Current Affairs 05th November 2020| Current Affairs News

 CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS

Army Aviation Corps Day

• The Army Aviation Corps (AAC), the youngest Corps of the Indian Army, celebrated its 35th Corps Day on November 1.
• The Corps was raised as a separate formation on November 1 in 1986.

National Stress Awareness Day

• National Stress Awareness Day, marked on thefirst Wednesday in November, aims to identify and reduce stress factors in our lives.
• This year it falls on 4th of November.
• Stress Awareness Day was established by the International Stress Management Association (ISMA) to help provide information on stress, and strategies on how to address it for both companies and individuals.

International Stress Awareness Week

• AsInternational Stress Awareness Week takes place on first week of November (2 – 6 November 2020), and the UK continues to face further pro-longed COVID-19-related restrictions, it has never been more important to support the wellbeing of employees who are working from home.
• International Stress Awareness Weekwas created in 2018 to raise awareness about stress prevention, following the establishment of Stress Awareness Day in 1998.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

Hardeep Singh Puri launches ‘Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge’

• Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri launched Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge focusing on shaping cities for young children and their families. The challenge is conducted with the support of the Bernard van Leer Foundation, Netherlands with technical support from WRI lndia.
• Through the challenge, selected cities will receive technical assistance and capacity-building to reimagine parks and open spaces, improve access to early childhood facilities, adapt public spaces with early childhood-oriented amenities and create accessible, safe, walkable streets for young children and families. The challenge will be open to all Smart Cities, other cities with more than five lakh population, and capitals of States and Union Territories.

About MoHUA:

• Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs and Civil Aviation: Hardeep Singh Puri
• Constituency: Amristar

President Kovind promulgates Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020

• President Ram NathKovind promulgated the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020to further amend Arbitration and Conciliation Act 1996. The Ordinance aims to ensure that all the stakeholders get an opportunity to seek unconditional stay of enforcement of arbitral awards where the underlying arbitration agreement or contract or making of the arbitral award are induced by fraud or corruption.
• Through the Ordinance, an addition has been made to Section 36 whereby if the Court is satisfied that a prima facie case is made out that the arbitration agreement or contract which is the basis of the award was induced or effected by fraud or corruption, it will stay the award unconditionally pending disposal of the challenge made to the award under Section 34.

79% of Indians would adopt a ‘robot nanny’ to help care for children while WFH: Survey

• IEEE, a global technical professional organisation for advancing technology, unveiled its survey report titled ‘Generation AI 2020: Health, Wellness, and Technology in a Post-COVID World.’
• According to the survey, over 79 per cent of parents surveyed in India agreed that if they had the means, they would adopt a robot “nanny” to help take care of their children while working remotely from home, running errands or when otherwise occupied.
• The survey also found that 81 per cent of surveyed parents in India agree that having a robot nanny to help their children do their homework would alleviate a significant amount of their Covid-19-related stress.
• While 76 per cent of parents also agreed that they would trust a full-time nanny robot to help take care of their children even if they are not home.
• Over two-thirds parents in India (64 per cent) agreed they would be comfortable using a robot nanny to take care of their infant or toddler child (under two-years-old).

I&B Ministry sets up committee to review norms on TV ratings

• The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, decided to set up a committee to review its existing guidelines for Television Rating agencies and look into various evolving dynamics concerning the television rating system.
• “The committee shall carry out an appraisal of the existing system, examine TRAI recommendations notified from time to time, overall industry scenario and addressing the needs of the stakeholders, and make recommendations for a robust, transparent and accountable rating system through changes,” the Ministry stated.
• Prasar Bharti CEO Shashi S Vempati has been appointed as the Chairman of the committee. Other members include IIT Kanpur’s DrShalabh; DrRajkumarUpadhyay, ED, C-DOT; and Pulak Ghosh of the Centre for Public Policy . The committee has been asked to submit its report to the I&B Ministry within two months.
• The government’s decision to appoint a committee to review the TRP system in the country comes at a time when allegations of TRP manipulation have emerged, putting the spotlight on the accuracy and credibility of the existing TRP measurement systems.
• In its order, the I&B Ministry stated that the present guidelines on Television Rating Agencies in India were notified after detailed deliberations by the Parliamentary Committee, Committee on Television Rating Points (TRP) constituted by the MIB, and recommendations of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.
• The committee will also study the past recommendations made by various forums on TRPs, and also study recent recommendations of TRAI on this issue. It has also been tasked to recommend steps to enhance competition in the sector.

About Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of India:

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

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL

India, GCC Troika hold annual Political Dialogue in virtual mode

• India and the GCC Troika held their annual Political Dialogue in virtual mode.External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankarled the Indian delegation.
• The GCC was represented at the Troika-level by Dr. NayefFalah M. Al-Hajraf, Secretary General of GCC, Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bahrain and Dr. Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, UAE.
• Senior representatives from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar also participated in the meeting.The leaders undertook detailed review of India-GCC ties and appreciated the upward trajectory in ties witnessed in the last few years.
• India had also taken special care to ensure the return of Indian health professionals to GCC countries and for supply of medicines and other essential items during the pandemic.
• The GCC welcomed India’s inclusion in the UNSC as a non-permanent member from January 2021.
• Both sides affirmed their commitment to reform multilateral institutions to reflect the realities of the 21st century and to work together to address contemporary challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change, sustainable development and terrorism.

About Gulf Cooperation Council:

• The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, originally known as the Gulf Cooperation Council, is a regional intergovernmental political and economic union consisting of all Arab states of the Persian Gulf – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates – except Iraq.
• Headquarters: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

UNGA adopts two India sponsored resolutions on Nuclear disarmament

• The first committee of the United Nations General Assembly has adopted two India-sponsored resolutions on nuclear disarmament which aim to reduce risk of nuclear accidents and call for a prohibition on the use of nuclear weapons.
• The UNGA first committee deals with the issue of disarmament and works in close cooperation with the United Nations Disarmament Commission and the Geneva-based Conference on Disarmament, the other two bodies to deal with the nuclear issue.
• The two resolutions adopted include Convention on the Prohibition of the Use of Nuclear Weapons and Reducing Nuclear Danger under the Nuclear weapons cluster.The adoption of resolutions shows India’s commitment towards the goal of nuclear disarmament.
• The resolution on Convention on the Prohibition of the Use of Nuclear Weapons was backed by a majority of UN Members and was tabled by India since 1982.
• The aim is that a universal and legally binding agreement would generate the necessary global political will that can lead to the total elimination of nuclear weapons.

About United Nations General Assembly:

• The United Nations General Assembly is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, serving as the main deliberative, policy-making, and representative organ of the UN. Its powers, composition, functions, and procedures are set out in Chapter IV of the United Nations Charter.
• President: VolkanBozkır
• Headquarters: New York, United States

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE

AU Bank enters into agreement with Care Health

• AU Small Finance Bank entered into agreement with Care Health Insurance Company for health insurance products as Corporate Agent.
• The Bank has been issued certificate of registration CA0515 under Registration of Corporate Agents – Regulations, 2015 by Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) and Bank has entered into agreement with Care Health Insurance Company (formerly known as Religare Health Insurance Company) for health insurance products.
• This tie up shall be mutually beneficial for Care Health Insurance Company and AU Small Finance Bank in terms of business, market penetration and reach.

About AU SFB

• AU Small Finance Bank Limited is an Indian scheduled commercial bank that was founded as vehicle finance company AU Financiers Ltd in 1996 and converted to a small finance bank on 19 April 2017.
• Headquarters: Jaipur
• MD & CEO: Sanjay Agarwal

About Care Health

• Headquarters: Gurugram
• MD & CEO: Mr. Anuj Gulati

Visa Partners WithDigitSecure, HDFC Bank For Global-First Live Deployment Of PCI Certified Tap To Phone Card Acceptance Solution

• Visa has announced the first successful live deployment of a PCI certified Tap to Phone card acceptance solution, in partnership with DigitSecure and HDFC Bank.
• DeliveryPlus is the first merchant to go live with HDFC Bank as the acquirer.
• It will enable merchants to securely accept contactless card payments through an app on their NFC-enabled Android smartphones, and without having dedicated card acceptance devices.
• The Tap to Phone technology will not only lower the operational costs for financial institutions but will also aid banks and fintechs to enable more merchants for card acceptance.
• As per a recent Visa study, about 55 per cent of consumers surveyed in India during the pandemic mentioned that they would use the Tap to Phone payment method due to its ease of use, saving of time and eliminating the need to carry cash.

About VISA

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

About HDFC

• CEO: SashidharJagadishan
• Headquarters: Mumbai

Bank of Baroda launches employee-assistance programme

• Bank of Baroda (BoB) has introduced a new employee-centric initiative, called the Employee Assistance Programme, aimed at helping employees deal with personal and professional issues through psychological counselling and consulting.
• BoB has introduced this as a pilot project in the Mumbai Zone and its corporate office.
• The initiative uses technology extensively and uses multiple channels of assistance in addition to personal counselling in association with EAP India.
• The counselling service is offered in collaboration with specialists. This 24×7 service is “safe, non-judgmental, and highly confidential” and can be availed not only by the employees but their family members too.

About BOB

• Headquarters: Vadodara
• MD&CEO: SanjivChadha
• Tagline: India’s International Bank

Paytm ties up with SBI Card to launch co-branded credit cards

• Financial services platform Paytm has partnered with credit card company SBI Card to launch Paytm-SBI Card co-branded credit cards.
• This is the second credit card product from Paytm; the first one was launched in partnership with
• Available in two variants, Paytm SBI Card and Paytm SBI Card SELECT, the product has been launched on the Visa platform.
• The partnership aims to bring ‘new to credit’ users into the formal economy and empowering them to control their finances.
• The card which can be used across Paytm ecosystem, third-party platform and offline retail stores, will also enable digital process for the card application, issuance and managing the expenses.

About SBI Card

• CEO: Ashwini Kumar Tewari
• Headquarters: Gurugram

About Paytm

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

ICICI Bank launches banking stack for millennial customers

• ICICI Bank has launched a banking stack for millennial customerswhich offers an instant savings account, a feature driven iMobile application that offers investment guidance, curated credit and debit card, instant personal loans and overdrafts, and an experiential branch with social engagement space.
• Called ICICI Bank Mine, any millennial aged up to 35 years can apply digitally for the account from November 6 through the bank’s website or through the app.“It also offers investment guidance to customers through a completely user experience focused iMobile application,” ICICI Bank stated, adding that it has integrated the investment platform of Sqrrl, a leading fintech in the investment space, with its mobile application iMobile, to guide customers to invest easily and in a tech-savvy way.

About ICICI Bank:

• CEO: Sandeep Bakhshi
• Headquarters: Mumbai

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

Amazon India launches first all-women virtual customer service in Bengaluru

• Building on its diversity, equity and inclusivity efforts, Amazon India announced the launch of its first all-women Virtual Customer Service (VCS) site in Bengaluru with 60 women.
• VCS was introduced in 2017 to address customer requests remotely long before working from home was the new normal, and is an extension of Amazon’s Customer Service (CS) network. Through this all-women VCS site, the company has extended flexible career opportunities for women across the city, empowering them to pursue their careers from their homes.
• This site will enable Amazon India to reach out to a broader talent pool of women who prefer to work from home, as it seeks to bring greater diversity across its teams. This could include women who are resuming their career after a break or women who require flexibility in their work schedule to attend to personal commitments during the day.

About Amazon:

• CEO: Jeff Bezos
• Headquarters: Seattle, Washington, United States

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATES

AP plans to set up 400 EV charging stations

• Andhra Pradesh Government plans to set up electric vehicle infrastructure by setting up 400 charging stations across the State in the first phase.
• The New and Renewable Energy Development Corporation of Andhra Pradesh Ltd (NREDCAP) has been coordinating with International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT), Manesar, Haryana, and obtained LoI for setting up testing facility for auto components and vehicles and intelligence testing tracks for vehicles with an investment of250 crore.
• Webinar on ‘Go Electric’ campaign, organised by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency and AP State Energy Conservation Mission (APSECM).
• Installing charging stations will boost the confidence of users of electric vehicles and will also encourage companies to launch new electric vehicles.
• It is also proposed to set up 460 chargers across 83 locations across the State under FAME II Scheme.

About AP

• Capitals: Amaravati, Visakhapatnam, Kurnool
• Governor: BiswabhusanHarichandan
• Chief minister: Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy

Assam Education Dept launches toll free tele-education helpline number for govt school students

• In Assam, the Education department has launched a toll free tele education helpline number for government school students.
• Principal Secretary of the department B KalyanChakravarthy stated the helpline number is to guide 6th to 10th standard students  on subject matters and psycho-social aspects.
• He stated the facility would be extended to other students too.Thetollfree no is – 18003453578. Mr. Chakravarthy stated that it would work on all 6 days in week except Sunday from 10 am to 3 pm.
• Subject experts would clear academic doubts as well as provide guidance and counselling on mental health and psycho-social aspects.

About  Assam:

• Capital: Dispur
• Chief minister: SarbanandaSonowal
• Governor: JagdishMukhi

COVID-19 testing laboratory inaugurated at Rajiv Gandhi Intl Airport in Hyderabad

• In Telangana, a COVID-19 testing laboratory has been set up at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad. State Health Minister E. Rajender inaugurated the lab.
• The airport has partnered with an ICMR-certified laboratory called, Mapmygenome, for setting up the laboratory, which will operate 24/7 for passengers and airport personnel.
• The authorities informed on the occasion, that passengers can avail the testing facility at the immigration level of the forecourt of the Interim International Departures Terminal.
• The tests will be RT-PCR based, with the help of swabs and result will be available in four to six hours via e-mail and WhatsApp or a hard copy of the report will also be provided.
• A lounge has been created at Arrivals for the passengers who can wait to collect their report.COVID Testing Centre at the airport is expected to play a key role in enabling resumption of air travel and instill confidence among people about safe travel.

About Telangana:

• Capital: Hyderabad
• Governor: TamilisaiSoundararajan
• Chief minister: K. Chandrashekar Rao

Tamil Nadu, HCL to set up disaster management analytics centre

• Tamil Nadu government and HCL will set up a Disaster Management – Data Analytics Centre to strengthen the State’s disaster management efforts in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, stated Industry Minister MC Sampath.
• Technology has brought about ease of living, and the State government’s efforts are to ensure that the advantages of technology are available to all sections of the society, he stated at a CII conference on ‘Intelligent Industries’ on the theme Transformation through Digitalisation.
• The State government’s intent to focus on digitisation is evident from various initiatives, including the recent MoUs signed to set up data centre parks in Chennai. Six companies have committed to invest over .12,000 crore in setting data centre hubs in Chennai, he stated.
• Data centres are crucial to cater to the increasing demand for cloud services and digital content consumption across the country, and it serves as an important pillar in our overall digital infrastructure, he added.
• The State government implemented an end-to-end online single window system for large Industries in 2017 and MSMEs in 2018, covering 39 services required by the industries, he stated.

About HCL Technologies:

• CEO: C Vijayakumar
• Headquarters: Noida

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU

PrasarBharati signs MoU to launch 51 education TV channels

• India’s public broadcaster PrasarBharati entered into a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU with Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-Informatics, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.  Under the MoU, 51 DTH education TV channels will be available as DD co-branded channels to all DD FreeDish viewers.
• This move aims to bring quality educational programmes to every household, including those in rural and remote areas. The services will be available free of cost for all the viewers 24×7, in line with Government’s commitment towards skill development and providing quality education to the last person in the country.  This initiative will go a long way in achieving Government’s goal of providing education to all.

About PrasarBharati:

• A. Surya Prakash, Chairman;
• Shashi ShekharVempati, CEO
• Headquarters: New Delhi

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS

Magufuli wins second term in Tanzania presidential election

• John Magufuli has won a second term as president of Tanzania, claiming 84 percent of votes
• ZittoKabwe, the leader of the opposition Alliance for Change and Transparency, or ACT Wazalendo.
• A former chemist and schoolteacher who has also held several cabinet positions, Mr. Magufuli, 61, gained popularity as “the Bulldozer” for his handling of a program to build roads and for his tactics fighting corruption.
• Magufuli has declared the country “coronavirus free” and has criticized the use of masks or social distancing practices.

About Tanzania

• Capital: Dodoma
• Currency: Tanzanian shilling

Vodafone Idea appoints Jagbir Singh as CTO

• Vodafone Idea Ltd (VIL), the telecom operator providing services under the brand ‘Vi’, has appointed Jagbir Singh as Chief Technology Officer (CTO). He will be replacing VishantVora, who quit in October citing personal reasons.
• Previously, Jagbir was Group CTO at Smartfren Telecom, Indonesia, and is responsible for network, IT and digital platforms and enterprise business, according to an internal mail sent to employees.

About Vodafone Idea Limited:

• Headquarters: Mumbai
• (Chairman):Kumar Mangalam Birla
• (CEO):RavinderTakkar

HDFC Bank appoints Ramesh Lakshminarayanan as Group Head – IT

• HDFC Bank has appointed Ramesh Lakshminarayanan as its new Group Head – Information Technology.
• “Ramesh has been designated Chief Information Officer (CIO), and will be responsible for taking the Bank’s technological transformation journey to the next level,” the bank stated.
• He will be responsible for technology strategy, strengthening foundational technology, enhancing the digital capabilities and harnessing new age AI/ML technology solutions for the bank.
• With over 25 years of experience, Lakshminarayanan was previously with CRISIL, where he spent three years as Chief Technology and Information Officer.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

6 women led startups win COVID-19 Shri Shakti Challenge organized by MyGov in Collaboration with UN Women

• Six women led startups have won COVID-19 Shri Shakti Challenge organized by MyGov in collaboration with UN Women. With an objective to encourage and involve women led startups to come up with innovative solutions that can help in the fight against COVID19 or solve problems that impact a large number of women, MyGov in collaboration with UN Women, launched the COVID-19 Shri Shakti Challenge in April 2020.
• This was a unique challenge hosted on the Innovate platform of MyGov that called for applications from women led startups as well as startups who have solutions that address issues faced by a larger number of women.
• The Challenge was implemented in two stages: Ideation stage and Proof of Concept (PoC) Stage.The challenge received an overwhelming response with a total of 1265 entries, from across the nation.
• In addition to the earlier announced reward of Rs 5 lakhs for the top 3 winners, UN Women was generous enough to agree to reward Rs 2 lakhs each to the 3 startups chosen for their promising solutions.

Top 3 winners are as follows:

• Dr P Gayatri Hela is the founder of Bengaluru-based Resada Lifesciences Private Limited that designs and develops home and agricultural-based products using plant extracts instead of synthetic chemicals.
• RomitaGhosh,a cancer survivor, is the founder of Shimla-based iHealHealthTech Private Limited which is a healthcare start-up that has been at the forefront of the fight against COVID and has been providing PPE kits to hospitals.
• DrAnjanaRamkumar and DrAnushkaAshokan are the product manager and co-founder of Kerala based Thanmatra Innovations Private Limited have come up with the innovative solution of an anti-microbial solution that could be sprayed into handkerchiefs or dupattas for making them safe to be used as Face Masks.

Stanford University study names five from LVPEI among top 2% scientists of the world

• L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) has had five of its eminent senior scientists listed among the top Indian researchers in a database of 100,000 scientists worldwide.
• This database of top-cited scientists has been created by a team of scientists at Stanford University, USA, and is published in the journal PLOS Biology. It includes all scientists who are among top 100,000 across all fields and/or top 2 per cent of their discipline, based on the number of citations. The data was collected from the Scopus database for 6.8 million prolific authors out of which the top 100,000 were analysed.
• From L V Prasad Eye Institute, Gullapalli N Rao, Founder-Chair, D Balasubramanian, Distinguished Scientist and Director Emeritus, Brien Holden Eye Research Centre, Savitri Sharma, Director, Laboratory Services, Jill Keeffe, Visiting Professor, have featured in the database of top 2 per cent of scientists under the discipline of ‘Ophthalmology’, while S Shivaji, Distinguished Scientist and Former Director, Brien Holden Eye Research Centre, has featured in this list in the ‘Microbiology’ category.
• Gullapalli N Rao has been ranked as the top scientist in Eye Research from India. The L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) was established in 1987 at Hyderabad as a not-for-profit, non-government, public-spirited, comprehensive eye care institution.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS AND AUTHORS

Age Of Pandemics (1817-1920): How they shaped India and the World

• ChinmayTumbe’s Book titled “Age Of Pandemics (1817-1920): How they shaped India and the World” published by Harper Collins.
• The book argues that the period between the early nineteenth century to the early twentieth century – an age otherwise known for the worldwide spread of the industrial revolution, imperialism and globalization – was also the ‘age of pandemics’.
• The book also provides the first comprehensive coverage of the world’s greatest demographic disaster ever to descend upon a country in a short period of time – the influenza pandemic in India in 1918, which claimed more lives than all the battle casualties of World War I. And it shows the continuing relevance of learning from those times to tackle contemporary challenges, such as COVID-19.
• His first book, India Moving: A History of Migration, was published in 2018.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE

Advanced version of Pinaka Rocket System successfully test-fired; 6 rockets launched

• Pinaka missile was successfully flight testfired from Integrated Test Range at Chandipur off the coast of Odisha. The indigenous Pinaka missile has been developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
• A total of 6 rockets were launched in quick succession and the tests met complete mission objectives.
• An enhanced version of Pinaka rocket would replace the existing Pinaka Mk-I rockets which are currently under production.
• Pinaka MBRS comprises of a free-flight artillery rocket having a maximum range of 38 km with different types of warhead and fuses, a multi-tube launcher vehicle, a replenishment-cum-loader vehicle, a replenishment vehicle and a command post vehicle. There are two pods containing 6 rockets each, capable of firing in salvo mode within 48 seconds.
• In light of the requirement of the Army for a free flight rocket with enhanced range, ARDE has successfully developed Pinaka Mk-II rocket with 60 km range.
• The design and development has been carried out by Pune based DRDO laboratories, namely  Armament Research and Development Establishment, ARDE and High Energy Materials Research Laboratory, HEMRL.
• Rockets tested have been manufactured by M/s Economic Explosives Limited, Nagpur, to whom the technology has been transferred.
• All the flight articles were tracked by Range instruments such as telemetry, radar and Electro Optical Tracking Systems which confirmed the flight performance.

Bangladesh, US launch joint naval exercise ‘CARAT Bangladesh 2020’

• The Bangladesh and US Navies launched the ‘Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT)Bangladesh-2020’ to expand relationships and broaden maritime awareness between the two countries.
• The exercise demonstrates US’s continuing commitment to work with the Bangladesh military to address shared maritime security concerns in the region and strengthen partnership to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
• Historically, the CARAT exercises involve people to people interactions and a variety of professional exchanges.These will take place online this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The sea-phase of the exercise will take place in the Bay of Bengal with ships from both countries.The events are designed to enhance interoperability between the two navies.
• US and Bangladesh will work through coordinated deployment of surface ships, to include tactical maneuvers among other activities.

About Bangladesh:

• Capital: Dhaka
• Currency: Bangladeshi taka
• President: Abdul Hamid
• Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING

Tamil Nadu tops Indian states in new investments in H1FY21: CARE Ratings

• Tamil Nadu leads Indian states in attracting investments during the first half of FY21, having managed to grab 16 per cent of the funds that came into India during the period, according to CARE Ratings.
• Andhra Pradesh garnered 11 per cent, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Karnataka have garnered seven per cent each, while the balance went to the other states.
• Last year during the same period, Tamil Nadu took third spot.
• In H1FY20, Andhra Pradesh had the highest share of 23 per cent in capex projects announced, totalling Rs 1.1 trillion, while in H1FY21, Tamil Nadu had the highest share of 16 per cent, amounting to Rs 20,000 crore.

AboutTN

• Capital: Chennai
• Chief minister: Edappadi K. Palaniswami
• Governor: BanwarilalPurohit

Uttar Pradesh among Top 5 in MSME employment generators amid Covid-19

• Uttar Pradesh has found place among top five states of the country for providing employment under the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) during Corona pandemic.
• Top 4 states are Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
• In a recent report of Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Uttar Pradesh has secured a place ahead of Karnataka, Rajasthan, Delhi, Haryana and Telangana in the list of top 10 states.

Telangana top performing state with maximum functional drinking water tap connections

• Over 2.5 crore rural households have been provided tap connections under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) since it started in 2019, with Telangana and Bihar emerging as leading states, shows data available with the Jal Shakti Ministry.
• The JMM aims at providing a functional household tap connection to every rural household by 2024. Goa has become the first state in the country to provide a tap connection to all rural households.
• The data available on the mission dashboard shows that Telangana is the top performing state in terms of providing tap connections to a maximum proportion (69.56 per cent) of rural households, providing about 38 lakh tap connections.
• Bihar, which is at second place, has covered 54.38 per cent of rural households, followed by Goa (24.3 per cent), Mizoram (23.19 per cent), Haryana (21.12 per cent), Manipur (20.78 per cent), Himachal Pradesh (19.99 per cent), Maharashtra (15.4 per cent), Uttarakhand (14.97 per cent), and J&K (14.94 per cent).

About Jal Shakti Ministry

• Union Cabinet Minister in Ministry of Jal Shakti: Gajendra Singh Shekhawat
• Constituency: Jodhpur, Rajasthan

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS

West Indies all-rounder Marlon Samuels announces retirement from all forms of cricket

• West Indies all-rounder Marlon Samuels has announced his retirement from all forms of professional cricket.
• He last played international cricket for the West Indies in December 2018 against Bangladesh.
• Marlon Samuels is much celebrated for his match-winning performances in the two ICC World T20 finals that the West Indians won.
• Marlon Samuels was honored as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the year in 2013. The West Indies Cricket Board also named him the ODI Player of the Year and the Cricketer of the Year in 2016.
• The right-handed batsman broke the record for the highest-ever ODI partnership, when he combined with Chris Gayle to put up 372 runs for the second wicket against Zimbabwe in the 2015 World Cup.
• Marlon Samuels is also the only player in the history of the game to have won Player of the Match awards in the finals of two global competitions.
• He was handed a two-year ban in 2008 by ICC following an alleged involvement in transferring information to a bookie. This happened during the West Indies tour of India in 2008.
• The same then happened again during the 2012 IPL after which he could not bowl for the rest of the season. The first Test between West Indies and Sri Lanka at Galle in 2015 witnessed the third episode of Samuels gettingreported for his bowling action.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARY

Actor Faraaz Khan passes away

• Actor Faraaz Khan has passed away. He was 50.
• Faraz Khan had acted in films like Mehndi (1998), Fareb (1996), DulhanBanoo Main Teri (1999) and Chand Bujh Gaya (2005) among others.

DAILY CA4th  Nov

• India’s Unemployment Rate Rises to 6.98%: CMIE
• FinMin releases Rs 6,000 Cr to states under special window for meeting GST compensation shortfall
• Super Typhoon Goni, world’s most powerful storm in four years, smashes into the Philippines
• USTATED provides $3 m to COVIDActionCollab to mitigate effects of Covid-19 in India
• Axis Bank revises stake acquisition agreement with Max Life
• Centre extends Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme till Nov 30
• ADB approves USD132.8 million loan to improve power distribution network in Meghalaya
• AAI hands over Lucknow airport to Adani group on lease for 50 years
• Twitter launches ArtHouse to support brands to create engaging Twitter-first content
• CJI inaugurates e-resource centre, virtual court in Nagpur
• India’s first solar-powered miniature train launched at Veli Tourist Village in Kerala
• Tamil Nadu fisherman starts India’s first radio channel exclusively for fisherfolk
• Assam CM lays foundation stone of Indo-Israeli Centre of Excellence for Vegetables Protected Cultivation near Guwahati
• Dehradun Municipal Corporation launcheds Plastic Lao MASK LE JAO initiative
• Mahagovt inks Rs 35,000-crore MoUs with 15 companies
• AlassaneOuattara wins 3rd term as Ivory Coast president
• Citigroup names AnandSelva global head of consumer banking
• Syska Group announces Rajkummar Rao as its new brand ambassador
• NDDB Chairman DilipRath elected to International Dairy Federation board
• Hariharan bags JC Daniel award for lifetime contributions to Malayalam cinema
• 8th meeting of India-UAE High Level Joint Task Force on Investments held in virtual format
• PM Modi to chair Virtual Global Investor Roundtable
• IIT Roorkee develops biosensor to detect harmful detergent pollutant
• Indian Naval Ship Airavat reaches Port Sudan as part of ‘Mission Sagar-II’
• Indian Coast Guard Ship C-452 To Be Commissioned
• Australia to join Malabar naval exercise involving India, US, Japan
• RituPhogat Wins Third Straight MMA title at ONE Championship Inside the Matrix Event
• Indian boxers Amit Panghal, Sanjeet and Ashish Kumar win gold at the Alexis Vastine International
• Satish Prasad Singh, Former Bihar CM For Just Five Days, Passes Away

DAILY CA5th  Nov

• Army Aviation Corps Day
• National Stress Awareness Day
• International Stress Awareness Week
• Hardeep Singh Puri launches ‘Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge’
• President Kovind promulgates Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020
• 79% of Indians would adopt a ‘robot nanny’ to help care for children while WFH: Survey
• I&B Ministry sets up committee to review norms on TV ratings
• India, GCC Troika hold annual Political Dialogue in virtual mode
• UNGA adopts two India sponsored resolutions on Nuclear disarmament
• AU Bank enters into agreement with Care Health
• Visa Partners With DigitSecure, HDFC Bank For Global-First Live Deployment Of PCI Certified Tap To Phone Card Acceptance Solution
• Bank of Baroda launches employee-assistance programme
• Paytm ties up with SBI Card to launch co-branded credit cards
• ICICI Bank launches banking stack for millennial customers
• HDFC Bank appoints Ramesh Lakshminarayanan as Group Head – IT
• Amazon India launches first all-women virtual customer service in Bengaluru
• AP plans to set up 400 EV charging stations
• Assam Education Dept launches toll free tele-education helpline number for govt school students
• COVID-19 testing laboratory inaugurated at Rajiv Gandhi Intl Airport in Hyderabad
• Tamil Nadu, HCL to set up disaster management analytics centre
• PrasarBharati signs MoU to launch 51 education TV channels
• Magufuli wins second term in Tanzania presidential election
• Vodafone Idea appoints Jagbir Singh as CTO
• 6 women led startups win COVID-19 Shri Shakti Challenge organized by MyGov in Collaboration with UN Women
• Stanford University study names five from LVPEI among top 2% scientists of the world
• Age Of Pandemics (1817-1920): How they shaped India and the World
• Advanced version of Pinaka Rocket System successfully test-fired; 6 rockets launched
• Bangladesh, US launch joint naval exercise ‘CARAT Bangladesh 2020’
• Tamil Nadu tops Indian states in new investments in H1FY21: CARE Ratings
• Uttar Pradesh among Top 5 in MSME employment generators amid Covid-19
• Telangana top performing state with maximum functional drinking water tap connections
• West Indies all-rounder Marlon Samuels announces retirement from all forms of cricket
• Actor Faraaz Khan passes away