Current Affairs 18 November 2022

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 18 November 2022, which have unique updates of Latest Current Affairs 2022 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.

Our Current Affairs November 2022 events will help you to get more marks in Banking, Insurance, SSC, Railways, UPSC, CLAT and all State Government Exams. Also, try our Latest Current Affairs Quiz and Monthly Current Affairs 2022 PDF which will be a pedestrian to crack your exams.

Read Current Affairs in CareersCloud APP, Course Name – Learn Current Affairs – Free Course – Click Here to Download the APP
We are Hiring – Subject Matter Expert | CA Video Creator | Content Developers(Pondicherry)

Click here for Current Affairs 17 November 2022

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

Tamil Nadu Introduces India’s First Elephant Death Audit FrameworkThe Tamil Nadu Forest Department has introduced the “Tamil Nadu Elephant Death Audit Framework,” a first-of-its-kind initiative in India, to record the reasons of elephant deaths for improved accountability.

• M. K. Stalin, Chief Minister (CM) of Tamil Nadu (TN), released the framework during the State Board for Wildlife (SBWL) meeting, which was conducted after a four-year break. The last such meeting was held in December 2018.

Significance

• According to the framework, identifying the cause of death remains a pivotal basis for many concerns about elephant population and conservation ecology.
• This framework will significantly boost transparency, aid all stakeholders in evaluating the results, and enable standardization and more reliable comparisons of the causes of mortality.

Three objectives of the framework
i.To establish a comprehensive standard protocol for conducting a post-mortem to determine the cause(s) of an elephant’s death.
ii.To study and comprehend the factors causing avoidable and unnatural elephant deaths.
iii.To develop remedial measures for the prevention of unnatural and preventable fatalities through periodic death audits and long-term monitoring.
Wild Elephants
i.Elephants are among the longest-living mammals, with a wild life expectancy of around 50 years in the wild and a generation time of 22 years.
ii.More than two thirds of the Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in the world reside in India.

• Only 20% of Asian elephants live inside protected areas.

11 Career researchers receive PECFAR for Exploring Networking Opportunities for S&T collaborations between India & Germany

11 career researchers from India & Germany have been awarded the ‘Paired Early Career Fellowship in Applied Research (PECFAR)’, which will fund a short-term visit to explore opportunities for connecting and networking for research collaborations between India and Germany in frontier areas of science and technology(S&T).

• This is the 1st time researchers have earned this award under the PECFAR, which was formed on 1st February 2022 to enable a 2-way exchange of early-career researchers from India and Germany.

Awardees of the PECFAR-2022
Paired Early Career Fellowship in Applied Research (PECFAR):
i. PECFAR is a fellowship that promotes the interaction of young early-career Indian and German researchers through short visits for networking and exploring opportunities for collaboration and innovation in applied research.
ii. PECFAR has been launched by the Indo-German Science & Technology Centre (IGSTC).

• IGSTC is a bilateral institution established by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Ministry of Science and Technology (MoS&T), Government of India (GOI), and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Government of Germany, to promote Science and Technology collaborations with a focus on applied research.

Indo-German Cooperation in Science & Technology:
i. The Indo-German Science & Technology cooperative program is implemented under an Inter-governmental Agreement on “Cooperation in Scientific Research and Technological Development” signed in May 1974.
ii. The Indian Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) serve as the program’s nodal agencies.

NCW Launches Digital Shakti 4.0 to Digitally Empower Women & Girls in Cyberspace

The National Commission for Women (NCW) in collaboration with CyberPeace Foundation and Meta launched the fourth phase of the Digital Shakti Campaign, Digital Shakti 4.0, a pan-India project on digitally empowering and skilling women and girls in cyberspace.

• Attendees – NCW Chairperson Rekha Sharma, Lieutenant General BS Raju, UYSM, AVSM, YSM, Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS); Major Vineet Kumar, founder and global President, CyberPeace Foundation; Rajiv Aggarwal, Director and Head of Public Policy, Facebook India (Meta), were present during the launch.

Key points:
i.The launch was followed by an interactive panel discussion on “Safe Spaces Online Combatting Cyber-enabled Human Trafficking & Combatting Other forms of Online Violence“ among the experts from the Industry, Government, and Academia.

• The discussion was to address the issue of online women safety from all possible areas and provide a holistic approach to ensure better women safety online.

ii.Participants – Sunitha Krishnan, General Secretary, Prajwala, Ashutosh Pande, Senior Research Officer, NCW, Pavan Duggal, advocate, Supreme Court of India and Advisor, CPF, Veerendra Mishra, AIG, SISF, Madhya Pradesh Police and Advisor, NCW, Preeti Chauhan, Director-Operations, CPF participated in the panel discussion.
About Digital Shakti 4.0:
i.On the account of creating safe spaces for women and girls, Digital Shakti 4.0 campaign mainly focuses on making women digitally skilled and on creating awareness against any illegal or inappropriate activity online.
ii.This collaboration empowers women and girls to use technology to their advantage and to keep themselves safe online.
Background:
i.In 2018, Digital Shakti 1.0 was launched to help women across India to create digital awareness, to build resilience, and fight cybercrime in the most effective ways.

• Through this project, around 3 lakh women across India have been made aware of cyber safety tips and tricks, reporting and redressal mechanisms, data privacy and usage of technology for their benefit.

ii.In 2021, the 3rd phase of the project was launched in Leh, J&K, when a Resource Center was developed to provide information on all the possible ways of reporting, if a woman faces any cybercrime issues.

India becomes the World’s 2nd Largest Producer of Steel

According to the World Steel Association, India has become the world’s 2nd largest producer of Crude Steel after China in 2018 and 2019, replacing Japan.

• According to the Ministry of Steel, Government of India (GoI), data on 5th February 2022, India’s crude steel production in 2018 was 109.3 million tonnes (MT), an increase of 7.7% from 101.5 MT in 2017.
• In 2019, it further increased to 2 MT and moved from the 4th largest producer of steel to the 2nd largest producer of steel on a global scale.

Note: Top 5 Crude steel producers in the world in 2018 & 2019 are: China, India, Japan, the United States of America (USA), and South Korea.

DAHD initiates process for Integration of its Various Infrastructures with PMGS-NMP

Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD),Ministry of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, has initiated the process for integration of various infrastructures of the department with PM Gati Shakti-National Master Plan (PMGS-NMP).

• As a 1st step, DAHD has integrated its 12 breed improvement institutions ( 7 central Cattle Breeding Farms, 4 Central Herd Registration Schemes and a Central Frozen Semen Production & Training Institute).
• It is located at various locations in India with PMGS-NMP a digital platform to bring 16 Ministries together for integrated planning and coordinated implementation of infrastructure connectivity projects.
• It will facilitate the last-mile connectivity of infrastructure and also reduce travel time.

National Investigation Agency to establish offices in every state by 2024

Amit Shah, Union Minister of Home Affairs, addressed the 2-day ‘Chintan Shivir’ at Surajkund, Haryana and stated that before 2024, all the states across India will have National Investigation Agency (NIA) branches to deal with cybercrimes, narcotics, cross-border terrorism and sedition.

• Amit Shah chaired the session organised for the implementation of ‘Vision 2047’ and ‘Panch Pran’ announced in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day speech.

• NIA was created following the terror attack in Mumbai on December 31, 2008, with the NIA Act of 2008.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Highlights of PM Narendra Modi visit to Indonesia for 17th G20 Summit 2022 in Balii.The Prime Minister (PM) of India Narendra Modi paid an official visit to Bali, Indonesia from November 14-16, 2022 to attend the 17^th G20 (Group of twenty) Summit. He was invited by the President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo.
ii.The summit was held under the Indonesian Presidency on the theme of ‘Recover Together, Recover Stronger’.
iii.G20 Summit Agenda includes three working session’s viz. food and energy security; health; and digital transformation.
iv.This summit is the culmination of the G20 process that was carried out over the year through Ministerial Meetings, Working Groups, and Engagement Groups.
v.Indonesia’s President handed over the G20 presidency to India which will officially assume the G20 Presidency from December 1, 2022, and will focus on the theme of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ or ‘One Earth One Family One Future’ underlining equitable growth and shared future for all.
vi.PM Narendra Modi along with other G-20 Leaders visited and planted Mangroves at the ‘Taman Hutan Raya Ngurah Rai’ Mangrove forests
>> Read Full News

BANKING & FINANCE

SBI Signs Rs. 1240 crore Loan Agreement with Germany’s KfW for Solar ProjectsState Bank of India (SBI) has signed a 150 million Euro (about Rs. 1,240 crore) loan agreement with KfW Development Bank, Germany to facilitate new and upcoming projects in the solar sector.

• The agreemnet of this long-term loan was facilitated by SBI Capital Markets, investment banking subsidiary of SBI.
• In addition, this long-term loan will further contribute to India’s goal of ‘Panchamrit’ taken up during COP-26 (Conference of Parties -26).

Key highlights:
i.Background – In 2015, the Government of India (GoI) and the Federal Republic of Germany had signed an MoU to foster the use of solar energy in India through technical and financial cooperation, under which, Germany expressed its willingness to provide concessional loans to India in the range of 1 billion euro through KfW.
ii.The successful closure of phase 1 of Promotion of Solar PV (Photovoltaic), under the Solar Partnership between SBI and KfW has paved the way for the current phase 2 partnership.
iii.Through the partnership, both sides would work in the direction of sustainable financing arrangements for meeting renewable capacity goals on both sides and also uphold environmental and social standards.
About State Bank of India (SBI):
Chairman – Dinesh Kumar Khara
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra

SEBI introduces option for Appointment, Removal of Independent Directors

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) introduced a flexible option for appointment and removal of independent directors from the boards of companies.

• In this regard, SEBI has amended LODR (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) rules and the new rules will be called as SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) (Sixth Amendment) Regulations, 2022.

Under the new option, the appointment and removal of independent directors could be done by way of the following two parameters:

• Threshold for ordinary resolution
• Threshold for majority of minority shareholders.

Key Points:
i.Currently, the appointment, re-appointment or removal of independent directors is made through a special resolution which needs 75% of ‘yes’ votes from a company’s board.

• Now, if the special resolution for appointment of an independent director does not get the requisite majority, then the above two new thresholds will be tested.

ii.If the resolution crosses the two above-mentioned thresholds in the same voting process, then such a resolution for appointment of the independent director is deemed to be approved by shareholders.
iii.The same threshold will also be applicable for removal of an independent director appointed under this alternate mechanism.

Additional Provisions:
i.Additionally, SEBI has established provisions pertaining to schemes of arrangement for entities having listed debt securities, handling of unclaimed amounts pertaining to non-convertible securities of listed entities, and continuous disclosure norms for entities with listed non-convertible securities, pertaining to financial results and related requirements.

ii.Before submitting a scheme of arrangement with the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), an entity that has listed non-convertible debt securities or non-convertible redeemable preference shares must file the draft scheme of arrangement with the stock exchanges, together with a non-refundable fee for receiving the “no-objection” letter .

iii.The listed entity would not file any scheme of arrangement with the NCLT until it received a no-objection letter from the stock exchanges.

iv.The validity of the stock exchange(s) no-objection letter shall be six months from the date of issuance, within which the listed entity shall file the draft scheme of arrangement with the NCLT.”

NABARD Sanctions Rs 220 Crore to Odisha Govt for Flood Protection ProjectsOn 16th November 2022, the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) had sanctioned Rs 220.50 crore to the Odisha government under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) for the construction of 57 flood protection projects and one bridge at a rural area.
Key highlights:
i.These projects will be executed by the State water resources department for the protection and restoration of river banks at 57 identified stretches on 32 different rivers/creeks for restoration/stabilisation of agricultural land, standing crops and providing flood relief operations by construction of one rural bridge.

• The projects will help districts including Kendrapara, Bolangir, Kalahandi, Nuapada, Rayagada, Boudh, Nayagarh, Jajpur, Khurda and Sonepur.

ii.In addition, a box cell bridge will also be constructed over Sankha creek in Jagatsinghpur district to prevent intrusion of salt water into the farmlands at Patua and Baghadi.
Significance:
The flood protection include works such as repairing & strengthening of scoured banks of the rivers 50.69 km, construction of launching aprons and stone packing of slope of embankments, raising and strengthening of embankments (107.74 km), construction of cement concrete guard wall and also the construction of 93 new spurs, provision of Bituminous (BT) road on embankments for a total length of 57.78 km.
About National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD):
Chairman – Suchindra Misra
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Establishment – 1982

ADB: Maharashtra to Get USD 400 million ADB Loan for 5,000 e-buses; Extends USD 40 Million for 255 Electric Buses In India with Focus On Women SafetyThe Asian Development Bank (ADB) has given in-principle approval for a USD 400-million loan to the Maharashtra government to bring in 5,000 electric buses.

• This was announced by Parrag Jaiin-Nainutia, Maharashtra’s Principal Secretary (Transport & Ports) at the India pavilion at the COP27 international climate conference on decarbonising India’s transport sector using e-mobility.

Key highlights:
i.Maharashtra which is set to come out with the tender for 5000 buses will follow the same model as the public sector, CESL(Convergence Energy Services Ltd), did for the tender for procuring 5450 e-buses.

• Under the CESL model, bidders offer a per-km price for running buses on routes specified by the state transport service and the best price gets the contract.

ii.The buses would be run by the winning bidder’s drivers, but the ticketing and collection would be done by the state transport.

ADB Extends USD 40 Million for 255 Electric Buses In India with Focus On Women Safety
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a USD 40 million financing package with GreenCell Express Private Limited (GEPL) to develop 255 electric battery-powered buses with a focus on the safety of passengers, especially women.

• The e-buses would serve around 5 million people a year on 56 intercity routes in India.
• The bus will include security features such as panic buttons connected to command controls for immediate response

GEPL is a wholly owned subsidiary of GreenCell Mobility Private Limited (GreenCell), a platform company of Green Growth Equity Fund (GGEF).
Financial assistance:
The financial package comprises USD 20.5 million loan from ADB’s ordinary capital resources, ADB’s administration of a USD 14 million loan from the Clean Technology Fund (CTF), grants worth USD 3,25,000 from the CTF and USD 5.2 million from Goldman Sachs’ and Bloomberg’s the Climate Innovation and Development Fund (CIDF).

• The CIDF grant will partially finance the decarbonization of 100 of the 255 e-buses by deploying solar power-plus-battery energy storage systems, which will reduce around 6355 tons of carbon dioxide a year. Overall, the project will reduce emission by 14780 tons.

Note – ADB also assisted in mobilising an additional parallel loan of USD 20.5 million from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
Features:
i.Safety features at project bus depots and e-buses will include cameras, panic buttons, adequate depot lighting, seating arrangements, tracking, and awareness-raising materials.
ii.In addition, training programs will be held for bus drivers and cabin hosts on safety protocols focused on women passengers.
Note – In 2020, road transport accounted for 87 percent of all passenger trips, 18 percent of total energy consumption, and 11.7 percent of greenhouse gas emissions.
Key Points:
i.The project is also qualified for a 2x gender financing rating, a challenge launched at the G7 summit in 2018 to encourage gender lens investing among development finance institutions.
ii.Under this project, GEPL is also implementing a diversity and inclusion roadmap to initiate a program to build a stronger pool of women in leadership and technical roles.

Karnataka Bank Launches CASA CampaignThe Karnataka Bank Ltd (KBL) has launched a 100-day CASA (current account savings account) campaign for the fiscal year 2022-23 (FY 23), as it approaches its 100th anniversary.

• CASA is a national campaign that will take place between November 15, 2022 and March 24, 2023.

The bank intends to open more than 3.65 lakh CASA accounts across all 883 branches in India as part of this campaign.
Key Points:
i.The bank will use this campaign to introduce potential customers to its digitally enabled savings account options.
ii.As part of the “KBL-Vikaas” project and digital transformation activities, the bank intends to make self-initiated digital onboarding platforms available to potential customers.
iii.In order to ensure an easy account opening and client satisfaction, the TAB and Web Banking account opening modes for onboarding Savings Bank (SB)—New-To-Bank (NTB) customers will be widely utilised during the campaign.
About Karnataka Bank Ltd (KBL):
MD & CEO – Mahabaleshwara M.S
Establishment – 1924
Headquarters – Mangaluru, Karnataka
Tagline – Your Family Bank Across India

InsuranceDekho Collaborates with LIC to Provide Latter’s Products

The Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) and the insurance technology company InsuranceDekho have formed a strategic partnership under which LIC’s products will be offered to customers across India on InsuranceDekho’s platform.

• This partnership will empower InsuranceDekho to democratise insurance and make it accessible to all Indians, regardless of geographic location or socioeconomic status.

Key Points:
i.LIC will make use of InsuranceDekho’s technology and analytics to expand its customer base and provide quality service to all customers with this collaboration.
ii.InsuranceDekho is about to conclude the fiscal year 2022-2023 (FY23) with annualized premiums at Rs. 3,000 crores.

• The platform of InsuranceDekho presently hosts 330+ products from 45 insurers.

InsuranceDekho

• InsuranceDekho is an online platform that allows customers to compare insurance quotes from top-rated insurance companies and buy the insurance policy that best meets their needs.
• CEO and Co-founder of InsuranceDekho – Ankit Agrawal

About Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC):
Chairperson– Mangalam Ramasubramanian Kumar
Established – 1956
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS  

Ankit Gupta & Kanav Kariya, 2 Indian-origin Entrepreneurs on Fortune’s 40 under 40 listAnkit Gupta(age 35), Founder and CEO of Bicycle Health and Kanav Kariya(age 26), President of Jump Crypto, two Indian-origin entrepreneurs, have been featured on Fortune’s annual 40 under 40 list in 2022. The list highlights the influential individuals shaping business in 2022.

• Ankit Gupta was featured on the list under the Health and Bioscience category while Kanav Kariya was featured under the Finance and Crypto category.
• The list also includes renowned Barbadian singer Rihanna, famed TikToker Khaby Lame and French footballer Kylian Mbappé.

About Ankit Gupta:
i.Ankit Gupta founded Bicycle Health, an online medication-assisted treatment provider for opioid dependence in 2017.
ii.In 2020, when the government regulations were relaxed allowing more opioid treatment medications to be prescribed online, the organisation expanded to 29 states in the United States of America.
Note: According to Fortune, around 40% of the US counties lack facilities for medication-assigned treatment, Bicycle health aims to bridge this gap.
About Kanav Kariya:
i.Kanav Kariya started his career as an intern at Jump Trading in 2017.
ii.In 2021, He was appointed as the President of Jump Crypto, the 170-person digital assets division of Jump Trading.
iii.Prior to this appointment, he served as the director of strategic initiatives for digital assets.
Fortune’s 40 Under 40 list:
i.Fortune’s 2022 40 Under 40 list features founders, executives, investors, and activists who are creating and seizing the opportunity.
ii.The list features 40 individuals aged below 40 under five categories: Venture and Startups, Culture and Society, Finance and Crypto, Tech and Innovation, and Health and Bioscience.       

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS       

PFRDA appoints Suraj Bhan as Chairman of NPS TrustPension Fund Regulatory & Development Authority (PFRDA) has appointed Suraj Bhan as the Chairman of the board of National Pension System Trust (NPST) with effect from 12th November 2022. He is responsible for managing funds under the National Pension System (NPS).
The tenure of the previous chairman of the trust, Dinesh Kumar Mehrotra, came to an end on November 11, 2022.
About Suraj Bhan:
i. Suraj Bhan joined the Indian Economic Service in 1983 and retired as Director General of the Labour Bureau, Chandigarh, in January 2018.
ii. He was appointed as Trustee on the Board of NPS Trust in December 2018 and later his tenure was extended for a period of 2 years ending December 2023.
iii. He has a wide range of expertise working with the government and the public sector on projects involving economic policy, business, industry, and finance.
iv. He has held senior positions in the Ministry of Agriculture, Planning Commission, Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Finance, Department of Economic Affairs, Department of Telecom, Ministry of Labour and Employment and Ministry of Steel.
About the National Pension System Trust (NPST):
NPST was established by PFRDA as per the provisions of the Indian Trusts Act of 1882.
Chairman and Trustee- Suraj Bhan
Establishment- 2007

Sharath Kamal Becomes First Indian to be Elected in ITTF’s Athletes’ CommissionLegendary table tennis player Achanta Sharath Kamal has become India’s first player to be elected to the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Athletes’ Commission.

• Eight athletes (4 male and 4 female) were elected from Asia, Africa, Europe, South America, North America, and Oceania along with the two highest-voted para-athletes.
• These elected players will serve in the ITTF Athletes’ Commission for a period of 4 years starting from 2022 to 2026.

Highlights:
i.Elected athletes – Sharath Kamal (India), Omar Assar (Egypt), Stefan Fegerl (Austria), Jon Persson (Sweden); Elizabeta Samara (Romania), Daniely Rios (Puerto Rico), Melissa Tapper (Australia), Liu Shiwen (China).

• Sharath has been elected under the criteria of Highest-voted Athlete from Asia with 66.08%
• Para-Athletes – Ingela Lundback (Sweden) and Kelly van Zon (Netherlands).

ii.Achanta Sharath Kamal from India had received 187 votes, followed by Elizabeta Samara of Romania, with 212 votes, which is a difference of only 8.83 percent of votes polled from their respective continents, Asia and Europe.
Note – He will be honoured with the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, India’s highest sports recognition later in November 2022.
About Achanta Sharath Kamal:
i.Achanta Sharath Kamal a 40-year-old from Tamil Nadu is the vice-chairman of Athletes’ Commission of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

• He is one of the 10 eminent athletes elected to the national Olympic body that goes to polls in December 2022.

ii.He has a history of winning 4 golds in Commonwealth Games, 2 Asian Games medals, 4 Olympic Games appearances and 2 ITTF Pro Tour titles
iii.He is the first Indian player to become 10-time men’s singles winner at senior National Table Tennis Championships, breaking the record of eight-time National Champion Kamlesh Mehta.
About International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF):
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Stephen Dainton (Australia)
Headquarters – Lausanne, switzerland
Establishment – 1826

Govt extends Tenure of DCGI Chief Dr V G Somani by 3 months

The tenure of Dr. Venugopal Girdharilal Somani (V G Somani) as the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has been extended by 3 months Under Fundamental Rules 49(v) for the 2nd time by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

• The extension came into effect from 16th November 2022 until the next announcement is made.
• Dr V G Somani was appointed the DCGI for a term of three years on 14th August 2019. He was earlier given an extension in August 2022.          

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

MK30: Amazon unveils design of Air delivery drone

Amazon has unveiled the design of an Air delivery drone ‘MK30’, which will handle high temperatures and light rain, will enter into service in 2024 by replacing MK27-2.

• It is expected to be 25 percent faster than MK27-2.
• The Transport packages weigh up to five pounds while flying hundreds of feet.
• It will undergo evaluation by national aerospace authorities by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to prove its safety and reliability.

IMPORTANT DAYS

National Epilepsy Day 2022 – November 17National Epilepsy Day is annually observed across India on November 17 to raise awareness about the central nervous system disorder, Epilepsy and to educate people about its symptoms and treatments.

• The Symbol of Epilepsy is the Purple ribbon. Purple commonly represents pancreatic cancer and epilepsy.
• There is also a Purple Day that raises awareness about epilepsy and is observed annually across the globe on March 26.

i. National Epilepsy Day was 1st observed by the Epilepsy Foundation of India, a non-profit organisation. It was started as a national campaign to lower the presence of epilepsy in India.
ii. The Epilepsy Foundation of India aims to improve the quality of life for those who have seizures and to change society’s perspectives on epilepsy.
About the World Health Organization (WHO):
Director-General- Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Headquarters- Geneva, Switzerland
Establishment- 7th April 1948
About the Epilepsy Foundation of India:
Founder- Dr Nirmal Surya
Headquarters- Mumbai, Maharashtra,
Establishment- 2009.
>> Read Full News

International Students’ Day 2022 – November 17International Students’ Day is annually observed across the globe on November 17 to ensure that every student across the globe has access to education. The day celebrates multiculturalism, diversity, and teamwork among students.

• Originally, the day was established to remember the students who died in World War II and to remember the events that took place in Prague during World War II in 1939.

i. In 1939, the Nazi occupants in Czechoslovakia suppressed the demonstrations held by the students of the Medical Faculty of Charles University to commemorate the creation of an independent Czechoslovak Republic. This resulted in the death of a medical student Jan Opletal.
ii. Thousands of students turned the funeral of Jan Opletal into an anti-Nazi demonstration which resulted in drastic Nazi measures like the closing of all Czech universities and colleges and sending more than 1200 students to the concentration camps.
iii. On 17th November 1939, 9 students and professors were executed without trial. Due to this event, the date was chosen to be International Students’ Day.
iv. The first-ever International Students’ Day was observed in London, The United Kingdom(UK) by the International Students’ Council in 1941.
>> Read Full News

World Philosophy Day 2022 – November 17The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s World Philosophy Day is annually observed across the globe on the 3rd Thursday of November to raise awareness about philosophy and its importance.
World Philosophy Day 2022 falls on 17th November 2022. 

• World Philosophy Day 2021 was observed on 18th November 2021.
• World Philosophy Day 2023 will be celebrated on 16th November 2022.

The theme of World Philosophy Day 2022 is “The Human of the Future”.

• The observance of World Philosophy Day is annually led by UNESCO.

Background:
i.The first ever World Philosophy Day was observed on 21st November 2002(3rd Thursday).

• Since 2002, the day has been observed at the headquarters and the fields under  UNESCO’s regular programme.

ii.UNESCO adopted the 33 C/Resolution 37 in 2005 and proclaimed the 3rd Thursday of November every year as “World Philosophy Day”.
About United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO):
Director-General– Audrey Azoulay
Headquarters– Paris, France
>> Read Full News

STATE NEWS

J&K LG Manoj Sinha Launches Spatial Data Infra Initiative JKRIS & g-SAM mobile appOn 16th November 2022 Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) Lieutenant Governor (LG) Manoj Sinha has launched the Jammu and Kashmir Remote Sensing Information System (JKRIS), a spatial data infrastructure initiative, and g-SAM (Gram Panchayat Spatial Assets Mapper) mobile app.

• This was launched at the convention of Geographic Information System (GIS) professionals, Government officials, entrepreneurs and young students, organised to mark the World GIS Day.
• The World GIS Day celebrated on 16th November 2022. Ralph Nader inspired GIS Day as a day for geography awareness.

Other releases:
i.He released reports of the Department of Ecology, Environment and Remote Sensing on the ‘assessment of inherent vulnerability of climate change’ and ‘internal monitoring of the Wular Lake and its catchment area – geospatial approach’.
ii.He inaugurated the second edition of the Green life Contest and felicitated the winners of the Green Life Contest-1 from Jammu Region.
iii.A postal cover on “Chinar Tree” was also released on the occasion.
Attendees – Colonel Vinod Kumar, Postmaster General, Jammu Region; Vijay Kumar Bidhuri, Administrative Secretary, Revenue Department, Amit Sharma, Administrative Secretary, Mining Department; Avny Lavasa, Deputy Commissioner, Jammu; Rakesh Kumar,  Director Ecology, Environment and Remote Sensing; Senior Scientists; Professors; Research Scholars, officials, various public & private stakeholders and students were present on the occasion.
Role of GIS:
i.GIS technology ecosystem is offering new communication tools to different sectors such as Weather Forecast, Urban & Transport Planning, Security, Biodiversity Protection, Telecom, Agriculture, Environment, Asset Management and Navigation Services.

• Presently, around 1000 GIS applications every day are being used by professionals, researchers, and common citizens in more than 50 sectors to address various challenges and opportunities.

ii.It also plays a crucial role in identifying forest boundaries, Geographical Indication (GI) tagging, J&K green drive, conservation of wetlands, and census of water bodies.
iii.With the help of GIS, traffic accidents can be tackled through identification of accident locations or hotspots.
About Jammu & Kashmir (J&K):
Lieutenant Governor (LG) – Manoj Sinha
National Park – City forest (Salim Ali) National Park
Wildlife Sanctuary – Lachipora Wildlife Sanctuary, Limber Wildlife Sanctuary

*******

List of Current Governors in India – AUGUST 2022

List of Current Chief Ministers in India – AUGUST 2022

*******

List of Less Important News – Click Here

*****Click Here View – AC Excluded News*****

Current Affairs Today (AffairsCloud Today)