, among others.

 

2. Football Legend Diego Maradona passes away: One of the greatest footballers of all time, Diego Maradona passed away. He was captain when Argentina won the 1986 World Cup, producing a series of sublime individual performances. He was largely responsible for Argentina’s World Cup victory in 1986 in Mexico, scoring two famous goals in one game against England in the quarter-finals. He played for Barcelona and Napoli during his club career, winning two Serie A titles with the Italian side.

Maradona’s most iconic moment was arguably his infamous ‘Hand of God’ moment during Argentina versus England match in the 1986 FIFA World Cup. His second goal in the match is regarded as the “Goal of the Century”.

Daily GK Updates – 27th Nov, 2020

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Himachal Pradesh govt launches ‘Him Suraksha Abhiyan’: Himachal Pradesh government has launched ‘Him Suraksha Abhiyan’ to sensitize the people regarding Covid-19 pandemic and also to collect information regarding symptoms of diseases like TB, Leprosy, sugar and blood pressure by the door to door campaign throughout the State. Under this Abhiyan about 8000 teams comprising of Health, Ayurveda, Women and Child Development, Panchayati Raj Departments, District Administration and NGOs would be involved in this campaign. It would ensure door to door data collection of health parameters of the people.

While launching the program in Shimla, Chief Minister Jairam Thakur said that not only symptomatic patients with probable Covid-19 would be detected under this campaign but patients with other ailments would also be listed through the campaign. He urged the people of the State to provide wholehearted support to the health workers by providing them accurate information about their diseases and health parameters.

Note: Chief Minister of HP: Jairam Thakur; Governor of HP: Bandaru Dattatraya.

 

2. Bengaluru Tech Summit held digitally: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Karnataka’s flagship annual technology event- 23rd edition of the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2020 via video-conferencing. He shared the significance behind the Digital India mission launched by the Centre five years ago. The 3-day summit, to be held at a star hotel in the city centre, focus on innovation and growth in IT and biotechnology (BT), which drive the growth of this tech hub in the southern state. With “Next is Now” as the theme, the summit deliberate on challenges emerging in the post-pandemic world and focus on the impact of technologies and innovations in IT and BT. About 200 Indian tech firms are showcasing their products and technologies in the virtual exhibition.

 

3. “Nivar” in Bay of Bengal intensifies into severe cyclonic storm: The Deep Depression over the South West Bay of Bengal has intensified into the Cyclonic Storm “Nivar”. The cyclone is currently located 410 km east-southeast of Puducherry and 450 km southeast of Chennai. As per the India Meteorological Department, Cyclone Nivar is very likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm in the next 24-hours. The storm shall cross Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts between Karaikal and Mamallapuram around Puducherry. The impact of the Cyclone shall be faced by the governments of Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka. Maximum hazard will be caused to Tamil Nadu, which has been placed under ‘red’ (take action) alert. The NDRF has formed 30 teams to launch rescue and relief operations in these states in view of the cyclone “Nivar”.

 

4. Martyrdom Day of ‘Guru Tegh Bahadur’: Every year, November 24 is celebrated as Martyrdom Day of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Guru of Sikhs of Sikh religion. The day is celebrated as Shaheedi Divas of Guru Tegh Bahadur across the country. 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.

About Guru Tegh Bahadur: Guru Tegh Bahadur’s term as Guru ran from 1665 to 1675. In the Guru Granth Sahib, there are one hundred and fifteen hymns of Guru Tegh Bahadur. Guru Tegh Bahadur is remembered for his selfless service to people. He travelled across the country with the teachings of Guru Nanak – the first Sikh Guru. Guru Tegh Bahadur had set up community kitchens and wells for the local people wherever he went. Anandpur Sahib, the famous holy city and a global tourist attraction in the foothills of Himalayas, was founded by Guru Tegh Bahadur.

 

5. AAI observes Aviation Safety Awareness Week 2020: Airports Authority of India (AAI) is observing the Aviation Safety Awareness Week 2020 from 23 November to 27 November 2020. The week-long celebration is being observed at all airports and ANS locations managed by AAI across India. Airport Directors will be organizing awareness programme in school/colleges on the role of local residents in aviation safety to make people of the surrounding community aware of their role in ensuring the safety of aircraft operating in the local airport. The Ministry of Civil Aviation aims to achieve long term objective of Zero fatality by the year 2030 as envisaged by ICAO in its Global Aviation Safety Plan (GASP-2020-22) through better managed safety systems of stakeholders.

Note: Minister of State (IC) of the Ministry of Civil Aviation: Hardeep Singh Puri.

Airports Authority of India Headquarters: New Delhi; Airports Authority of India Founded: 1 April 1995; Airports Authority of India Chairman: Arvind Singh.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. India announces over 100 high-impact projects for Afghanistan: The 2020 Afghanistan Conference was organized in Geneva from 23-24 November 2020 virtually. The External Affairs Minister of India, Dr S. Jaishankar led the Indian delegation at the conference. The Conference was co-hosted by the United Nations, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, and the Government of Finland.

India announced a slew of new development projects for Afghanistan during the conference, which includes: Construction of the Shatoot Dam, which would provide safe drinking water to 2 million residents of Kabul city. This dam will be built on the 202-kilometre Phul-e-Khumri transmission line, which was built by India in 2019 to provide electricity to Kabul city. India has introduced a brand new section of over 100 high-impact neighbourhood initiatives in Afghanistan value USD 80 million (Rs 592 crore) because the nation’s growth portfolio within the war-ravaged nation has reached over USD three billion (Rs 22,200 crore) to this point.

Note: Afghanistan Capital: Kabul; Afghanistan President: Ashraf Ghani; Afghanistan Currency: Afghan afghani; Afghanistan Official languages: Pashto, Dari.

 

2. China launches historic “Chang’e-5” mission to Collect Lunar Samples: China has launched a historic mission ‘Chang’e 5‘ to the moon to collect ‘first lunar samples’. The mission aims at the investigation of the landing area to obtain the on-site analysis data related to the lunar samples, as well as systematic and long-term laboratory analysis of the lunar samples. It is the world’s first moon-sample mission in more than 40 years. Till date, only two nations, the US and the Soviet Union have been able to collect the lunar sample. The last mission was undertaken by Soviet Union’s Luna 24 mission in 1976.

About the Mission: The spacecraft “Chang’e-5” was launched on China’s indigenous Long March-5 rocket from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on the coast of the southern island province of Hainan province. This is China’s first attempt to retrieve samples from an extraterrestrial body. China’s spacecraft will collect and return samples from the moon. If successful, China will become the only third nation to have collected the lunar sample.

 

3. SpaceX, NASA, ESA launch Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich mission: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched an advanced ocean-mapping satellite into orbit for NASA and the European Space Agency in a stunning morning launch from California. The launch marked SpaceX’s SpaceX 22nd Falcon 9 this year. The Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite is named for Michael Freilich, the former head of NASA’s Earth science division who died of cancer in August. This $97 million satellite is the first in what will be a pair of identical ocean-focused satellites; the next, Sentinel-6B, will launch in 2025. With the data collected by Sentinel-6, scientists around the world will be able to make higher-resolution observations of the ocean much closer to shore.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Kotak Mutual Fund launches Kotak ESG Opportunities Fund: Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Company has launched Kotak ESG Opportunities Fund. The New Fund Offer (NFO) of the scheme will close for subscription on December 4. The fund will focus on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors and the Principles for Responsible Investing (PRI). KMAMC is the first asset management company to sign the United Nation’s Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI). Kotak ESG Opportunities Fund will be managed by Harsha Upadhyaya. The scheme will invest in companies based on financial parameters and non-financial factors such as Environmental, Social and Governance as a part of its research process to identify material risks and growth opportunities.

 

2. NABARD sanctions RS 74.31 crore for Meghalaya roads: The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has sanctioned over Rs 74 crore for the construction of 6 new roads and improvement of 24 existing roads in Meghalaya. Under this sanction, 22 village roads, 6 other district roads and 2 major district roads will be covered which are proposed to be completed within three years.

 

3. RBI panel recommends raising promoters cap to 26% in private banks: A Reserve Bank of India (RBI) panel has recommended raising the cap on promoter shareholding in private sector banks to 26 per cent of the paid up equity after 15 years of operation from 15 per cent. The panel has also proposed that large corporates may be permitted to promote banks after necessary amendments to the Banking Regulations Act. The committee, led by PK Mohanty, has also proposed converting of payments banks into a small finance bank. For this, the track record of 3 years of experience as payments bank may be considered as sufficient. As per the report, small finance banks and payments banks may be listed within ‘6 years from the date of reaching net worth equivalent to prevalent entry capital requirement prescribed for universal banks’ or ’10 years from the date of commencement of operations’, whichever is earlier.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Karnataka aims to become a $50-bn bio-economy by 2025: The Karnataka government announced that it has set a target to become a USD 50 billion biotechnology market by 2025, contributing to half of the national bio-economy projected to be achieved by then. The government released its first draft of the Bio-economy Report 2020 at the Bengaluru Tech Summit, highlighting achievements and earmarking targets for the next five years. The report also claims that the same has grown by 14-17 per cent in the previous two years and that the state contributes 10.3 per cent to the gross state domestic product (GSDP) of USD 221.82 billion. While the report estimates the bio-economy of the state at USD 22.6 billion (Rs 1,67,240 crores) and growing at present, it is projected to USD 42 billion by 2025.

 

2. FICCI FLO inks pact with IESC, IIM Shillong to mentor women entrepreneurs: FLO, the women wing of the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), said it has signed an agreement with Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Shillong and Incubation and Enterprise Support Centre (IESC) to mentor entrepreneurs. Under this Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), FICCI FLO, IESC and IIM Shillong will jointly provide guidance and mentor entrepreneurs by facilitating a nurturing, instructive and supportive environment during the initial and critical stages of starting a business, thus enabling them to reduce the initial startup costs and establish themselves in a shorter timeframe.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Pilibhit Tiger Reserve gets global award for doubling tiger population: The Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR) and the Uttar Pradesh Forest department have bagged the first-ever international award, “TX2” for doubling the number of tigers in four years against a target of 10 years. TX2 stands for ‘Tigers times two’, signalling the goal to double wild tigers. In 2014, PTR had 25 tigers which went up to 65 in 2018. PTR is the first to receive the award among all the 13 tiger range countries. (India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam.) It achieved the goal of doubling the tiger’s population in just four years, against the target of 10 years.  The award was virtually presented to the principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife) of the state, Sunil Pandey, by UNDP’s (United Nations Development Program) head of ecosystems and biodiversity, Mindori Paxton.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Congress veteran Ahmed Patel passes away: Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP, Ahmed Patel passed away. He was Lok Sabha MP for three terms from 1977 to 1989 and Rajya Sabha MP since 1993 representing Gujarat. He also served as the political secretary to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and was one of the party’s top negotiators during the UPA regime.

 

2. Veteran TV actor Ashiesh Roy passes away: Television actor Ashiesh Roy has passed away. The actor had appeared in a number of TV shows and films in his long acting career which began in 1997. Some of his famous television shows include Movers & Shakers, Yes Boss, Remix, Baa Bahoo Aur Baby, Chaldi Da Naam Gaddi, Burey Bhi Hum Bhale Bhi Hum, Sasural Simar Ka, Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi, Mere Angne Mein, Aarambh. He was also a voice actor who has been dubbing for foreign films. 

Daily GK Updates – 26th Nov, 2020

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. 5th India International Cherry Blossom Festival cancelled: The 5th India International Cherry Blossom Festival has been cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic. The festival is held every year in Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya, to celebrate the unique autumn flowering of the Himalayan cherry blossoms and mark the beginning of India’s version of autumn. Every year, Shillong hosts a plethora of events like fitness art, fashion show, rock concerts and much more to mark the festival.

Note: Meghalaya Chief Minister: Conrad Sangma; Meghalaya Governor: Satya Pal Malik; Meghalaya Capital: Shillong.

 

2. Ravi Shankar Prasad launches International version of UMANG App: Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad has launched the UMANG mobile app International version in coordination with Ministry of External Affairs for select countries that include USA, UK, Canada, Australia, UAE, Netherlands, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. The Union Minister also launched an e-Book which presents major milestones of UMANG and major services available on UMANG App classified into various categories. Mr Prasad also unveiled the newly instituted UMANG Awards for Partner Departments of Centre and States based on the highest number of transactions across services.

About UMANG mobile app: The UMANG mobile app –Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance is a Government of India all-in-one single, unified, secure, multi-channel, multi-lingual, multi-service Mobile App. providing access to high impact services of various Government of India Departments and State Governments.

International Version: It will help Indian international students, NRIs and Indian tourists abroad, to avail Government of India services, anytime. It will also help in taking India to the world through ‘Indian Culture’ services available on UMANG and create interest amongst foreign tourists to visit India.

 

3. 1st cow hospital of Northeast inaugurated in Assam: A cow shelter in Assam’s Dibrugarh inaugurated Northeast’s first-ever cow hospital, on the occasion of Gopashtami. The hospital, Surbhi Aarogyashala, is set up by Shree Gopal Gaushala at a cost of Rs 17 lakh. The hospital will provide services in 30 km radius. There are 368 cows in the shelter.

Note: Chief Minister of Assam: Sarbananda Sonowal; Governor: Prof. Jagdish Mukhi.

 

4. Indian Constitution Day: 26th November: In India, 26 November is celebrated as Constitution Day or Samvidhan Diwas. On this day in 1949, the constitution was adopted which came into force on January 26, 1950, marking the beginning of a new era in the history of India. On 19th November 2015, during the year-long celebration of the 125th birth anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar, Government of India declared November 26th as the Constitution Day. Previously this day was celebrated as Law Day. 26 November was chosen to spread the importance of the constitution and to spread thoughts and ideas of Ambedkar.

 

5. National Milk Day: 26th November: In India, November 26 is celebrated as National Milk Day, since 2014, to commemorate the birthday of the father of India’s White Revolution, Dr Verghese Kurien (also nicknamed as Milkman of India). The day was fixed by all the dairy majors of the country including the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), the Indian Dairy Association (IDA), along with 22 state-level milk federations. The significance of National Milk Day lies in the fact that this day celebrates the importance of milk in a person’s life. The Indian Dairy Association (IDA), in 2014, took the initiative to celebrate this day for the first time. The first National Milk Day was celebrated on 26 November 2014 where various milk producers from 22 states participated.

Note: World Milk Day is observed on 1 June every year by the United Nations.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. India to host G-20 Summit in 2023: India will host the Summit of the G20 Group in 2023. India was earlier slated to host the summit in 2022. India and Indonesia have swapped their respective hosting year of G20 as Indonesia would also chair the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2023. However, now the G20 Summit be hosted by Italy in 2021, Indonesia in 2022, India in 2023 and Brazil in 2024.

 

2. Malaysia hosted 2020 APEC Summit: The 2020 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting was held under the Chairmanship of Malaysian Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. This was the first time that all 21 APEC Economic Leaders met virtually due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The APEC 2020 ended with the adoption of the APEC Putrajaya Vision 2040 and the 2020 Kuala Lumpur Declaration. The APEC Summit 2021 will be hosted by New Zealand. This is the second time Malaysia hosted an APEC meeting, having hosted one in 1998. The theme of the APEC Malaysia 2020 was “Optimising Human Potential Towards a Resilient Future of Shared Prosperity: Pivot. Prioritise. Progress”.

About Putrajaya Vision 2040: The Putrajaya Vision 2040 is a new 20-year growth vision, which will replace the existing Bogor Goals, which was agreed by leaders in 1994 for free and open trade and investment in APEC.

Note: APEC headquarters: Singapore; APEC Founded: November 1989.

Malaysia Capital: Kuala Lumpur; Malaysia Currency: Malaysian Ringgit.

 

3. CAG GC Murmu Elected as External Auditor of Inter Parliamentary Union, Geneva: The Comptroller & Auditor General of India Girish Chandra Murmu has been elected as External Auditor of Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU), Geneva for three years. Murmu will assume the position shortly by taking charge from Supreme Audit Institution of Switzerland. The CAG of India has been the external auditor of various international organisations. He has earlier also been on the UN Board of Auditors from 1993 to 1999 and 2014 to 2020. Presently, he is the external auditor of the World Health Organization, Geneva and Food & Agriculture Organization, Rome.

 

4. UK plans to ban sales of diesel and petrol cars from 2030: Prime Minister Boris Johnson has confirmed the UK will ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in 2030, before banning new hybrid sales in 2035. The government originally planned to implement the ban in 2040, before deciding to move the deadline forward to 2035. The ban only applies to the sale of new vehicles, and with the average British car boasting a lifespan of around 14 years, it seems likely gasoline- and diesel-powered cars will remain a common sight on UK roads well into the 2040s. It seems likely many plug-in hybrid cars will remain on the road until the 2050s.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Daniil Medvedev beat Dominic Thiem to win ATP Tour 2020: In Tennis, Daniil Medvedev (Russia) beat Dominic Thiem (Austria) to win the 2020 ATP Tour Finals, held in London. This is the biggest title of his career. The 24-year-old will finish the year at fourth position in the world rankings. In the doubles final, Dutch-Croatian duo Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic claimed their first title together after surpassing Jurgen Melzer and Edouard Roger-Vasselin.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. RBI imposes six-month ban on Manta Urban Cooperative Bank: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has banned the Manta Urban Cooperative Bank in Jalna district of Maharashtra for six months for payment of money and loan transactions. The central bank has given some instructions to this bank, which will be effective for six months since the bank closed on 17 November 2020. According to these instructions, this bank will not be able to make any loan or loan without RBI permission, nor will it be able to renew the old loans and make any investment. Bank has also been banned from accepting new deposits. He will not be able to make any payment nor make any agreement to pay.

Note: Governor of RBI: Shaktikanta Das; Deputy Governors of RBI: BP Kanungo, MK Jain, MD Patra and Rajeshwar Rao; Headquarters of RBI: Mumbai, Maharashtra.

 

2. ADB approves $50 mn loan to improve resource planning in West Bengal: The Asian Development Bank said it has approved a USD 50 million loan to improve operational efficiencies and resource planning and management in West Bengal. The loan will support the integration of financial and information system and the expansion of automation reforms in the operations of the state government, which are expected to strengthen the delivery of public services and create fiscal savings. The loan will be supplemented by a USD 350,000 technical assistance grant for capacity building, monitoring of IFMS (Integrated Financial Management System) reforms, and strengthening the integration of social and gender aspects in reform areas.

 

3. RBI imposes Rs 1 cr penalty on PNB for unauthorised ATM operations: State run Punjab National Bank said the RBI has imposed a penalty of Rs 1 crore on it for contravention of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act. RBI  has observed that the Bank was operating a bilateral ATM sharing arrangement with Druk PNB Bank Ltd, Bhutan, (international subsidiary of the Bank), since April, 2010 without the prior approval / authorisation from RBI. Meannwhile, in a statement the RBI said it has cancelled the Certificate of Authorisation (CoA) of five Payment System Operators (PSOs) engaged in issuance and operation of prepaid payment instruments.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. BSE StAR MF launches a direct investment portal for corporate: BSE, the leading stock exchange has launched ‘Corp Direct – A Direct Investment Portal for Corporates’, with more features which will further simplify and provide end-to-end value-based services to the asset management companies (AMCs), distributors, investors, and mutual fund industry participants. The StAR MF Corp Direct Portal is loaded with salient new features and is currently live for Corporates. It will soon be available for other non-individuals (HUF, Partnership Firms, Societies, etc.) The key features of StAR MF Corp Direct are as below – End to End Digital Web Module, Corporate Parent-Child Entity Concept, All AMCs and Schemes available under single plat form, SMS & Email Confirmation & approval process and Multiple Transactions at single click.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. ISRO Chairman K Sivan receives Doctor of Science Honorary Doctorate: Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala presented Doctor of Science honorary doctorate upon ISRO Chairman K Sivan. The Visvesvaraya Technological University has conferred the doctorate to him. The Governor highly praised the role of ISRO in defining our Space programme and the social role that it has played in the country.

 

DEFENCE

 

1. Indian Navy gets 9th P-8I anti-submarine warfare aircraft: Indian Navy has got its ninth 1. India-Singapore Maritime Exercise SIMBEX-20: The 27th edition of India – Singapore Bilateral Maritime Exercise SIMBEX-20 has been organised from 23 to 25 November 2020 in the Andaman Sea. Indian Navy (IN) is the host for the 2020 edition of SIMBEX. The SIMBEX series of exercises are being held between the Indian Navy and Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), annually since 1994. The exercise aims at enhancing mutual inter-operability and imbibing best practices from each other.

From the Indian side, destroyer Rana with integral Chetak helicopter and indigenously built corvettes Kamorta and Karmuk, IN submarine Sindhuraj and P8I maritime reconnaissance aircraft will participate in the exercise. RSN will be represented by the ‘Formidable’ Class frigates ‘Intrepid’ and ‘Steadfast’ with integral S70B helicopter and ‘Endurance’ Class Landing Ship Tank ‘Endeavour’ in the exercise.

Note: Chief of Naval Staff: Admiral Karambir Singh

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Sahitya Academy award winning Telugu Poet Shaik Khaja Hussain passes away: Noted Telugu poet, journalist, scriptwriter Shaik Khaja Hussain, has passed away after brief illness. He was 70. Popularly known as Devi Priya, the renowned poet bagged the Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award in 2017, for his book Gaali Rangu.

Daily GK Updates – 25th Nov, 2020

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Bhubaneswar, 1st City in Country To Bag ISO Certification for Faecal Sludge and Septage Management: Bhubaneswar becomes the 1st city in the entire country to receive the ISO-9001:2015 certification for effective Faecal Sludge & Septage Management FSSM services. Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) obtained the ISO Certification after successful completion of audit. Bhubaneswar is 2nd in the world and first city in India for FSSM Services. According to BMC, it is the first ULB in the state to pass and adopt FSSM in the state. It has issued a notification in the newspaper for registration of private operators and private cesspool vehicles with an incentive that first 50 vehicles coming forward for registration will be fitted with GPS devices free of cost by BMC.

 

2. New building permission system ‘TS-bPASS’ launched in Telangana: A new online single window system for sanctioning approvals to new buildings based on self- certification by the applicants was launched in Telangana by Municipal Administration Minister K T Rama Rao. Under the Telangana State Building Permission Approval and Self-Certification System (TS-bPASS), no permission was required for constructing a house in plots area up to 75 square yards and building height up to 7 meters. Instant approval for buildings will be provided for plots of above 75 square yards land and up to 600 square yards land, based on self-certification.

 

3. Over 50,000 Ayushman Bharat Health & Wellness Centers set up across country: Aiming at providing Comprehensive Primary Health Care (CPHC) services to the communities closer to their homes, 1.5 lakh Ayushman Bharat – Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs) are to be established by December 2022. With more than 50,000 having been established, one-third of the target has been met. This has led to improved access to affordable primary healthcare services for more than 25 crore people. Ayushman Bharat was launched in 2018 with its twin pillars of Health & Wellness Centers (HWCs) and Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) for full range of services across the continuum of care.

 

4. Digital museum opens at Maharaj Bada in Gwalior, MP: In Madhya Pradesh, a digital museum has been opened at Maharaj Bada in Gwalior for the public. The museum is developed by Gwalior Smart City and entry for the public is being made free for a few days. It is the first center of its kind in Gwalior and Bundelkhand area and will play a role in educating school students. In the Digital Museum, the architectural styles, objects, costumes, lifestyle, musical instruments, jewelry, handicrafts, cultural tradition, painting and many genres of paintings have been digitally displayed in a modern way.

 

5. GoI releases Rs 3,971 crores for micro-irrigation projects: Government of India sanctioned a loan of 3,971 crores of rupees for micro irrigation projects in Tamil Nadu. This is one of the biggest loans being sanctioned for the state of Tamil Nadu. The loan has been sanctioned at subsidised interest rate under micro irrigation fund. The micro irrigation fund was created within the National bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, NABARD.This fund with a corpus of Rs 5,000 crore was operationalised in FY20 with an objective to facilitate states in availing subsidised loans for expanding coverage of micro irrigation.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. EIU’s Worldwide Cost of Living (WCOL) Index 2020 announced: The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has released its biannual ‘Worldwide Cost of Living (WCOL)’ report of the World’s Most Expensive Cities in 2020, based on their cost of living. Hong Kong (China), Paris (France) and Zurich (Switzerland) share the top spot as the most expensive cities in the list, which comprises of 133 cities. Damascus (Syria), Taskent (Uzbekistan), Lusaka (Zambia) ranked the last three spot as the most cheapest cities in the list, which comprises of 133 cities. The report took into account the price of 138 items, used in every day for survival, and the falling or rising value of that country’s currency due to Covid to rank the cities accordingly.

Note: Economist Intelligence Unit Headquarters: London, United Kingdom; Economist Intelligence Unit Founded: 1946.

 

2. ADB Allocates $20 Million to help developing members access vaccines for COVID-19: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has allocated $20.3 million in technical assistance to help its developing members access vaccines for Covid-19 and establish systems to enable equitable and efficient vaccine distribution. The funds will be available for ADB developing members to support vaccine-related health system assessments and the development of country readiness plans to strengthen the capacity to access, introduce, deploy, deliver, and monitor vaccines safely and effectively, the multilateral funding agency.

 

3. NASA-ESA successfully launches Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite: The US space agency NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) successfully launched ‘Copernicus Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite’, to monitor the rising global sea level. The joint US-European satellite lifted off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

About Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite: The Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite will help to enhance weather forecasts and provide detailed information on large-scale ocean currents to support ship navigation near coastlines. The US-EU collaboration for the monitoring of sea-level record began in 1992 with the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite and followed by Jason-1 (2001), OSTM/Jason-2 (2008), and eventually, Jason-3 (2016). This Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite will be followed in 2025 by its twin, Sentinel-6B.

Note: The administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration: Jim Bridenstine; Headquarters of NASA: Washington D.C., United States.

 

4. International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women: 25th November: The United Nations designated International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women is celebrated worldwide on November 25. The day is celebrated to raise awareness of the fact that women around the world are subject to various forms of violence and the true nature of the issue is often hidden. This year’s theme for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is “Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect!”. In 1981, activists at the Latin American and Caribbean Feminist Encuentros marked November 25 as a day to combat and raise awareness of violence against women more broadly; on December 17, 1999, the date received its official United Nations (UN) resolution.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Jannik Sinner Clinches Maiden ATP Tour Title in Sofia: Italian teenager Jannik Sinner has become the youngest man to capture an ATP Tour title in more than 12 years after his title win at the Sofia Open. Sinner defeated Vasek Pospisil of Canada 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (3) in the summit clash to win his first ATP title. Pospisil was also attempting to capture his first ATP Tour crown. The last player to have lifted a tour-level trophy at a younger age than Sinner was Kei Nishikori who had earned his maiden ATP Tour title as an 18-year-old at the 2008 Delray Beach Open.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. RBL Bank selects Amazon Web Services to drive digital transformation: RBL Bank has selected Amazon Web Services (AWS) as its preferred cloud service to drive digital transformation. At present, around 40 per cent of the bank’s mission-critical applications are on the cloud. The bank first migrated its corporate website to AWS cloud and with the experience gained initiated a 10-in-10 project (a complete migration of 10 applications in 10 days). The bank chose AWS for its commitment to security and highly reliable global infrastructure.

 

2. ICICI Bank partners Pine Labs to unveil ‘Cardless EMI’: Private lender ICICI Bank has launched a fully digital mode of payment at leading retail stores. Titled as ‘ICICI Bank Cardless EMI’ (Equated Monthly Instalments), the facility will help lakhs of its pre-approved customers in buying their favourite gadgets or home appliances with the help of their mobile phone and PAN. ICICI Bank is the first lender in India to introduce a fully digital, cardless EMI facility at retail stores. For this facility the bank joined hands with Pine Labs, merchant commerce platform, to offer this facility across pan-India outlets of leading retailers namely Croma, Reliance Digital, My Jio Stores and Sangeetha Mobiles. Buyers can simply convert the high-value transactions into easy, no-cost monthly instalments by furnishing their registered mobile number, PAN and OTP (received on mobile number) on the PoS machine at the retail outlets.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Reliance Retail buys Urban Ladder for $24.4 million: Reliance Retail has acquired a majority stake in furniture and decor platform Urban Ladder, making a broader push into e-commerce as the largest retail chain in India gears up to fight Amazon and Flipkart. In a filing to the local stock exchange, Reliance Retail said it had acquired a 96% stake in Urban Ladder for about $24.43 million. The Indian retail giant, which retains the option to acquire the remainder stake in the seven-and-a-half-years-old startup, said it has proposed to invest up to $10.06 million more in Urban Ladder by December 2023.

 

2. NASSCOM Launches New FutureSkills PRIME Platform for Reskilling: As part of its ongoing efforts to foster an ecosystem that enhances India’s digital talent with the right set of skills, the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) launched FutureSkills PRIME Beta Platform. The programme will be offered as a robust online platform to encourage remote and self-paced learning. Many awareness-building modules will be free to access, allowing the maximum number of participations. Under the Programme, 4.12 lakh learners will get subsidised access to certified courses in any of the 10 identified emerging technologies (Artificial Intelligence, Internet of things, Big Data Analytics, Robotic Process Automation, Additive Manufacturing/3D Printing, Cloud Computing, Social & Mobile, Cyber Security, Augmented/Virtual Reality and Blockchain.)

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Naseeruddin Shah honoured with Aditya Vikram Birla Kalashikhar Puraskar: Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah has been honoured with the 2020 Aditya Vikram Birla Kalashikhar Puraskar at annual Sangit Kala Kendra Awards. Alongside, two emerging stars, in the firmament of theatrics – Neel Choudhary and Irawati Karnik were awarded the Aditya Vikram Birla Kalakiran Puraskars. “Theatre” is the central theme, for this year’s awards.

The Aditya Vikram Birla Kalashikhar and Kalakiran Puraskar awards, were instituted in 1996 by the Sangeet Kala Kendra (SKK), which was founded in 1973 by Aditya Vikram Birla (former Chairman of Aditya Birla Group), to honor excellence in theatre and performing arts.

 

2. 14-year-old TN girl wins Children’s Climate Prize for designing solar-powered ironing cart: Vinisha Umashankar, a 14-year-old studying in 9th grade at a private school in Tiruvannamalai, has won the prestigious Children’s Climate Prize for designing a mobile ironing cart using solar panels to power a steam iron box rather than conventional charcoal. Vinisha will receive the prize of 100,000 Swedish krona (Rs 8.64 lakh approximately), diploma, and medal from the Sweden-based Children’s Climate Foundation at a digital event. This is the fifth edition of the Children’s Climate Prize — one of the world’s largest international climate awards for young innovators.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Former IIS officer M L Dhar passes away: M L Dhar, former IIS officer, passed away in Ahmedabad. He was 72. He started his career as News Editor in News Services Division of All India Radio in 1971 and worked in several media units of Information and Broadcasting Ministry including PIB, Doordarshan News and erstwhile Directorate of Field Publicity. He retired as Director.

 

2. Former CM of Assam Tarun Gogoi passes away: Tarun Gogoi, former chief minister of Assam, passed away in Guwahati after his health condition deteriorated. He was 84. Assam’s longest serving chief minister, was a popular leader and a veteran administrator, who had years of political experience in Assam as well as the Centre. Gogoi was the MLA from the Titabor assembly constituency since 2001. He was also a six-time parliamentarian and a Union minister twice.