Current Affairs 20th November 2020| Current Affairs News

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS

International Men’s Day

• International Men’s Day is observed every year on November 19.
• The day celebrates the achievements and contributions of men and boys to the nation, society, community, family, marriage, and childcare.
• This year, the International Men’s Day theme is ‘Better health for men and boys’ with the aim to make practical improvements to the health and wellbeing of the male population.

National Integration Day

• National Integration Day is celebrated on November 19 every year.
• The day marks the birth anniversary of the first woman Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi.
• The main aim behind celebrating the day is to encourage people about unity, peace, love, and brotherhood among them.
• National Integration Day is also known as Quami Ekta Divas in India.
• This year marks the 103rd birth anniversary of Indira Gandhi.

Universal Children’s Day

• World Children’s Day was first established in 1954 as Universal Children’s Day and is celebrated on 20 November each year to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children’s welfare.
• This year the theme is ”Investing in our future means investing in our children”.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL

The UK plans to ban sales of diesel and petrol cars from 2030

• The U.K. will stop selling new diesel and petrol (gasoline) cars and vans from 2030 under plans announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
• This as part of a £12 billion green agenda, including £1.3 billion to roll out charging points for electric vehicles in homes, streets and on motorways across England.
• The plan will focus on a range of areas including carbon capture and storage, low-carbon hydrogen generation, offshore wind and nuclear energy.
• The vehicle ban represents an acceleration of prior targets; K. authorities had previously said the sale of new petrol and diesel vans and cars would end in 2040.
• Johnson announced £500 million for the hydrogen-related plan that includes trialling homes using hydrogen for heating and cooking, starting with a “Hydrogen Neighbourhood” in 2023, moving to a “Hydrogen Village” by 2025, with an aim for a “Hydrogen Town” before the end of the decade.

About UK

• Prime minister: Boris Johnson
• Capital: London
• Currency: Pound sterling

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

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bhutanese counterpart Lotay Tshering will virtually launch 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.
• External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava stated 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.

About Bhutan:

• Capital: Thimphu
• Prime minister: Lotay Tshering
• Currency: Bhutanese ngultrum

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 as they are working with old and outdated machines with poor energy management.  By 2030, Bangladesh is committed to reduce its GHG emission by 15 percent compared to business-as-usual scenario.
• In the current year, GCF has approved over dollar 2 billion in new climate finance, taking its total portfolio to over dollar 7 billion.
• 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.

About Bangladesh:

• Capital: Dhaka
• Currency: Bangladeshi taka

India, Australia sign pact on cyber tech to ensure free, secure Internet

• Around 25 countries, under a single group called the ‘Global Innovation Alliance’ came online to attend the Bengaluru Tech Summit.
• He stated that Australia and India have unlimited possibilities of working together in space research, critical minerals, 5G, AI, quantum computing, and more.
• They have signed the landmark Australia India Technology Framework Agreement on cyber and cyber-enabled technology. That means Australia and India are working together for an open, free, safe, and secure Internet. That is the foundation for digital economies to work. They will be soon launching Australia-India Cyber and Critical Technologies Partnership grant programme.
• At the session, Finland announced that an institution-level collaboration has been initiated between Business Finland and the Center of Excellence for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. Karnataka and Finland will now continue to work together to further strengthen and grow this association. Data Science and AI, skilling programmes and start-up collaboration will be some of the few focus areas.

About Australia:

• Prime minister: Scott Morrison
• Capital: Canberra
• Currency: Australian dollar

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE

RBI restricts withdrawals from Jalna-based Mantha Urban Coop Bank for 6 months

• Reserve Bank of India imposed restrictions on withdrawals from Maharashtra-based Mantha Urban Cooperative Bank for six months.
• As per the directions, the bank will not, without prior approval of RBI in writing, grant or renew any loans and advances, make any investment, incur any liability including borrowal of funds and acceptance of fresh deposits, disburse or agree to disburse any payment, among others.
• RBI has imposed monetary penalty of Rs 20 lakh on Bengaluru-based Shushruati Souharda Sahakara Bank Niyamita for deficiencies in regulatory compliance.
• It also imposed a penalty of Rs 1 lakh on The Deccan Urban Co-operative Bank, Vijayapura, Karnataka, for contravention of the directions issued by it on prohibition of loans and advances to directors.
• it has imposed a penalty of Rs 10 lakh on Muthoot Finance , Ernakulam, for non-compliance with directions on maintaining loan to value ratio in gold loans and on obtaining copy of PAN card of the borrower while granting gold loans of over Rs 5 lakh.
• The central bank has also imposed a penalty of Rs 5 lakh on Manappuram Finance, Thrissur for non-compliance with directions on verification of ownership of gold jewellery.

Recent News

• The Reserve Bank of India hasimposed a penalty of Rs 1 crore on Punjab National Bank for violating the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.
• RBI  imposed a one-month moratorium on Lakshmi Vilas Bankand capped the cash withdrawal limit at Rs 25,000 for depositors.

Yes Bank launches co-branded prepaid card with Neokred for cashless payments

• Yes Bank stated it has launched a co-branded prepaid card in partnership with Neokred Technologies to facilitate cashless payments.The card offerings can be personalised to suit the requirements of corporates seeking salary cards or expense cards for their employees.
• Yes Bank in partnership with Neokred Technologies has launched ‘Yes Bank Neokred Card’, a co-branded prepaid card, encouraging cashless payments, the lender stated.
• The prepaid card will be offered to Neokred’s corporate partners across various sectors, including healthcare, financial institutions, NBFCs, oil companies, educational institutions, FMCG and infrastructure.The prepaid card can be loaded with balance and used for spends such as purchases, payment for utility bills, online shopping, ticket bookings and cash withdrawal at ATMs alongwith various benefits.

About Yes Bank:

• CEO: Prashant Kumar
• Headquarters: Mumbai

RBI imposes penalty on Muthoot Finance, Manappuram Finance for non-compliance with gold loan norms

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a penalty of 10 lakh on Muthoot Finance Ltd, Ernakulam, and Rs.5 lakh on Manappuram Finance Ltd, Thrissur, for non-compliance with its directions.
• In the case of Muthoot Finance, RBI stated the penalty is for non-compliance with directions on maintenance of Loan to Value (LTV) ratio in gold loans and on obtaining copy of PAN (Permanent Account Number) card of the borrower while granting loans in excess of Rs.5 lakh.
• RBI stated it issued a notice to the company to show cause as to why penalty should not be imposed for failure to comply with RBI directions.
• “After considering the company’s reply to the notice, oral submissions made during the personal hearings and examination of additional submissions made by it, RBI concluded that the aforestated charges of non-compliance with RBI directions were substantiated and warranted imposition of monetary penalty,” the statement stated

About Muthoot Finance:

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

About Manappuram Finance Limited:

• Headquarters: Thrissur
• CEO: V.P. Nandakumar

RXIL, Tata AIG initiate trade credit insurance in sandbox environment

• Receivables Exchange of India Ltd (RXIL) initiated a Trade Credit Insurance (TCI) backed transaction with Tata AIG as the insurer and ICICI Bank and Yes Bank as the financiers in a sandbox environment.
• “This is the first time a TReDS platform has tested the efficacy of TCI backed transaction, improving the ability of financiers in assigning credit limits to corporates. TCI, once implemented post regulatory approvals, will enable financiers to discount the invoices drawn on lower-rated corporate buyers, by their MSME sellers and will improve the liquidity from lenders,” RXIL stated.
• The adoption of Trade Credit Insurance on TReDS will pave the way for a completely digital bite-sized credit insurance model, it further stated.

About TReDS:

• TReDS refers to Trade Receivable Discounting System. TReDS is being setup as per the RBI guideline issued on December 3, 2014. It is an online electronic platform and an institutional mechanism for financing / factoring of trade receivables of MSME Sellers against Corporate Buyers, Govt. Departments and PSUs.

About Tata AIG:

• CEO: Neelesh Garg
• Headquarters: Mumbai

Kotak Mahindra MF launches ESG Opportunities Fund

• Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Company has launched ESG Opportunities Fund, which will focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors and the principles for responsible investing.
• The Kotak ESG Opportunities Fund will invest in companies based on financial parameters and non-financial factors such as environmental, social and governance as a part of its research process to identify material risks and growth opportunities.
• To assess the ESG performance of an investee company, broadly, Kotak ESG Opportunities Fund will look at policies, practices and disclosures of each ESG pillar such as energy-efficiency measures, waste management including e-waste management, carbon and greenhouse gas emission footprint, and renewable energy use besides employee working conditions, welfare and training, and health and safety standards.
• It will also assess governance performance, in addition to corporate governance practices and disclosures as required under the Companies Act, 2013 and SEBI’s (LODR) 2015, whistle-blower and anti-corruption policy, no child labour policy, anti-sexual harassment policy, diversity and inclusivity policies and practices etc.

About Kotak Mutual Fund:

• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Nilesh Shah (Managing Director)

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATES

Maharashtra Government To Pay Stipend To ST Candidates Preparing For UPSC Exams

• Maharashtra government has decided to pay stipend to scheduled tribe (ST) candidates who are preparing for UPSC exams.
• Under this financial assistance scheme stipend will be given to candidates who will appear for the Civil Services main exam and interview.
• Under this scheme, each candidate will be provided 12,000 per month. Additionally, Rs. 26,000 will also be provided to the candidate for purchasing books.
• The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts the Civil Services exam every year for selection to Indian Administrative Services (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) among other civil services.

About Maharashtra

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

About UPSC

• Chairperson: Pradeep Kumar Joshi

Vijayanagara to become Karnataka’s 31st district

• The Karnataka cabinet gave in principle approval for the creation of Vijayanagara as the state’s 31st district, carving it out from the mine-rich
• It is named after the Vijayanagara empire that ruled from this region.
• A Cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa has decided to bifurcate Ballari and fulfil the demand of Forest and Environment Minister Anand Singh.

About Karnataka

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

Punjab to launch special scheme for physically challenged

• The Punjab state cabinet cleared a new scheme, the Punjab Divyangjan Shaktikaran Yojna (PDSY), to be implemented in a phased manner with the first phase of the scheme aimed at strengthening the existing programmes to ensure their benefits reach people with disabilities.
• This was decided at a virtual cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh in Chandigarh.
• In Phase-I, the scheme will focus on providing PwDs the benefits of existing schemes being run by government departments, covering services, benefits and rights in respect of healthcare, education, employment, safety and dignity in all spheres of life.
• Phase-II of the PDSY shall have new initiatives and programmes to cover those aspects and needs which have not been covered under any existing centrally/state sponsored scheme or PwD-oriented schemes by different departments.
• The scheme focuses on convergence and integration of existing schemes and programmes to maximise their benefit for PwDs.
• In Phase-II, the 13 interventions include the treatment on suffering disability, mobility aids and assistive devices, five days of special leave in a calendar year, free education, empowerment of disabled girl students, recreational activities, home schooling for children with special needs, and state award for outstanding work done by teachers with disability.

About Punjab

• Capital: Chandigarh
• Governor: V. P. Singh Badnore
• Chief minister: Amarinder Singh

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.

About Meghalaya:

• Capital: Shillong
• Governor: Satya Pal Malik
• Chief minister: Conrad Sangma

North Police Station in Kohima receives an ISO certification

• North Police Station Kohima in Nagaland has been awarded an ISO certification. The Police station is located in the heart of Kohima Town which was the first established police station under Naga Hills district by the British Regime in the year 1933.Presently, the North Police station is headed by an Inspector rank officer-in-charge and 88 other ranks.
• It has been awarded ISO 9001:2015 certification on meeting the specified parameters of Quality Management System on policing and related scope of activities which includes maintenance of public peace, law and order, prevention, detection and investigation of crime and criminal activities, emergency response, VIP Security and prevention of human trafficking.

About Nagaland:

• Capital: Kohima
• Governor: RN Ravi
• Chief minister: Neiphiu Rio

Madhya Pradesh conducts ‘Poshit Parivar-Suposhit Madhya Pradesh’ campaign in all districts

• In Madhya Pradesh, a community-based nutrition management programme of very severely malnourished children is being conducted in all districts under the nurtured families – well nurtured Madhya Pradesh i.e. ‘Poshit Parivar-Suposhit Madhya Pradesh’ c
• Under this campaign, very serious malnourished children are identified and after 12 weeks or 3 months of continuous effort after their registration, they are brought to normal nutrition level.
• Under this, the first installment will be given to such families whose children have fallen from very severe malnourished category to moderate malnutrition category.
• Similarly, the second installment will be given only when the children improve their nutritional level from the category of moderate malnutrition to normal nutrition level.
• Apart from this, other health services related to the child such as getting vaccinated according to the age, beginning of solid food after 6 months as per standard guidelines, family health and level of nutritional education will also be assessed.

Tigress on the Trail”: Madhya Pradesh CM to flag off team of women bikers from Bhopal

• In Madhya Pradesh, with the objective of promoting adventure and safe tourism for women, the first and unique adventurous motorcycle trip is starting in the state.
• 15 eminent women bikers from all over the country will visit various tourist spots of the state under this journey named “Tigress on the trail“.
• In this journey of 1500 km, these bikers will travel to Madhi, Pench, Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Panna and Khajuraho and finally return to Bhopal on 25 November.
• Principal Secretary of tourism department Shiv Shekhar Shukla informed that the purpose of this event is to convince all tourists that Madhya Pradesh is completely safe for tourists and especially for single women tourists.
• Meanwhile, for the first time the tourism cabinet has been formed to promote tourism in the state. The Chief Minister is the chairman of this cabinet while four ministers have been inducted as members.

About Madhya Pradesh:

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

Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS to get $500 million from New Development Bank

• A loan agreement for $500 million (approximately Rs.3,700 crore) was signed between the Centre and New Development Bank for funding the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS (regional rapid transit system) corridor.
• The 82 km Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor with a project cost of 30,274 crore will be co-financed under an parallel financing arrangement with Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). In September this year, a loan agreement of $500 million was signed with ADB for funding the RRTS corridor, according to a statement.
• Civil construction work is in progress on more then 50 km of the 82 km long corridor. The RRTS corridor will have a total of 24 stations and will be elevated for around 70.5 km; 11.5 km of its stretch will be underground.
• A 17 km long priority section between Sahibabad and Duhai of the corridor is scheduled to commence operations in 2023; the entire corridor will be opened to the public by 2025, the statement added.

About New Development Bank:

• Headquarters: Shanghai, China
• President: Marcos Prado Troyjo

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU

BFIL ties up with Maha govt to provide livestock care

• IndusInd Bank subsidiary firm Bharat Financial Inclusion Ltd (BFIL) has signed a pact with Maharashtra government to enhance doorstep delivery of livestock care to farmers in the state.
• The joint initiative ”Maha Pashudhan Sanjeevani” —  to be implemented under the Mukhyamantri Pashu Swasthya Yojana — will also ensure all veterinary services available for farmers at just a phone call and the toll-free number 1962 will be operational from January 2021.
• The first phase of the initiative will serve farmers in 81 talukas located in 31 districts of Maharashtra, which has a total cattle population of 1.96 crore.
• The field veterinary services of the state government will be deployed through an integrated telemedicine and service management platform developed by BFIL.
• The doorstep veterinary services will have curative treatment, vaccination, artificial insemination, preventive care and all animal husbandry related information.

About BFIL

• Headquarters: Hyderabad
• MD & CEO: M R Rao

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS

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 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. The house has a strength of 243 members.

About Bihar:

• Governor: Phagu Chauhan
• Chief minister: Nitish Kumar
• Capital: Patna

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

20 best performing districts get Swachhata Awards 2020

• Jal Shakti Minister Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Minister of State, Jal Shakti, Rattan Lal Kataria conferred the Swachhata Awards 2020 on the 20 best performing districts for contributing towards ODF Sustainability and ODF Plus goals on  World Toilet Day. These awards were given at a virtual ceremony organized by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
• Mr Shekhawat stated that the Swachh Bharat Mission – Gramin has transformed rural India by manifesting into a Jan Andolan for sanitation. He stated the Open Defecation Free rural India milestone was achieved in mission mode in a span of five years.
• Phase 2 of the Swachh Bharat Mission – Gramin has been launched early this year. It focuses on ODF sustainability and Solid and Liquid Waste Management aiming at comprehensive cleanliness in villages.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS AND AUTHORS

Reporting India by Prem Prakash

• Veteran Journalist and News Agency ANI chairman Prem Prakash, his book “Reporting India”, shared that Nehru’s love for the then Defence Minister Krishna Menon cost India the 1962 Sino-India war.
• The book was published by Penguin Random House India.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh unveils two books

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh unveiled two books ‘The Republican Ethic Volume III’ and ‘Loktantra Ke Swar‘ which are collection of selected speeches of President Ram Nath Kovind during the third year of his presidency.
• Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar unveiled the e-book versions of the two books.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SUMMITS AND CONFERENCES

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 under the theme – Realising the Opportunities of the 21st Century for All.
• External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava stated 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.

About 2020 G20 Riyadh summit:

• The 2020 G20 Riyadh summit will be the fifteenth meeting of Group of Twenty. It will be held on 21–22 November 2020 in Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia.
• Follow: 2019 G20 Osaka summit
• City: Riyadh

Dr Harsh Vardhan addresses 33rd Stop TB Partnership Board meet in New Delhi through Video Conference

• Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan 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. He was addressing the 33rd Stop TB Partnership Board meet in New Delhi through Video Conference.
• Dr Harsh Vardhan highlighted India’s “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. He stated, India had nearly trebled efforts on increasing TB notifications and had managed to close the gap in ‘Missing million TB cases’.

 About Ministry of Science and Technology  :

• Union minister of Science and Technology, Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Minister of Earth Sciences: Harsh Vardhan
• Constituency: Chandni Chowk

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

L&T delivers India’s 1st launch hardware for Gaganyaan despite Covid-19 restrictions

• Larsen & Toubro (L&T), India’s leading engineering, procurement and construction projects, manufacturing, defence and services conglomerate, has delivered the first hardware, a booster segment, for Gaganyaan Launch Vehicle to ISRO ahead of schedule in a virtual flag-off ceremony presided over by Dr. K Sivan, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
• Notwithstanding the limitations imposed by COVID-19, the middle segment of the world’s third-largest solid propellant rocket booster – ‘S-200,’ has been delivered ahead of schedule with zero-defects.
• The segment was produced at L&T’s Powai Aerospace Manufacturing Facility meeting the enhanced quality and timeline requirements for India’s maiden manned mission.
• L&T is playing a vital role in powering ISRO’s Human Space Flight Program (HSFP). A trusted partner of ISRO for almost five decades, L&T has been involved in the production of a range of hardware for every mission of ISRO, including the acclaimed Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan missions.
• The GSLV Mk III launcher which is ISRO’s heavy-lift launcher has been identified for Gaganyaan mission given its requisite payload carrying capacity for launching an Orbiter module in a desired elliptical orbit.

 About L&T

• CEO: S. N. Subrahmanyan
• Headquarters: Mumbai

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING

London tops list of World’s Best Cities 2021, Delhi ranked 62- Resonance Consultancy

• London has topped a new list of best cities around the world by Vancouver-based Resonance Consultancy.
• The top 10 cities for 2021 in the world are — 1. London, 2. New York, 3. Paris, 4. Moscow, 5. Tokyo, 6. Dubai, 7. Singapore, 8. Barcelona, 9. Los Angeles, and 10. Madrid.
• India has only one representative on the list, with Delhi ranked 62.
• The ranking was based on the 25 factors including the number of social media hashtags and check-ins, weather, diversity, and the number of tourist attractions and parks.
• However, this year the rate of Covid-19 infections, unemployment, and income disparity was also considered. The study took into account a total of 100 cities around the world with a population of more than a million.

Arunachal Pradesh records best sex ratio with birth of over 1,000 girls, Manipur ends up at worst

• The state of Arunachal Pradesh recorded the best sex ratio in the country this year with the birth of 1,084 females per thousand males. Arunachal Pradesh was followed by Nagaland and Mizoram that recorded over 900 female births.
• The data was released in the 2018 report named ‘Vital statistics of India based on the Civil Registration System (CRS)’.
• The report is prepared by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. The state with the worst sex ratio was
• The report revealed that 963 females were born in Kerala while the lowest SRB was reported by Manipur with the birth of 757 females per thousand males.
• Lakshadweep saw 839 female births and Daman and Diu saw 877 female births. Punjab was the next name in the list with the birth of 896 females per thousand males.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS

Sudeep Tyagi announces retirement from all forms of cricket

• Sudeep Tyagi, who played for the Indian national cricket team in four ODIs and a lone T20I as a fast bowler, announced his retirement from all forms of the game.
• He was also a part of Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)in the Indian Premier League.

Cricket: 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.
• ICC stated the tournament, which was scheduled in November 2022, will now be held from February 9 to 26, 2023. It stated, 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.

About ICC:

• CEO: Manu Sawhney
• Headquarters: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Chairman: Imran Khwaja (acting)

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARY

Mridula Sinha, first woman Governor of Goa, passes away at 77

• Former Goa Governor and BJP leader Mridula Sinha passed away at AIIMS in Delhi.
• A teacher and poet, Sinha joined the BJP in 1981, holding senior posts till her last stint as Governor of Goa.
• Sinha (77) will be remembered for starting cultural events called ‘chaand ke saath’ in the lawns of Governor House. She had also opened a cattle shed inside the Raj Bhawan.

DAILY CA NOV 19TH

• The International Students’ Day is celebrated all around the world on November 17th.
• The National Naturopathy Day is observed in India on 18 November every year. The day was declared by the Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy), Government of India, on November 18, 2018.
• Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan has taken the decision to celebrate the birth anniversary of Martyr Birsa Munda as “Tribal Pride Day” in the state. “Tribal Pride Day” will be celebrated on November 15th.
• The Congress-ruled Puducherry rolled out a free breakfast scheme for school students named after the late DMK President M Karunanidhi. The “Dr Kalaignar Mu Karunanidhi Kaalai Sitrundi Thittam” (Dr Kalaignar M Karunanidhi breakfast scheme) that will benefit about 80,000 students in 419 government and aided institutions.
• The Coastal Security Police launched the Kadalu App for fishermen that will help them in submitting information about their arrival and departure from the fishing harbour using android mobile phones near Udupi, Karnataka.
• BSE, the leading stock exchange has launched ‘Corp Direct – A Direct Investment Portal for Corporates’, with more features which will further simplify and provide end-to-end value-based services to the asset management companies (AMCs), distributors, investors, and mutual fund industry participants.
• India has entered into a technical recession in the first half of 2020-21 for the first time in its history with Q2:2020-21 likely to record the second successive quarter of GDP contraction
• Banking regulator the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has named Senapathy (Kris) Gopalakrishnan, co-founder and former co-Chairman, Infosys, as the first Chairperson of the Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH).
• Prime minister Narendra Modi will deliver an address at the third Annual Bloomberg New Economy Forum. Established in 2018 by Michael Bloomberg,The inaugural forum was held in Singapore, followed by a second edition in Beijing, covering issues such as global economic management, trade and investment, technology, urbanisation, capital markets, climate change and inclusion.
• The Andhra Pradesh State Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC) signed MoUs with the four industry/academic partners — IBM India, Singapore Polytechnic International (SPI), India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) and LV Prasad Film & TV Academy (LVPA).
• The A & N Administration signed tripartite agreement on 13.11.2020 with USOF and BSNL for ensuring uninterrupted quality of service with Service Levels upto 99.99%.
• Rajasthan Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Bhanwarlal Meghwal passed He was 72.
• Former England, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Ray Clemence has passed away aged 72.
• Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation of Ministry of Jal Shakti will celebrate ‘World Toilet Day’ under ‘Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen for promoting awareness on access to safe sanitation. The theme of this year’s World Toilet Day is sustainable sanitation and climate change.
• Indian Army celebrated the 240th Corps of Engineers Day.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Bengaluru Tech Summit virtually.
• The Ministry of Food Processing launched the GIS One District One Product (ODOP) digital map of India. Minister for Food Processing Industries, Narendra Singh Tomar, also virtually inaugurated the capacity building component of the Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises Scheme (PM-FME Scheme).
• Union Minister of Science & Technology, Dr. Harsh Vardhan inaugurated the curtain raiser of IISF-2020 for kick-starting different events of the 6th edition of India International Science Festival (IISF), in New Delhi.
• The UK government announced the first principal partners for the UN climate conference, COP26, scheduled for November 1-12, 2021 in Glasgow.
• More than 30 major Japanese firms will begin experiments next year towards issuing a common, private digital currency to promote digitalisation in one of the world’s most cash-loving countries, the group’s organising body stated.
• The ‘Microsoft for Healthtech Startups’ programme has been launched to provide necessary resources to health-tech start-ups along with go-to-market support.
• Poonawalla Finance Pvt Ltd, a non-deposit taking NBFC, has entered into a tie-up with the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) to offer collateral-free special term loan product to over 65,000 Company Secretaries.
• Himachal Pradesh, the state government flagged off Medical Mobile Unit Jeevan Dhara, from the Ridge in Shimla.
• In Madhya Pradesh, a digital museum has been opened at Maharaj Bada in Gwalior for the public. The museum is developed by Gwalior Smart City and entry for the public is being made free for a few days.
• Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a joint venture of PSUs under the Ministry of Power and Department of New & Renewable Energy (DNRE), Goa, have signed a memorandum of understanding to discuss rolling out of India’s first Convergence Project in the State.
• The National Fisheries Development Board has conferred four awards to Assam for the success in the fishery sector. Assam has got the best state award under the category of best hilly and North Eastern state. Assam Apex Cooperative Fish Marketing and Processing Federation Limited (FISHFED) has been selected under the category of best hilly and North eastern government organization.
• India’s Artificial Intelligence supercomputer Param Siddhi has achieved 63rd rank among top 500 most powerful non-distributed computer systems in the world.

DAILY CA NOV 20TH

• International Men’s Day is observed every year on November 19. This year, the International Men’s Day theme is ‘Better health for men and boys’
• National Integration Day is celebrated on November 19 every year.The day marks the birth anniversary of the first woman Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi.
• World Children’s Day was first established in 1954 as Universal Children’s Day and is celebrated on 20 November each year. This year the theme is ”Investing in our future means investing in our children”.
• The U.K. will stop selling new diesel and petrol (gasoline) cars and vans from 2030 under plans announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
• Maharashtra government has decided to pay stipend to scheduled tribe (ST) candidates who are preparing for UPSC exams. Under this scheme, each candidate will be provided 12,000 per month. Additionally, Rs. 26,000 will also be provided to the candidate for purchasing books.
• The Karnataka cabinet gave in principle approval for the creation of Vijayanagara as the state’s 31st district, carving it out from the mine-rich
• The Punjab state cabinet cleared a new scheme, the Punjab Divyangjan Shaktikaran Yojna (PDSY), to be implemented in a phased manner with the first phase of the scheme aimed at strengthening the existing programmes to ensure their benefits reach people with disabilities.
• Reserve Bank of India imposed restrictions on withdrawals from Maharashtra-based Mantha Urban Cooperative Bank for six months.RBI has imposed monetary penalty of Rs 20 lakh on Bengaluru-based Shushruati Souharda Sahakara Bank Niyamita for deficiencies in regulatory compliance.It also imposed a penalty of Rs 1 lakh on The Deccan Urban Co-operative Bank, Vijayapura, Karnataka
• Veteran Journalist and News Agency ANI chairman Prem Prakash, his book “Reporting India”, shared that Nehru’s love for the then Defence Minister Krishna Menon cost India the 1962 Sino-India war.
• Larsen & Toubro (L&T), has delivered the first hardware, a booster segment, for Gaganyaan Launch Vehicle to ISRO
• London has topped a new list of best cities around the world by Vancouver-based Resonance Consultancy. India has only one representative on the list, with Delhi ranked 62.
• The state of Arunachal Pradesh recorded the best sex ratio in the country this year with the birth of 1,084 females per thousand males. Arunachal Pradesh was followed by Nagaland and Mizoram that recorded over 900 female births.
• IndusInd Bank subsidiary firm Bharat Financial Inclusion Ltd (BFIL) has signed a pact with Maharashtra government to enhance doorstep delivery of livestock care to farmers in the state. The joint initiative ”Maha Pashudhan Sanjeevani” —  to be implemented under the Mukhyamantri Pashu Swasthya Yojana — will also ensure all veterinary services available for farmers at just a phone call and the toll-free number 1962 will be operational from January 2021.
• Sudeep Tyagi, who played for the Indian national cricket team in four ODIs and a lone T20I as a fast bowler, announced his retirement from all forms of the game.
• Former Goa Governor and BJP leader Mridula Sinha passed away at AIIMS in Delhi.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bhutanese counterpart Lotay Tshering will virtually launch RuPay Card phase-2 in Bhutan.
• 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.
• India and Australia have signed the landmark Australia India Technology Framework Agreement on cyber and cyber-enabled technology.
• Yes Bank stated it has launched a co-branded prepaid card in partnership with Neokred Technologies to facilitate cashless payments
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a penalty of 10 lakh on Muthoot Finance Ltd, Ernakulam, and Rs.5 lakh on Manappuram Finance Ltd, Thrissur, for non-compliance with its directions.
• Receivables Exchange of India Ltd (RXIL) initiated a Trade Credit Insurance (TCI) backed transaction with Tata AIG as the insurer and ICICI Bank and Yes Bank as the financiers in a sandbox environment.
• Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Company has launched ESG Opportunities Fund, which will focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors and the principles for responsible investing.
• 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.
• North Police Station Kohima in Nagaland has been awarded an ISO certification. The Police station is located in the heart of Kohima Town which was the first established police station under Naga Hills district by the British Regime in the year 1933
• In Madhya Pradesh, a community-based nutrition management programme of very severely malnourished children is being conducted in all districts under the nurtured families – well nurtured Madhya Pradesh i.e. ‘Poshit Parivar-Suposhit Madhya Pradesh’ campaign.
• Tigress on the Trail”: In Madhya Pradesh, with the objective of promoting adventure and safe tourism for women, the first and unique adventurous motor cycle trip for women is starting in the state.
• A loan agreement for $500 million (approximately Rs.3,700 crore) was signed between the Centre and New Development Bank for funding the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS (regional rapid transit system) corridor.
• In Bihar, former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi sworn in as pro-tem speaker of the newly elected 17th Bihar Legislative Assembly.
• Jal Shakti Minister Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Minister of State, Jal Shakti, Rattan Lal Kataria conferred the Swachhata Awards 2020 on the 20 best performing districts for contributing towards ODF Sustainability and ODF Plus goals on World Toilet Day
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh unveiled two books ‘The Republican Ethic Volume III’ and ‘Loktantra Ke Swar’ which are collection of selected speeches of President Ram Nath Kovind during the third year of his presidency.
• 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 under the theme – Realising the Opportunities of the 21st Century for All.
• Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has addressed the 33rd Stop TB Partnership Board meet in New Delhi through Video Conference.
• 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.