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CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS
World Science Day for Peace and Development
- World Science Day for Peace and Development is an international day that highlights the important role that science has in society and is celebrated each year on November 10.
- It also highlights the need to engage the wider public in debates on emerging scientific issues.
| USEFUL INFO |
| Theme 2019 | “Open science, leaving no one behind” |
CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATES
Gujarat government gives nod for world’s first CNG port terminal at Bhavnagar
- Gujarat Government has given its nod to the world’s first CNG port terminal at Bhavnagar.
- The U.K. based Foresight group and Mumbai based Padmanabh Mafatlal group joint venture will invest Rs.1900 crore to set up a CNG port terminal at Bhavnagar port.
- Gujarat Infrastructure Development Board- GIDB under the Chairmanship of Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has also approved this proposal.
- The proposed CNG port terminal will have annual capacity of 6 million matric tone, which will increased the total handling capacity of the port to 9 million matric tones.
- MoU for this project between Gujarat government arm Gujarat Maritime Board and London based Foresight Group was signed during the 2019 Vibrant Gujarat summit.
- The new facility will be developed in the Northen side of present port, underwhich RoRo terminal, liquid terminal and container terminal will be developed in future.
| USEFUL INFO |
| Gujarat Capital | Gandhinagar |
| Gujarat CM | Vijay Rupani |
| Gujarat Governor | Acharya Dev Vrat |
CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL
Newly Discovered Species of Spider Named After Sachin Tendulkar
- Sachin Tendulkar’s legendary status in the game of cricket has seen his fans find numerous ways to pay tribute to him.
- Dhruv Prajapati, a junior researcher with the Gujarat Ecological Education & Research (GEER) Foundation, discovered two new species of spiders and named one after Tendulkar and the other after Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara, who played a key role in creating awareness on education in Kerala.
- One named (one spider) Marengo sachintendulkar.
- Another name is inspired by Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara who was a crusader in creating awareness about education in Kerala.
- The two new species are a part of the Indomarengo and Marengo genus of Asian jumping spiders.
Swachh – Nirmal Tat Abhiyaan” week-long intensive Beach Cleaning Drive in 50 identified beaches of India
- To strive to make our beaches clean and create awareness amongst citizens about the importance of coastal ecosystems, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change are undertaking a mass cleanliness-cum-awareness drive in 50 identified beaches under the “Swachh – Nirmal Tat Abhiyaan”, from 11th -17th November, 2019.
- The identified beaches are in 10 coastal States/Union Territories namely Gujarat, Daman and Diu, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha. The beaches have been identified after the consultation with the States/UTs.
- The Ministry has also decided that on completion of the drive, best three beaches will be suitably awarded along with a Certificate of Appreciation for all the participating Eco-clubs.
IOCL gets Environment Ministry’s clearance to set up 2G ethanol plant in Panipat
- The Ministry of Environment has granted clearance to the Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) to set up a Rs 766-crore 2G ethanol plant in Haryana’s Panipat district.
- This project not only promotes use of environment friendly fuel but also aids in fulfilment of government’s goal of doubling farmers’ income.
- The IOCL had submitted a proposal seeking environment clearance for its proposed 100 KLPD Ligno-Cellulosic 2G ethanol plant at Baholi in Panipat district of Haryana.
- Ethanol produced will be used for blending in transportation fuel.
- Recently, the central government had notified that no environmental clearance would be required by sugar mills to produce additional ethanol from sugarcane juice.
| USEFUL INFO |
| Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) |
| IOCL Chairman | Sanjiv Singh |
| IOCL Headquarters | New Delhi |
CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE
RBI tells banks not to charge transaction fees for NEFT from Jan 2020
- Banks will not be able to charge their savings account customers for online transactions done via the National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) system from next year.
- Mandate banks not to charge savings bank account customers for online transactions in the NEFT system with effect from January 2020.
- NEFT can be done by bank customers either online or offline through bank branches. While several major banks, including State Bank of India (SBI), ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, and YES Bank, do not charge for online NEFT transactions, Bank of Baroda and Union Bank of India charge Rs 2.25, excluding the goods and services tax (GST), for such transfers up to Rs 10,000.
- According to the RBI, in the period between October 2018 and September 2019, digital payments constituted 96 per cent of the non-cash retail payments.
- NEFT and Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in the same period handled 2.5 billion and 8.7 billion transactions with year-on-year growth of 20 per cent and 263 per cent, respectively.
- To further promote digital payments, the RBI has decided to operationalise the acceptance development fund with effect from January 1, 2020.
- The fund was created to improve the payments infrastructure in small towns and villages with the help of various stakeholders, including banks, card payment networks, and the government.
- The RBI will also constitute a committee to asses the need for plurality of Quick Response (QR) codes and merits of their co-existence or convergence from both systemic and consumer viewpoints.
- Furthermore, the central bank has permitted all authorised payment systems and instruments, including non-bank prepaid payment instruments (PPIs), cards and UPI for linking with National Electronic Toll Collection FASTags. This will facilitate the use of FASTags for parking, fuel, etc., payments in an interoperable environment.
| USEFUL INFO |
| RBI Headquarters | Mumbai |
| RBI Governor | Shaktikant Das |
| RBI Deputy Governor | BP Kanungo, N S Vishwanathan, and Mahesh Kumar Jain |
CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
PayNearby launches own micro ATMs at retail shops
- PayNearby, the hyperlocal fintech network builder, has launched its own mirco ATMs at retail shops to address the issue of money dispensing machines running dry, and aims to deploy 1 lakh terminals in the first year.
- The company has tied up with National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and Equitas Small Finance Bank for this initiative.With the launch of micro ATM business terminal, PayNearby has strengthened its product portfolio of money withdrawal services. Now along with Aadhaar enabled money withdrawals, PayNearby retailers can also offer cash withdrawals through debit cards.
- PayNearby’s micro ATM is a cost effective and a smart cash management tool for small retail stores and traders who deal in large chunks of cash on a daily basis.
- The company aims to add over 1 lakh POS enabled micro ATMs in the first year of its launch. Considering its USPs such as portability, affordability and low maintenance, micro ATMs can very effectively drive financial inclusion while curbing down the infrastructure costs incurred, especially in rural India, where a full-fledged ATM becomes unviable.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATION
Bolivia President Evo Morales resigns
- Bolivian President Evo Morales has resigned after nearly 14 years in power, amid turmoil following his disputed re-election last month.
- Vice-President Alvaro García and Senate President Adriana Salvatierra also resigned.
| USEFUL INFO |
| Bolivia Capital | Sucre |
| Bolivia Currency | Bolivian boliviano |
| Bolivia President | – |
CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS
Writer and translator Shanta Gokhale to receive Tata Literature Live! Lifetime Achievement Award
- The Tata Literature Live! Lifetime Achievement Award for 2019 was conferred on writer, translator and film critic Shanta Gokhale.
- Poet K Satchidanandan was named the Tata Literature Live! Poet Laureate for 2019.
- Gokhale will receive her award on November 17 at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Mumbai while Satchidanandan will receive his award at the same venue on November 14.
George Schaller lifetime award for Ullas Karanth
- Wildlife biologist K. Ullas Karanth, Director, Centre for Wildlife Studies, Bengaluru, was awarded the George Schaller Lifetime Award in Wildlife Conservation Science for his contribution to the field of conservation.
- He is the first recipient of the award instituted by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), New York, in honour of Dr. George Schaller, who is considered one of the greatest wildlife scientists and conservationists globally.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS AND AUTHORS
CJI Ranjan Gogoi releases Assamese version of book ‘Courts of India: Past to Present’
- Chief Justice of India Justice Ranjan Gogoi released the Assamese version of the book ‘Courts of India: Past to Present’ in Guwahati.
- The Chief Justice of India also emphasized that the law students should go through the book.
- Chief Minister Sonowal said that the book will be provided to all government libraries in Assam.
- The book has captured the historical developments which took place in the history of nation’s courts. The various chapters of the book narrates the historical events of the court.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: SUMMIT AND CONFERENCE
“National Capital Region -2041” held in Delhi
- Shri Durga Shankar Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India, chaired the inaugural conclave on “National Capital Region -2041” organized by the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) in Delhi
- The theme of the conclave was “Planning for Tomorrow’s Greatest Capital Region”.
- Regional Plan – 2041 should be a citizen-centric plan, with liveability as the hallmark, to ensure ease of living
| USEFUL INFO |
| Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs |
| Union Minister | Hardeep Singh Puri |
| Constituency | Lost in Lok Sabha Election |
CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE
Defence innovations conference showcasing accomplishments of Idex
- Defence ministry is organising Def-Connect in New Delhi to showcase the accomplishments of the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) initiative.
- The conference aims to bring together all stakeholders of the iDEX ecosystem, Ministry of defence, iDEX selected startups, Partner Incubators, Defence Innovation Organisation, Nodal agencies (Indian Army, Navy, Airforce), Defence Research and Development Organisation and Defence Public Sector Undertakings and Indian Ordnance Factories.
- Launch of iDEX Portal and launch of Defence India Startup Challenge (DISC)-III are some of the major activities.
| USEFUL INFO |
| Defence Minister | Raj Nath Singh |
| Constituency | Lucknow,Uttar Pradesh |
| DRDO Chairman | G Satheesh Reddy |
Air-Fest 2019 held in Nagpur
- The ‘Air Fest-2019’ was held at the headquarters maintenance command (HQMC) at Nagpur in Maharashtra.
- The event was part of the 87th anniversary celebrations of the Indian Air Force and the 65th anniversary of the HQMC.
- The objective of the Air Fest was to showcase the IAF with a view to instill a sense of patriotism and motivate the younger generation to join the IAF.
- The show started with a formation of three Mi-17 V5 helicopters in formation followed by an Avro transport aircraft flying low in front of the spectators.
- The Mi-17 VS helicopters boast of high-tech machinery, avionics and armament to match the best in the world.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS
Saurabh Chaudhary wins silver medal in Men’s 10m air pistol event at Asian Championship
- Saurabh Chaudhary claimed the silver medal in men’s 10m air pistol event at the 14th Asian Championship in Doha
- World Cup and Asian Games gold-medallist shot 244.5 to finish second on the podium behind North Korea’s Kim Song Guk, who won the top prize with a world record 246.5. Iran’s Foroughi Javed bagged the bronze.
- The trio of Chaudhary, Verma and Sharvan Kumar bagged the team bronze with a total of 1740 in the qualifying
- Shreya Agrawal and Dhanush Srikanth won the gold medal in the 10m air rifle mixed team junior competition, while Gurnihal Garcha, Abhay Singh Sekhon and Ayush Rudraraju claimed the team gold in the junior men’s skeet.
- Gurnihal Garcha also won an individual silver with a score of 50 in the finals.
Thomas Dennerby takes charge as Indian Football Head Coach of U-17 Women’s team
- Sweden’s Thomas Dennerby has been appointed as the Head Coach of the Indian Women’s U-17 team,
- All India Football Federation (AIFF)has announced the appointment of Thomas Dennerby (Sweden) as the Indian head coach of the Women’s U-17 football team.
- The FIFA U-17(under 17) women’s football World Cup 2020 will be hosted by India. Thomas led the Sweden Women’s national team to finish third in the FIFA World Cup in 2011
| USEFUL INFO |
| Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) |
| FIFA Headquarters | Zurich, Switzerland |
| FIFA President | Gianni Infantino |