Daily Current Affairs : November 17 & 18, 2020

Daily Current Affairs (November 17 & 18, 2020) like many other sections is inevitable and this also helps to score in the Banking awareness, Static GK, and Financial Awareness sections. Remember, Banking Awareness, and Static Awareness Questions are asked from the General Awareness section. This will also help you to ride your preparations for the forthcoming exams.

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Important Days

National Epilepsy Day- November 17:

  • National Epilepsy Day is observed every year on November 17.
  • The day is to create awareness about epilepsy.
  • It is a chronic disorder of brain characterized by recurrent seizures caused as a result of sudden, excessive electrical discharges in neurons.
  • Theme: “Friendship and Inclusion”

National News

Government expands scope of PM-KUSUM for harnessing solar energy by farmers:

  • Renewable energy ministry has expanded the scope of PM-KUSUM (Pradhan Mantri KisanUrja SurakshaevemUtthan Mahabhiyan) to enable greater solar energy generation in farm sector.
  • Now, besides barren, fallow & agricultural lands, solar power plants can also be installed on pasture land and marshy land of farmers.

 

  • To support small farmers, solar projects smaller than 500 kW may be allowed by states based on techno-commercial feasibility, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).

 

EESL Signs MoU with DNRE Goa to implement the India’s first Convergence Project:

  • Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) and Department of New & Renewable Energy (DNRE), Goa, signed a memorandum of understanding to discuss rolling out of India’s first project under the newly formed Convergence Energy Services Limited (Convergence) in the State. 
  • Goa has set a target to generate 150MW green energy in the next 2-3 years & will also set up 100MW solar power plants across the state.
  • The MoU was signed in the august presence of Shri R. K. Singh, Hon’ble Minister (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy, Shri Nilesh Cabral, Power Minister, Goa, Shri Sanjiv Nandan Sahai, Secretary, Ministry of Power and other senior officers of the Ministry.

Goa:

  • Capital: Panaji.
  • Chief Minister: Pramod Sawant.
  • Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari (Additional Charge).

Coastal Security Police Launched “Kadalu App” for fishermen in Udupi, Karnataka:

  • Coastal Security Police launched the “Kadalu App” for fishermen that will help them in submitting information about their arrival and departure from the fishing harbour using android mobile phones.
  • The app will also provide weather forecasts and updates to the fishermen. This will also provide the data on the places where the availability of fishes is high.

Karnataka:

  • Capital: Bengaluru
  • Chief Minister: B. S. Yeddyurappa
  • Governor: VajubhaiVala

 

  • National Park: Anshi NP, Kudremukh NP, Bandipur NP, Bannerghatta NP, Rajiv Gandhi (Nagarahole) NP.

 

Digital museum opens at Maharaj Bada in Gwalior of Madhya Pradesh:

  • A digital museum has been opened at Maharaj Bada in Gwalior for the public. The museum is developed by Gwalior Smart City and entry for the public is being made free for a few days.
  • The Museum Divided into 16 galleries and it has been built in around 3500 sq. ft area & will play an important role in showcasing heritage in modern and digital way.

Madhya Pradesh:

 

  • Capital: Bhopal

 

  • Chief Minister: Shivraj Singh Chauhan 
  • Governor: Anandiben Patel (Additional Charge).

 

 

Asia’s First Solar Power-Enabled Textile Mill to come up at Parbhani, Maharashtra:

 

  • Jai Bhawani women’s cooperative textile mill which is set to come up at Parbhani, Maharashtra will be the first Textile Mill in Asia which will operate on Solar Power.

 

  • The textile Mill is being set up at a cost of INR 100 Crores and will add momentum to the industrial sector in the district.

Maharashtra:

  • Capital: Mumbai.

 

  • Chief Minister: Uddhav Thackeray.

 

  • Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari.

 

 

International News

Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually attends 12th BRICS Summit hosted by Russia:

 

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually participated in the 12th BRICS Summit. The 2020 BRICS summit is hosted by Russia. The theme of this year is “Global Stability, Shared Security and Innovative Growth.”

 

  • India will be taking over the Chairmanship of BRICS, which would be 3rd BRICS Presidency for India since its inception.

Prime minister Narendra Modi to address 3rd Annual Bloomberg New Economy Forum:

  • Prime minister Narendra Modi delivered an address at the third Annual Bloomberg New Economy Forum through video-conferencing. The inaugural Forum was held in Singapore and the Second Annual Forum was hosted in Beijing. The Bloomberg New Economy Forum was established in 2018 by Michael Bloomberg.
  • The forum witnessed discussions on refuelling the economy and charting a course for the future, as the world economy is grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The second phase of the Malabar Exercise begins in the Northern Arabian Sea:

  • The navies of India, the US, Australia, and Japan began the second phase of the Malabar naval exercise in the Northern Arabian Sea involving two aircraft carriers and a number of frontline warships, submarines and maritime reconnaissance aircraft.
  • The major highlight of the four-day exercise is the participation of the Indian Navy’s Vikramaditya carrier battle group and the Nimitz strike group of the US Navy. The USS Nimitz is the world’s largest warship. 

UK Government announces first sponsors for 2021 UN Climate Change Conference COP26:

  • United Kingdom government announced the first principal partners for the UN climate conference, COP26, scheduled for November 1-12, 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland. SSE, Scottish Power, NatWest Group and National Grid are the first Principal Partners who will support the delivery of a successful and ambitious COP26.
  • The companies have been chosen as Principal Partners due to their commitment to Science-Based Targets Initiative, which sets carbon emission reduction plans in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement.

Banking and Economy:

Equitas Small Finance Bank launches “EVA” women savings account offering 7% interest:

  • Equitas Small Finance Bank (ESFB) announced launch of “Eva” savings account for women offering 7 per cent interest. ‘Eva’ is a unique savings account which tries to address the well-being of Indian women in every aspect such as Health, Wealth and Prosperity as per the Bank. It also offers free health check-ups.
  • The bank also announced Indian woman cricketer Smriti Mandhana as the new brand ambassador of ESFB.

Equitas Small Finance Bank:

  • Headquarters: Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
  • Managing Director & CEO: PN Vasudevan
  • Tagline: “It’s Fun Banking”

HDFC Bank Launches “Mooh Band Rakho” Campaign to Create Awareness on Cyber Frauds:

  • HDFC Bank has launched “Mooh Band Rakho” campaign to increase awareness on cyber frauds & preventing them. Bank will conduct 1,000 workshops in next 4 months across the country. Bank supports International Fraud Awareness Week 2020, global movement to minimise impact of fraud.
  • The “Mooh Band Rakho” campaign was initially launched by the Bank to fight COVID 19 and it has now been extended to fighting cyber fraud.

HDFC Bank (Housing Development Finance Corporation):

  • Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
  • Chairman– Deepak S. Parekh
  • CEO: Aditya Puri.
  • Tagline: “We understand your world”

BSE STAR MF launches ‘Corp Direct a Direct Investment Portal for Corporates’:

  • Leading Stock Exchange, BSE launched Corp Direct a Direct Investment Portal for Corporates with more features which will further simplify & provide end-to-end value-based services to the AMCs, distributors, investors, & mutual fund industry participants.

Acquisitions and Mergers

DIPAM signs pact with World Bank for advising on CPSE asset monetization:

  • Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) signed an agreement with the World Bank for providing advisory services for asset monetisation. DIPAM is mandated with facilitating monetization of non-core assets of government CPSEs (central public sector enterprises) under strategic disinvestment.
  • The government has set a target of raising Rs 2.10 lakh crore from disinvestment in the current financial year. Of this, Rs 1.20 lakh crore is to be raised through CPSE disinvestment.

Stashfin Partners with Visa to Launch Co-Branded Prepaid Cards with Credit Lines:

  • Stashfin has partnered with Visa to launch co-branded prepaid cards with credit lines. The credit line card can be used at physical merchant locations and ATMs (Automated Teller Machines) as well as in Visa-accepted online modes.
  • The pay as you go card act as a personal overdraft facility, that allows customers to take loans with amounts ranging from Rs 25,000 to Rs 3 lakh, depending on their credit profile.

Science and Technology

Polio Vaccine Becomes First-Ever Vaccine Listed Under WHO Emergency Use:

 

  • WHO has listed the nOPV2 vaccine (Bio Farma, Indonesia) for emergency use to address rising cases of vaccine-derived polio strain, 1st approval of its kind. These can occur if a weakened strain of poliovirus contained in oral vaccine circulates among under-immunized populations.

 

  • The Emergency Use Listing (EUL) is the first of its kind for a vaccine and paves the way for a potential listing of COVID-19 vaccines.

IIT Guwahati formulates efficient “Pincer” catalytic systems that transform biomass wastes into valuable chemicals:

  • IIT Guwahati has formulated efficient “Pincer” catalytic systems that transform biomass wastes into valuable chemicals. Tiny amounts of “Pincer Catalysts” convert large amounts of industrial waste such as glycerol into lactic acid and hydrogen.
  • It will also efficiently convert bioethanol, a low-energy density fuel, into high-energy density butanol. It has elicited interest worldwide and will be beneficial energy conversion method

Rankings

Elon Musk now world’s third-richest person, overtakes Mark Zuckerberg:

 

  • Tesla and SpaceX head Elon Musk is now the world’s third-richest person.
  • With a wealth of nearly $110 billion, he overtook Facebook mogul Mark Zuckerberg for the spot after skyrocketing Tesla stocks added $7.6 billion to Musk’s coffers according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

 

Appointments

Sonu Sood appointed as Punjab state icon by Election Commission:

  • Actor Sonu Sood has been appointed as the Punjab state icon by the Election Commission of India. Belonging to Moga district of Punjab, Sood catapulted to the national spotlight for his work in helping migrants reach their homes during the coronavirus-triggered lockdown.

Maia Sandu Becomes Moldova’s First-Ever Woman President:

  • Moldova has elected the country’s first-ever woman President, with former Prime Minister Maia Sandu overwhelmingly claiming 57.7% of the popular vote.
  • She has worked as an economist in the World Bank. Moldova has the 23rd highest global gender gap in the world.

Moldova:

  • President: Maia Sandu.
  • Capital: Chișinău.

 

  • Currency: Moldovan leu.

 

Navneet Munot appointed as MD and CEO of HDFC Mutual Fund:

  • Board of Directors of HDFC Mutual Fund has approved the appointment of Navneet Munot as the next Managing Director and CEO of the company.
  • He was the chief investment officer of SBI Funds Management. Munot succeeds Milind Barve.

 

  • SBI Mutual Fund overtook HDFC AMC to become India’s largest asset manager in the last quarter of financial year 2019-20.

 

Senior IPS officer D K Thakur appointed as Lucknow police commissioner:

  • Uttar Pradesh government-appointed senior IPS officer Dhruva Kant Thakur as the new police commissioner of Lucknow, replacing Sujit Pandey. D K Thakur was the Additional Director General (ADG) of Police Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS).

Rohit Sharma becomes the ambassador of AI based lending platform Financepeer:

  • India’s leading batsman Rohit Sharma signed as brand ambassador for Financepeer, Google incubated Education fee financing Company. Established in 2017, it ensures access to education and seamless operations of schools apart from offering insurance covers. 

RBI’s innovation hub will be led by Infosys co-founder Kris Gopalakrishnan:

  • Reserve Bank of India has officially set up its innovation hub to boost financial technology startups in the country.
  • Kris Gopalakrishnan, co-founder of Infosys Ltd, to chair the Reserve Bank’s new innovation hub (RBIH).
  • It aims to promote advancement in financial sector using technology. Gopalakrishnan is presently chief mentor of Start-Up Village.

Awards and Recognitions

Kerala’s Responsible Tourism Mission Receives World Travel Mart’s ‘Highly Commended’ Award:

  • Kerala’s Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission received World Travel Mart’s ‘Highly Commended’ Award in the category of “Meaningful Connections” for its activities that aimed at promoting RT during the COVID-19 pandemic. 
  • This award is the 5th International Award for the RT Mission since its formation in 2017. The Mission has also won 3 National Awards.

Obituary News

Legendary Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee passes away at 85:

 

  • Bengal’s legendary actor Soumitra Chatterjee passed away. Chatterjee’s honours included a Padma Bhushan and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. In 2017, the French government gave Chatterjee its highest civilian award, the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

 

Rajasthan Cabinet Minister Master Bhanwarlal Meghwal passes away at 72:

 

  • Rajasthan’s cabinet minister Bhanwar Lal Meghwal passed away. He was minister of social justice & empowerment in government of Ashok Gehlot. He had also served as education minister of Rajasthan & was a member of Legislative Assembly from Sujangarh constituency.

 

Former England goalkeeper Ray Clemence has passed away at 72:

  • Former England, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Ray Clemence has died. He played 61 times for England, began his professional career with Scunthorpe United before joining Liverpool and he made over 450 appearances in 14 years at Anfield.

Sports News

Novak Djokovic lifts ATP Year-end No. 1 Trophy for 6th time:

  • Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic was given the ATP Tour No. 1 trophy on 15 November 2020, for finishing 2020 as the year-end No. 1 (world number one). With this, he has become the only second player in tennis history, after Pete Sampras, to receive the trophy sixth time.

 

  • Before this, only Pete Sampras has managed to finish six years on top of the rankings which he did between 1993 and 1998.

 

India to host U-17 Women’s World Cup 2022, FIFA cancels 2021 edition:

 

  • FIFA cancelled both women’s U-17 and U-20 World Cup which were scheduled to be held in India and Costa Rica respectively and handed both countries the hosting rights of 2022 editions. FIFA Club World Cup, originally planned for December, to be held in Feb 2021 in Doha, Qatar.

 

FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association):

 

  • President: Gianni Infantino.

 

  • Headquarters: Zürich, Switzerland.
  • Motto: For the Game. For the World.

Can you score 20/20 in Today’s Current Affairs Quiz? Attempt the Current Affairs Quiz of November 17 & 18, 2020 now from the link given below. 

Daily Current Affairs Quiz – November 17 & 18, 2020

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