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By admin: Nov. 11, 2022

US Treasury removes India from its Currency Monitoring List

Tags: Economy/Finance

The US Department of Treasury (American Finance Ministry) on 11 November 2022 has removed India along with Italy, Mexico, Thailand and Vietnam from its Currency Monitoring List.

China, Japan, Korea, Germany, Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan are the seven economies that are a part of the current monitoring list, the Department of Treasury said in its biannual report to the American Congress (American Parliament).

India was for the first time put in the currency monitoring list in 2018 and was later on removed later on. But it was again put in the list in April 2021. 

The countries that have been removed from the list have met only one out of three criteria for two consecutive reports, it said.

What is Currency Monitoring List? 

Under the 2015 act of the United States the department of Treasury has to submit a semi-annual report to the United States Congress(American Parliament) in which it mentions major trading partners of the United States which it believes enjoy unfair trade advantage due to currency manipulation.

Currency manipulation means that the country deliberately keeps the value of its currency low as compared to its competitors so as to keep the price of its exported goods low and hence boost its exports. 

An economy meeting two of the three criteria in the 2015 Act is placed on the Monitoring List. These criteria are as follows:

• The country shall have a large trade surplus with the United States.
• The country persistently intervenes in the foreign exchange market and buys foreign exchange in at least six out of 12 months and the net purchase of foreign currency shall be higher than 2% of country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
• The country shall have a current account surplus of at least 3% of GDP.  

On a maiden visit to India Janet Yelllen participates in the 9th meeting of India-US Economic Financial Partnership at Delhi

Tags: Person in news

The United States of America Treasury Secretary (American Finance Minister )  Janet Yellen ,who is on  her first trip to India met the Indian Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman  and attended the 9th India-US Economic Financial Partnership meeting  in New Delhi on 11 November 2022.

Speaking on this occasion, US Treasury Secretary Dr. Janet Yellen said, strong trade, investment and people-to-people ties make bilateral, economic and financial relationships, a critical element to India-USA partnership.

During the meeting, both sides discussed issues of mutual interest including climate finance, multilateral issues, and India-US cooperation at G20 under India's Presidency, taxation, supply chain resilience, global economy and macroeconomic outlook.

Earlier speaking at the Microsoft India Development Centre in Noida she said that United States President Joe Biden has said that “India is one of America's indispensable partners”.

After concluding her day-long visit to India, secretary Yellen will travel to Bali, Indonesia to represent the United States at the G20 Joint Finance and Health Ministers’ Meeting on November 12 and accompany President Joe Biden at the G20 Leaders’ Summit on November 15 and 16.

Maharashtra cabinet issues proposal to set up Maharashtra Institute of Transformation (MITRA)

Tags: State News

The Maharashtra government on 11 November issued a government resolution to form the Maharashtra Institution for Transformation – MITRA. This institution will work on the lines of NITI Aayog of the Central Government. 

Important facts

• MITRA will be headed by Chief Minister Eknath Sambhaji Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will be the co-chairman.

• In October, the Maharashtra cabinet had given its approval for the formation of the Maharashtra Institution for Transformation (MITRA).

• Maharashtra Institute for Transformation will be the state's think tank for decision making based on comprehensive data analysis and studies on various sectors.

• This will enable the state to achieve the target of making the state a $1 trillion economy by 2027 and a $3.5 trillion economy by 2047.

• A delegation led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde met the Chief Executive Officer and other officials of NITI Aayog.

• It will act as an advisor in the implementation of the schemes of the State Government.

NITI Aayog 

• It is the apex public policy think tank of the Government of India and responsible for bringing ideas and focus to key areas through policy formulation.

• It is also responsible for promoting cooperative federalism in the country through the participation of state governments in the economic policy-making process.

About Maharashtra 

• Establishment - 1st May 1960

• Official Language -  Marathi

• Neighbouring States - Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Goa, Dadra And Nagar Haveli, Chhattisgarh

• Members of Parliament - Lok Sabaha 48 (Rajya Sabha seats 19)

• Legislature - Bicameral ( Assembly 289 and council 78 seats)

• Capital - Mumbai

SC orders release of six convicts in ‘Rajiv Gandhi’ assassination case

Tags: National

The Supreme Court on 11 November 2022 ordered the release of six convicted person serving life imprisonment for their role in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. In the present case Nalin and Ravichandran had moved the Supreme Court to challenge the Madras High Court order of 17 June 2022 which rejected their plea for early release from Jail.

The six convicts Nalini, her husband Murugan alias Sriharan, Ravichandran, Jayakumar, Robert Pais, and Santhan were initially sentenced to death by  special Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) court In 1998 However, their death sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment by the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court held that the judgment of the Supreme Court in the A G Perarivalan case was applicable to this case also. 

A.G. Perarivalan who was also convicted in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case was released on 11 May 2022 by a two judge bench of the Supreme Court comprising Justices L. Nageswara Rao and B. R. Gavai invoking article 142 of the constitution. The Supreme Court cited inordinate delay by the Tamil Nadu Governor in deciding Perarivalan early release plea after the state government had recommended his release way back in 2018.

Under article 142 of the constitution the Supreme Court has the power to pass an order or decree for doing complete justice in any cause or matter pending before it.

A.G. Perarivalan case 

• In 2015 A.G. Perarivalan filed a mercy petition before the governor of Tamilnadu.
• Under article 161 the governor of a state has the power to grant pardons, reprieves, respites or remissions of punishment or to suspend, remit or commute the sentence of any person convicted of any offence against any law relating to a matter to which the executive power of the State extends.
• In 2018 the Tamilnadu government headed by Chief Minister  Edappadi K Palaniswami recommended the governor to release Perarivalan ,
• In 2021 Perarivalan approached the Supreme Court after the Governor failed to act on his mercy petition. 

Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated on May 21, 1991, during an election campaign at Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. The woman assassin, Dhanu, triggered a belt bomb to kill Gandhi and 16 other people.

Lovlina, Parveen, Saweety and Alifiya win Asian Boxing Championship titles at Amman

Tags: place in news Sports Person in news

It was a gold medal day for India as Lovlina Borgohain(75kg), Parveen Hooda (63kg), Saweety (81kg) and Alfiya Khan (81+kg)  won gold and were crowned Asian champion at the ASBC Asian Elite Boxing Championships in Amman, Jordan on 11 November 2022.

World championships bronze medallist Parveen Hooda (63kg) defeated Japan's Kito Mai to win the first gold for India in the  current Asian Boxing championship.

 Tokyo Olympic 2020 bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain, won the gold medal in the 75kg category by defeating Ruzmetova Sokhiba of Uzbekistan. It is Lovlina's third Asian Championship medal, she had won the bronze in 2017 and 2021 in the welterweight division.

Saweety and Alifiya then added to the gold rush, defeating Gulsaya Yerzhan of Kazakhstan and Islam Husaili of Jordan respectively.

Minakshi (women’s 52kg) had to settle for Silver medal as she lost to Kinoshita Rinka of Japan in the final.

The ASBC Asian Elite Boxing Championships in Amman, Jordan  is being held from 30 October -13 November 2022.

Moody's cuts India's economic growth projections to 7% for 2022 as world recession looms

Tags: Economy/Finance

Moody's Investors Service on 11 November 2022  has cut India's GDP growth projections for 2022 to 7 per cent from its earlier forecast of  7.7 per cent as the global slowdown and rising domestic interest rates will adversely affect the economic growth . Moody considers calendar years (January-December) for its forecast while India's financial year is from April-March. 

This is the second time that Moody's Investors Service has cut India's growth estimates. In September, it had cut projections for the current year to 7.7 per cent from 8.8 per cent estimated in May.

In its Global Macro Outlook 2023-24 released on 11 November 2022 Moody highlighted “higher inflation, high-interest rates in India and slowing global growth “as a factor that has led it to revise the Indian growth rate to 7 % in 2022.

Moody's expects growth to decelerate to 4.8 per cent in 2023 and then to rise to around 6.4 per cent in 2024.  

Grim outlook for Global economy

It said the global economy is on the verge of a downturn amid extraordinarily high levels of uncertainty amid persistent inflation, monetary policy tightening, fiscal challenges, geopolitical shifts and financial market volatility.

Global growth will slow in 2023 and remain sluggish in 2024. Still, a period of relative stability could emerge by 2024 if governments and central banks manage to navigate their economies through the current challenges.

Recession

When there is a negative growth in the economy for the two consecutive quarters then the economy is declared to be in recession. 

Forecast for Indian Economy Growth Rate by various agencies (till 11 November 2022)

PM to inaugurate the RFCL fertilizer plant at Ramagundam in Telangana

Tags: place in news Economy/Finance State News

In an effort to boost local production of fertilizer in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on 12 November 2022 inaugurate the RFCL fertilizer plant at Ramagundam in Peddapalli district of Telangana. The plant which started commercial production in 2021 has been revived at a cost of Rs 6,338 crore. 

The Prime Minister will also inaugurate 54.1 km of railway line from Bhadrachalam Road to Sattupalli built with a budget of Rs 990 crore.

Government effort to become self-sufficient in Urea  by 2024

India is a big importer of Urea and meets around 30% of its 35 million tonnes of annual urea requirement from imports. China, Oman, UAE, Egypt and Ukraine were the main source of Urea in 2021-22.

India aims to end imports of urea from 2025 by boosting its local production capacity with the commissioning of new plants.

 According to the Union Fertilizers and Chemical ministry, the government plans to commission and revive five new plants at Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, Ramagundam in Telangana, Talcher in Odisha, Barauni in  Bihar  and Sindri in Jharkhand. These plants are expected to add an additional capacity of 6.5 million tonnes of urea every year.

RFCL fertilizer plant 

The Ramagundam Fertilizers and Chemical limited (RFCL) was set up in 2015 to set up a natural gas based ammonia urea complex along at Ramagundam, Telangana with design capacity of 2,200 MTPD(metric tonnes per day ) Ammonia Unit and 3,850 MTPD Urea Plant.

RFCL is a joint venture of National Fertilizers Limited (NFL), Engineers India Limited (EIL), Fertilizer Corporation of India Limited (FCIL) and Telangana government.

Gas Authority of India (GAIL) and HTAS Consortium (consisting of HT Ramagundam A/S, IFU and Danish Agribusiness Fund, Denmark) have also invested in the project.

Kerala becomes first state to implement uniform price of gold across the state

Tags: Economy/Finance State News

In November 2022, Kerala became the first state in India to implement a uniform price of gold across the state by the government.

Important Facts:

• Kerala is the first state in the country to introduce uniform price trading of gold on the basis of bank rate.

• In a meeting between officials of Malabar Gold and Diamonds, one of the country's largest gold and diamond retail chains and key members of All Kerala Gold and Silver Merchants' Association, it was decided to keep the price of 22 carat gold of 916 purity uniform. Is.

• This step of the government will prove to be helpful in protecting the interest of consumers across the state and bringing price transparency in the business.

• In Malabar Gold & Diamonds, the state with its 'One India One Gold Rate' policy has taken the initiative to introduce uniform gold price across all its stores in the country.

Basis for applying uniform price of gold at the national level

• According to M P Ahmed, Chairman, Malabar Gold and Diamonds Group, “Kerala being a top gold consuming state in the country can set the stage for a uniform gold price across the country.

• MP Ahmed also demanded that the selling price of gold everywhere in the country should be integrated.

• The price of gold across the country should be based on the bank rate. It is worth mentioning in this context that in most states the price of gold is Rs 150-300 per gram higher according to the bank rate.

Kerala

• Capital: Thiruvananthapuram

• Governor: Arif Mohammad Khan

• Chief Minister: Pinarayi Vijayan

DMRC, BEL sign pact for development of indigenous train control system

Tags: Economy/Finance National News

In November 2022, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has signed an MoU with Public Sector Undertaking 'Bharat Electronics Limited' (BEL) for development of 'Indigenous Communication-Based Train Control System' (I-CBTC).

Important Facts

• The MoU was signed by Om Hari Pandey (Director, Power) DMRC and Manoj Jain, Director BEL in the presence of senior officials at Metro Bhawan, New Delhi.

• DMRC is developing this indigenous system along with BEL and C-DAC as part of the 'Make in India' initiative of the Government of India under the aegis of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Features of i-CBTC:

• The system is being widely adopted by most countries around the world, especially for its characteristic of moving blocks that allow a high frequency of trains.

• I-CBTC is a major step towards development of indigenously manufactured signalling systems in India towards achieving self-reliance in Metro Signalling and Train Control Systems.

• I-CBTC is efficient in utilising metro infrastructure and provides secure operation that facilitates innovation, enhances local skills and reduces deployment costs for metros.

• DMRC and BEL have also jointly developed indigenous Automatic Train Supervision System (I-ATS) which is currently under implementation.

Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL)

• Established: 1954

• Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka

• Chairman and Managing Director: Bhanu Prakash Srivastava

Year 2022 declared as ASEAN-India Friendship year

Tags: International News

The year 2022 has been declared as the ASEAN-India Friendship Year, as ASEAN and India celebrate 30 years of partnership.

Important facts

• A series of events have been planned to celebrate the occasion throughout the year.

• An Indian media delegation is visiting Singapore and Cambodia as part of the ASEAN-India Media Exchange Program from November 8 to 13.

• In the first leg of the visit, the delegation visited the Singapore-India Chambers of Commerce and Industries (SICCI).

• The delegation exchanged views on India-Singapore relations with a special focus on business-friendly policies and business expectations.

Evolution of India -ASEAN relationship 

• India was initially made a sectoral partner by ASEAN in 1992. With the increasing depth in the relationships the status was changed to a Dialogue Partner in 1996.

• In 2022 the relationship was further upgraded to Summit level

• And finally in 2012 it was elevated to Strategic partnership.

Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN)

• It was set up in 1967 as a group of South-East Asian nations.

• At present there are 10 members in the group.

• 
  

• They are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
  
  The headquarters of ASEAN: Jakarta, Indonesia.

Bhopal Railway Station awarded ‘Eat Right Station’ certification with a 4-star rating by FSSAI

Tags: State News

Bhopal Railway Station of Indian Railways has been awarded 4-star 'Eat Right Station' certification for providing high quality nutritious food to passengers on 11th November, 2022.

What is ‘Eat Right Station’ certification?

• The 'Eat Right Station' certification is provided by FSSAI to railway stations which set the standard in providing safe and nutritious food to the passengers.

• This certificate is awarded based on the findings of an FSSAI-empaneled third-party audit agency with a rating of 1 to 5.

• The 4-star rating indicates full compliance by the station to provide safe and hygienic food to the passengers.

• This certification is part of the 'Eat Right India' initiative.

Other railway stations with this certification

• The other railway stations with this certification include Anand Vihar Terminal Railway Station (Delhi), Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (Mumbai), Mumbai Central Railway Station (Mumbai), Vadodara Railway Station, Chandigarh Railway Station.

16th Asian Conference on Diarrhoeal Disease and Nutrition (ASCODD)

Tags: National Summits International News

Union Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare, Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar addressed the 16th Asian Conference on Diarrhoeal Disease and Nutrition (ASCODD) at Kolkata on 11 November, 2022. 

Important facts

• Delegates from India and other Southeast Asian countries, African countries, US, European countries attended the conference through video conferencing.

• The theme of the Conference was “Prevention and control of cholera, typhoid and other enteric diseases in low and middle-income countries through community participation : beyond the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic”.

• The conference was organised by ICMR-National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases.

• The conference focused on issues such as intestinal infections, nutrition, policy and practice, development of cholera vaccines, contemporary approaches to antimicrobial resistance of intestinal bacteria, etc., including a roadmap to end cholera by 2030.

PM Modi inaugurates Terminal 2 of Bengaluru Kempegowda Airport

Tags: State News

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Terminal 2 of Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru on 11 November. He also unveiled the 108 feet high bronze statue of Nadaprabhu Kempegowda, the 'Statue of Prosperity'.

Important facts

• The bronze statue was constructed to commemorate the contribution of Nadaprabhu Kempegowda, the founder of the city of Bengaluru.

• The Prime Minister attended the 36th Convocation of Gandhigram Rural Institute in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu.

• On 12 November Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple projects at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. 

• He will visit the RFCL plant at Ramagundam, Telangana.

Terminal 2 of Kempegowda International Airport

• Terminal 2 of Kempegowda International Airport, built at a cost of around Rs 5000 crores.

• Terminal 2 of Kempegowda International Airport The passenger capacity of the airport, which is currently 2.5 million, will now increase to 5-6 crore.

• Terminal 2 is designed as the Garden City of Bengaluru where travellers will experience a "walk in the garden".

• The airport has already set a benchmark in sustainability with 100% utilization of renewable energy on campus.

• Terminal 2 will be the largest terminal in the world to receive a pre-certified platinum rating by the US GBC (Green Building Council) before commencing operations.

• Terminal 2 is influenced by four guiding principles: Terminal in the Garden, Sustainability, Technology and Arts and Culture.

Chennai-Mysore Vande Bharat Express

• PM also flagged off the Chennai-Mysore Vande Bharat Express and Bharat Gaurav Kashi Darshan trains at KSR Railway Station.

• This is the fifth Vande Bharat Express train in the country and the first such train in South India.

Army organises Walong Fair on the occasion of Diamond Jubilee Celebrations of Battle of Walong

Tags: Festivals Defence National News

The Indian Army organised the Walong Mela on 10 November 2022 to mark the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of the Battle of Walong.

Important facts

• The Dao Division of Spear Corps has organised this fair at Walong circle of Arunachal Pradesh.

• It aims to remember the unsurpassed bravery and sacrifice of the Indian Army while defending Indian territory against the Chinese invasion of 1962.

• The objective of the Mela was to familiarise the public with the Indian Army and to encourage a sense of belongingness and togetherness.

• The Mela held in Walong included a variety of spectacular sports and sporting events.

Battle of Walong

• Walong is one of the easternmost region of India in Arunachal Pradesh.

• In the Indo-China War of 1962, the Indian Army defended against China in all areas except Walong in Arunachal Pradesh.

• With less ammunition and resources, the 6th Kumaon Infantry Battalion launched a counterattack between 14 and 16 November 1962 against the Chinese army with the aim of deterring the approaching enemy.

• Indian troops fought the Chinese for more than 20 days in Walong, India's easternmost city, which is adjacent to the Tibet region.

3-day mega agriculture fair and exhibition at Morena, Madhya Pradesh

Tags: Festivals National National News

The Union Ministry of Agriculture is organising a three-day Mega Agriculture Fair and Exhibition in collaboration with the State Government and District Administration at Morena, Madhya Pradesh from November 11, 2022.

Important facts

• Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated the mega agricultural fair and exhibition.

• Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and the local MP, Narendra Singh Tomar were presided over the Inaugural ceremony.

• About 35,000 farmers of Chambal-Gwalior zone participated in this event. 

• Agriculture fairs and exhibitions are being organised to make the Gwalior-Chambal region advanced and a pioneer in agriculture.

• In this fair, scientists of agricultural universities, agricultural zone centres, officers and employees of agriculture department, representatives of various government and non-government organisations related to agriculture guided the farmers.

• For the guidance of the farmers, 12 different sessions and 4 group sessions will be organised every day on various important topics, in which agriculture experts from across the country will give information and presentations.

• Companies and institutions dealing with the supply of various inputs to the private sector agriculture will showcase their products.

• On this occasion, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated 103 Amrit Sarovar and laid the foundation stone of Sanjeevani Kendras.

Odisha celebrated 'Mandia Day'

Tags: State News Important Days

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has announced to observe the first Thursday of the Margasira month of the Hindu calendar on November 10 as 'Mandia Day' or 'Millet Day' in the state.

Important facts

• Its objective is to popularise and promote the use and cultivation of superfood- millet among the people.

• Odisha has become the first state in the country to declare November 10 as a day dedicated to millets.

• The state government started the Odisha Millet Mission in the year 2017-18. 

• It is a flagship program of the Department of Agriculture and Farmers' Empowerment.

• Initially Millet Mission was implemented in 30 blocks of seven districts of the state. Now it is being implemented in 142 blocks of 19 districts.

• On the first Thursday of Margasira month people across the state worship Mahalaxmi and offer millet to the goddess of wealth and prosperity.

• Apart from millet snacks, ragi sweets have also been included in the mid-day meals of schools in Sundergarh and Keonjhar districts.

• The United Nations General Assembly has declared the year 2023 as the International Year of Millets after India proposed it to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

About Millets 

• Millets are high nutrient cereal crops and are classified as small seeded grasses.

• They include jowar (sorghum), ragi (finger millet), korra (foxtail millet), arke (kodo millet), sama (little millet), bajra (pearl millet), chena/barr (proso millet) and sanwa (barnyard millet).

• India is one of the major producers of millets in the world with an estimated share of about 41% in the global production.

• Major producers of millets are Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Haryana.

• Millet has been notified as a nutritional cereal by the government in April 2018.

• They are a rich source of protein, fiber, minerals, iron, and calcium and have a low glycemic index.

• The production of millets in India has increased by 16 % to 17.26 million tonnes (MT) in the 2019-20 crop year (July-June) from 14.5 MT in 2015-16.

• In March 2021, India led a UN General Assembly resolution to declare 2023 as the International Year of Millets.

• India's proposal was supported by 72 countries.

• India is the 5th largest exporter of Millets globally.

MoU to set up effective governance systems under DAY-NRLM

Tags: National National News

Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Gurugram-based Veddis Foundation to support setting up of effective governance systems under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM) on 10 November, 2022.

Important facts

• The partnership with MoRD and Veddis Foundation is for three years and is a non-financial partnership.

• The MoU was signed by Joint Secretary, Rural Livelihoods, Nita Kejrewal from  MoRD and Murugan Vasudevan, CEO, Veddis Foundation in a meeting chaired by Secretary, Rural Development, Nagendra Nath Sinha.

• As per the MoU, Vedis Foundation will set up a PMU in the Rural Livelihoods (RL) Division of the Ministry of Rural Development for the next five years.

• The MoU will also strengthen the state's capabilities, establish innovative models and implement a national strategy for convergence of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and SHGs.

• One of the initial focuses as part of the MoU is an annual report on the status of SRLMs in which the various SRLMs are expected to be evaluated on the basis of 'Governance Index'.

About Veddis Foundation

• Vedis Foundation has set up Project Management Units-PMUs in the State Rural Livelihood Missions (SRLMs) of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Manipur.

• It will work on a 360-degree approach for effective implementation of the top level priorities of the government in Rajasthan in future.

Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM)

• It was launched by the Ministry of Rural Development in June 2011.

• It aims to reduce rural poverty by increasing livelihood opportunities through skill development and better access to financial services for rural poor households in the country.

• With an annual budget outlay of over Rs 13,000 crore, the program covers 7.15 lakh villages in 723 districts, and covers over 8.6 crore rural households.

Indian Army launches single-window facility for welfare, grievance redressal of ‘veer naris’

Tags: National Defence National News

The Indian Army has launched a single-window facility for welfare and grievance redressal of ‘veer naris’ on 10 October, 2022.

Important facts

• The project was inaugurated by the Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA) at the Indian Army Veterans Directorate (DIAV) campus, Delhi Cantt.

• Veerangana Seva Kendra (VSK) will be available as a service on Indian Army Veterans Portal www.indianarmyveterans.gov.in.

• Veer Nari or Kin will have many means of contact including telephone, WhatsApp, e-mail.

• The widow of a member of the armed forces who sacrificed her life in war or military campaign is called 'Veer Nari'.

• A single window facility named Veerangana Seva Kendra (VSK) has been launched for the welfare of 'Veer Naris' and redressal of grievances with the motto of 'Take Care of Your Own, No Matter What'.

• The system caters to the applicant for tracking, monitoring and filing complaints with regular feedback.

• Veer Nari or Kin will have multiple means of contacting VSK through Telephone, SMS, WhatsApp, Post, E-mail and Walk-in.

• Stakeholders can monitor the status of complaints through Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software.

• The applicant will receive regular updates of the status through SMS and email.

• The 'Veer Naris' are appointed as VSK staff to maintain in-built engagement and empathy with the beneficiaries.

• The project is spearheaded by the branch of DIAV, AG and the technology solution is developed by BISAG-N, while Hero MotoCorp has supported the project through its CSR initiatives.

Anamalai Tiger Reserve initiated elephant adoption scheme

Tags: Environment National News

The 'Elephant Adoption Scheme' has been unveiled by Tamil Nadu-based Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) in November 2022.

Important Facts:

• ATR has started an elephant adoption program in which NGOs, institutions, trusts or individuals can sponsor the cost of elephants in the forest department's camp.

• Lima Rose Martin, Director of Martin Group of Companies, Martin Trust and District Coordinator of Rotary Club of Coimbatore Aakriti's 'Go Green' program, adopted two elephants Abhinay and Sanjeev from Kozhikamuthi Elephant Camp for one year.

• Under the Elephant Adoption Scheme, any donor who is desirous of adopting elephants is said to be exempted under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act 1961.

• On 7 November 2022, Lima Rose Martin handed over a demand draft of Rs 1,86,720 to meet the expenses of 2 elephants for 3 months.

Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR):

• ATR is one of the four tiger reserves of Tamil Nadu. It is a part of the Southern Western Ghats. It is part of the Anamalai Parambikulam Elephant Reserve declared in the year 2003.

• It is surrounded by Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary in the east and Eravikulam National Park and Parambikulam Tiger Reserve in the southwest.

• The reserve is also surrounded by the Nenmara Vazhachal, Malayattur and Marayur reserve forests of Kerala.

• The mountain ranges found in this sanctuary include Amaravati, Udumalpet, Pollachi, Uledi and Valparai etc.

• The tribes found in this region include Kadar, Malasar, Malmalsar, Pulayar, Muduvar and Eravalan.

• The main mammals found here include Asian Elephant, Sambar, Spotted Deer, Barking Deer, Mouse Deer, Gaur, Nilgiri Tahr, Tiger, etc.

World Science Day

Tags: Important Days

World Science Day for Peace and Development is observed every year on 10 November. The main purpose of celebrating this day is to make people aware about the development and development of science, as well as giving necessary information related to it.

Important Facts

• This day was observed in Budapest in 1999 jointly by the International Council of Science and UNESCO in pursuance of the World Conference on Science.

• This day was established by UNESCO to raise awareness about the benefits of science around the world.

• Theme of World Science Day 2022 for Peace and Development: "Basic Science for Sustainable Development".

• The purpose of World Science Day for Peace and Development is to decide whether to inform its citizens about the developments in the field of science. It throws light on the role of scientists in enhancing our understanding of science and developing society.

Significance of this day

• To strengthen public awareness on the role of science for a peaceful and sustainable society.

• To promote national and international solidarity for shared science between countries.

• To renew national and international commitment to the use of science for the benefit of society and to draw attention to the challenges facing science and to mobilise support for scientific endeavours.

“Winning the Inner Battle” Book by Shane Watson

Tags: Sports Books and Authors

In November 2022, Shane Watson wrote a new book titled "Winning the Inner Battle Bringing the Best Version of You to Cricket".

Important Facts

• Shane Watson's new book, Winning the Inner Battle, explores the mental side of the game through his own experiences revitalising his career after contemplating retirement in 2015.

• Shane Watson is one of the finest all-rounders in Australian cricket, having represented his country 298 times.

Shane Robert Watson

• Shane Watson is an Australian former international cricketer. He has been a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast swing bowler.

• He played international cricket between 2002 and 2016.

• He was the world's No. 1 T20I all-rounder for a record 150 weeks.

• Shane Watson was born on 17 June 1981 in Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. At the age of 21, he made his international debut on 24 March 2002, playing an ODI against South Africa at Centurion.

• In his ODI career, he scored 5757 runs in 190 matches at an average of 40.54 and took 168 wickets.

• Watson played the first Test match of his career on 2 January 2005 against Pakistan in Sydney.

• Watson holds many records in T20I, ODI and T20. According to Forbes, Watson was the highest paid non-Indian cricketer in the world for five consecutive years between 2011 and 2015.

• On 2 November 2020, he announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.

• In 2017, Watson launched Let's Activate, a sports clinic for children. Watson has his own podcast called Lessons Learned with the Greats.

Google launches ‘FloodHub’, a platform to forecast flood

Tags: Science and Technology

In November 2022, Google launched a platform called 'FloodHub' to forecast floods. In this context, Google has expanded its AI flood forecasting services, which were first introduced in 2018 to an additional 18 countries in India, Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia.

Important Facts:

• The company also launched 'FloodHub', a platform that displays flood forecasts and shows when and where floods are likely to occur, so that people at risk can be directly informed of their needs and officials can help them effectively. be able to assist.

• In 2018, the company launched its Flood Forecasting Initiative to help combat the devastating damage caused by floods.

• The company has expanded its wildfire monitoring program to a few more countries after launching it in the US.

• Using new AI models based on satellite imagery, the company detects the extent of wildfires and searches and shows their real-time location in a map.

• Google said that since July, we've covered more than 30 major wildfire incidents in the US and Canada, helping people and fire teams search and view Maps more than 7 million times.

• Wildfire detection is now available in the US, Canada, Mexico and parts of Australia.

Google:

• Founders: Larry Page, Sergey Brin;

• Parent Organization: Alphabet Inc.;

• Established: 4 September 1998;

• Headquarters: Mountain View, California, United States;

• CEO: Sundar Pichai;

Global Investors Summit-2023' to be held in Visakhapatnam

Tags: Economy/Finance Summits National News

On 8 November 2022, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy unveiled the logo of the 'Global Investors Summit-2023' to be held in Visakhapatnam at his camp office.

Important Facts

• Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has directed to organise 'Global Investors Summit' to be held in Visakhapatnam on March 3 and 4 in the year 2023.

• Investment summits could not be held in the state in the last three years.

• Other states are just starting to do so and the AP government has also focused on MSMEs providing infrastructure for the development of campuses in the state.

• Machilipatnam and Bhavanapadu ports are being constructed, Visakha and Kakinada ports are being developed as well as five shipping ports are in progress.

• Leading industrialists from across the world will also be invited to the summit at the Global Investors Summit to be held in Visakhapatnam.

Andhra Pradesh

• Capital: Amaravati

• Governor: Vishwa Bhushan Harichandan

• Chief Minister: YS Jagan Mohan Reddy

53rd International Film Festival of India 2022

Tags: Festivals National National News

The 53rd edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) will be held in Goa from 20 to 28 November 2022. The 53rd edition of IFFI will begin with the Austrian film 'Alma & Oscar' on 20 November 2022.

Important Facts

• The organisers of the festival believe that the film will be screened at INOX, Panaji.

• IFFI is jointly organised by the Directorate of Film Festivals and the State Government of Goa. It is monitored by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India.

• The film 'Alma and Oscar' is directed by Austrian director Dieter Berner. This is a biopic. The film is based on the relationship between artist Alma Mahler and Austrian painter Oscar Kokoschka.

• The 110-minute film is written by Berner and Hilde Berger.

Other points related to IFFI

• A total of 15 films will compete for the coveted Golden Peacock at the 53rd edition of the International Film Festival of India.

• From the first Golden Peacock given at the 3rd edition of IFFI, the award has been one of the most sought after film awards in Asia.

• The jury for the 53rd edition includes Israeli writer and film director Nadav Lapid, American filmmaker Ginkgo Gotoh, French film editor Pascal Chavans, French documentary filmmaker, film critic and journalist Javier Angulo Barturen and India director Sudipto Sen.

• Among the films in the competition category this year are Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Zanussi's Perfect Number, Mexican filmmaker Carlos Eichelmann Kaiser's Red Shoes, Iranian drama No End and Hindi film Kashmir Files.

National Education Day

Tags: Important Days

Every year 11 November is celebrated as National Education Day to commemorate the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the first Education Minister of India.

Important facts

• On this day, his exemplary contribution in the field of education and educational institutions is remembered.

• He was the first education minister of independent India and served the country as education minister from 1947 to 1958.

• National Education Day is celebrated in all educational institutions to raise awareness about the importance of literacy.

• The Ministry of Education ( Formerly The Ministry of Human Resource Development) sets a different theme for National Education Day every year.

• The theme of this year is "Changing Course, Transforming Education".

Background of the day

• In 2008 the Ministry of Human Resource Development (now Ministry of Education) decided to celebrate Maulana Abul Kalam Azad's birthday as National Education Day.

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad

• Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was born in 1888 in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

• A freedom fighter, he started Al-Hilal, a weekly magazine in Urdu, in 1912 to criticise British policies.

• After al-Hilal was banned, he started another weekly al-Bagah.

• He was opposed to partition and a supporter of Hindu-Muslim unity.

• He supported the non-cooperation movement (1920–22) started by Gandhiji and joined the Indian National Congress in 1920.

• In 1923 he was elected as the President of the Indian National Congress. At the age of 35 he became the youngest person to preside over the Indian National Congress.

• In 1947, he became the first Education Minister of independent India and he remained in this post till his death in 1958.