Current Affairs 17th November 2020| Current Affairs News

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CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS

International Day for Tolerance

• International Day for Tolerance is marked on November 16.
• The day is being celebrated ever since the United Nations marked the year of Tolerance in 1995. The date of November 16 was chosen as it is the anniversary of UNESCO’s Declaration of Principles on Tolerance.
• The main aim behind starting this day was to make educational institutions and people at large believe that tolerance is an integral part of society.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

Finance Ministry moves to set up database of migrant workers

• The Finance Ministry has given its first ever national database of migrant labour to provide a platform for workers and employers, and for the government to implement specific programmes for such labourers.
• The Ministry of Labour & Employment has envisaged development of a ‘National Database of Unorganised Workers’ (NDUW) seeded with
• The project will enrol all unorganised workers, including migrant workers.
• Total cost is expected around₹650 crore.
• Besides job opportunities, such a database will help migrant labour get the benefit of government schemes. It will help workers to share information about his/her skill which, in turn, will make it easy for employers to find suitable person
• Such a database can be used in many ways, apart from being a platform for employer and potential employee. It can be helpful in providing welfare schemes or implementing social security initiatives.
• Also, the movement of labour can be tracked in a situation like a Covid-induced lockdown so they can be assisted when in desperation.

About MoFCA

• Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs: Nirmala Sitharaman
• Constituency: Karnataka

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL

Indian students contributed $7.6 billion to US economy last year

• Indian students contributed $7.6 billion to the US economy in the academic year 2019-20, even though there was a 4.4 per cent drop in the total number of Indian students, according to a report.
• China remained the largest source of international students in the US, with the number of Chinese students in the country increasing for the 16th consecutive year. There were over 372,000 Chinese students during 2019-20 year, stated the report “Opens Doors 2020.”
• India remained the second largest source of international students, despite the 4.4 per cent decline to 193,124 students, it stated.
• According to the report, released by the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Institute of International Education (IIE), for the fifth consecutive year the United States hosted more than 1 million international students (1,075,496) in an academic year.
• Despite a slight decline (1.8 per cent) in the number of international students during the academic year, this group still represents 5.5 per cent of all students in US higher education system.
• According to the US Department of Commerce, international students contributed $44 billion to the US economy in 2019, including $7,69 billion from Indian students.

About USA:

• Capital: Washington, D.C.
• Currency: dollar

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE

RBI imposes Rs 1 crore penalty on Punjab National Bank

• State-run Punjab National Bank stated 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,” it stated.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed the Rs 1 crore penalty for “contravention of the nature referred to in Section 26 (6) of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 (PSS Act)”, it added. PNB’s shares closed at Rs 29.50 a piece on BSE, up 1.37 percent.

About Punjab National Bank:

• Headquarters: New Delhi, India
• (MD & CEO): CH S. S. Mallikarjuna Rao

About RBI:

• Governor: Shaktikanta Das
• Deputy Governors: BP Kanungo, MK Jain, MD Patra and Rajeshwar Rao.
• Headquarters: Mumbai

HDFC Bank, IndusInd in ‘red flag’ list on nearing foreign investment cap

• Private sector lenders HDFC Bank and IndusInd Bank have been put in the so-called ‘red flag’ list, a system used for monitoring foreign portfolio investor (FPI) limits. A listed company enters the list when the available legroom for overseas investment is less than 3 per cent of the permissible limit.
• FPIs can invest up to 74 per cent in both HDFC Bank and IndusInd Bank. The current FPI shareholding in case of HDFC Bank is 71.3 per cent, while that of IndusInd Bank is 73.1 per cent, data provided by depository firm NSDL shows.
• Shares of HDFC Bank are up 15 per cent, while IndusInd Bank has gained 31 per cent on a month-to-date basis. Market players stated lot of foreign capital has flown into these two counters in recent weeks.
• Besides these two, Novartis India and Procter & Gamble Hygiene and Health Care are the only other companies in the red-flag list.
• Once a stock enters this list, incremental FPI buying is permitted on condition that overseas investors will divest their excess holdings within five trading days from the day of breach of the sectoral cap of 74 per cent.

About HDFC:

• CEO: Aditya Puri
• Headquarters: Mumbai

About IndusInd Bank:

• CEO: Sumant Kathpalia
• Headquarters: Pune

ADB allocates $20 mn to help developing members access Covid-19 vaccine

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) stated it has allocated $3 million aid to its developing member countries to access coronavirus vaccine 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 technical assistance will also support the identification and promotion of innovative cold chain and vaccine tracking technologies.
• ADB expects to implement the technical assistance with its partners UNICEF and the World Health Organization, in coordination with COVAX, Gavi, the World Bank, and bilateral agencies, among others.
• The funds comprise $20 million from ADB’s Technical Assistance Special Fund (TASF) and $300,000 from the High-Level Technology Fund financed by the government of Japan.
• In April, ADB had approved a $20-billion expanded assistance package to support its developing members’ Covid-19 response.

About ADB:

• Headquarters: Mandaluyong, Philippines
• President: Masatsugu Asakawa

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

Larsen & Toubro is lowest bidder for road bridge over river Brahmaputra

• Engineering and construction giant Larsen & Toubro has emerged as the lowest bidder for a Rs 3,200 crore project to build a road bridge over the Brahmaputra river.
• It will be one of the longest road bridges over a river in the country and on completion will connect two eastern states – Assam and Meghalaya.
• The project is being financed by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
• The proposed around 18 km bridge, which is considered as strategic, will connect Assam and Meghalaya, reducing the detouring road distance by about 203 km from Dhubri to Phulabari on NH 127 B.

About Larsen & Toubro

• CEO: S. N. Subrahmanyan
• Headquarters: Mumbai

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATES

Keetham lake in Uttar Pradesh added to list of recognised sites under Ramsar Convention

• India has 41 wetlands, the highest in South Asia, with two more added to the list of recognised sites of international importance under the treaty of Ramsar Convention.
• The Lonar lake in Maharashtra and Sur Sarovar, also known as Keetham lake, in Agra, have been added to the list of recognised Ramsar sites.
• The Asan Conservation Reserve in Dehradun, the first wetland from Uttarakhand to be recognised by Ramsar convention, was added to the list in October this year.
• The other 38 Ramsar sites in India include Chilika Lake in Odisha, Keoladeo National Park in Rajasthan, Harike Lake in Punjab, Loktak Lake in Manipur and Wular Lake in Jammu and Kashmir.

About Uttar Pradesh

• Capital: Lucknow
• Governor: Anandiben Patel
• Chief minister: Yogi Adityanath

World’s First Tramcar For Young Readers in Kolkata

• The world’s first library for children on a tram would be launched in Kolkata on Children’s Day, which is celebrated to commemorate first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s birth anniversary.
• The Kolkata Young Reader’s Tramcar has been jointly developed by the West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) and Apeejay Anand Children’s Library and will have around 1,000 books.
• The tram would run on Shyambazar-Esplanade and Esplanade-Gariahat routes, spanning across North and South Kolkata.
• The beautiful library on wheels decorated with attractive artworks of children reading, hand painted by local artists housing books across genres for young readers adorning its shelves rolled on its first trip to encourage and inspire children to read and experience the joy of reading.
• Yearlong activities for children on board the tramcar, such as story telling dramatised readings, poetry sessions, book launches, music and more are also on the cards, to captivate young minds.
• Entry is free for children. Only parents accompanying their children will have to pay normal tram fares to board it.
• Earlier in September India’s first library on tram was launched in Kolkata with a wide range of books including those for competitive exams. A similar effort was earlier initiated at Brno in the Czech Republic.

About West Bengal

• Governor: Jagdeep Dhankhar
• Capital: Kolkata
• Chief Minister: Mamata Banerjee

Delhi Govt Launches Jeevan Seva App For Safe And Timely Transportation Of Corona Patients

• Aiming at safe and timely transportation of the COVID-19 patients to hospitals and healthcare facilities, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain launched Jeevan Seva app.
• From health check-ups, ambulance requirements to admission in hospitals, health amenities are now just a click away. With this app, you will get access to an e-vehicle, which will provide free pick-up and drop services. Each vehicle will be properly sanitised after every ride.
• The app was launched in collaboration with EVERA cab services. Electric Vehicles will be used as ambulances to transfer non-critical patients to healthcare facilities within Delhi.

About New Delhi

• Chief minister: Arvind Kejriwal
• Governor: Anil Baijal

Maharashtra: First solar power-enabled Textile Mill in Asia to come up in Parbhani district

• In Maharashtra, the first solar power-enabled Textile Mill in Asia is coming up in Parbhani district. The project, once functional, will provide jobs to many women in the district.
• The Jai Bhawani women’s cooperative textile mill will be the first in Asia that will operate on solar power. Spread across thirty acres of land the mill will process cotton to cloth.
• Ginning, pressing, weaving and spinning of cotton will be done in the mill. Dr. Patil stated, the cost of the project is 100 crore rupees and with the operationalization of the mill it will certainly give momentum to the industrial sector in the district.

About Maharashtra:

• Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari
• Capital: Mumbai
• Chief minister: Uddhav Thackeray

KTR launches TS-bPASS, simplifies building clearance

• Telangana Municipal Administration Minister KT Rama Rao has launched the TS-bPASS initiative.
• TS-bPASS provides an instant approval for buildings in plots of above 75 sq yards and upto 600 sq yards, based on self certification.
• After the formal launch, he handed over the building permission copies to the citizens who availed the services of TS-bPASS initiative. The TS-bPASS exclusively for building approvals is similar to TS-iPASS, a single window approval system for
• He stated that about 43 per cent population in Telangana lives in towns and cities and the urban population will increase over the years. This initiative will be useful for people. He appealed to people not to break the trust by registering illegal or encroached constructions under self certification initiative.

About Telangana:

• Capital: Hyderabad
• Governor: Tamilisai Soundararajan
• Chief minister: K. Chandrashekar Rao

CURRENT AFFAIRS: ACQUISITIONS AND MERGERS

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.
• Reliance Retail stated 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, stated it has proposed to invest up to $10.06 million more in Urban Ladder by December 2023.
• Founded in early 2012, Urban Ladder sells home furniture and decor products online. It also operates a chain of physical retail stores in several Indian cities. The deal size suggests that it was a fire sale.

About Reliance Retail:

• Headquarters: Mumbai,
• Chairman: Mukesh Ambani

NSE arm acquires ed-tech firm Talent Sprint

• The NSE Academy Limited, an arm of the National Stock Exchange, has acquired a majority stake of 51 per cent in the Hyderabad-based TalentSprint, a deep tech education firm. In the phase-wise acquisition of the stake, the NSE arm would acquire the total stake over a period of three years.
• Santanu Paul, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of TalentSprint, would continue in the leadership position for three years.
• The education technology platform operates in professional learning and executive education space. It has tie-ups with premier institutes like Indian Institute of Science (IIS, Bengaluru), International Institute of Information Technology (Hyderabad) and the Indian Institute of Management (Calcutta) to offer courses in deep tech areas like artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain and fintech.

About NSE Academy Limited:

• NSE Academy Limited, a subsidiary of NSE Investments Limited (formerly known as NSE Strategic Investment Corporation Limited) was setup in March 12, 2016 to promote financial literacy as a necessary life skill and provide training and certifications in Banking, Insurance and Financial Markets. It promotes development of a pool of human resources having right skills and expertise in each segment of the BFSI industry to provide quality intermediation to market participants.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU

India-Nepal Jointly Launch 3rd Integrated Check Post, Aim To Boost Trade & Connectivity

• India and Nepal launched the construction of a Rs 147.12 crore integrated check post (ICP) at
• Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyaland Nepali Minister for Urban Development Krishna Gopal Shrestha witnessed the ground-breaking ceremony to mark the beginning of the construction of an Integrated Check Post.
• Government of India is building Integrated Check Posts on either side of the Indo-Nepal border to systematize the movement of cross-border cargo trucks between the two countries by bringing customs and immigration facilities under one roof. ICPs at Birgunj and Biratnagar were jointly inaugurated and operationalized in April 2018 and January 2020 respectively by Prime Ministers of India and Nepal.
• Meanwhile, a similar facility is being built on the Indian side in Rupaidiha by the Lands Ports Authority of India and the work on the facility started in May this year and over 10 per cent of construction work has been completed.

About Nepal

• Capital: Kathmandu
• Prime minister: K. P. Sharma Oli
• President: Bidhya Devi Bhandari
• Currency: Nepalese rupee

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS

ED Director S K Mishra’s tenure extended by one year

• The Union government has extended the tenure of Enforcement Directorate (ED) Director Sanjay Kumar Mishra by a year after modifying his appointment order that was issued in 2018, officials stated.
• Mishra, 60, is a 1984-batch Indian Revenue Service officer of the Income Tax cadre and was appointed the Enforcement Directorate chief on November 19, 2018.
• It added that his appointment will be for a period of three years from the date of assumption of charge of the post or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
• The ED is a central investigative agency that enforces two central laws– the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).
• These laws were enacted to curb money laundering, terror financing, black money and hawala or illegal financial transactions that have cross-border ramifications.

About Enforcement Directorate:

• Formed : 1 May 1956
• Sanjay Kumar Mishra, IRS, Director Enforcement
• Simanchala Dash, IRS, Principal Special Director
• Parent agency: Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance

Kris Gopalakrishnan appointed first chairperson of Reserve Bank Innovation Hub

• Senapathy (Kris) Gopalakrishnan, co-founder and former co-Chairman, Infosys, has been appointed as the first Chairperson of the Reserve Bank Innovation Hub.
• In August, the central bank had announced that it will set up the Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH) to promote innovation across the financial sector by leveraging on technology and creating an environment that would facilitate and foster innovation.
• Gopalakrishnan is currently the Chief Mentor of Start-up Village, an incubation hub for start-ups.
• Other members of the governing council are CEO (to be appointed), Ashok Jhunjhunwala (Institute Professor, IIT, Madras), H Krishnamurthy (Principal Research Scientist, IISc, Bengaluru), Gopal Srinivasan (CMD, TVS Capital Funds), A P Hota (Former CEO, NPCI), Mrutyunjay Mahapatra (Former CMD, Syndicate Bank), T Rabi Sankar (Executive Director, RBI), Deepak Kumar (CGM, Department of Information Technology, RBI), and K Nikhila (Director, Institute for Development & Research in Banking Technology, Hyderabad).
• The Hub will collaborate with financial sector institutions, technology industry and academic institutions and coordinate efforts for exchange of ideas and development of prototypes related to financial innovations.

Actor Sonu Sood appointed as state icon of Punjab by Election Commission of India

• Actor Sonu Sood has been appointed as state icon of Punjab by the Election Commission of India (ECI). The decision of honouring Sonu Sood with the title comes after he earned laurels for his humanitarian work during the lockdown.
• Sonu has been helping migrant workers reach their hometowns amid the coronavirus pandemic. He also helped people by giving them face masks, food, mobile phones and more.

Navneet Munot quits SBI Funds to join HDFC MF as CEO

• Navneet Munot, Chief Investment Officer of SBI Funds Management, has decided to quit the organisation and join HDFC Mutual Fund as Managing Director and CEO. Munot will succeed the incumbent Milind Barve at HDFC Mutual Fund.
• The board of directors of HDFC Mutual Fund, at its meeting held, approved the appointment of Navneet Munot as Managing Director and CEO.
• Barve was re-appointed as the Managing Director for three years in November, 2017. Accordingly, he completed his current term in October. Barve had expressed desire not seek an extension of his current term as he would turn 63 this year.
• SBIFMPL is the largest fund house in the country managing assets of over Rs.450,000 crore, while HDFC Mutual Fund has asset under management of Rs.354,400 crore as of September-end.

About SBI Mutual Fund:

• Headquarters: Mumbai, India
• CEO & Managing director: Mr. Vinay M. Tonse
• Deputy CEO: Mr. Denys de Campigneulles

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONORS

Queen Mother of Bhutan and HelpAge India receive 2020 UN Population Award

• Her Majesty Gyalyum Sangay Choden Wangchuck, Queen Mother of Bhutan, was announced as the individual laureate for the 2020 United Nations Population Award. HelpAge India was announced as the award’s institutional laureate. 
• Her Majesty Gyalyum Sangay Choden Wangchuck is a longstanding champion of sexual and reproductive health and rights and the need to end violence against women, girls and children in Bhutan. Among her many achievements in recent decades, she has helped to create an enabling environment to openly discuss sexual reproductive health in the kingdom and founded a volunteer organization called “Respect, Educate, Nurture and Empower Women” (RENEW) in 2004. She has also been a Goodwill Ambassador for UNFPA for more than 20 years.
• The world’s ageing population has gained increasing attention in recent years, but HelpAge India has been working with and for disadvantaged elderly people in India for nearly four decades, serving their needs holistically and enabling them to live active, dignified and healthier lives.

About UNFPA

• Headquarters: New York, New York, United States
• Head: Natalia Kanem
• Founded: 1969

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SUMMITS AND CONFERENCE

RCEP: Asia-Pacific countries form world’s largest trading bloc

• Fifteen countries have formed the world’s largest trading bloc, covering nearly a third of the global economy.
• The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is made up of 10 Southeast Asian countries, as well as South Korea, China, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
• The deal excludes the US, which withdrew from a rival Asia-Pacific trade pact in 2017.
• Nguyen Xuan Phuc, prime minister of Vietnam, which hosted the ceremony as ASEAN chair.
• The deal was signed on the sidelines of an online ASEAN summit held as Asian leaders address tensions in the South China Sea and tackle plans for a post-pandemic economic recovery in a region where U.S.-China rivalry has been rising.
• RCEP will account for 30% of the global economy, 30% of the global population and reach 2.2 billion consumers.
• India pulled out of RCEP talks in November last year.

 44^th Annual Meeting Of Ministers For Foreign Affairs Of G77 & China

• India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti represented at the 44th Annual Meeting of the G-77 Foreign Ministers.
• Tirumurti reiterated India’s steadfast commitment to work with its partners from the global South in the G-77 “towards a resilient and sustainable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and to build back better and stronger.
• India has pledged 15 million dollars for GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, and operationalised the COVID-19 Emergency Fund for India’s neighbours with an initial contribution of 10 million dollars.
• India’s concessional Lines of Credit of over 30 billion dollars, its grants-in-aid projects and flagship training and capacity building project under Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) have made a huge contribution to fellow developing countries.
• Further, the 150 million dollar India-UN Development Partnership Fund continues to support transformational sustainable development projects with a focus on LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS.
• Tirumurti underlined that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement and Financing for Development framework should lay the foundations for global efforts.

About G77

• The Group of 77 at the United Nations is a coalition of 134 developing countries.
• Founded: 15 June 1964
• Headquarters location: New York, United States

PM Modi to attend 12th BRICS Summit; to also address Third Annual Bloomberg New Economy Forum

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the 12th BRICS Summit hosted by Russia, under the theme Global Stability, Shared Security and Innovative Growth. The meeting will be held in a virtual format.
• India will be taking over the Chairship of the BRICS, which would be the third BRICS Presidency for India since its inception after 2012 and 2016. India will host the 13th BRICS Summit next year.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will deliver an address at the Third Annual Bloomberg New Economy Forum. The Bloomberg New Economy Forum was established in 2018 by Michael Bloomberg. It seeks to build a community of leaders to engage in real conversations leading to actionable solutions about the critical challenges facing a world economy in the throes of a historic transition.
• The inaugural Forum was held in Singapore and the Second Annual Forum was hosted in Beijing. These covered a range of topics, including global economic management, trade and investment, technology, urbanization, capital markets, climate change and inclusion.

About BRICS:

• BRICS is the acronym coined to associate five major emerging national economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. The BRICS members are known for their significant influence on regional affairs. Since 2009, the BRICS nations have met annually at formal summits.
• Founded: June 2006
  

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

IIT Guwahati formulates efficient “pincer” catalytic systems that transform biomass wastes into valuable chemicals

• A research team of IIT Guwahati has formulated efficient “pincer” catalytic systems that transform biomass wastes into valuable chemicals. Tiny amounts of these “pincer catalysts” repeatedly convert large amounts of industrial waste such as glycerol into lactic acid and hydrogen.
• Official sources stated that such catalysts also efficiently convert bioethanol, a low-energy density fuel, into high-energy density butanol. The conversion of valuable intermediates such as glycerol and ethanol, produced during the processing of biomass, into industrially useful chemicals has elicited much interest worldwide.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS

Jannik Sinner Clinches Maiden ATP Tour Title In Sofia

• Jannik Sinner captured his maiden ATP Tour trophy at the Sofia Open in Bulgaria.
• The 19-year-old battled past experienced Canadian Vasek Pospisil to become the youngest Italian in the Open Era to win an ATP Tour title.
• 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.
• As a result of his title run in the Bulgarian capital, he will crack the top 40 of the ATP Rankings for the first time at number 37.

BCCI ropes in MPL Sports as official Kit sponsor for Team India

• The BCCI formally announced MPL Sports apparel and accessories as the official kit sponsor and merchandise partner of both the national men’s and women’s sides as well as the U-19 team, replacing Nike.
• The deal was cleared by the Board’s apex council on November 2. Nike had a five-year deal during which they paid 370 crore from 2016 to 2020.
• MPL Sports, the sports merchandise brand from Mobile Premier League — an e-sports platform — offers a wide range of sports wear and cricket equipment, along with other accessories such as masks, wrist bands, footwear and headgear.
• As per the newly-inked strategic partnership, MPL Sports has entered into a three-year agreement from November 2020 to December 2023.
• MPL Sports’ association with the BCCI begins with India’s tour of Australia, which will see Team India sporting the new jerseys.

About BCCI:

• President: Sourav Ganguly
• Secretary: Jay Shah
• Headquarters: Mumbai

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARY

Haryana’s first woman MP and former Puducherry Lt Governor Chandrawati passes away at 92

• Haryana’s first woman MP and former Puducherry Lt Governor Chandrawati passed away.
• Chandrawati, who had been a Janata Party leader, became the first-ever woman MP from Haryana in 1977 when she defeated political stalwart Chaudhary Bansi Lal from the Bhiwani constituency. She later joined the Congress and served as the Lt Governor of Puducherry in 1990.

Padma Shri awardee & sculptor Arjun Prajapati dies of Covid 

• Padma Shri awardee and sculptor Arjun Prajapati was among the 13 people who died of Covid-19 in the state of Rajasthan.
• Prajapati was known for his stone-carved sculptures not only in India but elsewhere in the world.
• He was conferred with the Padma Shri Award in the year 2010 for his contributions to art.
• He had coined the statue of noted personalities like Amitabh Bachchan, Jagjit Singh, Lata Mangeshkar, Indira Gandhi, Bill Clinton, Prince Charles, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Sachin Tendulkar.

Ghana’s former president Jerry Rawlings passes away aged 73

• Ghana’s former president Jerry Rawlings, a member of the radical and charismatic generation of figures who emerged in West Africa in the 1980s, passed away aged 73.
• The former air force flight lieutenant led two coups in 1979 and 1981, railing against corruption and stamping his authority on the nation before ushering in democracy.
• From 1981 to 1993, he ruled as chairman of a joint military-civilian government. In 1992 he was elected president under a new constitution, taking up that office the following year.
• In 2001, he handed over power to John Kufour of the opposition party who had defeated Rawlings’ vice president in the previous year’s election.
• After stepping down, Rawlings remained a power broker in Ghanian politics while serving in various international diplomatic posts, including as the African Union’s representative in Somalia.

About Ghana

• Capital: Accra
• Currency: Ghanaian cedi
• President: Nana Akufo-Addo

Actor Asif Basra dies by suicide at 53

• Bollywood actor Asif Basra allegedly died by suicide at a private guest house in McLeod Ganj, Himachal Pradesh. He was 53.
• Asif Basra starred in films like Black Friday, Parzania, Outsourced, Jab We Met, Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai, Kai Po Che, Krrish 3, Ek Villain, Kaalakaandi and Hichki.

DAILY CA NOV 14^TH  , 15^th  & 16^TH

• World Kindness Day is an international observance on 13 November. Thetheme is Kindness: The World We Make – Inspire Kindness.
• World Diabetes Day is every year on November 14, first created in 1991 by the International Diabetes Foundation and the World Health Organization.The theme for World Diabetes Day 2020 is The Nurse and Diabetes.
• Children’s Day in India is celebrated on 14 November every year as a tribute to India’s First Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.
• Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced new stimulus measures under Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan 3.0 to boost the Indian economy amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
• Ministry of Youth Affairs And Sports Kiren Rijiju has introduced an incentivisation structure to extend monetary support to 500 private academies, through the Khelo India Scheme over the next four years starting FY 2020-21.
• The country’s very first, sandalwood museum is likely to come up later this month in Mysuru in Karnataka.
• The Lonar Lake in Maharashtra’s Buldhana district has been chosen as a wetland site of international importance under the Ramsar conservation treaty. Maharashtra got its first Ramsar site at Nandur Madhmeshwar, in Nashik.
• According to Consumer Price Index (CPI) data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation, inflation stood at 7.61% in October — the highest since May 2014.
• Retail inflation recorded at 27% in September. The Consumer Food Price Index (CFPI) jumped to 11.07% in October, up from 10.68% in September.
• Myanmar’s ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party Aung San Suu Kyi candidate has secured enough seats in parliament to form the next government.
• A teenager in Bangladesh Sadat Rahman has won the International Children’s Peace Prize for his efforts to educate young people about
• The 8th BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation Ministerial meeting unanimously has adopted BRICS STI Declaration 2020.
• External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will represent India at the 15th East Asia Summit (EAS), which provides a platform for discussion on important strategic issues in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Indian Navy’s fifth Kalvari-class Diesel Electric attack submarine INS Vagir was launched at Mazgaon Dock in Mumbai.
• India has successfully test-fired the Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile (QRSAM) system off the coast of Balasore in Odisha.
• Noted journalist and writer Ravi Belagere (62) passed away in Bengaluru, after a massive heart attack.
• Legendary Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee passed away. He was 85.
• The day, observed on 16th November every year, is symbolic of a free and responsible press. It was on this day the Press Council of India started functioning
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil ‘Statue of Peace’ to mark the 151st Birth Anniversary celebrations of Jainacharya Shree Vijay Vallabh Surishwer Ji Maharaj through video conferencing
• India has provided 50 Metric Tons of food aid to the people of Djibouti as part of its assistance to friendly countries to overcome natural calamities and the COVID-19 pandemic
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cancelled the Certificate of Authorisation (CoA) of five Payment System Operators (PSOs), including Aircel Smart Money Ltd and Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System Ltd.
• The GDP is likely to contract by 6 per cent for the July-September period, which means India will enter into a recession for the first time in history in the first half of this fiscal with two successive quarters of negative growth due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as per an RBI official.
• In Madhya Pradesh, the name of the Tribal Welfare Department will be changed to Tribal Affairs Department
• Survey of vulture habitats, considered an important part of Ecosystem, has started in Madhya Pradesh.
• The IT major TCS, will acquire the staff and select assets of Pramerica Systems Ireland, Prudential Financial Inc. (PFI)’s subsidiary based in Letterkenny, Ireland
• Embassy Group has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Karnataka, Department of Education for the all-around improvement of Government Schools in Bangalore.
• Nitish Kumar will be sworn-in as Chief Minister of Bihar for the seventh term. BJP legislature party leader Tarkishore Prasad and Deputy leader Renu Devi will be the new Deputy Chief Ministers.
• Tamil Nadu Agricultural University’s Director of Research and NABARD Chair, K S Subramanian has bagged the Fertiliser Association of India Golden Jubilee Award.
• The Second World Health Expo is held in Hubei’s capital city Wuhan from November 11 to 14. It features 12 different venues for audiences to experience the most frontier health technology, the latest in fitness sports and the most realistically restored anti-epidemic scenes.
• Tennis star Novak Djokovic has equalled Pete Sampra’s record of winning six year-end number one trophies.
• Hamilton joins Michael Schumacher as a seven-time F1 world champion after amazing Istanbul victory from sixth on the grid
• Nobel laureate physicist Professor Masatoshi Koshiba, one of Japan’s most eminent scientists, died on November 12 at the age of 94.

DAILY CA NOV 17^TH

• International Day for Tolerance is marked on November 16.
• The Finance Ministry has given its first ever national database of migrant labour to provide a platform for workers and employers, and for the government to implement specific programmes for such labourers.
• The Lonar lake in Maharashtra and Sur Sarovar, also known as Keetham lake, in Agra, have been added to the list of recognised Ramsar sites. India has 41 wetlands, the highest in South Asia, with two more added to the list of recognised sites of international importance under the treaty of Ramsar Convention.
• The world’s first library for children on a tram would be launched in Kolkata on Children’s Day, which is celebrated to commemorate first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s birth anniversary.
• Aiming at safe and timely transportation of the COVID-19 patients to hospitals and healthcare facilities, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain launched Jeevan Seva app. The app was launched in collaboration with EVERA cab services.
• Engineering and construction giant Larsen & Toubro has emerged as the lowest bidder for a Rs 3,200 crore project to build a road bridge over the Brahmaputra river.
• Her Majesty Gyalyum Sangay Choden Wangchuck, Queen Mother of Bhutan, was announced as the individual laureate for the 2020 United Nations Population Award. HelpAge India was announced as the award’s institutional laureate. 
• Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) – Fifteen countries have formed the world’s largest trading bloc, covering nearly a third of the global economy.
• India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti represented at the 44th Annual Meeting of the G-77 Foreign Ministers.
• India and Nepal launched the construction of a Rs 147.12 crore integrated check post (ICP) at
• Jannik Sinner captured his maiden ATP Tour trophy at the Sofia Open in Bulgaria.
• Haryana’s first woman MP and former Puducherry Lt Governor Chandrawati passed away.
• Padma Shri awardee and sculptor Arjun Prajapati was among the 13 people who died of Covid-19 in the state of Rajasthan.
• Ghana’s former president Jerry Rawlings, a member of the radical and charismatic generation of figures who emerged in West Africa in the 1980s, passed away aged 73.
• Indian students contributed $7.6 billion to the US economy in the academic year 2019-20, even though there was a 4.4 per cent drop in the total number of Indian students, according to a report.
• State-run Punjab National Bank stated the RBI has imposed a penalty of Rs 1 crore on it for contravention of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act.
• Private sector lenders HDFC Bank and IndusInd Bank have been put in the so-called ‘red flag’ list, a system used for monitoring foreign portfolio investor (FPI) limits. A listed company enters the list when the available legroom for overseas investment is less than 3 per cent of the permissible limit.
• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) stated it has allocated $20.3 million aid to its developing member countries to access coronavirus vaccine and establish systems to enable equitable and efficient vaccine distribution.
• In Maharashtra, the first solar power-enabled Textile Mill in Asia is coming up in Parbhani district. The project, once functional, will provide jobs to many women in the district.
• Telangana Municipal Administration Minister KT Rama Rao has launched the TS-bPASS initiative. TS-bPASS provides an instant approval for buildings in plots of above 75 sq yards and upto 600 sq yards, based on self certification.
• 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.
• The NSE Academy Limited, an arm of the National Stock Exchange, has acquired a majority stake of 51 per cent in the Hyderabad-based TalentSprint, a deep tech education firm.
• The Union government has extended the tenure of Enforcement Directorate (ED) Director Sanjay Kumar Mishra by a year after modifying his appointment order that was issued in 2018, officials stated.
• Senapathy (Kris) Gopalakrishnan, co-founder and former co-Chairman, Infosys, has been appointed as the first Chairperson of the Reserve Bank Innovation Hub.
• Actor Sonu Sood has been appointed as state icon of Punjab by the Election Commission of India (ECI). The decision of honouring Sonu Sood with the title comes after he earned laurels for his humanitarian work during the lockdown.
• Navneet Munot, Chief Investment Officer of SBI Funds Management, has decided to quit the organisation and join HDFC Mutual Fund as Managing Director and CEO.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the 12th BRICS Summit hosted by Russia, under the theme Global Stability, Shared Security and Innovative Growth. The meeting will be held in a virtual format.Prime Minister Narendra Modi will deliver an address at the Third Annual Bloomberg New Economy Forum.
• A research team of IIT Guwahati has formulated efficient “pincer” catalytic systems that transform biomass wastes into valuable chemicals. Tiny amounts of these “pincer catalysts” repeatedly convert large amounts of industrial waste such as glycerol into lactic acid and hydrogen.
• The BCCI formally announced MPL Sports apparel and accessories as the official kit sponsor and merchandise partner of both the national men’s and women’s sides as well as the U-19 team, replacing Nike.
• Bollywood actor Asif Basra allegedly died by suicide. He was 53.