Current Affairs November 12 & 13, 2017
Current Affairs November 12 & 13, 2017
NATIONAL
Odisha, West Bengal to hold joint coastal security exercise:
The governments of Odisha and neighbouring West Bengal will organize a joint security exercise named as ‘Sagar Kavach‘ to further tighten the existing coastal security mechanism along the 630-km long coastline.
Odisha
- Capital: Bhubaneswar
- Chief Minister: Naveen patnaik
- Governor: C. Jamir
West Bengal
- Capital: Kolkata
- Chief Minister: Mamata Banerjee
- Governor: Keshari Nath Tripathi
Varanasi tops the List of Country’s Most Polluted City:
When National Capital is hitting the headlines over alarming levels of pollution, a report by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has found that the air quality of holy city Varanasi is most polluted among the 42 cities monitored recently.
Varanasi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) was at an alarming 491, followed by Gurugram at 480, Delhi at 468, Lucknow at 462 and Kanpur at 461.
Uttar Pradesh
- Capital: Lucknow
- Chief Minister: Yogi Adityanath
- Governor: Shri Ram Naik
- Narendra Modi constituency: Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
Rajnath Singh chairs second meeting of Island Development Agency:
The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh chaired the second meeting of Island Development Agency (IDA). The Island Development Agency reviewed the concept development plans and detailed master plans for holistic development of 9 islands (four in A&N Islands i.e. Smith, Ross, Long, Avis) and (five in Lakshadweep i.e. Minicoy, Bangaram, Thinnakara, Cheriyam, Suheli). The project being steered by NITI Aayog aims at promoting and implementing development based on sustainable approach to building a thriving maritime economy of the project islands.
Home loan limit for Central Government employees raised to Rs.25 Lakh:
The government has raised the maximum amount that a Central government employee can borrow from the government for house-building to Rs.25 lakh from the earlier Rs.7.5 lakh.
The interest rate on the loan amount shall be at a uniform rate of 8.5% at simple interest, in place of the earlier four slabs of interest rates ranging from 6% to 9.5%.
Nitin Gadkari announced World Bank backed Rs. 6,000 crore irrigation schemes:
Union minister Nitin Gadkari announced that the World Bank– supported Rs 6,000 crore scheme to improve the irrigation facilities and water accessibility capacity in several states, including Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat.
India will be hosting its first Military Literature Festival in Chandigarh:
The Punjab government has said the first Military Literature Festival would be held in Chandigarh from December 7-9. Punjab’s Local Bodies and Tourism and Culture Minister, Navjot Singh Sidhu, unveiled the festival logo.
Punjab
- Capital: Chandigarh
- Governor: P. Singh Badnore
- Chief Minister: Captain Amarinder Singh
JEE Main, NEET likely to be conducted twice a year from 2019:
Centre cleared the proposal for formation of the National Testing Agency (NTA), entrance examinations like JEE Main and NEET are likely to be conducted twice a year from 2019. The move is aimed at relieving the Central Board of Secondary Education from its duties of conducting entrance examinations and instead focus on improving the quality of higher education.
Haryana becomes first state in India to treat Hepatitis C patients with oral medicine:
Haryana has become the first state in the country to treat Hepatitis-C patients of all categories through oral medicine.
Haryana
- Capital: Chandigarh
- Chief Minister: Manohar Lal Khattar
- Governor: Kaptan Singh Solanki
Gurugram to get North India’s biggest butterfly park:
Forests Minister Rao Narbir Singh laid the foundation stone for Butterfly Conservatory Park, which will be developed on 15 acres in Sector 52 of Gurugram and will be the biggest butterfly park in North India.
Karnataka inks pacts with Chinese firms:
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inaugurated the sixth China-India Forum meet being jointly hosted by the Government of China, Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), China-India Friendship Association (CIFA), and Podar Enterprise.
- Capital: Bengaluru
- Chief Minister: Siddaramaiah
- Governor: Vajubhai Vala
First power plant under PM Ladakh scheme commissioned in Drass:
The New and Renewable Energy Ministry said the 1.5 Mw small hydropower plant in Biaras Drass of Kargil in Jammu & Kashmir has become the first project to be commissioned under the Prime Minister’s Ladakh Renewable Energy Initiative.
The total cost of the project, fully funded by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, is Rs 17 crore and this is the first project to be commissioned under the Prime Minister’s Ladakh Renewable Energy Initiative (LREI).
The plant will power the Drass town in Kargil, which is one of the coldest places in India.
Jammu and Kashmir
- Capital: Srinagar
- Chief Minister: Mehbooba Mufti
- Governor: Narinder Nath Vohra
INTERNATIONAL
4th India-Canada Annual Ministerial Dialogue begins:
A high-level delegation led by the Canadian International Trade Minister, Mr. François-Philippe Champagne is visiting India to attend the 4th Annual Ministerial Dialogue (AMD) scheduled to begin in New Delhi. The Indian delegation will be led by the Commerce and Industry Minister, Shri Suresh Prabhu.
Nepal
- Prime minister:Sher Bahadur Deuba
- Currency: Nepalese rupee
- Capital: Kathmandu
India-Bhutan Development Cooperation Talks:
The Annual India-Bhutan Development Cooperation Talks were held in New Delhi. The Indian delegation was led by Mr. Vijay Gokhale, Secretary (Economic Relations), Ministry of External Affairs, and the delegation from Bhutan was led by Dasho Sonam Tshong, Foreign Secretary of Bhutan.
Government of India has committed assistance of Rs. 4500 Crore for implementation of development projects during Bhutan’s 11th Five Year Plan (2013 – 2018).
Bhutan
- Currencies: Indian rupee, Bhutanese ngultrum
- Capital: Thimphu
BANKING & BUSINESS
PNB MetLife to sell policies to Bahrain Bank customers:
Private sector life insurer PNB MetLife has inked a corporate agency tie-up with Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait (BBK) to sell retail and group insurance products of the company to the foreign bank’s customers in India.
APPOINTMENTS
Slovenia’s President Borut Pahor wins second term:
Slovenian President Borut Pahor was re-elected for a second term in a runoff vote, beating his challenger in a tight race.
Slovenia
- Currency: Euro
- Capital: Ljubljana
Debjani Ghosh to be the first woman to be President of NASSCOM in 2018:
The National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) named Debjani Ghosh as its President-Designate, who will succeed R Chandrashekhar after completion of his tenure in March next year. Ghosh, former managing director of Intel South Asia, will be the first woman President of Nasscom.
Ravi Bangar concurrently accredited as the next Ambassador of India to Ecuador:
Shri Ravi Bangar, presently Ambassador of lndia to Colombia, has been concurrently accredited as the next Ambassador of India to Ecuador, with residence in Bogota.
Bhaskar Ganguly, former football captain, appointed AIFF ombudsman by Supreme Court:
The Supreme Court had appointed former football captain Bhaskar Ganguly as ombudsman, of All India Football Federation (AIFF).
Bharat Khandare becomes first India-Born Fighter to sign with Ultimate Fighting Championship:
Earlier this year Arjan Singh Bhullar became the first Indian to sign up in the UFC. And now, Bharat Khandare is all set to be the first Indian-born Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter in the UFC.
AWARDS
Transport for London gets 2017 Bad Grammar Award by The Idler Academy in Britain:
“Transport for London” has been given the 2017 ‘Bad Grammar Award‘ by The Idler Academy in Britain.
The award was instituted by the academy to highlight “the incorrect use of English by people and institutions who should know better.”
Dubai police officers set a Guinness World Record by pulling 3 lakh kg plane:
Dubai police officers set a Guinness World Record by pulling the world’s largest passenger airliner Airbus A380 for 100 metres. The plane which weighs 3.02 lakh kg was dragged by 56 police officers to break the previous record set by 100 people who pulled a 2.18-lakh kg airplane at Hong Kong International Airport in 2011.
NINL gets prestigious Kalinga Safety Award:
Neelachal Ispat Nigam Limited (NINL) received the prestigious “Kalinga Safety Award” in the 8th Odisha State Safety Conclave.
The Odisha-based NINL got the award in gold category for best safety performer of the year 2016.S B Jagdale, Jt Managing Director, NINL received the award from Odisha Governor S C Jamir at a ceremony.
UNHCR to get Mother Teresa Award 2017 for social justice:
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has been named as the recipient of the Mother Teresa Memorial Award for Social Justice, 2017 as an acknowledgement of its exceptional work worldwide.
SPORTS
Dhoni inaugurates his first global cricket academy in UAE:
Two-time World Cup winning captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni inaugurated his first global cricket academy in UAE.
The academy, jointly launched by Dubai-based Pacific Sports Club and Aarka Sports Club, has been in operation for a couple of months at the Springdale’s School in Al Quoz.The facility named the MS Dhoni Cricket Academy (MSDCA) will have coaches from India to train the wards.
Leander Paes and Purav Raja won Knoxville Challenger men’s doubles title:
Leander Paes and Purav Raja lifted the Knoxville Challenger title in Tennessee after clinching a comfortable straight set win in the finals of the men’s doubles event.
Pankaj Advani clinches 17th world title:
Ace Indian cueist Pankaj Advani clinched his 17th world title after he thrashed his arch-rival Mike Russell of England in the IBSF World Billiards Championship in Doha.
HISTORIC EVENT OF THE DAY
Public Service Broadcasting Day being observed today:
Public Service Broadcasting Day is being observed on November 13. The day is observed every year to commemorate the first and last visit of the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi to the studio of All India Radio, Delhi in 1947.
World Pneumonia Day – November 12:
World Pneumonia Day was observed on November 12 with an aim to raise awareness about the disease and encourage concerted efforts to combat it.
The day also highlights the severity of Pneumonia as it is leading killer of children under five.
OBITUARY
Former Nepal PM Kirti Nidhi Bista passes away:
Former Prime Minister of Nepal Kirti Nidhi Bista passed away at Kathmandu. He was 90 and suffering from cancer.
Veteran journalist Virendra Sanghi passes away:
Senior journalist Virendra Sanghi died at the age of 66. Sanghi had worked for the Samachar Bharti and PTI-Bhasha for long period of time.
