Daily Current Affairs November 28 & 29 2021

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

National Organ Donation Day- Nov 27

• National Organ Donation Day is celebrated on November 27 in India every year. 
• The day has been observed for the last 10 years. 
• The main objective of the national organ donation day is to spread awareness among people and to recognize the selfless efforts made towards mankind, and re-establish our belief in humanity.
• 2021 marks the 12th National Organ Donation Day.
• It is organised by the National Organ & Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for the Pharmaceutical Sector

• The PLI Scheme for Pharmaceuticals is based on the strategy of “Atma Nirbhar Bharat- Strategies for enhancing India’s manufacturing capabilities and enhancing exports in ten sectors”, which had been approved by the Union Cabinet
• The objective of the scheme is to enhance India’s manufacturing capabilities by increasing investment and production in the sector and contributing to product diversification to high value goods in the pharmaceutical sector.
• The scheme will provide financial incentives on the incremental sales of pharmaceutical goods and in-vitro diagnostic medical devices to selected applicants based on pre-defined selection criteria.
• The incentives will be paid for a maximum period of 6 years for each participant depending upon the threshold investments and sales criteria to be achieved by the applicant.
• The total quantum of the incentive for the scheme is Rs 15,000 crore. SIDBI is the Project Management Agency for the Scheme.

6th Edition of Indo-France Joint Military Exercise “Ex Shakti 2021” Culminates in France

• 6th Edition of biennial Indo – France military exercise “Ex SHAKTI- 2021” culminated after twelve days of intense joint military training, exhibiting their combat power and dominance over the extremist groups in simulated Counter Insurgency / Counter Terrorism environment.
• The exercise provided opportunity to both the contingents to train in Counter Terrorism operations in joint environment under United Nations charter.
• The exercise was conducted in two phases involving combat conditioning and tactical training of Counter Terrorism operations culminating with validation of training in semi urban environment.
• The exercise proved to be another remarkable milestone towards the pledge of terrorism free world.
• The exercise has certainly added another dimension to ever enhancing military diplomacy between both the participating countries.

About France:

• President: Emmanuel Macron Trending
• Capital: Paris
• Currencies: Euro, CFP franc

MoS for Ayush Munjpara Mahedrabhai inaugurates Ayurveda Parv-2021

• Minister of State for Ayush Munjpara Mahedrabhai virtually inaugurated the Ayurveda Parv-2021 in New Delhi.
• The three-day event has been organised to promote Ayurveda.
• An exhibition has been arranged with 40 stalls and participation of pharmaceutical companies.
• Ayurveda Parv has been organized for proper utilization of Ayurvedic health care and also for coordination and better utilization of Ayurvedic research, education and manufacturing of medicines.
• Secretary of Ministry of Ayush Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha was also present on the occasion.

About AYUSH Ministry:

• Minister: Sarbananda Sonowal
• Minister of State: Munjapara Mahendrabhai
• Secretary: Rajesh Kotecha

Indian Railways launches Bharat Gaurav theme-based circuit trains to boost tourism

• Minister of Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced the launch of Bharat Gaurav, which will be run in theme-based circuits by both the private sector and the IRCTC.
• The Indian Railways is in the process of finalizing theme-based tourist circuit trains through private and state-owned service providers in a move to display the country’s rich cultural heritage.
• These trains will showcase India’s rich cultural heritage and historical places to the people of India and the world.
• The Bharat Gaurav tourists’ trains can be run by any entity including a government enterprise or a private sector.
• The service providers will be free to decide the theme of the train circuit and rates to be charged.

Ministry of Women and Child Development has Celebrated ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ With the Theme of Children Ideas, Rights & Nutrition

• To commemorate the monumental occasion of India’s 75 years’ independence, Ministry of Women and Child Development Celebrated Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav during the week 14-21 November, 2021 with the theme of ‘Children Ideas, Rights & Nutrition’. 
• The objective was to generate awareness about child rights and stimulate the collective thought process of the community at large in this direction mainly through outreach activities in Child Care Institutions (CCIs) and Specialised Adoption Agencies.
• During the week, visits were made by WCD ministry officials to 17 Child Care Institutions including Government Observation Homes, Children Home for Special Needs and Specialized Adoption Agencies spread across 16 States/UTs (Delhi, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Haryana, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Meghalaya and Manipur)and various activitieswere organized for children in collaboration with Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Environment.
• National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) organized a National Workshop on “Child Rights with emphasis on preventive aspects of child protection issues” on 21st November, 2021 at Gandhi Darshan, New Delhi.
• The programme was inaugurated by Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, Hon’ble Minister, Ministry of Women & Child Development as the chief guest.

About Ministry of WCD:

• Minister: Smriti Zubin Irani
• MOS: Munjapara Mahendrabhai
• Secretary: Indevar Pandey

Collins Dictionary names ‘NFT’ as the Word of the Year 2021

• As per the Collins Dictionary, it has named the term ‘NFT’ as the Word of the Year 2021. 
• NFT is the acronym for “non-fungible token”.
• According to Collins Dictionary, NFT is called as “a unique digital certificate, registered in a blockchain, that is used to record the ownership of an asset such as an artwork or a collectible”.
• Collins English Dictionary is published by HarperCollins in Glasgow.

Women’s Involvement in Science and Engineering Research (WISER) program

• A first-of-its-kind programme to promote women in the field of research and development through lateral entry was launched.
• The programme called Women’s Involvement in Science and Engineering Research (WISER) program was launched by Indo-German Science & Technology Centre (IGSTC) for encouraging women researchers in joint R&D projects.
• Mr. SK Varshney, Indian co-chair and Head, International Cooperation Division, DST, pointed out that WISER will enable gender equality and women’s participation in Science and Technology through IGSTC’s program.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

UNESCO Member States Adopt the First Ever Global Agreement on The Ethics Of AI

• Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO presented the first ever global standard on the ethics of artificial intelligence adopted by the member states of UNESCO at the General Conference.
• That defines the common values and principles which will guide the construction of the necessary legal infrastructure to ensure the healthy development of AI.
• Qingdao in China will host the 2021 International Forum on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Education as a hybrid event (online and in-person) on Dec. 7 and 8.

About UNESCO:

• Headquarters: Paris, France
• Director-General : Audrey Azoulay
• Founded: 16 November 1945, London, United Kingdom
• It has 193 member states and 11 associate members.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

TN eGovernance Agency, Chennai Mathematical Institute has signed an MoU

• An MoU was exchanged between Tamil Nadu eGovernance Agency and the Chennai Mathematical Institute at the CII Connect 2021 in the presence of Chief Minister MK Stalin.
• The MoU aims to establish cooperation to create necessary capabilities and analytical framework for the Tamil Nadu decision support system.
• The IT minister Mano T Thangaraj during a discussion at the conference also emphasised the need for data-centric administration for better governance.
• He also cited an example on the effective use of analytics in the waiver of loans for under five sovereigns of gold.

About TN:

• Governor: R. N. Ravi
• Capital: Chennai
• Chief minister: M. K. Stalin
• NP: Guindy National P,  Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park, Indira Gandhi (Annamalai) National Park, Mudumalai National Park, Mukurthi National Park

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND ECONOMY

RBI has imposed ₹1 crore penalty on SBI

• The Reserve Bank of India has imposed a monetary penalty of ₹1 crore on the State Bank of India (SBI) for contravention of a provision in the Banking Regulation (BR) Act, 1949, relating to the extent of shares a Bank can hold in borrower companies.
• The central bank announced that, this action is based on deficiencies in regulatory compliance and is not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the State Bank of India with its customers.
• RBI’s statutory inspections for supervisory evaluation (ISE) of SBI with reference to its financial positions as on March 31, 2018, and March 31, 2019, and the examination of the risk assessment reports, inspection report and all related correspondence pertaining to the same, revealed contravention of sub-section (2) of section 19 of the BR Act.
• RBI came to the conclusion that the charge of contravention of the aforesaid provisions of the Act was substantiated and warranted imposition of monetary penalty on the bank to the extent of contravention of the aforesaid provisions of the Act.

About SBI:

• Chairperson: Dinesh Kumar Khara
• Founded: 1 July 1955
• Headquarters: Mumbai
• Tagline: The Nation banks on us; Pure Banking Nothing Else; With you all the way

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATION

Vipin Sondhi steps down as Ashok Leyland MD-CEO

• In a sudden development, leading truck and bus-maker Ashok Leyland has announced that its Managing Director & CEO, Vipin Sondhi, has resigned due to certain personal and family commitments.
• Sondhi, who took charge in December 2019, will officially step down from the current post with effect from December 31.
• The board has requested Dheeraj Hinduja to step in as Executive Chairman with immediate effect for business continuity and a seamless transition.
• The board will meet shortly to decide on the further course of action for identifying the next CEO and MD.
• The Hinduja flagship has lost market share in the Medium and Heavy Commercial Vehicles segment due to some structural shift in the intermediate commercial vehicle segment though it vows to regain the lost ground with new products.

Kuwait reappoints Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah as Prime Minister

• Sheikh Sabah Al Khaled Al Hamad Al Sabah has been appointed the new Prime Minister of Kuwait. 
• Prior to that he has served in various capacities like Foreign Minister and first Deputy Prime Minister etc.
• Sabah was first appointed as the 8th prime minister of Kuwait in November 2019.
• Sheikh Sabah also served as Kuwait’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and Envoy at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) from 1995 to 1998.
• He has also been awarded with the Order of King Abdulaziz of First Class in 1998 by Saudi Arabia.

About Kuwait:

• Capital: Kuwait City;
• Currency: Dinar.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SUMMITS & CONFERENCES

CEC: Participation of female voters in India exceeds men

• The Election Commission of India (ECI) hosted an international webinar, in New Delhi on the theme “Enhancing electoral participation of Women, Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) & Senior citizen Voters: Sharing Best Practices and New Initiatives”.
• Women’s participation stood at more than 67 per cent in 2019 General Election.
• The gender gap was -16.71 per cent in 1962, has reversed to +0.17 per cent in 2019.

India calls for working towards rightful place for BRICS in Global Innovation Index

• Science and Technology Minister Dr Jitendra Singh, BRICS countries must come together and innovate cost-effective, affordable, accessible, sustainable and scalable scientific solutions, as they face many similar and unique challenges.
• He called for working towards rightful place for BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) in the Global Innovation Index. 
• It can be achieved through further strengthening the cooperation in the field of Science, Technology and Innovation. Dr. Singh today chaired the 9th BRICS Science and Technology Ministers Meet.
• Dr Singh reiterated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has strong commitment towards strengthening of cooperation within BRICS counties as this cooperation directly impacts the welfare and progress of people.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE NEWS

IAF receives 2 Mirage 2000 fighters from France 

• On Nov 25, 2021, The Indian Air Force received two Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft from France at its Gwalior air base.

Purpose:

• To boost the fighter jet fleet at a time when there is growing tensions on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), especially with China.
• The IAF had acquired around 51 Mirages in different batches and they form three squadrons which are all based in the Gwalior Air Force station.
• The aircraft would be upgraded to the latest standards as part of the Mirage upgrade programme going on in the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
• The Mirage upgrade deal between the French and Indian sides was for enhancing the capabilities of 51 aircraft.
• The Indian Air Force has invested very smartly in finding the spares for the Mirages in the form of phased out old French aircraft and this is going to help the Air Force maintain them till 2035.

About IAF:

• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Founded: 8 October 1932, India
• Commander-in-Chief : President Ram Nath Kovind
• Chief of Defence Staff : General Bipin Rawat
• Chief of the Air Staff : Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari
• Vice Chief of the Air Staff : Air Marshal Sandeep Singh

About Hindustan Aeronautics Limited:

• Headquarters: Bangalore, Karnataka
• Chairman & MD: R Madhavan
• Founder: Walchand Hirachand
• Founded: 23 December 1940
• HAL is one of the oldest and largest aerospace and defence manufacturers in the world.
• The HAL HF-24 Marut fighter-bomber was the first indigenous fighter aircraft made in India.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

SARS-CoV-2 Variant B.1.1.529 a ‘Variant of Concern’ – WHO                       

• On Nov 26, 2021, The new SARS-CoV-2 variant, B.1.1.529 has been classified as a “Variant of Concern” and is named Omicron, the World Health Organization.
• The Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution (TAG-VE) is an independent group of experts that periodically monitors and evaluates the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 and assesses if specific mutations and combinations of mutations alter the behaviour of the virus.
• This variant has a large number of mutations, some of which are concerning.

About WHO:

• Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
• Director General : Tedros Adhanom
• Founded: 7 April 1948
• It has six regional offices and 150 field offices worldwide.

Pakistan successfully tests fires surface-to-surface ballistic missile – Shaheen-1A

• On Nov 25, 2021, Pakistan conducted a successful test launch of an indigenously developed Shaheen-1A surface to surface ballistic missile.

Aim:

• Re-validating certain design and technical parameters of the weapon system”.
• However, the army did not share any technical details of the missile.
• The flight test was witnessed by Director General Strategic Plans Division (SPD) Lt Gen Nadeem Zaki Manj, Chairman National Engineering and Scientific Commission (NESCOM) Dr Raza Samar, Commander Army Strategic Forces Command Lt Gen Muhammad Ali, and the scientists and engineers of the strategic organisations.
• Shaheen-1A is capable of delivering different types of warheads.
• Pakistan first test-launched the Shaheen-1A on April 25, 2012.
• Three additional flight tests took place in November 2014, December 2015.
• In March 2021, the armed forces had conducted the successful test launch of the nuclear-capable Shaheen 1-A (Hatf 4) medium-range ballistic missile & It had a range of 900 kilometres.

About Pakistan:

• Currency: Pakistani rupee
• Capital: Islamabad
• President: Arif Alvi
• Prime minister: Imran Khan

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING & INDEX

BrandZ India report 2021: Amazon, Asian Paints and Tata Tea top the India’s most purposeful brands   

• According to findings of the Kantar’s BrandZ India 2021 report, Amazon, Tata Tea and Asian Paints emerged as the most purposeful brands in India across technology, fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) and in non-FMCG categories respectively.
• Kantar conducted an analysis of 418 brands across 30 categories and found that in India especially, perceptions of a brand’s purpose, its ability to ‘make people’s lives better.
• Within the technology ranking Amazon leads the index followed by Zomato, YouTube, and Google and Swiggy jointly in fourth place, followed by Flipkart.
• Tata Tea leads the FMCG category followed by Hindustan Unilever’s detergent brand Surf Excel, tea brand Taj Mahal, Marico’s Parachute and Nestle India’s Maggi both in fourth position and Britannia completing the list.
• FMCG brands are focusing on reducing their carbon footprint and taking a social stance.
• Non-FMCG brands are now adopting marketing strategies that promote the brand in ways that look beyond the function of product or service
• The Indian consumer, on a par with many of their Asian counterparts are actively engaging with sustainability; 77 per cent are prepared to invest time and money in companies that try to do good

About Kantar Group Ltd:

• Founded: 1992
• Headquarters: London, England, UK
• CEO: Chris Jansen

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS & AUTHORS

Maroof Raza authors a new book titled Contested Lands: India, China and the Boundary Dispute                  

• A retired Indian Army officer Maroof Raza authored a new book titled Contested Lands: India, China and the Boundary Dispute.
• The Book has been published by Westland Non-fiction.

About the Book:

• The book highlights the history of India’s boundary making with Tibet and China and also analyses the current India-China boundary contestation stemming from interpretations of history in the post-colonial period.

About Maroof Raza:

• Maroof Raza is a retired Indian Army officer with experience in counter-insurgency operations.
• He is a consultant and strategic affairs expert on Times Now.
• He has anchored and presented a 20-part series on the Indian armed forces, titled Line of Duty.
• He is also the anchor of a strategic affairs show called Latitude and India Risk Report.
• He is the Mentor of Security Watch India.

NATIONAL TECHINACAL TEXTILE MISSION (NTTM)

Launched on:

National technical textile mission (NTTM) was launched by the government on 26 February 2020, with a view to making India a self-reliant, vibrant, export-oriented economy in the world.

Ministry involved:

The mission is under the administrative control of ministry of textile.

Minister of textile (present)- Piyush goyal

Minister of textile (at the time if launch of mission)- Smriti irani

Objectives:

• To increase the global market for Indian technical textiles
• To focus on development on usage of technical textiles in various flagship missions, programmes of the country including strategic sectors.
• The increase of technical textiles in agriculture, aquaculture, dairy, poultry, etc. Jal Jivan Mission; Swachch Bharat Mission and Ayushman Bharat.
• To improve agricultural productivity and income to farmers per acre of land holding in addition to promotion of manufacturing and exports activities in India.
• To Promote an innovation amongst young engineering /technology/ science standards and graduates.
• To create innovation and incubation centres and promotion of ‘start-up’ and Ventures’.

 Corpus:

• The mission was launched for a period of 4 years (2020-21 to 2023-24) with an outlay of Rs.1480 crores.
• The distribution of funds is as follows: –
• For Research Innovation & Development – Rs. 1000 crores,
• For Promotion and Market Development- Rs.50 crore,
• For Education, Training and Skilling- Rs. 400 crores, and
• For Export Promotion – Rs.10 crores and balance Rs.20 crores for administrative expenses.

Benefits:

• The main aim of the mission is to get India the highest position in Technical Textiles at a global level
• This mission will be useful to improve the penetration level of the technical textiles in the country. It must also be noted that the penetration level of technical textiles is low in India at 5-10%, against 30-70% in advanced countries.
• The mission will comprise of the following four components
• Research, Innovation and Development
• Promotion and Market Development
• Export Promotion
• Education, Training, Skill Development

Implementation and Governance:

The mission will be implemented via a three-tier institutional mechanism which will consist of the following:

• Mission Steering Group: The group will be authorized to approve all financial norms with respect toschemes components and programme of the mission. The group will also be entrusted with the responsibility of approving all scientific and technological research projects under the mission.

 

• Empowered Programme Committee: The committee will be required to approve all projects (except research projects) within the financial limits of various programs as approved by the Mission Steering Group. The committee will also be entrusted with the responsibility of monitoring the implementation of various components of the mission.

 

• Committee on Technical Textiles on Research, Development & Innovation: This committee will be responsible for identification and recommendation of research projects to the Mission Steering Group for approval. These projects will be related to strategic sectors such as space, security, defence, para-military, and atomic energy.

About technical textile:

• Technical Textiles are textile products which are manufactured primarily for their functionality and use rather than the aesthetic appeal.
• This includes functional fabrics which find application in civil engineering, construction, defence, healthcareand automobile among other industries.
• The products are divided into 12 segments based on their usage.

1. Agrotech
2. Buildtech
3. Clothtech
4. Geotech
5. Hometech
6. Indutech
7. Mobiltech
8. Meditech
9. Protech
10. Sportstech
11. Oekotech
12. Packtech

About Indian textile sectors:

• The Indian Technical Textiles Sectorhas an Annual Average Growth Rate (AAGR) of 12% which is three times the world average of 4%. The market size of the sector in India is estimated to be more than $15 Bn (in FY 2018). Moreover, with a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 20%, the domestic market of technical textiles is projected to cross $25 Bn by FY 2021.
• All the components of the National Technical Textiles Missionin turn also support the ‘Make in India’ initiative by promoting research activities for indigenous development of machineries and process equipment for technical textiles. This will reduce India’s import dependence and promote domestic manufacturing of capital goods in the sector.

Daily CA On Nov 28^th & 29^th:

• National Organ Donation Day is celebrated on November 27 in India every year. 
• The PLI Scheme for Pharmaceuticals is based on the strategy of “Atma Nirbhar Bharat- Strategies for enhancing India’s manufacturing capabilities and enhancing exports in ten sectors”, which had been approved by the Union Cabinet
• 6th Edition of biennial Indo – France military exercise “Ex SHAKTI- 2021” culminated after twelve days of intense joint military training, exhibiting their combat power and dominance over the extremist groups in simulated Counter Insurgency / Counter Terrorism environment.
• Minister of State for Ayush Munjpara Mahedrabhai virtually inaugurated the Ayurveda Parv-2021 in New Delhi.
• Minister of Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced the launch of Bharat Gaurav, which will be run in theme-based circuits by both the private sector and the IRCTC.
• To commemorate the monumental occasion of India’s 75 years’ independence, Ministry of Women and Child Development Celebrated Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav during the week 14-21 November, 2021 with the theme of ‘Children Ideas, Rights & Nutrition’. 
• As per the Collins Dictionary, it has named the term ‘NFT’ as the Word of the Year 2021. 
• The programme called Women’s Involvement in Science and Engineering Research (WISER) program was launched by Indo-German Science & Technology Centre (IGSTC) for encouraging women researchers in joint R&D projects.
• Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO presented the first ever global standard on the ethics of artificial intelligence adopted by the member states of UNESCO at the General Conference.
• An MoU was exchanged between Tamil Nadu eGovernance Agency and the Chennai Mathematical Institute at the CII Connect 2021 in the presence of Chief Minister MK Stalin.
• The Reserve Bank of India has imposed a monetary penalty of ₹1 crore on the State Bank of India (SBI) for contravention of a provision in the Banking Regulation (BR) Act, 1949, relating to the extent of shares a Bank can hold in borrower companies.
• In a sudden development, leading truck and bus-maker Ashok Leyland has announced that its Managing Director & CEO, Vipin Sondhi, has resigned due to certain personal and family commitments.
• Sheikh Sabah Al Khaled Al Hamad Al Sabah has been appointed the new Prime Minister of Kuwait. 
• The Election Commission of India (ECI) hosted an international webinar, in New Delhi on the theme “Enhancing electoral participation of Women, Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) & Senior citizen Voters: Sharing Best Practices and New Initiatives”.
• Science and Technology Minister Dr Jitendra Singh, BRICS countries must come together and innovate cost-effective, affordable, accessible, sustainable and scalable scientific solutions, as they face many similar and unique challenges.
• On Nov 25, 2021, The Indian Air Force received two Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft from France at its Gwalior air base.
• On Nov 26, 2021, the new SARS-CoV-2 variant, B.1.1.529 has been classified as a “Variant of Concern” and is named Omicron, the World Health Organization.
• On Nov 25, 2021, Pakistan conducted a successful test launch of an indigenously developed Shaheen-1A surface to surface ballistic missile.
• According to findings of the Kantar’s BrandZ India 2021 report, Amazon, Tata Tea and Asian Paints emerged as the most purposeful brands in India across technology, fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) and in non-FMCG categories respectively.
• A retired Indian Army officer Maroof Raza authored a new book titled Contested Lands: India, China and the Boundary Dispute.