Daily Current Affairs November 16 2022

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS : IMPORTANT DAYS

National Press Day 2022 – Nov 16

• National Press Dayis observed on November 16 every year to acknowledge and honourthe Press Council of India (PCI).
• The day marks the presence of an independent and responsible press in India.
• National Press Day 2022 will mark the 56th anniversary of the Press Council’s establishment.

World Press Freedom Index 2022:

• According to the World Press Freedom Index 2022, India’s ranking dropped to the 150th position from 142nd rank among 180 nations in 2021.
• Norway (1st) Denmark (2nd), Sweden (3rd) Estonia (4th) and Finland (5th) grabbed the top 5 positions, while North Korea remained at the bottom of the list of the 180 countries and territories.

Additional Info :

• Press Freedom is protected under article 19(1) (a) of the constitution, which states – “All citizens shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression”.

About PCI :

• Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi, India
• Chairman : Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai
• The PCI is a statutory, adjudicating organization in India formed in 1966 by its parliament.
• In 1966 on 16 November, the PCI was formed.
• It is the self-regulatory watchdog of the press, for the press and by the press, that operates under the Press Council Act of 1978.
• It also examines the quality of reportage of the Indian press and keeps a check on journalistic activities.

International Day for Tolerance Observed on 16 November

• International Day for Tolerance 2022 is annually observed on the 16th of November 2022 by the United Nations (UN).
• In 1993, at the initiative of UNESCO, the United Nations proclaimed 1995 as “The Year for Tolerance”.

Significance :

• The day marks the signing of the Declaration of Principles on Tolerance by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Nov 16, 1995.
• In 1995, to mark the United Nations Year for Tolerance and the 125th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, UNESCO created a prize for the promotion of tolerance and non-violence: the UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize with an amount of US $100000.
• The prize is awarded every two years to individuals or organizations on International Tolerance Day.
• This Prize rewards significant activities in the scientific, artistic, cultural or communication fields aimed at the promotion of a spirit of tolerance and non-violence.

About UNESCO :

• Established: 16 November 1945
• Headquarters: Paris, France
• Director General: Audrey Azoulay
• UNESCO is a specialized agencyof theUnited Nations (UN).

Aim :

• To promote world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

Jaipur International Airport receives an Aerodrome license from DGCA

• Jaipur International Airport Limited has received the Aerodrome license from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) following which the airport has embarked on an expansion drive.
• Earlier, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) was the license holder.
• Now the private player, which is operating the Jaipur airport since October 2021, has become the new license holder.
• The license is given to an airport operator for ensuring complete management of the airport by the concession agreement.

Key Highlights :

• The airport management has conducted an extensive survey at Jaipur airport which revealed that present passenger traffic of 50 lakh per annum will reach 1 crore by
• The management is now planning to reopen the Terminal- 1 which has been non-operational for the last 10 years.
• Terminal- 1 will be developed on the lines of the presently operational Terminal-2.
• Massive IT-related infrastructure, food and beverage services, and retail outlets, measures for zero carbon emission and environment sustainability, and security arrangements will be in place on the lines of T-2
• As per the environment guidelines, the Jaipur airport is developing a mini-forest near Dudu town where 4,400 trees will be planted and maintained for 5 years.
• At Terminal-2, the airport management has installed new e- boarding gates, an electronic helpdesk, 50 retail and branded outlets for customers, automated parking and transport mechanisms where private cab operators like WTI, Ola and Uber have been given a place to operate.

About DGCA :

• Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi, India
• Director General: Arun Kumar
• The DGCA is a statutory body of the Government of India to regulate civil aviation in India.
• It became a statutory body under the Aircraft (Amendment) Act, of 2020.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

Tamil Nadu notifies Cauvery South Wildlife Sanctuary as its 17th wildlife sanctuary

• The Government of Tamil Nadu (TN) has declared an area of 686.406 sq.km in the reserve forests of Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri as the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary.
• The newly notified sanctuary is the 17th Wildlife Sanctuary in

Key Details about Cauvery South Wildlife Sanctuary :

• Cauvery South Wildlife Sanctuary was notified under Section 26-A of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
• The forest area of 478 sq km in the Anchetty, Urigam and Jawalagiri ranges of Hosur division, which are contiguous with the Cauvery South will be declared as a wildlife sanctuary.
• It is home to 35 species of mammals, 238 species of birds, Leith’s soft-shell turtles, smooth-coated otters, marsh crocodiles, and four-horned antelopes.
• The sanctuary will be part of a protected landscape contiguous with the forests that currently constitute the Cauvery North Wildlife Sanctuary which is shared between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
• The sanctuary is also a large, contiguous network of protected areas, enabling uniform legal status and protection along both the banks of the river Cauvery for a 50 km stretch.
• The landscape maintains further continuity to the Nilgiri biosphere reserve through Malai Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary, Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve in Karnataka, and Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve along with Erode forest division of Tamil Nadu.
• Two important and large elephant corridors namely, the Nandimangalam-Ulibanda Corridor and the Kovaipallam-Anebiddahalla Corridor fall in this area.

About Tamil Nadu :

• Governor: R. N. Ravi
• Chief Minister: M. K. Stalin
• Capital: Chennai
• Dance : Bharatnatyam, Karakattam
• National Park: Mudumalai National Park, Mukurthi National Park, Guindy National Park, Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park
• Wildlife Sanctuaries: Kalakad Wildlife sanctuary, Karikili Bird Sanctuary, Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary
• Tiger Reserve: Anamalai Tiger Reserve
• Biosphere Reserve: Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING & FINANCE

ICICI Prudential Life Insurance launches long-term savings product – ICICI Pru Sukh Samruddhi

• ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company Limited has launched a new participating savings product, ‘ICICI Pru Sukh Samruddhi,’ which provides customers with guaranteed benefits and growth potential in the form of bonuses.
• Besides, the life cover continues for the entire duration of the policy, including the income period, providing financial security to the family.

About ‘ICICI Pru Sukh Samruddhi :

• This product also provides a higher maturity benefit to women customers to encourage them to embark on their savings journey and achieve financial independence.
• To address the varied financial needs of customers, this long-term saving product has been made available in two variants – income and lump sum.
• ICICI Pru Sukh Samruddhi Income, provides an excellent route to create a supplementary source of tax-free guaranteed income to meet financial goals, such as a child’s education, annual vacations, or any other interim income requirement.
• This option provides customers with a guaranteed regular income for the specified time period selected at the time of purchase.
• ICICI Pru Sukh Samruddhi Lump sum is ideal for customers looking to build a corpus over the long term and utilize the lump sum maturity amount to achieve big-ticket financial goals such as purchasing a house, financing children’s higher education, or legacy planning
• The innovative feature of ‘Savings Wallet’ allows customers to accumulate and grow their income, instead of taking it as payment.
• The unique ‘Save the Date’ feature enables customers to start receiving income on a date of their choice.

About ICICI Prudential Life Insurance :

• Founded: 2001
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• MD & CEO: Narayanan Srinivasa Kannan
• In 2016, the company became the first insurance company in India to be listed on the domestic stock exchanges.

NPCI enables electricity bill payments on 123PAY for feature phone users

• The National Payments Corp. of India (NPCI) announced that electricity bill payments service for more than 70 electricity boards has been enabled on 123PAY, an instant payment system for feature phones.
• It is powered by Bharat Bill Payment System(BBPS), this feature will facilitate a smooth and quick electricity bill payment service through 123PAY for users to instantly make payments directly from their bank accounts.

Key Highlights :

• 123PAY was developed by NPCI for feature phone users to allow them to undertake digital transactions based on four technology alternatives:

1. calling an IVR (interactive voice response) number
2. app functionality in feature phones
3. missed call-based approach,
4. proximity sound-based payments.

• With the launch of electricity bill payments on 123Pay, the need for feature phone users to conduct a paper check or pay in cash at the utility office will be eliminated.

About NPCI :

• Founded: 2008
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• MD & CEO : Dilip Asbe
• The NPCI is the specialized division of the Reserve Bank of India which is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance, Government of India.

RBI approves amalgamation of Shree Sharada Sahakari Bank with the Cosmos Co-operative Bank, Pune

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approved the amalgamation of Shree Sharada Sahakari Bank Ltd., Pune (Maharashtra) with the Cosmos Co-operative Bank Ltd., Pune (Maharashtra).
• The Scheme has been sanctioned in the exercise of the powers under the provisions of Section 44A read with Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 as amended vide the Banking Regulation (Amendment) Act, 2020 (39 of 2020).
• The Scheme will come into force with effect from October 30, 2022.
• All the branches of Shree Sharada Sahakari Bank Ltd, Pune (Maharashtra) will function as branches of The Cosmos Co-operative Bank Ltd., Pune (Maharashtra) with effect from October 30, 2022.

About RBI :

• Established: 1 April 1935
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Governor : Shaktikanta Das

Deputy governors: Mahesh Kumar Jain, M. Rajeshwar Rao, Michael Patra and T. Rabi Shankar

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Religare Enterprises appoints Yogeshwar Dutt as brand ambassador

• Financial services company Religare Enterprises Limited (REL) has signed Padma Shri awardee and Indian freestyle wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt, as its brand ambassador.
• He will be the face of the company’s integrated brand marketing campaigns across mediums.

About Yogeshwar Dutt :

• Dutt was born in the Sonipat district of Haryana.
• He is an Indian freestyle wrestler.
• At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he won the bronze medal in the 60 kg category.
• He won gold medals at the 2010and the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
• He is one of only 5 male wrestlers in India to win an Olympic medal.

Awards & Honors :

• He was awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 2012 given by the Government of India (GoI) & the Padma Shri by the GoI in

About REL :

• Headquarters: New Delhi, India
• Chairperson: Rashmi Saluja

Senior IAS officer Gaurav Dwivedi appointed as Prasar Bharati CEO

• A 1995-batch officer of Chhattisgarh cadre, Senior IAS officer Gaurav Dwivedi has been appointed the Chief Executive Officer of public broadcaster Prasar Bharati for five years.
• He succeeds Mayank Agrawal, the Director General of Doordarshan who holds additional charge as Prasar Bharati CEO.

About Gaurav Dwivedi :

• Mr Dwivedi Hailing from Uttar Pradesh, India.
• He was the CEO of MyGovIndia, the citizen engagement platform of the government, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014.
• He was also a faculty member at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie and is a recipient of the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Administration.
• Currently, he is posted as Principal Secretary, Commercial Tax, in the Chhattisgarh government.

About Prasar Bharati :

• Founded: 23 November 1997
• Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi
• Prasar Bharatiis India’s state-ownedpublic broadcaster.

Natasa Pirc Musar Elected Slovenia’s First Female President

• Lawyer Natasa Pirc Musar won the second round of Slovenia’s presidential election and will become the country’s first female President of Slovenia.
• Pirc Musar won 54% of the votes, while her rival, right-wing politician and former Foreign Minister Anze Logar, won 46%.
• While both candidates had run as independents, they were backed by the centre-left and rightwing political blocs.
• She will succeed President Borut Pahor, a centrist politician who had already served two terms in office.

About Natasa Pirc Musar :

• Natasa Pirc Musar is a Slovenian Attorney and book author, former Information commissioner, journalist, and the former President of Slovenia’s Red Cross.
• Musar is best known for her rulings and the books on freedom of information, and high-profile legal cases, in which she represented Slovenia-born Melania Trump, the Social Democrats Political Party of Slovenia.
• On June 23, 2022, Natasa Pirc Musar announced her candidacy for the President of Slovenia in the 2022 Presidential Elections.
• She was also the first to announce her candidacy for President and she has also endorsed the former Presidents of Slovenia.

About Slovenia :

• Capital : Ljubljana
• Currency: Euro

Jhanvi Kapoor became the brand ambassador of Nykaa Fashion

• Online beauty and fashion retailer Nykaa Fashion has named Bollywood actress Janhvi Kapoor as its brand ambassador for its two apps Nykaa Beauty and Nykaa Fashion meticulously cater to the needs of a discerning customer.

About Nykaa Fashion :

• Founded: April 2012
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• CEO : Falguni Nayar
• Nykaa is an Indian e-commerce company.
• Nykaa Fashion is amulti-brand e-commerce fashion offering from Nykaa and houses 1600+ brands and 5.1 million SKUs across Women, Men, Kids, Luxe, and Home categories.
• It is one of the fastest-growing fashion platforms in India as of 2022.
• The website and app are focused on being ‘discovery-led’ and ‘high on style’ giving a chance to browse through the latest trends and collections, along with engaging content.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS & HONORS

Indian-origin Nobel Laureate Venki Ramakrishnan was awarded UK’s royal Order of Merit

• Indian-origin Nobel laureate Professor Venki Ramakrishnan has been awarded the Order of Merit an exclusive mark of honour conferred by the British sovereign in recognition of his distinguished service to science.
• The 70-year-old UK-based molecular biologist is among 6 appointments made to the historic order by the late Queen Elizabeth II before her death in September 2022 and the first to be appointed by King Charles.
• Apart from Venki Ramakrishnan, the new appointments are
• David Adjaye, a Ghanaian-British architect
• Elizabeth Anionwu, the UK’s first sickle-cell nursing specialist
• Floella Benjamin, the broadcaster who chairs the Windrush Commemoration Committee
• Margaret MacMillan, a Canadian who is an Oxford University history professor
• Paul Nurse, the director of the Francis Crick Institute who is also a Nobel laureate and Venki’s immediate predecessor as Royal Society president.

About Venkatraman Ramakrishnan :

• Ramakrishnan was born in Chidambaram, Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu,
• In 1999, Ramakrishnan’s laboratory published a 5.5-angstrom resolution structure of the 30S subunit.
• He served as President of the Royal Society from 2015 to 2020.
• He is also the author of the popular book, Gene Machine, which captures his first-hand account of the discovery.

Awards & Honors :

• In 2007, Ramakrishnan was awarded the Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine and the Datta Lectureship and Medal of the Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS).
• In 2008, he won the Heatley Medal of the British Biochemical Society.
• In 2009, Ramakrishnan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry along with Thomas A. Steitz and Ada Yonath.
• He received India’s second-highest civilian honour, the Padma Vibhushan, in 2010.
• Venki received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on ribosomal structure and was knighted in 2012.
• In 2017, he received the Golden Plate Award from theAmerican Academy of Achievement.

About Order of Merit :

• Established: 26 June 1902
• The Order of Merit is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture.

The Print & Saurabh Shukla wins the International Press Institute India award

• The Print, a news portal, and Saurabh Shukla of the NDTV has been selected for the International Press Institute (IPI) India Award for Excellence in Journalism, 2022.
• IPI-India instituted the annual award in 2003 to recognise and honour the best work done by an Indian media organization or journalist working in print, radio, television and internet mediums.

Key Highlights :

• The Print has been recognised for a series of stories that exposed how hospitals, local bodies and governments in various States mismanaged the support system for the fight against COVID.
• Saurabh Shukla of NDTV has been awarded an entry on the exposure of hate speech made by religious men in Haridwar.
• The award comprises a cash prize of ₹1 lakh, a trophy and a citation, to each team.
• The selection was made by a distinguished jury of editors headed by Justice Madan B. Lokur, former judge of the Supreme Court of India.
• The award has been given to 17 media organizations and journalists in the print and electronic media so far.

About IPI :

• Founded: October 1950
• Headquarters: Vienna, Austria
• Chair : Khadija Patel
• IPI is a global organization dedicated to the promotion and protection of press freedomand the improvement of journalism practices.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

Switzerland win the Billie Jean King Cup championship for the first time

• Switzerland won their first Billie Jean King Cup title after Belinda Bencic beat Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic in straight sets in the second match of the finals to give them an unassailable 2-0 lead.
• The Swiss had never won the competition formerly known as the Fed Cup, losing the final in 1998 and again in 2021.
• Australia, the seven-time champions, were seeking their first title since 1974.

About Billie Jean King Cup :

• Chairperson: Katrina Adams
• Most Titles: United States (18 titles)
• The Billie Jean King Cup is the premier international team competition in women’s tennis, launched as the Federation Cup in 1963 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Tennis Federation (ITF).
• The name was changed to the Fed Cup in 1995 and changed again in September 2020 in honour of former World No. 1Billie Jean King.
• It is the world’s largest annual women’s international team sports competition in terms of the number of nations that compete.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : OBITUARIES

Actor Kevin Conroy, the voice of Batman’s animated series, passes away

• Hollywood actor Kevin Conroy, best known for voicing Batman on Warner Bros.’ long-running television series Batman: The Animated Series, has passed away at the age of 66.

About Kevin Conroy :

• Conroy was born on November 30, 1955, in Westbury, New York, United States.
• Conroy was the voice of Batman on the acclaimed animated series that ran from 1992-1996, often acting opposite Mark Hamill’s Joker.
• He appeared in episodes of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and Masters of the Universe: Revelation on Netflix as Mer-Man in the latter franchise.
• He also appeared in several DC Universe Animated Original Movies, including Batman: Gotham Knight (2008), Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009), and Justice League vs. the Fatal Five (2019).

Daily CA on Nov 16 :

• National Press Dayis observed on November 16 every year to acknowledge and honourthe Press Council of India (PCI).
• International Day for Tolerance 2022 is annually observed on the 16th of November 2022 by the United Nations (UN).
• Jaipur International Airport Limited has received the Aerodrome license from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) following which the airport has embarked on an expansion drive.
• The Government of Tamil Nadu (TN) has declared an area of 686.406 sq.km in the reserve forests of Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri as the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary.
• ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company Limited has launched a new participating savings product, ‘ICICI Pru Sukh Samruddhi,’ which provides customers with guaranteed benefits and growth potential in the form of bonuses.
• The National Payments Corp. of India (NPCI) announced that electricity bill payments service for more than 70 electricity boards has been enabled on 123PAY, an instant payment system for feature phones.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approved the amalgamation of Shree Sharada Sahakari Bank Ltd., Pune (Maharashtra) with the Cosmos Co-operative Bank Ltd., Pune (Maharashtra).
• Financial services company Religare Enterprises Limited (REL) has signed Padma Shri awardee and Indian freestyle wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt, as its brand ambassador.
• A 1995-batch officer of Chhattisgarh cadre, Senior IAS officer Gaurav Dwivedi has been appointed the Chief Executive Officer of public broadcaster Prasar Bharati for five years.
• Lawyer Natasa Pirc Musar won the second round of Slovenia’s presidential election and will become the country’s first female President of Slovenia.
• Online beauty and fashion retailer Nykaa Fashion has named Bollywood actress Janhvi Kapoor as its brand ambassador for its two apps Nykaa Beauty and Nykaa Fashion meticulously cater to the needs of a discerning customer.
• Indian-origin Nobel laureate Professor Venki Ramakrishnan has been awarded the Order of Merit an exclusive mark of honour conferred by the British sovereign in recognition of his distinguished service to science.
• The Print, a news portal, and Saurabh Shukla of the NDTV has been selected for the International Press Institute (IPI) India Award for Excellence in Journalism, 2022.
• Switzerland won their first Billie Jean King Cup title after Belinda Bencic beat Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic in straight sets in the second match of the finals to give them an unassailable 2-0 lead.
• Hollywood actor Kevin Conroy, best known for voicing Batman on Warner Bros.’ long-running television series Batman: The Animated Series, has passed away at the age of 66.