Current Affairs 12 November 2021

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 12 November 2021, which have unique updates of Latest Current Affairs 2021 events from all newspapers such as The Hindu, The Economic Times, PIB, Times of India, PTI, Indian Express, Business Standard and all Government official websites.

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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

Cabinet Approval on November 10, 2021The Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi approved certain important initiatives on November 10, 2021.
About Cabinet Approvals in brief:
i.On November 10, 2021, the Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved the declaration of November 15 as ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Divas’ to mark the birth anniversary of tribal leader and freedom fighter Birsa Munda.
ii.The Union Cabinet approved restoration and continuation of the Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS), which was suspended in April 2020 due to COVID-19.
iii.Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by PM approved for fixing higher ethanol prices derived from different sugarcane-based raw materials under the EBP (Ethanol Blended Petrol) Programme for the forthcoming sugar season 2021-22 during Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2021-22 from 1st December 2021 to 30th November 2022.
iv.The CCEA approved the committed price support of Rs 17,408.85 crore to the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) for 7 cotton seasons from 2014-15 to 2020-21 (i.e. up to September 30, 2021). The cotton season lies between October-September.
v.Cabinet has approved reservation norms under the Jute Packaging Material Act (JPM Act) for making mandatory use of jute in packaging for the Jute Year 2021-22 (1st July 2021 to 30th June 2022).
About Ministry of Textiles:
Union Minister – Piyush Goyal (Constituency – Maharashtra)
Minister of State – Darshana Vikram Jardosh (Constituency – Surat, Gujarat)
>>Read Full News

USA Becomes the 101st Member Country of the ISA at COP26; ISA Established Investment Advisory Committee  The United States of America (USA) has become the 101st member of the inter-governmental treaty-based International Solar Alliance (ISA).
Key Points:
i.John Kerry, the US special presidential envoy for climate, has signed the framework agreement and announced its membership at the 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which is being held in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK).
ii.On November 2, 2021, India and UK jointly launched the world’s 1st ‘green Grids’ Initiative, the One Sun One World One Grid (GGI-OSOWOG) on the sidelines of the COP26 summit to connect energy grids across borders to facilitate a faster transition to the use of renewable energy.
iii.At COP26, the USA joined the steering committee of the ‘One Sun One World One Grid’ initiative, which now includes Australia, France, the UK and India.
iv.The ISA has established an investment advisory committee composed of leading institutional investors, including multilateral and commercial organizations and has partnered with Nordic institutional investors to guide ISA on mobilising $1 trillion for investment in solar energy by 2030.
About the United States:
Capital – Washington, D.C.
Currency – United States Dollar
President – Joe Biden
>>Read Full News

“Delhi Declaration” adopted on 3rd Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan in New DelhiOn 10th November 2021, National Security Adviser (NSA) of India, Ajit Doval Chaired the 3rd Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan that was hosted by India in New Delhi. The meeting saw high-level participants from 8 countries, where the “Delhi Declaration” was adopted by the countries to promote terrorism free, inclusive government in Afghanistan.The Declaration was also known as the “Delhi Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan of National Security Advisers/Secretaries of Security Councils”.
Objective – To instigate a collective effort against spread of Terrorism, Drug trafficking from Afghanistan and for protection of women rights in Afghan.
Countries Participated – India, Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan. (While Pakistan & China stayed away from the meeting)
Key points of ‘Delhi Declaration’:

• The countries supported the formation of a peaceful, secure and stable Afghanistan with sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity and non-interference in its internal affairs.
• Afghanistan’s territory shall not be used for sheltering, training, planning or financing any terrorist activities.
• Necessity of an open inclusive government with representation from all sections of the society, including major ethno-political forces in Afghan.
• Recalling the UN Resolutions on Afghanistan, and the continued presence of the UN representatives in Afghanistan.
• Reiterated the importance of ensuring that the fundamental rights of women, children and minority communities are not violated.

Note – Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan is an initiative by Russia, and the 4th round of the meeting is scheduled to be held in 2022.
About Afghanistan:
Caretaker President – Amrullah Saleh
Capital – Kabul
Currency – Afghan afghani

Govt sets up committee headed by Gopal Krishna Pillai to determine RoDTEP rates for exports from SEZs, EOUsThe Central Government has constituted a 3-member committee for determination of RoDTEP (Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products) rates for AA(advance authorisation)/export-oriented units (EOUs)/ special economic zones (SEZs)  exports as these sectors were left out in the earlier exercise.

• It will be headed by Former Home Secretary Gopal Krishna Pillai, Former CBEC (Central Board of Excise and Customs) member Y G Parande and former customs member Gautam Ray.
• The committee will also make recommendations on issues relating to errors or anomalies with respect to the RoDTEP schedule of rates notified.
• The information for the same was provided in a trade notice by Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Key Points:
i.The committee will submit its report within 8 months.
ii.In August 2021, the Central government announced the rates of tax refunds under the export promotion scheme RoDTEP for 8,555 products. For this, the government has set aside Rs 12,454 crore for FY22.

• SEZs and EOUs were not included in this list.

iii.Under the RoDTEP, various central and state duties, taxes, and levies imposed on input products, among others are refunded to exporters.

Nutrition Smart Villages Program launched to reach out 75 Villages to strengthen Poshan AbhiyanIn order to strengthen the Poshan Abhiyan, a programme on ‘Nutrition Smart Village’ was initiated as a part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to commemorate the 75th year of Independence of India.

• It was launched during an event organized by Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) in New Delhi which was attended by Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (MoAFW).
• The program is on the lines of the Prime Minister’s call to all the academicians, agricultural scientists and all the institutions to adopt and transform 75 villages.

About Program:
i.The program aims to reach out to 75 villages across India through the network of All India Coordinated Research Project on Women in Agriculture (AICRP-WIA).

• AICRP-WIA operates at 13 centres in 12 Indian States. Its coordinating institute is located at Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

ii.A total of 75 villages will be adopted by AICRP centres and ICAR-CIWA (Central Institute for Women in Agriculture), for which the AICRP centres will adopt 5 villages each with the remaining to be adopted by ICAR-CIWA to develop 75 Nutri-Smart villages.
iii.Intensive awareness campaigns and field activities will be held on the concept of Nutri-village / Nutri-food / Nutri-diet/ Nutri-thali etc.
Objective of Program:
i.Promoting nutritional awareness, education and behavioural change in rural areas involving farm women and school children.
ii.Harnessing traditional knowledge through the local recipe to overcome malnutrition
iii.Implementing nutrition-sensitive agriculture through homestead agriculture and Nutri-garden.
Other Releases:
Narendra Singh Tomar also released 3 publications viz. ‘Technology profile of food products’; ‘Work participation and women in agriculture in India’; and ‘Gender Sensitive Agri-Horti Cropping System Model for addressing livelihood nutrition and entrepreneurship’.
Other Participants:
Minister of State (MoS) Kailash Choudhary, MoAFW;  Secretary, Agriculture, Sanjay Agarwal; Secretary, DARE, Dr. Trilochan Mohapatra, among others.

BANKING & FINANCE

UCO Bank signed Co-Lending Agreement with Aadhar Housing FinanceOn November 10, 2021, the UCO Bank signed a co-lending agreement with Aadhar Housing Finance to provide convenient home finance solutions or home loans to customers from the economically weaker sections, lower and middle-income groups. Under this partnership, home loans will be offered at competitive rates.

Reason behind this partnership:
This partnership is premised upon the co-lending framework of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) that provides a tool for banks and non-banks to collaborate for providing affordable solutions to the unserved and underserved sections.

• The collaboration will help UCO bank to use Aadhar Housing Finance’s network of over 300 branches covering more than 12,000 locations to improve credit flow to relevant societies.

Points to be noted:
i.Home loan penetration in India at around 10% which is one of the lowest globally.
ii.Central and state governments initiatives such as Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, reduction in GST (Goods & Service Tax) on affordable housing, and stamp duty cuts is enhancing affordable housing sector especially in Tier-2 and smaller centres
About UCO Bank:
Establishment- 1943 (Incorporated as United Commercial Bank Limited)
Managing Director and CEO (Chief Executive Officer)- Atul Kumar Goel
Headquarter- Kolkata, West Bengal
About Aadhar Housing Finance:
Managing Director and CEO- Deo Shankar Tripathi
Headquarter- Mumbai, Maharashtra

National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) launches ‘Digital Payment Gateway’i.On November 10, 2021, National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI), a not-for-profit organization launched ‘Digital Payment Gateway’ in partnership with PayU and National Securities Depositories Limited (NSDL). This will enable digital payments across NIXI’s three business units by integrating payment gateways on all its websites.
ii.The Digital Payment Gateway was launched during a ceremony which was presided over by NIXI Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Anil Kumar Jain as the Chief Guest.
About National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI):
Chairman– Ajay Prakash Sawhney
Parent Ministry– Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)
Headquarter– New Delhi
>>Read Full News

Axis Bank signs MoU with Army Insurance Group for retail mortgage loansOn 10th November 2021, Axis Bank signed an MoU with the Army Insurance Group (AGI) to offer retail mortgage loans to the Indian Army personnels.
Key Points
i.Through this agreement the bank will offer higher loan amounts and also provide  facilities to transfer the balance of  customers’ loans from AGI to Axis Bank.
ii.The defence personnel can also extend the limit of repayment of loans beyond their retirement from service.
iii.Axis Bank will provide its products and services to fulfill home loan requirements of the defence personnel.
About Axis Bank:
MD & CEO– Amitabh Chaudhry
Headquarters- Mumbai, Maharashtra
Founded- 1994

PGIM India MF Launches India’s First Global Real Estate Securities FundPGIM India Mutual Fund (formerly Prudential Investment Management) has announced the launch of PGIM India Global Select Real Estate Securities Fund of Fund, an open-ended equity fund of fund scheme investing in PGIM Global Select Real Estate Securities Fund.

• The New Fund Offer (NFO) opens from 15th November 2021 to 29th November 2021.
• The Benchmark Index of the fund is FTSE EPRA NAREIT Developed Index

Objective – To generate long-term capital investments through fund-of-funds (FoF), where the primary investments would be in equity related securities of real estate companies located throughout the world and in Real Estate Investment Trust (REITs).
Features
i.The minimum amount required to invest in this NFO is Rs 5000 and after that in multiples of Re 1.
ii.The fund-of-fund will be managed by Ravi Adukia, an Equity Analyst and dedicated Fund Manager for overseas investments.
About PGIM India MF
Set up – May 2010
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
MD & CEO – Ajit Menon
Chairman – John Pravee

Geojit Launches 1st Online Trading Services for NRI accountsGeojit Financial has announced India’s first online platform to open online trading and demat accounts through Central Depository Services Ltd (CDSL) for Non-Resident External (NRE) and Non-Resident Ordinary (NRO).

• Currently, the opening of trading and demat accounts is offered only to Non Resident Indians (NRI’s) single or savings account which is not linked to an NRE or NRO account.
• Aadhaar linked mobile number and a permanent account number (PAN) is required to open the account online.
• The online account opening platform was developed by Geojit Financial’s subsidiary, Geojit Technologies.

Non-Resident External (NRE) Account 
The NRE account is an Indian rupee-denominated account, offering complete security which can be in the form of savings, current, recurring or fixed deposits.
Non-Resident Ordinary (NRO) Account
An NRO account is a savings or current account held by NRIs in India to manage their income earned in India. The Account-Holders can deposit and manage accumulated funds without any hassle. The account allows the holders to receive funds in Indian or Foreign currency.
Difference between NRO and NRE

About Geojit Financial Services:
Chairman – Ramanathan Bupathy
Headquarters – Kochi, Kerala

KGB introduces Vaccine-linked Deposit scheme for customers- ’KGB Kavacham’The Kerala Gramin Bank (KGB), a Regional Rural Bank introduced a 1st of its kind initiative named- KGB Kavacham. It is a deposit scheme that offers additional interest rate to customers who have received the COVID-19 vaccine doses.

• It is for the first time in India a Rural Bank has supported the government vaccination campaign.

Objective – To motivate people for the vaccination and remove vaccine hesitancy.
Key points:
i.The scheme was launched on July 1, 2021 & gained over INR 500 crore of deposits.  The interest rate  for the same period for normal deposits opened for 15 months by 0.25 per cent.
ii.The cumulative deposits opened under the scheme will fetch an interest rate of 5.55 per cent, which is higher than the prevalent rate.
iii.KGB also introduced a special term-deposit scheme named – KGB Platinum. It is offering a higher interest rate of 5.60 per cent for deposits made for 775 days.
About Kerala Gramin Bank (KGB):
Chairman –  C Jayaprakash
Headquarters– Malappuram, Kerala
Founded- 2013

NPCI Bharat BillPay partners ICICI prudential to provide ClickPay 

On 11th November 2021, NPCI Bharat BillPay Ltd., the wholly-owned subsidiary of National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) tied up with ICICI Prudential Life Insurance to provide ClickPay facilities which offer easy payments.

• ClickPay enables customers to make renewal premium payments and also other utility bills, EMIs etc.
• This is the first insurance company to provide hassle free, two-step premium payment options for customers.

About National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) Bharat BillPay
Established – 2021
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
CEO – Nupur Chaturvedi
Lovlina Borgohain appointed as Ambassador of ICICI Prudential’s new digital campaign
i.ICICI Prudential Life Insurance will launch its new digital campaign ‘Agar taiyaari sahi ho, toh jeet pakki hai’ (a victory is assured if you have the correct preparation), featuring Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain. The campaign talks about being prepared for challenges in life by setting up a microsite narrating the story of Lovlina winning a medal for India.
ii.The microsite allows the users to click augmented reality selfies with Lovlina Borgohain.
Note – Lovlina Borgohain won bronze medal in the women’s boxing (69kg) in Tokyo Olympics 2020 and also received the Arjuna Award.
About ICICI Prudential Life Insurance 
Established – 2000
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) & Managing Director – Narayanan Srinivasa Kannan     

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS     

Satya Narayan Pradhan Appointed as Director-General of NCB Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has appointed Satya Narayan Pradhan (SN Pradhan) as the Director-General(DG) of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) (full time) on a deputation till the date of his superannuation on 31st August 2024 or until further orders.

• SN Pradhan was holding the additional charge as the DG of NCB in addition to the responsibilities as the DG of NDRF.

About SN Pradhan:
i.Satya Narayan Pradhan (SN Pradhan) is an IPS officer of Jharkhand cadre 1988-batch who is serving as the Director-General of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) with additional charges as the DG of NCB.
ii.He took the additional charge as the DG of NCB succeeding Rakesh Asthana who was appointed as Delhi Police Commissioner.
About Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB):
Director General– Satya Narayan Pradhan
Headquarters– New Delhi, Delhi
Established in March 1986

Spanish-German Actor Daniel Brühl named as Goodwill Ambassador of UN-WFPSpanish-German Actor Daniel Brühl has been named the Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations (UN) World Food Programme (WFP). He has joined the WFP’s mission to reach a world with Zero Hunger.
Roles of Goodwill ambassador:
i.He will support raising awareness for the millions of hungry people and engage his supporters in advocacy for a Zero Hunger world.
ii.As the goodwill ambassador, he will inform about the main drivers of hunger and showcase the efforts of UN WFP to tackle both immediate needs and root causes of hunger.
About Daniel Brühl:
i.Daniel Brühl, born in Barcelona, Spain, has worked in both European and American productions in various languages like English, Spanish, German, French, Polish, and Chinese.
ii.He has starred in numerous movies such as ‘Rush’, ‘The Alienist’, ‘Good Bye Lenin!’, ‘Colonia’.
iii.He has starred as ‘Helmut Zemo’ in Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.
About United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP):
WFP, the worlds largest humanitarian organization has won the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts to combat hunger, and for its efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict.
Executive Director– David Beasley
Headquarters–  Rome, Italy
Established in– 1961  

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Civil Aviation Ministry launches e-Governance Portal – ‘e-GCA’

The Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya Scindia, inaugurated a new digital function of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)– ‘e-GCA’ or e-Governance in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

• e-GCA is an electronic governance portal of Ministry of Civil Aviation covering 99 services offered by DGCA in the initial phases, and upto 198 services to be covered in other phases

Objective – To offer a Single Window platform for the Indian Aviation sector thereby bringing efficiency and transparency in the network.
Key points:
i.Services provided – Pilots, Aircraft Maintenance Engineers, Air Traffic Controllers, Air Operators, Airport Operators, Flying Training Organizations, Maintenance and Design organizations etc.
ii.Through e-GCA, various types of approvals from pilot license to registration of aircraft and flights will be available online.
iii.The logbook for Pilot and Aircraft Maintenance Engineers has also been brought on the mobile app.
iv.The Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and PriceWaterhouseCoopers have been contracted to operate and maintain the e-GCA for a period of five years (up to August 2026).
About Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA):
The DGCA is an apex body governing the safety and regulatory matters of civil aviation
Director General- Arun Kumar
Headquarters– New Delhi

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Week of Science and Peace 2021 – 8th to 14th NovemberThe United Nations (UN)’s International Week of Science and Peace(IWOSP) is annually observed across the globe during the week in which November 11th falls. 
The observance of the International Week of Science and Peace increases the contribution and cooperation in the application of science in promoting science and peace.

• The observance of the IWOSP encourages academic exchanges on a subject of universal importance and generates awareness of the relationship between science and peace.

The International Week of Science and Peace 2021 is celebrated from 8th to 14th November 2021. 

• IWOSP 2020 was observed from 9th to 15th November 2020. 
• IWOSP 2022 will be observed from 7th to 13th November 2022. 

UN recognition:
i.In December 1988, the United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) adopted a resolution and proclaimed that the International Week of Science and Peace will be observed annually during the week in which November 11 falls.
ii.The first UN’s International Week of Science and Peace was observed in 1989.
>>Read Full News

National Education Day 2021 – November 11In India, the National Education Day is annually celebrated on 11th November to mark the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the first education minister of independent India. The day is celebrated for his contributions towards education and to create awareness in education.

• India celebrated the 133rd birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna – Maulana Abul Kalam Azad on 11th November 2021.

About Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
i.Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was the first Education Minister of independent India from 15th August 1947 to 2nd February 1958 who stressed on Women’s Education.
Award – He was awarded Bharat Ratna, Posthumously in 1992.
>>Read Full News

STATE NEWS

UP Cabinet Approved the Proposal to Implement ‘Mathrubhumi Yojana’The cabinet of Uttar Pradesh(UP) headed by Chief Minister(CM) Yogi Adityanath has approved the proposal to implement the ‘Mathrubhumi Yojana’ to facilitate individuals or private institutions to contribute to the development of any village as per the Panchayati Raj Act, 1947.

• To ensure the effective implementation the UP government will set up the ‘Uttar Pradesh Mathrubhumi Society’ which will have a governing council and empowered committee.
• The governing council will be headed by CM as the president and Minister of Panchayati Raj as vice president.

About Mathrubhumi Yojana:
i.The successful people working in cities and abroad and other privileged people who wanted to contribute to the development of their villages are not able to do so due to the lack of a systematic platform.
ii.The Mathrubhumi Yojana will enable these people to contribute to development works or improve infrastructure facilities in any Gram Panchayat.
Features:
i.Under this scheme, if the individual or private institution is willing to bear 60% of the cost of the development work, then the remaining 40% will be arranged by the state government.
ii.The grant given by the state government will be arranged from the budget provisions of the departments related to the works that will be undertaken.
Other UP Cabinet approvals:
i.The cabinet has also approved the proposal for free distribution of oil, refined oil and food grains.

• Free distribution of the food grains will be done from December 2021 to March 2022.

ii.The cabinet also approved the proposal for a rehabilitation plan for 63 Hindu Bengali families displaced from East Pakistan in 1970 on 121.41 hectares of land available with the Rehabilitation Department in Bhainsaya village in Kanpur Dehat district.
About Uttar Pradesh(UP):
Governor– Anandiben Patel
Airport– Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport; Moradabad Airport
RAMSAR Sites– Sandi Bird Sanctuary, Saman Bird Sanctuary

Odisha CM launches ‘Rakshak’ – a Road Safety ProgramOn 10th November 2021, the Chief Minister (CM) of Odisha – Naveen Patnaik launched a road safety initiative “Rakshak”. It is the first of its kind state level programme in the country where 30,000 volunteers staying or working at the eateries and different business establishments located near accident prone spots will be trained as First Responders to road accidents.

• Odisha Public Transport and Integrated Commuter System (OPTICS) was also inaugurated.

Key points:
i.A fund named Solatium Fund has been created in which accident victims of  ‘Hit & Run’ cases are eligible for compensation. As part of which the legal heir of a deceased is entitled to get Rs. 2 lakh compensation. A critically injured person is entitled to get Rs.50000 under this scheme.
ii.OPTICS application citizens will be able to know about bus at a location, bus between locations, bus information such as RC, permit, route and time.
About “Rakshak” programme:
The programme will be conducted in two phases –
Phase 1– The 300 Master Trainers will be trained in Training of Trainers (TOTs) by experts from Automotive Skills Development Council (ASDC).
Phase 2-  These 300 Master Trainers will go to accident prone areas in all the 30 districts and train and empower the local people to render help to the victims of road accidents.

• The 30,000 First Responders will be equipped to administer first aid and pre-hospital trauma care to accident victims within the golden hour.

The programme is organised by the Commerce & Transport Department of  Odisha in partnership with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and Indian Red Cross Society of  Odisha State branch.
About Odisha:
Festival– Kalinga Mahotsav, Chandan Yatra or Gandhalepana Yatra
Stadium- DRIEMS Ground, Kalinga Stadium

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