Current Affairs 12th November 2020| Current Affairs News

 CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS

National Education Day

• National Education Day or Rashtriya Shiksha Diwas is celebrated every year on November 11.
• This day is celebrated on the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the first Education Minister of Independent India.
• He was India’s first Vice President and also the first education minister of independent India from 1947 to 1958.
• Since 2008, this day is celebrated to commemorate the birthday of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad for his contributions in the field of education, national-building, and institution-building.

Public Service Broadcasting Day being observed

• Public Service Broadcasting Day is being observed. The day is celebrated every year to commemorate the only visit of Mahatma Gandhi to the studio of All India Radio, Delhi in 1947.
• The Father of the Nation addressed the displaced people, who had temporarily settled at Kurukshetra in Haryana after partition.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

After Jammu And Kashmir, Saffron Cultivation Likely To Be Expanded To Northeast India

• The North East Centre For Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR) has undertaken a pilot project to explore the feasibility of growing saffron in North East region of the country.
• Saffron production has long been restricted to a limited geographical area in the Union territory of Jammu & Kashmir.
• Pampore region, commonly known as Saffron bowl of Kashmir, is the main contributor to saffron production, followed by Budgam, Srinagar, and Kishtwar districts.
• Saffron has traditionally been associated with the famous Kashmiri cuisine. It’s medicinal values were considered as part of the rich cultural heritage of Kashmir. As saffron growing was confined to very specific areas in Kashmir, its production remained limited. Though the National Mission on Saffron focused on several measures to improve its farming, the measures were still limited to the specified areas of Kashmir.

About Jammu and Kashmir

• Capital: Capitals: Jammu (Winter), Srinagar (Summer)
• Governor: Manoj Sinha

Home Minister Amit Shah to inaugurate “Sarhad Vistar Vikasotsav 2020 “in Gujarat

• Home Minister Amit Shah will inaugurate  “Sarhad VistarVikasotsav 2020 “at Dhordo village situated in the forward border area in  Kutch district of Gujarat.
• Over 1500 Sanpanch and Gram Panchayat members from 158 border villages from Kutch, Banaskantha and Patan districts are invited to participate in this first of its kind event being organized under Border Area Development Programme (BADP).
• Union Minister for Panchayati Raj Narendra Singh Tomar and Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani will be present on the occasion. Home Ministers’ Special Operation Medals will also be presented to the PRI functionaries selected for this decoration.
• “Sarhad Vistar Vikasotsav 2020” is aimed to address the problems relating to  health, education and road connectivity in remote and border villages, so that standard of living in such areas can be improved considerably.

About Ministry of Home Affairs:

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

Survey sights good signs: High biodiversity in 49% of Ganga main river

• With celebrations of the Ganga Utsav — to mark the 12th anniversary of declaring the Ganga as a national river — having come to an end, the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in the second phase of its survey of the entire main stem of the Ganga river (the main river without its tributaries), has found that 49 per cent of the river has high biodiversity and that biodiversity sightings, including of the Gangetic Dolphin and otters, have increased in the river. Scientists at the institute say that this indicates reducing pollution levels and a healthier state of the river.
• The WII will kick off the second part of the Ganga survey and in the coming months collate data and information of these increased sightings to ascertain how much the river habitat has improved and how this has affected the species living in the Ganga.
• The study was initiated by WII on behalf of the National Mission for Clean Ganga, one of the flagship projects undertaken by the Ministry of Jalshakti, and the first phase of the survey was carried out between 2017-2019.

Cabinet approves Production-Linked Incentive Scheme for key sectors to boost manufacturing & exports

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, CCEA, has approved continuation and revamping of the Scheme for Financial Support to Public Private Partnerships in Infrastructure Viability Gap Funding Scheme till 2024-25 with a total outlay of eight thousand 100 crore rupees.
• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated, the aim of this Scheme is to promote Public Private Partnerships in social and economic infrastructure, leading to efficient creation of assets and ensuring their proper operation and maintenance and make the economically and socially essential projects commercially viable.
• The Union Cabinet has also approved the production linked incentive (PLI) scheme for 10 key sectors for enhancing India’s manufacturing capabilities and exports. These sectors include Telecom and Networking Products, Pharmaceutical and Drug, Automobile and Auto components, Textile products and Food products.
• Industry body FICCI has stated that the announcement of PLI scheme for ten sectors by the Government is a major boost for the manufacturing sector.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL

India, Maldives sign 4 pacts including $100M grant for key connectivity project

• India and the Maldives signed four agreements, including one for a $100-million grant for a connectivity project, as visiting foreign secretary Harsh Shringla and the Maldivian leadership discussed ways to boost economic recovery amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Shringla is on a two-day visit to the Indian Ocean archipelago as part of New Delhi’s outreach to key countries in the neighbourhood and beyond.
• The Maldives is the sixth country he has visited in the aftermath of pandemic-related travel restrictions, the others being Bangladesh, Myanmar, France, Germany and the UK.
• One of four memorandums of understanding (MoUs) signed by the two sides was for the grant of $100 million by India for the $500-million Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP) that will link capital Male with three islands. India will also provide a $400-million line of credit for the project, the largest such infrastructure venture undertaken in the Maldives.
• The other MoUs were for setting up soil and plant testing laboratories through a grant of 71 million Maldivian rufiyaas, establishing a drug detox facility through a grant of 7.7 million Maldivian rufiyaas and cooperation in sports and youth affairs.

Recent News

• In September, India provided a soft loan of $250 million as budgetary support. The two sides also launched a cargo ferry service to cut transportation costs.

About Maldives

• Capital: Malé
• Currency: Maldivian rufiyaa
• President: Ibrahim Mohamed Solih

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE

IRDAI sets up panel to revisit retail business of engineering tariff

• Insurance sector regulator IRDAI has set up a working group to revisit product structures of engineering tariffs relevant for the retail category in the wake of continuous advancement in technology.
• The nine-member panel has been asked to revisit the product structures of the erstwhile engineering tariffs relevant for the retail category and make suitable recommendations for revising them.
• The panel has been asked to recommend new suitable and appropriate standard products in line with advancements in technology for the retail segment.
• The group, headed by R Chandrasekaran, former secretary general of GI Council, has to submit report within three months.

About IRDAI

• Founded: 1999
• Headquarters: Hyderabad
• Chairperson: Subhash Chandra Khuntia

IFSCA approves draft Banking regulations for banking operations at IFSCs

• International Financial Services Centres Authority, IFSCA has approved draft Banking regulations for banking operations at IFSCs. The IFSC Authority approved the International Financial Services Centres Authority (Banking) Regulations, 2020. This will pave the way for putting in place the rules for the various aspects of banking operations that would be permissible at the IFSC.
• The Finance Ministry stated, Banking constitutes one of the major focus areas of IFSC and is expected to drive and facilitate the other constituent operations in the IFSC in due course.
• A self-contained regulation laying down the major principles of banking operations at IFSCs is thus an important step in the IFSC reaching its desired potential, it added.

Muthoot Finance to be added to MSCI India domestic index

• As part of MSCI’s (Morgan Stanley Capital Index) semi-annual review of indices, Muthoot Finance will be added to the MSCI India Domestic Index from the close of November 30.
• MSCI is at the forefront of constructing global benchmarking indices, and the MSCI India Index is designed to measure the performance of the large- and mid-cap segments of the Indian market. This index covers approximately 85 per cent of the Indian equity universe, and companies are selected after comprehensive evaluation on several factors that are considered vital for global investors.
• MSCI announces changes to its portfolio every quarter based on market capitalisation, FII limit, Free Float and Foreign Room factors (FDI limits). It is estimated that MSCI’s India portfolio attracts around $ 30-32 billion of passive fund investments.

About Muthoot Finance:

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

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATES

8000MW renewable park to light up India-Pak border areas in Rajasthan

• India’s border areas with Pakistan in Rajasthan would soon be illuminated with renewable energy as the state government will soon ink an MoU with National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) to establish Ultra Mega Renewal Energy Power Park, government officials stated.
• The park to be set up near borders areas will be of 8,000 megawatts (MW) capacity, which will comprise 4,310 MW of wind energy; 3,760 MW of solar energy and 120 MW of power from biomass. Currently, Rajasthan’s solar generation capacity is 4,883 MW.
• The Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation Limited (RRECL) would be singing a separate MoU with the NTPC and the SECI to materialise the GoI Mega Power Park project.
• A senior official of the department, on condition of anonymity, stated the Park will ensure uninterrupted power supply to the border areas. An annual expenditure of Rs 40 crore is incurred for supplying power to the border which, with renewable energy, will reduce to one-third of the present cost.

About Rajasthan:

• Governor: Kalraj Mishra
• Capital: Jaipur
• Chief minister: Ashok Gehlot

Maharashtra to observe National Unity Week from Nov 19 to 25

• Maharashtra will observe the National Unity Week from 19th to 25th of November. Minister for Skill Development and Minority Development Nawab Malik appealed that in order to increase social harmony in the state, everyone should participate in this programme.
• He stated, instructions have been given to all the government agencies including all the Divisional Commissioners, Collectors, Chief Executive Officers of Zilla Parishads to conduct various programs with due care to prevent spread of corona infection.
• Mr Malik stated, emphasis should be laid on the 15-point programme for the welfare of minorities, as well as on the backdrop of COVID-19 and as per the guidelines of the Central and State Governments processions should not be held this year.

About Maharashtra:

• Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari
• Capital: Mumbai
• Chief minister: Uddhav Thackeray

CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan to release roadmap-2023 of Atmanirbhar Madhya Pradesh

• In Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will release a roadmap-2023 of Atmanirbhar Madhya Pradesh in Bhopal. Chief Executive Officer of NITI Aayog Amitabh Kant will also participate in the programme.
• Madhya Pradesh is the first state in the country, which has prepared a roadmap for Atmanirbhar State in consultation with various subject experts in accordance with the strategy of Atmanirbhar Bharat as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• The roadmap for Atmanirbhar Madhya Pradesh has been focused on four core areas – infrastructure, good governance, health and education and economy and employment.

About Madhya Pradesh:

• Capital: Bhopal
• Governor: Anandiben Patel(additional charge)
• Chief Minister: Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Madhya Pradesh launches unique initiative- local4Diwali hashtag

• In Madhya Pradesh, the Handicrafts Development Corporation has launched a unique initiative- local4Diwali hashtag under the ‘Vocal for Local’ campaign in the festive season. The objective of this campaign is to encourage the products of local artisans to make them self-reliant.
• The sale of locally produced earthen lamps, cotton and silk handloom textiles is being promoted by the Handicrafts Development Corporation under the Local4Diwali hashtag.
• Managing Director of Madhya Pradesh Handicrafts Development Corporation Rajiv Sharma has stated that the Local4Diwali has been shared by the Madhya Pradesh Handicrafts Development Corporation in all social media platforms to increase sales of local products on social media.
• The corporation is also organizing Deepotsav Melas, a fair on Diwali in Bhopal, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Indore and Sagar. Following the COVID-19 protocol, handicrafts and weavers of the state are selling their products in these fairs

International bird festival to be organized in Gorakhpur

• Gorakhpur is all set to host the International Bird Festival in the month of February. The main focus of the government is eco-tourism, as there is a lot of potential for eco-tourism in Gorakhpur and the surrounding Terai region. It will be attracting many international tourists at Ramagarhtal Lake for bird watching.
• The International Bird Festival was first launched in a bid to promote the state as an international bird-watching destination.
• The first zoological park of Purvanchal in Gorakhpur with a focus on keeping it so beautiful that any tourist, who would visit Kushinagar will definitely choose to visit the zoo of Gorakhpur as well.
• The Bird Festival that is going to be organized by the government in the month of February will be certainly giving an uplift to eco-tourism in the area. It will be developing Gorakhpur as a hub of eco-tourism where tourists from international level will arrive

About Uttar Pradesh:

• Governor: Anandiben Patel
• Capital: Lucknow
• Chief minister: Yogi Adityanath

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS

Indian-American Kash Patel Named Chief Of Staff To Acting US Defence Secretary

• Indian-American Kash Patel has been named as the Chief of Staff to the Acting US Defence Secretary Chris Miller, the Pentagon has announced.
• The new appointment from the Pentagon comes a day after Donald Trump fired Defence Secretary Mark Esper and designated the National Counter Terrorism Center Director, Chris Miller, as the Acting Secretary of Defence.
• Chris Miller took over the functions and responsibilities of the new role, the Pentagon stated.
• Kash Patel, currently on the National Security Council staff, has been named by Acting Secretary Chris Miller as his Chief of Staff, the Pentagon announced.He replaces Jen Stewart, who resigned earlier in the day.
• Kashyap Pramod Patel, popularly known as Kash Patel, had previously served as senior counsel for counter-terrorism at the House Permanent Select Committee.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

Dr Satish Mishra bags “Dr Tulsi Das Chugh Award-2020

• The National Academy of Medical Sciences (India) has selected the Principal Scientist, Division of Molecular Parasitology and Immunology, (CSIR-CDRI)-Lucknow, Dr Satish Mishra for “Tulsi Das Chugh Award 2020”. He is awarded for his research work on Malaria parasite’s life cycle which is a complex process involving two hosts and three invasive stages.
• Invasion in both mammals and mosquitoes requires a coordinated sequence of events to be played out successfully. His outstanding work focused on “Secreted Protein with Altered Thrombospondin Repeat (SPATR) which is Essential for Asexual Blood Stages but not Required for Hepatocyte Invasion by the Malaria Parasite Plasmodium Berghei”.
• This study focuses on the dispensability of SPATR in P. berghei sporozoites and its importance for the establishment of blood-stage infection, further investigation is needed to unravel its precise role during this process.

2019 National water awards: Maharashtra adjudged second best in water management

• Maharashtra was adjudged the second-best state in water conservation effort by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, at the 2019 National Water Awards. Vice President M Venkaiah Nadu, who attended the event virtually, gave away the awards.
• Tamil Nadu was the top state in overall water conservation efforts, whereas Rajasthan settled for third position. In the same category, Mizoram received a special award.
• Aniket Lohiya of Manavlok, an NGO from Beed, won the ‘Water Warrior’ award. The organisation has been working for the development of forest, land and water in Marathwada district. Besides, it is also involved in works to improve the health and socio-economic situation of local residents.
• In another award for the state, the Sangli district administration bagged the top prize in the river revival category for contribution in reviving Agrani river. Being one of the drought-prone districts of the state, Agrani is a lifeline for farmers across five talukas. The administration not only revived the river but also improved the groundwater situation.
• For the second consecutive year, the Maharashtra Water Regulatory Authority (MWRA) won the first prize in the water regulatory authority category.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING

Launch Of Ukibc’s 6th Annual Report On Doing Business In India

• UK Minister for Investment, Lord Gerry Grimstone, has released UK India business council’s ‘doing business in India report 2020’ at a roundtable with Indian industry captains during his virtual visit to India.
• Findings from the UK India Business Council’s “Doing Business in India Report 2020” show that UK businesses believe that India’s business environment is improving, and they see an opportunity for greater UK-India collaboration notwithstanding Brexit,
• The report is the UKIBC’s sixth of an annual series dating back to 2015. This year’s report is based on an in-depth survey of 106 UK organisations operating in India spanning manufacturing, services, and higher education sectors.
• 66 percent of the surveyed businesses stated that they believe it is getting easier to do business in India, thanks to progressive reforms and improvements in components of India’s business environment such as the availability of support and service providers, skilled labour, and supply chain.
• For the third year running, Maharashtra came out as the state with maximum incremental improvement, followed by Karnataka, Delhi, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu, in that order. Next in sequence were Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chandigarh and Haryana to complete the top ten.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS AND AUTHORS

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s biography “Jacinda Ardern: Leading with Empathy” to release in 2021

• “Jacinda Ardern: Leading with Empathy” is a biography of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who has recently been re-elected in a landslide victory, will be published next year.
• HarperCollins Publishers India has announced the acquisition of book, which will be authored by Supriya Vani and Carl A Harte.
• The book examines the prime minister of New Zealand through the authors’ interviews with her, her multitude of public statements and speeches, and through the words of those who know her.

How to Be a Writer by Ruskin Bond

• The book “How to Be a Writer” is an exclusive glimpse into the writing credo of Ruskin Bond, an author who has had an incredibly successful writing career spanning over seventy years.
• It is Published byHarperCollins 

Recent Books by Ruskin Bond

• ‘A Song of India’
• “Hop On: My Adventures on Boats, Trains and Planes”

Maharashtra Governor releases former Minister Rajendra Darda’s book ‘Majhi Bhint’

• Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari released the book ‘Majhi Bhint’ (My Wall) authored by former Maharashtra Education Minister Rajendra Darda.
• The book is a compilation of selected Facebook posts by Darda pertaining to a range of issues written over the last four years.
• The Governor also released the Diwali issues of Lokmat ‘Deepotsav’ and ‘Deep Bhava’ on the occasion.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Indian astronomers collaborated with Nobel laureate on Thirty Meter Telescope Project

• 2020 Physics Nobel Laureate Prof. Andrea Ghez had worked closely with Indian astronomers on the design of back-end instruments and possible science prospects of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) project being installed atMaunakea in Hawaii, which can revolutionized the understanding of the universe and the enigmas in it.
• The Thirty-meter telescope (TMT) project is an international partnership between CalTech, Universities of California, Canada, Japan, China, and India; through the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).
• Some of the Indian astronomers like Dr. Annapurni Subramanium, Director of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) and Shashi Bhushan Pandey, a scientist at Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) along with many others collaborated with Prof. Ghez in the ongoing research and developmental activities of the TMT project.
• In October 2013, India along with the US, China and Japan have all committed funds towards this the-$1.2 billion TMT project. And, though the share of India’s funding is not available but it was said that it was close to USD $250 million.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SUMMITS AND CONFERENCE

IIT Guwahati launches Australia-India Water Centre along with University of Western Sydney

• Australia-India Water Centre was inaugurated virtually through a Webinar, in view of the pandemic situation.
• The Water Centre is led by University of Western Sydney from Australia and IIT Guwahati from India along with 21 other partners from India and Australia.
• Dan Tehan, Minister for Education – Government of Australia, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, minister for Jal Shakti – Government of India were present.
• The water issues and challenges of India and Australia share many common elements, including natural extremes of floods and droughts, increasing competition for water between urban, peri-urban and rural sectors and increased threats to water security from climate change. There are also pressures due to the over-exploitation and water quality degradation of surface and ground water resources.
• The MoU signed during this occasion attempts to establish an understanding of cooperation for the Australia India Water Centre (AIWC) between the parties.
• The Australia India Water Centre will enable Australian and Indian partners to explore opportunities and create synergy for a longer-term collaboration in research and education between the two countries.

About Australia

• Capital: Canberra
• Currency: Australian dollar

About Ministry for Jal Shakti

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

ISB to organise 3rd edition of Deccan Dialogue on Nov 16

• The Indian School of Business (ISB), in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs will be organising the third edition of Deccan Dialogue on November 16, on a virtual platform.
• The theme of the Dialogue is ‘Crisis and Cooperation — Imperative in times of the pandemic’. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will deliver the keynote address while Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs (I/C), will deliver the valedictory keynote address.The third edition of Deccan Dialogue will focus on healthcare diplomacy and atmanirbhar Bharat.
• With two successful previous editions in 2018 and 2019, Deccan Dialogue has become an annual flagship event of ISB, aimed at promoting multi-stakeholder conversations on various aspects of diplomacy and India’s external engagement. Deccan Dialogue brings together policy makers, representatives from business, diplomatic and strategic communities, media, and academia on a common platform, to engage and deliberate on emerging aspects of diplomacy and development.
• The objective is to explore ways and means to address the crisis through various diplomatic efforts of cooperation and talk in detail on the pertinent issues faced by the world order. The dialogue will see participation from various business leaders, CXOs, professionals, students, government officials, among others, according to a release

About Ministry of External Affairs: 

• Subrahmanyam Jaishankar,: Minister of External Affairs
• Constituency: Gujarat
• Muraleedharan, Minister of State for External Affairs

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE

DRDO develops fire detection and suppression system for passenger buses

• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed for passenger buses a technology called ”Fire Detection and Suppression System (FDSS)”.
• Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh witnessed at the DRDO Bhawan the demonstration of FDSS — a technology which can detect fire in buses in less than 30 seconds and extinguish it in 60 seconds.
• DRDO’s Centre for Fire Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES), Delhi has developed the technology.
• The FDSS for passenger compartment comprises a water tank of 80 litre capacity, a 6.8 kg nitrogen cylinder pressurised to 200 bar installed at appropriate location in the bus and a network of tubing with 16 number of atomizers inside the passenger compartment.

About DRDO

• Founded: 1958
• Headquarters: DRDO Bhavan, New Delhi
• Chairman: G Satheesh Reddy

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS

Trailblazers beat Supernovas by 16 runs to win Women’s T20 Challenge title

• The 2020Women’s T20 Challenge, branded as Jio Women’s T20 Challenge, was the third season of the Women’s T20 Challenge, a Twenty20 cricket tournament established by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in
• Women’s T20 Challenge 2020 between Trailblazers and Supernovas at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
• So after two years of the Supernovas, the Trailblazers are Women’s T20 Challenge champions for the first time.
• Player of the match goes to Smriti Mandhana.
• Player of the series goes to Radha Yadav.

About BCCI

• Headquarters: Mumbai
• Founded: December 1928
• President: Sourav Ganguly (Term ended, still holding the office until further interference by Hon. Supreme court of India)

Dream 11 IPL 2020

• Mumbai Indians (MI) beat Delhi Capitals (DC) by five wickets in the Dream11 Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 final in Dubai and clinched their fifth IPL title.
• The league was founded by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in
• Mumbai Indians wins DREAM 11 IPL 2020
• This is the 5th title for MI
• Edition: 13th
• Host Country : UAE
• Highest Runs ( Orange Cap) : K L Rahul
• Highest Wickets ( Purple Cap) : Kagiso Rabada
• Maximum no of Sixes : Ishaan Kishan
• Most Expensive Player : Patt Cummins 15.5 cr ( Kolkata Knight Riders )
• First player to score century in DREAM11 IPL 2020 : K L Rahul
• Rahul is now only the third player after Virender Sehwag and David Warner to hit an IPL century both as captain and non-captain.
• KL Rahul Became the fastest Indian (60 innings) to reach 2,000 IPL runs
• Shikhar Dhawan became the first player to hit two consecutive centuries in IPL
• RCB pacer Mohammed Siraj became the first bowler to bowl two maiden overs in an IPL match
• Virat Kohli becomes first cricketer to reach 9000 T20 runs
• The Indian Premier League clash between Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings in Sharjah saw 33 sixes — a joint record in an IPL match.
• MS Dhoni became First player to play 200 IPL matches
• Rohit Sharma became second player to play 200 IPL matches 
• Shikhar Dhawan became the 4th batsman to score 5000 runs in the IPL.
• David Warner became the fastest overseas batsman and 5th player after Virat ,Raina and Rohit to reach the 5000-run mark in the Indian Premier League.
• Most Valuable Player of IPL 2020: Jofra Archer – 20 wickets, 175 dot balls, 5 catches and 10 sixes.
• Emerging Player: Devdutt Padikkal (RCB) for scoring 473 runs with 5 fifties at a strike rate of 124.80
• Dream XI Game Changer of the Season: KL Rahul – 975 Fantasy Points
• Tata Altroz Super Striker of the Season: Kieron Pollard (Mumbai Indians) – Strike Rate of 191.42
• CRED Power Player of the Season: Trent Boult (Mumbai Indians) – 16 wickets in powerplay
• Fair Play Award: Mumbai Indians

Previous Title Winners

Year	Winner	Runner Up	Venue
2020	Mumbai Indians	Delhi Capitals	UAE
2019	Mumbai Indians	Chennai Super Kings	Hyderabad
2018	Chennai Super Kings	Sunrisers Hyderabad	Mumbai
2017	Mumbai Indians	Rising Pune Supergiants	Hyderabad
2016	Sunrisers Hyderabad	Royal Challengers Bangalore	Bangalore
2015	Mumbai Indians	Chennai Super Kings	Kolkata
2014	Kolkata Knight Riders	Kings XI Punjab	Bangalore
2013	Mumbai Indians	Chennai Super Kings	Kolkata
2012	Kolkata Knight Riders	Chennai Super Kings	Chennai
2011	Chennai Super Kings	Royal Challengers Bangalore	Chennai
2010	Chennai Super Kings	Mumbai Indians	Mumbai
2009	Deccan Chargers	Royal Challengers Bangalore	Johannesburg, South Africa
2008	Rajasthan Royals	Chennai Super Kings	Mumbai

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARY

‘Scooby-Doo’ co-creator Ken Spears passes away at 82

• Scooby-Doo co-creator Ken Spears passed away at the age of 82.
• The TV writer and producer died due to compilations related to Lewy body dementia.
• Spears began his career in animation back in 1959 when he worked as a sound editor in Hanna-Barbera Productions, as per report. He eventually met Joe Ruby while working there and the two began writing teleplays together.
• Among them was the popular animated TV show Scooby-Doo. Years after, they set up their own studio called Ruby-Spears Productions in 1977.

Mohun Bagan great Satyajit Ghosh passes away from heart attack

• Ex-Mohun Bagan defender Satyajit Ghosh, who once formed a formidable central defensive partnership with club legend Subrata Bhattacharjee, passed away due to a heart attack morning. He was 62.
• Ghosh joined the Kolkata giants from Railway FC towards the end of 1981. He played for them till 1986 before coming back for a second spell in 1988 after a short stint at Mohammedan Sporting.
• He also played for India in the Nehru Cup in 1985 under the coaching of Ceric Milovan.

Bahrain’s longest serving PM Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa passes away

• The world’s longest serving Prime Minister, Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa of Bahrain, passed away. He was 84.
• Prince Khalifa, who took office after Bahrain gained independence in 1971, had been receiving treatment at a hospital in the US, the state media stated. He was an uncle to the Bahraini King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa.

DAILY CA  11th  NOV

• World Science Day for Peace and Developmentis observed on November 10 every year with the theme of “Science for and with Society in dealing with COVID-19”.
• Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat inaugurated the 725-metre long Dobra-Chanthi suspension bridge in Tehri-Garhwal district.
• Pakke Tiger Reserve (PTR) in Arunachal Pradesh has become the first in the Northeast to provide insurance cover against COVID-19 for its ‘Green Soldiers’.
• Tezpur Litchi of Assam has been granted the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
• Bharti AXA General Insurance has launched #CancerSendsNoNotifications campaign – a special initiative to increase awareness and spread knowledge on detecting the disease early among people in India.This campaign was held on November 7th National Cancer Awareness Day.
• Chandigarh UT administrator VP Singh Badnore launched the mobile-based application ‘Wildlife Rescue’ for monitoring of wildlife rescue, reporting and release of wildlife online.
• The book, “Archaeology and the Public Purpose: Writings on and by M N Deshpande”, is written by history professor Nayanjot Lahiri.
• Marg ERP, with over 50% market share in Pharma and FMCG sector nationally, has come together with Paytm to facilitate seamless transactions for MSMEs. Under this joint venture, the duo empowers MSME using this new integrated payments solution called MargPay developed by MARG ERP Limited.
• Hardeep S. Puri, MoS (I/C), Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs  inaugurated the 13th Urban Mobility India Conference on “Emerging Trends in Urban Mobility”.
• Astronomers have detected a bright fast radio burst, which lasted for a millisecond, from our galaxy for the first time ever.
• China has reportedly become the world’s first country to have successfully sent the 6G communications test satellite into the orbit from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in the Shanxi Province.The 13 satellites also included 10 from Argentina and it is said to be the 351st launch by the Long March 6 rocket.
• Azim Premji, the founder and chairman of Wipro, has topped the list of India’s philanthropists 2020 with a total donation of Rs 7,904 crore. HCL’S Shiv Nadar, 75, ranked second with Rs 795 crore donation and Mukesh Ambani, who is the Chairman of Reliance Industries, came third.
• Former Sikkim chief minister Sanchaman Limboo passed away .He was the fourth chief Minister of Sikkim.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with Prime Minister of Vietnam Nguyen Xuan Phuc will co-chair the 17th ASEAN-India Summit.

• NSE to launch first agricultural commodity futures contract in December
• Ruskin Bond, one of India’s most cherished authors, has been conferred the Tata Literature Live! Lifetime Achievement Award for 2020.
• Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Minister Prakash Javadekar informed that the government has set up an Inter-Ministerial Committee to strengthen the capital goods sector.
• A model of Anti-Satellite Missile installed inside the DRDO Bhawan premises was unveiled by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. ‘
• Guadalajara (Mexico) was named World Book Capital for the year 2022 by the Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, on the recommendation of the World Book Capital Advisory Committee.
• The drug maker Pfizer announced that an early analysis of its coronavirus vaccine trial suggested the vaccine was robustly 90% effective in preventing Covid-19
• Virgin Hyperloop stated it has “successfully” completed the first-ever human trial in the hyperloop pod at the DevLoop test facility in the US.
• Nepal President Bidhya Devi Bhandari has released a special anthology on Mahatma Gandhi- ‘My understanding about Gandhi’ – during a ceremony at Kathmandu in the presence of Indian Ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra.
• The government has brought films, audio-visuals, news and current affairs content on online platforms– under the domain of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
• Paytm has launched Payout Links for businesses, enabling them to instantly process payouts to customers, employees and vendors, without collecting their bank details.
• Flipkart, announced that it now offers group health insurance cover ranging from 3 lakh to Rs.20 lakh issued by Bajaj Allianz General Insurance and Care Health Insurance to its large and growing pan-Indian customer base.
• The Emporis Skyscraper Award, one of the world’s most renowned prizes for high-rise architecture, has been given to a 462-metre-high Lakhta Center in St Petersburg this year.
• Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched ‘Secha Samadhan’, a bilingual mobile application, to address the irrigation problems faced by farmers without them having to visit the offices concerned.
• The states of Kerala, Goa, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh have been most successful in integrating migrant workers, while crucial migrant receiving states, including Delhi, have done poorly, shows the Interstate Migrant Policy Index (IMPEX) that seeks to measure integration of interstate migrants.
• Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance has announced the launch of Covid Shield+ to secure people’s dreams and aspirations from the financial impact of a Covid-19 diagnosis.
• Karnataka has created a dedicated track for global innovation alliance (GIA) sessions for its flagship tech event, Bengaluru Tech Summit, which will be held virtually for the first time this year from November 19 to 21.
• The Fifteenth Finance Commission (XVFC) led by Chairman N K Singh, submitted its Report for the period 2021-22 to 2025-26 to President of India Ram Nath Kovind.

DAILY CA NOV 12TH

• National Education Day or Rashtriya Shiksha Diwas is celebrated every year on November 11.
• The North East Centre For Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR) has undertaken a pilot project to explore the feasibility of growing saffron in North East region of the country.
• India and the Maldives signed four agreements, including one for a $100-million grant for a connectivity project, as visiting foreign secretary Harsh Shringla and the Maldivian leadership discussed ways to boost economic recovery amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Insurance sector regulator IRDAI has set up a working group to revisit product structures of engineering tariffs relevant for the retail category in the wake of continuous advancement in technology. The nine-member panel headed by R Chandrasekaran.
• Jacinda Ardern: Leading with Empathy” is a biography of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern be authored by Supriya Vani and Carl A Harte.
• The book “How to Be a Writer” by Ruskin Bond
• Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari released the book ‘Majhi Bhint’ (My Wall) authored by former Maharashtra Education Minister Rajendra Darda.
• 2020 Physics Nobel Laureate Prof. Andrea Ghez had worked closely with Indian astronomers on the design of back-end instruments and possible science prospects of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) project being installed atMaunakea in HawaiiSome of the Indian astronomers like Dr. Annapurni Subramanium, and Shashi Bhushan Pandey, along with many others collaborated with Prof. Ghez in the ongoing research and developmental activities of the TMT project.
• Australia-India Water Centre was inaugurated virtually through a Webinar, in view of the pandemic situation. The Water Centre is led by University of Western Sydney from Australia and IIT Guwahati from India along with 21 other partners from India and Australia.
• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed for passenger buses a technology called ”Fire Detection and Suppression System (FDSS)”.
• Trailblazers beat Supernovas by 16 runs to win Women’s T20 Challenge title at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
• Mumbai Indians (MI) beat Delhi Capitals (DC) by five wickets in the Dream11 Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 final in Dubai and clinched their fifth IPL title.
• Scooby-Doo co-creator Ken Spears passed away at the age of 82.
• Ex-Mohun Bagan defender Satyajit Ghosh passed away due to a heart attack morning. He was 62.
• Public Service Broadcasting Day is being observed. The day is celebrated every year to commemorate the only visit of Mahatma Gandhi to the studio of All India Radio, Delhi in 1947.
• Home Minister Amit Shah will inaugurate “Sarhad VistarVikasotsav 2020 “at Dhordo village situated in the forward border area in  Kutch district of Gujarat.
• To mark the 12th anniversary of declaring the Ganga as a national river — having come to an end, the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in the second phase of its survey of the entire main stem of the Ganga river (the main river without its tributaries), has found that 49 per cent of the river has high biodiversity and that biodiversity sightings
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, CCEA, has approved continuation and revamping of the Scheme for Financial Support to Public Private Partnerships in Infrastructure Viability Gap Funding Scheme till 2024-25 with a total outlay of eight thousand 100 crore rupees.
• International Financial Services Centres Authority, IFSCA has approved draft Banking regulations for banking operations at IFSCs.
• As part of MSCI’s (Morgan Stanley Capital Index) semi-annual review of indices, Muthoot Finance will be added to the MSCI India Domestic Index from the close of November 30.
• India’s border areas with Pakistan in Rajasthan would be illuminated with renewable energy as the state government will soon ink an MoU with National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) to establish Ultra Mega Renewal Energy Power Park, government officials stated.
• Maharashtra will observe the National Unity Week from 19th to 25th of November.
• In Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will release a roadmap-2023 of Atmanirbhar Madhya Pradesh in Bhopal.Madhya Pradesh is the first state in the country, which has prepared a roadmap for Atmanirbhar State
• In Madhya Pradesh, the Handicrafts Development Corporation has launched a unique initiative- local4Diwali hashtag under the ‘Vocal for Local’ campaign in the festive season
• Gorakhpur is all set to host the International Bird Festival in the month of February. The main focus of the government is eco-tourism, as there is a lot of potential for eco-tourism in Gorakhpur
• Indian-American Kash Patel has been named as the Chief of Staff to the Acting US Defence Secretary Chris Miller, the Pentagon has announced.
• The National Academy of Medical Sciences (India) has selected the Principal Scientist, Division of Molecular Parasitology and Immunology, (CSIR-CDRI)-Lucknow, Dr Satish Mishra for “Dr.Tulsi Das Chugh Award 2020”. He is awarded for his research work on Malaria parasite’s life cycle which is a complex process involving two hosts and three invasive stages.
• Maharashtra was adjudged the second-best state in water conservation effort by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, at the 2019 National Water Awards. Vice President M Venkaiah Nadu, who attended the event virtually, gave away the awards.
• UK Minister for Investment, Lord Gerry Grimstone, has released UK India business council’s ‘doing business in India report 2020’ .For the third year running, Maharashtra came out as the state with maximum incremental improvement, followed by Karnataka, Delhi, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu, in that order.
• The Indian School of Business (ISB), in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs will be organising the third edition of Deccan Dialogue on November 16, on a virtual platform.
• The world’s longest serving Prime Minister, Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa of Bahrain, passed away. He was 84.