Latest Current Affairs For Saturday 19th November, 2022

SEBI introduces new option for appointment, removal of Independent Director

SEBI has introduced a new option for appointment and removal of independent directors from the boards of companies.

Two parameters: (1) threshold for ordinary resolution, (2) threshold for majority of minority shareholders.

Currently, a special resolution to be passed, in which 75% of 'yes' votes are needed from a company's board.

Under the alternate mechanism, if the special resolution does not get the requisite majority, then two other thresholds would be tested.

Veteran Punjabi actor, Daljeet Kaur passes away

Daljeet Kaur, a veteran actor well-known for her lead roles in several superhit Punjabi movies, has been passed away at 69 due to brain tumour.

She started her career in movies with 'Daaz' in 1976.

She has starred in several hit movies, including 'Putt Jattan De' (1983), 'Mamla Garbar Hai' (1983), 'Ki Banu Duniya Da' (1986), 'Patola' (1988) and 'Saida Jogan' (1979).

Daljeet Kaur was also a national hockey and kabaddi player.

World Antimicrobial Awareness Week 2022: 18 - 24 November

World Antimicrobial Awareness Week is observed every year from November 18 to 24.

Aim: To spread awareness about antibiotic or antimicrobial resistance.

Theme 2022: Preventing Antimicrobial Resistance Together

According to WHO, Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines.

This day was first observed in 2015.

WHO HQ: Geneva, Switzerland; 

Chief: Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

InsuranceDekho partners with LIC to offer latter's products

InsuranceDekho has teamed with Life Insurance Corp of India to provide the latter's products on its platform.

This partnership will help to provide insurance policies and establish 100% penetration in the remotest towns of the country.

Currently, InsuranceDekho has more than 330 products from 45 insurers on its platform.

LIC (India's largest life insurer) has been looking to enhance and diversify its distribution mix through partnerships and tie-ups.

Tripura CM launches ‘Amar Sarkar’ portal

Tripura chief minister, Manik Saha has launched a new portal, ‘Amar Sarkar’ with an aim to provide bridge between the people and the government.

The portal will help people to register their problems and complaints through village committee officials.

A total of 78 departments, including the panchayat department, has been included in the webportal.

Earlier, the state government had launched the ‘Har Ghar Sushasan’ initiative.

India becomes the world's second largest producer of steel

Minister of Steel, Jyotiraditya Scindia has informed that India has become the second largest producer of steel at global scale.

The per capita steel consumption grew from 57.8 kilogram to 78 kilogram, with a registered growth of 50% in the last 8 years.

In case of installed capacity of steel, the country has moved from 100 million tonnes a year to almost 150 million tonnes.

China is the biggest steel producing country, which accounted for 57% of world steel production. 

4th Edition of Indian Chemicals Council Sustainability Conclave

Secretary Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Arun Baroka has inaugurated 4th Indian Chemicals Council (ICC) Sustainability Conclave in New Delhi.

Theme: Boardrooms to Community-ESG, Carbon Neutrality, Operational Safety, Greener Solutions. 

Aim: Promote sustainability in the management of the entire life cycle of chemicals.

It was jointly organized by UNEP,  International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) in cooperation with MoC&F and MoEF&CC.

Tamil Nadu introduces India’s first elephant death audit framework

Forest Department of Tamil Nadu has introduced, first of its kind initiative in India, an elephant death audit framework.

Reason: Detailed and transparent process for recording and monitoring elephant deaths.

The document also help to study the conditions of avoidable and unnatural deaths, while preparing developing preventative strategies.

It also specifies a methodical standard process for carrying out an autopsy to ascertain the causes of an elephant's demise.

Suraj Bhan appointed as chairman of NPS Trust

Pension Fund Regulatory & Development Authority (PFRDA) has appointed Suraj Bhan as the chairman of the National Pension System Trust (NPS Trust) with effect from November 12, 2022.

He has been a Trustee on the Board of NPS Trust since 2018.

He joined the Indian Economic Service in 1983 and retired as Director General of Labour Bureau, Chandigarh, in January 2018.

About PFRDA:

Founded: 23 August 2003

HQ: New Delhi

Chairperson: Supratim Bandyopadhyay

Michelle Obama's book 'The Light We Carry' released

Michelle Obama has released her new book titled, 'The Light We Carry' in November 2022.

This book is a collection of practices and perspectives to deal with challenging times.

The book will be published simultaneously in 14 languages and 27 countries around the world.

Her memoir, “Becoming” was one of the best-selling books of all time, that was released in 2018.

She served as first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017.

C V Ananda Bose appointed as Governor of West Bengal

Former IAS officer, C V Ananda Bose has been appointed as the Governor of West Bengal.

He is a 1977 batch (retired) Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Kerala cadre.

He has replaced Manipur Governor, La Ganesan, who had taken the additional charge of West Bengal since after the incumbent Jagdeep Dhankhar was nominated as the vice president candidate.

He had worked as an administrator in the National Museum and district collector of Quilon district in Kerala.

Sandhya Devanathan appointed as head of Meta India

Meta has appointed Sandhya Devanathan as the Vice President and Head of Meta India.

She will take charge on January 1, 2023 and will report to Dan Neary (Vice President, Meta APAC).

She joined Meta in 2016 and build out the Singapore and Vietnam businesses and teams as well as Meta’s e-commerce initiatives in Southeast Asia.

Presently, she is working as Vice President - Asia-Pacific, Gaming at Meta.

Prior to this, she worked with Citibank and Standard Chartered.

Sharath Kamal becomes first Indian to elected in ITTF Athletes' Commission

Achanta Sharath Kamal (TT Player) has become the first Indian to be elected in the Athletes’ Commission of the International Table Tennis Federation.

He will serve in the Commission from 2022 to 2026.

Elected Athletes: Elizabeta Samara, Achanta Sharath Kamal, Daniely Rios, Omar Assar, Melissa Tapper, Stefan Fegerl, Jon Persson, and Liu Shiwen. 

Elected Para-Athletes: Ingela Lundback and Kelly van Zon

Sharath is also selected for 2022 Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award.

India-US launched ‘Operation Broader Sword’

India and the USA, jointly conducted an ‘Operation Broader Sword’ to stop the illegal shipment of drugs through the International Mail System.

It targeted shipments of illicit, potentially dangerous, unapproved prescription drugs, combination medical devices, and synthetic drug precursors shipped through International Mail Facilities.

The operation resulted in the interception of over 500 shipments of illicit and unapproved prescription drugs bound for US consumers.

NLU Delhi launches research affiliate program ‘Eklavya’

The National Law University (NLU), Delhi launched Eklavya, a ‘Research Affiliate’ program, for those who do not have a traditional law degree.

Aim: To emphasize its commitment to actively seek partnerships outside the varsity and draw from their experiences and perspectives to develop quality legal scholarship. 

It is open to those who have at least three years of demonstrable experience working on issues that have a significant interface with the law.

CarTrade Tech to acquire OLX India's auto business for Rs 537 cr

Mumbai-based used cars platform CarTrade Tech Ltd will acquire online marketplace OLX India's auto sales business for Rs 537 crore.

CarTrade will acquire a 100% stake in Sobek Auto India Pvt Ltd, the entity that houses OLX India’s Automotive business, in an all-cash deal.

The acquisition will likely to be completed in 21-30 days.

Sobek is a company incorporated under the Companies Act, of 2013.

It is engaged in the business of running an automotive digital platform.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.