Current Affairs 11th November 2020| Current Affairs News

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CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS

World Science Day for Peace and Development

• World Science Day for Peace and Developmentis observed on November 10 every year to raise the importance and relevance of science in our daily lives.
• It highlights the significant role ofscience in society and the need to engage the wider public in debates on emerging scientific issues.
• To celebrate the 2020 World Science Day, UNESCO will organize an online roundtable on the theme of “Science for and with Society in dealing with COVID-19”.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

Govt sets up Inter-Ministerial Committee to strengthen capital goods sector: Prakash Javadekar

• Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Minister Prakash Javadekar informed that the government has set up an Inter-Ministerial Committee to strengthen the capital goods sector.
• He stated, these interventions will help the capital goods sector in contributing more actively towards the national goal of achieving a one trillion dollar manufacturing sector.
• The Minister stated, the 21-member Inter-Ministerial Committee will be headed by Secretary of Department of Heavy Industries.
• He stated, the committee will work out ways and means to make the capital goods sector globally competitive and to become the manufacturing hub for the world.

About Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises:           

• Prakash Javadekar, Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises
• Constituency: Madhya Pradesh
• Arjun Ram Meghwal, Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises

Rajnath Singh unveils model of Anti-Satellite Missile at DRDO Bhawan

• A model of Anti-Satellite Missile installed inside the DRDO Bhawan premises was unveiled by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. ‘Mission Shakti’ was the country’s first ever Anti-Satellite (A-SAT) Missile Test successfully conducted on 27th March 2019 from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island in Odisha, where a fast-moving Indian orbiting target satellite in Low Earth Orbit was neutralised with pinpoint accuracy.
• This was a highly complex mission, conducted at extremely high speed with remarkable precision.
• The successful conduct of Mission Shakti made India the fourth nation in the world with the capability to defend its assets in outer space.

About MoD:

• Defence Minister: Rajnath Singh
• Constituency: Lucknow, Up

Digital news, OTT added under I&B Ministry

• The government has brought films, audio-visuals, news and current affairs content on online platforms– under the domain of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
• According to a notification issued by the Cabinet Secretariat, content made available by online providers such as Netflix will also come under the ministry.
• The notification, signed by President Ram Nath Kovind, stated the decision has been taken in exercise of the powers conferred by clause (3) of article 77 of the Constitution, by amending the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961 and it will come into effect immediately.
• With this, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has the power to regulate policies related to news, audio, visual contents and films available on online platforms.
• These rules may be called the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Three Hundred and Fifty Seventh Amendment Rules, 2020. They shall come into force at once.
• In the Government of India (Allocation of Business, 1961, in THE SECOND SCHEDULE, under the heading ‘MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING (SOOCHANA AUR PRASARAN MANTRALAYA)’ after entry 22, the following sub-heading and entries shall be inserted, namely:- VA. DIGITAL/ONLINE MEDIA. 22A. Films and Audio-Visual programmes made available by online content providers. 22B. News and current affairs content on online platforms, it stated.

About Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of India:

• Prakash Javadekar, Minister of Information and Broadcasting
• Constituency: Madhya Pradesh
• Amit Khare, IAS, Information and Broadcasting Secretary

15th Finance Commission submits its Report for 2021-22 to 2025-26 to President Ram Nath Kovind

• The Fifteenth Finance Commission (XVFC) led by Chairman N K Singh, submitted its Report for the period 2021-22 to 2025-26 to President of India Ram Nath Kovind. Members of the Commission, Ajay Narayan Jha, Anoop Singh, Dr. Ashok Lahiri and Dr. Ramesh Chand along with Secretary to the Commission Arvind Mehta accompanied the Chairman.
• As per the terms of reference (ToR), the Commission was mandated to give its recommendations for five years from 2021-22 to 2025-26 by 30 October, 2020. Last year, the Commission had submitted its report containing recommendations for the year 2020-21 which was accepted by the Union Government and tabled in the Parliament on 30 January 2020.
• This Report has been organised in four volumes. Volume I and II, as in the past, contain the main report and the accompanying annexes. Volume III is devoted to the Union Government and examines key departments in greater depth, with the medium-term challenges and the roadmap ahead. Volume IV is entirely devoted to the States. The Commission has analysed the finances of each State in great depth and has come up with State-specific considerations to address the key challenges that individual States face.
• The cover and title of the Report are also unique in this Report- “Finance Commission in Covid Times” and the use of Scales on the cover to indicate the balance between the States and the Union.

About Fifteenth Finance Commission:

• The Fifteenth Finance Commission (XV-FC or 15-FC) is an Indian Finance Commission constituted in November 2017 and is to give recommendations for devolution of taxes and other fiscal matters for five fiscal years, commencing 2020-04-01.
• The commission’s chairman is Nand Kishore Singh, with its full-time members being Ajay Narayan Jha, Ashok Lahiri and Anoop Singh. In addition, the commission also has a part-time member in Ramesh Chand.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL

Guadalajara named World Book Capital 2022

• Guadalajara (Mexico) was named World Book Capital for the year 2022 by the Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, on the recommendation of the World Book Capital Advisory Committee.
• The city, already a UNESCO Creative City since 2017, was selected for its comprehensive plan for policies around the book to trigger social change, combat violence and build a culture of peace.
• Cities designated as UNESCO World Book Capital undertake to promote books and reading and to organize activities over the year. As the twenty-second city to bear the title since 2001, Guadalajara follows Tbilisi (2021) Kuala Lumpur (2020). Past winners include Madrid (2001), Alexandria (2002), New Delhi (2003), Anvers (2004), Montreal (2005), Turin (2006), Bogota (2007), Amsterdam(2008), Beirut (2009), Ljubljana (2010), Buenos Aires (2011), Erevan (2012), Bangkok (2013), Port Harcourt (2014), Incheon (2015), Wroclaw (2016), Conakry (2017), Athens (2018), Sharjah, (2019).
• The application of the city of Guadalajara was accepted by an Advisory Committee, comprising representatives of the International Publisher’s Association (IPA), the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA), the International Authors Forum (IAF) and UNESCO.

About UNESCO:

• Headquarters: Paris, France
• Head: Audrey Azoulay
• Founded: 16 November 1945

Nepal President Bidhya Devi Bhandari releases special anthology on Mahatma Gandhi

• Nepal President Bidhya Devi Bhandari has released a special anthology on Mahatma Gandhi- ‘My understanding about Gandhi’ – during a ceremony at Kathmandu in the presence of Indian Ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra.
• The book has been brought out by the Embassy of India along with the BP Koirala India-Nepal Foundation to cherish the values of the Mahatma’s universal teachings with Nepali friends.
• Indian Embassy stated that the publication hopes to bring the youth of Nepal closer to Mahatma Gandhi, whose life and ideals remain timeless, universal and relevant for today’s world.
• The pictorial anthology in Nepalese has been released to celebrate 151st Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and to mark the culmination of the two years long celebrations of ‘150 years of Mahatma’.

About Nepal:

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

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE

Bharti AXA General Insurance launches cancer awareness drive on social media

• Bharti AXA General Insurance has launched #CancerSendsNoNotifications campaign – a special initiative to increase awareness and spread knowledge on detecting the disease early among people in India.
• This campaign was held on November 7^th National Cancer Awareness Day
• Through this cancer awareness drive, Bharti AXA aims to engage with close to a million Indians on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
• Cancer remains the leading cause of death in both men and women in our country. As per the recent WHO report, one in every 10 Indians will develop cancer and one in every 15 will succumb to the disease.
• Reducing the number of fatalities due to cancer can only be achieved in a country with a population of 1.35 billion, by spreading awareness about timely detection.
• Cervical cancer does not cause any noticeable symptoms until it reaches stage 3. The good news is that there is a vaccine available for women between 9-26 years. So, defend yourself against cervical cancer by getting a vaccine or a Pap test.

About Bharti AXA General Insurance

• CEO: Sanjeev Srinivasan
• Headquarters: Mumbai

NSE to launch first agricultural commodity futures contract in December

• Leading stock exchange NSE stated it will launch its first agricultural commodity futures contract for crude degummed soybean oil on December 1.
• The contract will facilitate the soybean oils processing and allied industries in India and overseas, a perfect hedging tool for managing their price, the National Stock Exchange stated. The contract is a monthly expiry cash settled futures contract with a trading lot size of 10 metric ton (MT) and price basis as Kandla.
• Vikram Limaye, MD and CEO of NSE, stated the exchange is dedicated to deepen the Indian commodity markets by providing convenient and cost-effective onshore hedging products.

About NSE:

• Location: Mumbai, India
• Chairman: Girish Chandra Chaturvedi
• MD & CEO: Vikram Limaye

Paytm introduces Payout Links for businesses

• Paytm has launched Payout Links for businesses, enabling them to instantly process payouts to customers, employees and vendors, without collecting their bank details.
• As businesses struggle with the ever-growing numbers of manual financial processes, Payout Links offers seamless payment integration for businesses to quickly send incentives and refunds to customers through the easy and inexpensive method of a simple payout link.
• The receiver needs to simply open the link and is automatically provided a list of saved accounts such as Paytm Wallet, Paytm UPI and connected bank accounts, which can be chosen to receive money instantly. Since no other information is needed, the receiver is free from having to remember his bank details, and the risk of human errors is effectively removed.
• Payout Links also enables the receiver to exercise greater control in choosing exactly which account to receive the funds in, as well as maintain the privacy of his bank details.

About Paytm:

• CEO: Vijay Shekhar Sharma
• Headquarters: Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India

Flipkart offers customised group health insurance cover issued by Bajaj Allianz

• Flipkart, announced that it now offers group health insurance cover ranging from 3 lakh to Rs.20 lakh issued by Bajaj Allianz General Insurance and Care Health Insurance to its large and growing pan-Indian customer base.
• Customers opting for policies of Bajaj Allianz General Insurance and Care Health Insurance on the Flipkart platform are not required to undergo any pre-emptive medical tests; the policy is issued against a declaration of good health; making it convenient to cover for their health scares.
• The policies further safeguard individuals against medical expenses and hospitalisation expenses, while also covering alternate treatment methods such as Ayurvedic and Homeopathic for up to a certain percentage of the sum insured.

About Bajaj Allianz General Insurance:

• CEO: Tapan Singhel
• Headquarters: Pune

Edelweiss Tokio Life launches Covid Shield+

• Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance has announced the launch of Covid Shield+ to secure people’s dreams and aspirations from the financial impact of a Covid-19 diagnosis. Edelweiss Tokio Life COVID Shield+ is a newly launched plan offering insurance coverage for coronavirus disease or COVID-19.
• COVID Shield+ has been specifically designed to cater to the financial expenses caused due to COVID-19. The treatment for COVID-19 can require lakhs of rupees and lack of proper medical care could also lead to fatalities. In a situation like this, it is best to be prepared financially to secure your family’s future.

About Edelweiss Group:

• Chairman & CEO : Rashesh Shah
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

Marg ERP and Paytm partners to resolve MSMEs payment issue digitally

• One of the biggest enterprise solutions providers in India, Marg ERP, with over 50% market share in Pharma and FMCG sector nationally, has come together with Paytm to facilitate seamless transactions for MSMEs.
• Under this joint venture, the duo empowers MSME using this new integrated payments solution called MargPay developed by MARG ERP Limited.
• This technological advancement will reconcile payments efficiently in a cost effective manner by enabling MSMEs to keep track of all their receipts and payments made through multiple payment methods.
• MARGPAY is an easy to use platform with user friendly interface.
• It will also be very easy for merchants to connect it with their billing and accounting system with minimum effort.
• Furthermore, this partnership of two digital giants of the country will also extend to Paytm Payments Bank Limited powering Marg Pay’s nodal bank account.
• Notably,MARG ERP is a CMMI Level 3 certified company with 850 sales and support system countrywide.
• Paytm Payment Gateway is a leader inIndia with over 50% market share in processing transactions through Wallet, UPI, cards and net-banking. It offers several innovative services, such as Payouts & Recurring payments, OTP less card payments, instant refunds, and pre-authorization flow that addresses the needs of both B2B and B2Ccompanies.

About MARG ERP

• CEO: Krishnam Raju
• Head Quarters: New Delhi

About Paytm

• Founded: August 2010
• CEO: Vijay Shekhar Sharma
• Headquarters: Noida, Uttar Pradesh

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATES

U’khand CM Inaugurates Dobra-Chanthi Suspension Bridge In Tehri-Garhwal

• Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat inaugurated the 725-metre long Dobra-Chanthi suspension bridge in Tehri-Garhwal district.
• This project is the longest motorable single lane suspension bridge in India.
• The bridge, opened for the public, has been built in 14 years over the Tehri lake with a cost of ₹95 crore. It would help connect Pratap Nagar town with Tehri Garhwal district headquarters.

About Uttarakhand

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

Green Soldiers to get insurance cover on Pakke Tiger Reserve, Arunachal Pradesh

• Pakke Tiger Reserve (PTR) in Arunachal Pradesh has become the first in the Northeast to provide insurance cover against COVID-19 for its ‘Green Soldiers’.
• 57 frontline staff of the park have been insured for nine months against health issues due to infection by the Novel Coronavirus.
• The ‘Wildlife Trust of India’ (WTI), an NGO, paid the insurance amount with support from ‘Foundation Serge’.
• WTI runs the Bear Rehabilitation and Conservation centre.
• The insurance coverage is of Rs 1 lakh each, but a few who would be retiring soon have been insured for Rs 50,000.

About Arunachal Pradesh

• Capital: Itanagar
• Chief minister: Pema Khandu
• Governor: B. D. Mishra

Assam’s Tezpur Litchi gets GI tag

• Tezpur Litchi of Assam has been granted the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
• Now Tezpur Litchi has been protected from the production of the fruit in other places.
• The news has been confirmed by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), an apex body under the Union ministry of commerce and industry, which is responsible for the export promotion of agricultural products.
• Kaji Nemu and Chokuwa Rice of Assam got GI tags recently.

About Tezpur Litchi

• Litchi (Litchi Chinensis) is one of the most important sub-tropical evergreen fruits produced in Tezpur.
• The fruit is known for its excellent quality pleasant flavour, juicy pulp with attractive red colour.
• Litchi consists of 60% juice, 8% rag, 19 % seed and 13% skin varying upon variety and climate.
• The fruit is also a source of vitamin C.
• It also contains insignificant amount of protein (0.8-0.9%), fat 0.3% ,pectin 0.49% and minerals specially Calcium,Phosphorus and iron (0.9%).

About GI Tag

• GI tag or Geographical Indication tag is a sign used to mark products/ items which have any special geographical origin. Those products/ items carry some special reputation or qualities due to their origin.

About Assam

• Capital: Dispur
• Chief minister: Sarbananda Sonowal
• Governor: Jagdish Mukhi

Karnataka to sign MoUs with global innovation alliance countries

• Karnataka has created a dedicated track for global innovation alliance (GIA) sessions for its flagship tech event, Bengaluru Tech Summit, which will be held virtually for the first time this year from November 19 to 21.
• Countries will host technology sessions for ecosystem connects, exchange of ideas and people, and deliberations on policy environment. Minister-level delegations from key GIA partner countries are expected throughout the summit.
• The track will also see government-to-government meetings and MoUs to activate projects for skilling, R&D and start-ups. Australia, France, Germany, Israel, Netherlands, Switzerland and UK are among the 25 countries expected to participate.

About Karnataka:

• Capital: Bengaluru
• Governor: Vajubhai Vala
• Chief minister: B. S. Yediyurappa

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPS AND PORTALS

‘Wildlife Rescue’ app launched to rescue wild animals in the city

• Chandigarh UT administrator VP Singh Badnore launched the mobile-based application ‘Wildlife Rescue’ for monitoring of wildlife rescue, reporting and release of wildlife online. The app works on all Android smartphones.
• A mobile app has been launched for the people of Chandigarh to report wildlife entering human habitation or in distress, so that the animal can be rescued by the forest department officials.
• Through this app, timely dissemination of information to the authorities concerned is possible regarding injured and distressed wild animals in the city. The location of the incident can also be directly communicated, thereby making it easier and faster for the department to react to such calls.
• The link of the app is also available on the department’s website www.chandigarhforest.gov.in.

CM Naveen Patnaik launches Secha Samadhan, online services for farmers

• Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched ‘Secha Samadhan’, a bilingual mobile application, to address the irrigation problems faced by farmers without them having to visit the offices concerned. He also launched four other online services to resolve the issue of water distribution for industries, commercial establishments and other institutions.
• With the launching of the application, farmers need not run to the offices of the Water Resources department and can send their grievances through photographs or videos. The farmers will be informed about the status of their complaints through SMS. Besides, immediate steps will be taken to redress the grievances of the farmers.
• Farmers can apply for community lift irrigation points under the Biju Krushak Bikas Yojana (BKBY) through phones, computers or nearby Jana Seva Kendras using the app. Similarly, the Water Resources department has also developed Go Swift portal by which industries can apply for water. The department has also launched the website waterallocationod.nic.in for distribution of water to commercial establishments and other institutions.

About Odisha:

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

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

Ruskin Bond to be presented with Tata Literature Live! Lifetime Achievement Award

• Ruskin Bond, one of India’s most cherished authors, has been conferred the Tata Literature Live! Lifetime Achievement Award for 2020. Mr. Bond has a substantial body of work – close to 100 books – across genres for children and adults. His writing has charmed both categories of readers into lifelong love and admiration.
• Bond has been recognised by the Indian Council of Child Education for his contribution to the growth of children’s literature in India. He has also been conferred the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan.
• Born in India to British parents, and sent to the UK as a young adult, Mr. Bond used the proceeds of his first published book to buy a passage back home to India and never left. His books reflect his deep affection for, and rootedness in India.
• Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra, for which he was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award and his other semi – autobiographical work With Love from the Hills reflect his profound connection to both India and nature.

Russia’s Lakhta Center wins Emporis Skyscraper Award 2019

• The Emporis Skyscraper Award, one of the world’s most renowned prizes for high-rise architecture, has been given to a 462-metre-high Lakhta Center in St Petersburg this year.
• This marks the first time that the prestigious award has gone to a project in Russia in the 20-year-long history of the award.
• The skyscraper which has been, designed by GORPROJECT and RMJM, is not only the tallest building in Russia but is the tallest building in entire Europe and the fourteenth tallest building in the world.
• Marking its 20th anniversary this year, the prestigious Skyscraper Award by Emporis, a global provider of building data, has become an indispensable part of the international architecture scene since its introduction in 2000.
• The exterior structure of the building consists of five wings that rotate almost 90 degrees. The twist creates a dynamic impression, giving the building the shape of a blazing flame, which resembles the logo of Gazprom, the natural gas producer that has taken up its new headquarters inside the building.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS AND AUTHORS

Nayanjot Lahiri’s book Archaeology and the Public Purpose: Writings on and by M N Deshpande

• The book, “Archaeology and the Public Purpose: Writings on and by M N Deshpande”, is written by history professor Nayanjot Lahiri.
• A new book will document the life and times of former director general of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) Madhusudan Narhar Deshpande.
• The book, which brings out selected articles written by Deshpande from his writings and notes, also narrates forgotten stories like how Deshpande helped iconic environmentalist Chandi Prasad Bhatt in saving the traditional fabric of Badrinath temple in the 1970s.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SUMMITS AND CONFERENCE

Hardeep Singh Puri inaugurates UMI 2020 Conference

• Hardeep S. Puri, MoS (I/C), Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs  inaugurated the 13th Urban Mobility India Conference on “Emerging Trends in Urban Mobility”.
• He has stated that Future mobility is about striving towards environment-friendly, integrated, automated and personalized travel on-demand.
• New advancements like intelligent transportation systems, and traffic management applications are in the pipeline for enhanced mobility in major cities.
• The conference focused on innovative measures taken at national and international level to address the challenges posed by Covid-19 pandemic to provide accessible and convenient transport to the people.
• The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, had issued the National Urban Transport Policy, 2006 (NUTP) to ensure safe, affordable, quick, comfortable, reliable and sustainable access for the growing number of city residents to jobs, education, recreation and such other needs within our cities.
• As part of the NUTP, the Ministry has been organizing the annual international Conference-cum-Exhibition on Urban Mobility India popularly known as UMI.
• The primary objective of the conference is to disseminate information to the cities, whose officials attend the conference to help them keep up-to-date with latest and best urban transport practices globally.

About MOHUA

• Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, Civil Aviation: Hardeep Singh Puri
• Constituency: Amritsar
• Secretary:Durga Shanker Mishra

PM Modi to co-chair 17th ASEAN-India Summit

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with Prime Minister of Vietnam Nguyen Xuan Phuc will co-chair the 17th ASEAN-India Summit. The leaders of all ten ASEAN Member States will virtually participate in the Summit.
• The Summit will review the status of ASEAN-India Strategic Partnership and take stock of progress made in key areas such as connectivity, maritime cooperation, trade and commerce, education and capacity building.
• The Leaders will discuss ways to further strengthen ASEAN-India engagement and in this context will note the adoption of ASEAN-India Plan of Action (2021-2025).
• ASEAN-India Summits provide the opportunity for India and ASEAN to engage at the highest level.
• India’s Act East Policy, underlining ASEAN-centrality, reflects the importance, India attaches to engagement with ASEAN.

About Association of Southeast Asian Nations:

• Headquarters: Jakarta, Indonesia
• Founded: 8 August 1967, Malaysia
• Members: Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Cambodia, Myanmar (Burma), Laos

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Astronomers detect first fast radio burst in our Milky Way galaxy

• Astronomers have detected a bright fast radio burst, which lasted for a millisecond, from our galaxy for the first time ever.
• Fast radio bursts (FRB) are bright bursts of radio waves from astronomical objects across galaxies, and their sources have been a mystery for over a decade.
• This signal, called FRB 200428, was found in April inside the Milky Way galaxy for the first time and was also the first to be traced to a magnetar, which are dead stars that have the most powerful magnetic fields in the universe. The findings confirm that magnetars could be sources for FRBs.
• Magnetars are known to produce jets of gamma rays and X-rays, which also last for mere milliseconds and carry a huge burst of energy.
• The next day, the same region of sky was visible to two telescopes on land, the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) and the Survey for Transient Astronomical Radio Emission 2 (STARE2) array of three radio antennas, in the US, both of which detected an FRB in the region.
• Other space telescopes like the European Space Agency’s INTEGRAL space telescope, Russia’s Konus detector on NASA’s Wind spacecraft, and China’s Insight space observatory, also detected an X-ray burst coming from the same location at the same time.

China successfully sends world’s first 6G communications test satellite into orbit from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center

• China has reportedly become the world’s first country to have successfully sent the 6G communications test satellite into the orbit from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in the Shanxi Province.
• The technology is expected to be over 100 times faster than 5G.
• The 6G communications test satellite was launched into the orbit along with 12 other satellites.
• The 13 satellites also included 10 from Argentina and it is said to be the 351st launch by the Long March 6 rocket.
• Satellogic signed a contract with China Great Wall Industry Corporation, an arm of China’s main space contractor, in January 2019 for launches to deploy 90 satellites. Satellogic has previously received funding from Chinese tech giant Tencent.
• The mission also carried and launched three additional satellites. One was the UESTC (also known as Tianyan-05) remote sensing satellite jointly developed by new Chinese commercial satellite companies ADAspace and MinoSpace.
• Another payload, Beihang SAT-1 was developed by Spacety, a commercial satellite maker based in Changsha, central China, in collaboration with Beihang University, an aerospace university in Beijing.
• Beihang SAT-1 also carries a NPT30-I2 electric propulsion system developed by French startup ThrustMe.
• The final satellite, named Bayi-03, involved students from the Jinshan Middle School in Taiyuan. Carrying an ultraviolet telescope developed by Origin Space, a Chinese asteroid mining company.

About China

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

Pfizer’s Early Data Shows Vaccine Is More Than 90% Effective

• The drug maker Pfizer announced that an early analysis of its coronavirus vaccine trial suggested the vaccine was robustly effective in preventing Covid-19, a promising development as the world has waited anxiously for any positive news about a pandemic that has killed more than 1.2 million people.
• Pfizer, which developed the vaccine with the German drugmaker BioNTech, released only sparse details from its clinical trial, based on the first formal review of the data by an outside panel of experts.
• The company stated that the analysis found that the vaccine was more than 90 percent effective in preventing the disease among trial volunteers who had no evidence of prior coronavirus infection. If the results hold up, that level of protection would put it on par with highly effective childhood vaccines for diseases such as measles. No serious safety concerns have been observed, the company stated.
• Pfizer plans to ask the Food and Drug Administration for emergency authorization of the two-dose vaccine later this month, after it has collected the recommended two months of safety data. By the end of the year it will have manufactured enough doses to immunize 15 million to 20 million people, company executives have stated.

About Pfizer:

• CEO: Albert Bourla
• Headquarters: New York, New York, United States

Virgin Hyperloop completes first-ever human trial in hyperloop pod in US

• Virgin Hyperloop stated it has “successfully” completed the first-ever human trial in the hyperloop pod at the DevLoop test facility in the US.
• Two passengers, both company staff, travelled 500 metres in 15 seconds, reaching 107 mph (172 km per hour), marking the completion of the first-ever trial, the company stated.
• The testing campaign will continue with Pune native and Virgin Hyperloop Power Electronics Specialist, Tanay Manjrekar, riding next, the company stated.
• Hyperloop is a next-generation travel system that uses pods or capsules travelling at high speeds through low-pressure tubes erected on columns or tunnelled underground using magnetic levitation. The system is fully autonomous and sealed, so no driver-related error is anticipated.
• The Maharashtra government has deemed hyperloop a public infrastructure project and approved the Virgin Hyperloop-DP World Consortium as the original project proponent (OPP) for the Mumbai-Pune hyperloop project.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING

Azim Premji tops the list, Mukesh Ambani ranks third on the EdelGiveHurun India Philanthropy List 2020

• Azim Premji, the founder and chairman of Wipro, has topped the list of India’s philanthropists 2020 with a total donation of Rs 7,904 crore.
• According to the seventh edition of EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2020, Ajit Premji has been the most generous philanthropist in India for 2020. He has donated Rs 22 crore per day.
• HCL’S Shiv Nadar, 75, ranked second with Rs 795 crore donation. As of 2019, Nadar has invested over $800 million through the Foundation, impacting over 30,000 students directly.
• With a donation of Rs 458 crore by richest India Mukesh Ambani, who is the Chairman of Reliance Industries, came third.
• Kumar Mangalam Birla, who donated Rs 276 crore, ranked
• The fifth position is occupied by the founder and chairman of Vedanta, Anil Agarwal who donated Rs 215 crore.

Kerala On Top, Delhi Near Bottom in New Migrant Policy Index

• The states of Kerala, Goa, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh have been most successful in integrating migrant workers, while crucial migrant receiving states, including Delhi, have done poorly, shows the Interstate Migrant Policy Index (IMPEX) that seeks to measure integration of interstate migrants.
• India’s average IMPEX 2019 score for 28 states and the Union Territory of NCT Delhi is 37 out of 100, reflecting the limited attention paid to integration efforts in destination states.
• The index has been developed by Mumbai-based research non-profit India Migration Now (IMN), and it assesses states’ performance on eight policy areas spanning more than 60 policy indicators.
• The index could help bureaucrats and stakeholders in evolving policy for India’s 455 million internal migrants who remain one of the most excluded groups in the country. This figure is from Census 2011, and may have changed between 2011-20.
• The COVID-19 pandemic, while making these migrant workers visible, exacerbated the challenges they had to surmount. This is particularly true of migrants who cross state borders for work, as more than 54 million did as per Census 2011.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARY

Former Sikkim CM Sanchaman Limboo passes away at 73

• Former Sikkim chief minister Sanchaman Limboo passed away after a prolonged illness. He was 73.
• He was the fourth chief Minister of Sikkim from 17 June 1994 – 12 December 1994 from Sikkim Sangram Parishad Party.

DAILY CA 10^TH NOV

• World Urbanism Day, also known asWorld Town Planning Day, is celebrated in more than 30 countries on four continents on November 8 every year.
• National Legal Services Day(NLSD) is celebrated on 9th November every year across India.
• Lung Cancer Awareness Month, ​​​Lung canceris the most common cancer worldwide, and is observed during the entire month of November every year.
• Union minister Nitin Gadkari was working on an idea to set up a refinery for the production of aviation fuel from bamboo grown in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district.
• NTPC shut down four of the seven units of its plant in Bihar’s Kahalgaon as a preventive measure, after some problem in the system caused water mixed with ash to spread in nearby farmland.
• Manipur introduced “Scheme for Chief Minister’s Award for Good Governance” to recognise and reward innovative and extraordinary work done by government officials that promotes good governance.
• Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) introduced Flexi- Cap Fund category, providing relief to mutual funds after issuing new rules for Multi-Cap funds in September.

Under the new category, the scheme should have a minimum investment of 65 percent of total assets in equity and equity-related instruments

• The German state-owned development bank KfW has extended two loans totaling over EUR 545 million or Rs 4,767 crore to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) for infrastructure projects.
• The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) announced a cap of 30 percent of total volume of transactions processed in UPI by a Third Party App Provider (TPAP).
• Kosovo President Hashim Thaci resigned to face war crimes charges in The Hague. Vjosa Osmani, the head of Kosovo’s parliament, has taken over as acting president.
• Natkhat, starring and co-produced by Vidya Balan, has won top prize at the third edition of Best Of India Short Film Festival 2020, which makes it eligible for Oscar nomination.
• Veteran actor Anupam Kher unveiled the cover of his latest book “Your Best Day Is Today!”.
• The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah NaiduLaunched the book titled “Thavaasmi: Life and Skills through the lens of Ramayana”
• Union Minister of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Prakash Javadekar virtually chaired “India CEO Forum on Climate Change”.
• Dell Technologies in partnership with American India Foundation (AIF), National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and University of Mumbai has launched ‘Project Future Ready’ to equip the workforce with career skills.
• Filmmaker Sudarshan Rattan has passed away due to COVID-19
• Government has approved 21 projects, leveraging investment worth 443 crore rupees supported with a grant of 189 crore rupees under the Scheme for Integrated Cold Chain and Value Addition.
• The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has issued an order for the scale-up and expansion of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) Scheme. The target now is to achieve enhanced solar capacity of 30.8 gigawatt (GW) by 2022
• US President-elect Joe Biden has announced a 12-member coronavirus task force to mount an effective response to the pandemic that has infected millions and damaged the US economy. The task force will be co-chaired by former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy,
• The Interpol has created two secure and flexible services.One of them is the Cybercrime Knowledge Exchange workspace and other is,The Cybercrime Collaborative Platform-Operation
• MobiKwik, a leading fintech platform, has entered into a strategic partnership with American Express to launch “MobiKwik Blue American Express Card”, a digital prepaid Card.
• Tata Consultancy Services will acquire 100 per cent stake in Postbank Systems AG (PBS) from Deutsche Bank AG.
• Tata Steel has decided to procure zinc required for its plant from the domestic market rather than importing it. The company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to secure zinc from Anil Agarwal-owned Hindustan Zinc.
• The Nehru Group of Institutions Technology Business Incubator (NGI-TBI) has joined hands with KPIT, Pune, to motivate young innovators to design and develop indigenous solutions for KPIT Sparkle 2021 in the mobility and energy space. (KPIT Sparkle is KPIT’s innovation platform)
• The Nagaland government has decided to celebrate the popular Hornbill festival virtually this year, amid the surge in COVID-19 cases in the country.
• Indian Oil Corp (IOC) director-pipelines Akshay Kumar Singh will be the new managing director and chief executive of the country”s biggest gas importer, Petronet LNG Ltd.
• Aloke Singh, the new Chief Executive Officer of Air India Express, has taken charge at the Airline’s Corporate Headquarters in Kochi.
• The winner of the JCB Prize for Literature 2020 has been announced. And this year S Hareesh has won for his novel, Moustache which been translated into English by Jayasree Kalathil and published by HarperCollins India.
• Marathi film, Karkhanisanchi Waari (Ashes on a Road Trip), the 149-minute film tells the story of the Karkhanis, the last joint family of Pune. The movie was directed by Mangesh Joshi. The movie will have its world premiere at the 33rd Tokyo International Film Festival. It is the only Indian entry at the festival.
• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman participated in the 1st BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors’ Meeting under the Russian Chairmanship to discuss the BRICS Economic and Financial Cooperation agenda for 2020.

DAILY CA  11^th NOV

• World Science Day for Peace and Developmentis observed on November 10 every year with the theme of “Science for and with Society in dealing with COVID-19”.
• Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat inaugurated the 725-metre long Dobra-Chanthi suspension bridge in Tehri-Garhwal district.
• Pakke Tiger Reserve (PTR) in Arunachal Pradesh has become the first in the Northeast to provide insurance cover against COVID-19 for its ‘Green Soldiers’.
• Tezpur Litchi of Assam has been granted the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
• Bharti AXA General Insurance has launched #CancerSendsNoNotifications campaign – a special initiative to increase awareness and spread knowledge on detecting the disease early among people in India.This campaign was held on November 7^th National Cancer Awareness Day.
• Chandigarh UT administrator VP Singh Badnore launched the mobile-based application ‘Wildlife Rescue’ for monitoring of wildlife rescue, reporting and release of wildlife online.
• The book, “Archaeology and the Public Purpose: Writings on and by M N Deshpande”, is written by history professor Nayanjot Lahiri.
• Marg ERP, with over 50% market share in Pharma and FMCG sector nationally, has come together with Paytm to facilitate seamless transactions for MSMEs. Under this joint venture, the duo empowers MSME using this new integrated payments solution called MargPay developed by MARG ERP Limited.
• Hardeep S. Puri, MoS (I/C), Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs  inaugurated the 13th Urban Mobility India Conference on “Emerging Trends in Urban Mobility”.
• Astronomers have detected a bright fast radio burst, which lasted for a millisecond, from our galaxy for the first time ever.
• China has reportedly become the world’s first country to have successfully sent the 6G communications test satellite into the orbit from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in the Shanxi Province.The 13 satellites also included 10 from Argentina and it is said to be the 351st launch by the Long March 6 rocket.
• Azim Premji, the founder and chairman of Wipro, has topped the list of India’s philanthropists 2020 with a total donation of Rs 7,904 crore. HCL’S Shiv Nadar, 75, ranked second with Rs 795 crore donation and Mukesh Ambani, who is the Chairman of Reliance Industries, came third.
• Former Sikkim chief minister Sanchaman Limboo passed away .He was the fourth chief Minister of Sikkim.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with Prime Minister of Vietnam Nguyen Xuan Phuc will co-chair the 17th ASEAN-India Summit.
• NSE to launch first agricultural commodity futures contract in December
• Ruskin Bond, one of India’s most cherished authors, has been conferred the Tata Literature Live! Lifetime Achievement Award for 2020.
• Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Minister Prakash Javadekar informed that the government has set up an Inter-Ministerial Committee to strengthen the capital goods sector.
• A model of Anti-Satellite Missile installed inside the DRDO Bhawan premises was unveiled by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. ‘
• Guadalajara (Mexico) was named World Book Capital for the year 2022 by the Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, on the recommendation of the World Book Capital Advisory Committee.
• The drug maker Pfizer announced that an early analysis of its coronavirus vaccine trial suggested the vaccine was robustly 90% effective in preventing Covid-19
• Virgin Hyperloop stated it has “successfully” completed the first-ever human trial in the hyperloop pod at the DevLoop test facility in the US.
• Nepal President Bidhya Devi Bhandari has released a special anthology on Mahatma Gandhi- ‘My understanding about Gandhi’ – during a ceremony at Kathmandu in the presence of Indian Ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra.
• The government has brought films, audio-visuals, news and current affairs content on online platforms– under the domain of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
• Paytm has launched Payout Links for businesses, enabling them to instantly process payouts to customers, employees and vendors, without collecting their bank details.
• Flipkart, announced that it now offers group health insurance cover ranging from 3 lakh to Rs.20 lakh issued by Bajaj Allianz General Insurance and Care Health Insurance to its large and growing pan-Indian customer base.
• The Emporis Skyscraper Award, one of the world’s most renowned prizes for high-rise architecture, has been given to a 462-metre-high Lakhta Center in St Petersburg this year.
• Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched ‘Secha Samadhan’, a bilingual mobile application, to address the irrigation problems faced by farmers without them having to visit the offices concerned.
• The states of Kerala, Goa, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh have been most successful in integrating migrant workers, while crucial migrant receiving states, including Delhi, have done poorly, shows the Interstate Migrant Policy Index (IMPEX) that seeks to measure integration of interstate migrants.
• Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance has announced the launch of Covid Shield+ to secure people’s dreams and aspirations from the financial impact of a Covid-19 diagnosis.
• Karnataka has created a dedicated track for global innovation alliance (GIA) sessions for its flagship tech event, Bengaluru Tech Summit, which will be held virtually for the first time this year from November 19 to 21.
• The Fifteenth Finance Commission (XVFC) led by Chairman N K Singh, submitted its Report for the period 2021-22 to 2025-26 to President of India Ram Nath Kovind.

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