Latest Current Affairs For Friday 26th November, 2021

Dept of Food organizes All India Food Ministers Meet

Department of Food and Public Distribution has organized an All India Food Ministers Meeting in New Delhi.

It will be chaired by Food and Public Distribution Minister Piyush Goyal. 

The meet discuss the issue of community kitchen and other issues with Food Minister of all States and UTs.

Some of the likely key issues during the meeting: Model Community Kitchen Scheme, One Nation One Ration Card-status of implementation, Aadhaar seeding of Ration Cards, etc.

Raksha Mantri inaugurates 5th World Congress on Disaster Management

Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh has virtually inaugurated 5th World Congress on Disaster Management (WCDM). 

It is being organized in New Delhi between 24th to 27th November 2021 at the campus of IIT Delhi on the overarching theme of ‘Technology, Finance and Capacity for Building Resilience to Disasters in the context of COVID-19’.

It is an initiative of Disaster Management Initiatives and Convergence Society (DMICS).

PM Modi lays the foundation stone of Noida International Airport

PM Narendra Modi has laid the foundation stone of Noida International Airport in Jewar, UP. 

Uttar Pradesh is poised to become the only state to have 5 international airports. 

Jewar airport will play a crucial role in helping the region attract huge investments, boost rapid industrial growth, and enable reach of local products to national-international markets. 

It will be the 2nd international airport to come up in Delhi NCR after Indira Gandhi International Airport.

Indian Navy to commission Scorpene-class submarine INS Vela in Mumbai

Indian Navy has commissioned indigenously built Scorpene-class submarine Vela at Mumbai’s Naval Dockyard. 

INS Vela has an indigenous set of batteries and an advanced communication suite of indigenous make. 

INS Vela: It is the fourth in that series, following Kalvari, Khanderi and Karanj. It is expected to further boost Indian capability to defend and secure its strategic sea lanes. 

Earlier Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders has entered into a contract for Scorpene-class submarines. 

PM Gati Shakti- BISAG-N team conducts capacity building exercises

BISAG-N (Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geoinformatics) has developed PM Gatishakti National Master Plan in a dynamic GIS platform. 

It will be further developed as a Digital Master Planning tool with Project Management tools, dynamic dashboards, MIS reports generation etc.

Aim: to facilitate the process, capacity building exercise is being conducted by the BISAG-N team with senior-level officers of relevant ministries and departments.

Second Global Chemicals & Petrochemicals Manufacturing Hub

Union Minister, Mansukh Mandaviya has inaugurated the 2nd Global Chemicals & Petrochemicals Manufacturing Hub (GCPMH).

GCPMH is being organized by Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers jointly with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), in Phygital format (Physical and Digital). 

This edition of the GCPMH will provide a grand overview of this fast-surging major sector of the Indian economy.

India signs agreement with ADB to improve primary health care in India

Govt of India signs loan agreement worth $300 million with Asian Development Bank (ADB) to strengthen and improve access to comprehensive primary health care in urban areas.

This programme will be implemented in urban areas across 13 states.

The project will benefit over 256 million urban dwellers including 51 million from slum areas will benefit from the project. 

The programme supports Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres and PM Atmanirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojana. 

Alexander Zverev beat Daniil Medvedev to win his second ATP Finals title

Alexander Zverev of Germany has won 2021 ATP Finals title, after defeating World No.2 Daniil Medvedev of Russia by 6-4, 6-4, in the men’s single finals at Turin in Italy.

This is Zverev’s second Nitto ATP Finals title, after winning the first in 2018.

Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut of France clinched the men’s double title by defeating Rajeev Ram of US and Joe Salisbury of UK.

Ban Ki-moon pens down Resolved: Uniting Nations in a Divided World

Former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has come out with his autobiography titled as ‘Resolved: Uniting Nations in a Divided World’.

The book has been published by HarperCollins India.

Ban has described how he became a man of peace from a child of war in his autobiography.

He also talks about his election to the top UN post in 2006, in which India's Shashi Tharoor was also a contender.

Pralhad Joshi inaugurates E-portal of accreditation scheme for minerals

Union Minister, Pralhad Joshi has inaugurated E-portal of accreditation scheme for Mineral exploration at the 5th National conclave on Mines and Minerals in New Delhi.

First national conclave on Mines and Minerals was held at Raipur in 2016.

On the occasion, he presented awards to 149 five-star rated mines for sustainable mining practices and all round performance.

He also handed over of 52 Geological Survey of India (GSI) approved mine blocks to 15 State Government. 

JP Morgan named as world’s most systemic bank: FSB

JP Morgan Chase has bagged the top spot at the 2021 list of globally systemic banks (G-SIBs) released by Financial Stability Board (FSB).

FSB has identified total 30 banks as globally systemic banks (G-SIBs) by FSB.

These 30 banks are divided into four buckets in order of how systemic, international, interconnected and complex they are.

FSB: It is an international body that represented the G20 leaders' first major international institutional innovation.

NASA launches world’s first DART Mission to crash Spacecraft into Asteroid

NASA has launched world’s first Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission to change the path of an asteroid by intentionally crashing a spacecraft into it with a speed of 24,000 kms per hour. 

The mission has a total worth of $325 million and was launched into orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

Aim: to crash a space probe into the asteroid so as to alter its speed and course so prevent it from hitting the Earth.

MNRE inaugurates 1st International Conference on Hydrogen Energy

Minister of State for MNRE has inaugurated 1st International Conference on Hydrogen Energy - Policies, Infrastructure Development and Challenges. 

It is being organized by Central Board of Irrigation and Power (CBIP) with the support of Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, Central Electricity Authority and NTPC.

Aim: to bring all the key stakeholders on the same platform to discuss all facets of Hydrogen Energy in India.

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.