Current Affairs 8 & 9 November 2020

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 8 & 9 November 2020, which have unique updates of Latest Current Affairs 2020 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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Top 25 Current Affairs of 8 & 9 November 2020

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat Inaugurated India’s first solar-based Integrated Multi-Village Water Supply Project in Arunachal Pradesh

i.On November 6, 2020 Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister of Jal Shakti inaugurated India’s first solar-based Integrated Multi-Village Water Supply Project (IMVWSP) in Lower Dibang Valley district in northeastern Arunachal Pradesh.
ii.This project will provide drinking water needs for 39 villages(approximately 17,480 people) in the district.
iii.The solar-based lift water supply project was commissioned at a cost of Rs 28.50 crore.
About Arunachal Pradesh:
Chief minister– Pema Khandu
Governor– Brigadier (Dr.) B. D. Mishra
<<Read Full News>>

Navies of India, US, Japan, Australia participated in 24th Edition of 1^st Phase of Malabar Naval Exercise 2020 held in Bay of Bengal

Phase 1 of the 24th Edition  of  the Four-nation  Naval Exercise Malabar 2020 took place in the Bay of Bengal from November 3-6, 2020. Since 2007, all the QUAD (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) Group countries (India, United States, Japan, Australia) participated for the 1^st time in the Malabar Naval Exercise. The exercise was restricted to sea phase and was conducted in “Zero Contact” format due to Pandemic.
Participants:
Indian Navy (IN), United States Navy (USN), Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF), and Royal Australian Navy (RAN) participated in the maritime exercise.
i.For the first time in more than 10 years, exercise is witnessing the participation of all four Quad countries.
ii.Australia is taking part in the exercise for the first time after 2007.
About Indian Navy:
Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS)– Admiral Karambir Singh
Integrated Headquarters MoD (Navy)– New Delhi
<<Read Full News>>

HIL signs MoU with DCPC to achieve revenue target of INR 451 Crore

On November 6, 2020, HIL (India) Limited (formerly known as Hindustan Insecticides Limited) a Public Sector Undertakings(PSU) under the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals (DCPC) to achieve the revenue target of INR 451 Crore in the current Financial Year (2020-21).
The MoU was signed by SP Mohanty, HIL (India) Limited’s Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) and Rajesh Kumar Chaturvedi, Secretary of DCPC.
About Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers:
Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals is a department under Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers
Union Minister – Sadananda Gowda
Minister of State (MoS) – Mansukh Mandaviya
<<Read Full News>>

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

OPEC Secretariat Hosted 4th High-Level Meeting of OPEC-India Dialogue; Co-Chaired by Dharmendra Pradhan & Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo

i.On November 5, 2020 OPEC(Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) Secretariat hosted the 4th High-Level Meeting of the OPEC-India Dialogue through video conference.
ii.The meeting was co-chaired by Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel and Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo, Secretary General of OPEC.
iii.Aim of the Meeting–  To Discuss about the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on both the world economy and energy markets including oil markets.
iv.OPEC in its recent World Oil Outlook 2020, has projected that India will account for 16% of the global economy by 2045, double that of 2020.Iraq remains top oil supplier to India.
Note- This is the first meeting of  this Institutional Dialogue since the start of COVID-19 pandemic.
About Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries(OPEC):
Founded– September 1960 in  Baghdad, Iraq, with the signing of an agreement by 5 countries namely Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.
Member Countries– 13
HeadQuarters– Vienna, Austria(Since September 1, 1965; Originally established in 1961 in Geneva, Switzerland)
Secretary General– Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo
Constituency:
Dharmendra Pradhan- Rajya Sabha, Madhya Pradesh
<<Read Full News>>

India-Nordic -Baltic CII Conclave 2020 held Virtually; Attended by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar

i.On November 5, 2020, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) virtually organized an India-Nordic-Baltic Conclave 2020 on the theme “An Innovation-driven Partnership for Growth in a New World”.
ii.The Conclave focused on 11 sectors in which the Nordic-Baltic region has expertise and India offers opportunity, provided a platform to connect with potential Indian partners and discuss business partnerships featuring B2B (business to business) sections. It was sponsored by Denmark’s shipping company MAERSK.
iii.The Indian side was represented by Union Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, MEA along with participation of Secretary West, Vikas Swarup, Secretary Economic Relations (ER) Rahul Chhabra and Joint Secretary Central Europe Neeta Bhushan.
iv.This conclave was the outcome of the India-Denmark virtual summit that took place earlier in 2020. Click Here to Read
About Nordic-Baltic countries:
Nordic countries are group of five nations in Northern Europe–Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland, while Baltic countries are three countries–Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania who share a coastline with Baltic sea.
About Confederation of Indian Industry (CII):
Director General– Chandrajit Banerjee
President– Uday Kotak
Headquarter– New Delhi
<<Read Full News>>

Narendra Modi and Italy’s Giuseppe Conte Co-Chaired Virtual India-Italy Summit 2020

i.On November 6, 2020, an India-Italy virtual summit 2020 was held which was co-chaired by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Italy Prof. Giuseppe Conte. Both leaders reviewed the framework of bilateral relationship and also reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen cooperation against common global challenges, including the Covid-19 pandemic.
ii.The leaders discussed a wide range of issues including political, economic, scientific & technological, space and defence cooperation and also adopted ‘Action Plan for 2020-2024’ along with inking of 15 Memorandums of Understanding (MoU).
iii.It should be noted that Italy is all set to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA) following the amendment to the Framework Agreement allowing for the adhesion of non-Tropical countries which entered into force on July 15 2020.
About Italy:
President – Sergio Mattarella
Capital – Rome
Currency – Euro
<<Read Full News>>

4th India – Philippines Joint Commission 2020 on Bilateral Cooperation held Virtually

i.The 4th Meeting of the India-Philippines Joint Commission 2020 on Bilateral Cooperation was held virtually on 06 November 2020 which was co-chaired by Union Minister Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Teodoro Locsin Jr., Secretary, Department of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Philippines.
ii.The meet saw the discussions on matters of mutual importance and also reviewed the recent developments in India-Philippines bilateral relations
iii.Both sides agreed to further strengthen defence engagement and maritime cooperation.
Indian side invited Filipino students, scholars and academicians to avail the ITEC (Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation) and e-ITEC initiatives, and make use of integrated PhD Fellowships offered to ASEAN students at IITs.
About Philippines
Capital– Manila
Currency– Philippine peso
President– Rodrigo Roa Duterte
<<Read Full News>>

1^st Virtual Indo-Africa Summit 2020 Held; Addressed by Union Minister Piyush Goyal

i.The first-ever virtual Indo-Africa Summit 2020, organized by IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Indian Merchants’ Chamber) and Africa Business News (CNBC Africa), was held on November 4 to 6, 2020 which was addressed by Union Minister Piyush Vedprakash Goyal, Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
ii.India’s target is to enhance ties to 100*100 matrix by 2025, i.e. a target of USD 100 billion Bilateral Trade and USD 100 billion of Investment between India and Africa.
About IMC Chamber of Commerce & Industry:
President–  Rajiv Podar
Director General– Ajit Mangrulkar
Headquarter– Mumbai, Maharashtra
<<Read Full News>>

INTERPOL Created Two Cybercrime-related Communication Services

The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) has created two secure and flexible services to facilitate cybercrime related communication among law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders to ensure more effective and coordinated action based on timely intelligence.
These are as follows:

• Cybercrime Knowledge Exchange (CKE) workspace: It handles general, non-police information and is open to all relevant users globally. It enables these users to discuss the latest cybercrime trends, prevention strategies, detection technologies and investigation techniques.
• Cybercrime Collaborative Platform-Operation: The first of its kind, it assists in the law enforcement operations, with access restricted to the operational stakeholders only.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is the nodal agency in the Interpol for India.
About International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL):
Secretary General– Jurgen Stock
Headquarter– Lyon, France
Member Countries– 194

Overview of Indian Army Chief General MM Naravane’s Three-day visit to Nepal from November 4-6, 2020

Indian Army Chief General MM Naravane visited Nepal from November 4-6, 2020 to strengthen overall ties including in areas of defence and security between India and Nepal.  He visited Nepal at the official invitation of Nepal Army Chief Purna Chandra Thapa.
i.General MM Naravane was accompanied by his wife Veena Naravane, who is the chairperson of the Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA) of the Indian Army.
ii.They were received by Chief of General Staff, Lieutenant General Prabhu Ram of Nepal upon arrival at the Tribhuvan International Airport.
iii.General MM Naravane was conferred with the honorary rank of General of Nepali Army by Nepali President Bidya Devi Bhandari in a ceremony at the President’s Official Residence ‘Shital Niwas’ in Kathmandu.
About Indian Army:
Chiefs of Army Staff – General Major Mukund Naravane
Headquarters – New Delhi
<<Read Full News>>

BANKING & FINANCE

German Bank KfW extends 545 Million Euros funding to MMRDA Infrastructure Projects

On November 6, 2020, Frankfurt-based German state-owned development bank KfW (formerly KfW Bankengruppe) extended two loans totaling 545 Million Euros (~ INR 4, 767 crore) to the Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) for infrastructure projects in Mumbai.
i.The package consists of a development loan of 345 million Euros and a promotional loan of 200 million Euros.
ii.The approved loan amount is the highest amount given to India including the lowest rate of interest offered by any financial institution so far.
iii.The funds will be disbursed through an agreement with the Ministry of Finance, Government of India.
About KfW Bank:
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Gunther Braunig
Headquarters – Frankfurt, Germany
<<Read Full News>>

SEBI Introduce ‘Flexi Cap Fund’ as a New Category under Equity Schemes; Debt MFs to hold 10% corpus in liquid assets

i.On November 6, 2020  In order to give more flexibility to the mutual funds,  Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) introduced  ‘Flexi Cap Fund’ as a New Category under Equity Schemes.
Aim– To protect the interests of investors in securities, to promote growth and to regulate the securities market.
ii.SEBI has also made it mandatory that all the open ended debt schemes, except Overnight Fund, Liquid Fund, Gilt Fund and Gilt Fund with 10 year constant duration to hold at least 10% of their net assets in liquid assets.
iii.On the basis of the recommendations of MFAC, SEBI has decided to conduct  stress  testing for all the open  ended  debt  schemes  (except  overnight scheme).
About Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI):
Established– On April 12, 1992, in accordance with the provisions of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992.
Chairman– Ajay Tyagi
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
<<Read Full News>>

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

IFFCO Bazar Partners with SBI YONO Krishi App to Boost accessibility of Quality Agri-products in India

i.On November 6, 2020 IFFCO Bazar(https://www.iffcobazar.in/), e-commerce wing of IFFCO(Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative) has entered into partnership with SBI(State Bank of India) YONO (You Only Need One) Krishi App.
Aim of the Partnership:
i.To boost the accessibility of Quality Agri-products in India
ii.To ensure that a  wide range of agricultural products are accessible to many Indian farmers.
iii.To drive digital sales in this segment, with combination of easy and free payment portal of SBI YONO and quality products of IFFCO.
About IFFCO(Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative):
Headquarters– New Delhi, India
Founded– 1967
Managing Director(MD) & Chief Executive Officer(CEO)– Udai Shanker Awasthi
<<Read Full News>>

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS          

Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha Appointed as 11th CIC of Central Information Commission,India

On 7th November 2020, Ram Nath Govind, President of India administered the “Oath of Office” for Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha (62 years), former Diplomat as the 11th Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) in the Central Information Commission of India. The “Oath of Office” ceremony was held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi. He succeeds Bimal Julka who completed his term as CIC in August 2020.
Sinha will serve as CIC for a term of 3 years. (CIC and Information commissioners are appointed for a tenure of 5 years or until the age of 65 years).
Appointment of Sinha:
i.Sinha was shortlisted for the CIC post by the three-member committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Other members of the committee are Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, leader of Congress in Lok Sabha & Home Minister Amit Shah are the members of the panel.
About Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha:
i.Sinha joined as the Information Commissioner in the Central Information Commission on January 1, 2019
ii.He has served as the Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Sri Lanka.
Other appointments:
i.Uday Mahurkar, journalist; Heera Lal Samariya, a 1985-batch IAS officer of Telangana cadre and retired Secretary, Ministry of Labour & Employment; Saroj Punhanian, an Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IAAS) officer of 1984 batch and former Deputy Comptroller and Auditor General were appointed as the Information commissioners by the 3-member committee.
Note:
Vanaja N Sarna, Neeraj Kumar Gupta, Suresh Chandra and Amita Pandove are the other 4 existing Information Commissioners.
About Central Information Commission:
Chief Information Commissioner (CIC)– Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha
Information Commissioner– Presently there are 7 Information Commissioners.It is to be noted that the Commission can hold up to 10 Information Commissioners.
Headquarters– New Delhi

Indian diplomat Vidisha Maitra Elected to UN’s ACABQ Committee

On November 7, 2020 Indian diplomat Vidisha Maitra was elected to the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), a key(5th Committee) UN(United Nations) committee. She won the election with 126 UN members supporting her candidature, the opposing party got 64 votes. She was appointed to the ACABQ committee for a period of three Calender Years starting from January 1, 2021..

• Vidisha Maitra was the candidate of India for the only post in the committee from the Asia Pacific Group, and the other candidate was Ali Mohammed Faeq Al-Dabag from Iraq.

Note-It is to be noted that India has been a member of the committee since its inception in 1946.
About Vidisha Maitra:
i.Currently she is posted as 1st secretary in the permanent mission of India to the UN in New York.
ii.Prior to the post of 1st secretary she had served in different capacities in the external affairs ministry, Government of India.
iii.She also served in the mission of India in Paris, Port Louis and New York over the past 11 years.
iv.She has extensive experience in strategic policy planning and research, defence acquisition matters, among others.
Gist about Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ):
i.ACABQ is  a subsidiary of the General Assembly that consists of 16 members.
ii.Based on the broad geographical representation, personal qualifications and experience, the members of ACABQ are elected by the 193 member states in the General Assembly. They serve for a period of 3 years.
iii.ACABQ performs several functions which include examining the budget submitted by the UN Secretary-General to the General Assembly and advise the Assembly on administrative and budgetary matters referred to it among others.
Key Info
i.India, Norway, Ireland, Mexico and Kenya were elected as the non-permanent members of the UNSC for a two-year term beginning January 1, 2021
ii.India will serve as the United Nations Security Council President for the month of August, 2021.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

VP Venkaiah Naidu Virtually Launched the Book Titled “Thavaasmi: Life and Skills Through the Lens of Ramayana”

On 6th November 2020, M. Venkaiah Naidu, Vice President(VP) of India launched the book titled “Thavaasmi: Life and Skills through the lens of Ramayana” over a virtual platform. Rallabandi Srirama Chakradhar authored the book along with the co-author Amara Sarada Deepthi.

• The “Thavaasmi: Life and Skills through the lens of Ramayana” is a 4 volumed book prepared by the Thavaasmi team and students and teachers from various schools who participated in the online program.
• These 4 volumes provide insights about the Ramayana, the first Indian epic.

About the book:
i.The book – “Thavaasmi: Life and Skills Through the Lens of Ramayana” portrays the story of Ramayana as a conversation between a father and daughter along with various exercises like introspection mirrors, character presentations, summary sheets among others which makes it a fascinating learning experience.
ii.The narration of the book promotes the reflection and analysis of the underlying message of Ramayana.
iii.The book analyzed the 16 virtues of Rama in a comprehensive way.
Click here to know more on Thavaasmi
VP Venkaiah Naidu on Ramayana:
i.He described Ramayana by Sage Valmiki as the “Anadi Kavya” a timeless and immortal epic which doesn’t lose its relevance to life context.
ii.He stated that Ramayana Motivates the both older generation as well as younger generation with positive thoughts to lead a complete life.

Padma Awardee & Actor Anupam Kher Unveiled the Cover of his new book “Your Best Day Is Today!”

On 6th November 2020, Veteran Bollywood Actor and Padma awardee, Anupam Kher unveiled the cover of his new book titled “Your Best Day Is Today!”.
About Your Best Day is Today!:
i.Your Best Day is Today is the 3rd book of Anupam Kher.
ii.The book presents the encounters and experiences of Anupam Kher during the COVID-19 pandemic.
iii.The book covers the period during which his mother Dulari and brother Raju Kher were tested for coronavirus pandemic.
About Anupam Kher:
i.Anupam Kher is a bollywood actor and producer, well known for Hotel Mumbai(2018), M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016), Silver Linings Playbook (2012) and A Wednesday (2008).
ii.He received the Padma Shri in 2004 for Arts and Padma Bhushan in 2016 for arts.
Books:
i.He published the book titled “The Best Things About You is You!” in 2011.
ii.His 2nd book was an autobiography titled “Lessons Life Taught Me Unknowingly” published in 2019.

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Stress Awareness Week 2020 – November 2 to 6

i.The International Stress Awareness Week is annually celebrated from 2nd November to 6th November to raise awareness on the prevention of stress and to promote the importance of wellbeing of individuals and organisations. The international week was established to focus on stress management.
ii.The 2020 International Stress Awareness Week provides a platform to highlight the stress and other mental health issues and share the insights on stress management across the globe.
iii.The International Stress Management Association – United Kingdom (ISMAUK) has organised the first ever online global stress and wellbeing summit from 2nd November 2020 to 6th November 2020 on account of the International Stress Awareness week.
<<Read Full News>>

National Cancer Awareness Day 2020 – November 7

i.The National Cancer Awareness Day is annually observed across India on 7th November to create awareness about the prevention and early detection of Cancer among the general public. The first National Cancer Awareness Day was observed in 2014.
ii.The National Cancer Awareness Day on 7th November coincides with the birth anniversary of French- Polish Physicist and Nobel laureate Madame Marie Curie, the first woman to win a Nobel Prize (1903).
About Ministry of Health and Family Welfare(MoHFW):
Union Minister– Dr. Harsh Vardhan
Minister of State– Ashwini Kumar Choubey
<<Read Full News>>

STATE NEWS

‘Parivarthanam’ scheme Launched for fishers in Kerala; ICAR-CIBA, ADAK sign MoU to Increase Brackish Water Fish Production   

On November 6, 2020, Kerala Fisheries Minister, J. Mercykutty Amma inaugurated ‘Parivarthanam’ scheme which aims to improve the livelihood skills of youngsters along the coastline and improve their socio-economic condition of fishers.
ICAR-CIBA, ADAK sign MoU:
ICAR-CIBA (Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Institute of Brackish Water Aquaculture) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Agency for Development of Aquaculture Kerala (ADAK) to set up a multi-species fish hatchery at Odayam in Thiruvananthapuram district to increase brackish water fish production in Kerala.
About Kerala:
Chief Minister– Pinarayi Vijayan
Capital– Thiruvananthapuram
Governor– Arif Mohammad Khan
<<Read Full News>>

AC GAZE

6 Women Led Startups Won COVID-19 Shri Shakti Challenge Organised by MyGov in Collaboration with UN Women

Six Women led startups won the COVID-19 Shri Shakti Challenge organised by MyGov in collaboration with United Nations(UN) Women. The challenge was hosted on the Innovate platform of MyGov. The 2 stage challenge (Ideation stage and Proof of Concept (PoC) Stage) called for the applications from women led startups which provided solutions to address the issues faced by women. The top 3 winners were Bengaluru-based Resada Lifesciences Private Limited led by Dr P Gayatri Hela, Shimla based iHeal HealthTech Private Limited led by Romita Ghosh and Kerala based Thanmatra Innovations Private Limited led by Dr Anjana Ramkumar and Dr Anushka Ashokan.Top 3 Startups identified as‘Promising Solutions’are: Bengaluru-based Seragen BioTherapeutics Private Limited led by Vasanthi Palanivel, Bengaluru-based Empathy Design Labs led by Shivi Kapil, STREAM Minds led by Jaya Parashar and Ankita Parashar.

Bangladesh and US launch joint naval exercise ‘CARAT Bangladesh 2020’

On November 5, 2020 Bangladesh and US (United States) Navies launched the ‘Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Bangladesh-2020’ to expand relationships and to broaden maritime awareness between the two sides. The sea phase of the exercise will take place in the Bay of Bengal with ships from both countries. They are designed to enhance interoperability between the two navies. CARAT 2020 underscores the shared vision of the US and Bangladesh for a free, open, inclusive, peaceful and secure Indo-Pacific region.

ECI organised 3 day International Virtual Election Visitors Programme for Foreign Election Management Bodies

In the context of the ongoing Bihar Legislative Assembly Election, Election Commission of India (ECI) organised a three-day International Virtual Election Visitors Programme (from 5th November 2020 to 7th November 2020) for Foreign Election Management Bodies and Organizations. Delegates from around 40 countries along with International IDEA, International Foundation of Electoral Systems and Association of World Election Bodies participated in the programme. The session was addressed by Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and Election Commissioners Rajiv Kumar and Sushil Chandra.

Gujarat High Court became the 1st High Court in India to Live-Stream its Court Proceedings on Youtube

On October 26, 2020 The Gujarat High Court became the first high court to live stream judicial proceedings on YouTube channel. This is to increase the access to courts, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The live stream also aims to broaden the implementation of the open court concept even for virtual hearings. 1,500 viewers were watching the proceeding on the day of live streaming.

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