Current Affairs 15 November 2023

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 15 November 2023, which have unique updates of Latest Current Affairs 2023 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

IICA signs MoU with Lean Campus Startups & WEICI India to Empower Corporate and Women Entrepreneurs On November 13, 2023, the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Lean Campus Startups (Trust) and Mumbai, Maharashtra based Women Entrepreneurs International Chambers of India (WEICI India) in Manesar, Gurugram, Haryana, to empower corporate and women entrepreneurs through various training programmes.
Signatories:
The MoU was signed by Dr Lata Suresh, representing IICA, and Umesh Rathod, representing Lean Campus Startups (Founder).
About the MoU:
i.IICA in partnership with Lean Campus Startups & WEICI India aims to empower both corporate and women entrepreneurs, augmenting their knowledge, skills, and competencies in the effective establishment and management of a diverse workforce.
ii.In partnership with IICA, LCS will arrange programmes for women entrepreneurs and students.
iii.This MoU facilitates collaboration between IICA, Lean Campus Startups, and WEICI India for joint initiatives including training programs, workshops, and mentoring sessions. It aims to empower entrepreneurs by establishing a supportive network, and provides entrepreneurs with access to resources and opportunities.
Notes:
i.IICA, under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), fosters corporate sector development through training and research.
ii.Lean Campus Startups established in 2014, is a brand of Mission Catalyst. It is dedicated to shape the future of India through transformative initiatives in education, skill development, and entrepreneurship.
iii.WEICI India supports and resources women entrepreneurs.
About Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA):
Director General & CEO– Praveen Kumar
Headquarters– Gurugram, Haryana

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Russia, India Sign Deal on Supply & Production of Igla Air Defence Systems
Russia has signed a contract to supply and produce hand-held anti-aircraft missile Igla-S Man-Portable Air Defence System (MANPADS) to India.

• Igla-S is designed to counter low-flying aircraft and helicopters.
• It  has a range of 500meters to 6000 meters and can go upto the altitude ranging from 10meters to 3500 meters.
• It works on “fire-and-forget” principle.
• It is exported by Russian Defense Export agency Rosoboronexport

Note: India is the world’s largest arms importer and Russia remains world’s largest supplier.

BANKING & FINANCE

India, ADB sign USD400mn loan to Create Quality Urban InfrastructureOn November 13, 2023, the Indian government signed a USD 400 million policy-based loan agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to support its sub-programme 2 of the Sustainable Urban Development and Service Delivery Programme.

• This program is India’s urban reform agenda to create high-quality urban infrastructure, improve service delivery, and promote efficient governance systems.
• The Loan has a principal repayment period of 12 years .

Signatories:
The signatories to the loan agreement were Juhi Mukherjee, Joint Secretary, department of economic affairs, Ministry of Finance and Takeo Konishi, Country Director of ADB’s India Resident Mission.
Key Points:
i.The sub-programme 2 of the Sustainable Urban Development and Service Delivery Programme was approved in 2021 with a financing of USD 350 million.

• It established national-level policies and guidelines to improve urban services.
• While Sub-programme 2 supports investment planning and reform actions at the state and urban local body (ULB) levels.

ii.Sub-programme 2 supports reforms under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (Amrut) 2.0, targeting universal water supply and sanitation access.

• It aims to achieve urban water security, reduce water losses, recycle treated sewage, and rejuvenate water bodies.

iii.It also modernizes urban planning for economic centers, integrates resilience and nature-based solutions, incentivizes city creditworthiness through efficiency and revenue measures, and encourages innovative financing for urban infrastructure deficits.

NHAI Accepts First Insurance Surety Bond as Bid Security for NHAI TOT Bid for MonetizationThe National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) accepted the first insurance surety bond as bid security for the Toll Operate Transfer (TOT) Bundle 14 bid. The bond was issued at a rate of 0.25% and did not require any margin money.

• This will be the first time this instrument is being utilized as a Bank Guarantee (BG) in the road infrastructure sector for monetization of bids.
• The NHAI collaborated with the Highway Operators Association of India (HOAI), SBI General Insurance, and AON India Insurance for this initiative.

Reason behind this acceptance:
To boost the liquidity and capacity of bidders
To encourage private participation in the highway sector
Key Points:
i.Insurance Surety Bonds involve insurance companies providing financial guarantees for contractors to fulfill their obligations.

• The Ministry of Finance has equated e-BG and Insurance Surety Bonds with Bank Guarantees for all government procurements.
• These instruments, including Insurance Surety Bonds, aim to enhance National Highway Infrastructure development, contributing positively to the Indian economy.

ii.A bid bond is a type of surety bond that is issued to contractors during the bidding process. Bid bonds guarantee that the contractor will enter into a contract if their bid is accepted.
About National Highways Authority of India (NHAI):
Chairperson– Santosh Kumar Yadav
Headquarters– New Delhi, Delhi
Established – NHAI was constituted by an Act of Parliament in 1988, the authority became operational in  1995

Fedfina, IREDA, EPACK Durable & Suraj Estate Developers get nod from SEBI to float IPOsThe Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has given approval to four companies viz. Fedbank Financial Services Limited (Fedfina), Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA), EPACK Durable, and Suraj Estate Developers to raise funds through initial public offerings (IPOs).

• These companies filed preliminary IPO papers with SEBI between July and September 2023.
• The equity shares of these companies will be listed on the BSE (Formerly Bombay Stock Exchange) and NSE (National Stock Exchange).

Note:
Fedfina is a Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) arm of Federal Bank.
Fedfina IPO:

• Fresh issue: Rs 750 crore.
• OFS (Offer For Sale): 7.03 crore shares by Federal Bank and True North Fund VI LLP.
• Utilization: Tier-I capital, future capital needs, and offer expenses.

IREDA IPO:

• Fresh issue: 40.31 crore equity shares.
• OFS: 26.88 crore equity shares by the President of India.
• Utilization: Capital base augmentation, future capital needs, and lending.

EPACK Durable IPO:

• Fresh issue: Rs 400 crore.
• OFS: 1.3 crore equity shares by promoters and investors.
• Utilization: Capital expenditure, loan repayment, and corporate purposes.

Suraj Estate Developers IPO:

• Fresh issue: Up to Rs 400 crore.
• No OFS.
• Utilization: Debt payment, land acquisition, and general corporate purposes.

About Securities and Exchange Board of India:
Chairperson– Madhabi Puri Buch
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Establishment– 1992

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

Indian Cricketers Virender Sehwag, Diana Edulji and Sri Lanka’s Aravinda de Silva Inducted into ICC Hall of Fame 2023

Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag and former Indian women’s cricket team captain Diana Fram Edulji , along with Sri Lanka’s Aravinda de Silva, were inducted into the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Hall of Fame for the year 2023.

• Diana Fram Edulji  is the first Indian woman cricketer inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame.
• The three legends are to be presented with a commemorative ICC Cricket Hall of Fame cap during the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup semi-final at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai (Maharashtra) on 15th November 2023.
• Sehwag was also part of the Indian team that won the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup in 2011 and also won the inaugural Twenty 20 International (T20I) World Cup 2007 in South Africa.

About International Cricket Council (ICC) :–
Chairman – Greg Barclay
Headquarters – Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Established in -1909
>> Read Full News

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Federal Bank Partners with Indian shuttler HS Prannoy for Brand PromotionFederal Bank Limited has signed a partnership with Indian Shuttler Prannoy Haseena Sunil Kumar (HS Prannoy)(31) for an exclusive collaboration.

• • Under this annual partnership, Federal Bank will be the exclusive banking partner.
  • The partnership aims to promote the Bank’s strategy to invest in various adjacent domains to enhance its brand’s influence.

Key Points:
i.Under this partnership, H S Prannoy will display the Federal Bank logo in several upcoming Badminton World Federation (BWF) events, including the BWF World Tour, BWF Gold Series, and BWF World Badminton Championships.
ii.He will also promote the brand by carrying the logo of the bank during post-match interviews.
About H S Prannoy:
i.HS Prannoy hailing from Kerala is ranked 8th in the BWF world ranking (as of 14th November 2023).

• He has reached his highest career ranking of 7th in May 2023.

ii.He has won the Silver medal in Youth Olympic Games in 2010 in Singapore.
iii.He has also won the men’s singles bronze medal at the Asian Games in October 2023.
iv.He also received Arjuna Award (Badminton) in 2022.
About Federal Bank Limited:
Managing Director(MD) & Chief Executive Officer(CEO) –  Shyam Srinivasan
Headquarters – Aluva, Kerala
Established in 1931
Tagline – Your Perfect Banking Partner

Rear Admiral CR Praveen Nair Assumes Command as Fleet Commander of Indian Navy’s Western Fleet
Rear Admiral CR Praveen Nair, officially assumed the role of Flag Officer Commanding the Western Fleet on November 10, 2023, marking a change in leadership for the Western Fleet, the Sword Arm of the Indian Navy.
He succeeded Rear Admiral Vineet McCarty, who became the Fleet Commander of the Western Fleet in November 2022.

• A ceremonial naval parade was held at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai, Maharastra, and the baton of the Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet was handed over by Rear Admiral Vineet McCarty.
• Rear Admiral Nair was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 01 July 1991 and served as Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Policy and Plans) at Naval Headquarters in New Delhi, Delhi.
• He has also served at the Naval Headquarters as Commodore (Personnel). He has commanded the missile corvette INS Kirch; the aircraft carrier, INS Vikramaditya; and commissioned the guided missile destroyer INS Chennai.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

‘AAINA Dashboard for Cities’ Portal Launched by MoHUAOn 13th November 2023, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has launched  ‘AAINA Dashboard for Cities’ portal to create a database of the key performance metrics of Urban Local Bodies (ULB).

• The portal is an initiative of MoHUA.

Objectives:  
The primary objectives of the AAINA Dashboard are to help cities to

• Help cities see how they are doing  vis-à-vis other cities,
• Inspire cities by pointing to new possibilities and areas for improvement.
• Provide cities with the opportunity to learn from and engage with frontrunning cities.

Five Pillars:
The dashboard will present the data submitted by the ULBs on the basis of indicators across five thematic area namely:

• Political & Administrative Structure
• Finance
• Planning
• Citizen Centric Governance
• Delivery of Basic Services

About the Portal:
i.The ULBs submit their data, including audited accounts, and self-reported performance metrics by logging in to the dashboard’s portal.
ii.The portal does not rank cities, but instead serves as a tool for comparing similarly placed cities and promoting peer learning among cities.
iii.The Dashboard is also a  permanent platform for ULB related data, that would be updated on a regular basis.
iv.Once the dashboard is populated with data, it will be open to all stakeholders, including citizens.
v.MoHUA through Digital India Corporation under Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology(MeitY), will provide handholding support to ULBs/States in the data submission process on a need basis.
About Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs:
Union Minister – Hardeep Singh Puri (Rajya Sabha – Uttar Pradesh)
Minister of States (MoS) – Kaushal Kishore (Constituency- Mohanlalganj, Uttar Pradesh)

CRS-29: SpaceX Launched Its 29th Cargo Mission To ISS
On 9th November 2023, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and SpaceX jointly launched Dragon’s 29th Commercial Resupply Services mission (CRS-29) to the International Space Station (ISS).

• CRS-29 Dragon spacecraft was launched atop a Falcon 9 Rocket from Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center(KSC) in Florida, the United States of America(USA).

i.This is the 9th SpaceX launch under the Commercial Resupply Services-2 (CRS) contract.
ii.The spacecraft carried cargo weighing about 6,500 pounds (2948 kg) of scientific research, crew supplies, and hardware to ISS.
iii.The Falcon’s first stage made a successful landing at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1). The launch marked the second flight for the stage, which previously launched Crew-7.

SPORTS

Odisha Govt signs MoU with AM/NS India to Establish Kho Kho High-Performance Centre in Odisha
Odisha government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Arcelor Mittal Nippon Steel (AM/NS) India to establish a High-performance center (HPC) in Kho Kho at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha to promote Kho Kho talents.

• The MoU signed in the presence of Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik, highlighted the commitment of both parties to fostering sporting excellence.
• Under the MoU, Odisha will extend infrastructure support, while AM/NS India has committed to providing experienced and dedicated coaches of Kho Kho to train talented youths.
• A cluster of HPCs have been set up by Odisha at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar and the Kho Kho HPC will be an important addition to the ecosystem.
• The collaboration of Odisha govt with AM/NS India in Ultimate Kho Kho led to the triumph of the state-owned franchise, Odisha Juggernauts, as champions of the inaugural season.

IMPORTANT DAYS

Public Service Broadcasting Day 2023- November 12 Public Service Broadcasting Day or Jan Prasaran Diwas is annually observed across India on 12 November to commemorate the first and only visit of Mahatma Gandhi to the studio of the then All India Radio (AIR) (now Akashvani ) in Delhi, in 1947.
Background:
i.On 17th November 1947, Mahatma Gandhi visited the AIR Studios at Broadcasting House, New Delhi, Delhi to address the refugees (from Pakistan) who were camped in Kurukshetra, Haryana following the partition.
ii.To commemorate 50 years of this visit of Mahatma Gandhi to AIR, a function was organised at AIR premises on 12th November 1997.
iii.Later in 2001, the day, “12th November”, was declared Public Service Broadcasting Day.

• The observance was conceptualised by Suhas Borker, Convenor, Jan Prasar.

About All India Radio (AIR):
Akashvani Mysore (Karnataka), a private radio station, was set up in September 1935. On June 8, 1936, the Indian State Broadcasting Service transformed into AIR.
Director General – Dr. Vasudha Gupta
Headquarters– New Delhi, Delhi
>> Read Full News

World Usability Day 2023- November 9World Usability Day (WUD), or Make Things Easier Day is annually observed across the globe on the 2nd Thursday of November to promote the principles of usability, accessibility, and user experience in design.
WUD 2023 falls on 9 November 2023.

• WUD 2022 was observed on 10 November 2022 and WUD 2024 will be observed on 14 November 2024.

The 2023 theme of WUD is, “Collaboration and Cooperation“.
Background:
i.World Usability Day was established in 2004 by the Usability Professionals Association, now known as the User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA).

• The day was founded to raise awareness about the importance of creating products and services that are easy to use, efficient, safe, and enjoyable for users.

ii.The first WUD was observed on 10 November 2005.
About User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA):
Founded in– 1991
President & Director of Marketing & Communications– Sara Mastro
>> Read Full News

World Pneumonia Day 2023 – November 12World Pneumonia Day is annually observed across the globe on November 12 to raise awareness and educate people about Pneumonia disease, the world’s most prominent infectious death of children under the age of 5.
The theme of World Pneumonia Day 2023 is “Every Breath Counts: Stop Pneumonia in Its Track”.
Background:
i.World Pneumonia Day was established under the Stop Pneumonia Initiative by the Global Coalition Against Child Pneumonia in 2009.

• The campaign aims to raise awareness about Pneumonia.

ii.The 1st World Pneumonia Day was observed on 12th November 2009. 
>> Read Full News

World Diabetes Day 2023- November 14 The United Nations (UN) World Diabetes Day (WDD) is annually observed across the globe on 14 November to raise awareness about the impact of diabetes on the health of people.

• WDD also aims to highlight the opportunities to strengthen the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diabetes.

Background:
i.WDD was created in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to address the growing concerns about the health threat posed by diabetes.

• Since 1991, WDD has been observed on 14 November at the global level by IDF.

ii.On 20 December 2006, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/61/225 and proclaimed the 14 November of every year, as a UN Day, beginning in 2007.
iii.The first-ever UN-recognised WDD was observed on 14 November 2007.
About International Diabetes Federation (IDF):
President– Prof. Akhtar Hussain (Norway)
President-Elect– Prof Peter Schwarz (Germany)
Headquarters– Brussels, Belgium
Founded on– September 23, 1950
>> Read Full News

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