NATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
Punjab became 1st Indian state to approve Tissue Culture-Based Seed Potato
Rules: The
Punjab Cabinet headed by chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi approved the
‘Punjab Tissue Culture Based Seed Potato Rules-2021’ to develop Punjab as a
standard potato seed centre. With this decision, Punjab has become the first
Indian state to have the facility of tissue culture-based certification, which
will develop the Jalandhar-Kapurthala belt of Punjab as the export hub of
potatoes. The Cabinet also approved to introduce the ‘Punjab Horticulture
Nursery Bill-2021’ by amending ‘Punjab Fruit Nursery Act-1961‘.
Note: Punjab Governor: Banwarilal Purohit;
Punjab Capital: Chandigarh; Punjab Chief minister: Charanjit Singh Channi.
2.
14th edition of Cyber security conference to be inaugurated by Bipin Rawat: Chief of Defence
Staff, General Bipin Rawat will inaugurate the 14th edition of ‘c0c0n’, an
annual Hacking and Cyber Security Briefing, which will be held virtually from
Nov 10-13. The conference, which is being conducted by Kerala Police in
association with two non-profit organisations, Society for the Policing of
Cyberspace (POLCYB) and Information Security Research Association (ISRA), would
primarily discuss online scams and defences during the lockdown period. About
the conference:
(1) The theme of this year’s ‘c0c0n’ is
Improvise, Adapt and Overcome.
(2) The conference is being held in such a
way that online security is beneficial even to children in the state where many
crimes are taking place with the shift to online classes.
(3) The conference is being held virtually
so that people from across the globe can attend the event as the 13th edition
of ‘c0c0n’ last year saw more than 6,000 attendees from around the world.
(4) The conference “aims to discuss at the
international level the challenges facing the digital world during the COVID
period and the solutions needed to overcome them”.
3.
Srinagar joins UNESCO network of creative cities: Srinagar, the
summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, is among the 49 cities selected worldwide
to join the UNESCO creative cities network (UCCN). Prime Minister Narendra Modi
hailed the inclusion as a “fitting recognition” for the vibrant cultural ethos
of the old city. It has been designated as a creative city of craft and folk
arts, UNESCO. These 49 cities were added to the network of 246 cities following
their designation by UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, in recognition of
“their commitment to placing culture and creativity at the heart of their
development and to sharing knowledge and good practices”. Other Indian
cities on the list:
Srinagar joins Chennai and Varanasi –
UNESCO Cities of music;
Jaipur – UNESCO city of crafts and folk
arts;
Mumbai – UNESCO city of film and;
Hyderabad – UNESCO City of gastronomy.
4.
Rajib Kumar Mishra given charge as PTC India’s CMD: Rajib Kumar Mishra
shall exercise the power of chairman and managing director of PTC India Ltd,
subsequent to relieving of Deepak Amitabh. PTC India Ltd. (formerly known as
Power Trading Corporation of India Limited), was incorporated in 1999 to
undertake to the trade of power to achieve economic efficiency & security
of supply & to develop a vibrant power market in the country. Mishra joined
PTC India in 2011 as executive director and is now a whole-time director since
February 2015. Currently, he is director (business development and marketing),
in PTC India. Additionally, he is holding the post of managing director of PTC
Energy.
Note: PTC India Ltd Founded: 16 April 1999.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
China launched world’s 1st Earth Science Satellite named “Guangmu”: China has launched
the world’s first Earth-science satellite, Guangmu or SDGSAT-1 into space from
the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in the northern Shanxi Province. The
satellite was launched by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and developed
by the International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development
Goals (CBAS).
About the Guangmu: Guangmu was
launched by a Long March-6 carrier rocket which is the 395th flight mission.
SDGSAT-1 is the first satellite customized according to the UN 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development which was adopted in 2015 with 17 SDGs for peace and
prosperity.
Note: China Capital: Beijing; China
Currency: Renminbi; China President: Xi Jinping.
2.
IHRF appoints Daniel del Valle as the High Representative for Youth: The International
Human Rights Foundation (IHRF) has appointed the Spaniard Daniel del Valle as
the High Representative for Youth due to his achievements in the thematic area
of youth empowerment and youth participation for the United Nations. IHRF, a
non-governmental and non-profit institution.
About the Daniel del Valle: Daniel del Valle
brings to the International Human Rights Foundation his ongoing experience of
serving as Policy Advisor to the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the
Slovak Republic to the United Nations in New York. As a youth representative,
he has distinguished himself through his creativity, dedication, energetic
advocacy and awareness-raising about the importance of youth empowerment in
today’s world, particularly, in developing countries and also in the context of
the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Note: International Human Rights Foundation
Chairman: Garry Kasparov; International Human Rights Foundation Founder: Thor
Halvorssen Mendoza; International Human Rights Foundation Founded: 2005;
International Human Rights Foundation HQ: New York, USA.
3.
World Science Day for Peace and Development: 10th November: World Science Day
for Peace and Development is celebrated each year on November 10 every year.
This day is celebrated to highlight the important role that science play in society
and the need to engage the wider public in debates on emerging scientific
issues. The year 2021 marks the 20th edition of World Science Day for Peace and
Development. With climate change becoming a serious threat to the lives of
billions of people and the planet, this year’s celebration will highlight the
importance of “Building Climate-Ready Communities”.
History of World Science Day for
Peace and Development:
World Science Day was proclaimed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2001 and celebrated for the first time in
2002.
Note: Director-General of UNESCO: Audrey
Azoulay; UNESCO formation: 4 November 1946; UNESCO headquarters: Paris, France.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1.
Max Verstappen wins 2021 Mexico City Grand Prix: Max Verstappen (Red
Bull – Netherlands) has won the 2021 Mexico City Grand Prix held at the
Autódromo Hermanos RodrÃguez in Mexico City. Seven-time world champion Lewis
Hamilton (Mercedes-Great Britain) stood second while Sergio Perez (Mexico- Red
Bull) came third. Perez became the first Mexican to stand on his home podium at
a jubilant Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
2.
Sankalp Gupta becomes 71st Indian Grandmaster: Sankalp Gupta has
become India’s 71st Grandmaster by scoring 6.5 points and finishing second in
the GM Ask 3 round-robin event in Arandjelovac, Serbia. The Maharashtra player
also touched the 2500 Elo rating mark during the tournament. To achieve the GM
title, a player has to secure three GM norms and cross the live rating of 2,500
Elo points.
3.
India’s Tajamul Islam Wins Gold Medal In World Kickboxing Championship: 13-year-old Tajamul
Islam is the first Kashmiri girl to have represented India and won the gold
medal in the under-14 age category in World Kickboxing Championship held at
Cairo in Egypt. Islam defeated Argentina’s Lalina in the final. She was born in
Tarkpora, a remote village in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district. Tajamul is
also a brand ambassador of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1.
RBI launches 1st Global Hackathon named HARBINGER 2021: The Reserve Bank of
India has launched its first global hackathon named “HARBINGER 2021 –
Innovation for Transformation”. The theme of HARBINGER 2021 is ‘Smarter Digital
Payments’. The Hackathon invites participants to identify and develop solutions
that have the potential to make digital payments accessible to the under-served,
enhance the ease of payments and user experience while strengthening the
security of digital payments and promote customer protection.
HARBINGER 2021 invites innovative ideas for
the following problem statements in the payment and settlement systems
landscape:
Innovative, easy-to-use, non-mobile digital
payment solutions for converting small-ticket cash transactions to digital
mode.
(1) Context-based retail payments to remove
the physical act of payment.
(2) The alternate authentication mechanism for
digital payments.
(3) Social Media Analysis Monitoring tool
for detection of digital payment fraud and disruption.
(4) Being part of HARBINGER 2021 gives an
opportunity to the participants to get mentored by industry experts and exhibit
their innovative solutions before an eminent jury and win exciting prizes in
each category.
Winner: Rs 40 lakh
Runner-up: Rs 20 lakh
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
1.
Brickwork Ratings Projects India’s GDP at 10-10.5% in FY22: Domestic credit
rating agency Brickwork Ratings has estimated the gross domestic product (GDP)
of India at 10-10.5 per cent in the current financial year, i.e. in 2021-22
(FY22). Earlier this was estimated at 9 per cent. Brickwork Ratings is a SEBI
registered Credit Rating Agency with headquarter in Bengaluru. It expects the
GDP growth for Q2 FY22 to be at 8.3 per cent (year-on-year), on the back of a
7.4 per cent contraction in Q2FY21. The country’s GDP grew at 20.1 per cent in
the first quarter of fiscal 2022.
OBITUARIES
1. Philosopher Koneru Ramakrishna Rao passes away: Well-known educationist, teacher, and philosopher, Koneru Ramakrishna Rao passed away. He was an internationally recognized psychologist and served as president of the US-based Parapsychological Association and the Indian Academy of Applied Psychology. He was awarded Padma Shri in 2011. Ramakrishna Rao was instrumental in bringing in numerous curricular reforms to link classrooms with the community during his tenure as the Vice-Chancellor of Andhra University and Chairman of the APSCHE.
