Government Job Updates

The day is primarily celebrated to bring our focus and attention on the importance of healthy soil and to advocate for the sustainable management of soil resources.
World Soil Day became an international day to celebrate Soil after the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) in 2002 recommended it.
The FAO Conference unanimously endorsed World Soil Day in June 2013.
2020 theme "Keep soil alive, Protect soil biodiversity”.

International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development: 05 December

International Volunteer Day is observed on December 5.

It offers an opportunity for volunteer-involving organizations and individual volunteers to promote volunteerism,
The day is observed to promote the culture of volunteering, encourage the governments to support the efforts put in by volunteers in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at all levels.
2020 theme "Together We Can Through Volunteering"

International Day of Banks: 4 December

International Day of Banks is observed globally on the 4th of December.

On 19 December 2019, the UN General Assembly adopted resolution 74/245, which designated 4 December as the International Day of Banks.
It also recognises the significant potential of multilateral development banks and other international development banks in financing sustainable development and providing know-how.

National

Rohingya refugees arrive at the relocation facility in Bhashan char

The government of Bangladesh sent a batch of 1642 Rohingyas to the newly developed facility at Bhashan char.

The refugees were taken to Chattogram from Cox’s Bazar camps from where they were transported to the Bhashan char under the supervision of the Bangladesh navy.
Another 3500 Rohingyas will be sent to the Bhashan char this week and the relocation will be completed within a week.
22 NGOs have started work at the Bhashan char to provide cooked food to the refugees. Food items have been stored for 3 months for the refugees.

India invites CLMV countries to join the International Solar Alliance

India invited the CLMV countries of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam to join the International Solar Alliance as well as the Resilient Supply Chain Initiative by India.

The invitation was extended at the sixth India-CLMV Business Conclave 2020.
During the conclave, India mentioned that it is ready to share COVID-19 vaccine with the CLMV countries.
The CLMV countries are Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.
The countries act as a gateway for the market access to European Union and China and also other markets due to various trade agreements.

Phase 8 of the Vande Bharat Mission extended till 31st December

Phase 8 of the Vande Bharat Mission has been operational since the first of November. This Phase has now been extended until the 31st of December.

Under this extended phase called Phase 8 Plus, 897 international flights have been scheduled to operate from 15 countries with a capacity to repatriate an estimated 1.5 lakh people.
In addition to this, flights operated under the bilateral air bubble arrangements with 18 countries are progressing smoothly.
As of today, 34.1 lakh Indians have been repatriated through different modes.

Appointments

Joe Biden picks Vivek Murthy as Surgeon General

US President-elect Joe Biden has selected two former Obama administration officials for senior roles to help fight COVID-19, including the appointment of Jeff Zients as White House coronavirus coordinator.

Biden adviser Vivek Murthy will return to his role as Surgeon General but with a broader portfolio as the pandemic rages through the country.
Dealing with the virus that has killed more than 274,000 Americans as well as the economic fallout from the crisis is one of Biden's top priorities once he takes office on Jan 20.

Kuldeep Handoo appointed as PM's 'Fit India’ Movement Ambassador

First Dronacharya Awardee from the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Kuldeep Handoo has been appointed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Fit India’ Ambassador.

Mr Handoo, who is Wushu Coach of Team India is serving as Inspector in Jammu and Kashmir Police Department.
In the year 2019, the ‘Fit India Movement’ was started by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. Its purpose is to make every section of the country health conscious.

Awards

Parkash Singh Badal returns his Padma Vibhushan award in solidarity with farmers protesting against farm laws

Former Punjab Chief Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal patron Parkash Singh Badal has returned his Padma Vibhushan award in solidarity with the farmers protesting against the three farm laws.

Mr. Badal received Padma Vibhushan Award in 2015.
He served as the Chief Minister of Punjab state from 1970 to 1971, from 1977 to 1980, from 1997 to 2002, and from 2007 to 2017.
He is also the patron of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), a Sikh-centered regional political party.

Deaths

Former PM of Pakistan Zafarullah Jamali passes away

The 15th Prime Minister of Pakistan, Zafarullah Khan Jamali passed away.

He served as PM from November 2002 to June 2004 for a duration of 1 Year, 7 Months and 3 days.
He was the first politician from Balochistan to become Prime Minister.
Jamali served the country when former military dictator Pervez Musharraf was the President of the country.
As PM, Jamali vowed to sign a peace agreement and cease-fire in the disputed Kashmir region.

Daily Current Affairs - 04 Dec 2020

2020-12-17T18:39:00.003+05:30

Daily Current Affairs Capsule

4th December 2020

National

Indian Navy Day: 04 December

In India, December 4 is observed as the National Navy Day every year, to celebrate the achievements and role of the naval force to the country.

The day is marked in recognition of the launch of Operation Trident during the Indo-Pakistan war in 1971.
During Operation Trident, on December 4 in 1971, the Indian Navy sank four Pakistani vessels and also killed over 500 Pakistani Navy personnel, meanwhile, the Indian side suffered no losses.

Facebook-backed digital coin Libra renamed Diem

Facebook-backed cryptocurrency Libra has been rebranded “Diem” in a renewed effort to gain regulatory approval by stressing the project’s independence.

The independent organisation, Libra Association, which runs the Libra project will also be renamed as the Diem Association.
Diem is a Latin term meaning “day”.
Libra received criticism because of the possibility of it threatening the traditional government-run financial systems, which may result in upending of financial stability and threatening of privacy.

National Police Station Ranking released

The Ministry of Home Affairs has released the National Police Station ranking.

Nongpok Sekmai police station of Manipur ranked number 1.
The Government of India selects the best-performing police stations across the country every year, to incentivise more effective functioning and bring healthy competition.
While ranking the police stations the parameters such as crime against women, addressing property offence, missing persons, crime against weaker section, on identified dead bodies and unidentified found persons were considered.

India & USA signs MoU on Intellectual Property Cooperation

The Government of India and United States of America (USA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the field of Intellectual Property Cooperation.

The Union Cabinet had approved the signing the MoU for the same on 19 February 2020.
The two side will develop a Biennial Work Plan to implement the MoU which will include detailed planning for carrying out the co-operation activities including the scope of action.

Ninth edition of International Sand Art Festival & Konark Festival 2020 begins in Odisha

The 9th edition of the International Sand Art Festival and the 31st edition of the Konark Festival, has kicked-off in Odisha.

It is being held at the Chandrabhaga Beach of Konark in Puri district of Odisha.
About 70 artists from across the country are taking part in the festival.
The world-renowned sand artist and Padmashree Awardee, Sudarsan Pattnaik, has been appointed as Chief Curator of the festival.

HCL Tech Chairperson Roshni Nadar tops Kotak Wealth-Hurun wealthy women list 2020

According to the second edition of ‘Kotak Wealth Hurun–Leading Wealthy Women’ report, Roshni Nadar Malhotra, Chairperson of HCL Technologies has topped the list of wealthiest women in India.

The report is compiled by Kotak Wealth Management, a division of Kotak Mahindra Bank, and Hurun India.
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw of Biocon and Leena Gandhi Tewari of USV are at the second and third rank respectively in the Kotak Wealth Hurun wealthy women list 2020.
Shaw is also the wealthiest self-made woman on the list.

Business

Reliance Industries tops Fortune India 500 Ranking 2020

Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has topped the 2020 Fortune 500 list of Indian companies.

The revenue of RIL clocked Rs 615,854.00, accounting for 7% of cumulative revenues and 11 percent profit of the companies.
The country’s biggest oil firm, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOC), bagged the second spot, followed by Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) at the third position.
The list was published by Fortune India, which is part of the Kolkata-based RP Sanjiv Goenka Group.

RBI directs HDFC bank to stop issuance of new credit cards

The Reserve Bank of India has advised HDFC Bank to temporarily stop launch of the digital business activities planned under its Digital 2.0 program (to be launched) and

RBI has also directed not to issue of new credit cards to customers
This step has been taken by RBI in view of repeated outages in the HDFC bank’s internet banking/ mobile banking/ payment utilities over the past two years.
The reason given by HDFC bank for this was power failure in its primary data centre.
RBI in its order to HDFC bank, has advised the Bank’s Board to examine the lapses and fixes accountability.

Sports

Dawid Malan of England creates history with highest-ever rating points in T20I, ICC T20 Batsmen Ranking

Left-handed batsman Dawid Malan of England has attained the highest-ever rating points for batsmen in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings.

The 33-year-old Malan has reached 915 points, and thus became the first player to cross the 900-point mark in the format.
Before him, Australia’s Aaron Finch reached exactly 900 points in July 2018.
Babar Azam (871) of Pakistan and Aaron Finch (835) of Australia is second and third in the list.
India’s Lokesh Rahul is at fourth position, while Virat Kolhi’s rank has dropped to 9th in the list.

Deaths

Pizza Hut co-founder Frank Carney passes away from pneumonia at 82

Frank Carney, who with his brother started the Pizza Hut empire in Wichita, died on from pneumonia.

Carney had recently recovered from Covid-19, but had Alzheimer’s disease for more than a decade.
Frank Carney was a 19-year-old student at Wichita State University when he and his 26-year-old brother, Dan, borrowed $600 from their mother to start a pizza business in 1958 near their family’s Carney’s Market.
PepsiCo bought Pizza Hut for $300 million in 1977.

Daily Current Affairs - 03 Dec 2020

2020-12-17T18:28:00.007+05:30

Daily Current Affairs Capsule

3rd December 2020

International

International Day of Persons with Disabilities: 03 December

The International Day of Persons with Disabilities is observed annually on December 3.

The IDPWD day was proclaimed in 1992 by the United Nations General Assembly.
The day aims to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society and development, and to increase awareness of the situation of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.
2020 theme: ‘Not all Disabilities are Visible’

Global Terrorism Index 2020

In the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2020, India has been ranked at 8th spot globally in the list of countries most affected by terrorism in 2019.

The GTI score of India is 7.353 out of 10.
With a score of 9.592, Afghanistan has topped the index as the worst terror impacted nation among the 163 countries.
It is followed by Iraq (8.682) and Nigeria (8.314) at second and third place respectively.
Regionally, South Asia was the most impacted region by terrorism in 2019, recording more deaths than any other region.

Singapore becomes first country to approve sale of lab-created meat

Singapore has given US start-up Eat Just the greenlight to sell its lab-grown chicken meat, in what the firm says is the world's first regulatory approval for so-called clean meat that does not come from slaughtered animals.

Demand for alternatives to regular meat is surging due to consumer concerns about health, animal welfare and the environment.
But so-called clean or cultured meat, which is grown from animal muscle cells in a lab, is still at a beginning stage given high production costs.

UK becomes first country to approve Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for use

Britain became the first country in the world to approve the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for use and said that it will be rolled out from early next week.

The British regulator Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) declared that the vaccine offers protection of up to 95 per cent and is safe to be used for immunisation against COVID-19.
The Government has accepted the recommendation from the independent Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to approve Pfizer-BioNTechs COVID-19 vaccine for use.
The vaccine will be made available across the UK from next week.
The American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech last month concluded phase 3 study of their mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccine candidate BNT162b2.
The company expects to produce globally up to 50 million vaccine doses in 2020 and up to 1.3 billion doses by the end of 2021.

National

PM pay tributes to India’s first President Dr Rajendra Prasad on his birth anniversary

PM Modi paid tributes to first President of India Dr Rajendra Prasad on his birth anniversary.

A brilliant scholar, Dr Rajendra Prasad was a teacher, lawyer, freedom fighter and finally the president.
He was deeply influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and went to jail during the 'Salt Satyagraha' of 1931 and the 'Quit India Movement' of 1942.
He played a big role in making of the Indian Constitution.
Dr Rajendra Prasad was the President of India from 1950 to 1962.
After being the president for two terms, stepped away from the highest post in 1962.
Dr Rajendra Prasad was awarded the highest civilian award - Bharat Ratna - in 1962.

Rajnath Singh urges countrymen to voluntarily contribute to Armed Forces Flag Day Fund

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has urged countrymen to voluntarily contribute to Armed Forces Flag Day Fund.

The Flag Day provides us an opportunity to fulfill this responsibility by contributing to the AFFD fund.
Noting that over 47 crore rupees were raised during 2019-20 through voluntary contributions of people.
Armed Forces Flag Day will be observed all over the country on 7th December like previous years.
Since 1949, the day is observed to honour the martyrs as well as men and women in uniform, who valiantly fight on borders to safeguard the country’s honour.

Odisha approves unified emergency helpline number 112

The Odisha Government approved the unified emergency helpline number 112 to provide all forms of police assistance to people in distress.

The consolidated helpline number would enable police to rush services to people in an efficient manner.
The helpline number 112 subsumes the earlier segregated helpline numbers like 100,101,108 and other for emergency services like police, fire and ambulance.
These multiple helplines have been clubbed together into the single toll free number under a centre- sponsored scheme that is already functional in several States.
The 112 single Pan India helpline number had been launched by the centre in February last year to trigger emergency response to distress calls.

ADB, India sign 50 million loan to boost West Bengal’s digital platforms for public finance reforms

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed a $50 million policy-based loan to improve financial management procedures and operational efficiencies aimed at achieving more fiscal savings, promote informed decision making, and improve service delivery in the state of West Bengal.

The loan builds up on past ADB policy-based programmes in 2012 and 2017, supporting the Government of West Bengal on sustainable public financial management reforms.
The loan is proposed to be supplemented by a $350,000 technical assistance grant for capacity building, monitoring of IFMS reforms, and strengthening the integration of social and gender aspects in reform areas.

Uttar Pradesh CM rings bell at BSE for listing Lucknow Municipal Corporation bonds

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath rings the bell at the Bombay Stock Exchange morning before listing the Lucknow Municipal Corporation bonds.

Lucknow now becomes the ninth city in the country to have adopted this route for fundraising and raised money at a coupon of 8.5 percent for 10 years.
The Lucknow Municipal Corporation had raised 200 crore rupees in the bond issued last month, and the state government felt the same route can be adopted by other cities like Ghaziabad, Varanasi, Agra and Kanpur.

Business

Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhry assumes the charge as Director General Border Roads

Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhry assumed the charge as 27th Director General Border Roads (DGBR).

Lt Gen Chaudhry was commissioned into the Corps of Engineers from Indian Military Academy, Dehradun in 1983 and has attended all prestigious courses of the Indian Army including staff Course at Defence Service Staff College, Wellington, Higher Command Course at Army War College, Mhow and the National Defence College, New Delhi.
Before taking over as Director General Border Roads, he was holding the appointment of ADG LW&E in QMG’s Branch at Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Army).
Lt Gen. Chaudhry was responsible for conceptualising and conducting the first-ever and only Engineer Brigade Exercise with the US Engineer Brigade as part of EX YUDH ABHYAS.

Deaths

MDH owner ‘Mahashay’ Dharampal Gulati passes away

'Mahashay' Dharampal Gulati, the owner of Mahashian Di Hatti (popularly known as MDH), passed away at the age of 98.

He was born in 1923 in Sialkot, Pakistan. He was fondly called ‘dalaji’ and ‘Mahashayji’.
A school dropout, Dharampal Gulati joined his father’s spice business in the early days.
Back in 2019, the government honoured him with Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award in the country.
Gulati was India's highest-paid consumer products CEO for the year 2017. That year, he had taken home over Rs 21 crore as salary.

Daily Current Affairs - 02 Dec 2020

2020-12-17T18:17:00.004+05:30

Daily Current Affairs Capsule

2nd December 2020

International

World Computer Literacy Day: 02 December

The World Computer Literacy Day is observed annually on 2nd December to create awareness and drive digital literacy

The international event of this day was created by Indian company NIIT to mark its 20th anniversary in 2001.
The main objective of celebrating this day is to encourage women and children, and those people who have been left out of this technological advancement for a long time now.
The event aims to inspire them to learn more and make their work/tasks easier, by the use of computers.

Lahore tops the world's most polluted cities list, New Delhi 2nd

According to air pollution data released by the US Air Quality Index, Pakistan's cultural capital Lahore has once again topped the list of world's most polluted cities.

According to the index, Lahore reported a particulate matter (PM) rating of 423.
New Delhi came in second with a PM of 229, while Nepal’s capital Kathmandu ranked the third-worst city with a PM of 178.
The cause of smog remains years-long pollution caused mostly by the transport sector and industries, and not just crop burning.

Cyclonic Storm ‘Burevi’ over southwest Bay of Bengal

The Deep Depression over the southeast and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal has intensified into a cyclonic storm.

As per the naming convention, it is named as ‘Burevi’ (बुरेवि), and the name has been contributed by the Maldives.
It is expected to emerge into the Gulf of Mannar and its adjoining Comorin area.
In TamilNadu, Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Tenkasi, Ramanathapuram and Sivagangai districts are expected to get heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places and extremely very heavy rainfall at isolated places from 2nd to 3rd December.

National

Dharmendra Pradhan launches India's first indigenously developed 100 Octane premium petrol

Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas and Steel Dharmendra Pradhan launched India's first indigenously developed 100 Octane premium petrol.

The high octane premium grade petrol being marketed under the brand XP-100 will be made available in 10 cities across the country including the national capital in the first phase.
The second phase will see the addition of 5 more cities like Kolkata and Chennai.
With the rolling out of XP-100 developed by Indian Oil Corporation Limited with indigenous technical know-how, India joins a select league of nations having such super grade fuel.
Octane ratings are measures of fuel stability that increases engine efficiency.

BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile in Anti-Ship mode successfully test fired

BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile in Anti-Ship mode was successfully test fired on against a decommissioned Ship.

The test firing was carried out by Indian Navy. The missile performed highly complex manoeuvres and hit Bull’s eye of the target.
BrahMos is the supersonic cruise missile jointly developed by DRDO and NPOM of Russia as a Brahmos Aerospace joint venture, which became Brahmos Aerospace Private Limited.
It has been deployed in all the three wings of the Indian Armed Forces.
The first launch of Brahmos took place in 2001 and till date numerous launches have taken place from various ships, Mobile Autonomous Launchers and Su-30 MKI aircraft, making it a versatile weapon.

ADB, India sign 132.8 million loan to strengthen Meghalaya’s power distribution Sector

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed a $132.8 million loan to strengthen and modernize the distribution network and improve the quality of power supplied to households, industries, and businesses in India’s northeastern state of Meghalaya.

The project will construct 23 substations; renovate and modernize 45 substations, including the provision of control room equipment and protection systems; install and upgrade 2,214 kilometers of distribution lines and associated facilities covering three out of the six circles in the state.
The loan is proposed to be supplemented by a $2 million grant from ADB’s Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction that will finance renewable energy mini-grids for improving power quality and supporting income generation activities, especially for women and other socially disadvantaged groups in three villages and three schools.

Maharashtra’s first ‘child-friendly police station’ inaugurated in Pune

In a first-of-its-kind initiative in Maharashtra, Pune City Police started the ‘Balsnehi (child-friendly) police station’ on the premises of the Lashkar police station in Pune.

The police station has been set up in accordance with guidelines laid down by the National Commissioner for Protection of Child Rights.
The aim of the initiative was to provide an environment that will enable children to report cases without fear.
This initiative will help in eliminating the prejudice against police among the public.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat Inaugurates Suryadhar Lake

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat inaugurated the Suryadhar lake at Doiwala near Dehradun.

It will address the drinking water and irrigational needs of nearly 20 villages around it and is also set to become a major tourist and water sports destination in coming times.
Located at the trijunction of Haridwar, Rishikesh and Dehradun, and endowed with great scenic beauty, the lake is all set to emerge as a major water sports destination for tourists.
Built at a cost of Rs 50.25 crore, the Suryadhar lake is 550 metres long, 28 metres wide and 10 metres deep with a capacity of 77,000 cubic metres.

Appointments

Sandeep Kataria becomes first Indian to be appointed as global CEO of Bata

Footwear major Bata Shoe Organization announced the appointment of Sandeep Kataria as the company's Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately.

With this, Kataria becomes the first Indian to be elevated to the global role of the of Bata.
He takes over from Alexis Nasard, who is stepping down after almost five years in the role.
Kataria was previously the CEO of Bata India.
With 24 years of experience at Unilever, Yum Brands and Vodafone in India and Europe before joining Bata India as CEO in 2017, he has been directly involved in leading businesses and powerhouse brands that command impressive consumer following and extensive global reach.

AR Rahman roped in as BAFTA Breakthrough India ambassador

Oscar and Grammy-winning Indian composer AR Rahman has been roped in as ambassador of the BAFTA Breakthrough initiative in India.

In 2020, BAFTA will identify and support up to five exceptional talents working in film, games or television in India.
The BAFTA Breakthrough initiative is part of the Academy’s year-long programme to support new talent, coming up in the film, games and television industries in the UK, China, India and the US and gives them access to unique career development and mentoring opportunities.

Daily Current Affairs - 01 Dec 2020

2020-12-17T13:50:00.000+05:30

Daily Current Affairs Capsule

1st December 2020

International

World AIDS Day: 01 December

World AIDS Day is observed across the globe on 1 December every year since 1988.

The day is observed to raise awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection
Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a chronic disease that is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
The immune system of the person who is suffering from the disease gets damaged and also reduces the disease fighting ability of the body.
2020 theme: “Global solidarity, shared responsibility”

National

BSF celebrates its 56th Raising day on 01 December

The Border Security Force (BSF) is celebrating its 56th Raising day on 01 December.

BSF is India's first line of defence.
It was raised in accordance with an Act of the Parliament on 1st December, 1965, soon after the India-Pakistan War of 1965.
Director General, BS: Rakesh Asthana.

Arjun Munda launched 10-day-long ‘Áadi Mahotsav’

The 10-day-long Áadi Mahotsav’, a festival of tribes, was launched by Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda in a virtual format.

Keeping in view of restrictions due to Covid-19, the TRIFED has decided to organise its annual event Aadi Mahotsav-2020 in an online mode.
The Aadi Mahotsav is being hosted on the Tribes India website www.tribesindia.com and the main focus of this year is on the tribal craft and culture of Madhya Pradesh.
The Aadi Mahotsav is a unique celebration of the spirit of tribal culture, crafts, cuisine and commerce.
It commenced in 2017.The festival is an attempt to familiarize the people with the rich and diverse craft and culture of the tribal communities across the country, in one place.

PM dedicates to the nation, the six-lane widening project of the Handia (Prayagraj) - Rajatalab (Varanasi) section of NH 19

Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation the six-lane widening project of the Handia (Prayagraj) - Rajatalab (Varanasi) section of National Highway-19 in Varanasi.

The 73 Km stretch of the newly widened and six laned NH-19, made with a total outlay of 2447 crore rupees, will reduce the travel time between Prayagraj and Varanasi by one hour.
Earlier, the Prime Minister reached his parliamentary constituency to take part in the world famous Dev Deepawali festival.

Nagaland celebrates its 58th Statehood day on 01 December

Nagaland celebrates its 58th Statehood day on 01 December.

It became the 16th State of the Union of India on 1st December 1963.
The formal inauguration of the state was done by the then President Dr. S. Radhakrishnan.
The land of festivals, Nagaland is known for its picturesque beauty, rich cultural heritage and vibrant people.

Assam government launches ‘Orunodoi’ scheme

The Assam government has launched the ‘Orunodoi’ scheme.

Over 18 lakh families in the state will receive 830 rupees per month in their bank accounts under the scheme.
This scheme would strengthen the role of the women as the money will be deposited in the bank accounts of the women of the families.
The scheme will be rolled out in 29 districts at the moment, with 18.2 lakh beneficiaries.
While the amount for the month of November was credited, the amount for December will be transferred in the last week of the month, and thereafter, it will be credited in the last week of every month.

Nagaland hosts first virtual celebration of Hornbill Festival 2020

Nagaland is hosting the first virtual celebration of Hornbill Festival 2020 from 01 December till 5th December.

Dubbed as the “Festival of Festivals”, the Hornbill Festival is celebrated every year showcasing the rich cultural heritage and tradition of the Nagas in one platform at Naga Heritage Village Kisama under Kohima District.
However, due to Coronavirus pandemic, the state is holding its 21st edition of Hornbill festival 2020 completely in virtual mode.
The festival will be telecast on Doordarshan Kohima.

Archer Kapil tests positive for coronavirus

Archer Kapil has tested positive for coronavirus.

He is part of the National Archery camp underway at Army Sports Institute, Pune.
He was on 18 days leave and was tested on arrival upon rejoining the camp as per the standard SOP established by Sports Authority of India.
Archer Himani Malik had tested positive for COVID-19 early in the month.

Appointments

Senior IAS Officer Utpal Kumar Singh Appointed as Secretary-General of Lok Sabha

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has appointed senior IAS officer Utpal Kumar Singh as Secretary General of the Lok Sabha and Lok Sabha Secretariat.

His appointment will come into effect from December 1, 2020.
He will succeed incumbent Snehlata Shrivastava.
Mr Singh is a 1986 batch IAS officer of Uttarakhand Cadre, and has been appointed as Secretary.

Deaths

General of the Lok Sabha in the rank and status of Cabinet Secretary.

Senior Telangana Rastra Samiti leader N Narasimhaiah passes away

In Telangana, senior leader of the ruling Telangana Rastra Samiti (TRS) and Member of Legislative Assembly, N. Narasimhaiah passed away.
He served as floor leader of the CPI-M twice in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh Assembly while representing Nakrekal constituency.
He lost election in 2014 election but won from Nagarjunasagar in 2018 from the ruling TRS.

Daily Current Affairs - 30 Nov 2020

2020-12-17T13:26:00.002+05:30

Daily Current Affairs Capsule

30th November 2020

National

Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare: 30 November

The Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare is observed on November 30 every year.

The day offers the opportunity to honour and remember those who suffered and died in the wake of chemical warfare.
The day also aims to reaffirm the vision of the United Nations to achieve a world free of the threat of chemical weapons in order to promote and support peace and security for all.

China's first domestically made nuclear reactor, the Hualong One, goes online

China National Nuclear Corp (CNNC) has developed its first Hualong One, a third-generation pressurised water nuclear reactor, has started operations and is connected to the grid.

Hualong One is designed to have a 60-year lifespan and its reactor core needs refuelling every 18 months.
The second Hualong One at Fuqing, Unit 6, is scheduled for completion in 2021.
China currently has six overseas Hualong One projects under construction.
China has 47 nuclear plants with a total generation capacity of 48.75 million kilowatts — the world’s third highest after the United States and France.

Mission COVID Suraksha launched to accelerate COVID19 vaccine development in India

The Indian government has announced the third stimulus package of Rs. 900 crore for the Mission COVID Suraksha – the Indian COVID-19 Vaccine Development Mission.

This grant will be provided to the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) for Research & Development of Indian COVID19 vaccines.
Phase-I of the COVID Suraksha Mission has been allotted Rs. 900 crore for a period of 12 months.
A total of 10 vaccine candidates have been supported by the department of biotechnology so far at both academia and industry.
As on date, 5 vaccine candidates are in human trials including the Russian vaccine Sputnik-V with at least 3 more in advanced stages of preclinical to enter human trials shortly.

PM take part in world famous Dev Deepawali festival in Varanasi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visit his parliamentary constituency Varanasi and took part in the world famous Dev Deepawali festival.

Mr Modi dedicated to the nation the six-lane widening project of the Handia (Prayagraj) - Rajatalab (Varanasi) section of National Highway 19.
Dev Deepawali, which has become a world famous festival of light and fervour in Varanasi is celebrated on every Poornima of the Kartik month.
The festival started by the Prime Minister by lighting a diya on the Raj Ghat of Varanasi, which was followed by lighting of more than 15 lakh diyas on various ghats on both sides of River Ganges.
He also saw the Light and Sound show at the archaeological site of Sarnath, which had been inaugurated by him earlier this month.

Guru Nanak Jayanti being celebrated with traditional fervour across the country & abroad

Guru Nanak Jayanti or Gurpurab is being celebrated with religious fervour across India and the world.

It marks the birth of the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak, who laid the foundation of Sikhism.
This year marks the 551st birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.
He was born in Rai-Bhoi-di Talwandi present-day Shekhupura District in Pakistan.This place is popularly known as Nanakana Sahib.

Business

YES Bank launches remote payment service ‘SMS Pay’ for merchants

Private lender YES Bank launched an ‘SMS Pay’ functionality on POS terminals, which would allow merchants to accept contactless and remote payments from their customers.

Yes Bank has collaborated with French payment services company Worldline to launch the new facility.
SMS Pay will facilitate merchants to accept remote payments on their POS machines and enable their customers to transact safely without leaving the comfort of their homes.
Through SMS Pay, local merchants & department stores could request payments from their customers by entering their contact details in the POS terminal following which an SMS would be triggered to the customer’s mobile number instantly, with a payment URL link.

IRDAI gives in-principle approval for Bharti AXA-ICICI Lombard deal

Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) gave in-principle approval for the merger of Bharti AXA General with ICICI Lombard.

Marking a major consolidation move in the insurance space, the proposed deal was announced in August this year.
Bharti Enterprises currently owns 51 per cent stake in Bharti AXA General Insurance, while French insurer AXA has 49 per cent.
Post demerger, Bharti AXA General Insurance will cease to be a going concern and both Bharti and AXA will be public shareholders.

Appointments

Prof Sangita Srivastava appointed first woman VC of Allahabad University

Professor Sangita Srivastava has been appointed as the new regular vice chancellor of Allahabad University (AU).

She is the first woman chosen for this post at AU.
Prof Srivastava is a former head of Allahabad University’s home science department.
She served as the head of the department till she was appointed as VC of Prof Rajendra Singh University on June 25, 2018 for a period of three years.

Sports

Dutee Chand and K T Irfan to be a part of TOPS Core group

Dutee Chand and K T Irfan included in Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) Core group along with some promising young athletes in the Development Group.

Eight Track and Field Athletes were included in the core group of the TOPS.
Seven Track and Field Athletes were included in the TOPS developmental group.
The decision to include athletes in the TOPS core group was based on their performance progression and their qualification or high probability of qualification for the Tokyo Olympics scheduled next year.
Dutee Chand is an Indian professional sprinter and current national champion in the women's 100 metres event.
Sepoy Irfan Kolothum Thodi is an Indian athlete from Malappuram, Kerala.

Deaths

Actor Dave Prowse, who played Darth Vader in 'Star Wars', passes away

Dave Prowse, the British actor behind the menacing black mask of Star Wars villain Darth Vader has died at the age of 85.

Prowse, who was a weightlifter-turned-actor, was selected to portray Darth Vader for his imposing physique of 6-foot-7 inch.
Prowse wore the black suit and helmet to play Darth Vader.

Daily Current Affairs - 29 Nov 2020

2020-12-17T12:16:00.000+05:30

Daily Current Affairs Capsule

29th November 2020

International

International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People: 29 November

The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is a UN-organized day held every year on November 29.

It is observed to mark the anniversary of resolution 181, wherein the Assembly adopted the resolution on the partition of Palestine on November 29, 1947.
The date November 29 assumes as on that day in 1947 the United Nations' General Assembly adopted a resolution on the partition of Palestine into two states: one Arab (Palestine) and one Jewish (Israel).
Palestinian people, who now number more than eight million, live primarily in the Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967, including East Jerusalem.
The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People provides an opportunity for the international community to focus its attention on the fact that the question of Palestine remains unresolved and that the Palestinian people have yet to attain their inalienable rights.

‘Quarantine’ named Cambridge Dictionary’s Word of the Year 2020

Cambridge Dictionary has named ‘quarantine’ as Word of the Year 2020.

The word has been named the word of the year based on data that showed that it was one of the most highly searched words on the Cambridge Dictionary this year.
“Quarantine was the only word to rank in the top five for both search spikes and overall views (more than 183,000 by early November), with the largest spike in searches (28,545) seen in the week of March 18-24 .
Existing meanings of the word include: “a specific period of time in which a person or animal that has a disease, or may have one, must stay or be kept away from others in order to prevent the spread of the disease.”
Interestingly, ‘Lockdown’ had been named word of the year by Collins Dictionary earlier this month.

4th NSA-level meeting held between India, Sri Lanka and Maldives

The fourth National Security Advisor Level Meeting on Trilateral Maritime Security Cooperation was held between India, Sri Lanka and Maldives in Colombo.

The participants took stock of the current maritime security environment in the region.
They have discussed mutual cooperation in an array of areas including Maritime Domain Awareness, Humanitarian Assistance, Disaster Relief, Joint Exercises and Maritime pollution.
India, Sri Lanka, and Maldives have agreed to broad base cooperation on a host of maritime security related issues.

National

PM visits Serum Institute, inspects vaccine production process

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Serum Institute in Pune.

During the 50-minute visit, Prime Minister Modi inspected the vaccine production process. Later, he had a discussion with the scientists and officials.
The Prime Minister reviewed the production process of Covid 19 vaccines across the country.
Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin is undergoing Phase-3 trials.
Covishield vaccine is currently in the final stage of clinical human trials.
The Serum Institute of India has partnered with UK's Oxford University and British-Swedish Pharmaceutical Giant AstraZeneca in the manufacture and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine candidate COVISHIELD in India.

SpiceJet launches dedicated freighter services to Leh in Ladakh

Airline major SpiceJet launched dedicated freighter services connecting Leh with the rest of the country.

Accordingly, the airline operated its first freighter flight from Delhi to Leh carrying 13 tonnes of cargo supplies.
The flight was operated by SpiceXpress, the dedicated cargo arm of SpiceJet.
According to the airline, a Boeing 737 freighter has been deployed on this route.
Besides, the new flights launched are seasonal and will operate during the winter months when surface transportation is disrupted owing to harsh weather conditions.

Karthigai Deepam festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu

In Tamil Nadu, the famous Kartikai Deepam festival was celebrated.

In the famous Thiruvannamalai Sri Arunachaleswarar temple, the Bharani dweep was lit up.
Karthigai Deepam is celebrated on the Pournami (Purnima) Tithi of the Tamil month of Karthigai. And like Diwali, it is a festival of lights.
The Tiruvannamalai Temple is known for its Karthigai Deepam festival.

LG Manoj Sinha releases Panchayat Newsletter "Parivartan" first ever publication in five official languages of J&K

In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha has released Panchayat Newsletter "Parivartan"- a first ever publication in five official languages of J&K at Raj Bhavan, Jammu.

The LG appreciated the initiative of the Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj for coming out with a publication in all the five official languages of J&K, viz Dogri, Urdu, Kashmiri, Hindi and English, highlighting the progress being made under Back to Village-3 and 21 day long Jan Abhiyan programmes.

Ladakh LG inaugurates curtain raiser event of IISF-2020

Ladakh Lieutenant Governor, R. K. Mathur has inaugurated curtain raiser event of India International Science Festival (IISF)-2020 in Leh.

In a virtual event, organised at Defence Institute of High Altitude Research, Mr. Mathur underlined the importance of taking science and technology to remote parts of the country while highlighting the requirements of adaptations of science and technology for sustainability in environmentally fragile places like Ladakh.
India International science festival launched in 2015 is a celebration to promote science and technology and how science could lead India towards a developed nation.
IISF 2020 will be organized on a virtual platform.

India enters recession as GDP contracts 7.5% in July-September

The Indian economy has officially entered a technical recession, with two consecutive quarters of negative growth in gross domestic product (GDP).

Real GDP for the September quarter contracted 7.5 per cent year-on-year, on the back of the steep contraction in manufacturing, construction, and services, data released by the National Statistical Office showed on November 27.
However, the data also showed that the country has begun its gradual recovery following the nationwide lockdown in April, May, and June which had flatlined the economy.
The real GDP for April-June 2020 had contracted 23.9 per cent, the steepest fall ever (and the first contraction in 40 years).

Deaths

Iran's top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh assassinated

Iranian state television reported that the country's top nuclear scientist - Mohsen Fakhrizadeh - has been ''assassinated''.

The high-level nuclear scientist is referred to as "Iran’s Robert Oppenheimer" and is known as the "father" of Iran's nuclear programme.
Fakhrizadeh has long been described by Western, Israeli and Iranian exile foes of Iran’s clerical rulers as a leader of a covert atomic bomb programme halted in 2003.
Iran has long denied seeking to weaponize nuclear energy.

Daily Current Affairs - 28 Nov 2020

2020-12-17T12:00:00.008+05:30

Daily Current Affairs Capsule

28th November 2020

International

Russia test-launches Tsirkon hypersonic missile in the Arctic

Russia successfully test-fired a Tsirkon hypersonic cruise missile in the Arctic.

The frigate Admiral Gorshkov in the White Sea fired a Tsirkon hypersonic cruise missile, hitting a naval target 450 km away in the Barents Sea at a speed of over Mach 8.
In early January, the same frigate test-fired a Tsirkon missile for the first time, striking a ground target over 500 km away.
Last month, the warship deployed in the White Sea destroyed a naval target in the Barents Sea with a Tsirkon missile.

Japanese spacecraft carrying asteroid soil samples nears Earth

A Japanese spacecraft is nearing Earth after a yearlong journey home from a distant asteroid with soil samples and data that could provide clues to the origins of the solar system.

The Hayabusa2 spacecraft left the asteroid Ryugu, about 300 million kilometers (180 million miles) from Earth, a year ago and is expected to reach Earth and drop a capsule containing the precious samples in southern Australia on December 6.
Scientists at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency believe the samples, especially those taken from under the asteroid's surface, contain valuable data unaffected by space radiation and other environmental factors.

National

Health Minister seeks help of journalists in eradicating Tuberculosis by 2025

Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has sought the help of journalists in eradicating Tuberculosis by 2025.

Addressing the students of Indian Institute of Mass Communication digitally, Dr Vardhan said that the active participation of journalists will help in large scale awareness generation among the public.
He said that Journalists have worked round the clock from ground zero to provide information to the public.
He also paid his tribute to those who have sacrificed their lives in an attempt to provide information to the people.

Madras High Court refuses to intervene in merger of Lakshmi Vilas Bank with DBS Bank

The Madras High Court has refused to intervene in the merger of the Lakshmi Vilas Bank-LVB with the DBS Bank.

The Lakshmi Vilas Bank suffered serious deterioration of its financials leading to the RBI imposing a month long moratorium.
The RBI also made an amalgamation scheme for the LVB with the DBS Bank.
It has helped to lift the moratorium for its depositors and its 563 branches and its ATM network are functioning under the DBS banner.
A case was filed against the merger in the Madras High Court.

Environment Minister Prakash Javadeker launches India Climate Change Knowledge Portal

Minister of Environment,Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar launched the India Climate Change Knowledge Portal.

The portal will have all the major steps the Government is taking at both national and international levels to address the climate change issues.
It will be a single-point information resource that provides information on the different climate initiatives taken by various Line Ministries enabling users to access d status on these initiatives.

India, Vietnam sign implementation agreement on hydrography

India and Vietnam signed an implementation agreement (IA) on hydrography.

The agreement was signed during a virtual bilateral meeting between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Vietnamese counterpart General Ngo Xuan Lich.
During the bilateral meeting, both the leaders also noted that the defense cooperation between the two Asian nations have expanded considerably.
Vietnam and India share a cordial relationship and have repeatedly expressed shared concern relating to China.

Tamil Nadu CM thanks SC for including Pongal festival days in its holidays list

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswamy has thanked the Supreme Court for including Pongal festival days in its holidays list.

The harvest festival falls on January the 14th and 15th and they are declared as holidays for the Supreme Court.
Pongal is a multi-day harvest festival of South India, particularly in the Tamil community.
It is dedicated to the sun god the Surya, and corresponds to Makar Sankranti, the harvest festival under many regional names celebrated throughout India.
The three days of the Pongal festival are called Bhogi Pongal, Surya Pongal and Maattu Pongal.

Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project: NHSRCL signs contract with L&T

The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) signed a contract with Larsen and Toubro (L&T) for the construction of 237 km of viaduct and other installations for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project.

At Rs 24,985 crore, this is the country’s biggest infrastructure contract for design.
The company will finish the job in four years.
The 508-km bullet train project will connect Mumbai with Ahmedabad with trains running at 320 km per hour.

Sports

FIFA World rankings: Belgium No. 1, France and Brazil follows

With Belgium still at No. 1, FIFA released its final rankings list for 2020.

Defending World Cup champion France is in second place, with Brazil third and England fourth.
European champion Portugal rounds out the top five, with Spain in sixth.
FIFA will host the European draw on Dec. 7.

Deaths

Legendary Bangladeshi actor, Liberation War fighter Aly Zaker passes away

Eminent Bangladeshi actor and cultural personality Aly Zaker passed away in Dhaka.

He tested COVID 19 positive two days back in a Dhaka hospital where he was undergoing treatment.
Aly Zaker was a towering figure of Bangladesh in theatre, Television and films.
Aly was involved in the Liberation War movement of Bangladesh against Pakistan.
He was also a founder trustee of the Liberation War Museum in Dhaka.
He was awarded the second highest civilian award of Bangladesh ‘Ekushey Padak’ in 1999 for his contribution in the field of theatre.

Daily Current Affairs - 27 Nov 2020

2020-11-27T19:15:00.000+05:30

Daily Current Affairs Capsule

27th November 2020

National

PM inaugurates Global Renewable Energy Investors Meet & Expo

Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated the 3rd Global Renewable Energy Investors Meet and Expo (RE-INVEST 2020).

During the three-day virtual conference, all the leading companies will display their latest technological development in the field of renewable energy and discuss various options available for energy transition.
Several world leaders, Energy Ministers of 75 countries and 200 eminent speakers will take part in the event.
The summit is organised by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
The theme for RE-Invest 2020 is ‘Innovations for Sustainable Energy Transition’.

UNDP, Invest India launch SDGs Investor Map for India

United Nations Development Programme, UNDP and Invest India have launched the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Investor Map for India.

It laid out 18 Investment Opportunities Areas in six critical SDG enabling sectors, that can help the country push forward on the trajectory of Sustainable Development.
The Map comes at a critical time for India. With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the financing gap for the SDGs in India has only widened further and decades of development progress is nearly on the verge of a reversal.

PM Narendra Modi chairs 33rd PRAGATI interaction

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the PRAGATI meeting.

It marked Prime Minister’s thirty-third interaction through PRAGATI - the ICT based multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation, involving Central and State governments.
During the meeting, multiple projects, grievances and programmes were reviewed.
Grievances related to COVID-19 and to the PM Awas Yojana (Gramin) were taken up.
PM SVANidhi, agriculture reforms and development of districts as export hubs were reviewed.
The Prime Minister also asked the States to develop a State Export Strategy.
In the previous 32 such meetings, a total of 275 projects worth 12.5 lakh crore rupees have been reviewed, along with 47 programmes and schemes and grievances across 17 sectors have been taken up.

India has emerged as fourth largest producer of renewable energy in world: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India’s renewable power capacity is the 4th largest in the world and it is growing at the fastest speed among all major countries.

The renewable energy capacity in India is currently 136 Giga Watts, which is about 36 percent of the country's total capacity.
The country is expanding generation capacity and network to ensure every citizen has access to electricity to unlock their full potential.
In the last 6 years, India has increased installed renewable energy capacity by two and half times.

India, Finland sign MoU in the field of Environment protection and biodiversity conservation

India and Finland signed an MoU for developing cooperation between two countries in the field of Environment protection and biodiversity conservation.

The MoU is a platform to further advance Indian and Finnish partnership and support, exchange best practices in areas like prevention of air and water pollution, waste ने management, and promotion of circular economy.
The MoU was signed virtually by Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar from the Indian side and his Finnish counterpart Krista Mikkonen.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to attend the 19th SCO Heads of Govt meet hosted by India on 30th Nov

China announced that Premier Li Keqiang will attend the 19th meeting of the Council of Heads of Govt of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states to be held under India's chairmanship on Nov. 30th.

This is the first time after joining the SCO in 2017 that India has got the opportunity to host this meeting which will be held through video link.
The upcoming meeting of heads of govt is an important event under the SCO framework this year.
Created in 2001, the SCO is a political, economic, and security bloc comprising eight members – India, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Pakistan.

Nagarjuna Besha of Lord Jagannath and siblings to be observed in Puri after 26 years

Nagarjuna Besha of Lord Jagannath and his siblings, Goddess Shubhadra and Lord Balaram is being held in Puri's Jagannath Temple after a span of 26 years.

The last Nagarjuna Besha of Lord Jagannath was held in 1994.
This year, the celebrations are muted due to the pandemic.
According to Hindu mythology, Nagarjuna Besha is observed in commemoration of the killing of Kartyavera Arjuna, one of the main king slain by Parsuram.
On this occasion, the deities are dressed like warriors.

Business

HDFC Bank, ICCI join hands to support SMEs, start-ups

ICCI (Inventivepreneur Chamber of Commerce and Industries), in its endeavour to support SMEs (small and medium enterprises) and start-ups, has signed an MoU with HDFC Bank.

ICCI will engage, enroll, and support various start-ups /SMEs /MSMEs to facilitate inter-alia financial and other facilities to/from HDFC Bank.
HDFC Bank may offer bank accounts to start-ups that are supported and recommended by ICCI.
ICCI will evaluate and recommend potential start-ups /SMEs /MSMEs for investments.

Appointments

Lt Gen Harpal Singh appointed new Engineer-in-Chief of Indian Army

Lt Gen Harpal Singh has been appointed as the new Engineer-in-Chief of the Indian Army.

He is presently the Director-General of Border Roads Organisation and would take over his new appointment on December 1.
Lt Gen Harpal Singh, an alumnus of National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, was commissioned into the Corps of Engineers on 24 December 1982.
He has also been the Chief Engineer of Project Dantak (BRO) at Bhutan, Chief Engineer (Navy), Mumbai and Chief Engineer HQ Eastern Command.
Major Gen Rajeev Chaudhary has been appointed as the new Director-General of the Border Roads Organisation.

Sports

Sports Ministry recognizes Archery Association of India as National Sports Federation

Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has granted the annual recognition to Archery Association of India as a National Sports Federation (NSF).

AAI's recognition was withdrawn by the ministry on December 7, 2012 on account of its failure to conduct elections in accordance with the sports code despite the directions of the High Court.
This comes after AAI's independent elections and revocation of suspension by the World Archery and Indian Olympic Association.
The recognition will be valid for one year.
AAI president Arjun Munda welcomed the decision and said that it will start a new chapter in Indian archery.

Daily Current Affairs - 26 Nov 2020

2020-11-26T12:42:00.027+05:30

Daily Current Affairs Capsule

26th November 2020

National

National Milk Day: 26 November

In India, November 26 is celebrated as National Milk Day, since 2014.

The day is observed to commemorate the birthday of the father of India’s White Revolution, Dr. Verghese Kurien.
The day was fixed by all the dairy majors of the country including the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), the Indian Dairy Association (IDA), along with 22 state level milk federations.
In 1970, India's National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) started a rural development programme known as Operation Flood.
It is one of the largest programmes and its aim was to develop a nationwide milk grid.
At that time the chairman of NDDB was Dr. Verghese Kurien who gave management skills and necessary thrust to the cooperative sector and is considered as the architect of India's White Revolution or Operation Flood.

Indian Constitution Day: 26 November

Constitution Day (National Law Day), also known as Samvidhan Divas, is celebrated in India on 26 November every year to commemorate the adoption of the Constitution of India.

The Government of India under Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi declared 26 November as Constitution Day on 19 November 2015.
The year of 2015 was the 125th birth anniversary of Ambedkar, who had chaired the drafting committee of the Constituent Assembly and played a pivotal role in the drafting of the constitution.
On 26 November 1949, the Constituent Assembly of India adopted the Constitution of India, and it came into effect on 26 January 1950.

All fixed to mobile calls to be dialled with prefix ‘0’ from Jan 15

The Communications Ministry has said all Fixed to Mobile calls will be dialled with prefix ‘0’ from 15th January next year.

There will be no change in dialing plan from fixed to fixed, mobile to fixed and mobile to mobile calls.
The Department of Telecommunications has taken the decision of implementing this with the consideration of TRAI Recommendation on “Ensuring Adequate Numbering Resources for Fixed Line and Mobile Services”.
A total of approximately 2539 million numbering series is expected to be generated from this. This will free up sufficient numbering resources for future use.
The changes have been done in order to have minimum inconvenience to the subscribers and freeing up essential numbering resources.

12th anniversary of 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks being observed

The twelfth anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks being observed.

On the night of November 26, 2008, ten heavily armed Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists landed in Mumbai and went on a rampage.
More than 160 people, including foreign nationals, were killed in the attack that lasted for four days.
Ajmal Kasab, the only terrorist captured alive, was hanged four years later on November 21, 2012.
The ten Pakistani terrorists who came from the sea targeted the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Nariman House, Leopold cafe, Taj hotel and tower and the Oberoi Trident hotel.

India Post Payments Bank launches PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana

India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) has launched a low-cost insurance scheme ‘Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY)’ for its customers.

The scheme aims to bring large sections of the underserved and unserved population into the financial mainstream.
IPPB has collaborated with PNB MetLife India Insurance Company for this product.
Customers should be at least 18 years old to enroll for the scheme. The maximum age limit will be 50 years for Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana.
Fixed sum of ₹2 lakh upon the death of the insured member payable to the nominee.
Customers need to pay a premium of ₹330 per annum.

Narendra Singh Tomar virtually inaugurates Phagwara mega food park

The Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Shri Narendra Singh Tomar virtually inaugurated the Mega Food Park (MFP) at Phagwara in Kapurthala district of Punjab.

The Phagwara Mega Food Park is built at a cost of Rs 107.83 crores.
The park is expected to benefit about 25000 farmers and generate employment of about 5000 persons.

Himachal Pradesh Government Launches ‘Him Suraksha Abhiyan’

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur launched ‘Him Suraksha Abhiyan’.

The campaign aims at sensitizing the people regarding Covid-19 pandemic and also to collect information regarding symptoms of other diseases like TB, Leprosy, sugar and blood pressure.
Under this, about 8000 teams would be constituted of Health, Ayurveda, Women and Child Development, Panchayati Raj Departments, District Administration and NGOs.
They would carry a door to door campaign for data collection of health parameters of the people, including both, symptomatic patients with probable Covid-19 as well as patients with other ailments.

Uttar Pradesh government imposes ESMA for six months

Uttar Pradesh government has imposed Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) in the state.

The order released in this regard says that the act will be imposed for 6 months.
As per the U.P ESMA, the state government now has the power to prohibit strikes in workplaces for the next six months, after which it may be extended for another six months.
Last time the act was imposed in the state on 22nd May this year and the time period of six months has expired.

UP government passes ordinance to ban unlawful religious conversions for marriage

The Uttar Pradesh government has passed an ordinance to ban unlawful religious conversions for marriage.

Unlawful conversion for the sake of getting married through force, deceit, undue pressure or by way of alluring into marriage will come into the category of non-bailable offence and can lead to imprisonment of a maximum of 10 years and penalty of 50 thousand rupees.
The jail sentence for the offence would be 3-10 years if the woman is from the Scheduled cast, Scheduled Tribe community or is seen as part of mass conversion.
Any marriage entered into after such a conversion can be declared null and void.
If any couple wants to perform marriage after converting into any other religion, they need to take permission from the relevant district magistrate two months before the marriage.
He claimed that over 100 incidents of forceful religious conversions were noticed in state.

Deaths

Legendary Argentine footballer Diego Maradona passes away

Legendary Argentine footballer, Diego Maradona, widely regarded among the greatest football players of all time passed away following a heart attack.

Maradona was hospitalised after he complained of regularly being fatigued.
Maradona had begun his professional career with Argentinos Juniors at the age of 16 and he went on to become one of the greatest players to ever play the game of football.
The ace footballer represented Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla, and Newell's Old Boys as a player.
Diego was considered the main player in taking Argentina to their second World Cup title in 1986.
Maradona also coached Racing Club, Dorados, Gimnasia and the Argentina national team.

Daily Current Affairs - 25 Nov 2020

2020-11-25T12:27:00.012+05:30

Daily Current Affairs Capsule

25th November 2020

International

International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women: 25 November

The United Nations designated International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women is celebrated worldwide on November 25.

The day aims to raise awareness of the fact that women around the world are subject to various forms of violence and the true nature of the issue is often hidden.
2020 Theme “Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect!”.

National

President Ram Nath Kovind boards Air India One- B777 aircraft for inaugural flight to Chennai

President Ram Nath Kovind boarded the Air India One- B777 aircraft for the inaugural flight to Chennai.

The President will be visiting Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh to offer prayers at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple.
Air India One is the call sign for the VVIP aircraft used by the president, vice president and prime minister.
The aircraft is operated as VVIP flight by the Indian Air Force (IAF).

Indian Army Successfully Test Fires Land-attack version of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from Andaman and Nicobar Islands

India successfully test-fired a land-attack version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile.

The supersonic cruise missile successfully hit its target, which was on another island.
The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile is the world's fastest operational system in its class.
DRDO has recently extended the range of the missile system from the existing 298 km to around 450 km.
Brahmos is a universal long-range supersonic cruise missile system that can be launched from land, sea and air.
The missile has been jointly developed by DRDO, India, and NPOM, Russia, through the joint venture BrahMos Aerospace.

First cow hospital of Northeast inaugurated in Assam’s Dibrugarh

A cow shelter in Assam’s Dibrugarh inaugurated Northeast’s first-ever cow hospital.

The hospital, Surbhi Aarogyashala, is set up by Shree Gopal Gaushala at a cost of Rs 17 lakh.
The hospital will provide services in a 30 km radius.

Business

Cabinet approves RBI's proposal to merge Lakshmi Vilas Bank with DBS Bank

Union Cabinet approved the merger of capital-starved Lakshmi Vilas Bank (LVB) with DBS Bank India.

The Reserve Bank of India on 17 November proposed the merger of the 94-year-old lender with the Indian arm of Singapore’s DBS Bank.
As part of the amalgamation, DBIL will infuse fresh capital of ₹2,500 crore into LVB.
DBS was the first foreign bank to receive a banking licence after the central bank allowed foreign banks to set up a wholly owned subsidiary in 2014.

Appointments

Vijay Sinha Becomes Bihar Assembly Speaker

Vijay Kumar Sinha was elected as Speaker of Bihar assembly by majority vote.

He became the first BJP legislator in the state to occupy the post.
During the selection of House Speaker, the Rashtriya Janata Party (RJD) members created a ruckus and opposed the selection through voice vote, citing the presence of members of the legislative council.

New Zealand's Greg Barclay elected as new independent chairman of ICC

New Zealand's Greg Barclay has been elected as the new independent chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

The head of the New Zealand Cricket team, NZC, Barclay beat Imran Khwaja in the second round of voting.
Imran was interim chairman after Shashank Manohar stepped down from the post in July this year.
Barclay has served as a director of NZC since 2012. He was a director of 2015 Men's World Cup, held in Australia and New Zealand.

Awards

Delhi Crime bags Best Drama Series at the International Emmy Awards 2020

The Netflix show, Delhi Crime, has won the Best Drama Series award at the 48th International Emmy Awards 2020.

Delhi Crime is the first web-series from India to win an International Emmy Award.
The show is written and directed by Richie Mehta and features actress Shefali Shah as the main character.

Deaths

Veteran TV actor Ashiesh Roy passes away

Television actor Ashiesh Roy has passed away.

The actor had appeared in a number of TV shows and films in his long acting career which began in 1997.
Some of his famous television shows includes Movers & Shakers, Yes Boss, Remix, Baa Bahoo Aur Baby, Chaldi Da Naam Gaddi, Burey Bhi Hum Bhale Bhi Hum, Sasural Simar Ka, Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi, Mere Angne Mein, Aarambh.
Ashiesh Roy was also a voice actor who has been dubbing for foreign films.

Congress veteran Ahmed Patel passes away

Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP, Ahmed Patel passed away.

He was Lok Sabha MP for three terms from 1977 to 1989 and Rajya Sabha MP since 1993 representing Gujarat.
He also served as the political secretary to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and was one of the party’s top negotiators during the UPA regime.

National Thermal Power Corporation Limited recruitment 2020 - 70 vacancies for Diploma Engineer Posts

2020-11-24T18:00:00.003+05:30

Indian Government released 70 vacancies for NTPC Recruitment for Diploma Engineer Posts. We posted this job for job seekers who are all looking for Graduate Government Jobs. The NTPC Recruitment Notification is released on 23rd November 2020. The applicant must read the NTPC Recruitment notification before applying. Candidates should have a Diploma in Engineering or equivalent from a recognized university for applying to these posts of Diploma Engineer. Age Limit for these various Diploma Engineer posts is 30 years. Eligible and Interested Candidates can apply on or before 12th December 2020.

Name of the Post: Diploma Engineer

No. of Vacancies: 70

Job Location: All Over India

Apply Mode: Online

Pay Scale: Rs.24,000/- PM

Eligibility Criteria:

Applicants should have passed Diploma in Engineering or equivalent from a recognized university for NTPC Recruitment 2020.

Age Limit:

Maximum Age Limit: 25

Selection Process:

CBT: 1
CBT: 2

Application Fee: Please check the official notification

How to Apply:

Eligible and interested applicants can apply online at the official website given link below.

Important Dates:

Starting Date for Submission of Application: 23/11/2020

Last date for Submission of Application: 12/12/2020

Important Links:

Click Here to Download Notification

Click Here to Apply Online

Click Here to Visit Official Website

Canara Bank recruitment 2020 - 220 Vacancies for the Post of Specialist Officer

2020-11-24T17:26:00.001+05:30

Indian Government released 220 vacancies for Canara Bank Recruitment for Specialist Officer Posts. We posted this job for job seekers who are all looking for bank jobs in India. Canara Bank Recruitment Notification is released on 25th November 2020. The applicant must read the Canara Bank Recruitment notification before applying. Candidates should have passed Graduation, Post Graduation, CA, MBA or equivalent from a recognized university for applying to these posts of Specialist Officer. Age Limit for these various Specialist Officer posts is as per Government rules. Eligible and Interested Candidates can apply for the above post on or before 15h December 2020.

Name of the Post: Specialist Officer

No. of Vacancies: 220

Job Location: All Over India

Apply Mode: Online

Pay Scale: Rs.23,700/- to Rs.42,020/- PM

Eligibility Criteria:

Applicants should have passed Graduation, Post Graduation, CA, MBA or equivalent from a recognized university for Canara Bank Recruitment 2020.

Age Limit: As per Government rules

Selection Process:

Written Test

Group Discussion

Interview

Application Fee:

Application Fee for UR/OBC/EWS: Rs.600/-

For SC/ST/PWD Candidates: Rs.100/-

How to Apply:

Eligible and interested applicants can apply online at the official website given link below.

Important Dates:

Starting Date for Submission of Application: 25/11/2020

Last date for Submission of Application: 15/12/2020

Important Links:

Click Here to Download Notification

Click Here to Apply Online

Click Here to Visit Official Website

Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) recruitment 2020 - 161 vacancies for Constable (Veterinary) Posts

2020-11-24T17:11:00.004+05:30

Indian Government released 161 vacancies for SSB Recruitment for Constable (Veterinary) Posts. This is good news for candidates who are looking for defence jobs. SSB Recruitment Notification is released on 21st November 2020. The applicants applying for the latest government jobs must read the SSB Recruitment notification before applying. Candidates should have passed 10th or equivalent from a recognized university for applying to these posts of Constable (Veterinary). Age Limit for these various Constable (Veterinary) posts is 35 years as per rules. Eligible and Interested Candidates can apply on or before 27th December 2020. Candidates can take the printout of the application form for future reference.

Name of the Post: Constable (Veterinary)

No. of Vacancies: 161

Job Location: All Over India

Pay Scale: Rs.21,700/- to Rs.69,100/- PM

Apply Mode: Online

Eligibility Criteria:

Applicants should have passed 10th or equivalent from a recognized university for SSB Recruitment 2020.

Age Limit:

Maximum Age Limit: 27

Selection Process:

Written Test
Interview

Application Fee:

Application Fee for UR/OBC/EWS: Rs.100/-

For SC/ST/Women Candidates: NIL

How to Apply:

Eligible and interested applicants can apply online at the official website given link below.

Important Dates:

Starting Date for Submission of Application: 21/11/2020

Last date for Submission of Application: 27/12/2020

Important Links:

Click Here to Download Notification

Click Here to Apply Online

Click Here to Visit Official Website

Medical and Health Recruitment Board (MHRB), Assam Recruitment 2020 - 415 vacancies for Registrar/ Demonstrator/ Resident Physician Posts

2020-11-24T16:36:00.004+05:30

Medical and Health Recruitment Board, Assam released 415 vacancies for MHRB Assam Recruitment for Registrar/ Demonstrator/ Resident Physician Posts. This is good news for candidates looking for Assam government jobs. MHRB Assam Recruitment Notification is released on 17th November 2020. The applicant must read the MHRB Assam Recruitment notification before applying. Candidates should have completed MBBS, MD, MS, DNB, M.Ch or equivalent from recognized university for applying to this post of Registrar/ Demonstrator/ Resident Physician. Age Limit for this Registrar/ Demonstrator/ Resident Physician posts is 43 years. Eligible and Interested Candidates can apply on or before 5th December 2020.

Name of the Post: Registrar/ Demonstrator/ Resident Physician

No. of Vacancies: 415

Job Location: Assam

Pay Scale: Rs.57,700/- to Rs.1,82,400/- PM

Apply Mode: Online

Eligibility Criteria:

Applicants should have completed Graduation, Post Graduation or equivalent from a recognized university for MHRB Assam Recruitment 2020.

Age Limit:

Minimum Age Limit: 21

Maximum Age Limit: 38

Selection Process:

Written Test
Interview

Application Fee: Please check the official notification

How to Apply:

Visit the official website of NHM or directly click on the below link.
The eligible & interested applicants may apply online on the official website or by clicking directly on the above-mentioned link.
You have to make payment of the application fee for separate posts.
The candidates are required to take out a print out of the finally submitted Online Recruitment Application.
The duly filled application form should be reached along with all essential documents.
Keep active the registered email ID and Mobile Number for future use.

Important Dates:

Starting Date for Submission of Application: 17/11/2020

Last date for Submission of Application: 05/12/2020

Important Links:

Click Here to Download Notification

Click Here to Apply Online

Click Here to Visit Official Website

Tamil Nadu Cooperative Milk Producers Federation Limited Recruitment 2020 - 460 vacancies for Senior Factory Assistant (SFA) Posts

2020-11-24T16:16:00.003+05:30

Tamil Nadu Government released 460 vacancies for AAVIN Recruitment for Senior Factory Assistant (SFA) Posts. This is good news for candidates looking for Tamilnadu government jobs. AAVIN Recruitment Notification is released on 16th November 2020. The applicants applying for 10th pass government job must read the AAVIN Recruitment notification before applying. Candidates should have passed 10th/ITI/ Diploma or equivalent from a recognized university for applying to these posts of Senior Factory Assistant (SFA). Age Limit for these various Senior Factory Assistant (SFA) posts is as per rules. Eligible and Interested Candidates can apply on or before 5th December 2020.

Name of the Post: Senior Factory Assistant (SFA)

No. of Vacancies: 460

Job Location: Chennai

Pay Scale: Rs.15, 700/- to Rs.50, 000.- PM

Apply Mode: Online

Eligibility Criteria:

Applicants should have passed 10th, Diploma, ITI or equivalent from a recognized university for AAVIN Recruitment 2020.

Age Limit: As per rules

Selection Process:

Written Test
Interview

Application Fee:

Application Fee for UR/OBC: Rs.250/-

For SC/ST Candidates: Rs.100/-

How to Apply:

Eligible and interested applicants can apply online at the official website given link below.

Important Dates:

Starting Date for Submission of Application: 16/11/2020

Last date for Submission of Application: 05/12/2020

Important Links:

Click Here to Download Notification

Click Here to Apply Online

Click Here to Visit Official Website

The Visakhapatnam Co-operative Bank Ltd. recruitment 2020 - 30 Vacancies for the Posts of Probationary Officer (Assistant Manager)

2020-11-24T15:58:00.000+05:30

Indian Government released 30 vacancies for VCBL Recruitment for Probationary Officer (Assistant Manager) Posts. We posted this job for job seekers who are all looking for bank jobs in India. Vishakapatnam Bank Recruitment Notification is released on 16th November 2020. The applicant must read the VCBL Recruitment notification before applying. Candidates should have passed Graduation, Post Graduation, CA, MBA or equivalent from a recognized university for applying to these posts of Probationary Officer (Assistant Manager). Age Limit for these various Probationary Officer (Assistant Manager) posts is as per Government rules. Eligible and Interested Candidates can apply for the above post on or before 30th November 2020.

Name of the Post: Probationary Officer (Assistant Manager)

No. of Vacancies: 30

Job Location: All Over India

Pay Scale: Rs.31,000/- PM

Apply Mode: Online

Eligibility Criteria:

Applicants should have passed Graduation, Post Graduation, CA, MBA or equivalent from a recognized university for VCBL Recruitment 2020.

Age Limit: As per Government rules

Selection Process:

Written Test
Group Discussion
Interview

Application Fee: There is no application fee

How to Apply:

Eligible and interested applicants can apply online at the official website given link below.

Important Dates:

Starting Date for Submission of Application: 17/11/2020

Last date for Submission of Application: 30/11/2020

Important Links:

Click Here to Download Notification

Click Here to Apply Online

Click Here to Visit Official Website

National Capital Region Transport Corporation Recruitment 2020 - 52 Vacancies for Junior Engineer Posts

2020-11-24T15:40:00.002+05:30

Indian Government released 52 vacancies for NCRTC Recruitment for Junior Engineer Posts. This is good news for candidates who are looking for Government jobs for engineers. National Capital Regional Transport Corporation Recruitment Notification is released on 19th November 2020. The applicants applying for the graduate government jobs must read the NCRTC Recruitment notification before applying. Candidates should have passed Diploma in Civil Engineering or equivalent from a recognized university for applying to these posts of Junior Engineer. Age Limit for these various Junior Engineer posts is 65 years. Eligible and Interested Candidates can apply on or before 4th December 2020.

Name of the Post: Junior Engineer

No. of Vacancies: 52

Job Location: Delhi

Apply Mode: Offline

Pay Scale: Rs.27500/- to Rs.97350/-PM

Eligibility Criteria:

Applicants should have passed Diploma in Civil Engineering or equivalent from a recognized university for NCRTC Recruitment 2020.
Minimum One Experience in Civil Construction Work.

Age Limit:

Minimum Age Limit: 18

Maximum Age Limit: 30

Selection Process:

Written Test
Interview

Application Fee: There is no application fee.

How to Apply:

Eligible and interested applicants can apply offline at the official website given link below.

Important Dates:

Starting Date for Submission of Application: 19/11/2020

Last date for Submission of Application: 04/12/2020

Important Links:

Click Here to Download Notification and Application Form

Click Here to Visit Official Website

Daily Current Affairs - 24 Nov 2020

2020-11-24T12:12:00.001+05:30

Daily Current Affairs Capsule

24th November 2020

International

China's new moon mission to return the first lunar samples since 1976

China’s Chang’e-5 lunar mission will become the first probe in over four decades to attempt to bring back samples of lunar rock from a previously unexplored portion of the Moon.

The spacecraft is set to return to Earth around December 15.
Chang’e-5 probe is the Chinese National Space Administration’s (CNSA) lunar sample return mission that is set to launch on November 24 from the Wenchang Space Launch Center on Hainan Island in China.
The mission comprises a lunar orbiter, a lander and an ascent probe that will lift the lunar samples back into orbit and return them back to Earth.

Malaysia hosts 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 theme of the APEC Malaysia 2020 was “Optimising Human Potential Towards a Resilient Future of Shared Prosperity: Pivot. Prioritise. Progress”.

National

Martyrdom Day of Guru Tegh Bahadur being observed across country

Martyrdom Day of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Guru of Sikhs, is being observed across the country.

It was on this in 1675, Gurur Tegh Bahadur sacrificed his life to protect religion, human values, ideals and principles.
The youngest son of Guru Hargobind, he was publicly killed in1675 on the order of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Delhi for refusing to convert to Islam.
Gurudwara sis Ganj Sahib and Gurudwara Rakab Ganj Sahib in Delhi are sites of his execution and cremation.

Foreign Secretary H V Shringla to visit Nepal on Nov. 26 & 27

Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla will pay an official visit to Nepal on 26 and 27 November 2020.

This will be the first visit of the Foreign Secretary to Nepal since he assumed charge.
The visit is in keeping with the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries and the priority India attaches to its relations with Nepal.

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 UMANG's international version in coordination with the 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.

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.
Trade unions too have opposed it as a ploy to divest the workers of their democratic right to protest.

Indian Coast Guard averts ecological disaster off Nicobar Islands by towing oil tanker to safety

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) towed a fuel tanker back to safe waters.

The tanker was dangerously drifting towards the pristine Katchal Island in Nicobar due to power failure.
The vesel, which had 24 crew onboard, experienced total power failure since November 19.
Katchal is one of the Nicobar Islands, India.

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.

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.
IT infrastructure will enable the 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.
KSCDL has activated Wi-Fi Hotspots in 51 locations of Kohima along with two smart Kiosks as part of the Kohima Wi-Fi Phase 1 Project.

Deaths

Former CM of Assam Tarun Gogoi passes away

Former Chief Minister of Assam Tarun Gogoi passed away in Guwahati.

He was undergoing treatment for the past few days in Gauhati medical college and hospital following post COVID-19 complications.
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.
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, passed away.

He was popularly known as Devi Priya.
He bagged the Sahitya Akademi Award 2017, for his book Gaali Rangu.
Apart from penning poetry, he has also written several lyrics for Telugu movies.
He authored several books including Gareebi Geetaalu, Amma Chettu Chepa Chiluka, and others.
During his journalism stint, Devipriya was instrumental in making noted Telugu poet Sri Sri to write his autobiography.

Daily Current Affairs - 23 Nov 2020

2020-11-23T14:59:00.036+05:30

Daily Current Affairs Capsule

23rd November 2020

International

Worldwide Cost of Living 2020

Hong Kong, Paris and Zurich are the world’s most expensive cities, according to The EIU’s 2020 Worldwide Cost of Living (WCOL) Survey.

The survey, which compares the price of a basket of 138 items in about 130 cities around the world.
Damascus (Syria), Taskent (Uzbekistan), Lusaka (Zambia) ranked the last three spots as the cheapest cities in the list.

2nd edition of SITMEX-20 underway in Andaman Sea

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.

First edition of SITMEX, hosted by Indian Navy, was conducted off Port Blair in September last year.
The SITMEX series of exercises are conducted to enhance mutual inter-operability and imbibing best practices between Indian Navy, Republic of Singapore Navy and Royal Thai Navy.
The 2020 edition of the exercise is being hosted by Republic of Singapore Navy.

National

Nirmala Sitharaman attends G20 Finance Ministers' virtual meeting

Minister for Finance Nirmala Sitharaman virtually participated in the G20 Finance Ministers meeting in New Delhi.

Finance Ministers of the G20 countries gathered to discuss their views on the global economic outlook and downside risks in wake of the COVID-19 crisis and how G20 could carry forward the collective global action initiated during the crisis.
Highlighting the Debt Service Suspension Initiative as an important outcome under the G20 Ms Sitharaman also congratulated the Saudi Arabian Presidency for their tireless efforts and exceptional leadership to steer the G20 agenda in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

India becomes 4th nation to get IMO nod for navigation satellite system

The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) has been recognised by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) as a part of the World Wide Radio Navigation System (WWRNS) for operation in the Indian Ocean Region.

India has become the fourth country in the world to have its independent regional navigation satellite system recognised by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
The other three countries that have its navigation systems recognised by the IMO are the US, Russia and China.
IMO headquarters: London, United Kingdom
Founded: 17 March 1948

Health Minister Harsh Vardhan addresses Boston Center of Excellence for Health & Human Development

Health Minister Harsh Vardhan addressed the Boston Center of Excellence for Health and Human Development through a Video Conference.

Saluting millions of front-line health workers who bravely carried on with their duty in spite of risk and adversity, including professionals other than doctors and nurses, Dr. Vardhan elaborated India’s strategy to contain COVID-19.
He also congratulated the Boston Center of Excellence for Health and Human Development for bringing together experts to research a better cure and better healthcare for all.

India International Cherry Blossom Festival in Shillong cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic

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.
These beautiful flowers can be spotted across Meghalaya during this time of the year.
It is expected that the flowers will continue to bloom till the end of November.
The beautiful hill station Shillong in Meghalaya has turned pink with blooming cherry blossoms.

Cyclone Nivar likely to make landfall between Karaikal in Puducherry & Mamallapuram in Tamil Nadu

The Low Pressure Area in the south and the central Bay of Bengal is expected to get intensified into a Depression.

Met Department in Chennai said it will turn into a cyclone in the next 24-hours.
It is likely to make landfall on 25 November between Karaikal in Puducherry and Mamallapuram in northern Tamil Nadu.
12 other districts including Chennai and Puducherry are expected to witness isolated heavy rain.
As per the naming convention, the cyclone in the Bay of Bengal will be known by the name Nivar, once it is formed.

Kumbh Mela to be held in its divine form at Haridwar in 2021

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has asserted that Kumbh Mela will be held in its divine form at Haridwar in 2021 despite the practical problems arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kumbh Mela works are being reviewed periodically and efforts of the state government will be to ensure that the devotees do not face any inconvenience.
35 to 50 lakh people are expected to take the holy dip in Ganga daily during the Kumbh Mela 2021.
Kumbh Mela is a major pilgrimage and festival in Hinduism.
It is celebrated in a cycle of approximately 12 years at four river-bank pilgrimage sites: the Prayagraj (Ganges-Yamuna Saraswati rivers confluence), Haridwar (Ganges), Nashik (Godavari), and Ujjain (Shipra).

Awards

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.

Sports

Daniil Medvedev beat Dominic Thiem to win ATP Tour Finals in London

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.
In the doubles final, Dutch-Croatian duo Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic claimed their first title together edging Jurgen Melzer and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-2, 3-6, 10-5.

Daily Current Affairs - 22 Nov 2020

2020-11-22T15:28:00.006+05:30

Daily Current Affairs Capsule

22nd November 2020

International

Africa Industrialization Day: 20 November

Africa Industrialization Day is celebrated on November 20 each year.

It is a time when governments and other organizations in many African countries examine ways to stimulate Africa’s industrialization process.
It is also an occasion to draw worldwide media attention to the problems and challenges of industrialization in Africa.
Theme 2020: “Inclusive and sustainable industrialisation in the AfCFTA era”.

30th India-Thai Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT)

The 30th edition of India-Thailand Coordinated Patrol (Indo-Thai CORPAT) was held between the Indian Navy and the Royal Thai Navy.

The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Karmuk, an indigenously built Missile Corvette and Thailand Ship (HTMS) Kraburi, a Chao Phraya Class Frigate along with Dornier Maritime Patrol Aircraft from both the navies participated in the CORPAT.
The two navies have been carrying out CORPAT along their International Maritime Boundary Line twice a year since 2005 to enhance bilateral ties and maritime cooperation.

National

India is the only country to achieve 2°C goal under Paris Agreement among all G20 nations: Prakash Javadekar

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said India is the only country on track to achieve the 2°C goal under the Paris Agreement among all the G20 nations.

The 2°C goal aims to keep the global temperature rise below 2°C from pre-industrial levels by 2100.
The Paris Agreement of 2016 is a historic international accord that brings almost 200 countries together in setting a common target to reduce global greenhouse emissions in an effort to fight climate change.
The pact seeks to keep global temperature rise to below 2 degrees Celsius from pre-industrial levels, and to try and limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

National Cadet Corps 72nd Raising Day: 22 November 2020

National Cadet Corps (NCC), the largest uniformed youth organisation in the world, celebrated its 72nd Raising Day on 22 November 2020.

The NCC cadets have contributed by participating selflessly during the COVID-19 pandemic as Corona warriors to spread awareness about measures to fight against the pandemic.
The cadets participated wholeheartedly in ‘Swachhta Abhiyan’, ‘Mega Pollution Pakhwada’ and played a pivotal role in spreading awareness about various government initiatives like ‘Digital Literacy’, ‘International Day of Yoga’, ‘Tree Plantation’ and immunisation programs.
The National Cadet Corps is the youth wing of the Armed Forces with its headquarters at New Delhi, Delhi, India.
It is open to school and college students on a voluntary basis.

PM Modi lays foundation stone of rural drinking water supply projects in Mirzapur & Sonbhadra districts of Uttar Pradesh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of rural drinking water supply projects in Mirzapur and Sonbhadra districts of Vindhyachal region of Uttar Pradesh.

Mr Modi also interacted with Village Water and Sanitation Committee or Paani Samiti Members during the event.
The projects will provide household tap water connections in all rural households of 2,995 villages and will benefit about 42 lakh population of these districts.
Village Water and Sanitation Committees or Paani Samiti have been constituted in all these villages, who will shoulder the responsibility of operation and maintenance.
Announced on 15th August last year by the Prime Minister from the ramparts of Red Fort, Jal Jeevan Mission aims to provide functional household tap connections to every rural home of the country by 2024.

2-day All India Presiding Officers' Conference to be organized at Kevadia in Gujarat on Nov. 25

A two-day All India Presiding Officers' Conference will be organized at Kevadia in Gujarat on 25th November.

The theme of this year conference is Harmonious Coordination of Legislative, Executive and Judiciary - Key to a Vibrant Democracy.
President Ram Nath Kovind will inaugurate the two day conference.
On 26th November which is celebrated as Constitution Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the valedictory session of the conference.

First meeting of ‘cow cabinet’ held in Madhya Pradesh

In Madhya Pradesh, the first meeting of the cow cabinet made for promotion and conservation of cows in the state concluded.

14 experts from all over the country joined this meeting from Gau Sanctuary located in Salaria of Agar Malwa district.
Meanwhile, like other states, 'cow cess' is also being considered for cow-protection in the state.
There is a provision for income tax exemption on donations for cows under Section 80-G of the Income Tax.

Karnataka Governor presents Doctor of Science honorary doctorate upon ISRO Chairman

Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala presented Doctor of Science honorary doctorate upon ISRO Chairman K Sivan.

The Visvesvaraya Technological University has conferred the doctorate to him.
The Governor highly praised the role of ISRO in defining our Space programme and the social role that it has played in the country.

Kanoor Renewable Village is the 1st Step towards PM’s Carbon Neutral Ladakh

The foundation stone of PM Narendra Modi’s Dream to Make Ladakh Carbon Neutral has been started from Kanoor Village of Kargil which has been the first Renewable Village in Ladakh.

This was stated by the MP Ladakh Jamyang Tsering Namgyail while inaugurating the 12 Solar Roof Top 5 Kw Power Plants in different hamlets of Kanoor Village.
Carbon neutrality refers to achieving net zero carbon dioxide emissions by balancing carbon dioxide emissions with removal or simply eliminating carbon dioxide emissions altogether.

Awards

Education Minister RP Nishank receives Vatayan Lifetime Achievement Award

Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has been conferred with the Vatayan Lifetime achievement Award for his contribution in the field of literature.

Mr Pokhriyal received the award at the Vatayan-UK felicitation ceremony organised through video conferencing by the British Institution Group in England.
The Vatayan International Awards are being conferred by the Vatayan-UK organization in London honouring poets, writers, and artists for their exemplary work in their respective fields.

Daily Current Affairs - 21 Nov 2020

2020-11-21T21:16:00.002+05:30

Daily Current Affairs Capsule

21st November 2020

International

PM Modi to attend 5th G-20 Leaders Summit at the invitation of King of Saudi Arabia

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be attending the 15th G-20 Leaders Summit at the invitation of the King of Saudi Arabia.

The summit is being chaired by Saudi Arabia on November 21st and 22nd in a virtual format.
This will be the second G20 leaders meeting in 2020.
The focus of the upcoming G20 Summit will be on an inclusive, resilient and sustainable recovery from COVID 19.
The leaders will discuss pandemic preparedness and ways and means to restore jobs.
The leaders will also share the vision for building an inclusive, sustainable and resilient future.

Green Climate Fund approves USD 256 million for Bangladesh

The Green Climate Fund has approved dollar 256 million for Bangladesh in grants and loans to meet its Green House Gas (GHG) emission reduction targets under the Paris agreement.

The financing is provided as an integrated package for textile and Ready Made Garments (RMG) sectors of Bangladesh are the largest industrial contributors in carbon emission.
The two sectors combined together contribute more than 27 percent of the industrial carbon emission.
By 2030, Bangladesh is committed to reduce its GHG emission by 15 percent compared to business-as-usual scenario.
GCF was set up under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2010 as the world’s largest dedicated fund to help developing countries reduce their carbon emissions.

PM Modi & his Bhutanese counterpart launched RuPay Card phase-2 in Bhutan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bhutanese counterpart Lotay Tshering virtually launched RuPay Card phase-2 in Bhutan.

The two Prime Ministers had jointly launched phase-1 of the project during Mr Modi's visit to Bhutan in August last year.
The implementation of phase-1 of RuPay cards in Bhutan has enabled Indian visitors in Bhutan to access ATMs and points of sale terminals across Bhutan.
The phase-2 will now allow Bhutanese cardholders to access RuPay network in India.

Health Minister chairs an event to mark National Newborn Week 2020

Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan chaired an event to mark the National Newborn Week 2020, being observed from 15th to 21st November.

The day is observed to reinforce the importance of newborn health as a key priority area of the health sector and to reiterate the commitment at the highest level.
This year, the theme of National Newborn Week is ‘Quality, Equity, Dignity for every newborn at every health facility and everywhere.

Mission Sagar II: Indian Naval Ship Airavat arrives at Port of Mombasa, Kenya

In continuation of the ongoing humanitarian mission ‘Sagar-II’, Indian Naval Ship Airavat arrived at Port of Mombasa, Kenya.

The Government of India is providing assistance to Friendly Foreign Countries to overcome natural calamities and COVID-19 pandemic, and towards the same INS Airavat is carrying food aid for the people of South Sudan.
The Mission Sagar-II is aligned with Prime Minister’s vision of SAGAR -Security and Growth for All in the Region.
It reiterates India’s position as a dependable partner in Indian Ocean Region with Indian Navy as the principal maritime agency and first responder in the maritime domain.

Sandhya-Arghya offered to the setting Sun by Chhath devotees

Devotees offered their obeisance to the setting Sun on the third day of the ongoing Chhath Puja festival.

In Bihar, a large number of devotees thronged to Chhath ghat at rivers, ponds and several water bodies to offer their prayers to the Sun God.
The folk festival will conclude with paying Pratah Arghya to the rising Sun.
After that the Devotees will break their 36 hours long fast and perform Paran (पारण).

Business

World Bank approves 120-mn to improve transport sector of Meghalaya

The Government of India, Meghalaya government and the World Bank signed a 120 million dollar project to improve and modernise the transport sector of Meghalaya.

This will help the state to harness its vast growth potential for high-value agriculture and tourism.
The project will improve about 300 kilometres of strategic road segments and stand-alone bridges by using innovative, climate resilient, and nature-based solutions.
It will also support innovative solutions such as precast bridges to reduce both time and cost of construction.

Awards

Scottish writer Douglas Stuart wins Booker prize for novel Shuggie Bain

Scottish writer Douglas Stuart has won the 2020 Booker Prize for fiction with his debut novel Shuggie Bain.

The novel described a boy growing up in Glasgow in the 1980s with a mother battling addiction.
The Booker Prize shortlist also included Indian-origin writer Avni Doshi’s novel ‘Burnt Sugar’.
First awarded in 1969, The Booker Prize is considered one of the leading prizes for literary fiction written in English.

ICC postpones 2022 women's T-20 world cup till February 2023

The International Cricket Council has postponed the South African edition of the Women's T20 World Cup by three months to February 2023 to avoid a cluster of big-ticket events in 2022.

The tournament, which was scheduled in November 2022, will now be held from February 9 to 26, 2023.
It said, if not postponed, the year 2022 will have three major events including Common Wealth Games and 50 over Women's World Cup.
In August this year, the ICC had postponed the 50 over Women's World Cup slated in New Zealand from 2021 to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and women's T20 cricket is also set to make its debut in the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

Books

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh unveils two books consisting of selected speeches of President

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh unveiled two books ‘The Republican Ethic Volume III’ and ‘Loktantra Ke Swar' which are collections of selected speeches of President Ram Nath Kovind.

Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar unveiled the e-book versions of the two books.
This book comprises speeches on the country's efforts to fight COVID19, where India is faring much better than other countries, to bravely defending its borders.

Daily Current Affairs - 20 Nov 2020

2020-11-20T16:46:00.001+05:30

Daily Current Affairs Capsule

20th November 2020

National

Government of India launches Safaimitra Suraksha Challenge.

Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri launched ‘Safaimitra Suraksha Challenge’.

It has been launched on the occasion of World Toilet Day for the safety of sewer or septic tank cleaner.
It will ensure that no person lost their life due to entering a sewer or septic tank.
It will promote mechanized cleaning and will fend off the hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks.
In 2013, the Government of India had enacted the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act to restrict hazardous cleaning.

Dr Harsh Vardhan addresses 33rd Stop TB Partnership Board meet virtually

The Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan addressed the 33rd Stop TB Partnership Board meet in New Delhi through a Video Conference.

The minister has stressed on the need to create a mass movement for elimination of TB with strategized advocacy, thought leadership, disruptive social entrepreneurship, powerful, societal and political commitment.
India is running the “TB Harega, Desh Jeetega” campaign that targets to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal target related to TB by 2025, five years ahead of the global target of 2030.

India ranks 77 in global bribery risk matrix

India is at 77th position with a score of 45 in a global list that measures business bribery risks of 2020.

The list by TRACE, an anti-bribery standard setting organisation, measures business bribery risk in 194 countries, territories, and autonomous and semi-autonomous regions.
According to this year’s data, North Korea, Turkmenistan, South Sudan, Venezuela and Eritrea present the highest commercial bribery risk, while Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden and New Zealand present the lowest.
In 2019, India’s rank stood 78 position with a score of 48 while in 2020 the country was ranked 77 with a score of 45.

PM Modi to inaugurate RE-INVEST 2020 on Nov 26

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the virtual 3rd Global Renewable Energy Investment Meeting and Expo (RE-INVEST 2020), on 26th of this month.

The 3rd RE-Invest will build upon the success of the first two editions held in 2015 and 2018.
It will provide an international forum for investment promotion in renewable energy.
RE-INVEST 2020 will include a two-day virtual conference on renewables and future energy choices and an exhibition of manufacturers, developers, investors and innovators engaged in the clean energy sector.

Vijayanagar to be Karnataka’s 31st district

The world heritage site of Hampi, the erstwhile capital of Vijayanagar empire, will soon be part of a new district.

The State Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, gave in-principle approval for creation of the Vijayanagar district, which will be carved out of Ballari district, to become the 31st district in the state.
It will be named after the Vijayanagar empire that ruled from this region.

Karnataka Bank launches CASA campaign

Karnataka Bank launched CASA (current account, savings account) mobilisation campaign which will run from November 17 to March 4, 2021.

Campaign intends to mobilise over 4.10 lakh current and savings accounts with an accretion of ₹650 crore of business.
With this campaign, the bank intends to introduce its attractive and superior line of digitally powered savings and current account products to its customers.
Karnataka Bank CEO: Mahabaleshwara M. S
Headquarters: Mangalore

NCRTC and NDB sign USD 500m for Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Rapid Transit System Project

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, National Capital Region Transport Corporation Limited and the New Development Bank signed a loan agreement for lending 500 million dollars for the ‘Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System Project’.

The Rapid Transit System will provide a fast, reliable, safe and comfortable public transport system in the National Capital Region.
Due to lack of efficient public transport options, the number of private vehicles in NCR has increased.
It can take about 3 to 4 hours to travel between Delhi and Meerut in Uttar Pradesh by road during peak hours.
Fast transit system will support in achieving the goal of sustainable urban development in NCR region including National Capital Territory of Delhi.

Appointments

Maia Sandu Elected as First-Ever Woman President of Moldova

Maia Sandu, a former World Bank economist, has won Moldova’s 2020 Presidential election to become the President-elect of the country.

She is the first woman to be elected as the President of Moldova and would assume office on 23rd December 2020.
She was the former Prime Minister of Moldova from 8 June 2019 until 14 November 2019.
Meanwhile the incumbent President of Moldova, Igor Dodon received 42.28% of the vote.
Capital: Chișinău
Currency: Moldovan leu

Former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi sworn in as pro-tem speaker of newly elected 17th Bihar Legislative Assembly

In Bihar, former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi was sworn in as pro-tem speaker of the newly elected 17th Bihar Legislative Assembly.

Governor Phagu Chauhan administered him the oath of office at a function organized at Rajbhavan in Patna.
74 years old Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) Chief Jitan Manjhi who has been elected from Imamganj assembly constituency is among the senior most members of the house.
Mr Manjhi will administer oath to newly elected members of Bihar assembly on 23rd and 24th November.

Sports

BCCI announces MPL Sports as Team India's kit sponsor till 2023

The BCCI formally announced MPL Sports apparel and accessories as the official kit sponsor and merchandise partner of both the national men's and women's sides as well as the U-19 team, replacing Nike.

Nike had a five-year deal during which they paid Rs 370 crore from 2016 to 2020.
MPL Sports, the sports merchandise brand from Mobile Premier League, an e-sports platform, offers a wide range of sports wears and cricket equipment, along with other accessories such as masks, wrist bands, footwear and headgear.
As per the newly-inked strategic partnership, MPL Sports has entered into a three-year agreement from November 2020 to December 2023.