Latest Current Affairs For Saturday 13th November, 2021

CBIC launches digital application for scheduling of cargo examination

CBIC has launched online digital application for scheduling of examination of Important cargo for traders at ICD Tughlakabad, Delhi with the aim of minimising physical interface of trade with Customs and other stakeholders.

It is a multi-stakeholder application where Customs, CONCOR, Customs brokers, importers on the same platform having shared view of scheduling examination of goods.

It will ensure fullest transparency alongside of convenience for trade, stakeholders. 

Ashwini Kumar Choubey chairs Conference of PCCF / Head of Forest Force

Union Minister, Ashwini Kumar Choubey has chaired conference of Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) / Head of Forest Force (HoFF).

Conference has been organized by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to discuss various forestry and wildlife issues for coming up with solutions and innovative ideas to meet both local and global challenges.

Second part of this conference will be held on 15th November 2021.

New RBI scheme to enable retail investors to invest in government securitie

Central bank of India is all set to unveil RBI Retail Direct scheme through which retail investors can easily access government securities market, both primary and secondary online.

It will also allow the investors to open and maintain their gilt securities accounts online with the RBI without any extra charges. (G-sec).

G-secs are the debt instruments (bonds and treasury bills) issued by the Reserve Bank of India on behalf of the central government.

Bhadrachalam added as a destination in the IRCTC’s Ramayana Circuit train

Bhadarchalam of Telangana state has been included as one of the destinations in the Ramayana Circuit of the Pilgrim Special Train of IRCTC. 

Ramayana Circuit train will start from New Delhi to Rameswaram and stop at various important places associated with the life of Lord Sri Rama.

Bhadrachalam has the huge 17th-century Bhadrachalam (or Sita Ramachandraswamy) Temple complex of Lord Rama and has many ornate carvings. Other nearby temples include Abhaya Anjaneya Temple.

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia launches e-GCA

Union Minster of Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya M. Scindia has launched GCA (e-Governance in Directorate General of Civil Aviation). 

This project has been aimed at automation of the processes and functions of DGCA, with 99 services covering about 70% of the DGCA work being implemented in the initial phases, and 198 services to be covered in other phases.

It is a single window platform and will bring in monumental change- eliminating operational inefficiencies, etc.

Nobel Laureate and former South African President FW de Klerk passes away

Former president of South Africa and the last white person to head the country, Frederik Willem de Klerk (85 years) passed away due to cancer.

De Klerk and Nelson Mandela jointly received the Nobel Peace Prize for their work towards ending apartheid in 1993. 

He was a South African politician, who served as state president from September 1989 to May 1994 and as deputy president from 1994 to 1996.

President Kovind addresses 51st Conference of Governors & LGs in Delhi

India’s President Ram Nath Kovind has addressed 51st Conference of Governors and Lieutenant Governors at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

It is the 4th conference to be presided over by President Ram Nath Kovind. 

Governors and Lt Governors from all states and union territories across the country attended the conference.

Previous conference was held in 2019. 

Conference of governors is being held since Independence.

First conference of governors was held in 1949. 

SpaceX launches Indian-origin astronaut Raja Chari-led Crew 3 mission

US Space agency NASA and SpaceX have launched Crew 3 mission named Endurance fixed to Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 

Under this mission, 4 astronauts have been sent to International Space Station (ISS) for a six-month science mission until April 2022. 

Crew 3 mission (NASA’s Tom Marshburn (pilot); and Kayla Barron, ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer) consists of Indian-origin NASA astronaut Raja Chari as its mission commander.

World Pneumonia Day: 12 November

World Pneumonia Day is observed every year on November 12 across the world to raise awareness, promote prevention and treatment and produce action to combat the disease.

It was first celebrated in 2009.

Pneumonia: Any infection causing an inflammatory response in the lung. Though the majority of pneumonia is caused by bacterial infections, viral infections like influenza or COVID 19 virus can also affect the lungs and can cause serious inflammatory damage. 

Novak Djokovic beat Daniil Medvedev to win 2021 Paris Masters title

Novak Djokovic has won 2021 Rolex Paris Masters final title, after defeating Daniil Medvedev by 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in Tennis. 

This is the sixth Paris Masters title for the Serbian Djokovic and overall 37th ATP Masters 1000 title.

Rolex Paris Masters: It is the annual tennis tournament for male professional players.

It is a part of the ATP Tour Masters 1000.

Novak Djokovic will end the year as the top ranked player for a record seventh time. 

India’s National Yogasana Sports Championships organized in Bhubaneswar

First Physical National Yogasana Championships of India has been organized in Bhubaneswar, Odisha from 11th to 13th November 2021.

It has been organized by National Yogasana Sports Federation (NYSF) in association with the Odisha state.

Around 560 young Yogasana Sports athletes from across 30 states would are participating in the event.

Aim: to promote yoga and create a global brand around it, portraying it as a competitive sport with high standards and benchmarks. 

Nykaa CEO Falguni Nayar becomes India’s richest self-made woman

CEO and founder of Nykaa, Falguni Nayar has become the richest self-made woman in India.

She established Nykaa in 2012.

She holds 53.5% stake in Nykaa and has a net worth of USD 7.48 billion.

This comes after the IPO of FSN E-Commerce Ventures which is Nykaa’s parent entity. This is also the first woman-led unicorn to list on the stock exchange.

The issue size of IPO of FSN E-Commerce Ventures (Nykaa) was Rs 5,351.92 crore with face-value of Rs 1 per share. 

Odisha government launches road safety initiative ‘Rakshak’

Odisha govt has launched a first of its kind road safety initiative named as ‘Rakshak’, to train first responders of road accidents.

Under Rakshak, 300 master trainers will train 30,000 local people, staying or working at the eateries and different business establishments located near accident-prone spots.

These 30,000 volunteers will be trained as First Responders to road accidents. 

They will be equipped to administer first aid and pre-hospital trauma care.

Rajeev Srivastava appointed as CEO of Standard Chartered Securities India

Rajeev Srivastava has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Standard Chartered Securities for India (SCSI) operations.

His appointment is currently subject to regulatory approvals. 

Prior to this, he worked at HDFC Securities where he headed the products and business development functions of the organization.

SCSI: It is a leading broking company and is registered as a trading and clearing member with BSE and NSE.

PM Narendra Modi to be awarded prestigious Lokmanya Tilak Award 2023

The Tilak Smarak Mandir Trust (Hind Swaraj Sangh) would confer the prestigious Lokmanya Tilak National Award 2023 to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Pune on August 1, 2023.

Reason: This award recognizes PM Modi's supreme leadership under which India has climbed the ladder of progress

It is presented annually on the occasion of Lokmanya Tilak's death anniversary.

Other awardees: Indira Gandhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Sharad Pawar, Cyrus Poonawalla, and Manmohan Singh. 

J&K Bank wins award for Best Performance in CASA

Jammu & Kashmir Bank has been felicitated for the Best Performance in CASA-India (1st Runner up in Small Bank Category) at ICC Emerging Asia Banking Conclave & Awards 2022.

The event was participated by banks from India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka & Myanmar.

The function was organized by the Indian Chamber of Commerce in Goa.

Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) is a non-governmental trade association and advocacy group headquartered in Calcutta.

India poised to become world’s 2nd-largest economy by 2075: Goldman Sachs

According to the Investment Bank Goldman Sachs, India is poised to become the world’s second-largest economy by 2075.

As per the report, India would cross Japan, Germany, and the US With a population of 1.4 billion people.

India’s GDP is estimated to expand remarkably, reaching 52.5 trillion dollars surpassing the US GDP projection.

The labour force participation set to make India the second-largest economy in the world by 2075.

L&T and Spain's Navantia sign agreement for submarine project

L&T has signed a teaming agreement with Spanish-based Navantia for the submission of a techno-commercial bid for the Indian Navy’s prestigious P75 (India) submarine program.

P75 (India) Submarine Project is expected to be valued at €4.8 billion.

Navantia would carry out the design of P75(I) submarines based on its S80 class of submarines.

The first S80 class submarine was launched in 2021 and is undergoing sea trials prior to its delivery to Spanish Navy. 

India overtakes China as most attractive emerging market for investing

According to a study by Invesco Global Sovereign Asset Management, India has overtaken China to become the most attractive emerging market for investing in sovereign wealth funds this year.

Reason: This is due to its solid demographics, political stability, and proactive regulation. 

Positives for the nation also include the rapidly expanding demography, strong regulatory actions, and a welcoming climate for sovereign investors.

World Population Day 2023: 11 July

World Population Day is observed every year on July 11 in order to raise awareness about global population issues, including population control.

2023 theme: Unleashing the power of gender equality: Uplifting the voices of women and girls to unlock our world’s infinite possibilities. 

It was established by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 1989, after the day the world approximately reached a population of five billion, which was observed on 11 July 1987.

MoHUA conducts SBM-U 2.0 Planning & Implementation Review-cum-Workshop

The Housing Ministry organized a review-cum-workshop to evaluate and accelerate the planning and implementation of the SBM-Urban 2.0.

PM Modi launched the 2.0 versions of SBM-U and AMRUT on October 1, 2021.

SBM-U 2.0: Achieving 100% waste segregation in all households and premises and 100% door-to-door collection of segregated waste from each. 

AMRUT 2.0: To provide complete coverage of water supply to all households and sewerage and septage in 500 AMRUT cities. 

Gujarat CM launches pilot project of ‘Antyodaya Shramik Suraksha Yojana’

Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel launched the Antyodaya Shram Suraksha Accident Insurance Scheme from Kheda

All those registered under the e-Shram portal from Nadiad will benefit from the scheme.

It is being implemented through the Indian Postal Department, the IPPB, and the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

Under this scheme, insurance with a premium of Rs. 289 and Rs. 499 per year will be a big support to workers in the event of death or partial disability.

OCA elects Sheikh Talal as the new President

Kuwait’s Sheikh Talal Fahad Al Ahmad Al Sabah has been elected as the new President of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).

He replaced his older brother Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, who led the OCA for 30 years until 2021.

The OCA was founded in 1982 by his father Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who led it until 1990.

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) is a governing body of sports in Asia, currently with 45 member National Olympic Committees.

Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance wins Insurer Innovation Award 2023

Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance has won the Insurer Innovation Award 2023 for the APAC region at the 8th World Digital Insurance Awards, hosted by TDI - The Digital Insurer.

Recognition: Bajaj Allianz Life's ground-breaking WhatsApp Conversational Platform - empowering customers to digitally services their policies seamlessly. 

The award entries were shortlisted by industry experts and the winner was selected by the community through pre-voting and live event voting.