Current Affairs 24th November 2020| Current Affairs News

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CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

Govt Extends Period For Submission Of Life Certificate By Central Govt Pensioners Till 28th Feb 2021

• Government has extended the period for submission of Life Certificate by Central Government pensioners till 28th February next year.
• Earlier, the government had extended the timeline for submission of Life Certificate from 1st of November to 31st of December, 2020.
• According to the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension, the Department has been in receipt of numerous petitions from various Pensioners’ Associations as well as individuals requesting a further extension in the date for submitting Life Certificate in view of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and vulnerability of elderly population to corona virus.
• The Ministry stated, after consultation with the office of Controller General of Accounts, it has now been decided to further extended the existing timeline for submission of Life Certificate.

About Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions:

• Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India and Minister of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
• Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions

Education Minister inaugurates 46 online ATAL Faculty Development Programmes

• Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ inaugurated 46 online AICTE Training and Learning (ATAL) Academy Faculty Development Programmes (FDPs) to train teachers of higher education institutions. The FDPs will be conducted in 22 Indian states. On the occasion, Mr Pokhriyal stated, in the year 2020-21, new thrust areas in the field of Engineering, Management, Life Skills, Design and Media have been incorporated.
• The online Faculty Development Programmes  will be conducted according to the new National Education Policy -2020. The Education Minister also informed that the London-based organization has recognized the FDPs as a world record, under which 1,000 online FDPs in over 100 emerging areas will benefit one lakh faculty members across premier institutions like IITs, NITs, and IIITs. This year the online FDP programme will cost 10 crore rupees.

India, EU hold 6th round of consultations on disarmament & non-proliferation matters

• India and the European Union held the sixth round of consultations on disarmament and non-proliferation matters in a virtual format.
• The consultations involved exchanges on developments in the area of nuclear, chemical, biological disarmament and non-proliferation, conventional weapons, outer space security issues, export control regimes, strategic stability environment and other developments of mutual interest.
• The consultations aim at enhancing mutual understanding and appreciation between India and the EU on international security issues. These are part of the broad dialogue architecture with the EU as a key strategic partner of India.

About European Union:

• President of the Commission: Ursula von der Leyen
• Capital: Brussels

Ravi Shankar Prasad launches international version of UMANG App

• To mark the occasion of 3 years of UMANG and 2000 plus services milestone, an online conference was organized under the chairmanship of  Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad.
• On this occasion,  Mr Prasad launched the UMANG’s 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. 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.
• 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

About Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology:

• Ravi Shankar Prasad, Cabinet Minister
• Sanjay Shamrao Dhotre, Minister of State

HM Amit Shah inaugurates mobile COVID-19 RT-PCR Lab at ICMR in New Delhi

• Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated a mobile COVID-19 RT-PCR Lab at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in New Delhi. It has been jointly developed  by Spice Health and the ICMR.
• This testing lab and more such labs which are planned to be set up will help in adding more capacity to COVID-19 testing.The lab is accredited by NABL and approved by the ICMR.
• These tests will be free of cost for the people. This initiative is a step in making COVID-19 testing affordable and more accessible to the common person.
• The test report would be available within 6 to 8 hours from the time of sample collection compared to the average 24 to 48 hours taken by similar test reports.
• To begin with, the first testing facility has been set up in Delhi and more such testing facilities will come up in different parts of the National Capital over the coming days. It is planned to set up 10 labs in the first phase.
• At the outset, each lab would be able to test up to 1,000 samples per day and testing would slowly be ramped up to 3,000 samples per day per lab.

Ministry of Home Affairs:

• Amit Shah, Minister of Home Affairs
• Constituency: Gujarat

Govt. aims to replace safeguard duty with custom duty to protect local manufacturers of solar equipment, says Power Minister R K Singh

• Minister of State for Power and New and Renewable Energy R K Singh has stated, India is going to replace the safeguard duty with the custom duty to protect the local manufacturers of solar equipment. He stated, some countries are dumping solar equipment at very low prices in our country to destroy local manufacturers.
• Singh stated, India wants to expand its export base in the solar energy sector like wind energy wherein the country is not only self sufficient but also an exporter. He stated, India has the maximum growth and demand of renewable energy as per capita energy consumption is very low in the country.
• Terming the PM-KUSUM scheme a second green revolution, Mr. Singh stated, this scheme will benefit the farmers by providing subsidy for setting up solar pumps and solar power generation capacity on their barren lands.

About Ministry of New and Renewable Energy:

• Raj Kumar Singh: Minister of State (Independent Charge)
• Constituency: Arrah

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL

UNICEF lays plans to deliver Covid-19 vaccine to 92 low-income countries

• United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has started collaborating with airlines, shipping lines, and freight operators, among other logistics, to deliver lifesaving coronavirus vaccine as quickly as possible, stated an official cited in Xinhua report.
• The agency revealed that for the distribution, UNICEF is working with over 350 logistics partners from around the world to effectively deliver Covid-19 vaccines in more than 92 countries, as soon as doses are available.
• With such collaborations, UNICEF aims to manage the purchase and delivery of vaccines in 92 low- and lower-middle-income economies.
• UNICEF mentioned that since January, it has delivered over 190 million U.S. dollars’ worth of COVID-19 supplies such as masks, gowns, oxygen concentrators, and diagnostic test kits to support countries as they respond to the pandemic.

About UNICEF:

• Headquarters: New York, United States
• Head: Henrietta H. Fore

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE

ADB approves $50 mn loan to improve resource planning in West Bengal

• The Asian Development Bank stated 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, stated the Manila-based multilateral lending agency in a release.
• 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.
• These programmes, according to the ADB, helped develop and implement an IFMS, established successful e-Governance systems for improved revenue administration, undertook measures for expenditure rationalisation, and promoted the private sector’s involvement in service delivery.

About ADB:

• Headquarters: Mandaluyong, Philippines
• President: Masatsugu Asakawa

About West Bengal:

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

South Indian Bank, Canara, Axis, Indian Bank purchase stake in IBBIC

• Canara Bank, Axis Bank, Indian Bank and South Indian Bank have acquired 67% stake each in financial technology firm, IBBIC, at Rs 10 per equity share for a cash consideration of Rs 5 lakh each.
• Canara Bank (down 0.27%), Axis Bank (down 1.54%), Indian Bank (up 0.40%) and South Indian Bank (up 4.56%) advanced.
• Post investment, all the partners will hold 6.67% shareholding in IBBIC on fully diluted basis through acquisition the of 50,000 equity shares. The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of December 2020.
• IBBIC is proposed to be incorporated as a financial technology company with an objective of providing a platform for exploring, building and implementing Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) solutions for the Indian financial services sector.
• Additionally, the lenders stated the company registration application of IBBIC will be submitted to the Registrar of Companies, Mumbai by the end of this month.

About Indian Bank:

• Headquarters: Chennai
• CEO: Padmaja Chunduru
• Tagline :Your Own Bank, Banking That’s Twice As Good

About Axis Bank:

• CEO: Amitabh Chaudhry
• Headquarters: Mumbai
• Founded: 1993, Ahmedabad

StashFin Partners With Visa To Launch Co-branded Prepaid Cards With Credit Lines

• Singapore-based neobanking startupStashFin announced to have partnered with Visa with an aim to launch co-branded prepaid cards with credit lines and expand its digital banking footprint in existing and new geographies.
• Founded in 2016, the StashFin Credit Line prepaid card powered by Visa claims to be a defined resolution for salaried and self-employed professionals.
• With the festive season already in full swing, the partnership is stated to promise good news for customers who are on the lookout for festive shopping discounts, helping them to convert their purchases into easy equated monthly installments (EMIs) using their Credit Line card. The neobanking startup will be extending Visa’s commercial offers available on the cards in order to enhance the product offerings to its users.

About Visa:

• CEO: Alfred F Kelly Jr
• Headquarters: San Francisco, California, United States

Infibeam Avenues collaborates with Bank Muscat for digital payment services

• E-commerce and online payments services provider Infibeam Avenues Limited announced its collaboration with Bank Muscat, Oman’s biggest bank, to offer high-end payment gateway services to merchants in Oman.
• Under the agreement, Infibeam Avenues, through its digital payment solution, CCAvenue Payment Gateway Service (CPGS), will process online card transactions of various payment networks for Bank Muscat and help the bank to authorise online payment for its merchants which intends to boost fast growing e-commerce sector in the region, a company statement stated.
• The move further strengthens Infibeam’s footprint in West Asia after CCAvenue’s existing digital payment solution services in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.Earlier, Infibeam Avenues had announced its tie-up with Bank Dhofar in Oman.

HDFC Bank rolls out ‘Mouth Shut’ campaign against cyber frauds

• HDFC Bank has launched the ‘Mouth Shut’ campaign across Tamil Nadu to increase awareness about cyber frauds.
• The bank plans to conduct Secure Banking workshops, numbering about a hundred across the State in the next four months.
• The workshops have been planned in Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Salem, Tiruchirappalli, Tirunelveli and Vellore among other cities in the State.
• The campaign, initially launched to fight Covid-19, has now been extended to fight cyber frauds.
• The campaign aims to sensitise people against sharing card details, CVV, OTP, Net and mobile banking login details and password and more.

About HDFC:

• CEO: Aditya Puri
• Headquarters: Mumbai

Muthoot Finance, Bajaj Allianz in tie-up for gold jewellery insurance

• Muthoot Finance has tied up with Bajaj Allianz General Insurance to provide insurance on gold jewellery as part of their new initiative, Muthoot Gold Shield, which is backed and powered by Group Affinity All Risk policy of Bajaj Allianz General Insurance.
• The policy provides insurance coverage of gold jewellery for individuals. This is designed to provide insurance coverage of gold jewellery articles for customers of the company at the time of closure of gold loans and release of gold ornaments. It will provide insurance coverage to the customers of Muthoot Finance as a loyalty product.
• The policy covers burglary, robbery, theft from insured person’s home, loss-in-transit and 13 other disasters (natural calamities). Muthoot Gold Shield is provided at a nominal premium, which is lower than industry average. Zero documentation is required and it takes less than 2 minutes to generate a policy, a release stated

About Muthoot Finance:

• Headquarters Kochi, Kerala, India
• G. George Muthoot:(Chairman)

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATES

Odisha Assembly passes ‘Odisha Essential Services (Maintenance) Amendment Bill-2020’

• Odisha Essential Services (Maintenance) Amendment Bill-2020 was passed by the state assembly.The bill seeks to amend the existing Act of 1988 to prohibit strikes by employees of essential services in the state.
• Expanding the ambit of essential services, the bill includes services like fire service, excise, forest, prison reforms, electronics and Information and Communication departments.
• According to the provisions of the amended bill, persons resorting to or found instigating or funding illegal strikes may face imprisonment upto one year or a fine upto Rs. five thousand or both.
• While the opposition alleged the amendment was an attempt to suppress the voice of workers, the government defended it as a move so that citizens are not deprived of essential services.
• Trade unions too have opposed it as a ploy to divest the workers of their democratic right to protest.

About Odisha:

• Capital: Bhubaneswar
• Governor: Ganeshi Lal
• Chief minister: Naveen Patnaik

Country’s first moss garden comes up in Uttarakhand’s Nainital district

• The Uttarakhand forest department dedicated the newly-built Moss Garden to the people, claiming that it is the country’s first such garden, spread over 10 hectares in Kumaon’s Nainital district.
• The moss garden, which took nearly a year to build, was inaugurated by Water Man of India Rajendra Singh.
• Last year, the state forest department had approved research projects to study moss species, considered the most significant indicator of ecosystem fluctuations as they are more sensitive towards habitat and climate changes.
• Of the 2,300 moss species found in India, 339 are found in Uttarakhand according to experts. Mosses are non-vascular plants that belong to Bryophyta division. They are small flowerless plants that typically grow in damp and shady locations. They play a very important role in maintaining and developing the ecosystem and biodiversity including soil formation, water retention, checking erosion and acting as nutrient sink.

About Uttarakhand:

• Governor: Baby Rani Maurya
• Capitals: Dehradun (Winter), Gairsain (Summer)
• Chief Minister: Trivendra Singh Rawat

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU

NCRTC, BEL join hands to develop indigenous platform screen doors

• The National Capital Region Transport Corporation and the Bharat Electronics Limited inked a memorandum of understanding to develop indigenous platform screen doors, which act as a safety barrier between the passengers and tracks, under the self-reliant India scheme.
• According to an official in the NCRTC, which is tasked to implement the country”s first regional rapid transit system (RRTS), platform screen doors (PSD) are currently imported and that the new move will give an impetus to ”Atmanirbhar Bharat” (self-reliant India).
• The official stated the NCRTC and the BEL would indigenously develop the PSD system for the upcoming bus rapid transit system (BRTS), mass rapid transit system (MRTS), RRTS and high-speed rail projects in India, as well as abroad.

About BEL:

• Headquarters:Bengaluru, Karnataka
• M V Gowtama:(Chairman & MD)

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS

CAG to be  external auditor of IPU, Geneva for 3 years

• Comptroller and Auditor General of India has been elected as the external auditor of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Geneva for a three-year term. Girish Chandra Murmu, the 14th Comptroller and Auditor General of India will assume the charge from Supreme Audit Institution of Switzerland.
• The election took place at the virtual meeting of the 284th session of the IPU which is a 179 countries Parliamentarians body, also having 13 associate members. The IPU has permanent observer status at the United Nations General Assembly.
• The CAG of India has been the external auditor of various international organisations, the statement stated. The CAG of India 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 Organisation, Geneva and Food and Agriculture Organisation, Rome.

About Inter-Parliamentary Union:

• Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
• President: Gabriela Cuevas Barron

Achyuta Samanta elected President of Volleyball Federation of India

• Achyuta Samanta, MP Kandhamal and Founder, KIIT and KISS has been elected unopposed as the President of Volleyball Federation of India (VFI). He is the first person from Odisha to be elected for this highest and prestigious post. With this, Prof. Samanta has become entitled to be the member of the Olympics Association of India.
• Raj Kumar of Punjab has been elected as Executive Vice President, while nine others were elected as Vice Presidents of VFI. Anil Choudhury of Rajasthan has been elected unopposed as Secretary General of VFI. The term of the newly-elected body is from 2020 to 2024.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

Nagaland: KSCDL declared winner at ET Govt Global Smart Cities Forum 2020

• In Nagaland, Kohima Smart City Development Limited, KSCDL has been declared Winner at the ET Government Global Smart Cities Forum 2020 under the category Best Digital Initiative of the Year (Technology) for Kohima City Wifi Phase-I Project.
• CEO KSCDL, Mr. Kovi Meyase stated that the main objective is to provide internet access for the masses in public locations at a cheaper cost and instant access to data for emergency services with real-time s with better coverage for emergency services.
• He stated, IT infrastructure will enable Internet of Things and establish a platform for smart city with innovative smart solutions such as pan-city fire emergency solutions, smart offices, entertainment, smart street lighting, smart Kiosks, smart traffic management and others with the aim to turn Kohima into a more tourist-friendly place.

About Nagaland:

• Capital: Kohima
• Governor: RN Ravi
• Chief minister: Neiphiu Rio

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.

Indian web sequel ‘Delhi Crime’ wins International Emmy award for Best Drama Series

• Delhi Crime’ has bagged a major win for Indian web series, winning the Best Drama Series award at the 48th International Emmys.This was the first-ever Emmy for an Indian program.
• The seven-part Netflix series written and directed by Richie Mehta is based on the 2012 Delhi gang-rape and murder case. The 48th International Emmys were major for Indian web series with multiple nominations in various categories.
• Arjun Mathur was nominated for the Best Actor category for his role in Amazon Prime Video’s Made In Heaven. Prime Video’s Four More Shots Please was also nominated for the Best Comedy Series.
• The Best Actor award, however, was won by Billy Barratt for Responsible Child (United Kingdom). Best Comedy Series award went to Ninguem Ta Olhando (Nobody’s Looking) from Brazil. Glenda Jackson won the Best Actress award for Elizabeth Is Missing (UK) while the Best TV Movie/Mini-Series award was won by Responsible Child.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SUMMITS AND CONFERENCE

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”.
• The APEC leaders’ meeting was the first since 2018 after last year’s host, Chile, canceled the annual summit due to violent domestic protests. APEC brings together Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Russia Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and the United States. New Zealand will also host next year’s APEC meetings virtually due to the pandemic.

About Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation:

• The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation is an inter-governmental forum for 21 member economies in the Pacific Rim that promotes free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
• Headquarters: Singapore
• Chairperson: Muhyiddin Yassin

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING

Worldwide Cost of Living 2020

• The new edition of the Worldwide Cost of Living report shows how the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the cost of living in about 130 cities around the world since the start of 2020.
• Just like last year, three cities share the top spot as the world’s most expensive city to live in. Retaining its place at the top of the ranking, Hong Kong is now joined by Paris and Zurich. Both cities have overtaken Singapore and Osaka, which have dropped down to 4th and 5th ranks, respectively.
• Damascus (Syria), Tashkent (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.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

China to launch moon probe, seeking first lunar rock retrieval since 1970s

• China plans to launch an unmanned spacecraft to the moon to bring back lunar rocks in the first attempt by any nation to retrieve samples from Earth’s natural satellite since the 1970s.
• The Chang’e-5 probe, named after the ancient Chinese goddess of the moon, will seek to collect material that can help scientists understand more about the moon’s origins and formation. The mission will test China’s ability to remotely acquire samples from space, ahead of more complex missions.
• If successful, the mission will make China only the third country to have retrieved lunar samples, following the United States and the Soviet Union decades ago.
• Since the Soviet Union crash-landed the Luna 2 on the moon in 1959, the first human-made object to reach another celestial body, a handful of other countries including Japan and India have launched moon missions.

About China:

• Capital: Beijing
• President: Xi Jinping
• Currency: Renminbi

NASA, US and European Partners Launch Mission to Monitor Global Ocean

• A joint S.-European satellite built to monitor global sea levels lifted off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California .
• About the size of a small pickup truck, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich will extend a nearly 30-year continuous dataset on sea level collected by an ongoing collaboration of U.S. and European satellites while enhancing weather forecasts and providing detailed information on large-scale ocean currents to support ship navigation near coastlines.
• After arriving in orbit, the spacecraft separated from the rocket’s second stage and unfolded its twin sets of solar arrays. Ground controllers successfully acquired the satellite’s signal, and initial telemetry reports showed the spacecraft in good health. Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich will now undergo a series of exhaustive checks and calibrations before it starts collecting science data in a few months’ time.

About NASA:

• Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States
• Administrator:Jim Bridenstine

IIT-Madras develops solar-powered unmanned survey craft for Indian ports

• In a boost to the indigenization of Indian maritime sector, researchers at IIT-Madras have developed a solar-powered Unmanned Autonomous Survey Craft for Indian ports and inland waterways to undertake autonomous hydrographic and oceanographic surveys and provide real-time data transmission over long distances.
• This system could be equipped with an echo sounder, GPS System, and broadband communication technology, capable of delivering precise depth measurements. In addition to the echo sounder and GPS system, it is possible to add additional oceanographic payloads (current and velocity measurements) and 360-degree camera, LiDAR, for seamless topography and bathymetry measurements.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE

Indian Navy gets 9th P-8I anti-submarine warfare aircraft

• Indian Navy has got its ninth Boeing P-8I long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft, part of the nearly $1 billion deal with the US for four additional planes signed in 2016. India, which had first signed a contract for eight such aircraft in 2009, is also negotiating a deal for six more P-8Is with the US under the government-to-government route.
• While the ninth aircraft was scheduled to be handed over to the Indian Navy in July this year, the Covid pandemic delayed plans. The remaining three are scheduled to be handed over to India in 2021. Incidentally, the aircraft, the latest of which landed at INS Hansa in Goa.
• The Indian fleet of P-8I aircraft, a variant of the P-8A Poseidon aircraftthat Boeing developed as a replacement for the US Navy’s ageing P-3 fleet, has surpassed 25,000 flight hours since it was inducted in 2013. India had become the first international customer for the P-8 aircraft with the conclusion of the nearly $2.1 billion contracts on 1 January 2009 for a total of eight aircraft. India is also the second-biggest operator of the aircraft in the world.

About The P-8I:

• The P-8I is equipped for long-range anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance in support of the broad area, maritime and littoral operations. Incidentally, its communication and sensor suite includes indigenous equipment developed by defence PSUs and private manufacturers.

Indo-Thai Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT)

• The 30th edition of India-Thailand Coordinated Patrol (Indo-Thai CORPAT) between the Indian Navy and the Royal Thai Navy is being conducted from 18 – 20 November 2020. Indian Naval Ship (INS) Karmuk, an indigenously built Missile Corvette and His Majesty’s Thailand Ship (HTMS) Kraburi, a Chao Phraya Class Frigate along with Dornier Maritime Patrol Aircraft from both the navies are participating in the CORPAT.
• As part of Government of India’s vision of SAGAR (Security AndGrowth for All in the Region), the Indian Navy has been involved in assisting countries in the Indian Ocean Region with EEZ Surveillance, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), and other capacity building and capability-enhancement activities, on their request.

About Indian Navy:

• Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS): Admiral Karambir Singh
• Founded: 26 January 1950
• Headquarters: Integrated Defence Headquarters, New Delhi

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARY

Former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi Dies At 86

• Former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi, who had been battling for his life with post-Covid complications in a hospital for weeks, died of multiple organ failure.
• Born in 1934, Mr. Gogoi served as the Chief Minister of Assam from 2001 to 2016. He is the longest serving Chief Minister of the state. Prior to becoming Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi served as Union Minister. He represented Jorhat and Kaliabor constituencies in Lok Sabha. Mr. Gogoi also served in various capacities in the Congress party.

Sahitya Academy award winner Shaik Khaja Hussain passes away

• Noted Telugu poet, journalist, scriptwriter, and Kendra Sahitya Academy award winner Shaik Khaja Hussain, popularly known as Devi Priya, passed away. He was born in Tadikonda in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh.
• He bagged the Sahitya Akademi Award 2017, for his book Gaali Rangu. His “Running Commentary” on contemporary politics in Udayam Telugu daily was very popular and thought-provoking.

DAILY CA NOV 22^nd & 23^rd

• National Cadet Corps (NCC), the largest uniformed youth organisation in the world, will celebrate its 72nd Raising Day.
• Health Minister Harsh Vardhan addressed the Boston Center of Excellence for Health and Human Development through Video Conference.
• The Ministry of Tourism’s Dekho Apna Desh Webinar series titled “India’s Hidden Gems” on 21stNovember 2020 focused on hidden gems of India.
• Karnataka aims to become a $50-billion bio-economy by doubling the $22.6-billion sector in five years, stated the state government at the Bengaluru Tech Summit.
• India International Cherry Blossom Festival, the calendar event of Meghalaya which attracts record number of tourists annually in Shillong, has been cancelled this year in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic. The capital, Shillong hosts the only Cherry Blossoms festival in India.
• Global payments technology major Mastercard has joined hands with the United States Agency for International Development (USTATED) for Project Kirana that will help increase revenue streams, expand financial inclusion and digital payments adoption of kirana shops that are owned or operated by women.
• State Bank of India (SBI) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Luxembourg Stock Exchange (LuxSe).
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a total fine of over Rs 5.78 crore on six entities, including PNB, Sodexo and PhonePe, for violating regulatory guidelines.
• An internal working group set up by the RBI has proposed to raise the cap on promoters’ stake in private banks from the current 15 per cent to 26 per cent in 15 years.
• FLO, the women wing of the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), stated it has signed an agreement with Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Shillong and Incubation and Enterprise Support Centre (IESC) to mentor entrepreneurs.
• Indian Oil signed MoU with MoPNG for upcoming CBG Plants – An MoU has been signed with the Ministry of Petroleum and gas by the Indian Oil R&D Centre has developed robust technology on Bio-methanation, Government of India as a technology provider for the upcoming CBG Plants.
• US President-elect Joe Biden appointed an Indian-American, Mala Adiga, the policy director of his wife Jill Biden, who will be the First Lady.
• Raah Foundation wins Palghar CSR Award 2020 under the category of Village Development for outstanding contribution towards sustainable socio-economic development of Palghar, Kokan region at the 2nd edition CSR conclave and awards Dialogue Palghar on 6th Nov 2020.
• Critically-acclaimed books by three Indian writers have featured among this year’s ‘100 Notable Books’ list of The New York Times that also includes former US president Barack Obama’s newly released memoir ‘A Promised Land’.
• Uttar Pradesh was awarded as best performing state in inland fisheries sector while Odisha got the award of the best Marine state on the occasion of ‘World Fisheries Day’ observed by the Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India
• India has become the fourth country in the world to have its independent regional navigation satellite system recognised by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) as a part of the World Wide Radio Navigation System (WWRNS).
• A two day 80th All India Presiding Officers’ Conference will be organized at  Kevadia, Gujarat on 25th of this month. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla stated that the theme of this year’s conference is Harmonious Coordination of Legislative, Executive and Judiciary- Key to a Vibrant Democracy.
• India is set to host the G-20 summit in 2023, instead of 2022 — the 75th year of Independence. Indonesia will assume G-20 presidency in 2022 after a swap with India.
• Indian Navy Ships including indigenously built ASW corvette Kamorta and missile corvette Karmuk are participating in the 2nd edition of India, Singapore and Thailand Trilateral Maritime Exercise SITMEX-20 in Andaman Sea.The two day exercise got underway.
• Indian Navy is scheduled to host the 27th edition of India – Singapore Bilateral Maritime Exercise SIMBEX-20 from in Andaman Sea. It will continue till 25th of this month.
• In Tennis, Daniil Medvedev beat Dominic Thiem to win ATP Tour Finals, the biggest title of his career. Medvedev fought back from losing the first set to beat Thiem 4-6, 7-6, 6-4 in a thrilling final in London.

DAILY CA NOV 24^th  

• Government has extended the period for submission of Life Certificate by Central Government pensioners till 28th February next year.
• Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ inaugurated 46 online AICTE Training and Learning (ATAL) Academy Faculty Development Programmes (FDPs) to train teachers of higher education institutions.
• India and the European Union held the sixth round of consultations on disarmament and non-proliferation matters in a virtual format.
• To mark the occasion of 3 years of UMANG and 2000 plus services milestone, an online conference was organized under the chairmanship of Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad.
• Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated a mobile COVID-19 RT-PCR Lab at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in New Delhi.
• Minister of State for Power and New and Renewable Energy R K Singh has stated, India is going to replace the safeguard duty with the custom duty to protect the local manufacturers of solar equipment.
• United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has started collaborating with airlines, shipping lines, and freight operators, among other logistics, to deliver lifesaving coronavirus vaccine as quickly as possible,
• The Asian Development Bank stated it has approved a USD 50 million loan to improve operational efficiencies and resource planning and management in West Bengal.
• Canara Bank, Axis Bank, Indian Bank and South Indian Bank have acquired 67% stake each in financial technology firm, IBBIC, at Rs 10 per equity share for a cash consideration of Rs 5 lakh each.
• Singapore-based neobanking startup StashFin announced to have partnered with Visa with an aim to launch co-branded prepaid cards with credit lines and expand its digital banking footprint in existing and new geographies.
• E-commerce and online payments services provider Infibeam Avenues Limited announced its collaboration with Bank Muscat, Oman’s biggest bank, to offer high-end payment gateway services to merchants in Oman.
• HDFC Bank has launched the ‘Mouth Shut’ campaign across Tamil Nadu to increase awareness about cyber frauds.
• Muthoot Finance has tied up with Bajaj Allianz General Insurance to provide insurance on gold jewellery as part of their new initiative, Muthoot Gold Shield, which is backed and powered by Group Affinity All Risk policy of Bajaj Allianz General Insurance.
• Odisha Essential Services (Maintenance) Amendment Bill-2020 was passed by the state assembly.The bill seeks to amend the existing Act of 1988 to prohibit strikes by employees of essential services in the state.
• The Uttarakhand forest department dedicated the newly-built Moss Garden to the people, claiming that it is the country’s first such garden, spread over 10 hectares in Kumaon’s Nainital district.
• The National Capital Region Transport Corporation and the Bharat Electronics Limited inked a memorandum of understanding to develop indigenous platform screen doors, which act as a safety barrier between the passengers and tracks, under the self-reliant India scheme.
• Comptroller and Auditor General of India has been elected as the external auditor of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Geneva for a three-year term. Girish Chandra Murmu, the 14th Comptroller and Auditor General of India will assume the charge from Supreme Audit Institution of Switzerland.
• Achyuta Samanta, MP Kandhamal and Founder, KIIT and KISS has been elected unopposed as the President of Volleyball Federation of India (VFI).
• In Nagaland, Kohima Smart City Development Limited, KSCDL has been declared Winner at the ET Government Global Smart Cities Forum 2020 under the category Best Digital Initiative of the Year (Technology) for Kohima City Wifi Phase-I Project.
• Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah has been honoured with the 2020 Aditya Vikram Birla Kalashikhar Puraskar at annual Sangit Kala Kendra Awards.
• Delhi Crime’ has bagged a major win for Indian web series, winning the Best Drama Series award at the 48th International Emmys.This was the first-ever Emmy for an Indian program.
• The 2020 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting was held under the Chairmanship of Malaysian Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
• Three cities share the top spot as the world’s most expensive city to live in. Retaining its place at the top of the ranking, Hong Kong is now joined by Paris and Zurich. Both cities have overtaken Singapore and Osaka, which have dropped down to 4th and 5th ranks, respectively.
• China plans to launch an unmanned spacecraft to the moon to bring back lunar rocks in the first attempt by any nation to retrieve samples from Earth’s natural satellite since the 1970s.
• A joint U.S.-European satellite built to monitor global sea levels lifted off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California .
• Researchers at IIT-Madras have developed a solar-powered Unmanned Autonomous Survey Craft for Indian ports and inland waterways to undertake autonomous hydrographic and oceanographic surveys and provide real-time data transmission over long distances.
• Indian Navy has got its ninth Boeing P-8I long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft, part of the nearly $1 billion deal with the US for four additional planes signed in 2016.
• The 30th edition of India-Thailand Coordinated Patrol (Indo-Thai CORPAT) between the Indian Navy and the Royal Thai Navy is being conducted from 18 – 20 November 2020.
• Former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi passed away. Born in 1934, Mr. Gogoi served as the Chief Minister of Assam from 2001 to 2016.
• Noted Telugu poet, journalist, scriptwriter, and Kendra Sahitya Academy award winner Shaik Khaja Hussain, popularly known as Devi Priya, passed away.

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