Latest Current Affairs For Sunday 14th November, 2021

Defence Secretary releases a book titled ‘FORCE IN STATECRAFT'

Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar released a book titled ‘FORCE IN STATECRAFT’.

The book is a compilation of essays on topics including counter-insurgency operations, conflict in the North East, airpower and nuclear posture which give conceptual understanding and facets of India's national security.

The contributors of the book are all stalwarts of the Armed Forces, who have vast operational experience and understanding of several important cornerstones of forces.

RBI projects CPI inflation at 5.3% for 2021-22

India’s retail inflation rate, measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), rose mildly in October to 4.48% year-on-year from 4.35% in September due to an uptick in food prices.

The inflation was 7.61% in October last year.

The RBI has projected the CPI inflation at 5.3 per cent for 2021-22.

According to MoSPI data, inflation in the food basket rose to 0.85 per cent in October, compared to 0.68 per cent in the preceding month.

Law Minister Kiren Rijiju launches Citizens' Tele-Law Mobile App

As part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju launched Citizens' Tele Law Mobile App and felicitated frontline functionaries at a function in New Delhi.

This App would connect the beneficiaries directly with Panel Lawyers offering legal advice and consultation.

It is the responsibility of the government to ensure justice to the poorest of the poor through whatever services they need.

Habibganj railway station renamed after Gond queen Rani Kamlapati

The "most modern" Habibganj railway station in Bhopal has been renamed after Gond queen Rani Kamlapati.

It is said that Rani Kamlapati was the widow of the Gond ruler of Nizam Shah, the chief of Ginnorgarh.

The redeveloped station in Bhopal has been built on a cost of Rs 100 crore.

Myntra appoints Nandita Sinha as CEO

Fashion and lifestyle e-commerce platform Myntra has named Nandita Sinha as its Chief Executive Officer.

Ms. Sinha succeeds Amar Nagaram, Before joining Flipkart, she was the co-founder at MyBabyCart.com, an e-commerce site.

Myntra is a major Indian fashion e-commerce company headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.

Railway Board issues order to drop ‘special train’ tag

The Railways has issued an order to discontinue the ‘special’ tag for mail and express trains and to revert to pre-pandemic ticket prices with immediate effect. 

Since the coronavirus-triggered lockdown was eased, the Railways has only been running special trains. 

It started with long-distance trains and now even short-distance passenger services are being run as special trains with “slightly higher fares” to discourage people from avoidable travels.

Neeraj Chopra receives Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award

Neeraj Chopra, India's first individual Olympic gold medalist in athletics, received the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award from Indian President Ram Nath Kovind. 

Chopra won the gold medal in the javelin throw event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics earlier this year. 

He became the only second individual gold medalist from India at the Olympics and the first in athletics. 

The awards are given every year to recognize excellence in sports.

India’s 1st National Yogasana Sports Championships organized in Bhubaneswar

India’s first Physical National Yogasana Championships has been organised in Bhubaneswar, Odisha (11 to13 Nov 2021).

Around 560 young Yogasana Sports athletes from across 30 states would be taking part in the event.

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

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

Salman Khurshid authored book Sunrise over Ayodhya: Nationhood in our Times

Former union minister & Congress leader Salman Khurshid has launched his book on the Ayodhya verdict named “Sunrise over Ayodhya: Nationhood in our Times”. 

Book states about unity between Hindus & Muslims and about creating an awareness that the Supreme Court verdict on Ayodhya was a good one.

On 9 November 2019, the Supreme Court, in a unanimous verdict, cleared the way for the construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya.

Prof. Bimal Patel elected to International Law Commission for 5-yr term

Professor Bimal Patel (51-year) has been elected to the International Law Commission for a five-year term, in a hard-fought election at the United Nations.

He will serve a five-year term starting January 1, 2023.

Prof. Patel has served in various roles such as the Director at the Gujarat National Law University and member of the 21st Law Commission of India.

Prof. Patel garnered 163 votes in the UN General Assembly out of 192 members present and voting.

Mitrabha Guha named as India’s 72nd Grandmaster

Mitrabha Guha (20-year old) has become India's 72nd chess Grand Master by bagging his third and final GM norm during a tournament in Serbia.

Guha achieved the GM title after securing the final norm at the ongoing GM Third Saturday Mix 220 tourney in Novi Sad, Serbia.

To become a GM, a player has to secure three GM norms and cross the live rating of 2,500 Elo points.

He had scored his second GM norm at the Sheikh Russel GM tournament in Bangladesh a fortnight ago.

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.