We are here for you to provide the important Current Affairs November 20 2018, which have unique updates of all daily 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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INDIAN AFFAIRS
Industrial Park Rating System to be released by Commerce Ministry
On November 19, 2018, Minister of Commerce and Industry Suresh Prabhu released report on Industrial Park Rating System at a national workshop in New Delhi.
i. It is a part of centre’s vision to make India a 5 Trillion Dollar economy out of which 20 per cent is expected to be generated from industries.
ii. It would help increase competitiveness of industries and promotion of the manufacturing sector as it would assess the parks against global standards.
iii. As industrial parks play a major role in the growth of the industrial sector in India, this will help enhance the competitiveness of industries in India.
iv. Thus good infrastructure will bring down the cost of doing business in India and provide a conducive environment for investments in industrial sectors.
About the IPRS:
i. The system will be developed by the ministry to assess industrial parks in the country based on four pillars. They are:
- Internal and external infrastructure, connectivity, environment and safety management, and business support services.
ii. The system would assess 200 such parks on several parameters such as sewage effluent and treatment; and water treatment.
Background:
There are over 3,000 industrial parks in the country in sectors including engineering, software, food processing and chemicals.
Ministry of Commerce:
♦ Union Minister: Shri. Suresh Prabhu.
♦ Minister of State: Shri. C R Chaudhary.
Jashne Bachpan : 9-day 14th edition of international children’s theatre festival held in New Delhi
From 17 to 25th November 2018, the 9-day 14th edition of Jashne Bachpan, a theatre festival for children, commenced at the Sammukh, Abhimanch, Abhikalp and Little Theatre Group (LTG) auditorium in New Delhi.
The theatrical event will conclude on November 25, 2018.
Objective:
To bring theatre into prominence.
Key Points:
i. The festival has been organized by National School of Drama’s (NSD) Theatre in Education (TIE) Company.
ii. It will witness 21 productions from India and 3 foreign groups including Sri Lanka (non-verbal), Switzerland (English) and Indonesia (Javanese).
iii. The plays will be performed in vernacular languages like Bengali, Marathi, Assamese, and Malayalam besides non-verbal, English, Hindi and other foreign languages.
iv. The plays during the festival have been divided into four categories. They are:
- By children, by children and adults, by adults for children and puppetry performances.
v. This concept will encourage children to incorporate art and culture along with entertainment.
National School of Drama’s (NSD):
♦ Headquarters: New Delhi.
♦ Director In-charge: Shri. Suresh Sharma.
Maharashtra Cabinet passed Maratha Reservation Bill; introduced new category SEBC
On November 19, 2018, Maharashtra government led by CM Devendra Fadnavis passed the Maratha Reservation Bill.
i. As per the bill, Maharashtra will create a new category called SEBC (socially and educationally backward class) in order to give reservation to Marathas.
ii. This has been passed for reservation by citing ‘extraordinary circumstance’ as rights of neither OBCs nor Marathas.
iii. This move has been recommended by Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission headed by Justice N G Gaikwad (retired).
Background:
Under certain provisions of Article 15 of the Constitution, reservation can be provided over and above the prescribed 50%.
Maharashtra:
♦ Capital: Mumbai.
♦ Chief Minister: Devendra Fadnavis.
♦ Governor: C. Vidyasagar Rao.
♦ National Parks: Tadoba Andheri Tiger Reserve, Chandoli National Park, Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Navegaon National Park.
Animation, Gaming & Visual effects Institute to be set up in Mumbai
On November 19, 2018, the central government announced setting up of Animation, Gaming and Visual effects Institute in Mumbai .
i. This was announced by Information and Broadcasting Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore.
ii. This will encourage the youth participation in the field of film and cinematography.
KONNICHI WA PUNE: 1st 2-day Indo-Japan Business Council’s business festival held in Pune
On 17th & 18th November, 2018, the 2-day 1st Indo-Japan Business Council- KONNICHI WA PUNE Festival concluded in Pune, Maharashtra.
i It was organized by the Indo-Japan Business Council (IJBC).
ii. The festival aimed to boost investment, promote businesses and cultural exchange between India and Japan.
iii. Maharashtra has emerged as one of the top destinations for the Japanese companies operating 750 out of the total 1309 Japanese firms in the country.
For more information: Click Here
Punjab becomes 3rd state to ban hookah bars or lounges
On 18th November,2018,Punjab becomes 3rd Indian state after Maharashtra and Gujarat to permanently ban Hookah bars or lounges. The ban was announced after President Ram Nath Kovind has given assent to a bill passed by Punjab state assembly.
Key Points:
i. Punjab state assembly has passed the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of advertisement and Regulation of trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and distribution) (Punjab Amendment) Bill 2018 in March this year.
ii. Smoking of hookah increases the health risks such as exposure to toxic chemicals that are not filtered out be water and tuberculosis which is an infectious disease resulting from sharing of hookah.
About Punjab
♦ Chief Minister: Amarinder Singh
♦ Governor: V.P. Singh Badnore
♦ Health Minister: Brahm Mohindra
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
2-Day Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation(APEC) Summit 2018 held in Papua New Guinea
On 17th & 18th November,2018, 2-day Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation(APEC)Summit 2018 concluded in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.
i. It was hosted by Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, Peter O’Neill.
ii. All 21 member countries of APEC participated in the Summit.
iii. It is the 1st such summit which in its 25-year history failed to agree on a formal joint statement.
For more information: Click Here
APEC:
Headquarters: Singapore.
Papua New Guinea:
♦ Capital: Port Moresby.
♦ Currency: Papua New Guinean kina.
Nepal: 3 Educational institutions built with Indian assistance of 126.60 million Nepali rupees inaugurated
3 Educational institutions which are built with Indian assistance of 126.60 million Nepali rupees have been inaugurated in Kaski district of Nepal.
Key Points:
i. As per Development Partnership programme, India government is providing assistance to institutions of all level starting from Primary school to universities of Nepal.
ii. Rabindra Adhikari, Nepal’s Minister for culture, tourism and civil aviation inaugurated Shree Saraswati Tika Higher School, Lekhnath in Pokhra.
iii. Dr. Ajay Kumar, Deputy Chief of Mission, Indian Embassy inaugurated Shree Laxmi Adarsha Multiple campus, Lekhnath and Shree Gupteshwor Mahadev Multiple Campus, Pokhara.
About Nepal
♦ Prime Minister: Khadga Prasad Oli
♦ Capital: Kathmandu
♦ Currency: Nepalese rupee
BANKING & FINANCE
Rs 1,100 crore subsidy disbursed to 51,000 home buyers under PMAY: HDFC
On November 18, 2018, Housing finance firm HDFC disbursed over Rs 1,100 crore subsidy to over 51,000 customers under the government’s flagship scheme Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY).
i. It had provided loans of over Rs 9,800 crore under PMAY-Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS) to the following customers:
- EWS (Economically Weaker Section), LIG (Low Income Group) and Middle Income Group (MIG) category.
ii. It had also approved 37 per cent of home loans in volume terms and 18 per cent in value terms to customers from the EWS and LIG segment as on September 30, 2018.
Background:
- CLSS was introduced in June 2015under PMAY for home loans to customers from the EWS, LIG and was extended to Middle Income Group (MIG) from January 2017.
- The schemes for MIG are valid up to March-end 2019and schemes for EWS/LIG are valid up to March-end 2022.
HDFC:
♦ Headquarters: Mumbai.
♦ MD: Aditya Puri.
♦ Tagline: We Understand your world.
♦ Founded: August 1994.
♦ Personal Digital Assistant name: EVA.
SBICAP Ventures launched SME, affordable housing funds
On November 19, 2018, SBICAP Ventures (SVL), an alternative asset manager and a wholly owned subsidiary of SBI Capital Markets, launched twofunds for the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and affordable housing sectors.
i. The 2 funds are:
- Small and Medium Enterprises: to raise a corpus of Rs 4 billionand
- Affordable Housing Fund to raise a corpus of Rs 3.5 billion.
ii. It will be an equity fund and there will be two anchor investors – SBI and SBI CAP/SVL putting in 10 per cent and 10-12 per cent respectively.
iii. Both funds are targeting closure of fund in the second half of next financial year (2019-20).
iv. They will focus on broad-based fund covering manufacturing and services sector.
v. In the initial phase, the affordable housing fund will focus on 8 cities – Mumbai Metropolitan Region, National Capital Region, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Pune.
vi. The funds will be deployed in at least seven to eight projects, approximately Rs 35-50 crore in each project.
SBICAP Ventures (SVL):
♦ Headquarters: Mumbai.
♦ Chairman: Varsha Purandare.
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
UASG confers Universal Acceptance Thought Leader award to Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje
On 13th November 2018, UASG (Universal Acceptance Steering Group) conferred “Universal Acceptance Thought Leader award” on Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje for providing Rajmail email service for citizens of Rajasthan in local script.
Key Points:
i. UASG has recognised the work of Vasundhara Raje and IT Department for Rajmail project that offers access to email address to people in Rajasthan in Indic script.
ii. The technology for Rajmail was developed by Data XGen Technologies, a Rajasthan based firm.
iii. Vasundhara Raje was also awarded the ‘Chief Minister of the Year’ award in 2018.
About UASG (Universal Acceptance Steering Group):
♦ Chairperson – Ram Mohan
♦ Objective – working to achieve multi-lingual Internet, through which users can navigate entirely in local languages
♦ Supported by – Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), a non-profit organisation which manages rules for website access over Internet
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS
IRS Officer Sanjay Kumar Mishra appointed as Director of Enforcement Directorate
On November 18, 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi headed Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) appointed IRS officer Sanjay Kumar Mishra as the full-time chief of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for 2 years.
i. Earlier in October 27, 2018, he was appointed as the principal special director in the central probe agency and was entrusted with the “additional” charge of ED director for three months.
ii. Prior to this appointment, he was posted as the chief commissioner of the Income Tax Department in Delhi.
iii. He replaced IRS officer Karnal Singh who retired after three year tenure as the ED director.
Enforcement Directorate (ED):
♦ The post of ED director is an additional secretary rank post in the Union government.
♦ Headquarters: New Delhi.
♦ Parent Agency: Ministry of Finance.
ACC appointed Sumanta Chaudhuri as the new Coal Secretary
On November 19, 2018, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi named 1985-batch IAS from West Bengal cadre Sumanta Chaudhuri as the new Coal Secretary.
i. He replaced Inder Jit Singh.
ii. Prior to this appointment, he was the Managing Director of Small Farmers Agri Business Consortium.
Other Appointments:
i. ACC also appointed Director of Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Upma Chowdhry, as Secretary, Department of Youth Affairs.
ii. IAS officer Jalaj Srivastava, currently Additional Secretary in the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare, was appointed as new chairman of Inland Waterways Authority of India.
iii. Chairman and Managing Director of Food Corporation of India Yogendra Tripathy (1985-batch IAS) was appointed as the new Tourism Secretary.
Israel’s cabinet approved appointment of Prof. Amir Yaron as Bank of Israel(central bank of Israel) Chief
On November 18, 2018, Israel’s Cabinet approved Amir Yaron as the next governor of the Bank of Israel(Central Bank of Israel) for 5 years.
i. He replaced Karnit Flug, who became the first woman to hold the post when she took over in 2013.
ii. Prior to this, he was the a finance professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.
Jalal Srivastava Appointed as IWAI Chairman
Jalal Srivastava, a 1984 batch IAS Officer, has been appointed the chairman of Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI).
Key Points:
i. IWAI comes under the Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways headed by Nitin Gadkari.
ii. Jalal Srivastava had also served as Chairman of New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) and Principal Secretary of Department of VAT, Delhi Government.
iii. Srivastava is known for launching of “Shakti Cab” and “URJA” project for women.
iv. Srivastava has written a crime thriller novel “The Perfect Suicide”.
Inland Waterways Authority of India
Headquarter: Noida, Uttar Pradesh
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
GROWTH-India telescope’s first science observation
The 0.7 m GROWTH-India telescope located at Indian Astronomical Observatory in Hanle, Ladakh has made its first observation which is a follow-up study of a nova explosion.
Key Points
i. The GROWTH-India is a part of multi-country collaborative initiative known as Global Relay of Observatories Watching Transients Happen (GROWTH)to observe transient events in the Universe.
ii. Universities and Research Institutes of USA, Japan, India, Germany, Taiwan, UK and Israel are part of this Initiative.
iii. GROWTH-India is India’s first fully robotic telescope designed to capture cosmic events.
‘NSE goBID’: NSE launches mobile app, web platform for retail investors to buy G-secs
National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) launched a mobile app NSE goBID and web based platform for retail investors to buy government securities.
Key Points:
i. Ajay Tyagi, Chairman of Securities and Exchange Board of India(SEBI) launched the NSE goBID App.
ii. This platform will allow investors to invest in treasury bills (T-Bills) of 91, 182 and 364 days and government bonds from one year to almost 40 years.
iii. The NSE goBID app will be available to all registered retail investors.
National Stock Exchange
♦ Headquarter: Mumbai
♦ Chairman: Mr Ashok Chawla
♦ Managing Director& CEO: Mr. Vikram Limaye
China completes deployment of BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) with addition of 2 satellites
On 19th November 2018, China completed the deployment of its indigenously developed BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) constellation with the successful launch of 2 more satellites.
Key Points:
i. The two satellites were launched into space on a Long March-3B carrier rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in Sichuan Province, China.
ii. The satellites entered a medium earth orbit over 3 hours after the launch. They will work with 17 other BDS-3 satellites already in space.
iii. BDS competes with the United States’ Global Positioning System (GPS). It will start providing services to countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative by December 2018.
iv. Following full deployment, BDS will be the fourth global satellite navigation system after the GPS, Russia’s GLONASS and the European Union’s Galileo.
v. BDS will become global in 2020 with over 30 satellites. It will offer high-precision, reliable positioning, navigation and timing services anywhere in the world by the end of 2020.
vi.BeiDou has been named after the Chinese term for the Big Dipper constellation.
vii. India is also building its navigational system called Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), with an operational name of NAVIC.
SPORTS
World T20: Ireland’s Joyce twins bid adieu to international cricket
On November 18,2018,Isobel Joyce and Cecelia Joyce, twins of Ireland Cricket team have announced their retirement from International cricket after their 8 wicket loss against New Zealand in the Ongoing International Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s world T20.
Isobel had played 79 ODIs and 55 T20s whereas Cecelia had played 57 ODIs and 43 T20s.
ATP Finals held in London
From 11th November to 18th November,2018,ATP Finals held in London.The total Prize of the event is USD 8,500,000.It is the second highest tier of annual men’s tennis tournament after the four Grand Slam tournaments.
Key Points:
i.Men’s Singles:
- German Player Alexandar Zverev beat Serbian player Novak Djokovic by a margin of 6-4 and 6-3 to win the ATP World Tour Finals in London.
- Alexander Zverev is now the first German to win ATP Singles title since Boris Becker did it in 1995.
- Alexander Zverev had defeated Switzerland Player Roger Federer in the semifinals.
ii.Men’s Doubles:
- In Men’s Doubles Event,American’s Jack Sock and Mike Bryan won the title by defeating France’s Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut.
Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP)
♦ Chairman: Chris Kermode
♦ Headquarters: London, United Kingdom
Team Abu Dhabi’s Shaun Torrente wins UIM F1H2O Grand Prix of India at Amaravati
On 18th November 2018, Team Abu Dhabi’s Shaun Torrente won the UIM (Union Internationale Motonautique) F1H2O Grand Prix of India held in Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh.
Key Points:
i. This is Shaun Torrente’s 7th career-victory. He has climbed to the top of the championship standings.
ii. Second place was secured by Emirates Racing’s Marit Stromoy, the only woman racer who participated in the race.
iii. Third position was occupied by Team Abu Dhabi’ Erik Stark. This was the first-ever F1H20 Grand Prix hosted by India. 9 teams and 19 drivers from all over the world participated.
iv. Team Amaravati’s Erik Edin finished in the sixth place. The winners were felicitated by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and Andhra Pradesh Tourism Minister Bhuma Akhila Priya.
About UIM (Union Internationale Motonautique):
♦ Established in 1922
♦ Type – world governing body for all Powerboating activities
♦ President – Raffaele Chiulli
♦ Location – Monaco
OBITUARY
Padma Shri awardee saint Narayan Das Maharaj passed away
On November 19, 2018, Padma Shri awardee and revered saint Narayan Das Maharaj passed away in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
i. He was awarded the Padam Shri in January 2018 for social service.
IMPORTANT DAYS
World Toilet Day – November 19
On 19th November 2018, World Toilet Day was observed all over the world.
Key Points:
i. When: World Toilet Organization founded World Toilet Day on 19 November 2001. In 2013, United Nations (UN) General Assembly, declared World Toilet Day as official UN day to be observed every year on November 19.
ii. Why: This day creates awareness about the need for toilet and sanitation. It highlights Sustainable Development Goal 6 that aims to achieve sanitation for all and end open defecation.
iii. Theme: for World Toilet Day 2018 is “When Nature Calls”.
World Toilet Day events in India:
i. The Government released the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Cleaning of Sewers and Septic Tanks for use by field staff who respond to sanitary sewer overflows or spills, to ensure their safety and prevent critical accidents.
ii. The announcement was made by Ramdas Athawale, Minister of state for Social Justice and Empowerment. He also felicitated the winners of the Technology Challenge under the AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) Mission.
iii. National Workshop on Urban Sanitation was organized. The book of case studies named ‘Transforming Urban Landscapes of India: Success Stories on Sanitation’ was released.
iv. Documents named ‘Cleaning Urban India’ and ‘Advisory on Public and Community Toilets’ and a coffee table book highlighting activities done in urban areas during the Swachhata hi Seva campaign (15 September – 2 October 2018) was released.
v. An exhibition showcasing innovations in sanitation from across India was organized.
vi. World Toilet Summit -2018 was organized by the World Toilet Organisation and Ecosan Services Foundation on 19th and 20thNovember 2018 in Mumbai.
vii. Swachh Bharat World Toilet Day Contest was organized by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation. “Toilet Parliament” was organized in Vajidpur village in Firozabad district of Uttar Pradesh.
Qaumi Ekta Week begins (19th Nov. To 25th Nov.)
Quami Ekta week (National Integration Week) begins with an aim to emphasis on themes of secularism, anti-communalism and non-violence. It will be observed all over the country from 19th November to 25th November.
Key Points:
i. The National Foundation for Communal Harmony (NFCH), an autonomous organization with Ministry of Home Affairs organizes the campaign which will coincide with Communal Harmony Flag Day on 25 November.
ii. 19 November 2018 will be observe as National Integration Day, November 20 will be observe as Welfare of Minorities day, November 21 will be observe as Linguistic Harmony day, November 22 will be observe as Weaker Sections day, November 23 will be observe as Cultural Unity Day, November 24 will be observe as Women’s day and November 25 will be observe as Conservation day.
