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Current Affairs Study PDF - November 2019
Table of Contents
INDIAN AFFAIRS ................................................................................................................................................................................ 4
Cabinet Approvals ......................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Schemes ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 6
Launches & Inaugurations ........................................................................................................................................................ 7
Festivals.......................................................................................................................................................................................... 14
Other Indian Affairs News ...................................................................................................................................................... 16
STATE NEWS ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 28
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS ......................................................................................................................................................... 38
VISITS ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 39
Indian Visits .................................................................................................................................................................................. 39
Foreign Visits ............................................................................................................................................................................... 42
BANKING & FINANCE.................................................................................................................................................................... 48
RBI in News................................................................................................................................................................................... 48
Technology in Banking ............................................................................................................................................................ 51
Other News Related to Banking & Finance .................................................................................................................... 52
MoUs & AGREEMENTS IN NEWS ............................................................................................................................................. 61
COMMITTEES IN NEWS................................................................................................................................................................ 62
SUMMITS & CONFERENCES ....................................................................................................................................................... 65
INDEX ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 80
Rankings ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 80
Reports............................................................................................................................................................................................ 85
ECONOMY & BUSINESS ................................................................................................................................................................ 93
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS ....................................................................................................................................................... 99
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS .................................................................................................................................................... 112
ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS ..................................................................................................................................................... 120
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY ......................................................................................................................................................... 121
DEFENCE........................................................................................................................................................................................... 129
ENVIRONMENT .............................................................................................................................................................................. 133
SPORTS .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 135
OBITUARY ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 150
BOOKS & AUTHORS ..................................................................................................................................................................... 154
IMPORTANT DAYS........................................................................................................................................................................ 159
STATIC GK FROM CURRENT AFFAIRS ................................................................................................................................. 170
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INDIAN AFFAIRS
Cabinet Approvals
Overview of Cabinet approvals with foreign countries on November 6, 2019

On November 6, 2019 the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by the Prime
Minister Shri Narendra Modi made certain approvals/ MOUs with foreign countries. The approval in
detail are as follows,
MoU between India and Bangladesh on withdrawal of 1.82 cusec of water from Feni River by
India:
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Indian and Bangladesh on the
withdrawal of 1.82 cubic feet per second (cusecs) of water from Feni river by India. This is the first
such agreement between the South Asian neighbours in more than two decades by India and
Bangladesh.
Key Points:
i.Data exchanges and frameworks: Both the nations have agreed to exchange data and prepare water
sharing agreement framework for 6 more rivers. These rivers are Manu, Muhuri, Khowai, Gumti,
Dharla, and Dudhkumar.
ii.This MoU would ease off the severe water scarcity in the border towns. A total of 54 rivers are
present in India and Bangladesh but before the feni river MoU, there was only one agreement between
them to share Ganga river water which was signed in December 1996.
iii.Bridge on river Feni: India and Bangladesh agreed to build a bridge over the Feni river which will
provide access from tripura to Chittagong seaport in Bangladesh. India also proposed to build a special
economic zone (SEZ) in Sabroom to operate as an export hub.
iv.Feni river: The Feni River originates in South Tripura district and flows through Sabroom
town(Tripura) and then enters Bangladesh.
MoU between India and Paraguay on Tourism:
India and Paraguay has signed an MoU for strengthening cooperation in the tourism sector. The MoU in
this regard was signed on 27th September, 2019.
Key points:
i.MoU benefits: The MoU would benefit India in increasing the foreign tourist arrivals from Paraguay
and would thus enhance economic development and employment generation.
ii.Features and objectives of MoU: The salient features of this MoU are information exchange on data
related to tourism, enhancement of bilateral cooperation, cooperation between tourism stakeholders,
cooperation in Human resource development, exchange of experience in the areas of promotion,
marketing destination, development and management etc.
MoU between India and Brazil
i. Health and medicine:The cabinet has approved co-oporation of India and Brazil in the field
of health and medicine. The MoU in this regard is expected to be signed in November 2019.
ii. Protocol convention on tax evasion: The cabinet also approved protocol convention for the
avoidance of double taxation and also on prevention of fiscal evasion regarding taxes on income.
Through the updation of the Double Taxation Avoidance Convention’s (DTAC) provisions to
international standards, the protocol will facilitate the elimination of double taxation. The tax evasion is
an illegal activity in which a person or entity deliberately avoids paying a true tax liability.
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About Double taxation avoidance:

The Double Taxation Avoidance is done to avoid or eliminate double taxation of the same income in two
countries. Agreement in this regard is known as Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement(DTAA) and
is also referred as Tax Treaty.
MoU between India and Switzerland on climate change and environment:
India and Switzerland signed MoU for technical cooperation in the field of climate change and
environment. The MoU in this regard was signed on 13th September 2019.
Key Points:
i.MoU benefits: The two nations will be benefited in the field of environmental protection and natural
resources management. The MoU would also enhance cooperation on better management of climate
change and wildlife conservation through latest technologies.
MoU between India and Guinea on renewable energy:
The cabinet has given approval for India and Guinea to cooperate in the field of renewable energy.
MoU objective: The objective of the MoU is to encourage and promote cooperation in renewable
energy on the basis of mutual benefit, equality and reciprocity between the parties.
Key points:
i.The areas of cooperation includes cooperation in the field of solar energy, wind energy, bio-energy,
and waste to energy, small hydro storage and capacity build.
MoU between India and Maldives on capacity building programme:
India and Maldives have signed MoU in the field of Training and Capacity-Building Programme for
Maldivian Judicial Officers in India.
Key Points:
i.The MoU would benefit cooperation between India and Maldives in judicial and law related areas and
would also enhance knowledge and technology exchanges in training and capacity building.
MoU between India and German Agency on occupational diseases, rehabilitation and vocational
training:
The union cabinet approved MoU between India and German agency DGUV (Deutsche Gesetzliche
Unfallversicherung), which is a German statutory accident insurance agency. The MoU was on
cooperation on occupational diseases, rehabilitation and vocational training.
Key points:
i.India and DGUV will work on Occupational Safety and Health(OSH) and social protection, and also help
in exchanging information in areas related to medical, occupational and social rehabilitation of insured
persons with disabilities and prevention, detection and treatment of occupational diseases.
Overview of cabinet approvals on November 6, 2019

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister (PM) Mr Narendra Modi approved the following
proposals on November 6, 2019:
Cabinet approves funding of Rs.25, 000 crores for stalled housing projects across India
In a major relief to landlords and real estate companies stuck in stalled housing projects, the Union
Cabinet gave its assent for the establishment of a ‘Special Window’ fund of Rs 25,000 crore for the
stuck housing project across the country. The government will provide 10,000 crore rupees as
a Category-11 Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) registered with SEBI(Securities and Exchange
Board of India). State Bank of India (SBI) & Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) besides sovereign
wealth funds and pension funds will provide the remaining Rs 15,000 crore to reach Rs.25000 crores.
Key Points:
i.Background: Earlier on September 14, 2019, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that
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the government will provide funds of Rs 10,000 crore to complete 1,600 stalled residential
projects.Then, the government barred projects that have been declared as defaulters or are facing
bankruptcy proceedings from availing the benefits of the scheme.Cabinet nod is the modified version of
the September 14 plan and decided to issue Rs.25000.
ii.SBICAP (SBI Capital Markets Ltd Ventures Ltd ) will run the AIF and ensure the funds are utilized only
for completion of the intended projects.
About AIF:
It means any fund incorporated / established in India which is a privately collective investment vehicle.
AIF collects funds from certain investors for investing it in accordance with a defined investment policy
for the benefit of its investors.
Approval for cadre review of Posts & Telegraphs Building Works Service Group A
In a bid to strengthen the cadre structure at the headquarters & in the field units of the
telecommunications and post department, the Union Cabinet has given its approval for cadre review of
Posts & Telegraphs Building Works Service, Group A. Earlier, the number P&T BWS duty was fixed
at 105.
Key Points:
i.In 1990 ,The P&T BWS, Group A, was set up as an organized Group A service, which includes 3 wings –
civil, electrical and architecture. It mainly caters to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and
the Department of Posts (DoP).
ii.Now ,there will be no fresh recruitment into the Cadre and that it will be phased out in a manner that
there is no adverse impact on the incumbents.
Government approves for four medical device parks

On November 11, 2019, Government has approved to set up four medical device parks to support Make
in India and give world-class treatment in low cost. The four parks will be set up in Andhra
Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. These parks will provide better infrastructure, for the
company to plug and play.
The approval was given for the project of Andhra Pradesh Medtech Zone for establishing Common
Facility Center (CFC) for Superconducting Magnetic coil testing and Research. The scheme
recommends to provide Rs 25 crore or 70 per cent of the project cost of setting up of CFC.
Key Points: –
i.The medical devices trade market in the country is of around Rs 70,000 crores.
ii.The domestic medical devices industry is very small even though India ranks fourth largest market in
Asia.
iii. India is a large importer of medical devices, with domestic industry accounting for about 2 % of the
global industry which stands at USD 250 billion.
iv.Uttarakhand and Gujarat have also approached for the medical device parks in their states.
Schemes
2.31 lakh more houses under PMAY scheme sanctioned at 48th CSMC meeting in New Delhi
On November 1, 2019 Shri Durga Shanker Mishra, secretary of Housing and Urban Affairs
ministry(HUA) approved construction of 2.31 lakh more houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas
Yojana-Urban (PMAY- U). The approval was given at the 48th meeting of Central Sanctioning and
Monitoring Committee (CSMC) under PMAY-U in New Delhi. With this approval, the house construction
count has increased to 93.1 lakh and is expected that the target of constructing 1.1crore homes under
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the scheme would soon be achieved.

Key Points:
i.Participants:Total Seven states/UT participated in the CSMC namely Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar,
Madhya Pradesh, Nagaland, Puducherry, and Uttar Pradesh.
ii.Andhra Pradesh, reached 100% of demand for housing with sanctions reaching 1.25lakh homes. Uttar
Pradesh has also reached 97% of its demand with 52,000 houses sanctioned.
iii.With the sanctioned houses currently surpassing the 93lakh mark, 28 lakh houses have been
completed or handed over to beneficiaries.
About Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs ministry:
Founded- 1952
Headquarters- New Delhi.
Minister of State(MoS)- Hardeep Singh Puri.
Launches & Inaugurations
Health minister Harsh Vardhan launched Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) 2.0 portal in
New Delhi
On October 31, 2019 the union minister of Health and Family Welfare(HWF), science and technology
and earth science Dr.Harsh Vardhan launched Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) 2.0 portal in
New Delhi ahead of the launch of IMI 2.0 programme in December 2019-March 2020. The IMI2.0 is a
rechristened version of mission Indhradanush-Universal Immunization Programme(UIP) that aims to
achieve 100% immunization.
The portal was launched during the celebration of the silver jubilee of the Pulse Polio Programme that
was observed on October 2, 2019.
Health initiative guidelines launched:
The health minister also launched 2 guidelines. They were
• ‘Strengthening immunization systems to reach every child’ and
• ‘Operational guidelines for Strengthening Td (Tetanus and Diphtheria)10 and Td16 vaccine
implementation’.
Key Points:
i.With the launch of UIP, Vaccine Preventable Diseases (VPDs) were increased to a count of 12 from the
earlier 7.
ii.Target: The portal was designed to obtain information on target of children and pregnant women to
be vaccinated during the IMI drive.
iii.Achievements: Mission Indradhanush and programmes related to it, have successfully vaccinated
3.39 crore children and 87.2lakhs pregnant women in the country.
iv.Polio programme: Various initiatives on polio programme, helped the country achieve polio free
status in 2014. Entire SouthEast Asia was declared polio free at that time.
Important events: The event started with ‘Beginning of the Polio Journey’ video, followed by National
Unity Day Pledge, marking the 144th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.The event finally
concluded with the administration of the ‘Immunization Pledge’ by Dr.Harsh Vardhan.
Members present: Jagat Prakash Nadda, former health minister was the chief guest for the event.
Minister of State(MoS) of health shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Shri. Devendra Kumar Joshi, Lt.
Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands; Shri. Ms. Preeti Sudan, Health Secretary; Ms. Poonam
Khetarpal Singh, Regional Director, WHO-SEARO (World Health Organization, South-East Asia Regional
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Office); Ms. Henrietta Fore, Executive Director of UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s
Emergency Fund), and other officials were present.
Polio programme background:
• In 1988, the World Health Assembly (WHA) passed a resolution to launch the Global Polio
Eradication Initiative (GPEI). In India, the Delhi govt. Undertook first ever immunization
campaign- Oral Polio Vaccine(OPV) in 1994.
• From this campaign “Pulse Polio” immunization campaign was born, followed by iconic ‘Do
Boond Zindagi Ki’ (Two drops of life) tagline on October 2, 1994 by Dr.Harsh Vardhan who
was the then health minister of Delhi. Thus he is now regarded as chief architect of polio
programme of India.
About Mission Indhradhanush:
• Launched- 25 December 2014 by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.
• To further intensify the immunization programme, PM Modi launched the Intensified Mission
Indradhanush (IMI) on October 8, 2017 from which IMI2.0 was born.
IFFCO introduced India’s 1st nanotechnology-based products for on-field trials in Gujarat
On November 3, 2019, the world’s largest fertilizer cooperative- Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative
Limited (IFFCO) introduced India’s 1st nanotechnology-based environment-friendly plant nutrition
products by introducing Nano- Nitrogen, nano-Zinc and nano-Copper for on-field trials at an event at
Gujarat’s Kalol unit of IFFCO.
Key Points:
i.Product production: The products were produced at IFFCO’s Nano Biotechnology Research Centre
(NBRC) in Kalol unit. The first phase of the launch was tested with support from Krishi Vigyan Kendras
(KVK)/Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
ii.Chemical compounds: The Nano nitrogen was developed as an alternative to urea, thus reducing its
requirement by 50%. The nano zinc was developed as an alternative to zinc fertilizers, where the nano
zinc is required only in small amounts i.e,10gm. The nano copper provides nutrition and protection to
the plant.
• iii.Benefits: These formulations would benefit in reducing the usage of conventional chemical
fertilizers by 50%, increase crop production upto 15-30%, improve soil health, and also reduce
greenhouse gas emissions.
• iv.Members present: Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of State for Shipping (Independent
Charge) and Chemicals & Fertilizers; Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister of State for Agriculture;
and Nitin Patel, Deputy Chief Minister, Gujarat, and other officials including Padma Shri awardee
farmers were present at the event.
About IFFCO:
Founded- 3 November 1967.
Managing Director- Uday Shankar Awasthi.
Home Affairs minister Amit Shah inaugurated SCO Joint Urban Earthquake Search & Rescue
Exercise (SCOJtEx)-2019
On November 4, 2019 the union Minister of Home Affairs(MoHA) Shri Amit Shah inaugurated 4-days
long Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Joint Exercise on Urban Earthquake Search & Rescue
(SCOJtEx)- 2019 in New Delhi. The exercise which will be held till november 7, 2019 is organised by
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
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Aim: The aim of the exercise is to improve preparedness during disaster situation and to recognize
procedures coordinating post-earthquake responses with participation of all the 8 SCO member
countries.
Key Points:
i.Events: The exercise will be conducted as per International Search & Rescue Advisory Group
(INSARAG) methodology & guidelines. During the exercise, SCO member states will undergo rescue
exercises, panel meeting for disaster prevention, which will be followed by 10th Meeting of Heads of
Departments of Disaster Prevention of SCO member States.
ii.During the inaugural event, HEALTH mantra given by Modi to the SCO members for cooperation in 6
sectors were discussed. They were H’ for healthcare cooperation, ‘E’ for economic cooperation, ‘A’ for
alternate energy, ‘L’ for literature and culture, ‘T’ for terrorism-free society and ‘H’ for humanitarian
cooperation.
iii.Minister of State(MoS) for Home Affairs, Shri Nityanand Rai will be the chief guest for the closing
ceremony on 07th November, 2019.
iv.Observers: Representatives of INSARAG, Asian Coordination Centre for Humanitarian Assistance
(AHA), Brazil, Mongolia, South Africa were invited as observers.
India’s disaster management plan:
i.In India National Disaster Management Plan was launched in 2016, which covered almost all states
and Union Territories(UT). India, reduced loss of live to less than 1% in terms of disasters in over a
decade.
ii.India launched the South Asia geostationary communication satellite for weather and communication
improvement. The ‘Owner Driven Reconstruction for Housing’ plan implemented in Gujarat after the
earthquake in the state in 2001 was then later implemented in other countries.
iii.$1 billion assistance: India provided $1 billion to United States (US) for reconstruction and
rehabilitation efforts.
About SCO:
Founded- 19 September 2003
Headquarters- Beijing, China.
Secretary General- Vladimir Norov.
SCO member- China(Head), Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan.
Finance minister launched 2new initiatives: ICEDASH & ATITHI in New Delhi
On November 4, 2019, the union minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Smt Nirmala Sitharaman
launched two new IT (Information Technology) initiatives in New Delhi. They were “ICEDASH” and
“ATITHI”, for improved monitoring and pace of customs clearance of goods that are imported, and to
facilitate the arriving international passengers by e-filing of customs baggage and currency
declarations.
About ICEDASH & ATITHI:
i.ICEDASH: The ICEDASH which is an Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) monitoring dashboard, enables
the public to check the customs clearance time of import cargo in various ports/airports. The
dashboard is developed by joint collaboration of CBIC (Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs)
with NIC (National Informatics Centre). The ICEDASH can be accessed through CBIC website.
ii.ATITHI: ATITHI is an easy to use mobile app by CBIC, where international passengers can file
customs declaration in advance. The app is available on both iOS (operating system) and Android
devices.
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• Advantages: ICEDASH and ATITHI are expected to reduce interface and increase
transparency in the customs functioning areas. ATITHI would help in encouraging tourism
too, where it would enhance in faster clearance of customs at airports.
• Members present: Shri Anurag Singh Thakur, Minister of State(MoS) of Finance and
Corporate Affairs; Ajay Bhushan Pandey-Revenue secretary; Pranab Kumar Das, Chairman of
CBIC (Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs), senior officials, members of trade and
industry and others were present during the event.
About CBIC:
Founded- 1944.
About NIC:
Founded- 1976.
Director General(DG)- Neeta Verma.
Parent organisation- Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology(MeitY).
Skill development ministry & IBM India jointly launches SkillsBuild platform
On November 4, 2019, In order to help the next-generation to compete in the global
economy, Directorate General of Training (DGT), under the aegis of Ministry of Skill Development
& Entrepreneurship (MSDE), has launched SkillsBuild platform in association
with IBM(International Business Machines Corporation) India Private Limited, the Indian
subsidiary of IBM.
Key Points:
i.A 2-year advanced diploma in IT(Information Technology), networking and cloud computing,
designed by IBM & partners such as CodeDoor, Coorpacademy and Skillsoft, will be offered to faculties
at the Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) & National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs) under the
program.
ii.Through this platform, students will get the knowledge about digital technologies, as well as
professional skills such as resume-writing, problem-solving and communication & personal assessment
of the cognitive capabilities and personality via MyInnerGenius.
iii.The platform is deployed with the support of forefront NGOs like Unnati and Edunet
Foundation.
iv.Earlier in 2018 , IBM & MSDE has launched the first-of-its kind ‘New Collar Curriculum.
About MSDE:
Founded– 9 November 2014
Headquarters- New Delhi
Cabinet Minister- Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey
About IBM India Pvt ltd:
Parent organization- IBM
Founded- 1992
Headquarters- Bengaluru,Karnataka
Managing Director- Karan Bajwa
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Harsh Vardhan inaugurates India’s 1st-ever global mega-science exhibition, ‘Vigyan Samagam
2019’, in Kolkata, West Bengal
On November 4, 2019, Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Minister of
Science & Technology and Minister of Earth Science has inaugurated India’s 1st -ever multi-venue Mega
science exhibition, ‘Vigyan Samagam 2019’, at the iconic Science City in Kolkata, West Bengal.
Key Points:
i.Organized by Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Department of Science and Technology (DST), and
the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM), Ministry of Culture, the exhibition will be open till
December 31, 2019 for public display and will showcase the world from micro to macro, unveiling the
efforts of the international community in understanding the Universe.
ii.The will have the presence of prestigious projects and organisations such as the European
Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research’ (FAIR), India-
based Neutrino Observatory(INO), etc.
iii.The 1st two units of Vigyan Samagam was successfully held in Mumbai and Bengaluru & After
Kolkata, it will commence its final leg in New Delhi from 21st January, 2020 -20th March, 2020 at the
National Science Centre. Thereafter it will remain as a permanent exhibition at New Delhi and will be
taken care-off by NCSM.
PM Modi inaugurated Kartarpur corridor in Punjab, India

On November 9, 2019 the Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated Integrated Check
Post(ICP) and flagged off the 1st batch of pilgrims at Kartarpur Sahib corridor at Dera Baba Nanak in
Gurdaspur city of Punjab in India. The ICP would provide Indian pilgrims to visit Gurudwara Kartapur
Sahib in Pakistan.
Key Points:
i.Coin released: Shri Modi released commemorative coin marking the 550th Birth Anniversary of Guru
Nanak Dev (founder of Sikhism).
ii.National flag hoisted: A 300 ft monumental national flag of India was hoisted at the International
Border.
iii.Quami Seva Award: Shri Modi was facilitated with the Quami Seva Award by the Shiromani
Gurudwara Prabhandak Committee.
iv.Connectivity: The 4.2 Km four lane highway has been constructed at a cost of Rs 120 Cr which will
connect Dera Baba Nanak from Amritsar – Gurdaspur Highway in Punjab.
v.Passenger terminal building: The state-of-the-art Passenger Terminal Building is built on 15 acres
of land. The building has over 50 immigration counters for facilitating about 5000 pilgrims a day.
About Kartarpur Sahib Corridor:
Location- The kartarpur Sahib Corridor is a border corridor between Pakistan and India, connecting
the Sikh shrines of Dera Baba Nanak Sahib (located at Gurdaspur city in Punjab, India) and Gurdwara
Darbar Sahib (in Punjab, Pakistan). Pakistan has announced visa free entry of Indian pilgrims.
Agreement signing: On the 24th of October 2019 agreement was signed for operationalization of the
Kartarpur Sahib Corridor at Zero Point, International Boundary, Dera Baba Nanak.
India’s first “Wildlife SOS Elephant Memorial” opens in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh
On November 9, 2019, India’s First Elephant Memorial namely “Wildlife SOS Elephant Memorial” opens
on Agra-Mathura Highway in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh by Wildlife SOS, a Non-Governmental
Organization(NGO). The Chief guest for this inauguration was K. Praveen Rao, Additional Principal
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Chief Conservator in Uttar Pradesh Forest Department.

Key Points: –
i.The Elephant Memorial represents the loss of the gentle giants, which are missing their lives while
suffering brutality at the hands of humans.
ii.It was started for the elephants which died in harness or as victims of human brutalities.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated Sisseri River bridge in Arunachal Pradesh
On November 15, 2019 the union defence minister Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurated the Sisseri River
bridge at Lower Dibang Valley in Arunachal Pradesh and has also inaugurated National Highway-52
(NH52) in East Siang district of the state. This 200-metre long bridge which connects Dibang Valley and
Siang district, was built by Project Brahmank of the Border Roads Organisation(BRO). It was built on
the Pasighat- Bomjir highway. This bridge would now reduce the travel time by 5 hours.
11th Maitree Diwas in Arunachal Pradesh:
The defence minister also attended the 11th edition of Maitree Diwas (Civil-Military Friendship) in
Arunachal Pradesh. The festival symbolises patriotism of the people of the region and their close
relationship with the Armed Forces. The 2-day socio-military cultural festival was jointly organised by
the Indian Army, Tawang civil administration and volunteers at the high-altitude stadium of Arunachal
Pradesh. It was first celebrated in 2004 by the initiation of Late Dorjee Khandu, former Chief Minister of
Arunachal Pradesh.
Theme: The theme of the event was “Know Your Army.”
Key Points:
i.Sisseri Bridge: The Sisseri River built on Jonai-Pasighat-Ranaghat-Roing road, provides connectivity
to Tinsukia via Dhola-Sadiya bridge. The bridge is considered to be strategically important from
military point of view too and will be a part of Trans Arunachal Highway.
ii.The govt. has adopted Border Area Development Programme (BADP) in the view of providing
security to the people residing in the border areas. The govt’s Act East Policy is expected to pave the
way for infrastructure development in the north east region especially in Arunachal Pradesh.
iii.Projects initiated in the state: The defence minister listed out various projects initiated by the govt.
in the state. Some of them include proposed Bhalukpong – Tenga – Tawang railway line,
operationalisation of Pasighat airport, Hollongi airport and approval to construct Sela Pass tunnel.
iv.BRO projects: There are actually 4 projects in the Arunachal Pradesh namely Vartak, Arunank,
Brahmank and Udayak.
v.Members present: Chief Minister(CM) of Arunachal Pradesh Shri Shri Pema Khandu, Deputy CM Shri
Chowna Mein; Director General(DG) of Border Roads Lt General Harpal Singh; Arunachal East Member
of Parliament Shri Tapir Gao and others were present during the event.
About Border Roads Organisation(BRO):
Founded-7 May 1960.
Founder- Jawaharlal Nehru
Motto- Everything is achievable through hard work (Shramena Sarvam Sadhyam)
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Health ministry launched SAANS campaign in Gujarat, to curb pneumonia deaths in kids5
On November 16, 2019 the union minister of health and family welfare (MoH&FW) Dr. Harsh Vardhan
launched “SAANS” campaign in Gandhinagar, Gujarat during the inauguration of 6th National Summit
on Good, Replicable practices and innovations. It was a 3-day event, held from November 16-18, 2019.
Aim: SAANS which is in short of ‘Social Awareness and Action to Neutralise Pneumonia
Successfully‘ was launched with the aim of reducing child mortality due to pneumonia. It aims to
mobilise people to protect children from the disease and to train health personnel and other
stakeholders in controlling the disease.
Key Points:
i.Web portal & coffee table book launched: A web portal for home based care of children including
newborn visited by ASHA was launched during the event. The portal will be used to monitor the
progress of programs regarding home visits by ASHAs and referral of sick newborns. A coffee table
book documenting the good and replicable practices was also launched during the summit.
ii.Govt health targets: The govt. has the aim of reducing Pneumonia deaths in children to less than 3%
per 1000 live births by 2025.
iii.Awareness campaign: A mass awareness campaign has also been planned to be launched for
pneumonia prevention, based on breastfeeding and age appropriate complementary feeding.
iv.Treatment under SAANS: A child with pneumonia will be treated with pre-referral dose of
antibiotic amoxicillin by Accredited Social Health Activist(ASHA) workers. Health and wellness centres
can use pulse oximeter (device to monitor oxygen saturation) to identify low oxygen levels in the blood
of a child.
v.Pneumonia deaths: Pneumonia contributes for 15% deaths annually to children under the age of 5.
As per Health Management Information System (HMIS) data, under five mortality rate in the country is
37 per 1000 live birth. Of this, 5.3 deaths are caused due to pneumonia.
• HMIS data: Gujarat ranked second in terms of child mortality due to Pneumonia as per HMIS
data for 2018-2019. Madhya pradesh topped the list in child deaths due to pneumonia.
vi.Members present: Minister of State(MoS) for H&FW, Ashwini Kumar Choubey; Chief Minister(CM)
of Gujarat, Vijay Rupani; Deputy. CM & Minister of H&FW of Gujarat, Nitinbhai Ratilal Patel; and Vinod K
Paul, Member (Health), National Institute for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog at Gandhinagar
(Gujarat) were also present at the event.
Home Ministry & UN Women India launches ‘UNiTE to End Violence Against Women’ campaign
On November 15, 2019, The Ministry of Home Affairs , the UN (United Nations) Women India in
association with outreach partner Radio Nasha have jointly launched an ‘UNiTE to End Violence
Against Women’ awareness campaign from Sultanpur Metro station in New Delhi.
Key Points:
i.The initiative is a part of the 16-days #OrangeTheWorld global campaign, which is observed ahead of
the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (November 25,2019), and will
continue till the International Day of Human Rights on December 10,2019.
ii.Under the campaign, people would be made aware of India’s single emergency Response Support
System helpline 112 , which is launched by the Ministry of Home Affairs earlier in 2019.
iii.The 112 helpline services , available in 27 States/UTs(Union Territories) , can be reached through
voice call, 112 India App, SMS (Short message service), email, respective state’s 112 websites, and the
panic button on mobile phones.
About UN Women:
Formation -2 July 2010
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Headquarters -New York City, United States

It is the UN organisation dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women.
Festivals
Overview of 5th India international science festival 2019 held in Kolkata, West Bengal from Nov
5 – 8, 2019
The 5th edition of India International Science Festival (IISF) 2019 with the theme “RISEN India –
Research, Innovation, and Science Empowering the Nation” has been held at Biswa Bangla
Convention Centre, Kolkata, West Bengal from Nov 5 – 8,2019.Organised jointly by Ministry of Science
and Technology and Ministry of Earth Sciences in association with Vijnana Bharati (VIBHA),the festival
aims to build a strategy for inclusive advancement of Science and Technology.
PM Modi inaugurates 5th IISF 2019 festival
On November 5, 2019, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi has officially inaugurated the IISF2019 in
Kolkata & addressed the gathering through video-conference.
i.The event witnessed a gathering of about 12,000 participants from India and abroad & more than 28
different events has been hosted.
ii.As per the PM, over 5,000 Atal Tinkering Labs have been installed in India and more than 200 Atal
Incubation Centres have been created, with an aim to instil scientific temper among the masses.
Vigyanika, an International Science Literature Festival held in Kolkata
Vigyanika, an International Science Literature Festival 2019, coordinated by the CSIR(Council of
Scientific and Industrial Research) -National Institute of Science Communication and Information
Resources (NISCAIR), Vigyan Prasar and Vigyan Bharatias , was held as a part of the 5th IISF2019 at
Kolkata. It featured a Science Book Fair, where more than thirty publishers showcased their scientific
publications.
It was inaugurated by Dr Harsh Vardhan,the Union Minister of Science & Technology, Earth Sciences
and Health and Family Welfare.
4 Guinness world record scripted during the 5th IISF 2019
World record made on below days:-
1st day(5 November 2019):The Guinness World Records for the largest astrophysics lesson (45
minutes) and assembly of spectroscopes was successfully achieved on the very 1st day of the festival
with the participation of over 1,598 students.This achievement was dedicated to the great scientists of
India Meghnad Saha and C. V. Raman.
Astronomers use spectroscopes to know facts such as temperature, chemical composition of celestial
bodies.A very small window is used to transmit light & Compact discs are used to disperse light through
the diffraction process.
2nd day (6 November 2019):The largest electronics lesson and assembly of optical media
communication units at a single location has been attempted with the participation of over 1,000
students on the 2nd day. It is dedicated to Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman and Satyendra Nath Bose.
3rd day (7 November 2019):The record attempt for most people assembling Radio
kits simultaneously has been attempted on with the participation of 490students.
Out of the 490 students participating in this program, 268 students were successful in completing the
process within the stipulated hours.
4th day (8 November 2019):An attempt has been made to create a Guinness World Record by making
the largest-ever human image of the human chromosome by a group of 415 school students.
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Previous editions:
IISF was launched in 2015 & the 1st and 2nd IISF was held in New Delhi. The 3rd edition of the festival
was held in Chennai,Tamil Nadu and the 4th IISF was held in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
Amit Shah inaugurates National tribal festival -Aadi mahotsav 2019 in New Delhi
On November 16, 2019, Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah has inaugurated 15-day National Tribal
Festival called Aadi Mahotsav 2019 based on the theme “A Celebration of the Spirit of Tribal Crafts,
Culture and Commerce” at Dilli Haat, New Delhi. Organized jointly by Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs
& TRIFED (Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Ltd), the festival will be
concluded on November 30, 2019.
Key Points:
i.The tribal textiles manufactured by master tribal craftsmen from Jammu & Kashmir in North to Tamil
Nadu in South and from Gujarat in West to Nagaland/Sikkim in East will be the major attractions of the
festival.
ii.The festival will showcase tribal handicrafts, art, paintings, textiles, jewelry etc. through 200 stalls
and will be offered for sale.
iii.More than one thousand tribal artisans and artists from 27 states will participate in this festival.
During this period, the culture and tribal customs, festivals, martial arts, etc. of 20 states of the country
will be demonstrated.
iv.During the current financial year (FY) 2020, 26 such festivals have been planned. Out of these, 8
festivals have been held in Shimla, Ooty, Leh-Ladakh, Visakhapatnam, Noida, Indore, Pune and
Bhubaneswar.
About TRIFED :
It is an organisation of Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs,organizes “Aadi Mahotsav’ to provide direct
market access to the tribal craftsmen in large metros and State capitals.
India-South Korea celebrated 4th International cherry blossom festival 2019 in Shillong,
Meghalaya
Meghalaya Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma has Inaugurated the four-day 4th International Cherry
Blossom Festival 2019 held from November 13 – 16 at the Polo Grounds in Shillong, Meghalaya. For
the 1st time, India & South Korea jointly celebrated this festival that witnessed the celebration of the
unique autumn flowering of Himalayan Cherry Blossoms (scientifically known as the Prunus
cerasoides). South Korea Ambassador to India Shin Bong-kil joined the celebration.
Key Points:
i.The primary aim of this festival was to attract tourists to the hill state in autumn to witness the unique
beauty of pink and white cherry blossoms.
ii.The Festival was organized by the Meghalaya government (spearheaded by the Forest and
Environment Department) in association with the Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable
Development (IBSD) and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).
iii. Shillong festival included events like fashion shows, rock concerts, a beauty pageant &many stalls
showcased state’s food, wine, and crafts. Having as the Republic of Korea as a partner country, several
K-events, including a K-Pop concert and K-cuisine stall exhibiting opportunities in education in South
Korea were organized in collaboration with the Korean Cultural Centre India.
iv.Cherry Blossoms: It lights up parts of the East Khasi Hills and state capital Shillong to mark the start
of India’s version of autumn. In 2018, the tress bloomed by late October, but this year the flowers are
making an appearance in November 2019.
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Other Indian Affairs News
Union health minister Harsh Vardhan released the 14th National Health Profile, 2019 in New
Delhi
On October 31, 2019 the union minister of Health and Family Welfare (HFW), Science and technology
and earth science, Shri Harsh Vardhan released the 14th edition of the National Health Profile (NHP)
2019, and also its ebook (digital version) at an event in New Delhi. The health profile covers
information on demographic, socio-economic health status, health finance indicators, health
infrastructure and health of human resources in the country.
CBHI (Central Bureau of Health Intelligence) has been publishing the NHP since 2005 and its digital
version since 2015.
Report:
• India’s expenditure on health: India spends only 1.28% of its gross domestic product(GDP)
according to 2017-18 budget estimates as public expenditure on health.
• Population density: Delhi reported the highest population density with 11,320 people per
square kilometre while the lowest was in Arunachal Pradesh with density of 17.
• Life Expectancy: Life expectancy in the country has increased from 49.7 years in 1970-75 to
68.7 years in 2012-16. The life expectancy for the same period in male and female are
67.4 and 70.2 years respectively. The birth rate as of 2017 was 20.2, growth rate was 6.3 and
natural growth rate was 13.9 per population of 1000 each.
• IMR and TFR: The Infant Mortality Rate(IMR) has declined considerably (33 per 1,000 live
births in 2016) while the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) for the country was 2.3.
• NCD diagnosis: 4.75% people of the 6.51 crore patients who attended NCD (Non-
Communicable Diseases) clinics were diagnosed with diabetes while 6.19% were with
hypertension, 0.3% with cardiovascular disease, only 0.26% were diagnosed with cancer.
• Economical activeness: As of 2016, 27% of the total estimated population were aged below
14 years and majority (64.7%) of the population were in the age group of 15-59
years(economically active).
• The number of disabled persons in the country are 2.68 crores.
About health ministry:
• Formed- 1976.
• Headquarters- New Delhi.
• Minister of State(MoS)- Ashwini Kumar Choubey.
Centre releases new political map after official formation of the UT of J&K, and Ladakh
On November 2, 2019, A day after the bifurcation of the state Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) into two Union
territories (UT) – Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and Ladakh, the Union Home minister Amit Shah has
released a new political map of India showing 28 states and 9 Union territories. He also separately
released a map showing the administrative boundaries of the Union territories of J&K and Ladakh. The
map has been redrawn by Survey of India, Department of Science & Technology.
Key Points:
i.The new UT of Ladakh consists of 2 districts of Kargil and Leh & areas such as Gilgit, Gilgit Wazarat,
Chilhas and the Tribal Territory of 1947 that have been occupied by Pakistan are included in the
Ladakh UT. The Leh district has been defined in the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization (Removal of
Difficulties) Second Order, 2019.
ii.The rest of the former State of Jammu and Kashmir such as Kupwara, Baramulla, Bandipur,
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Ganderbal, Srinagar, Pulwama, Poonch, Budgam ,Shopian, Anantnag, Kulgam, Kishtwar, Rajouri, Reasi,
Ramban, Doda, Jammu, Udhampur, Samba, Kathua & other areas in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK)
such as Mirpur and Muzaffarabad have been included in the new UT of J&K.
iii.On August 5, 2019, the centre revoked the provisions of Article 370 of the constitution that gave
special status to J&K and bifurcated the state into two Union territories.
iv.On November 1, 2019, Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Girish Chandra Murmu took oath
as the 1st lieutenant governor of the new Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir & Radha Krishna
Mathur was sworn in as the 1st Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Ladakh.
Coal ministry announced 1 billion tonne coal target by 2024 on 45th Coal India Foundation Day
in Kolkata
Minister of coal & mines, and parliamentary affairs Shri Prahlad Singh Joshi announced the target of
producing 750 million tonnes of coal in the financial year 2020-21 and also that of producing 1 billion
tonnes of coal in the financial year 2023-2024 by Coal India Limited (CIL). This was announced during
his address at CIL’s 45th Coal India Foundation Day celebrations in Kolkata, West Bengal.
Key Points
i.Current production target: CIL currently has the target of producing 660 million tonnes of coal
which is 82% of the country’s coal output. In-order to achieve the targets set by CIL, it would also create
around 10,000 new jobs boosting employment. Govt’s recent decision of 100% Foreign Direct
Investment (FDI) under automatic route in coal sector, would also be beneficial in minimizing coal
import.
ii.Other future plans:
• The coal minister recommended to conserve water and provide treated mine water to people
around coal mining areas, which results in eradicating Tuberculosis(TB) in those areas by
2025 under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program.
• Reforms: Reforms like introducing e-auction for coal block allocations, Scheme for
Harnessing and Allocating Koyala Transparently in India (SHAKTI), re-gradation of coal
mines etc. were also recommended.
iii.Members present: The chief Managing Director of CIL Shri Anil Kumar Jha and other officials were
present in the event.
About Ministry of coal:
• Coal Secretary- Anil Kumar Jain.
• Prahlad Joshi Constituency- Dharwad (Karnataka).
Govt to set up Anti-human-trafficking-units & women help desks across the country
On November 2, 2019, The govt. of India is to set up and strengthen Anti-Human-Trafficking-Units
(AHTUs) and Women Help Desks (WHDs) in police stations across the country for safety and security
of women and girl victims of trafficking. The Empowered Committee (EC) under Nirbhaya Framework
chaired by Rabindra Panwar, Secretary of the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD)
recommended this proposal to the Ministry of Home Affairs(MHA).
Proposal in brief: Setting up of WHDs in 10,000 police stations and AHTUs in the remaining districts of
India, costing Rs. 100 crore each which were recommended to be borne by the government under the
Nirbhaya Fund.
Key Points:
i.The purpose of WHDs are for grievance redressal of women mainly focusing on crime against women
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and children. The WHDs would also create a conducive environment for distressed females to approach
the police stations without any hesitation and fear. These WHDs would be headed by a woman police
officer not below the rank of Head Constables.
ii.The EC also recommended to provide psycho-social counselling and legal counselling to the
beneficiaries under the AHTUs and also to monitor its functioning by appointing state level nodal
officers.
About women and child development ministry:
Founded- 30 January 2006.
About Nirbhaya fund:
Nirbhaya Fund is an Indian rupee 10 billion corpus announced by the Indian govt. during the2013
Union Budget. The purpose of this fund is to support initiatives by the government and NGOs (Non-
Government Organizations) working towards protecting the dignity and ensuring the safety of women
in India.
First-ever movement of container cargo on Brahmaputra river announced

On November 4, 2019, the union shipping ministry announced 1st ever landmark Container Cargo
consignment (movement of goods) to sail on inland waterways from Haldia Dock Complex (HDC),
West Bengal to the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) terminal in Pandu, Guwahati, in the
river Brahmaputra. This approval was given in order to boost the connectivity in the northeast region.
Key Points:
i.The sailing vessel, M V maheshwari was flagged off by shipping ministry secretary Shri Gopal Krishna
via video conference at Taratala, West Bengal. The voyage is for 12-15 days via National
Waterway(NW)- l i.e., river Ganga, NW-97 (Sunderbans), Indo-Bangladesh Protocol(IBP) route and NW-
2(river Brahmaputra).
ii.The movement of goods is allowed in the IBP route through Protocol on Inland Water Transit and
Tracie (PIWTT) between India and Bangladesh.
iii.It is the first ever Integrated Inland Water Transport (IWT) movement, covering a distance of upto
1425km.
About IWAI:
Founded- 27 October 1986.
Headquarters- Noida.
Parent agency- Ministry of Shipping.
Coal minister Pralhad Joshi announced 300% Ex-gratia increase for fatal coal mine accidents in
Odisha
On November 7, 2019 the Union Minister of Coal, Mines and parliamentary affairs Shri Prahlad Joshi
announced for a 300% hike in the ex-gratia amount for fatal accidents in coal mining. With this, the ex-
gratia amount has increased to Rs15 lakhs from the previous amount of Rs 5 lakhs. This
announcement was made at Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) in Odisha.
Key Points:
i.MCL future plans: The future plans of MCL are as follows,
• 4000 new jobs to be created at MCL by 2024-2025 .
• Investment of Rs 9000 crores for railway infrastructure creation that would enable coal
transportation.
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• The MCL also plans to run Mobile Medical Units (MMUs) to provide free healthcare to the
villages near its operational areas.
ii.Other event: Foundation stone of MCL DAV (Dayanand Anglo Vedic) School, estimated worth of Rs
45 crore, was laid. Chief Managing Director(CMD) of Coal India Ltd (CIL) Anil Kumar Jha, CMD of MCL
Bhola Nath Shukla and others were present in the event.
iii.Aerial survey of the operations of the Talcher Coalfields at MCL was undertaken. This Talcher
coalfield is the world’s second biggest subsidiary of state-run CIL and contributes 25% of total CIL’s
production.
About MCL:
Founded- 1992.
Headquarters- Sambalpur, Odisha.
Fact- It is one of the eight subsidiaries of CIL.
FSSAI released draft regulations of Safe Food and Healthy Diet for school children
On November 7, 2019 the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India(FSSAI) has proposed a draft
regulation titled “Food Safety and Standards (Safe Food and healthy diets for School Children)
Regulations, 2019”. The regulations which is a 10-point charter, were proposed to ensure safe and
wholesome food for School children.
10-point charter regulations:
i.Foods with high fat, salt and sugar content are banned to be sold in school canteens and other school
premises or within 50 meters of school campus.
ii.Licence: Proper license should be obtained for operation of mid-day meal scheme and also should
comply with sanitary and hygienic practices under Schedule 4 of the Food Safety and Standards
(Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) regulations,2011….Click here for 10 point charter
regulations
About FSSAI:
Founded- August 2011.
Chief Executive Officer(CEO)- Pawan Kumar Agarwal.
Chairperson- Rita Teaotia.
Steel Ministry issued new steel scrap recycling policy

On November 8, 2019 the union steel ministry has issued new steel scrap recycling policy with the
aim of promoting circular economy in the steel sector and to process recycling of steel in a safe
environmental manner.Production of high quality ferrous scraps to reduce the imports.
Key Points:-
i.Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH)and the Department of Heavy Industries are
working towards ‘Extended Producer Responsibility’ by requiring the vehicle manufacturers to
initiate the scrapping of unfit vehicles in exchange for price discounts for purchase of new vehicles
under this policy.
ii.The Policy also pointed out the availability of scrap in India. and in 2017 The 7 million tonnes of tune
was shortage in 2017 and it was imported at the cost of more than Rs.24,500 crores in 2017-2018.
iii.Policy has aimed to setting up an Environmentally Sound Management system for ferrous scrap
which can encourage processing & recycling of ferrous scraps through organized and scientific metal
scrapping centers across India to minimize dependency on import of scrap and make India self-
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sufficient in scrap availability.

iv.To promote 6 R principles-Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover, Redesign and
Remanufacture through scientific handling, processing and disposal of recyclable scraps.Creating a
mechanism for waste streams and residue treating that are produced from dismantling and shredding
which are in compliance with the Hazardous & Other Wastes (Management & Transboundary
Movement) Rules, 2016.
v.NSP aim: The National Steel Policy 2017 (NSP-2017) has the aim of creating 300 million tonnes per
annum(TPA) of steel production by 2030 and is expected to be self-sufficient by that time.
About Ministry of Steel:
Union Steel Minister- Dharmendra Pradhan (also minister of petroleum and natural gas).
Minister of State(MoS)- Faggan Singh Kulaste.
World’s first CNG terminal to be built in Bhavnagar port, Gujarat

On November 11, 2019, the Gujarat Infrastructure Development Board (GIDB) under the
Chairmanship of Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has approved the proposal of world’s first CNG
(Compressed natural gas) port terminal, that is going to be built in Bhavnagar port, a seaport in
Saurashtra region of Gujarat.
Key Points:
i.United Kingdom (UK) based Foresight Group and Mumbai-based Padmanabh Mafatlal Group will
invest 1,900 crore rupees on this project, in which foreign capital of Rs.500 crores will be invested. The
investment will be done in 2 phases through ‘Swiss challenge’ method.
ii.The terminal has been said to have a capacity of 1.5 million metric tonne per annum (MMTPA). After
its establishment, the capacity to transport goods at Bhavnagar port will also increase threefold.
Currently, three million metric tons of cargo is handled by the port.
iii.At the Vibrant Summit held in January 2019, an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) was signed
between the Foresight Group and the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) for the same.
President’s rule enforced in Maharashtra

On November 12, 2019, President’s rule was imposed in Maharashtra after President Ram Nath Govind
approves Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s recommendation on the deadlock of government formation
in the state. The reason behind the president’s rule is the Power tussle over chief minister post between
BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) and Shiv Sena.
Maharashtra under President’s rule for 3rd time in 59-year history
The first time when Maharashtra was under President’s rule was in February 1980, when the Indira
Gandhi government dismissed the Progressive Democratic Front (PDF) government headed by Sharad
Pawar. After this, it was imposed on September 28, 2014, when Prithviraj Chavan resigned as Chief
Minister. Now, it’s for the 3rd time in the 59-year-old history of the state when Article 356 has been
invoked due to the inability of political parties to form a government after an assembly election.
Maharashtra came into existence on May 1, 1960.
Key Point:
President Rule-Article 356 of the Constitution provides for the imposition of President’s Rule in a state
in “case of failure of the constitutional machinery in the state”.
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Ayodhya verdict: Disputed land allocated for temple, alternate 5-Acre land for Mosque
On November 9, 2019 the Supreme Court (SC) gave its final judgment on the long disputed Ayodhya
case to construct a Ram temple at Ayodhya site in Uttar Pradesh. It has also directed the centre to
allocate a separate land of 5 acres for the Sunni Waqf Board for building a Mosque. A 5-member SC
constitution bench, headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi announced the Ayodhya Ram
Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit case.
Court order:
• A trust should be formed within 3 months for the construction of the Ram temple under the
provisions of the Acquisition of Certain Area at Ayodhya Act 1993.
• Mosque should be constructed at a prominent site.
• 2.77-acre land rights to be handed over to the deity Ram Lalla, who was one of the three
litigants in the case.
Key Points:
i.5-member bench: The 5-member SC constitution bench, comprised of justices Sharad Arvind Bobde,
Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan, Abdul Nazeer and Ranjan Gogoi (head).
ii.ASI report: The Archaeological Survey of India(ASI) reported the existence of Ram temple at
Janmasthan, and the court noted that according to the ASI, Babar’s Masjid (mosque) was built on the
very spot where the old temple Janmasthan stood.
iii.Dispute: There was a dispute among three parties – Ram Lalla, Sunni Waqf Board and the Nirmohi
Akhara for the land.
Dispute Background:
• According to the Ramayana, Lord Rama was born in Ayodhya. Mir Baqi, one of the generals of
India’s 1st mughal emperor Babur, built the Babri Masjid (“Babur’s Mosque”) in 1528 on his
orders.
• The land on which the medieval mosque, Babri Masjid, stood is traditionally considered by
Hindus to be the birthplace of the Hindu deity, Rama, and was at the core of the Ayodhya
dispute.
• In 1949, after India’s independence, an idol of Ram was placed inside the mosque, which
triggered the dispute.
$43 million project sanctioned to India by Green Climate Fund to boost climate resilience
On November 14, 2019 India started its $43 million worth project to boost climate resilience in three
coastal states in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The project is
funded by Green Climate Fund (GCF), a fund established within the framework of United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in assisting the developing countries.
3 Coastal areas: The 3 coastal areas where the project will be implemented are Andhra
Pradesh, Maharashtra and Odisha.
Aim: The project aims to build climate resilient livelihoods, offset 3.5million tonnes of carbon over the
next 30 years, protect the vulnerable ecosystems.
Key Points:
i.Additional finance: The Indian govt. will provide an additional finance of $86.8 million for the
project to mainstream and accelerate the impacts of the Green Climate Fund grant.
ii.Project impact: It is a 6-year project and is expected to positively impact 1.7million people on the
above mentioned 3 coastal areas and also over 10 million people living in the coastline.
iii.Project activities:
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• Restoration and conservation of over 15,000 hectares of mangroves, coral reefs, seagrasses
and saltmarshes will be done.
• Help the nation in achieving its goal of outlined in Paris Agreement and 2030 Agenda of
the Sustainable Development Goals(SDG).
About GCF:
Formation- 2010.
Headquarters- South Korea.
About UNDP:
Fact- UNDP provides expert advice, training and grants support to developing countries, with
increasing emphasis on assistance to the least developed countries
Formation-22 November 1965.
Headquarters- New York, United States(US).
Administrator- Achim Steiner
]
Chief Justice of India office comes under RTI Act as per SC’s judgment
On November 13, 2019, the Supreme Court(SC) announced office of the Chief Justice of India (CJI) as
a public authority under the transparency law, the Right to Information (RTI) Act 2005. The judgement
in this regard was made by a 5 judge constitution bench headed by CJI Ranjan Gogoi.
Verdict in brief:
• The verdict also mentioned that protection must be provided to the judges under the
confidentiality clause.
• Judicial independence will be maintained while dealing with transparency. Hence, only the
names of judges recommended by the Collegium will be disclosed, not the reasons.
Key Points:
i.Members of the bench: Other members of the bench apart from Ranjan Gogoi were Justices
Nuthalapati Venkata Ramana, Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud, Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna.
ii.Verdict background:
• The CIC (Central Information Commission) ordered the Central Public Information Officer
(CPIO) to provide information regarding the possession of assets by the Judges of SC.
• The order was challenged in Delhi High Court(HC) where the judgement was given that SC
and CJI have statutory duty to furnish information regarding administration and functioning
of the SC.
• Later appeals were filed to the supreme court in 2010 on the HC verdict in this regard.
Despite appeal was filed in 2010, the judgment was announced only after 9 years, i.e, in 2019.
RTI:
• RTI: Right to Information (RTI) is an act of the Parliament of India to provide for setting out
the practical regime of right to information for citizens and replaces the erstwhile Freedom of
Information Act, 2002.
• RTI act enforcement: The law was passed by Parliament on 15 June 2005 and came fully
into force on 12 October 2005.
• Chief architect: Indian political and social activist Aruna Roy is considered as the chief
architect of the implementation of the RTI act.
About Supreme Court:
Established-1 October 1937.
Location- New Delhi.
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Motto- Yato Dharmastato Jayaḥ (Where there is righteousness, there is victory).

Next CJI: SA Bobde has been appointed as the next/47th CJI with effect from November 18, 2019.
Govt simplifies the process of changing the Aadhaar address for migrants
On November 15, 2019, The Department of Revenue, Government of India (GoI) has simplified the
process of Aadhaar KYC (Know Your Customer) norms for migrants. Now the Diaspora can give a self-
declared local address as sufficient proof of residence in case it is different from one mentioned
in Aadhaar document. This step has been taken by the government to facilitate migrants to open bank
accounts and to promote financial inclusion. UIDAI ( Unique Identification Authority of India) is
responsible for Aadhaar to all residents of India to eliminate duplicate and fake identities.
Key Points:
i.The changes were made by amending the Prevention of Money-laundering (PML) (Maintenance of
Records) Rules, 2005 and not by way of amending Aadhaar Act/Regulations and it does not apply to
change of address in Aadhaar card. So, now people may have residential address in their Aadhaar and
give work address as current address.ii.This decision will allow migrants to open bank accounts with
their current address even if they have the address of their native place in the Aadhaar.
About UIDAI:
It is a statutory authority created with the objective to issue Unique Identification numbers (UID),
named as “Aadhaar”.
Founded- 28 January 2009
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)- Pankaj Kumar
Govt. notified Insolvency and Bankruptcy Rules, 2019 for financial service providers
On November 15, 2019 the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has notified new rules known as the
“Insolvency and Bankruptcy (Insolvency and Liquidation Proceedings of Financial Service Providers
and Application to Adjudicating Authority) Rules, 2019 (Rules)”. The rule provides framework for
insolvency and liquidation proceedings of systemically important Financial Service Providers (FSPs)
other than banks.
Section under which rule is applicable: The rule is applicable to FSPs under section 227 of the
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code(IBC) for the purpose of insolvency and liquidation proceedings from
time to time. This section is aimed at creating a mechanism to deal with the exigency (urgent need or
demand) pending and introduce full-fledged enactment of the FSPs. Key Points:
i.Section 227 applicability: The framework will not be applicable to banks. However specific
categories of FSPs that do not fall under systemically important category will also be notified by the
govt. These categories of FSPs will be resolved under the normal provisions of the Code as ordinarily
applicable to corporate debtors.
ii.The new rules provide that the provisions of the Code relate to the corporate insolvency resolution
process (CIRP), liquidation process and voluntary liquidation process for a corporate debtor applying
to a process for an FSP.
iii. The resolution process will also be initiated only on the application made by the appropriate
regulator. The regulator in most of the cases will be the Reserve Bank of India(RBI).
iv.Administrator under framework: The NCLT (National Company Law Tribunal) will also appoint an
administrator in this regard. Under the framework, the administrator will have to require a ‘no
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objection’ form in case of approval of any resolution plan, regarding the persons taking over
management of FSP.
v.IBC 2016: The IBC 2016, provides framework for reorganisation, insolvency resolution
and liquidation of corporate persons, limited liability partnerships, partnership firms and individuals
based on a time bound manner. Click here to know more.
About corporate affairs ministry:
Union minister- Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman.
Minister of State(MoS)- Anuragh Singh Thakur.
Secretary- Injeti Srinivas.
CSIR’s -NGRI, Hyderabad releases 1st ever Geochemical Baseline Atlas of India
On November 10, 2019, In a bid to understand and assess the environmental damage and help
policymakers to devise a strategy, CSIR- NGRI ( Council of Scientific & Industrial Research- National
Geophysical Research Institute), based in Hyderabad, Telangana, has released the 1st ever,
‘Geochemical Baseline Atlas of India’.
Key Points:
i.The Atlas, consists of 44 maps of metals, oxides, and elements present in top and bottom soils across
India, will help to document the concentration and distribution of the chemical elements in the soils of
India.
ii.Map Development: To develop the maps, the NGRI divided the globe into 5,000 cells of 160 km by
160 km each. Of it, India has 122 cells. The work was initiated in 2007 from cell number 1 which is in
Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu. The last cell is in Arunachal Pradesh. Soils from uninhabited places were
collected. The work ended in 2011.
iii.The geochemical data of these maps will be given to International Union of Geological Sciences
(IUGC), which will develop a global map.
About IUGC:
Formation- 1961
Member nations- 121
it is a non-governmental scientific organization aims to promote & encourage the study of geological
problems, and facilitates international and interdisciplinary cooperation in the earth sciences.
CBI set up Special unit OCSAE to tackle Child Porn

On November 15, 2019, Online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (OCSAE) Prevention and
Investigation Unit started by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in New Delhi under the special
crime zone to control the exploitation of child porn on the Internet. A number of references related to
the dissemination of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) has been received from Interpol and other
nation/international organizations.
Key Points: –
i.Aim- The aim of this “specialized unit” is to collect, collate and disseminate information regarding
publication, transmission, creation, browsing, downloading, advertising, exchanging, distribution of
information relating to online child sexual abuse and exploitation and investigation of such offences.
ii.All the legal action against this crime will be taken under the relevant provisions of Indian Penal
Code, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, and the Information
Technology Act, 2000.
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iii. This measure against child porn was implemented after Germany Police provided information about
seven Indian Nationals involved in International Child pornography.
India pledged to contribute $13.5 million for 2020 UN Development Activities

On November 15, 2019 the United Nations (UN), has announced India’s pledge to contribute $13.5
million for UN development activities 2020 for various operational activities of the UN. It was
announced at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) pledging conference for development activities by
Anjani Kumar, Counsellor at India’s Permanent Mission to the UN.
Key Points:
i.A total of $516 million was pledged from over 16 countries at the pledging conference for
development activities.
ii.India’s contribution: $ 5million will be contributed to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine
Refugees in the Near East; $4.5 million to UN Development Programme(UNDP); $1.92 million to World
Food Programme(WFP); $900,000 to UN International Children’s Emergency Fund(UNICEF); $150,000
to UN Commission on Human Settlements Programme(UN-HABITAT); $100,000 each for UN voluntary
contributions for financial and technical assistance for the implementation of Universal Periodic
Review(UPR), UN Environment Programme(UNEP) and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime(UNODC).
iii.Recently in September 2019, Prime Minister shri Narendra Modi had announced a $ 14 million grant
for community development projects in the Caribbean Community and Common Market(CARICOM)and
another 150-million-dollar Line of Credit(LoC) for solar, renewable energy and climate-change related
projects.
Govt announced Bharatiya Poshan Krishi Kosh (BPKK) for better nutritional outcomes in New
Delhi
On November 18, 2019 the union minister of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) Smt Smriti
Zubin Irani has announced the Bharatiya Poshan Krishi Kosh (BPKK), a repository of a variety of
crops across 128 agro-climatic zones for better nutritional outcomes in New Delhi. MoWCD has
collaborated with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for this project.
Aim: The aim of the kosh is to reduce malnutrition through multi-sectoral results-based framework,
which includes agriculture, among women and children across the country. It also aims to promote
healthy dietary practices.
Key Points:
i.5-point action plan: Father of Green Revolution in the country, Dr Mankombu Sambasivan
Swaminathan through a video conference released five-point action plan to make India nutrition
secure. The 5 points are
• Ensuring calorie-rich diet to women and children,
• Ensuring high protein diet,
• Eradicating hidden hunger by deficiency of micro- nutrients,
• Ensuring clean drinking water supply and
• Spreading nutrition literacy across the country.
ii.Special address was delivered by Mr. Bill Gates (born as William Henry Gates III), Co-chair, Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation.
iii.As part of the collaboration by MoWCD and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, 12 states will be
selected where a local partner organisation having relevant work experience in Social and Behavior
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Change Communication (SBCC) and nutrition for developing the food atlas will be appointed in each of
these states.
iv.Evaluation of diet practises: The Harvard Chan School of Public Health,Massachusetts, America,
through its India Research Center and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, will document and
evaluate dietary practices.
About Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation:
Fact- It is reported to be the largest private foundation in the world. The primary goals of the
foundation are, globally, to enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty, and, in the U.S., to expand
educational opportunities and access to information technology.
Launched- 2000.
Headquarters- Seattle, Washington, United States(US).
Previous name- William H. Gates Foundation
Indian govt. extended Visa-on-arrival facility to UAE citizens

On November 16,2019 govt. of India has extended its Visa-On-Arrival facility to the citizens of the
United Arab Emirates(UAE). This announcement was done as part of the aim of strengthening people to
people and trade links as well as strategic ties by both the nations.
Visa-On-Arrival duration: The Visa-On-Arrival for the UAE citizens is available for a period of 60
days. The 60- day Visa-On-Arrival also has a double entry for business, tourism, conference, and
medical purposes.
Key Points:
i.The Visa-On-Arrival is now available at 6 designated International Airports. They are
Bangalore(Karnataka), Chennai(TamilNadu), Delhi, Hyderabad(Telangana), Kolkata (West Bengal) and
Mumbai(Maharashtra).
ii.Visa-On-Arrival availability: It is available only to the UAE citizens having obtained an e-Visa or a
normal paper Visa for India earlier, irrespective of whether they have visited India or not. Pakistan
Origin UAE nationals are not eligible for Visa-On-Arrival Scheme.
ECI to establish a visiting chair in memory of former CEC T N Seshan

On November 16, 2019 in order to commemorate former Chief Election Commissioner(CEC) Tirunellai
Narayana Iyer Seshan who passed away recently on November 10, 2019, the Election Commission of
India (ECI), has decided to establish a visiting chair on interdisciplinary approach to Electoral Studies. It
will be established in the Centre for Curriculum Development at India International Institute of
Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM), New Delhi from 2020-2025.
Visiting chair mentor: Shri N Gopalaswami, former CEC will be the mentor of the chair. The chair is
expected to be functional by August-September 2020.
Key Points:
i.The announcement in this regard was made by present CEC Sunil Arora while delivering the keynote
address at the Institute of Law, NIRMA University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
ii.Visiting Chair programme: Young academics will be trained in the fields relatable to electoral
studies. One national seminar will be conducted on the aspect of electoral studies.
iii.Members present: President of NIRMA University, Dr Karsanbhai K Patel; Umesh Sinha Secretary
General ECI; Vice Chancellor-Dr. Anup Singh & Dr Purvi Pokhariyal Director of the Institute of Law,
faculty and students were present during the event.
About Election Commission of India(ECI):
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Formed- 25 January 1950 (also the day being celebrated as national voter’s day).
Indian Oil launched winter-grade diesel for Ladakh for extreme winter upto -30 °C
On November 17, 2019, the state-run Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) has introduced a special winter
grade diesel which remains unfrozen up to minus 33-degree celsius (-33 °C). The diesel was launched
to provide year-round access to snow-capped border regions and enhance road connectivity. The diesel
was launched by the union minister of Home Affairs Shri Amit Shah through a video link.
Key Points:
i.The new fuel mainly would benefit security forces of India to stock up on crucial supplies and
ammunition that gets cut off due to bad weather in winters.
ii.An estimated investment amount of Rs 50,000 crore has been initiated for development projects in
Union Territory(UT) of Ladakh in areas of power, solar energy, education and tourism.
iii.Members present: Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel, and
Shri Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, Member of Parliament of Ladakh, and other officials were present on
the occasion.
About Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL):
Founded- 30 June 1959.
Chairman- Sanjiv Singh.
Govt banned Meghalaya based insurgent group “Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council
(HNLC)”
On November 18, 2019 the central govt. has banned Meghalaya based insurgent group “Hynniewtrep
National Liberation Council” (HNLC) due to its increased activities of violence and other subversive
acts. The notification in this regard was released by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
Act: The central govt. banned the HNLC under sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Unlawful Activities
(Prevention) Act, 1967 (37 of 1967).
Key Points:
i.The group involved in activities such as intimidate and bully civilians to extort funds, maintains links
with other insurgent groups of the Northeast to carry out acts of extortion and intimidation,
maintaining camps in Bangladesh for training its cadre etc. These types of activities are considered
detrimental to the sovereignty and integrity of India.
ii.Habitation: The HNLC openly declared its objective, the secession of the state’s areas, which are
largely inhabited by Khasi and Jaintia tribes.
iii.Previous ban on HNLC: Previously in November 16, 2000, the HNLC was banned and was later
lifted from ban.
iv.HNLC’s aim: The HNLC’s aim is to free Meghalaya from domination of the Garos and the outsiders,
like the Dkhars (non tribals of Meghalaya), from the Indian mainland.
Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial (Amendment) Bill 2019 passed by the parliament
On November 19, 2019 the parliament passed the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial
(Amendment) Bill 2019 in Rajya Sabha(RS). The bill was first passed in Lok Sabha on August 2, 2019.
The Bill seeks to amend the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial Act, 1951. It seeks to remove president
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of Indian National Congress(INC) from being a permanent member of the Jallianwala Bagh memorial
trust which was established in Amritsar, Punjab in 1951.
Bill’s other features:
• The bill also amends to include leader of opposition recognised as such in the Lok Sabha. In
case there is no such leader of opposition, then the leader of the single largest opposition
Party in that House is to be included as a member of the trust.
• The bill gives the power to the central govt. to terminate the term of a nominated trustee
before the expiry of his/her assigned 5-year term, without assigning any reason.
Jallianwala Bagh:
i.Jallianwala Bagh is a public garden in Amritsar, Punjab.
ii.It houses a memorial of national importance, established in 1951 by the Government of India, to
commemorate the massacre by British on the order of Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer, where by many
unarmed men women and children were killed on the occasion of the Punjabi New Year on April 13,
1919.
iii.The year 2019 marked the 100th anniversary of the massacre.
About Rajya Sabha:
Fact- The Rajya Sabha or Council of States is the upper house of the Parliament of India.
Chairman- Venkaiah Naidu (Vice President of India).
Deputy Chairman- Harivansh Narayan Singh.
Leader of the House- Thawar Chand Gehlot (Union Minister of social justice and empowerment).
STATE NEWS
Odisha govt. partnered with Abhijit Banerjee’s Jameel Poverty Action Lab to minimise poverty
On October 31, 2019 the govt. of Odisha has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with
laureates of 2019 Nobel prize in economics, Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo’s Abdul Latif Jameel
Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL). The MoU would work on areas to eradicate poverty, women’s
empowerment, distress migration, health worker performance and also in improving agricultural
productivity.
The agreement was signed by Development Commissioner of Odisha, Suresh Mohapatra and executive
director of J-PAL South Asia, Shobhini Mukherji.
Key Points:
i.This is first such partnership of J-PAL with an Indian state after the duo (Abhijit and Esther) won the
Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences (Nobel prize) 2019. With this MoU, which is part of 5T
(Transparency, Technology, Teamwork, Transformation and Time) initiative of Odisha, the state govt.
will maximise the impact of various anti-poverty programmes in the state.
ii.As part of the partnership, J-PAL South Asia and the Odisha government will conduct annual policy
dialogue to identify the government’s top policy priorities and conduct discussions to jointly come up
with innovative solutions.
iii.Previously in September 2019, J-PAL partnered with National Health Mission(NHM) of Haryana
Government to improve the state’s health outcomes through better programme implementation.
About J-PAL:
• Founded- June 2003.
• Headquarters- Massachusetts, US.
• Founders: Esther Duflo, Abhijit Banerjee and Sendhil Mullainathan.
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Punjab CM Amarinder singh launches e-office for electronic file movement of govt files
On November 1, 2019, Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Amarinder Singh has launched an e-office
facility, an initiative of the Department of Governance Reforms and Public Grievances, to facilitate
seamless, electronic movement of government files between departments, that would further transform
work culture and ethics in government offices.
Key points:
i.Now, all administrative departments & offices of deputy commissioners will upload files and official
papers on the portal.
ii.By January 1, 2020, all directorates and other field level offices in the state should upgrade to the
latest e-office system.
iii.The eOffice programme will replace IWDMS (Integrated Workflow Document Management System),
a National Software Product and is an initiative of Punjab Government and National Informatics Centre
(NIC).
Writer Anand from Kerala bags 27th Ezhuthachan Puraskaram 2019

On November 1, 2019, Kerala’s eminent writer Anand has been selected for the 27th Ezhuthachan
Puraskaram 2019. Kerala’s Minister of Culture A.K.Balan has announced this highest literary honour
Award which is given by Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award and the Government of Kerala. The award
comprises a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh and a citation.
i.Anand was chosen for his overall contributions to Malayalam language and Literature.His real name is
P.Satchidanandan uses the pseudonym Anand.
ii.He retired as Planning director from the Central Water Commission in New delhi. His native is
Iringalakkuda,Thrissur at Kerala. His first novel was Alkkoottam. He is also a recipient of Vayalar
Award and Yashpal Award.
Singer S.P.Balasubrahmanyam of Andhra Pradesh Felicitated for Chetana Award 2019

On Nov 1, 2019, Legendary singer Sripathi Panditaradhyula Balasubrahmanyam from Nellore,
Andra Pradesh, has been selected for the Chetana Silver Jubilee National Award 2019. The award
carries a cash prize of Rs one lakh and a citation. On the other hand, Oscar-winning sound
engineer Resul Pookutty won the national audio excellence award, instituted in memory of Fr. Paul
Alengattukaran, the founder of the Chetana Sound Studio.
i.The award ceremony will take place on November 17 in Thrissur, Kerala. Chetana Award also
honour Seven Young Talents in the Arts-Culture and Media Sectors with Yuva Chetana Awards.
The lists of winners are:
Sreejith Vellattanjur (ghatam), Ratnasree Aiyer (tabala), B.K. Shafeequddin (bharatanatyam), Robin
Thomas (piano), Sarat Mohan (sound mixing), R.J. Neena (media) and Sebi Jose Challissery (Cinema).
Tamil Nadu celebrates its 1st state formation day on November 1, 2019
On November 1, 2019, Tamil Nadu (TN) state government has observed its first state formation
day as Tamil Nadu Day. Organised by the Tamil Development Department, the celebration witnessed
various cultural events in the state. Chief Minister (CM) of TN, Edappadi K. Palaniswami & Deputy Chief
Minister O. Panneerselvam also took part in the event.
Key Points:
i.A conference was organised at Kalaivanar Arangam on Wallajah Road on Tamil scholars and award-
winners and traditional and cultural programmes.
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ii.From the erstwhile Madras Presidency (also known as madras province) under the British regime,
the Madras State was formed on November 1, 1956, and Madras State was eventually renamed Tamil
Nadu On January 14, 1969.
TN govt panel approves Rs 8,120 crore worth projects
On November 1, 2019, A high-powered committee, formed on September 19,2019, headed by Tamil
Nadu (TN) Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, approved Rs 8,120 crore worth investments in
21 industrial projects in the State that would create job opportunities for about 16,000 persons. The
projects will begin in Chennai, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallore, Salem, Coimbatore and Villupuram
districts.
Chhattisgarh govt unveils new Industrial Policy for 2019-2024, titled ‘Gadhbo Nava
Chhattisgarh’ in Raipur
On November 1, 2019, To mark its foundation day (November 1, 2000), after a bifurcation of Madhya
Pradesh, Chhattisgarh state Government led by its Chief Minister (CM), Bhupesh Baghel has released a
brochure of the new Industrial Policy for 2019-2024, titled ‘Gadhbo Nava Chhattisgarh (Will create
a new Chhattisgarh)‘ at Science College Ground, Raipur, Chhattisgarh.
Key Points:
i.The policy is aimed to encourage food and horticulture processing sectors as well as industries based
on new technologies such as robotics and artificial intelligence (AI).
ii.Global-level new technology-based industries such as aerospace engineering & bio-refinery projects
for ethanol and biofuels will be encouraged under the new policy.
Punjab Cabinet gave nod to change Section-2 of Punjab State Legislature (Prevention of
Disqualification) Act,1952
On Nov 1, 2019, The Punjab Cabinet has decided to change the Punjab State Legislature (Prevention
of Disqualification) Act,1952 (had been enacted in terms of Article 191 of the Constitution of India) to
declare that the holders of certain offices of profit and the members of the assembly has appointed
under this category will not be disqualified of the State Legislature.
i.The bill amending Section 2 of the act will be presented in the forthcoming session of the Punjab
Assembly.
ii.In another decision, the Cabinet also approved the presentation of the Punjab State Commission for
Scheduled Castes (Amendment) Ordinance 2019 in the ensuing session of Punjab Vidhan Sabha for
enactment. The enactment would pave the way to enhance the age limit from existing 70 years to 72
years for appointment as Chairperson of the Commission.
About Guru Nanak Dev Award:
The Punjab State Cabinet passed a complete resolution to Institute of ‘Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji
Award’ for Promotion of Peace and Interfaith understanding,in commemoration of the 550th Prakash
Purb of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji.This award carries a cash price of 11 Lakh rupees and a Citation.
Vice-president Venkaiah Naidu releases Red atlas map & CFLOWS app for effective flood control
in Chennai, Tamil Nadu
On November 3, 2019, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has released the 1st of its kind ‘Red Atlas
Action Plan Map’ & ‘Coastal Flood Warning System App (CFLOWS-Chennai), to assist the
Government of Tamil Nadu in effective control and reduction of floods, at the silver jubilee celebrations
of the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, which witnessed severe
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flood in 2015.
Key Points:
i.The over 200-page atlas was prepared by the National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR), India
Meteorological Department (IMD), and National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting
(NCMRWF) in association with Tamil Nadu (TNSDMA) State Disaster Management Authority and
Greater Chennai Corporation & CFLOWS app was developed by NIOT.
ii.The ‘Atlas’ is to effectively control and mitigate floods, preparedness, operations and management
aspects. In this, keeping in mind all the historical data, it is also provide which areas of Chennai may
need to be evacuated due to floods.
iii. NIOT was working on 6 priority pillars of blue economy such as Fisheries and
Aquaculture,Renewable Ocean Energy, Seaports and Shipping; Offshore Hydrocarbons, Seabed
Minerals, and Marine Biotechnology.
iv. NIOT ,formed in November, 1993 under the Ministry of Earth Sciences , Government of India (GoI)
with the aim to develop and demonstrate technologies for utilising the ocean resources for ensuring
energy security and water security and for enabling coastal protection and mining of resources from
the ocean bed.
Punjab becomes the first state in the country to launch ‘job helpline’ for unemployed youth
On November 2, 2019, The Punjab Chief Minister(CM) Amarinder Singh has launched a first of its
kind job helpline number 76260-76260 for the unemployed youth of the state under ‘Ghar Ghar
Rozgar’ programme.
Key Points:
i.It will provide large scale employment opportunities to lakhs of youth across the state every year.
ii.The objective of this helpline is to reach every house in Punjab and it can be contacted on 75
thousand mobile numbers daily. In this process, a 110-seat call center of Punjab Job Helpline has also
been created for the data to be prepared.
Bihar banned 15-year-old vehicles in Patna & old govt cars in the state
On November 4, 2019 the Bihar govt, announced ban on usage of 15-year old cars in Patna and also on
old govt cars in the entire Bihar state. The decision was taken by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar at a
high-level meeting, to curb rising air pollution in some districts of the state.
Key Points:
i.Private vehicles older than 15 years will be allowed to ply only if they pass the pollution test which
will be conducted by the govt in form of camps.
ii.Officials were also asked to investigate whether the brick kilns were using the latest technique to
control pollution.
Odisha signs pact with Tata Strive and Tech Mahindra for skill development
On November 4, 2019 the govt. of Odisha has partnered with two organisations, namely Tata
Strive and Tech Mahindra for skill enhancement and to improve the employability of the youth in the
state. The agreement in this regard are as follows,
Pact with Tata Strive: The Directorate of Technical Education and Training (DTE&T) of odisha govt,
entered into an agreement with tata Strive for providing and improving employment to the ITI students
by providing soft skill training.
Pact with Tech Mahindra: A Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) was signed among Tech
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Mahindra,Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT), Odisha and College of Engineering and
Technology (CET), Bhubaneswar for setting up a Centre of Excellence (CoE) in the area of artificial
intelligence(AI) and machine learning. Odisha’s Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation
(IDCO) also signed a pact with Tech Mahindra for setting up facility to start operation for international
BPO (Business Process Outsourcing).
About Odisha:
Capital- Bhubaneshwar.
Chief Minister- Naveen Patnaik.
Governor- Ganeshi Lal.
India’s first 4-level transit intersection to be constructed in Nagpur, Maharashtra

On November 5, 2019, National Highways Authority of India( NHAI) ,an autonomous agency of the
Government of India (GoI) has approved the Rs 573-crore proposal to construct a flyover between the
railway track and the Nagpur metro.With this , the city Nagpur in Maharashtra is set to be the 1st in
India to get a 4-level transit intersection.
Key Points:
i.The proposal was given sometime back near a railway overbridge on Kamptee road along which
Reach II of Nagpur Metro will run.
ii.At present, The stretch holds a road & the busy north-south railway track. A 5.3 kilometres long
flyover from LIC (Life Insurance Corporation) square to Automotive square in the city is to be built now
that the project has been cleared.
About NHAI:
Motto– Not just Roads, building a Nation
Formation -1988
Headquarters– New Delhi
Former Maharashtra minister Babasaheb Dhabekar passed away at the age of 89

On November 5, 2019 former Maharashtra minister and senior congress party leader Babasaheb
Dhabekar passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra at the age of 89 due to old age ailments. Babasaheb
served as water resource minister in the 1990s during the Shiv Sena-BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party)
alliance government.
Gujarat’s controversial anti-terrorism bill becomes law after getting President’s nod
On November 8, 2019, The Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime Bill (GCTOC),
designed to crack down on terrorism and organized crime, has now become law after getting approval
from President Ram Nath Kovind.
Key Points:
i.Terrorist act: The new law, approved after 16 years, defines a terrorist act as “an act committed with
the intention to disturb law and order / public order / threaten the unity, integrity and security of the
state”, apart from economic offences (such as ponzi schemes, extortion, land grabbing, contract killings,
cyber crimes, human trafficking, multi-level marketing schemes and organised betting).
ii.Two key features of the act:The special feature of this law is intercepted telephone conversations
could be considered as statutory evidence and a confession made before a police officer would also be
considered documented evidence. President Kovind has nod for both features.
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iii.Background: The Gujarat Control Organized of Crime Bill (GUJCOC) was first introduced in the
Gujarat Assembly in 2003 by then Chief Minister Narendra Modi. The president and governors
returned this law several times for amendments.
In 2015, the Gujarat government re-presented the bill by renaming it as the GCTOC but retained the
controversial provisions to empower the police to tap telephonic conversations and submit them to the
court as evidence.
iv. Other state laws: Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) was the first that get
President approval. Enacted in 1999, it was extended to the National Capital Territory in 2002 by the
Home Ministry. After that, Karnataka’s Bill, passed in the year 2000 & in 2006, the Chhattisgarh Vishesh
Jan Suraksha Adhiniyam (Special Public Security Act), 2005 received the President’s nod.
Jammu and Kashmir Government set up panel to declare Dal Lake-Eco-Sensitive Zone
On November 11 2019, Due to the subsequent shrinking in size of Dal Lake, the Government of Jammu
and Kashmir has constituted a ten-member committee to declare Srinagar’s famous Dal Lake and its
surrounding areas as an Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ).
Key Points: –
i.Reason for Shrinking- The Dal lake is shrinking because of the intense pollution by untreated sewage
and solid wastes that flow into the lake, and encroachments of water channels and clogging have
diminished the circulation and inflows into the lake, leading to health hazards.
ii.According to an assessment by the Dredging Corporation of India (DCI) in 2017, the Dal lake has
been shrunk from its original area of 22 square kilometers to about 10 square kilometers (i.e 40% of
the lake area shrunk).
iii. Eco-Sensitive Zone – Also known as Ecologically Fragile Areas (EFAs), ESZs aims to regulate and
manage activities around the Protected Areas, National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries. ESZs are
notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
AP govt. announced observance of Sand Week from Nov 14 -21, 2019

The cabinet of the Andhra Pradesh (AP) govt has approved to celebrate ‘Sand Week’ from November
14-19, 2019 in the state. The day is observed to ensure the availability of sand to at least 2 lakh
tonnes per day in the state and also to prevent sand hoarding.
Fine & imprisonment for sand hoarding:
The AP govt. in its cabinet has also passed a resolution to impose a fine of Rs 2 lakhs and to impose
prison sentence up to 2 years for those involved in illegal sand hoarding and transporting.
Key Points:
i.The minimum sand availability of 2lakh tonnes was made to cover the shortage that was created due
to floods.
ii.It was also stated that except for the mining department, nobody has been authorised to stock, sell or
transport sand.
UP CM Yogi Adityanath launched web portal & e-Ganna app for sugarcane farmers
On November 13 2019, Uttar Pradesh (UP) government has launched a dedicated web portal
(www.caneup.in) and e-Ganna app for sugarcane farmers in Lucknow as Enterprise Resource
Planning (ERP). Both are developed by Sugar Industry & Cane Development Department, UP. Now, the
cane supply slip is issued online by the sugar mills to the farmers. e-Ganna app provides information
regarding the cane survey, basic quota, bonding, cane calendaring, issuance of parchi under a single
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platform. The move is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to double the farmers’
income. Supreme Court recently instructed Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to stop their farmers
from stubble burning. Chief Minister (CM) Yogi Adityanath announced that the state government has
planned to set up bio fuel plants. Farmers could sell the stubble, along through other agricultural waste,
to these plants instead of burning it and causing air pollution. It also stated that the conversion of
sugarcane juice directly to ethanol, which makes the farmer to get benefits in price, and also it saves the
high oil import bill.
Key Points: –
i.Aim- The web portal and e-Ganna App help to eliminating cane mafia and middleman and also to
strengthen the cane development societies.
ii.Features- The portal and the App safeguard transparency in the procedure of getting slips, and
enable sugarcane supply by farmers to mills and check irregularities.
iii. Commissioner Cane and Sugar, Shri Sanjay R. Bhoosreddy, informed that this Enterprise Resource
Planning (ERP) has been developed as per directions of the Hon’ble Chief Minister.
IAS officer Nilam Sawhney becomes 1st woman chief secretary of Andhra Pradesh
On November 13, 2019, The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, Government of India (GoI) has
approved the appointment of a 1984 batch IAS (Indian Administrative Service) officer Nilam
Sawhney as chief secretary(CS) of Andhra Pradesh (AP). With this, she becomes the 1st woman
appointed to this post.
Key Points:
i. She succeeded chief commissioner of Land Administration Neerabh Kumar Prasad, who has been
holding the additional charge of the chief secretary since senior IAS officer LV Subramanyam, who was
recently removed from the post of Chief Secretary by the AP government.
ii. Nilam presently serving as Social Justice and Empowerment Secretary. After the transfer of Nilam,
Tribal Affairs Secretary Deepak Khandekar has been given the additional charge of the Social Justice
and Empowerment Department.
Assam govt launched Sishu Suraksha app for child right protection
On November 14, 2019, the Chief Minister of Assam Sarbananda Sonowal and Assam State Commission
for the Protection of Child Rights (ASCPCR) launched a mobile application ‘Sishu Suraksha’ on the
occasion of Children’s day. The app is the first of its kind in the northeast region of India to register
complaints of child abuse and violation of child rights online.
Key Points:
i.The app which is available in android and iOS (i-operating system) can be used to lodge complaints
about child rights violation.
AP CM launches ‘Nadu-Nedu’ scheme to develop the Government Education sector

On November 14, 2019, Andhra Pradesh (AP), Chief Minister (CM) Yeduguri Sandinti Jagan Mohan has
launched ‘Nadu-Nedu’ scheme which aims to transform government schools into vibrant and
competitive institutions. Nadu-Nedu scheme will be implemented to 15,715 AP government schools in
the first phase and it covers the remaining schools in three years.The budget allotted for this scheme is
Rs. 12,000 crores, initially for the first year Rs. 3,500 crores will be spent for infrastructure
development.
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Key Points: –
i. English medium instruction will be introduced in all AP govt. schools.
ii.AmmaVodi- On January 9, 2020 ‘Amma Vodi’ will be initiated to encourage all mothers to send their
children to school continuously.
iii.Fees- The government will take a step to reimbursement the fee for all degree and professional
colleges. Government also plan to provide one-year internship for the youth to train themselves for
their jobs.
iv.A Skill Development university will be set up, where all 25 Skill Development centers will function to
have an interface with the education and the industries.
v.Government also decided to improve the infrastructure of amenities like clean environs, furniture,
toilets, running water, compound wall, blackboard, renovation and involve parent committee in all
Government Schools.
Delhi govt launched ‘Mukhyamantri Septic Tank Safai Yojana’ to eradicate manual scavenging
On November 15, 2019, the Chief Minister of Delhi Shri Arvind Kejriwal has launched ‘Mukhyamantri
Septic Tank Safai Yojana‘, a scheme focused to eradicate manual scavenging in the state. As per this
scheme, citizens will be enabled to get their septic tanks cleaned for free using assistive technologies.
Key Points:
i.The service can be availed by the citizens using a helpline number provided.
ii.Scheme coverage: the scheme will cover septic tanks without sewer lines, mostly build in
unauthorized colonies.
iii.The government will hire an agency to clean the tanks and a tender will be floated within a month.
U’khand cabinet gives nod to the formation of integrated safety scheme to deal with natural
calamities
On November 13, 2019, To deal with natural calamities, the Uttarakhand state cabinet chaired by
its Chief Minister (CM)Trivendra Singh Rawat has approved the formation of an integrated safety
scheme under the high-intensity earthquake minimization program. A budget outlay of Rs 500
crore will also be approved for a period of 5 years under the scheme.
Key Points:
i. The cabinet sanctioned a budget worth of Rs 3,73,00,000 for the survey of buildings, which are
vulnerable to natural disasters and also decided to deploy around 25 Disaster Mitigation personnel into
the District Disaster Management Control (DDMC).
ii.Uttarakhand University Amendment Service Rules, Nursery Act and formation of a committee under
the chairmanship of Forest Minister Harak Singh Rawat to review the Indian Forest Amendment
(1927), hot mix plant policy for stone crushers, increment of the grant for community radio stations
from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh, Start-up policy for entrepreneurs , committee for Pradhan Mantri Awas
Yojana were also approved during the meeting.
Odisha: ‘Bali Yatra’ Festival celebrated in Cuttack on November 12 2019

‘Bali Yatra’ is a festival that will be organized every year in remembrance of rich maritime history of
the state. This festival was celebrated on November 12 for the year 2019 in Cuttack, Odisha. It was
celebrated at the bank of Mahanadi river to mark the day of ancient mariners who sail to distant land of
Bali, Sumatra, Java (Jawa) in Indonesia, Borneo and Sri Lanka, to develop their trade and Culture.
Key Points: –
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i.The festival was marked on Kartika Purnima that Odia traders, known as Sadhaba Pua, used to start
their sea voyages to Bali and other south Asian countries.
ii.It was inaugurated by Odisha Assembly Speaker Surjya Narayan Patro in the presence of Sidharto
Reza Suryodipuro, Ambassador of Indonesia to India who was the chief guest.
iii.The Bali Yatra will be celebrated for 10 days to showcasing art traditional, household craft, food
items.
Justice Ravi named as the 13th Chief justice of Jharkhand HCOn November 17, 2019, Justice Dr
Ravi Ranjan (58) of Patna (Bihar) has been sworn in as the 13th Chief Justice (CJ) of the Jharkhand
High Court (HC). He was administered the oath of office and secrecy under Article 219 (Third Schedule
of the Indian Constitutionby Governor Draupadi Murmu in a simple ceremony at Raj Bhavan in Ranchi.
Key Points:
i.Priorly, he was serving in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
ii. The post of CJ of Jharkhand HC has been vacant since May 2019, after former Chief Justice of
Jharkhand High Court Anirudh Bose was appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court (SC).
iii.Ranjan earned a law degree from Patna University in 1989. On December 4, 1990, he started practice
in Patna High Court bar. Specialized in constitutional, civil, revenue, criminal and service matters, he
was appointed Additional Judge of Patna High Court in July 2008 & on 16 January 2010 he was made a
permanent judge.
UP CM Yogi Adityanath inaugurates Pipraich sugar mill in Gorakhpur

On November 18, 2019 , The Chief Minister (CM) of Uttar Pradesh (UP) Yogi Adityanath has
inaugurated North India’s 1st Pipraich Sugar Mill in Gorakhpur, which is a unit of UP State Sugar
and Cane Development Corporation Limited’s (UPSCDCL). The sugarcane crushing capacity of the
new sugar mill is more than 50,000 quintals per day as against previous 8,000 quintals of sugar.
Key Points:
i.For electricity purpose, a 27 MW (Mega watt) power generation plant has also been installed in the
sugar mill, which will produce ethanol direct from sugarcane.
ii.This sugar mill ,established in place of the Pipraich unit of the State Sugar Corporation closed for
many years .The state Government has revived the mill with the cost of Rs. 40089.67 lakh.
Telangana govt launches mobile app “Rythu Mitra” to serve the needs of farmers of Siddipet
On November 18, 2019, Telangana state government’s Agriculture Minister S. Niranjan Reddy &
Finance Minister T. Harish Rao have jointly launched ‘Rythu Mitra’, an exclusive mobile application
in Siddipet district for the 1st time that provide 18 services to the farmers of that district.
Key Points:
i.By using this app, the farmers can get advice and guidance from experts and agriculture extension
officers (AEOs) & also access information regarding government schemes, subsidies, updates on Rythu
Bandhu release, the progress of Rythu Bima claims and other kinds of government assistance being
extended to the farm sector.
ii.A total of 109 AEOs appointed to visit every part of the district & update their observations on the
mobile app. The farmers can access the information on pest prevalence and its management.
iii. A dashboard will be installed in the District Collector’s office ,in which the schedule of each and
every AEO visit would be notified.
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Haryana to set up Foreign Cooperation Department for NRI/PIO welfare

On November 19, 2019, Haryana State Government led by its chief Minister (CM) Manohar Lal Khattar
has decided to formulate a new department called the Department of ‘Foreign Cooperation’ to focus
on initiatives taken by the state for the promotion of investment, youth employment and welfare of
Non-Resident Indians (NRIs)/Person of Indian Origin (PIO).
Key Points:
i.The new department incorporates cooperation in public and private sector organization as well as
promoting investment, employment, education and skill development in the state and promotion of
Haryanvi culture and welfare of Haryanvi diaspora, participation in bilateral and multilateral forums .
ii. The Department will also work in sync with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to boost
international cooperation with provinces of foreign nations & increase engagement under twin cities
programmes of MEA. It will also maintain contact with Indian Missions on matters that are related to
the state of Haryana.
iii. On the other hand, Haryana’s cabinet has decided to call a special Haryana Vidhan Sabha session to
commemorate the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of India on 26 November 2019.
By bringing an amendment in a rule of the Haryana Ministers Allowances Rules, 1972, the cabinet also
decided to revise the House Rent Allowance admissible to the Ministers to 80,000 rupees with an
additional 20,000 rupees from 50,000 rupees to cover electricity and water charges that is totalling
Rs.1 lakh rupees per month.
IRCTC & KSTDC signs MoU to operate Golden chariot train in South India
On November 19, 2019, Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC), a
tourism arm of Indian Railways, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Karnataka
State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) to market and operate the Golden Chariot
Train. This luxury train of 18 coaches will have 44 guest rooms & places like Goa to Bandipur, Mysore,
Chikmagalur, Hampi, Bijapur have been included in its route. It will start from March 2020.
Key Points:
i.This train will provide a sightseeing tour of South India (Karnataka, Kerala, Puducherry and other
south Indian states) involving history, culture, and wildlife.
ii.The Golden Chariot started operations in 2008. The Karnataka government had been running this
train for nearly 10 years.
iii.Currently, Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC), Maharashtra Tourism Development
Corporation (MTDC), KSTDC, and IRCTC run luxury trains in India.
iv. IRCTC runs the ultra-luxurious Maharaja Express train Since 2010. Similarly, while Rajasthan has the
Palace On Wheels, Maharashtra has the Deccan Queen.
About IRCTC:
Parent organization: Indian Railways; Chairman & Managing Director – Mahendra Pratap Mall
Headquarters: New Delhi
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INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
US formally moves to separate itself from the Paris agreement
On November 4, 2019, United States(US) secretary of state, Michael Richard Pompeo has formally
submitted to the United Nations (UN) a declaration to withdraw from the historic Paris Agreement,
saying the deal puts an “unfair economic burden” on Americans. The process of separation from this
agreement will come into effect one year after the notification i.e on November 4, 2020.
Key Points:
i.The US joined the Paris Agreement in 2015, when Barack Obama was President. But it was withdrawn
after the arrival of US President Donald Trump in June, 2017. The Obama administration promised that
it would cut the US greenhouse mission by 26-28 % by 2025.
ii.The Paris accord : It is an agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC), dealing with greenhouse-gas-emissions mitigation, adaptation, and finance, agreed
in 2015. Under the Agreement, each country must determine, plan, and regularly report on the
contribution that it undertakes to mitigate global warming .
iii.The US and 187 other countries committed to keeping rising global temperatures below 2 °C above
pre-industrial levels and efforts to limit them even more, to a 1.5C rise. The US contributes about 15 %
of global emissions of carbon.
About UNFCCC:
It is an international environmental treaty adopted on 9 May 1992 with the aim to stabilize greenhouse
gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic
interference with the climate system.
Pakistan becomes the 1st country to launch new typhoid vaccine approved by WHO
On November 15, 2019, Pakistan becomes the first country in the world to launch the World Health
Organization (WHO) approved the new Typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV). Zafar Mirza, a special
assistant to the prime minister on health and Azra Fazal Pechuho, provincial minister of health, were
present at the function of TCV inauguration held in Karachi, Pakistan.
Key Points: –
i.Immunisation routine– This vaccine will be used during the routine immunisation programme,
initially in two-week immunization campaign in southern Sindh province.
ii.TCV– TCV is a one-dose vaccine, that will be injected intramuscularly. The vaccine cost is low and it
has high efficiency. It is expected to provide long-lasting immunity power in adults, children and 9-
month infants.
Additional Details: –
• The strain of Salmonella Typhi bacteria, also known as “superbug”, has so far infected around
11,000 people in Pakistan, Sindh province faced the worst-hit.
• Because of this “superbug” the death rate rises to 20 per cent, in order to curb this situation,
the TCV was introduced.
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VISITS
Indian Visits
Overview of German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel’s visit to India from 31 Oct – 1 Nov2019
The Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Dr. Angela Merkel paid a 2-day official visit to
India from October 31-November 1, 2019 at the invitation of Prime Minister(PM) Shri Narendra Modi,
with the aim of boosting strategic ties with the country including key areas such as defence and
security. The visit in detail are as follows:
5 JDI & 17 MoU/agreements signed at 5th Indo german Inter-Governmental Consultations in
New Delhi:
17 Memorandum of Understandings(MoUs) & agreements and 5 Joint Declaration of Intent(JDI) were
signed at the 5th Indo-German Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC) co-chaired by PM Modi and
Angela Merkel. This IGC which was held in Hyderabad House, New Delhi, was part of strengthening the
relationship between the two nations in traditional sectors like transport, skill development & energy,
and explore possibilities for cooperation in newer areas like green urban mobility and Artificial
Intelligence(AI). The agreements are as follows,
S.No Joint Declaration of Intent
1 Consultations for the period 2020-2024
2 Cooperation on Strategic Projects.
3 Indo-German Partnership for Green Urban Mobility.
4 Cooperation in Research & Development (R&D) on AI.
5 JDI regarding cooperation in the field of prevention of marine litter.
S.No MoU/Agreements
1 Arrangement for exchanging personnel between Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO)
and German Aerospace Centre (DLR- in German).
2 Cooperation in the Field of Civil Aviation.
3 Cooperation within the International smart cities network.
5 Cooperation in the field of skill development and vocational education and training(VET).
6 Economic Cooperation in the field of Start-ups.
7 Establishing cooperation project on agricultural market development.
8 MoU in Occupational Diseases, rehabilitation and vocational training of insured persons &
workers with disabilities.
9 Statement of Intent(SOI) on Indo-German Migration and mobility partnership agreement.
10 MoU between National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management MANAGE, Hyderabad,
Telangana and the German Agricultural Academy DEULA in the German city of Nienburg.
The cooperation is for agricultural, technical and professional training.
11 Cooperation in Inland, coastal and maritime technology.
12 Establishment of academic collaboration in Ayurveda, Yoga and Meditation.
13 Promotion and expansion of scientific and technological research cooperation
14 Extension of the partnership in higher education.
15 Cooperation between the National Museum, New Delhi; The National Gallery of Modern Art,
Karnataka; The Indian Museum, Kolkata; The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation and the
Stiftung Humboldt Forum in Berliner Schloss Germany.
16 JDI of intent between Siemens Limited, India and MSDE(Ministry of Skill Development and
Entrepreneurship) and German Ministry for economic cooperation and development on skills
for sustainable growth.
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17 All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Deutscher Fußball-Bund (DFB).

Pact signing:
From the Indian side: The pacts were signed by Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar; Shri Vinod Kumar
Yadav, Chairman of railway board from the Ministry of Railways(MoR), economic affairs and energy,
Shri Durga Shankar Mishra, Secretary of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs; Ashutosh Sharma
Secretary of Ministry of Science and Technology(MST).
Key highlights of the meet:
• €1 billion investment: The German Chancellor Merkel, pledged to invest €1 billion over the
next five years on environmentally-friendly urban mobility in the Indian nation. Germany
would invest €200 million for bus sector reforms in Tamil Nadu.
• Cooperation against terrorism: The two nations agreed to work together to combat
terrorism and extremism. They held bilateral talks on regional and global issues of
Afghanistan, West Asia and Korean peninsula. The two leaders also called for finalisation and
adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) in
March 2020.
• Trade growth: The German companies have invested nearly $12 billion in India since
2000.Bilateral trade between the two countries reached $24.06 billion in 2018-19 from $22
billion of 2017-2018. India and Germany welcomed introduction of a new German
Accelerator (GA) programme “Next Step India”, which could lead to a full GA programme for
German Startups in India.
• AIFF & DFB Pact: The MoU between AIFF & DFB was to provide training to the Indian
football in areas such as coach education, professional referees deployment to India,
exchange between national teams etc.
• Meet with business delegations: During the visit, Merkel met top executives of major Indian
companies, active in Germany and she also visited the Continental Automotive Components
India Pvt Ltd in Manesar, Gurgaon, Haryana.
• The two nations are to set up “Digital Experts Group” to identify areas for mutual cooperation
and to provide innovations in future policy initiatives. They also agreed to create German
Platform Industrie 4.0 and the upcoming 5th Confederation of Indian Industry(CII) Smart
Manufacturing Platform for shaping the future digital eco systems.
• Partnership on skills Agenda: Citizens from both the nations will be trained in innovative
and sustainable sectors such as renewable energy, e-mobility and energy-efficiency.
• Call of Ladakh stole & pen gifted: PM Modi gifted Angela Merkel handloom woollen Khadi
stole, named “Call of Ladakh” from Ladakh and also gifted her a Ratnam pen. The Ratnam pen
is named after KV Ratnam, (well known pen producers of KV Ratnam and Sons – Ratnam Ball
Pen Works,in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh) made iconic by Mahatma Gandhi.
• German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday met five women namely Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)
leader Atishi and Supreme Court (SC) lawyer Karuna Nundy, YourStory founder Shradha
Sharma Brookings India director of research Shamika Ravi and Natasha Zarine as part of her
visit.
• The last time the German Chancellor met PM Modi was during the G20 summit that was held
in Osaka, Japan, in June 2019.
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Highlights of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates’s 3-day visit to India

American Billionaire philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates (born as William Henry Gates
III) paid a three-day visit to India from November 16-18, 2019 to review the work of his foundation in
the country. The visit in detail are as follows,
Health ministry signed MoC with Gates Foundation for support in innovation:
On November 18, 2019 Mr. Bill Gates, Co-Chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) signed a
Memorandum of Cooperation(MoC) with the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare(MoH&FW)
Dr. Harsh Vardhan. The MoC was on support in innovation for performance management in the health
sector.
The MoC was signed by Mr. Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary (International Health) from MoHFW and Mr.
Hari Menon, Director of India Country Office of BMGF.
Key Points:
i.Support under MoC: The BMGF will provide technical, management and program design assistance
to the health ministry with the support from other partners. The MoC will have special focus on
innovation in enhancing performance management.
ICMR signed DoI with US institution & BMGF for collaboration in healthcare research in New
Delhi:
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) signed a Declaration of Intent (DoI) with National
Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAD) of the National Institutes of Health(NIH), United
States of America(USA) and with BMGF for collaborative research and training programme between
India and the US. The DoI was exchanged in presence of US Ambassador to India, Kenneth Ian Juster
and Bill Gates in New Delhi.
Key Points:
i.Collaboration under DoI: As part of the collaboration, research programme will be conducted for
young scientists in India and US for research expansion and improve advancement in discovery in both
the countries. Initially scientists will be engaged in research on infectious disease.
ICMR lifetime achievement awards:
During the event, which also marked 108th foundation day of the ICMR, Bill Gates presented ICMR
lifetime achievement awards for outstanding achievement in the field of healthcare. 3 persons were
honoured with the award for their efforts in providing health care to people nationally and
internationally through cost effective lifesaving tools etc. They were as follows,
• Dr Cyrus S Poonawalla– Chairman and Managing Director(MD) of Serum Institute of India.
• Dr Kiran Mazumdar Shaw– Chairman and Managing Director(MD) of biopharmaceutical
company Biocon India
• Dr Prakash Baba Amte– Director of Lok Biradari Prakalp(LBP).
Meet with PM Modi:
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi met Mr. Bill Gates on his 3-day visit to India. They held discussions
on reforming/improving the health sector. Bill Gates also reinforced his foundation’s commitment to
support India in achieving its Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) with special focus on health,
nutrition, sanitation and agriculture.
About Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation(BMGF):
Fact- The BMGF is reported to be the largest private foundation in the world.The primary goals of the
foundation are, globally, to enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty.
Formation- 2000.
Headquarters- Seattle, Washington, United States.
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Foreign Visits
Overview of Defence minister Rajnath Singh’s 3day visit to Uzbekistan from Nov 1-3, 2019
The defence minister of India, shri Rajnath Singh paid a 3-day visit to Tashkent, Uzbekistan from
November 1-3, 2019 representing the country at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) heads of
state meeting. This was the first visit by an Indian Defence Minister to Uzbekistan in about 15 years.
The visit in detail are as follows,
3 MoUs signed in the fields of Military Medicine and Military Education:
Rajnath Singh and his Uzbekistani counterpart Major General Bakhodir Nizamovich Kurbanov a total
of 3 Memoranda of Understanding(MoU): 1 MoU in the field of military medicine and 2 Institution-to-
Institution MoUs on military education. These 2 MoUs were part of the MoU on Military Education
signed between the two countries in October 2018.
i.Assistance to the Uzbek army:
• India announced its support to the Uzbekistan in military medicine
• It would also develop state of the art IT (Information Technology) complex in Armed Forces
Academy of Uzbekistan.
• India has offered a concessional Line of Credit(LoC) of $40 million for procurement of goods
and services by Uzbekistan from India.
ii.Invite by India: The Uzbekistan army was invited for the Joint Exercises in 2020 in India.
iii.The two defence ministers also witnessed 1st ever exchange over a video-link between College of
Defence Management in Secunderabad, Telangana and Armed Forces Academy of Uzbekistan in
Tashkent.
18th CHG of SCO at Tashkent:
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addressed the 18th meeting of the Council of Heads of Government
(CHG) of SCO at Tashkent in Uzbekistan as special envoy (messenger or representative) of Prime
Minister shri Narendra Modi. During his address, shri Rajnath singh invited all the SCO members to
strengthen the existing laws and mechanisms to combat terrorism. The 19th meeting will be hosted
by India in 2020.
• Various initiatives by the Indian govt. to ease economic system of the partner countries were
discussed. These include relaxing Foreign Direct Investment(FDI) reforms, allowing 100%
foreign investment in coal mining and manufacturing sectors, approving 26% overseas
investment in digital media etc.
• SCO members were invited for a joint venture in India in improving the ‘ease of doing
business’.
• The SCO members were invited to join India’s ‘Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure’
launched by PM Modi in 2019 for developing disaster resilient infrastructure.
• Members present: During the meeting, PM of Uzbekistan Mr Abdulla NigmatovichAripov,
PMs and head of SCO member state delegations, Executive Director of Regional Anti-Terrorist
Structure(RATS) Mr JumakhonGiyosov and other officials participated.
Homage to former PM Lal Bahadur Shastri:
The Indian defence minister later paid homage to former Prime Minister of India Shri Lal Bahadur
Shastri at his statue at Shastri street in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Shastri spent his last days of life in
Tashkent where he passed away on January 11, 1966, the next day after the Tashkent Agreement was
signed between India and Pakistan post the 1965 Indo-Pakistani war.
About SCO:
Founded- 26 April 1996.
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Headquarters- Beijing, China.

Secretary General- Vladimir Norov.
SCO members- the member countries of SCO are China(head), Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan,
Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan.
Overview of P.M Modi’s visit to Thailand from November 2-4 2019

The Prime Minister(PM) of India shri Narendra Modi paid a 3-day official visit to Thailand to attend
India,East Asia- ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) and RCEP (Regional
Comprehensive Economic Partnership) summits for strengthening regional cooperation in areas like
trade, maritime security and connectivity. The visit in detail are as follows,
35th ASEAN summit in Bangkok, Thailand:
The 35th edition of ASEAN summit began in Bangkok, Thailand, where it was inaugurated by Thailand
Prime Minister Prayut Chan -o-Cha. The theme of the summit was “Advancing Partnership for
sustainability”. The summit was held from October 31-November 4, 2019.
• Current chair: Thailand is the chair of ASEAN for the year 2019. The chair country is selected
in the rotating annual schedule.
• 2020 chair: The Thailand PM, Chan -o-Cha, officially handed over the chairmanship to Mr.
Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister of Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The chairmanship of
Vietnam will begin on January 1, 2020.
• During the summit, economic development of the ASEAN countries was discussed.
3rd RCEP Summit in Bangkok:
PM Modi participated in the 3rd edition of the RCEP summit in Bangkok. RCEP is a proposed Free
Trade Agreement (FTA) with the 10 members of the ASEAN and its 6 members FTA partners
Australia, China, India, Japan, Korea and New Zealand.
ASEAN members: The ASEAN members are Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Phillipines, Malaysia,
Vietnam, Brunei, Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos.
• India opts out of RCEP deal: India decided not to join RCEP deal due to the failed
negotiation related to the outstanding issues and concerns of New Delhi. It was also cited that
the RCEP agreements were also not upto the standard of basic guiding principles. Click here
to read Why India has said no to regional trade pact RCEP
• All members of RCEP (except India) have concluded the text-based negotiations for
the trade deal. The agreement is expected to be signed by 2020.
• The purpose of the deal is to create an integrated market. This would ensure easier
availability of products and services across the entire region.
• It is one of the largest free-trade bloc accounting for 45% of the world’s population, and a
combined GDP of about $21.3 trillion (around 30% of global GDP) and 40% of the world
trade.
• After India opts out of RCEP deal there is totally 15 Member countries[10 ASEAN members &
5 FTA Partner Members(Australia, China, Japan, Korea and New Zealand)]
14th East Asia Summit (EAS) in Bangkok:
The 14th East Asia Summit (EAS) and RCEP was also held after the ASEAN summit in Bangkok. Topics
on security and cybercrime were discussed.
• Agenda of EAS: The agenda for the 14th edition of the EAS was to review the future direction
of EAS cooperation and exchange views on regional and international issues.
• new initiatives for maritime security: Shri Modi proposed new initiative for creating safe
and secure maritime domain in the Indo Pacific region and also proposed initiative to
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strengthen Blue economy (sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth). The idea
was proposed during the 14th East Asia Summit(EAS).
• Participants: the EAS participants included India, China, Japan, Republic of Korea, Australia,
New Zealand, United States and Russia.
PM attended 16th India – ASEAN Summit:
Shri Modi attended the 16th edition of the ASEAN-India summit in Bangkok. This was his first official
visit to the country to participate in the India-Asean Summit. During the summit, India’s act east policy
and areas such as surface, maritime, air and digital connectivity that needed improvement were
discussed.
• The areas that needed improvement might benefit from the $1 billion Indian Line of Credit
(LoC).
• India expressed its interest to improve partnership in areas like agriculture, research,
engineering, science and Information & Communication Technology(ICT).
• New Delhi would offer 1,000 PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) scholarships to ASEAN students at
the Indian Institute of Technology. The budget of the said initiative is worth Rs 300 crores. It
is also the largest human resource initiative for ASEAN member countries by India and for
any of ASEAN’s dialogue partner.
‘Sawasdee PM Modi’ community event in Bangkok:
PM Modi addressed ‘Sawasdee PM Modi’ community event in Bangkok.
• Thai translation of Thirukural: The Indian PM unveiled Thai translation of Thiruvalluvar’s
tamil classic
• Coins released: He also released coins to commemorate 550th birth anniversary of Guru
Nanak (the founder of sikhism).
• Northeast connect: India expressed its interest and focus to deepen the North-East’s connect
with Thailand. The India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway will also boost development
in these countries.
PM attended Aditya Birla group golden jubilee celebrations:
PM Modi attended the 50th year or golden jubilee celebrations in Thailand. During the event efficiency
through DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) scheme that has saved $20 billion so far was discussed.
• The Thailand 4.0 initiative, that aims to make Thailand a value based economy was also
discussed.
• Chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, Shri Kumar Mangalam Birla and other officials were
present during the event.
Meet with leaders:
• Meet with Japan PM:The Indian Prime Minister Modi met Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo
and discussed on the India-Japan 2+2 Dialogue & Annual Summit later by the end of 2019.
• Meet with Vietnam PM: Shri Modi met Vietnam PM Mr Nguyen Xuan Phuc,and discussed the
threat of extremism and terrorism where they agreed to work closely to tackle it. Both the
nations committed to maintain the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
(UNCLOS).
• Meet with Australian PM: Mr. Scott Morrison met Modi during the summit and both leaders
discussed and reaffirmed commitment for a transparent and inclusive Indo-Pacific region for
promoting peace and prosperity.
• Meet with Myanmar state counsellor: Indian PM met Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu
Kyi and held talks related to air connectivity of both nations, including India’s plan to host a
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business event for CLMV countries (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam) in Yangon,
Myanmar at the end of November 2019.
• Meet with Indonesian President: Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi met the President of the
Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo and held discussions on bilateral trade and highlighted
the need for greater market access for Indian commodities. The year 2019 also
commemorates the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
• Meet with the Thailand PM: PM of India and Thailand discussed on the ways of
enhancing connectivity between the two countries that also includes areas of physical and
digital connectivity.
About ASEAN:
Headquarters- Jakarta, Indonesia.
Founded- 8 August 1967.
Motto- “One Vision, One Identity, One Community”.
Predecessor- ASEAN was preceded by an organisation formed on 31 July 1961 called the “Association
of Southeast Asia” (ASA), a group consisting of Thailand, the Philippines, and the Federation of Malaya.
About RCEP:
Launch- RCEP negotiations were formally launched in November 2012 at the ASEAN Summit in
Cambodia.
About EAS:
Meeting: EAS meetings are held after the annual ASEAN leaders’ meetings, and plays an important role
in the regional architecture of Asia-Pacific.
Members- EAS has 18 members- they are 10 ASEAN members along with Australia, China, India, Japan,
New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, the United States and Russia.
First summit- 14 December 2005 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Highlights of defence minister Rajnath’s visit to Russia for 19th IRIGC-M&MTC in Moscow,
Russia
The union Defence Minister shri Rajnath Singh co-chaired the 19th Inter-Governmental Commission
on Military and Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-M&MTC) in Moscow, Russia that was held from
November 5-7,2019. From the Russian side, it was co-chaired by Russian Defence Minister General
Sergey Shoigu. This is the first visit of Rajnath Singh to Russia as a defence minister.
Protocol signed: A Protocol was signed by the two ministers during the meeting. Both the nations on
September 4, 2019 signed an agreement on Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) which defines a
framework for mutual cooperation, for joint manufacturing of spares, components, and other materials
related to Russian or Soviet Origin Arms and Defence Equipment. The agreement was signed during
20th India-Russia Annual Summit in Vladivostok, Russia.
India-Russia Defence Industry Cooperation Conference:
Shri Rajnath Singh jointly inaugurated the “India-Russia Defence Industry Cooperation Conference”
held in Moscow, along with Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov on November 5,
2019.
i.After the inauguration, Shri Rajnath Singh addressed the Chief Executive Officers(CEO) of Original
Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) from Russian Defence Industry.It was agreed that the forthcoming
TriService Indra Exercises will be a major milestone in Military Cooperation between the two countries.
ii.DefExpo: On Rajnath Singh’s invitation the Russian defence minister Sergey accepted to participate
in the DefExpo 2020 (defence expo 2020) which is going to be held in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh from
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february 5-8, 2020. Russia also assured full support for india’s capabilities in the ‘Make in India’
initiative for defence equipment manufacturing.
iii.Indo-Russian joint venture: The Russian side also accepted its readiness to operationalize a joint
venture(JV) of the Indo-Russia Rifles Private Ltd for manufacturing Kalashnikov AK 203 rifles in
Amethi, Uttar Pradesh.
iv.Military cooperation: Progress of the military and its technical cooperation was reviewed. The
Russian govt also ensured its readiness to deepen exchanges between the military training institutions.
Both the nations agreed to form a special working group in this regard. An officer would also be
deputed for the National Defence College (NDC)course in New Delhi which would commence from
2020. Both sides agreed to intensify the cooperation programme for 2021-2030 period.
v.Army parade: As per Russian Defence minister’s request,an lndian Military Contingent would
participate in the Army Parade in Russia on the 75th Anniversary of the victory in the 2nd World
War(WWII)which was held from 1939 to 1945. In a significant move, the two nations’ ministers
directed their respective teams in defence sector to work for the India-Russia Inter-Governmental
Agreement on Reciprocal Logistics Support.
vi.Homage to Mahatma Gandhi:On his arrival in Russia, defence Minister Rajnath Singh made his first
engagement in the country by paying homage to Mahatma Gandhi at the premises of Embassy of India
in Moscow.
Highlights of PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Brazil from November 13-14, 2019

Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi, paid a two-day visit to Brazil from November 13-14, 2019
to attend the 11th annual BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit. The visit in
detail are as follows:
Plenary session of XI BRICS Summit in Brasilia:
PM Modi along with heads of the BRICS countries addressed the plenary session of the 11th BRICS
summit in Brasilia, Brazil. The theme of the summit was “Economic growth for an innovative future.”
• 1st BRICS water ministers meet: During the session, first meeting of BRICS Water Ministers
in India was proposed by Shri Modi.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to be 2020 Republic Day chief guest:
Brazilian president Jair Messias Bolsonaro accepted Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi’s invite
to attend the 2020 Republic Day as chief guest.
• Bolsonaro is the 3rd Brazilian President to be invited for Republic Day celebrations, after
Fernando Henrique Cardoso in 1996 and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in 2004.
Modi attended BRICS Business Forum at Brasilia:
The Indian PM addressed the BRICS business forum on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit. Some of his
key speeches were as follows,
• BRICS accounted for 50% of the world’s economic growth.
• By Next BRICS summit, a joint venture in at least 5 areas with the BRICS countries have to be
identified.
• These 5 BRICS nations were also suggested to consider a mutual social security agreement.
Leaders dialogue with BRICS Business Council and New Development Bank in Brasilia:
PM Modi along with other heads of states of BRICS countries participated in the Leaders dialogue with
BRICS Business Council and New Development Bank(NDB) which is headquartered in Shanghai, China.
The event was held in Brasilia, Brazil.
• $ 500 billion Intra-BRICS trade target: During the dialogue, roadmap to achieve $500
Billion Intra-BRICS trade target was created. The partnership agreement in this regard was
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made by NDB and BRICS Business Council. The Intra-BRICS trade accounts for just 15% of
world trade, while the combined population makes more than 40% of the world’s population.
• BRICS NDB coalition: BRICS countries and NDB were requested to join coalition (temporary
group formed to achieve a common goal) for disaster resilient infrastructure initiative.
• Multilateral financial institutions: PM Modi, announced India’s offer to give its full support
to multilateral financial institutions in promoting global health.
• BRICS Business Council was asked to consider organizing A hackathon in India on the use of
digital health applications.
Meet with other leaders:
Meet with Russian president Vladimir Putin: Shri Narendra Modi met Russian president Vladimir
Putin, on the sidelines of the 11th BRICS summit at Brasilia and reviewed on the progress made in their
bilateral relationship.
• During the meeting they decided to conduct the 1st Bilateral Regional Forum (BRF) at the
level of Russian Provinces and Indian States in 2020.
• PM Modi’s visit to Moscow, Russia to participate in the Victory Day celebrations in 2020 was
reiterated.
Meet with Chinese president Xi Jinping: PM Modi and president of the People’s Republic of China Mr.
Xi Jinping, held bilateral talks on the sidelines of the summit.
• The Chinese president invited PM Modi to attend the 3rd Informal summit in China in 2020.
• Both the leaders reviewed on the preparations for celebrating the 70th anniversary of the
establishment of diplomatic relations between India and China.
Meet with Brazil’s president Jair Messias Bolsonaro: During the BRICS summit PM Modi and Brazil’s
president Jair Messias Bolsonaro held various bilateral level talks.
During the meet both the nation leaders decided to enhance strategic partnership.
They had discussions to invest in areas of agricultural equipment, animal husbandry, post-harvest
technologies and biofuels.
About BRICS:
Current chair- Brazil is the current chair of the BRICS grouping which represents over 3.6 billion
people
Fact- South Africa was the last country to join BRICS in 2010.
Formation- 2006.
Headquarters- Shanghai, China.
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BANKING & FINANCE

RBI in News
RBI tightens liquidity management framework for NBFCs

On November 4, 2019,In order to strengthen the asset-liability management following the liquidity
crisis faced by non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) in the past year, India’s central banking
institution the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has tightened the liquidity management framework for
these firms, which seeks to bring in a liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) of 100 % for them in a phased
manner by December 2024.RBI extends rollout date for LCR norms to Dec 2020.
Key Points:
i.New norms: As per the new rules, which is to be strictly enforced from December 1,2020, NBFCs with
assets of Rs 10,000 crore and above will have to maintain at least 50% of LCR as high quality liquid
assets (HQLA), while those with assets of Rs 5000-10,000 crore will have to maintain 30% LCR & and
build up to 100 % over four years.
ii.Exemption: The liquidity coverage ratio requirements were exempted to Core investment companies
(CIC), small non-deposit taking NBFCs, non-operating financial holding companies and standalone
primary dealers .
iii. ALM: RBI also proposed to revise the ALM (asset liability management) of NBFCs to ensure that the
difference between inflows and outflows .The net cumulative mismatches for theses firms during 1-7
days, 8-14 days, and 15-30 days shall not exceed 10%, 10% and 20% of the cumulative cash outflows in
the respective time period.
iv.Background: Earlier, the draft LCR guidelines had proposed that all non-banks will have to initially
maintain 60% LCR from April 2020.
About LCR:
It refers to the proportion of highly liquid assets held by financial institutions, to ensure their ongoing
ability to meet short-term obligations.
It is calculated by dividing a bank’s high-quality liquid assets by its total net cash flows, over a 30-day
stress period.
About RBI:
Headquarters- Mumbai, Maharashtra
Formation- 1 April 1935
Governor- Shaktikanta Das
RBI issues new rules for the pay scale of senior officials of private, foreign banks
On November 5, 2019, India’s central banking institution, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has
released new rules relating to the pay scales of full-time directors, Chief Executive Officers (CEOs)
and Material Risk Takers and Control Function staff of foreign, private, small finance, payment
banks and local area banks. These new guidelines will come into effect from April,2020.
Key Points:
i.The above category banks should adopt the overall pay system for all their employees and should also
review it yearly.
ii.If the non-payment is up to 200 % of the fixed salary, then at least 50 % of it should be paid in
other than cash mode. If non-cash pay exceeds 200 %, then 67 %of it should be paid in non-cash
ways.
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iii.As per the norm, whatever policy the above category banks adopt,the policy will cover all aspects of
compensation structure such as fixed salary, performance bonus , Share-linked instruments like
Guaranteed Bonus, Employee Stock Option Scheme, Pension Plan, Gratuity will also be included.
iv.Foreign banks working through the branch will have to continue to submit a declaration from their
head offices to the RBI every year. It should have the knowledge of principles set by the Stability
Board(FSB).
v.The board of directors of banks should form a ‘Nomination and Remuneration Committee’ (NRC) of
the board to oversee the framing, review and implementation of compensation policy of the bank on
behalf of the board.
About RBI:
Deputy Governors- 4 (BP Kanungo, N S Vishwanathan, and Mahesh Kumar Jain, 1 is yet to be
appointed).
RBI committee headed by Tapan Ray recommends tighter norms for Core Investment
Companies
On November 7, 2019 the committee appointed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on the supervisory
framework for Core Investment Companies (CICs) has recommended to tighten the corporate
governance norms in the CIC. The committee has suggested that entities should have only 2-tier
structure/layers and also recommended to strengthen the board structures with at least 50% of
independent directors.
The committee which was set up in July 2019, is headed by former corporate affairs secretary Tapan
Ray.
Key Points:
i.Other recommendations:
• Inorder to strengthen governance practices, the committee recommended constitution of
board level committees. They are “audit committee, nomination and remuneration committee
and group risk management committee”.
• The current asset size of Rs.100 crore and access to public funds for registration as CIC
should be retained.
• Any CIC within a group shall not make an investment through more than a total of two layers
of CICs, including itself. This was recommended due to the fact that more firms under a
holding CIC creates complexity in the holding structure.
About CIC:
CIC: CIC is a non-banking finance company (NBFC), holding equity shares and securities in group
companies, not less than 90% of its net assets, and not less than 60%of its net assets as equity shares in
group companies.
Reserve Bank raises income & lending limit for Micro Finance Institutions (MFIs)
On November 8, 2019, India’s central banking institution, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has raised
the household income eligibility limit for eligible borrowers from NBFC –MFIs (Non-Banking
Financial Companies- Micro finance Institutions) to Rs 1.25 lakh from the existing Rs 1 lakh
in rural areas and from Rs 1.6 lakh to Rs 2 lakh in urban /semi-urban areas.
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Apart from this, RBI also increased the limit on disbursal of loans to Rs 75,000 from Rs 60,000 for the
1st cycle, and from Rs 1 lakh for the successive cycles to Rs 1.25 lakh.
Key Points:
i.MFIs are making a significant contribution to increase financial inclusion by delivering credit to those
people in the bottom of the economic pyramid and help them play their assigned role in a growing
economy.
ii.Background: The Reserve Bank had formed a sub-committee under the chairmanship of YH Malegam
in 2010 to study the issues and challenges of the microfinance sector. A separate category of NBFC-MFIs
was constituted on the basis of the suggestions of the sub-committee and detailed regulatory guidelines
were issued in December 2011.
About RBI:
Headquarters– Maharashtra
Established- 1 April 1935
Deputy Governors- 4 (BP Kanungo, N S Vishwanathan, and Mahesh Kumar Jain, 1 is yet to be
appointed)
NBFC-MFI:
It is a non-deposit taking NBFC (other than a company licensed under Section 25 of the Indian
Companies Act, 1956) that fulfils minimum net owned Funds of Rs.5 crore.
Banks cannot charge on NEFT transactions from January 2020: RBI

On November 8, 2019, As per the report titled “Furthering Digital Payments” released by the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI), Banks will not be able to charge any fee for online National Electronic Fund
Transfer (NEFT) transactions done by the savings bank account customers from January 2020. With
a view to promote digital transactions on the 3rd anniversary of demonetisation, the Reserve Bank has
moved a proposal in this regard.
Key Points:
i.Digital payments accounted for 96 % of the total non-cash retail payments between October 2018 and
September 2019. In the same period, the National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) and Unified
Payments Interface (UPI) systems have generated transactions worth Rs 252 crore and Rs 874 crore
respectively. On an annual basis, their transactions have increased by 20 % and 263 % respectively.
ii.In order to increase acceptance infrastructure, RBI also plans to operationalise the ‘Acceptance
Development Fund’ with effect from January 1, 2020.
iii.RBI also plans to allow all authorised payment systems and instruments (non-bank PPIs- Prepaid
Payment Instruments, cards and UPI) for linking with National Electronic Toll Collection (NETC)
FASTags.
iv.Background:The central Government on November 8, 2016 banned the then Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 in
circulation & the RBI came out with new 2,000 and 500 currency notes.In July 2019, As per the
recommendation of Nandan Nilekani-led Committee on Digital Payments panel, RBI directed banks to
withdraw the charges levied on the NEFT transactions.
NEFT:
It is a payment system facilitating funds transfers from one bank account to another. One can access
this service either by using Internet banking or by visiting the bank branch.It is used for upto Rs.2 lakh
maintained by RBI & there is no maximum and minimum limit.
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Reserve Bank withdraws some exemptions granted to HFCs

On November 11, 2019, India’s central bank, the Reserve of India (RBI) has come up with a master
direction & decided to withdraw some exemptions from the provisions of Chapter IIIB of Reserve
Bank of India Act, 1934 applicable to Housing Finance Companies (HFCs) in terms of complying
with regulations such as provisions and formation of reserve fund. It also decided to make provisions of
Chapter IIIB except Section 45-IA of RBI Act, 1934.This direction will put regulations of HFC’s on a par
with those of non-banking financial companies (NBFCs).
Key Points:
i.This comes after the Finance Act, 2019 amended the National Housing Bank Act, 1987, which
conferred certain powers for regulation of HFCs with the RBI.
ii.Mandate: With this, Now the HFCs are mandated to create a reserve fund and it should transfer at
least 20% of its net profit every year to the fund before the declaration of dividend. Earlier, they were
exempted from this clause.
iii.Prevention: Until any specific direction given by RBI, HFCs required to not appropriate sum from
the reserve fund. The winding up clause for NBFC will also be applicable to these entities if one fails to
pay the outstanding payment.
iv.Background: In July 2019, The government shifted the regulation of housing finance companies
(HFCs) from the National Housing Board (NHB) to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
About RBI:
Deputy Governors- 4 (BP Kanungo, N S Vishwanathan, Mahesh Kumar Jain, 1 is yet to be appointed)
Technology in Banking
Tripura Gramin Bank associated with Stock holdings corporation launches e-stamp counter in
Agartala
On November 1, 2019, Tripura Gramin Bank in association with the Stock Holdings Corporation of
India Limited (SHCIL) started an e-stamp counter at the bank’s Abhyanagar branch in Agartala. The
bank is sponsored by United Bank of India (UBI) & is jointly owned by the Government of
India, Government of Tripura and UBI.
Key Points:
i.Customers will have to pay 10 rupees for purchasing e-stamps ranging from 10 rupees to 1,000 rupees
and 20 rupees for purchasing e-stamps of more than 1,001 rupees.
ii.With the availability of this e-stamp facility in banks, 100% of the stamp duty revenue will be moved
to the government fund, which will increase the government revenue.
Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Launches ‘Farmitra’ – a mobile app for farmers
Bajaj Allianz General Insurance has introduced new mobile app called ‘Farmitra’ for the ease of
farmers.This app intends to help the farmers needs and address their worries. It also resolves with
relevant information, which they can use in optimizing their farming practices.
i.Motto of Farmitra- It was the first mobile app that cater to the specific needs of farmers and resolve
the day to day farming needs.
ii.Features of the App-Users can regularly see the weather forecast,the market price of crops, and
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news related to agriculture development.

iii.The application is currently implemented in 6 states, namely Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar
Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Haryana. In future, the company intends to add more States and
services for a larger geographical outreach.
About Bajaj Allianz
Headquartered-Pune
Managing Director- Tapan Singhel
India-Russia-China to explore an alternative to SWIFT payment mechanism

On November 14, 2019 India, China and Russia have partnered together to explore an alternative to
the SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) payment mechanism in-
order to smoothen the trade with countries that face American sanctions.
Payment system linkage: As part of this exploration, Russia will link its financial messaging system
SPFS (System for Transfer of Financial Messages) with Chinese Cross-border Interbank Payment
System (CIPS). As India doesn’t have its own domestic financial payments system, it is in plan to link the
Central Bank of Russia’s platform with a service that is under development.
Key Points:
i.The new system by the three nations, is expected to work as a “gateway” model. The messages on
payments will be transcoded in accordance with a certain financial system.
ii.The model is also believed to be developed on the 11th BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South
Africa) summit agenda as the BRICS nations are planning to have seperate trade exploration among
themselves in national currencies.
About Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication(SWIFT):
Fact- SWIFT provides a network that enables financial institutions worldwide to send and receive
information about financial transactions in a secure, standardized and reliable environment.
Code length- It is a 8-11 character alphabetic code.
Founded- 1973.
Chief Executive Officer(CEO)- Javier Pérez-Tasso.
Other News Related to Banking & Finance
GeM inks MoU with Indian bank & Canara bank for payment-related services
On November 1, 2019, Government e-Marketplace (GeM) ,a one stop portal to facilitate online
procurement of common use Goods & Services required by various government departments, has
signed MoU (Memorandum of understanding) with Indian Bank and Canara Bank to provide a
paperless, cashless, and transparent payment system on its portal.
Key Points:
i.The agreement will create an efficient procurement system for government entities & will provide
both the banks an opportunity to offer stock of services, including fund transfer through GeM Pool
Accounts (GPA), advising of Performance Bank Guarantees (e-PBG), Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) and
Payment Gateway to the GeM’s registered users.
ii.In addition to these 2 banks , GeM also works with, Small Industries Development Bank of India
(SIDBI), other banks, and Trade Receivables electronic Discounting System (TReDs), with the aim to
offer financing of working capital and bill discounting.
iii.The MOU with Indian Bank was signed by S. Suresh Kumar, Addl. CEO, GeM and M Karthikeyan, GM,
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Indian Bank. The MOU with Canara Bank was signed by Addl. CEO, GeM and R P Jaiswal, DGM, Canara
Bank along with Shantanu Kumar Mazumdar, GM, Canara Bank.
About Indian Bank:
Formation:15 August 1907
Headquarters: Chennai, Tamil Nadu
MD & CEO: Ms. Padmaja Chunduru
Tagline: Your Own Bank
About Canara Bank:
Founded: 1969
Headquarters: Bangalore, Karnataka
MD & CEO: R. A. Sankara Narayanan
Tagline: Together we Can
ADB approves $451mn loan for Chennai-Kanyakumari industrial corridor power links in Tamil
Nadu
On November 4, 2019, An international development finance institution,Asian Development Bank
(ADB) has approved a $451 million(mn) (about Rs 3,200 crore) loan to strengthen power connectivity
between the southern and northern parts of the Chennai–Kanyakumari Industrial Corridor (CKIC)
in Tamil Nadu(TN), which covers 23 of the state’s 32 districts and 70 % of the state population. The
completion of the project has been estimated at the end of 2024.
Key Points:
i.The state government will provide $202.5 million out of the total cost of the project $653.5 million.
ii.An extra-high voltage 765-kilovolt (kV) transmission link will be installed to transfer the 9,000 MW of
extra capacity from Virudhunagar in the southern CKIC northwards to Coimbatore and Chennai. It will
be undertaken by TANTRANSCO (Tamil Nadu Transmission Corporation Limited), the state-owned
company responsible for transmission.
iii.A 400-kV network will also be created to collect power generated at renewable and thermal power
plants in Thoothukudi district to Virudhunagar.
iv.It will help the state to boost economic development by providing a more reliable and competitive
power supply for industry and services, which will, in turn, increase the job opportunities.
v.With a gross domestic product of $250 billion, TN had the second largest economy among India’s
states in 2018.
About ADB:
Motto -Fighting Poverty in Asia and the Pacific
Formation -19 December 1966
Headquarters – Manila, Philippines
Membership -68 countries
MSTC signs agreement with Allahabad bank to develop e-auction platform

On November 5, 2019, An Indian state-owned e-commerce company,MSTC Limited (formerly known
as Metal Scrap Trade Corporation Limited) has signed an agreement with Allahabad Bank, a
nationalised bank for the process of developing an e-Auction platform aimed at selling non-
performing assets (NPAs).
Key points:
i.The platform will be directly linked with the Indian Banking Association’s (IBA) portal
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(https://ibapi.net) for sale NPAs through the SARFAESI (Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial
Assets and Enforcement of Securities Interest) Act,2002.
ii.once registered ,the bidder will be able to participate in auctions for all banks.
iii.It will also help banks oversee the NPAs through a streamlined process, which in turn, increase its
revenue generation.
SARFAESI Act,2002 :
i.It gives detailed provisions for the formation and activities of Asset Securitization Companies (SCs)and
Reconstruction Companies (RCs) & give powers to banks and financial institutions to take over the
immovable property that is hypothecated or charged to enforce the recovery of debt.
ii.Securitization is the process of pooling and repackaging of financial assets (like loans given),Asset
reconstruction means the activity of converting a bad or non-performing asset into performing asset
& enforcement of security interests means, when the borrower defaults, to issue notice to the
defaulting borrower and guarantor, calling to repay the debt within 60 days from the date of the notice.
About MSTC:
Headquarters– Kolkata
Chairman & Managing Director– Bam Bahadur Singh
About Allahabad Bank
Founded– 24 April 1865
Headquarters– Kolkata ,West Bengal
MD & CEO- S. S. Mallikarjuna Rao
Tagline– A tradition of trust
Ujjivan SFB launches instant digital savings & fixed deposit account
On November 6, 2019, Finance service company, Ujjivan Small Finance Bank(SFB) has launched
an instant digital savings account (SA) along with Fixed Deposit (FD) and Privilege Savings
Account to offer distinctive banking and digital services to its customers.
Key Points:
i.Instant Digital SA account: This account has the restriction of Rs 1 lakh deposit & has the unlimited
free transactions on the bank’s own ATM (automated teller machine) and 6 free transactions for other
bank ATMs per month.
Additional deposits: Customers required to complete full KYC(Know Your Customer) details by visiting
the bank’s branch along with the documents, if they want to deposit more than Rs.1 lakh. Ujjivan bank
customers can open this account instantly from a mobile phone /computer by using only with Aadhaar
Card and Pan Card through Ujjivan Bank mobile app, which is available in 9 languages.
ii.Instant Fixed Deposit (FD) : With interest rate ranging from 5.5% (7days to 29 days) & up to
8.3% (799 days), the customers can invest in this account up to a maximum of Rs. 1 Lakh without a
Savings Account.
iii.Privilege SA: This account comes with an eligibility of a monthly salary of Rs. 30,000 or above /on
maintaining a Monthly Average Balance of Rs 25,000 / opening a Fixed Deposit of Rs. 10 Lakh.
It provides higher accidental insurance cover of Rs. 2 Lakh ,Platinum Debit card, domestic airport
lounge access, home branch facility along with unlimited transaction on any ATM.
About Ujjivan Small Finance Bank:
Founded- 1 February 2017
Headquarters- Bangalore, Karnataka
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MD & CEO- Nitin Chugh

Tagline- We believe in your belief
IRDAI prevents Reliance health insurance from selling new insurance policy
On November 7, 2019, IRDAI (Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India ), an
autonomous, statutory body tasked with regulating insurance and re-insurance, has barred Anil
Ambani’s company Reliance Health Insurance Ltd (RHICL) from selling new insurance policies due
its poor financial condition and only they can provide service to old policies.
Key Points:
i.Mandate: RHICL has also required to transfer its entire financial assets including current insurance
liabilities to to sister concern Reliance General Insurance Co Ltd (RGICL), which will settle claims of
existing insurance holders.
ii.Restriction: RHICL will stop selling insurance from November 15,2019 and will display it with clarity
on its website and all branches.
iii. Background: On June 30,2019, RHICL had reported a solvency ratio (the financial ability of an
insurer to service its obligations, including payment to claims)of 106 %. It was below 150 %, which is
the control level of solvency.It was asked to restore the required level of solvency margin by September
30,2019.
About RHICL:
Formation– 2017
Parent organization– Reliance Capital
Executive Director & CEO– Mr. Ravi Vishwanath
About IRDAI:
Formation– 1999
Headquarters– Hyderabad, Telangana
Chairman– Subhash Chandra Khuntia
Exim Bank grants $30 million line of credit to Ghana for potable water project
On November 7, 2019, Export-Import (Exim)Bank, the premier export finance institution of India has
given a $30 million (about Rs 210 crore) line of credit (LoC, a soft loan / loan with low interest rate)
to the Government of the Republic of Ghana for financing rehabilitation and up-gradation of Potable
Water System in Yendi, Ghana. The Agreement in this regard is effective from October 11, 2019.
Key Points:
i.Out of the total assistance by Exim Bank under the agreement,financing of eligible goods, works and
services of the value of at least 75 % of the contract price shall be supplied by the seller from India and
the remaining 25 % of goods and services may be procured by the seller for the purpose of eligible
contract from outside India. It will be subject to the eligibility for export under the Foreign Trade Policy
of India.
ii.As per the agreement,the terminal utilisation time is 60 months period after the scheduled
completion date of the project.
iii.On April 05, 2019, Exim Bank has signed an agreement with Ghana for the purpose of potable water
project.
About Exim Bank:
Founded -1 January 1982
Headquarters -Mumbai, Maharashtra
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Managing Director – David Rasquinha

About Ghana:
Capital- Accra
Currency- Ghanaian cedi
President -Nana Akufo-Addo
Indian Bank sign MoU with Muthoot microfinance to jointly lend MSME customers
On November 8, 2019, Indian Bank, an Indian state-owned financial services company has inked an
memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Muthoot Microfinance Ltd,a leading non-banking finance
company (NBFC) ,to jointly lend to the MSME (micro, small and medium enterprises) borrowers.
i.The agreement was signed by Sudhakar Rao, Indian Bank general manager-MSME &Praveen T,
Muthoot Microfin deputy CFO (Chief Financial Officer) in the presence of the bank’s managing director
(MD) and CEO (Chief Executive Officer) Padmaja Chunduru.
About Indian Bank:
Founded -15 August 1907
Headquarters -Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Tagline- Your Own Bank
About Muthoot microfinance:
Founded -2015
Headquarters Ernakulam, Kerala
Chief Executive Officer(CEO) -Sadaf Sayeed
GeM inks MoU with Central Bank of India for payment-related services
On November 7, 2019, Government e-Marketplace (GeM) ,a one stop portal to facilitate online
procurement of common use Goods & Services required by various government departments, has
signed MoU (Memorandum of understanding) with Central Bank of India to provide various payments
and various banking services on its portal.
Key Points:
i.As per the MoU, the Central Bank of India will offer a number of services including transfer of funds
through GeM Pool Accounts (GPA), advising of electronic Performance Bank Guarantees (e-PBG) and
Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) to users registered on GeM portal.
ii.This integration will help sellers and MSMEs (Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) to
get easy credit and do better business with the government.
iii.GeM has already signed an MoU with 18 public and private banks in this regard.
iv.The MOU was signed by Rajeev Kandpal, CFO, GeM and A.K. Mishra, Field General Manager,Central
Bank of India in the presence of Talleen Kumar, CEO, GeM.
About Central Bank of India:
Formation- 21 December 1911
MD & CEO- Pallav Mahapatra
Tagline- Central to you since 1911 , Build A Better Life Around Us
SBI’s EcoWrap report revised India’s FY20 GDP forecast to 5% from 6.1%
On November 12, 2019, the economic research team from the State Bank of India (SBI) in in it’s report
titled “EcoWrap” has revised India’s Gross Domestic Product(GDP) to 5% from its earlier estimate of
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6.1% for the Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20). This downgrade was due to global slowdown in the Index of
Industrial Production (IIP).
Key Points:
i.The research team has projected the GDP growth at 4.2% for the second quarter (Q2- July to
September).
About SBI:
Formed- 1 July 1955.
Headquarters- Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Chairman- Rajnish Kumar.
Tagline- The banker to every Indian; With you all the way; Purely banking nothing else; The
nation banks on us.
Moody’s revised India’s GDP growth forecast to 5.6% from 5.8% FY20
On November 14, 2019 American business and financial services company Moody’s has revised India’s
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth forecast to 5.6% from its previous estimate of 5.8% for FY20
(fiscal year 20). The 5.6% GDP estimate was much lower than it was in 2018 of 7.4%.
Key Points:
i.The Moody’s in its recent report Global Macro Outlook 2020-21, has stated that India’s economic
growth would ride in 2020 to 6.6% and then to 6.7% in 2021.
ii.The downgrade in the GDP was due to slowdown in investments driven by financial stress.
iii.Currently in 2019 the economic growth is 6-year low with 5% of slowed growth in the June quarter
(1st quarter).
About Moody’s:
Founded- 1909
Founder- John Moody.
Headquarters- New York, United States(US).
Chief Executive Officer(CEO)- Raymond Whitehead McDaniel.
Merger of BNP Paribas mutual fund & Bank of Baroda (BOB) mutual fund gets CCI nod
On November 14, 2019, Competition Commission of India (CCI),a statutory body of the Government
of India (GoI), has approved the amalgamation of the BNP (Bank of Paris and the Netherlands)
Paribas- BNPP Mutual Fund and Bank of Baroda (BOB) Mutual Fund, under Section 31(1) of the
Competition Act, 2002.
The strategic alliance would allow both companies to merge (i) BOB Asset Management Company
(AMC) into BNPP AMC (ii) BNPP Trustee Company (TC) into BOB TC. After this arrangement, BNPP
AMC and BOB TC will be the surviving entities.
Key Points:
i.Both the surviving entities (BNPP AMC & BOB TC) will act as the investment manager for their
respective Mutual fund (MF).
ii.Registered as a Portfolio Manager under SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) Regulations,
BNPP AMC will offer portfolio management services and advisory activities.
iii.BNPP TC is the trustee company of BNPP Mutual Fund, while BOB TC will be the trustee for BOB
Mutual Fund.
iv.Mutual Fund: It is a type of financial platform made up of a pool of money collected from many
investors to invest in securities like stocks, bonds, money market instruments, and other assets
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BNP Paribas mutual fund:

Formation- Apr-15-2004
Sponsor– BNP Paribas Asset Management Asia Limited
Trustee– BNP Paribas Trustee India Private Limited
Managing Director– Mr. Sharad Kumar Sharma
BOB Mutual Fund :
Baroda Asset Management India Limited,an investment manager to BoB MF,is a wholly owned
subsidiary of Bank of Baroda and is positioned to serve the varied asset management needs of investors
in India through a range of equity, debt and money market offerings.
About Section 31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002:
Under this act , the CCI is of the opinion that any combination does not, or is not likely to have an
appreciable adverse effect on competition, it shall, by order, approve that combination including the
combination in respect of which a notice has been given under sub-section (2) of section 6.
About CCI:
Formation- 14 October 2003
Chairman– Ashok Guptha
Karnataka Bank launches CASA campaign 2019

On November 15, 2019, Karnataka Bank Ltd, an ‘A’ Class Scheduled Commercial Bank has launched a
nationwide account mobilization campaign called “CASA (current account savings account)
campaign of FY(fiscal year) 2019-2020”. The campaign will remain in force till February 29, 2020.
Key Points:
i.Objective: It has been organized with the aim to open 4.18 lakhs Current & Savings accounts by active
involvement of its 8000 plus workforce in all the 846 branches across India.
ii.On Nov 15, 2018, the Bank introduced a savings bank (SB) scheme ‘KBL SB – TASC (Trust,
Association, Society and Club).It also launched SB product ‘KBL SB Salary’ designed with 3 variants
namely, SB Salary Executive, SB Salary Prime and SB Salary Classic to cater the financial needs of an
employer-employee ecosystem.
iii. The Bank also offers Personal Accident Insurance cover of upto ₹ 10lakh under “KBL Suraksha”,
Mobile Banking [KBL Mobile Plus], KBL BHIM UPI App, KBL ApnaApp, SMS Banking, Debit / Credit
Cards etc.
About Karnataka Bank:
Founded -1924
Headquarters -Mangaluru, Karnataka
MD & CEO -Mahabaleshwara M. S
Tagline- Your Family Bank, Across India.
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) approves 75 million for renewable energy sector
On November 16, 2019, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), a multilateral development
bank that aims to support the building of infrastructure in the Asia-Pacific region, has approved $75-
million loan to Mumbai based Tata Cleantech Capital Limited (TLLC) to help mobilize private capital
into renewable energy, power transmission and water infrastructure.
AIIB mulls $2.2-billion loan for Indian infra projects
The bank also extended the loans worth over $2.2 billion for funding power transmission and
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distribution projects in Assam, metro rail projects in Chennai, Mumbai and rural water supply system
in Karnataka.
It covers, A credit line of $500 million to Mumbai’s suburban railway network that was approved on
October 2019. It will be used for the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) for the quadrupling of
the Virar-Dahanu Road corridor of 64 kilometers.
AIIB will start disbursing $400-million loan for strengthening electricity distribution in Assam & an
equal amount in two phases for a transmission project in the eastern State.
Approval of $800-million loan for Chennai metro, $400-million loan for a rural water supply system
in Karnataka and a few road projects.
Key Points:
i.AIIB also committed $50 million loan for Oriental Infra Trust, an infrastructure investment trust
sponsored by Oriental Structural Engineers Pvt Ltd and Oriental Tollways Pvt Ltd .
ii.It will also disburse $ 455 million in Andhra Pradesh (AP) Rural Roads Project and $ 450 million in AP
Urban Water Supply Project.
AIIB Investments in India:
India is the largest borrower from AIIB as the total funding India received from AIIB, so far, is $2.894
billion for 13 projects .
AIIB plans to increase lending operations to $10 billion every year by 2025 from an annual target of
$4.5 billion at present. In the last 3 years, it has approved 55 projects with a total investment of $10
billion. Of this, India’s share in the total borrowing is about 30% / $3 billion.
About AIIB:
Formation -January 16, 2016
Headquarters -Beijing, China
Membership -75 Members
ADB signs $91 million loan agreement with India for comprehensive water management in
Karnataka
On November 18, 2019, The Government of India (GoI) & the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has
signed a $ 91 million loan agreement under Karnataka Integrated and Sustainable Water Resources
Management Investment Program (IWRM) to renovate the Vijayanagara Channel irrigation systems
in Karnataka. The fund will also be used to prepare the river basin management plan of the Krishna
River that would help in using irrigation water effectively and it would also help in sustaining the water
security of the state of Karnataka.
Key Points:
i.It will benefit the Government in the modernization of over 442 kilometres of major and minor
distributaries and canals.
ii.The loan agreement was signed by Mr. Sameer Kumar Khare, Additional Secretary, Department of
Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance on behalf of Government of India & Mr. Kenichi Yokoyama,
Country Director of ADB’s India Resident Mission, on behalf of ADB.
About ADB:
Motto -Fighting Poverty in Asia and the Pacific
Formation -19 December 1966; President – Takehiko Nakao
Headquarters – Manila, Philippines
Membership- 68 countries
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Sundaram BNP Paribas Home Finance renamed as Sundaram Home Finance Ltd
With effect from November 18, 2019 Sundaram BNP Paribas Home Finance which is the subsidiary
of non-banking finance company Sundaram Finance Ltd has been renamed to “Sundaram Home
Finance”. The change in name was due to the acquisition by Sundaram Finance of BNP( Banque
Nationale de Paris) Paribas Personal Finance’s stake in Sundaram BNP Paribas Home Finance Ltd.
Key Points:
i.In September 30,2019, BNP Paribas personal finance sold 49.9% stake in Sundaram BNP Paribas
Home Finance Ltd to Sundaram Finance Ltd.
Recently in October 2019, the company elevated D Lakshminarayanan as whole-time director on the
Board of Sundaram Home Finance.About Sundaram Finance Ltd:
Founded- 1954.
Founder- T.S.Santhanam.
Headquarters- Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
ICICI Lombard & Fino payments bank tie up to offer sachet based insurance products
On November 18, 2019, ICICI (Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India) Lombard has
announced its partnership with Fino Payments Bank to offer several sachet based insurance products
to its customers. Some of the offerings include Hospicash which provides customers the solution to
cover loss of their income. This product will specially benefit migrant workers,when they are
hospitalized.
Dengue and Malaria policy: ICICI Lombard and Fino also launched Dengue and Malaria policy which
covers treatment to Dengue and Malarial diseases upto Rs. 10,000 at a premium as low as Rs. 49.
Key Points:
i.2-wheeler insurance: Comprehensive insurance for bikes and scooters, providing the customers of
the Fino Payments banks to access ICICI Lombard’s motor insurance solutions were introduced.
ii.ICICI Lombard has been partnering with Fino Payments Bank since 2017 offering non-life insurance.
Apart from that, these new insurance products which have now been introduced is based on innovative
insurance solutions complement Fino’s technology-enabled platforms.
iii.Apart from the insurance products introduced, the insurance purchasing process has also been
simplified. The Fino Payments Bank provide only 5-7 minutes of total time to complete the customer
enrolment process.
About Fino Payment Bank:
Fact – The bank was incorporated on 4th April, 2017 with the name Fino Payments Bank Limited.
Chairman- Mahendra Kumar Chouhan; Headoffice – Mumbai
Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Director (CEO)- Rishi Gupta.
NBFCs with Rs 500 crore assets now under the purview of IBC
On November 18, 2019, In exercise of the powers conferred by section 227 of the Insolvency and
Bankruptcy Code (IBC), 2016 (31 of 2016), the Ministry of corporate affairs, Government of India
(GoI) in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued a notification that enumerates the
category of financial services providers (FSP) who can go for “generic framework” under IBC.
Key Points:
i.Now the Non-Banking Financial Companies -NBFCs (which include housing finance companies-
HFCs) with assets worth at least Rs 500 crore can be taken for debt resolution & liquidation
proceedings under the provisions of the IBC, 2016 read with the Insolvency and Bankruptcy
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(Insolvency and Liquidation Proceedings of Financial Service Providers and Application to Adjudicating
Authority) Rules, 2019.
ii.This move will help to overcome the problems in the NBFC sector which are currently facing liquidity
crisis.
About Ministry of corporate affairs:
Union Minister -Nirmala Sitharaman
Minister of State for Corporate Affairs– Anurag Thakur
About RBI:
Founded-April 1, 1935
Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
Governor– Shaktikanta Das
MoUs & AGREEMENTS IN NEWS

CSIR’s IMTECH Chandigarh signed MoU with IIT Bombay for collaborative research
On November 13, 2019, the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)-Institute of Microbial
Technology (IMTECH), Chandigarh has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) in New
Delhi with Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB) to promote collaborative research.
Focus: Through this MoU both the institutes will exchange ideas, develop new knowledge and enhance
high quality research. The main aim of this MoU is to carry out research in areas of healthcare.
Key Points:
i.MoU signing: The MoU was signed by Prof. Milind Atrey, Dean of Research & Development(R&D) from
IITB and Dr. Manoj Raje, Officiating Director CSIR-IMTECH.
ii.The MoU was in line with the circular issued by the MHRD (Ministry of Human Resource
Development) of 2018. The circular insisted for a collaboration for all the IITs to sign MoU with national
research laboratories affiliated to CSIR
Members present: Dr. Shekhar C. Mande, Director General(DG) of CSIR and Secretary DSIR and others
were present.
About CSIR:
Established- 26 September 1942.
President- Prime Minister of India shri Narendra Modi.
CSIR-IMTECH establishment- 1984.
IMTECH vision- To discover and develop translational products and new drugs to address key unmet
societal and medical needs.
Indian Railways & France’s Alstom signed a purchase-cum-maintenance agreement with MELPL
On November 14, 2019, To deliver the 10 locomotives in FY (fiscal year) 2019-20, Indian Railways &
French multinational company Alstom have entered into procurement cum maintenance agreement
with Bihar based Madhepura Electric Locomotive Pvt. Ltd. (MELPL), where the India’s most
powerful electric locomotives are being manufactured.
In 2015, the project worth 3.5 billion Euro order for supplying 800 high-powered electric
locomotives to the Indian Railways was handed over to Alstom.This is for the 1st time in the world by
any railway, a locomotive with so much horsepower is being tested on a network of large lines.
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Key Points:
i.Under the largest FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) project , Indian Railways tied up to bring about
massive changes in the scenario of heavy cargo transportation in India.
ii.Background: Alstom introduced this new twin Bo-Bo design Locomotive with 22.5 T (Tonnes) axle
load upgradable to 25Tonnes with design speed of 120 kmph will be powered by 12000HP in March
2018.
Based on the results of its testing, Alstom has designed the entire locomotive with a new compartment
(bogie). The Research Design and Standards Organization (RDSO) inspected the new design of the
locomotive at the Madhepura factory and then approved its departure from the factory.
iii.Alstom ,under its plan will supply 10 locomotives in FY 2019-20, 90 locomotives in FY 2020-21 and
then 100 locomotives every year after March 2021.
iv.Benefits: It will help the movement of coal-powered trains to the dedicated freight corridor. The
success of this project will give a big boost to the ‘Make in India’ initiative of the Indian government.
This will lead to faster development of auxiliary units for locomotive parts.
With 100 % electrification, the new locomotive will not only reduce the operating cost of the railways,
but will also free the Indian Railways from congestion.
About Indian Railways:
Founded -16 April 1853
Headquarters -New Delhi
Union minister– Piyush Goyal
About Alstom:
Headquarters- Saint-Ouen, France
Chairman and CEO -Henri Poupart-Lafarge
COMMITTEES IN NEWS
Atul Karwal panel formed to implement home minister Amit Shah’s 100 days homestay of CAPF
jawans
On November 8, 2019 the centre has formed a 7 member panel headed by Central Reserve Police
Force(CRPF) Additional Director General (ADG) Atul Karwal to implement union home minister Amit
Shah’s order of implementing 100 days homestay of the CAPF(Central Armed Police Forces) jawans.
Key Points:
i.This would enable around 7 lakh CAPF jawans to spend 100 days with their families in a year.
ii.The panel was asked to submit its report within 4 weeks.
iii.A software may also be designed for digitisation of deployment with respect to the 100 days home
stay.
About CAPF:
CAPF units- There are 7 units under CAPF. They are Central Reserve Police Force(CRPF), Border
Security Force(BSF), Central Industrial Security Force(CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police(ITBP),
Sashastra Seema Bal(SSB) and Assam Rifles(AR) and National Security Guard(NSG).
First women in CAPF- In 1992 Asha Sinha created history by being the first Woman Commandant of
any of the Central Armed Forces in India.
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Committee chaired by Mihir Shah to draft a new National Water Policy announced
On November 11, 2019, the union ministry of water resources (MoWR) has announced a committee to
draft a new National Water Policy (NWP). The committee comprising of 10 members, will be headed
by Mihir Shah, a former planning commission member and a water expert. The committee will have to
produce its report within 6 months.
Key Points:
i.Some members of the committee include Shashi Shekhar, former Secretary of Water Resources,
Ashwin Pandya, former chairman of the Central Ground Water Board.
ii.NWP: The NWP was initially drafted in 2012 to manage the integrated water resources. The policy
also proposed to maintain minimum water levels to be maintained in the river Ganga in 2018.
About ministry of water resources/jal shakthi:
Founded- September 1985
Union minister- Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
Minister of State(MoS)- Rattan Lal Kataria.
DPIIT sets up 23-member Development council headed by Guruprasad Mohapatra for Bicycle
On November 16, 2019, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade
(DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India (GoI) has set up a 23 -
member Development Council headed by Guruprasad Mohapatra (Secretary DPIIT) for Bicycle.
The Council , active for 2 years, will be responsible for planning in design, engineering and
manufacturing of lighter, smarter, value added, safe and faster premium bicycles which are comparable
with global standards for exports and domestic market.
Key Points:
i.About the council: The Joint Secretary, Light Engineering Industry Division in DPIIT, will be the
Member Secretary. The Council has 9 ex-officio members from DPIIT and Department of Commerce,
Ministries of Housing and Urban Affairs, Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Health and Family
Welfare, Road Transport and Highways, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Micro, Small and
Medium Enterprises (MSME) and Bureau of Indian Standards(BIS). 7 expert domain members and 4
nominated members will also be a part of the council.
ii.Terms of Reference (ToR):The prime role of the council are as follows,
• It will work to improve competitiveness and level of services and transform Indian bicycle
technology.
• With the support of schemes and favorable trade policies, it should promote the export
competitiveness of bicycles.
• The Council should ensure the development of the ecosystem.
• It should work for the development of skilled human resources development for bicycle
manufacturing and repair shops & should identify and study the best international practices
and success stories to adopt for bicycle manufacturing, recycling, and infrastructure
development in India.
About Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade:
Founded- 1995
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Company Law Committee-2019 submitted report on Companies act 2013 to Finance Minister
On November 19, 2019 the Union Minister of Women and Child Development(MoWCD) and Textiles,
Smt Smriti Zubin Irani, addressed the 2nd edition of the South Asia Safety Summit 2019 in New
Delhi. The summit was organised by WCD and online social media and social networking
service,Facebook. Facebook has collaborated with Women and Child Development(WCD) Ministry to
increase digital literacy in India .
Aim: The aim of the summit is to highlight the issue of safety while individuals and communities are
connected on the digital platform.
“We Think Digital” website launched:
Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani launched “We Think Digital” digital learning programme during the summit.
The website is an online education portal with many tutorials to help people think critically and share
thoughtfully online. “We Think Digital” is a 4-part course and the topics covered include privacy, safety,
security, digital discourse and knowing your digital footprint. The programme will focus on online
safety, privacy and misinformation.
Cyber-crime portal launched:
Along with the Ministry of Home Affairs(MoHA), Ministry of WCD has launched a cyber-crime portal to
help women to lodge complaints of cyberbullying, online shaming and online threats.
Key Points:
i.The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2017 reported that nearly 3 lakh crimes registered
against women were committed by husbands and relatives. It was also reported in the NCRB data that
42% of men justify domestic violence and 62% of women support domestic violence. To tackle these
issues, the above initiatives were launched.
ii.Steps taken by WCD ministry to service the need of women:
• One stop centres are being introduced in the country. The WCD ministry also aims to open 10
one stop centres every month. An operational one stop centre will be launched in every
district by the end of the year.
• Anti-trafficking units will be set up in the country. It is also the first ever such initiative
undertaken by the govt.
• Women help desks are being set up in the country in each police station to make it more
accessible to women and children.
• WCD also list all sex offenders in India that would be helpful in case of background checks of
employees.
About Ministry of Women and Child Development:
Minister of State(MoS)- Sushri Debasree Chaudhuri.
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SUMMITS & CONFERENCES

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan inaugurated 3rd “Global Ayurveda Summit” at Kochi
The governor of Kerala Arif Mohammed Khan inaugurated the 2-day organized 3rd edition of
the Global Ayurveda Summit 2019 in Kochi from October 30-31, 2019. The theme of the summit was
‘Mainstreaming Ayurveda through Startups, Innovation and Branding’ and was organised by the
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
Aim: The summit also focused on the aim of creating a global marketplace for Ayurveda, ensuring
growth through start-ups as a ₹50,000-crore industry by 2025.
i.Events held:
• The highlight of the summit was the 2nd edition of the startup competition for Ayurveda-
“Ayurstart”. B2B (Business-to-Business) meeting were also part of the summit.
• During the summit, panel discussions on startup opportunity in Ayurveda, funding schemes
for Ayurveda, packaging, marketing of Ayurveda, and Promoting Kerala as a destination for
Ayurveda Education were held.
ii.Ayurveda growth: Ayurveda is currently growing at a compounded annual growth rate of 16.2%.
iii.Members present: Paul Thomas, chairman of CII Kerala and founder, managing director(MD) and
Chief Executive Officer of Esaf (Evangelical Social Action Forum) Microfinance Investments Pvt Ltd, Dr
Anil Kumar, executive director of the Kerala Ayurveda Ltd,S Sajikumar, Chairman of the Global
Ayurveda Summit 2019, delegations from SAARC(South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation),
GCC(Gulf Cooperation Council) and African countries and 45 Ayurveda tour operators of 30 countries
participated in the summit.
Union minister of agriculture, Narendra singh tomar held bilateral meeting with his German
counterpart Ms. Julia klockner in New Delhi
On November 1, 2019, The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shri Narendra Singh
Tomar held bilateral meeting with his German counterpart Ms. Julia Klockner, German Minister of
Food & Agriculture in New Delhi.
India & Germany Sign joint declaration of intent on cooperation in agriculture market
development
Both Ministers of India & Germany signed a Joint Declaration of Intent on cooperation in agriculture
market development, during the meeting.
Key points:
i.The priority of India has changed to farmer-centric from production centric, the aim of doubling
farmers’ income & agriculture exports to $60 billion by 2022 (target of Agriculture Export Policy 2018),
lowering input cost, creating competitive markets and boosting the value chain for agriculture and
allied sectors.
ii.Both sides affirmed the target of achieving ‘Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG2)- End Hunger and
Doubling Agricultural Productivity’.
iii.The meet also witnessed the areas of cooperation such as Mechanization, Post Harvest management,
Supply chain, market access and Export issues, food safety and consumer protection (for this working
Group was formed in 2008).
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7th India-US economic and financial partnership dialogue 2019 held in New Delhi
On November 1, 2019,In order to deepen the economic partnership, the 7th meeting of India-US
(United States) Economic and Financial partnership (EFP) dialogue 2019 between the Ministry of
Finance of the Republic of India and the Department of the Treasury, United States of America (USA)
was held in New Delhi. The Indian side was led by Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Finance,
Government of India (GoI) & the U.S. delegation was led by Mr. Steven Mnuchin, U.S. Secretary of the
Treasury.
Key Points:
i.The meet focused on a range of issues such as the global, US, and Indian economic outlooks, global
debt sustainability, financial sector reforms, leveraging of capital flows and investment, and tackling
money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism.
ii.US reiterates its stand to support India for hosting a successful 2022 Presidency of the G20 (Group of
20) summit.
iii.The meet also witnessed the cooperation between the two nations to attract more private sector
capital to finance India’s infrastructure needs and further raise growth for both countries. India has set
up the National Infrastructure and Investment Fund (NIIF) to promote private institutional investment
in Indian infrastructure, for which the US has provided technical support.
India & US agreed to enhancing cooperation for money-laundering cases
On November 1, 2019, Both the nations of India & US (United States) have agreed to enhance
cooperation in tackling money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism, during 7th meeting
of the Economic and Financial Partnership (EFP) held in New Delhi.
Key Points:
i.India has affirmed its support for action against non-compliant countries, which are not cooperate to
work on developing AML/CFT (Anti-Money Laundering / Countering Financing of Terrorism)
frameworks to mitigate the associated illicit finance risks.
ii.Background: In June, 2019, India imposed tariffs on 28 American products, including walnuts and
almonds, in retaliation for the U.S. ending India’s preferential trade status.
8th Indo German Energy Forum 2019 meet held in New Delhi
The 8th edition of the Indo – German Energy Forum (IGEF) was conducted on November 1, 2019
in New Delhi. From the Indian side, it was co-chaired by Sanjiv Nandan Sahai, Secretary of power
ministry while from the German side it was chaired by Mr. Christian Hirte, Secretary of State of the
federal ministry of economic affairs and energy.
8 MoU signed:
During the forum a total of 8 Memorandum of Understandings(MoU) were signed by the Ministry of
Power and Ministry of New & Renewable Energy with the German counterparts. The MoUs were on
• Flexibilization in thermal power plants
• Renewable energies
• Energy efficiency and low carbon strategies
• Green energy corridors
Sub groups were also created on the above mentioned areas, where regular meetings will be conducted
hereafter.
Key Points:
i.Future collaborations: The future collaborations between the two nations were also finalised. These
include areas such as promoting markets for solar energy, promoting energy efficiency through Energy
Conservation Building Code(ECBC), flexibilisation of existing coal fired power plants etc.
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About Ministry of Power and renewable energy:

Founded- 2 July 1992.
Minister of State (MOS-Independent charge)- Shri Raj Kumar Singh.
Other ministry of RK Singh– MoS of skill development and entrepreneurship
10th meeting of Heads of authorities of SCO member states on emergency situations 2019 held
in New Delhi
On November 8, 2019, Union Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah chaired 10th Meeting of the Heads
of Departments of Member-States of SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization), dealing with
Prevention and Elimination of Emergency Situations held in New Delhi.
Key Points:
i.India provides the special importance to initiate the efforts of all SCO member States in the field of
multilateral, political, security, economic, and people-to-people interactions in the region and
developing personal understanding amongst teams when they jointly work together to tackle any
emergency situation.
ii.The parties delivered reports on the major emergencies that happened in the SCO Member-States &
also exchanged opinions on future cooperation in Prevention and Elimination of Emergency Situations
within the SCO framework.
iii.The protocol has also signed to open better cooperation between SCO nations.The SCO member
states praised India for a successful hosting of 3-day organized Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
(SCO) joint exercise on urban earthquake search and rescue (SCOJtEx)-2019 held in New Delhi from
November 4-7, 2019.It was organized by National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)
About SCO:It is an intergovernmental organization founded in Shanghai on 15 June 2001. The SCO
currently comprises eight Member States (China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan,
Tajikistan and Uzbekistan).It has mainly focused on regional security issues, its fight against regional
terrorism, ethnic separatism and religious extremism.
1st Rising Himachal: Global Investor’s Meet 2019 held at Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh from
Nov 7-8, 2019
The Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the 2-day organised first edition of
the ‘Rising Himachal: Global Investor’s Meet 2019’ at Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh. The meet
which was held from November 7-8, 2019 was organised by the Himachal State govt. The partner
country for the event was United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Event aim: The aim of the event was to showcase investment opportunities and to boost manufacturing
and employment generation.
Key focus areas: 8 sectors were focused during the meeting. They were on agri-business and post-
harvest technology, manufacturing and pharmaceuticals, tourism and hospitality, civil aviation, hydro
and renewable energy, wellness, healthcare and AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha,
Sowa Rigpa and Homoeopathy), housing and urban development, Information Technology-enabled
service (ITes)and electronics, education and skill development.
Brand Ambassador: The Brand Ambassador for Investors’ Meet was Bollywood actress Yami Gautam.
Key Highlights
• Rohtang Tunnel completion: The near stage completion of construction of the Rohtang
tunnel built under the Rohtang Pass in the eastern Pir Panjal range of the Himalayas on the
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Leh-Manali Highway was discussed. This tunnel once completed would be the longest road
tunnel in India with length 8.8km
• Task force for scheme implementation tracking: The Union Minister of Commerce and
Industry & Railways, Piyush Goyal announced setting up of high level task force for fast
tracking the schemes implemented by the govt. The task force will be constituted with
Secretary Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade Secretary as chairperson.
Other representatives of this scheme involves Union Ministries of agriculture and food
processing, railways and tourism.
• Himachal’s MoU target: The target of signing Rs 85000 crore worth Memorandum of
understanding (MoU) was surpassed by the Himachal govt. The MoU signed by it now stands
at worth Rs 92,000 crore.
• A coffee table book regarding the global investors meet was also released at the event by the
Prime Minister.
• Event sessions: various sessions on Ease of Doing Business(EoDB), tourism, AYUSH,
economic ties between India and UAE were held.
• The PM also visited an exhibition showcasing the investment potential and opportunities of
Himachal.
• Union Home Minister Amit Shah, presided over the conclusion event of the summit.
1st ever ‘BIMSTEC Ports’ Conclave held in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh from November 7-8,
2019
The Minister of State (MoS- independent charge) for Shipping, Shri Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated
the 1st edition of the ‘BIMSTEC Ports’ Conclave’ held in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh(AP). Vizag
port trust in AP, hosted the conclave.
Aim: The aim of the conclave was to strengthen the maritime interaction, port-led connectivity
initiatives and sharing the best practices of the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral
Technical and Economic Cooperation) member countries.
BIMSTEC members: Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal and Bhutan.
3 Mou Signed:
A total of 3 Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) was signed between Ranong Port (Port Authority of
Thailand) and the Port Trusts of Chennai, Visakhapatnam and Kolkata for strengthening the port
connectivity which is one of the key objectives of the BIMSTEC member countries. This port
connectivity is also part of India’s act east policy.
• Through this MoU, economic partnership will be enhanced by reducing the sea travel time
between India and Thailand to 7 day from 10-15 days.
Other key highlights:
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region)
highlighting the motto of “ Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas (Collective Efforts Inclusive Growth)”
that provides Peace, Prosperity and Security was reiterated in the conclave.
• Members present: Minister of Tourism, Culture and Youth Advancement, Govt of Andhra
Pradesh Shri M S Rao; Minister of Industry, Commerce and Information Technology, Govt of
Andhra Pradesh Shri MG Reddy along with Member of Parliament from Visakhapatnam Shri
M.V.V. Satyanarayana and other officials attended the event.
About BIMSTEC:
As for now, there are Four BIMSTEC Summits were held , they are – 2008 (New Delhi), 2014 (Nay Pyi
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Taw), ans 2018(Kathmandu). A ‘BIMSTEC Outreach Summit and Leader’s summit’ was held in Goa in
2016.Founded- 6 June 1997.
Headquarters- Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Facts- The BIMSTEC region comprises of 22% of the world population. So far 4 BIMSTEC summits have
been held.
Innovation for Defence Excellence (iDEX) conference was held in New Delhi
On November 11 2019, The Ministry of Defence (MoD) organized ‘Def-Connect’ to showcase the
achievements of the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) initiative and create a strong outreach
towards the future entrepreneurs of the defence sector. The aim of this conference is to connect all
stakeholders of iDEX ecosystem to showcase the countries growth towards defence sector. Defence
Minister Rajnath Singh was the Chief Guest of the event.
Key Points: –
i.Launch of iDEX Portal, launch of Defence India Startup Challenge (DISC)-III – These two launches
are some of the major activities of the event. The Panel discussions with eminent personalities in the
field of innovation in defence sector are also being held.
ii.Stakeholders– iDEX ecosystem, Ministry of defence, iDEX selected startups, Partner Incubators,
Defence Innovation Organization (DIO), Nodal agencies (Indian Army, Navy, Air force), Defence
Research (DR) and Development Organization (DO) and Defence Public Sector (DPS) Undertakings and
Indian Ordnance Factories (IOF) are the stakeholders.
iii.Participants- Over 350 startups and innovators working on various defence technologies are
participated in the event.
iv.This year’s event is a predecessor Startup showcase, for the fore-coming DefExpo 2020 held on Uttar
Pradesh capital of Lucknow in February 5-8 2020.
About Defence Ministry: –
Headquarter-New Delhi
Formed- August 15 1947
Constituency -Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh)
1st Sanskrit Bharati Vishwa Sammelan held in New Delhi from Nov 9-11, 2019
The Sanskrit Bharati Vishwa Sammelan, which is a first of its kind global conference on the Sanskrit
language was held in New Delhi from November 9-11, 2019. The conference, organised by Samskrita
Bharati, focused on discussing ideas, theories & research findings of the Sanskrit language. During the
conference, an exhibition titled “Sanskriti Pradarshini” was put up displaying manus, models and
charts showcasing the development of the Sanskrit language.
CM Jairam Thakur honoured:
Chief Minister(CM) of Himachal Pradesh(HP) Shri Jairam Thakur was honoured by Vice President Shri
Venkaiah Naidu at the conference, for giving second language status to Sanskrit in the state.
Key Points:
i.Members present: Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Minister of State for
External Affairs(MoS-EA) Vellamvelly Muraleedharan and other officials were present during the event.
ii.Samskrita Bharati is a non-profit organisation working to revive Sanskrit.
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Inaugural conclave on “National Capital Region -2041” held in New Delhi

On November 11, 2019, The inaugural conclave on “National Capital Region(NCR) -2041” with
the theme of the “Planning for Tomorrow’s Greatest Capital Region” was held in Vigyan
Bhawan, New Delhi. Organized by the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB), the Conclave
was chaired by Shri Durga Shankar Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs,
Government of India(GoI).
Key Points:
i. Aim: The conclave aims to encourage deeper participation from all the stakeholders to address
various issues related to the development of the largest metropolitan region of the world. As per a
report by the United Nation (UN), by 2028, Delhi is set to become the world’s largest metropolis
overtaking Tokyo.
ii.Background: On September 17, 2005, the Regional Plan with the horizon year 2021 was notified and
is presently active. A Regional Plan with next horizon year 2041 is required to be prepared now. The
2041 plan will address various sectors, namely Transport, Regional Land use, Water, Solid Waste,
Power, Sewerage, etc.
iii.Partakers: The Conclave saw the participation from all NCR participating States, concerned
Ministries/Departments of Government of India, Knowledge Institutions, Industries, Housing
Associations, and other stakeholders
India to host SCO’s 19th Heads of government council meet in 2020

On November 12, 2019, Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation(SCO) Vladimir
Norov, announced that India would host the 19th council of heads of government in 2020. The
meeting will be organized in New Delhi. This is the first time India will be hosting the meeting after its
admission into SCO as a member in 2017.
Key Points:
i.The announcement to host the meeting was done during the 18th meeting of SCO’s Heads of
Government Council held at Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
About SCO:
Headquarters- Beijing, China
SCO members- China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan.
4 Observer states- Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia.
6 dialogue partners- Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Nepal, Turkey, and Sri Lanka
27th Conference of Central and State Statistical Organizations (COCSSO) held in Kolkata, West
Bengal
27th Conference of Central and State Statistical Organizations (COCSSO) was held in Kolkata, West
Bengal from November 11-12, 2019. The theme of this conference was “Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs)” which highlights the actions taken by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme
Implementation (MoSPI) for a strong observing mechanism for Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs). Prof. Bimal K Roy, Chairman, National statistical commission (NSC) inaugurated this
conference.
COCSSO-This annual event was first organized in 1971 by MoSPI. COCSSO is a major national forum
that produces coordination between the Central and State Statistical Agencies.
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Key Points: –
i.Aim- It provides a platform to bring all stakeholders together and discuss about the statistical matter
of interest.
ii.Participants- Delegations including Shri Pravin Srivastava, Chief Statistician of India-cum- Secretary,
Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Government of India. Dr. G. C. Manna,
Member, National Statistical Commission, Shri Vijay Kumar, Director General (Surveys), National
Statistical Office and Shri T. K. Sanyal, Director General (Economic Statistics), National Statistical Office
were also present on the occasion. Representatives from Central Government Ministries, State
Governments, international agencies, academic institutions, corporate sector, community
organizations, and other stakeholders participated in the conference.
India-ASEAN Business Summit 2019 held in New Delhi

Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (I/C) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS
PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, has addressed the 2-
day India-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Business Summit 2019 based on
the theme “Today, Tomorrow, Together” held at LPS Auditorium in PHD House, New Delhi from
November 11-12, 2019.
Key Points:
i.The primary aim of the summit was to promote the bilateral trade relations between India and ASEAN
nations to new scale.
ii.The event saw the participation of over 60 delegates from the 10 ASEAN countries and more than 200
delegates from India.
iii.ASEAN member countries will play a key role in achieving the target of 5 trillion economy in India by
2024-25.
About ASEAN:
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, was established on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok,
Thailand. There are 10 permanent members of this association.It includes, Brunei Bandar, Cambodia,
Indonesia, Malaysia , Myanmar , Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos.
6th World Congress on Rural and Agricultural Finance held in New Delhi
The 6th World Congress on Rural and Agricultural Finance(WCRAF) which was inaugurated by the
Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, was held in New Delhi from
November 12-13, 2019. It was jointly organised by Asia-Pacific Rural and Agricultural Credit
Association (APRACA), National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and Ministry
of Agriculture Farmers Welfare and Cooperation(MoAFWC). Theme: The theme of the event was
“Rural and Agricultural Finance: Critical Input to achieve Inclusive and Sustainable
Development”.
Aim: The aim of the event was to bring the global stakeholders of rural and agriculture finance and to
strengthen their business relations.
Key Speeches:
• Digitisation of NABARD’s SHG: NABARD’s largest Self Help Group(SHG)-Bank Linkage
Programme working for the benefit of millions of rural women will soon be moved to a digital
platform.
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• Support to J&K and Ladakh: NABARD was directed to extend its support to the farmers in
the states of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. It was also directed to focus on marketing of
nutrients in the coastal areas of the country.
• FPO formation: India which provides agriculture credit worth $200 billion every year to the
small and marginal farmers, will be enhanced effectively once the 10000 FPOs are formed.
The formation of FPOs was announced during the 2019 union budget.
i.Co-organisers: The event was co-organised by 4 other associations. They were Confédération
Internationale du Crédit Agricole (CICA); African Rural and Agricultural Credit Association (AFRACA);
Asociación Latinoamericana de Instituciones Financieras Para el Desarrollo (ALIDE); and Near East–
North Africa Regional Agricultural Credit Association (NENARACA).
ii.Members present: Shri Debasish Panda, additional Secretary of Department of agriculture,
cooperation and farmer welfare;Dr Harsh Kumar Bhanwala, Chairman of NABARD; Mr Senarath
Bandara, Chief Executive Officer(CEO), Bank of Ceylon(BoC) and Chairman of APRACA; Shri. Prasun
Kumar Das, Secretary General of APRACA and others were present during the event.
About NABARD:
Fact- NABARD is entrusted with matters concerning policy planning and operations in the field of
credit for agriculture and other economic activities in rural areas in India.
Committee- it was formed recommendations of B.Sivaraman Committee.
Headquarters- Mumbai.
Formation- July 12, 1982.
Act- National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development Act 1981.
About APRACA:
Fact- APRACA is a regional association that works for the promotion, cooperation, and facilitates
mutual exchange of information in the field of rural finance.
Members present- APRACA comprises of 81 member institutions from 21 countries.
Headquarters- Manila, Philippines.
Chairman- Senarath Bandara.
Vice Chairman- Dr Harsh Kumar Bhanwala.
Petroleum minister Dharmendra pradhan attends 35th ADIPEC 2019 held in Abu Dhabi, UAE
Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel has
attended 35th edition of Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition & Conference (ADIPEC)
2019 based on the theme “Oil and Gas 4.0” held in Abu Dhabi, UAE (United Arab Emirates) from 11 –
14 November 2019.
Key Points:
i.The conference, hosted by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), explores how upstream
companies can navigate the new and challenging times facing the industry.
ii.It saw the participation of over 1,45,000 people from Government Ministers, global industry CEOs,
policymakers, and leading energy companies.
Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurates the India Pavilion in UAE
Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan along with Dr. Sultan Ahmad Al Jaber, UAE Minister of
State and CEO, ADNOC jointly inaugurated the India Pavilions (a platform to showcase Indian Cinema
in the overseas market) set up by 9 Indian Oil & Gas companies from the upstream, midstream,
downstream and engineering segments, along with Federation of Indian Petroleum Industry (FIPI),
Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) at the ADIPEC
conference 2019.
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Key Points:
i.As per Mr. Pradhan, India would invest $100 billion in refining, pipelines and gas terminals by the year
2024 .
ii.Mr. Pradhan held talks with H.E. Suhail Mohamed Faraj Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Industry,
and H.E. Dr. Sultan Ahmad Al Jaber, Minister of State and ADNOC Group CEO. They discussed issues of
bilateral hydrocarbon and steel sectors that are engaged within the overall framework of the India-UAE
Strategic Partnership.
iii.Indian governmental regulatory body Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) conducted a
Roadshow to attract foreign investment by global oil and gas majors in India’s Exploration &
Production (E&P) and other areas in the oil and gas sector.
ADIPEC :
It is one of the world’s largest, most important and influential oil and gas events that brings together
industry stakeholders and experts to share knowledge and exchange ideas on a brighter future for the
energy sector.
India to host the 8th edition of ICAS (ICAS-VIII) for the first time in New Delhi
The 8th edition of the International Conference on Agricultural Statistics (ICAS-VIII), for the first time
is to be hosted by India, from November 18-21 2019 in New Delhi. Dr. Trilochan Mohapatra Director
General of ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) & Secretary of Department of Agricultural
Research and Education (DARE) inaugurated the logo of the conference. The conference will be
inaugurated by the Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar.
The Chief guest of the event will be Bill Gates (original name William Henry Gates III), co-founder of
Microsoft Corporation.
Theme: The theme for the 2019 conference is “Statistics for Transformation of Agriculture to Achieve
the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”.
Conference Aim: The aim of the conference is to address challenges faced in producing data to report
on the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) and to obtain/finalise best practises in agriculture
statistics.
Key Points:
i.Conference organisers: The conference will be organised by the Ministry of Statistics and
Programme Implementation, International Statistical Institute-Central Administration of Statistics(ISI-
CAS), Food and Agriculture Organisation(FAO), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA),
Asian Development Bank(ADB), World Bank (WB), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Eurostat, African
Development Bank (AfDB) and various other organizations.
ii.Participants: Over 600 delegates from 108 countries are expected to participate in the event.
iii.Previous/7th edition: The 7th/previous edition of the conference was conducted in the year 2016
in Rome, Italy. The conference is held once every 3 years, with it first conference conducted in the year
1998.
About Agriculture ministry:
Founded- 1947.
Minister of State(MoS)- Parshottam Rupala.
Other portfolios of Narendra Singh Tomar- Minister of rural development, Minister of Panchayati
Raj.
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21st Annual Conference of International Society of Addiction

A 4-day long organised 21st (XXI) annual conference of the International Society of Addiction
Medicine(ISAM) was held in New Delhi from November 13-16, 2019. Union Minister for Social Justice
& Empowerment, Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot addressed the event. The conference was about drug
addiction and its prevention for the citizens in the country.
Theme: The theme for 2019 conference was “Addiction in a Rapidly Changing World“.
Key Points:
i.The Ministry for Social Justice & Empowerment is the nodal agency for reducing the activities related
to substance use disorder. It commissioned a national level survey conducted by AIIMS regarding
substance use activities. The report was released in February 2019 and showed that large no of people
was in need of help for their addiction.
ii.Events held: Delegated from more than 30 countries participated in the event. The event comprised
of 40 lectures, 80 symposia and workshops on various aspects of disorders.
iii.Organisers and supporters:
• The conference was organised by the Department of Psychiatry & National Drug Dependence
Treatment Centre (NDDTC), All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi in
collaboration with the World Psychiatric Association(WPA), the World Association of Social
Psychiatry (WASP), the Indian Psychiatric Society(IPS) and the Indian Association for Social
Psychiatry.
• The conference was supported by the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment (MoSJ&E),
Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoH&FW) and the Department of Revenue(DoR),
Ministry of Finance(MoF).
About International Society of Addiction Medicine(ISAM):
Fact- ISAM is an international collaboration of physicians working in the field of addictive disorders. It
works in delivering high- quality patient-centred care all over the world.
Formed- 1999.
President and chair- Dr.Kathleen Brady.
AYUSH Minister Shripad Naik inaugurates 5th International conference on yoga 2019 at Mysuru,
Karnataka
On November 15, 2019, Shri Shripad Yesso Naik, the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for
AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) and Defence has inaugurated
2- day 5th International Conference on Yoga 2019 based on the theme ‘Yoga for Heart Care’ at
Karnataka state open University in Mysuru, Karnataka organized by Ministry of AYUSH.
Key Points:
i. It commemorate the unanimous adoption of Resolution by the United Nations General Assembly
(UNGA) during its 69th Session for observing June 21st as the International Day of Yoga.
ii.A total of 10 technical sessions involving fifty resource persons & experts, organized during the
Conference. Vd. Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary Ministry of AYUSH, Swami Ram Dev, Patanjali Yog Peeth,
Minister of State (MoS) for Health and Family Welfare Ashwini Kumar Choubey were present during
the event.
iii.For the welfare of individual yoga trainers & Yoga Training institutions, the ministry has constituted
a Yoga Certification Board for the certification and accreditation.
iv.Earlier, the ministry has also launched a mobile app called ‘Yoga Locator’/ Bhuvan Yoga in
cooperation with ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) to locate the yoga events and training
programmes in India.
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About Ministry of AYUSH:

Founded– 9 November 2014
2nd edition of South Asia Safety Summit 2019 held in New Delhi
On November 19, 2019 the Union Minister of Women and Child Development(MoWCD) and Textiles,
Smt Smriti Zubin Irani, addressed the 2nd edition of the South Asia Safety Summit 2019 in New
Delhi. The summit was organised by WCD and online social media and social networking
service,Facebook. Facebook has collaborated with Women and Child Development(WCD) Ministry to
increase digital literacy in India .
Aim: The aim of the summit is to highlight the issue of safety while individuals and communities are
connected on the digital platform.
“We Think Digital” website launched:
Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani launched “We Think Digital” digital learning programme during the summit.
The website is an online education portal with many tutorials to help people think critically and share
thoughtfully online. “We Think Digital” is a 4-part course and the topics covered include privacy, safety,
security, digital discourse and knowing your digital footprint. The programme will focus on online
safety, privacy and misinformation.
Cyber-crime portal launched:
Along with the Ministry of Home Affairs(MoHA), Ministry of WCD has launched a cyber-crime portal to
help women to lodge complaints of cyberbullying, online shaming and online threats.
Key Points:
i.The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2017 reported that nearly 3 lakh crimes registered
against women were committed by husbands and relatives. It was also reported in the NCRB data that
42% of men justify domestic violence and 62% of women support domestic violence. To tackle these
issues, the above initiatives were launched.
ii.Steps taken by WCD ministry to service the need of women:
• One stop centres are being introduced in the country. The WCD ministry also aims to open 10
one stop centres every month. An operational one stop centre will be launched in every
district by the end of the year.
• Anti-trafficking units will be set up in the country. It is also the first ever such initiative
undertaken by the govt.
• Women help desks are being set up in the country in each police station to make it more
accessible to women and children.
• WCD also list all sex offenders in India that would be helpful in case of background checks of
employees.
About Ministry of Women and Child Development:
Minister of State(MoS)- Sushri Debasree Chaudhuri.
Spain offered to organize COP25 climate summit 2019 in Madrid after Chile’s withdrawal
On November 1, 2019, The Spanish government confirmed that it has offered to host the 2019 United
Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference (also known as Conference of the Parties (COP) 25
climate summit 2019) in Madrid on the original scheduled dates of December 2-13, 2019. Previously
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this conference was to be held in Chile but in view of the anti-government protest in Santiago, there will
no longer be a conference held in Chile.
Key points:
i.The summit is usually an important moment for taking stock of where the world stands on climate
change.
ii.COP25 was originally supposed to be held in Brazil. But in November 2018 just two months after
being announced as the summit’s host nation, Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro pulled out, citing
economic reasons.
iii.COP25: The conference was supposed to incorporate the 25th COP to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change -UNFCCC (an international environmental treaty adopted on 9 May
1992), the 15th meeting of the parties for the Kyoto Protocol (CMP15, an international treaty which
extends the 1992 UNFCCC), and the 2nd meeting of the parties for the Paris Agreement (CMA2).
50th World Economic Forum to be held in Switzerland in January 2020

The 50th edition of the World Economic Forum(WEF) is to be held in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, from
21-24 January 2020. The theme of the forum is fixed as ‘Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable
World.’
Telangana IT minister invited:
The president of the WEF Børge Brende, has invited Telangana Information and Technology(IT)
minister Kalvakuntla Taraka Rama Rao, to the forum appreciating his work of launching various IT
initiatives in the state.
About WEF:
Formation- January 1971.
Founder- Klaus Schwab.
Headquarters- Cologny, Switzerland.
LS Speaker Om Birla address the 6th parliamentary speakers’ summit of G20 countries
Lok sabha speaker Om Birla composed the Indian Parliament delegation for 6th parliamentary summit
of G20 countries, held in Tokyo, Japan from November 3-5, 2019. G20 presiding officer of parliament
attended the summit. The summit is unofficially called P20, which was hosted by the Inter-
Parliamentary Union (IPU), headquartered in Geneva and the House of Councilors of National Diet
of Japan.
The summit had three sessions on separate themes related to trade, technology and sustainable
development. The gathering of this summit was about the terrorism which destroying the system of
economy.
Highlights of P20 Summit
i.The themes of three sessions are: –
• First session – “Promotion of free, open and Fair Trade and Investment”
• Second session – “Utilization of Innovative Technology towards the human-centered Future
Society” and
• Third session – “Efforts towards the resolution of Global Challenges and
Achievement Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs: Financing for Development, Need for
Transparent and Effective Government, etc.)’.
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2nd ‘No money for terror conference 2019’ held in Melbourne, Australia
On November 7, 2019, As per the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri G.Kishan Reddy 3rd ‘No
Money for Terror’ Conference will be organized in India in 2020. This announcement was made by
Minister at the second ‘No Money for Terror’2019 conference going on in Melbourne, Australia 7–8
,November 2019.
Key Points:
i.Organised by Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) of over 100 countries,this conference jointly called
The Egmont Group, which was created to provide FIUs around the world a forum to exchange
information confidentially to combat money-laundering, the financing of terrorism and other predicate
offences.
ii.On behalf of India, 5 members including Yogesh Chander (YC)Modi, DG NIA (Director General of
National Investigation Agency ) are representing 2019 conference, which saw the participation of 65
countries including India .
iii.The first “No Money for Terror” conference was held in France in 2018.
15th Governing Council of South Asia Cooperative Environment Programme 2019 (SACEP) held
in Dhaka, Bangladesh
On November 7, 2019, Shri Prakash Javadekar, the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and
climate change & Information and Broadcasting(I&B) , has participated in the 15th governing council
meeting (GCM) of the South Asia Cooperative Environment Programme 2019 (SACEP) in Dhaka,
Bangladesh.
Key Points:
i.The meet with the SACEP members countries witnessed the discussion over the issues of plastic
waste management, biodiversity and other issues related to the environment.
ii.The meeting emphasized the commitment given at Paris on issues like emission intensity reduction,
the share of renewable power in India’s power mix, and other issues such as increasing the forest cover.
I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar Meets his Bangladesh counterpart in Dhaka
Information Broadcasting (I&B) Minister Prakash Javadekar met Bangladesh Information
Minister Hassan Mahmood and they reviewed the cooperation between the two countries.
Discussion on film production:
i.Both the leaders discussed the stock of issues including cooperation in two film production
namely Story of Liberation of Bangladesh & Bangabandhu (the film on Bangladesh’s founder Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman).
ii.There was also discussion about the progress and impact of DD (Doordarshan) India broadcasting in
Bangladesh and Bangla TV broadcasting in India so far.
iii.Both the leaders visited the Bangabandhu memorial museum in Dhaka, Bangladesh and paid
respects to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the first President of Bangladesh & the father of
Bengali nation.
India to raise demand for clean technology at affordable cost at COP) 25 climate summit 2019 –
Prakash Javadekar
As per the Information Broadcasting (I&B) Minister Prakash Javadekar, India will put forward its
demand for clean technology at reasonable price & the better financing from developed countries to
developing countries during the forthcoming United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference
2019 (also known as Conference of the Parties (COP) 25 climate summit 2019) in Madrid,
Spain, scheduled to be held from December 2-13, 2019.
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SACEP:
The South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP) was established in 1982 by the South
Asian governments with the aim to promote & support the protection, management, and enhancement
of the environment in the South Asian region.
Membership: The member nations of SACEP are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives,
Bhutan, Pakistan, Nepal.
Biennial Commonwealth Law Ministers’ Conference 2019 was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka
The four-day Biennial Commonwealth Law Ministers’ Conference (CLM) 2019 was held in
Colombo, Sri Lanka from 4-7 November 2019. Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister for Law and
Justice represented India at the conference.
Key Points:-
i.The theme of 2019 CLM Conference is ‘Equal Access to Justice and the Rule of Law’.
ii.The conference was chaired by Sri Lanka’s Minister of Justice and Prison Reforms, Thalatha
Atukorala.
iii.Participants-On the fourth day of conference Law Ministers and Attorney general from
commonwealth countries are participated.
iv.Objective- The main objectives faced by millions of people such as recent legal developments and
issues of interest to Commonwealth jurisdictions, including electronic evidence, data protection, reform
of civil procedure, international commercial arbitration, anti-corruption, access to justice, and
vulnerable persons in the justice system were discussed in this conference.
v.Consequence- The access to justice is important for democracy and peace to grow
thus, Commonwealth countries are working mutually to support and encourage the vulnerable group
barrier.
19th Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Holds Ministerial Meeting in UAE
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), as the incoming chair of the Indian Ocean Rim Association
(IORA), has hosted the 19th IORA Council of Ministers (COM) Meeting held in Abu Dhabi on
November 7 2019. The theme of this meeting was “Promoting a Shared Destiny and Path to
Prosperity in the Indian Ocean”. UAE assumed the IORA’s presidency for 2019-2021.
The Republic of Bangladesh is undertaking the Vice-Chair position of IORA (also for 2019-2021) as a
part of the Troika along with the UAE (as arriving Chair) and South Africa (past Chair).
Maldives
Maldives becomes 22nd member state of IORA after Maldivian Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla
Shahid hired the Instrument of Acceptance on November 7 2019, at the 19th COM of IORA in Abu Dhabi.
Maldives first applied to become a member of the IORA in 2017.
Key Points: –
i.IORA- It is an intergovernmental organization formed in March 7 1997. It was established by South
African president Nelson Mandela. Headquarter is Mauritius.
ii.22 Member countries: – Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar,
Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Sri
Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
iii.Nine dialogue Partners-China, Egypt, France, Germany, Japan, Turkey, the Republic of Korea, the
United Kingdom and the United States of America.
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Piyush Goyal attended 9th BRICS trade ministers meet in Brazil

On November 11, 2019 the union commerce minister Shri Piyush Goyal attended the 9th BRICS trade
ministers meeting which was conducted in Brasilia, Brazil. This was part of his tour to Brazil and the
United States(US) from November 9-14, 2019. Trade facilitation, investment promotion and
cooperation in customs was the key focus of the trade ministers meet. During the meeting, issues
related to cooperation in e-commerce, investment facilitation, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
(MSMEs), Intellectual Property Right were discussed.
MoU: A Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) was signed between all the 5 BRICS (Brazil, Russia,
India, China, South Africa) countries on trade and investment promotion.
Visit to the United States(US):
Meet with USTR, ambassador Robert Lighthize: The Indian commerce minister Shri Piyush Goyal
had India-US bilateral meeting with his American counterpart, the US Trade Representative(USTR)
ambassador Robert Lighthize in Washington, US.
• Bilateral issues and arriving at common shared understating on a mutually beneficial basis
was discussed.
High-level industry interaction in New York: Shri Piyush attended the high-level industry interaction
with business and industry representatives in New York, US.
About BRICS:
Current chair- Brazil is the current chair of the BRICS grouping which represents over 3.6 billion
people. Fact- South Africa was the last country to join BRICS in 2010.
Formation- 2006. Headquarters- Shanghai, China.
6th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus 2019 held in Bangkok, Thailand

The 6th edition of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) was held in Bangkok,
Thailand on November 18, 2019. Defence Minister of India Shri Rajnath Singh along with 17 other
defence ministers of the ADMM-Plus countries participated in the meeting. The theme
was “Sustainable Security”.
Meet with other leaders:
On the sidelines of the meeting, Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh held bilateral level meeting with
the United States(US) Secretary of Defence Mark Esper; General Prawit Wongsuwan, Deputy Prime
Minister of Thailand; Taro Kono, Japan’s defence minister; Linda Reynolds, Defence Minister of
Australia; Ron Mark, Defence minister of New Zealand.
Key Points:
i.ASEAN abbreviation: The ASEAN stands for Association of South East Asian Nations.
ii.The ADMM-Plus meeting was first held in 2010 in Hanoi, Vietnam.
About ADMM-Plus:
Fact- The ADMM-Plus is a platform for 10 ASEAN countries and its eight Dialogue Partners to
strengthen security and defence cooperation for peace, stability, and development in the region.
10 ASEAN countries: Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei,
Cambodia, Myanmar (Burma), and Laos.
8 Dialogue Members: Australia, New Zealand, India, China, Russia, the US, Japan and South Korea.
About Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN):
Fact- Thailand is the Chair of ASEAN for 2019.
Headquarters- Jakarta, Indonesia. Founded- 8 August 1967.
Motto- “One Vision, One Identity, One Community.
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INDEX
Rankings
India ranks 59th on 2019 IMD World Talent Ranking Report 2019; Switzerland tops the list
On November 18, the 2019 International Institute of Management Development’s (IMD) World Talent
Ranking (WTR) report was released. In the released report, India was ranked at 59th position in 2019,
a slip by 6 places (53rd rank in 2018) on the global annual list of 63 countries, due to factors such as
low quality of life and education expenditures. The list was topped by Switzerland.
Top 10 countries: The top 10 countries that followed Switzerland are Denmark(2nd), Sweden(3rd),
Austria(4th), Luxembourg (5th), Norway(6th), Iceland(7th), Finland (8th), Netherlands (9th) and
Singapore(10th).
Key Points:
i.Key indicators: the ranking was done based on 3 key indicators/ categories. They are investment and
development, appeal and readiness.
ii.BRICS nations: Among the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) nations, China was
ranked at 42nd position, Russia at 47th position and South Africa was ranked 50th in the list.
iii.India’s ranking factor: India’s rank of 59th position was due to several factors which includes
expenditure on education (per student), quality of education linked to the Gross Domestic
Product(GDP) growth etc. India also witnessed one of the sharpest declines among the Asian countries.
iv.Regional report:
• Regionwise, Europe topped the list in fostering the best conditions for competitiveness in a
skills-scarce global economy.
• In Asia, Singapore, along with Hong Kong Special Administrative Region(SAR) (15th) and
Taiwan (20th) lead in terms of talent competitiveness due to the readiness of talent pool.
Rankings:
Rank Country
59 India
1 Switzerland
2 Denmark
3 Sweden
63 Mongolia
About International Institute of Management Development:
Established- 1990.
Location- Lausanne, Switzerland.
President- Jean Francois Manzoni.
Bribery Risk Index 2019: India marked 78th among 200 countries, Bangladesh tops in South
Asia
On November 14, 2019, According to the report titled ‘Trace Bribery Risk Matrix 2019’, India has
ranked 78th among 200 countries. Bangladesh ranked 178th and became highest bribery risk country
among South Asian countries. New Zealand tops in least risk and Somalia became top risk country
among 200 countries.
New Zealand, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland are the top five least bribery risky countries in
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the world. Somalia, South Sudan, North Korea, Yemen and Venezuela are top most bribery risky
countries.
TRACE Bribery Risk Matrix: –
The TRACE Bribery Risk Matrix (TRACE Matrix) processes business bribery risk in 200 countries,
territories, and autonomous and semi-autonomous regions. Each country is given a score from 1 to 100
for each domain and for the total bribery risk.
Top least bribery risk countries: –
Countries Rank
New Zealand 1
Norway 2
Denmark 3
Sweden 4
Finland 5
India 78
Top most bribery risk countries: –
Countries Rank
Somalia 200
South Sudan 199
North Korea 198
Yemen 197
Venezuela 196
India ranks 133 in the 2nd Women, Peace and Security Index 2019: Norway tops the list
On November 2, 2019 the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security(GIWPS), America in
collaboration with The Peace Research Institute of Oslo (PRIO), Norway, released its 2nd edition of the
report titled Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Index for the year 2019. India was ranked 133rd
out of 167 countries. The list was topped by Norway which was followed by Switzerland and Finland in
the second and third places respectively. The index report in detail are as follows,
Key Points:
i.The WPS Index systematically measures the wellbeing of women worldwide and ranks them based
on 11 indicators under inclusion (education, financial inclusion, employment, cell phone use,
parliamentary representation), justice (legal discrimination, son bias, discriminatory norms)
and security (intimate partner violence, perception of community safety and organized violence)
categories. India’s rank (133) in the index was considered as low, as it did not perform well in any of
the three categories.
ii.Performance: In the assessment, it was reported that only Iceland performed well in all aspects
analysed. Yemen was ranked last at 167th place in the index.
iii.Report on India:
• As per the report, southern parts of India were found to be better for women. The worst
performing Indian states were from Rajasthan to Assam. Kerala was ranked as the best state
in the country for human development.
• Education & bias: Education wise, India’s performance wasn’t better as women received
only 4.3 years of education on average. India is the bottom ranked country in terms of son
bias against females.
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• Financial inclusion: The financial inclusion in the country has increased from 42.6% in 2017
to 76.6% in 2019.
• India’s rank in 1st edition report: In the 1st edition of the (WPS) index of 2017-18, India
ranked 131 out of 153 countries.
Report:
Rank Country
133 India
1 Norway
2 Switzerland
3 Finland
167 Yemen
About GIWPS:
Launch- 2011
Location- Georgetown University, Washington DC, America.
Executive Director- Melanne Verveer.
Managing Director(MD)- Jeni Klugman.
Maharashtra holds top, Bihar ranks bottom: ‘India Justice Report 2019’
On November 7 2019, According to ‘India Justice Report 2019’, Maharashtra is the topest state
among the 18 large-medium states that leads in the overall ranking of Indian States on justice delivery,
followed by Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Punjab. In this classification, Jharkhand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh
are at the bottom, while among the list of seven smaller States, Goa leads the group.
Key Points:
i.Tata Trusts in collaboration with the Centre for Social Justice, Common Cause, and Commonwealth
Human Rights Initiative released the India Justice Report 2019. It was unveiled by former Supreme
Court Judge Justice Madan B. Lokur.
ii.Report- The report has been prepared on publicity data from the year 2012 to 2017 in government
entities.
iii.Four Pillars-The report covers the justice of delivery on police, judiciary, prisons and legal aid.
iv.The Largest and mid-sized States-Maharashtra ranks first place with a score of 5.92. Whereas,
Kerala ranks the second place with a score of 5.85 followed by Tamil Nadu ranks in third place with
5.76 score. Bihar and Uttar Pradesh ranks in bottom.
v.Small States-In Small States Goa ranks the first place with a score of 4.85 followed by Sikkim holds
the second place with 4.31 score. Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura are at the bottom rank.
States detail among Largest and Mid State: –
Name of the States Rank Score
Maharashtra 1 5.92
Kerala 2 5.85
Tamil Nadu 3 5.76
Punjab 4 5.53
Bihar 17 4.02
Uttar Pradesh 18 3.32
Among the 7 smallest states Goa, Sikkim and Himachal Pradesh are leading, Arunachal Pradesh and
Tripura are in the bottom rank.
States detail among small states: –

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Name of States Rank Score

Goa 1 4.85
Sikkim 2 4.31
Himachal Pradesh 3 4.05
Arunachal Pradesh 6 3.43
Tripura 7 3.42
Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan releases Water Quality Report 2019: Mumbai tops,
Delhi at bottom
On November 16, 2019,The Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution Shri Ram
Vilas Paswan has released BIS’s (Bureau of Indian Standards) Water Quality Report 2019 for
State Capitals & Delhi.
The test reports on samples of drinking water taken from 20 states across the country including Delhi.
Findings: Mumbai ranked number 1 in this report as all 10 samples comply with every standard.
Hyderabad (Telangana) is at number two and it was followed by Bhubaneswar,Odisha
(3rd ). Delhi’s water is the worst as all the 11samples drawn from various places did not comply with
the requirements (19 out of 28 parameters failed).
Key Points:
i.The BIS standard involves 48 different parameters. Samples are being tested under 28 parameters,
leaving out parameters related to radioactive substances and free residual chlorine.
ii.The test was conducted in the first stage on various types of organoleptic (which identify odour,
turbidity and pH levels), chemical, toxic substances, antibacterial-parameters.
iii.By 2024, the central Governmnet has set a target to tap every house in the country and provide pure
water under its flagship Jal Jeevan Mission. Under this, the purity of drinking water is being investigated
in the cities covered under the 100 Smart Cities Scheme, including the capital of all the states of the
country. All district headquarters are expected to be tested by August 15, 2020.
Here’s the list top 3& bottom cities in the report:
Rank Capital No of Samples No of Parameters in
Failing which samples failing
1 Mumbai 0/10 0
2 Hyderabad 1/10 1
3 Bhubaneshwar 1/10 1
20 Kolkata 9/9 10
21 Delhi 11/11 19
About BIS(Bureau of Indian Standards):
Formed -23 December 1986
Headquarters – New Delhi
After a long gap of 3-years, NCRB releases Farmers Suicide figures in 2016, Maharashtra tops
On November 8, 2019, After a long gap of 3-years, National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) ,an Indian
government agency responsible for collecting and analysing crime data, has released the 2016 report
called “accidental deaths and suicides in India” with reference to farmers’ suicides.
As per the report ,a total of 11,379 farmers died by suicide in India in 2016, a dip from 12,360 in 2014
and 12,602 in 2015.
Findings: Maharashtra accounted for almost 40 % of all farmer suicides in the country in 2016 with
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3,661.The state also witnessed the highest number of farmer suicides in 2014 and 2015 at 4,004 and
4,291 respectively.
Key Points:
i. Karnataka has the 2nd highest number of farmer suicides, with 2,079 cases in 2016 and 1,569 cases in
2015. It was followed by Madhya Pradesh (1321 death in 2016), Andhra Pradesh(804 deaths in 2016)
& Chhattisgarh (682 deaths in 2016) .
ii. In Telangana, such cases have reduced by half. Here 645 in 2016, 1,347 in 2014 and 1,400 farmers
committed suicide in 2015.
iii.The 2016 data has not been released from West Bengal . The figures were not released even in 2015,
while in 2014 there were reports of suicide of 230 farmers.
iv.The report states that the number of male suicides in farmers is high, while 8.6 % of female farmers
have also committed suicide across the country. However, the reason for suicide has not been explained
in the latest report.
v. A total of 3,33,407 farmers committed suicide in an agricultural country from 1995 to 2016. The
death of such a large agricultural population raises concern on the economic policies of the
government.
About NCRB:
Founded– 11 March 1986
Motto– Empowering Indian Police with Information Technology
Road transport ministry releases “Road Accidents in India-2018” report: UP records highest
no.of deaths, Tamil Nadu tops in no. of accidents
On November 19, 2019, As per the report ‘Road Accidents in India, 2018’released by Ministry of
Road Transport and Highways based on information provided by the Police Departments of States
and UTs(Union Territories), the number of road accidents has increased by 0.46% with 4,67,044 in the
year 2018 as compared to 4.64 lakh in 2017.
The death rate during the road accident has also increased by 2.37 % to more than 1,51,471 people in
2018 as against 1.47 lakh fatalities in 2017. This translates into 53 crashes and the loss of 17 lives every
hour in 2018.
Key Points:
i. Highest number of deaths: Uttar Pradesh (UP) ranked the highest position in terms of deaths due
to road accidents. In 2018, 22,256 people lost their lives in the state where 42,568 road accidents were
reported.It is followed by Maharashtra ,where 13,261 people lost their lives due to road accidents in
2018.
ii.Highest number of accidents: Tamil Nadu recorded the highest number of road accidents in 2018
with 63,920 incidents. 12,216 people lost their lives in the state due to these.
iii.Reason: Over-speeding is a major killer for maximum road accident fatalities, accounting for 64.4%
of the persons killed.It was followed by non-wearing of helmets (28.8%) b, Non-wearing of seat belts
(16.14% ) & driving on the wrong side of the road, which accounted for 5.8% of the accident related
deaths.
iv.Report : As per the report by the Geneva-based World Road Federation’s World Road Statistics
2018, India is the most unsafe country in the world for road users across 199 countries.It’s followed by
China (63,000 deaths) and the United States (37,000 deaths).
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v. Motor Vehicle Amendment Bill 2019: The central government has approved Motor Vehicle
Amendment Bill 2019. The Act regarding this bill suggests the centre to establish a Motor Vehicle
Accident Fund to provide minimum compensation to road accident victims.
About Road transport ministry:
Founded– July 1942
Union Minister -Nitin Gadkari
Reports
Manipur accounted for 50% of Northeast violence in 2018: Home Ministry report
On November 4, 2019, As per the “Annual report 2018- 2019”, released by Union Home Ministry,
Government of India (GoI), the State of Manipur remained the most violent State accounting for
about 50% of the total incidents in the region in 2018 with a total of 127 violent incidents as against
the 252 incidents reported in entire NE (North East) states that includes Arunachal Pradesh, Assam,
Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.
Key Points:
i.However, the State of Manipur witnessed a decline in insurgency related incidents by 24% (2017-167,
2018- 127) and Civilian deaths have recorded as being lowest from 23 in 2017 to 8 in 2018.
ii.Counter Insurgency Operations in 2018 led to neutralization of 10 militants, arrest of 404 militants
and recovery of 99 weapons in the State. Meitei insurgency accounted for about 57% of insurgency
incidents in the State, killing 6 SFs (Security Forces) personnel and 5 civilians in 2018.
iii.Manipur is affected by activities of Meitei (accounted for about 57 %), Naga, Kuki, Zomi, Hmar and
Muslim UG outfits.
iv.The insurgency related violence decreased by 48 % in Meghalaya, 40 % in Arunachal Pradesh, 16 %
in Assam and 24 % in Manipur in 2018 as compared to 2017. While Nagaland witnessed high level of
insurgency incidents in 2018.
v.There has been no insurgency related incidents occurred in Sikkim and Mizoram in 2018, by and
large, barring a few incidents of violence.
Wastelands in India at around 17% in 2015-16: NRSC’s 5th Wastelands atlas 2019
On November 5, 2019, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, the Union Minister for Rural Development,
Agriculture and Farmers Welfare & Panchayati Raj has released the 5th edition of Wastelands Atlas
2019. As per the atlas, which presents the changes in wastelands between 2008-09 and 2015-
16, wastelands in India has estimated to the tune of 55.76 million hectares (Mha ) / 16.96 % of
geographical area of the country i.e. 328.72 million hectares for the year 2015-16 as compared to 56.60
Mha (17.21%) in the year 2008-09.
Key Points:
i.The new wastelands mapping exercise has been carried out in district and state wise of different
categories of wastelands area by National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) using the Indian Remote
Sensing Satellite data. The previous editions for 2000, 2005, 2010 & 2011 has published jointly by the
Department of Land Resources, National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) & Department of Space.
ii.In India, the per capita availability of agriculture land is 0.12 ha(hectares) while the world per capita
agriculture land is 0.29 ha.
iii.The wastelands have experienced positive change in the states of Rajasthan (0.48 Mha), Bihar (0.11
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Mha), Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, & West Bengal.
About NRSC:
Headquarters- Hyderabad, Telangana
Director- Santanu Chowdhury
India records 26.9% reduction in maternal mortality since 2013:SRS Bulletin-2016

On November 7, 2019, As per the Sample Registration System (SRS) Bulletin-2016, The Maternal
Mortality Ratio (MMR) in India has decreased by 26.9 % since 2013. The MMR between 2011-2013
was 167 which decreased to 130 between 2014 and 2016. It decreased further in 2015-17 to 122. Thus,
it has decreased by 6.15 % as compared to the previous survey 2014-2016.
Key Points:
i. Karnataka has shown the highest percentage decline in MMR, Uttar Pradesh & Madhya
Pradesh have witnessed an increase by 15 points each in MMR in 2015-17 compared to 2014-16.
ii.In southern states the MMR has come down from 77 to 72 per one lakh births, while in other states
the figure has come down from 93 to 90. The biggest decrease was in the Empowered Working Group
(EAG) state of Assam where MMR has come down from 188 to 175.
iii.To better understand maternal mortality, especially on regional basis, the government has
categorized the states into EAG, South states and ‘Others’.
iv. EAG states include Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar
Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Assam. The southern states are Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka,
Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The remaining states and union territories are placed in the category of ‘others’.
v. The decline has been most significant in EAG States from 188 to 175
vi. The first report in India on maternal mortality was released in October 2006. The United Nations has
set a target to reduce MMR below 70 per 100,000 births by 2030.
23.2 % of men in India has Anaemia: Lancet Global Health Journal

A report titled ‘Anaemia among men in India: A nationally representative cross-sectional study’
was published in the journal Lancet Global Health. The report was on anaemia in Indian men. The
report mainly aimed to determining the prevalence of anaemia among men in India has found that 23.2
per cent of men had anaemia, ranging from mild to moderate to severe degrees. The study in detail are
as follows,
Report:
i.Survey carried out from January, 2015, to December, 2016, among men aged 15–54 years and women
aged 15–49 years in all 29 states and seven Union Territories of India.
ii.The highest prevalence among men was in Bihar (32.9%), West Bengal (30.46%), Jharkhand (30.3%),
Meghalaya (29.13%) and Odisha (28.45%).
iii.The lowest prevalence among men was in Manipur (9.19%), followed by Mizoram (9.78%), Nagaland
(10.23%), Goa (10.68%) and Kerala (11.77%).
iv.Severity: Prevalence of any anaemia was 23.2%, moderate-severe anaemia was 5.1%, while severe
anaemia was 0.5%. 21.7% of men having anaemia had moderate-severe anaemia when compared with
53.2% of women.
v.One in 4 Indian men aged between 15-54 have anaemia. Men aged 20–34 years and men living in
urban areas had the lowest probability of having any anaemia and moderate or severe anaemia.
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vi.Anemia Mukt Bharat: In 2018, the govt. launched Anemia Mukt Bharat for tackling anaemia. It
focuses on children, pregnant women, women of reproductive age and male and female adolescents.
The report now has raised concerns for the scheme to consider men with anaemia too.
Anaemia:
• A condition in which the number of red blood cells or their oxygen-carrying capacity is
insufficient to meet physiological needs.
• The condition is varying by age, sex, altitude, smoking, and pregnancy status.
• Cause: Iron deficiency (most common cause of anaemia globally), folate, vitamin B12 and
vitamin A deficiencies, chronic inflammation, parasitic infections, and inherited disorders.
• Pregnant women and children are particularly vulnerable.
• Anemia can also be classified based on the size of the red blood cells and amount of
hemoglobin in each cell.
o Microcytic anemia – The size of the cells is small.
o Normocytic anemia – The size of the cells is normal.
o Macrocytic anemia – The Size of the cells is large.
About Lancet:
Fact- The Lancet is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal. It is among the world’s oldest,
most prestigious, and best known general medical journals.
Founded- 1823.
Founder- Thomas Wakley.
‘Health Systems for a New India: Building Blocks Potential Pathways to Reforms’ report released
by NITI Aayog
On November 18 2019, NITI Aayog released a report on ‘Health Systems for a New India: Building
Blocks Potential Pathways to Reforms’. The report was released by National Institution for
Transforming India (NITI) Aayog Vice Chairman Dr Rajiv Kumar in the presence of Bill Gates.
This report Highlights the requirement to build India’s opportunities, by upgrading health service
system over the next fifteen years. It must change the delivery of health services in a way that they
should improve greater pace, without financially burdening its citizens.
Key Points: –
i.Five Focus Area– the report categorizes 5 focus area of future health they are deliver on unfinished
public health agenda, Modifying the health financing, incorporate the service delivery vertically and
horizontally, authorize the citizens to become better consumers of health and harness the power of
digital health.
ii.At a systems level of health, it should overcome the challenges of fragmentation, across healthcare
financing and service delivery, which support us to improve both quality and access.
iii.Through Ayushman bharat we can claim the health related issues in hospital but it taken time to
funding. The other method is the health insurance which is common in India are of 20 %. So, this Aayog
report overcomes these issues.
iv.The private sector should improve the key challenges other than that Gate Foundation will help in
the extension.
v.Participants-Officials from NITI Aayog, policymakers, and representatives from national &
international academia and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation were present in the event.
Additional Information:
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On November 30 2018, synthesis of all the discussions and efforts initiated at NITI Aayog’s
‘Development Dialogues’ held on 30 November 2018, which consolidates global findings on key health
system themes of financing and provisioning, with a focus on risk pooling, strategic purchasing, health-
service provisioning and digital health.
RTI Survey: PMMVY reaches only one-third of beneficiaries

On November 19,2019, As per the Right to Information Act (RTI) survey between April 2018 and July
2019, the maternity scheme named Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) reached only 31%
of its intended beneficiaries instead of reaching atleast 49% of all mothers who would have delivered
their first child.
Key Points:
• The survey was conducted in six States- Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya
Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Odisha to assess the implementation of the scheme.
• Schemes coverage includes 23% of all births and pays full benefits but it tucked to 14% only.
• On the other hand, 61% of beneficiaries registered under the PMMVY between April 2018
and July 2019 (38.3 lakh out of the total 62.8 lakh enrolled) received the full amount of 6,000
promised under the scheme.
• Lack of awareness: Only 66% of pregnant women and 69% of nursing women knew about
the scheme therefore, overall only 8% of pregnant women and 23% of nursing mothers
received some benefits.
About PMMVY:
• Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), implemented in 2017 by the Ministry of
Women and Child Development. Especially for women delivering their first child, the scheme
aims to transfer Rs 5000 to the bank account of the Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers
(PW&LM) in three installments to provides a partial wage compensation to women during
childbirth and childcare and to provide conditions for safe delivery and good nutrition and
feeding practices.
80% of Indian adolescents suffer Nutritional deficiency: UNICEF’s Adolescents, diets and
nutrition report 2019
On October 31, 2019, As per the report “Adolescents, Diets and Nutrition: Growing Well in a
Changing World 2019” released by UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund, originally known as
the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund) more than 80 % of adolescents in India
suffer from “hidden hunger”(a form of undernutrition), and less than 10 % of boys and girls eat fruits
and eggs daily.
Key points:
i.Adolescents (a person aged between 10 and 19 years) are deficient in nutrients such as iron, folate,
zinc, vitamin A, vitamin B12 and vitamin D.
ii.These are the findings of a report on adolescents released by policy think tank of the Government of
India ,the NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog and UNICEF India.
iii.The report stresses 3 major interventions in the diet, behavior and services of adolescents ,which can
break this poor nutrition cycle .
iv.More than 25 percent of adolescents did not consume green leafy vegetables even once a week &
milk products are consumed by 50 % of adolescents daily.
v.In every part of India, a teenager aged 10 – 19 years is at risk of diabetes and heart disease & More
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girls are shorter than boys.

vi.Anemia affects 40 % of adolescents girls, compared to 18 % of boys.
About NITI Aayog:
Formed: 1 January 2015
Headquarters: New Delhi
Chairperson: Narendra Modi
Vice Chairperson: Rajiv Kumar
About UNICEF:
Formation: 11 December 1946
Headquarters: New York City, U.S.
Executive Director: Henrietta H. Fore
90% journalist killers not convicted between 2006-18: UNESCO’s Intensified attacks, new
defences report 2019
On October 31, 2019, According to the new UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization) report 2019 (covers the period 2014-2018), “ Intensified Attacks, New
Defences; Developments in the Fight to Protect Journalists and End Impunity”, almost 90 % of
those responsible for the killing of 1,109 journalists around the world between 2006 and
2018 have not been convicted.
Key points:
i.In the past two years (2017-2018), 55 % of journalists’ killings happened in non-conflict zones.
ii.Arab States constituted the deadliest part of the world for journalists (30 % of global killings- 149
people killed between 2014-18), followed by Latin America and the Caribbean region (26 %, 127
people killed) and the Asia and Pacific States (24 %, 120 people killed) .
iii.Released ahead of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists (IDEI) on
November 2, 2019, the report noted an 18 % increase in killings of journalists in the past five years
(2014-2018) compared to the previous five-year period.
iv.A social media campaign ‘Keep Truth Alive’ (keeptruthalive.co), developed pro bono by the creative
agency Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB Paris), which draws attention to the issues faced by journalists close
to home, highlighting the fact that 93 % of journalists are killed local journalists.
About UNESCO:
Formation: 4 November 1945
Headquarters: Paris, France
Director-General: Audrey Azoulay
Freedom on the Net(FoTN) 2019 report on global internet freedom: India scores 55 out of 100
On November 5,2019, the Freedom House (international internet rights) released its ‘Freedom on the
Net’ (FoTN) report for the year 2019, titled ‘The Crisis of Social Media’, regarding an overall decline
and access in global internet freedom between June 2018 and May 2019.
i.India’s total scores and status is 55, obstacles to access is 12, Limits on content 24 and 19 for Violation
of user Rights.
ii. Iceland became a top country for providing the freedom for accessing the Internet services.
iii.China, Pakistan and Vietnam emerged as worst performing country by providing freedom in
accessing the internet service.
Country Total score and status Obstacles to Access Limits on Violations
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Content of user
rights
India 55 12 24 19
Iceland 95 25 34 36
China 10 8 2 0
Vietnam 24 12 7 5
Brown to Green Report 2019: India, the only G20 nation close to 1.5°C temperature rise
On november 11, 2019 Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) from the majority of the G20 (group of
20) countries and 14 research organisations have prepared a report titled “Brown to Green Report
2019” which comprises of analysation of the climate action track records of the G20 nations. The report
was published by Climate transparency. The report in detail are as follows,
Report:
i.Indicators: The report was prepared based on 80 indicators on decarbonisation, climate policies,
finance and vulnerability to the impacts of climate change.This report is considered as the most
comprehensive review of the G20 climate action, efforts to reduce emissions and adapt to the climate
action goals known as the “ Nationally Determined Contribution” (NDC).
ii.Report on India: Among the G20 nations, India was the only country close to the 1.5 degree
celsius temperature rise pathway. It is also to be noted that as per the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC), the global temperature increase was limited to 1.5°C from 3°C.
iii.Emission report: 80% of the global greenhouse gas(GHG) emissions were from the G20 nations.
It accounted for 85% of the global Gross Domestic Product(GDP).
• The carbon-dioxide (CO2) emissions in all sectors of the G20 nations have increased in 2018
with the highest rise in the building sector (4.1%).
• New buildings have to be near zero-energy by 2020-25 to keep global warming below 1.5
degrees.
iv.Renewable energy preparedness: India is currently investing more in renewable energy whereas
Brazil and Germany remained as the only G20 countries with long term renewable strategies.
• Brazil leads with 82.5% renewables.
• Saudi Arabia, South Korea and South Africa lagged in renewable energy preparedness having
the range of 0-5%.
v.Future Targets:
• The Paris Agreement on climate change has invited countries to submit their ‘mid-century
long-term low-GHG emissions development strategies,’ or long term strategies, by 2020.
• Various countries have adopted G20 long-term strategies and net-zero emissions targets by
2050. India is in preparation regarding the 2050 target adoption.
• Coal needs to be phased out by 2030 in OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development) countries and by 2040 globally.
vi.NDC implementation laggers: South Korea, Canada and Australia lagged in implementing the
NCD. click here to know more.
About G20:
G20- The G20 (or Group of Twenty) is an international forum for the governments and central bank
governors from 19 countries and the European Union (EU).
Founded- 26 September 1999,
Chairman- Shinzo Abe.
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G20 members- Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, EU, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy,
Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the
United States.
About climate transparency:
Fact- Climate Transparency is a global partnership with members mostly from G20 nations.
Mission- its mission is to stimulate a ‘race to the top’ in G20 climate action and to shift investments
towards zero carbon technologies through transparency.
Pneumonia killed more than 14 children every hour in India in 2018:UNICEF’s Fighting for
Breath report 2019
On November 13, 2019, As per the study titled, “Fighting for Breath- A call to action on childhood
pneumonia” released by UNICEF(United Nations Children’s Fund ,originally known as the United
Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund ) and charity groups Save the Children & Every
Breath Counts Coalition , Pneumonia is one of the leading killers of children in India, claiming more
than 14 children under the age of 5 years every hour in 2018. It killed over 1,27,000 under-five
children in 2018 with high risk factors of malnutrition (53%) and pollution(Outdoor air pollution -27%
& Indoor air pollution-22%).
Key Points:
i.Top 5: Five countries responsible for more than half of child pneumonia deaths includes Nigeria
(162,000), India (127,000), Pakistan (58,000), the Democratic Republic of Congo (40,000) and
Ethiopia (32,000).
ii. Annual rate: Pneumonia claims the lives of more than 800,000 every year or around more than
2,000 every day & mortality rate in India registers 5 per 1,000 live births in 2018.
iii.Spending: India spends $16 on health per person in 2016, far below the 86-dollar minimum level
recommended by the World Health Organization(WHO).
iv.Global level: At global level, more children under-five died from pneumonia in 2018 than from any
other disease. About 437,000 children under five died due to diarrhoea and 272,000 due to malaria.
v.Target: According to Global Action Plan for Pneumonia and Diarrhoea (GAPPD), the global target for
pneumonia mortality rate for children under five by 2025 is three per 1000 live births.
Pneumonia :
It is caused by bacteria, viruses or fungi, and leaves children fighting for breath as their lungs fill with
infection and fluid. It can be prevented with vaccines, nutritional support and preventing the spread of
disease with clean water and hand washing. World Pneumonia Day, marked every year on November
12.
About UNICEF:
Headquarters– New York, U.S.
Executive Director- Henrietta H. Fore
Lancet’s 2019 Health and climate change report: Indian children health affected most
On November 13, 2019 a report titled ‘The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change: ensuring
that the health of a child born today is not defined by a changing climate’ for the year 2019 was released
by weekly medical journal Lancet. The report was about the health effects caused due to climate
change. The report in detail are as follows,
Report on India:
• Malnutrition deaths: In India, malnutrition is responsible for 2/3rd of deaths of children
under 5 years.
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• Food yields: The average yield of rice and maize has already reduced/declined by 2% since
the 1960s.With the rise in temperature, harvests will shrink leading to threat in the food
security and drive up food prices. This is expected to hit the infants hardest.
• Vibrio Bacteria: The children will suffer more with rise in infectious disease due to climate
change. The climate will be suitable for vibrio bacteria which causes cholera. The bacterial
growth has an annual rise of 3% since the 1980s. The vibrio bacterial growth has doubled
over the past 30 years.
• Initiatives in India: In order to tackle a variety of diseases and risk factors, the Indian govt
has launched various initiatives in this regard. Some of them include India’s shifting towards
renewable energy to reduce carbon emissions.
General Report:
• With temperature rise, children are to face the greatest burden of malnutrition.
• The public health gains achieved over the past 50 years is expected to be reversed by the
changing climate.
• Factors of poor health condition: The negative health effects in children were reported due
to inequality in health care, poverty, malnutrition.
• Major cause of death: Major cause of child mortality was due to diarrhoeal infections.
Heatwaves may too frequently be responsible for deaths in India in future.
• A 7.4% year-on-year cut in fossil CO2 emissions from 2019 to 2050 will help in limiting global
warming to the ambitious goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Key Points:
i.Indicators: the report was based on 41 key indicators indicating action to be taken to meet the Paris
Agreement targets or business for human health.
ii.Report collaboration: the project was done through collaboration between 120 experts from 35
institutions which also included the World Health Organisation(WHO), the World Bank(WB), University
College London, and Tsinghua University in Beijing.
About Lancet:
Fact- Lancet is among the world’s oldest, most prestigious and best known medical journal.
Founded- 1823.
Founder- Thomas Wakley.
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ECONOMY & BUSINESS

Siemens signed MoU with NTPC, TERI for decarbonization
On November 1, 2019, German multinational conglomerate company Siemens signed Memoranda of
Understandings(MoU) with power producer NTPC (formerly National Thermal Power Corporation
Limited) and The Energy and Resources Institute(TERI) for decarbonisation.
MoU with NTPC: The MoU was signed for reducing the industrial and commercial carbon footprint and
also to reduce the dependence on hydrocarbon in India.
MoU with TERI: The MoU with Teri was to enable energy transitions across the electricity, transport
and industrial sectors. A separate MoU was also signed for collaboration in technology-oriented areas
to support India’s energy transition including sector coupling (idea of interconnecting the energy-
consuming sectors).
About TERI:
Founded- 1974.
Director- Ajay Mathur.
About NTPC:
Founded- 1975.
Chairman and Managing Director(MD)- Gurdeep Singh.
Act- NTPC is corporated under the Companies Act 1956.
Guyana is expected to be fastest growing country in the world at 86% in 2020:IMF

According to International Monetary Fund (IMF), Guyana’s GDP is expected to be more at 86% in
2020 after expanding 4.4% in 2019.This growth expectaion had done after Exxon Mobil Corp.’s
discovery of oil at Guyana. The Guyana’s economy will grow more than three times within five
years. Guyana’ GDP is to get fourteen times as fast as China’s GDP in 2020.
i.Exxon will start its first pumping from oil well at Guyana in December 2019. It will produce atleast
7,50,000 barrels in a day by 2025.
ii.Guyana is projecting $300 million petroleum revenue in 2020.It is a country of South America with
7,80,000 population and neighbour countries are Brazil & Venezuela.
iii.The oil sector will represent about 40% of the economy within five years.It crosses $4billion annual
Gross domestic product (GDP) and also it will expand to about $15 billion by 2024.
About IMF:
Founded: 1945.
Headquarters: Washington, d.c, usa.
MD and CEO: Kristalina Georgieva.
Chief Economist: Gita Gopinath.
India’s GDP to grow 6.6% in 2020-24 according to OECD’s report

On November 2, 2019 the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development(OECD) in its
report “Economic Outlook for Southeast Asia, China and India 2020: rethinking education for the digital
era” has predicted that India is likely to grow at 6.6% in 2020-24, which is lower than the average of
7.4% of 2013-17.
Key Points:
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i.India’s GDP growth will be more modest in the medium term of 2020-24. China’s GDP growth will
continue to slow at 5.6% in the medium term from its 2013-17 average of 7.1%.
ii.Regional growth: Overall, the Southeast Asian region would grow at 5.7% on average in 2020-24 in
contrast to 6.7% of 2013-17.
iii.The report was presented at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in
Bangkok, Thailand.
About OECD:
Founded- 30 September 1961.
Headquarters- Paris, France.
Secretary-General- José Ángel Gurría.
India’s unemployment rate in October 2019 climbed to a 3 year high of 8.5%: CMIE data
On November 1, 2019, According to data released by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy
(CMIE), India’s unemployment rate in October 2019 increased to 8.5%, the highest level since
August 2016, and up from 7.2% in September 2019.
The report further states that the urban unemployment rate stood at 8.9% in October 2019 while
unemployment figures in rural areas reached 8.3%.
Key Points:
i.Tripura & Haryana states witnessed the highest unemployment levels of more
than 20% while Tamil Nadu recorded lowest unemployment with 1.1%. Rajasthan saw its
unemployment rate double between September and October 2019.
ii.The infrastructure output for the month of September 2019 in India’s contracted 5.2 % on a year-
on-year (YoY ) basis, which is one of the worst performances in 14 years by the 8 core infrastructure
industries (coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilisers, steel, cement and electricity).
iii.A new academic research paper entitled, ‘India’s Employment Crisis by Santosh Mehrotra and Jajati
K Parida of CMIE’, employment declined by a whopping 9 million jobs (a 2% drop), with agricultural
employment dropdown by 11.5% (from 231.9mn to 205.3mn) between 2012-18, while the
employment in the service sector increased by 13.4% (from 127.3 mn to 144.4 mn) & in manufacturing
employment decreased by 5.7% (from 59.8mn to 56.4mn).
iv.In contrast , the people who are “Not in Labour Force, Education and Training” has continued to
increase from about 84 million in 2012& now it crossed 100 million(mn)
v.The report stresses to improve the standard of living, and to reduce poverty, employment
opportunities in manufacturing and construction in order to sustain the growth of income.
About CMIE:
Headquarters : Mumbai ,Maharashtra
Founded: 1976
India gained the profit of $ 755 million due to US- China trade war -UNCTAD
In the first half of 2019, India has received profit amount of $755 million as an additional export, in
chemicals, metals and ore to US due to the trade diversion effects of Washington tariff between US and
China.
i.At the time of trade war with US, China was about $21billion in the first half of 2019 which indicates
its trade loss about 14million dollar. The traffic against them made the other investors more
competitive in the US market that leads to the trade diversion effect.
ii.UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development)– It is a part of United Nations
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Secretariat dealing with trade, investment, and improvement concerns. The goal of this organization is
to: “explore the trade, investment and improves the opportunities of developing countries and support
them in their efforts to integrate into the world economy on an equitable basis”.
• Chinese Loss-Above $35 billion of Chinese exports have been lost in the US market, above
$21 billion are diverted to other countries.
• Tariff increases- In June 2019, US increases the tariff to 25 percent, China has also increased
tariffs on US products, mainly hitting the agriculture sector.
Additional Information
India export detail to US:- Chemicals ($243 million), metals and ore are (USD181 million), electrical
machinery ($83 million) and numerous machinery ($68 million).
Fitch solutions raised India’s FY20 fiscal deficit forecast to 3.6% GDP from early 3.4%
On November 6, 2019, Fitch solutions has increased India’s fiscal deficit forecast to 3.6% of the Gross
Domestic Product(GDP) FY2020(Fiscal Year 2020) from its previous estimate of 3.4%. The increase in
the estimate was due to weak revenue collections, slowed economic growth and corporate tax rate cut
by the govt.
Key Points:
i.The corporate tax rate cut to 15% from the previous rate of 25%, favoured the companies that was
started after October 1, 2019. This resulted in great revenue loss of Rs 1.45Lakh crore for the
government FY20.
ii.Fiscal deficit: Shortfall of govt’s income compared to its spending is known as fiscal deficit.
About Fitch Solutions:
Launch- 2008.
President- Brian Filanowski
The Fitch solution was launched as part of the mission to help clients of Fitch Group research and data
and also help users in managing credit risks.
Moody’s revises India’s economic outlook to “negative” from “Stable”

On November 8, 2019 the American financial service company Moody’s has downgraded India’s
economic outlook to “Negative” from “Stable”. This downgrade was due to slow growth in the economy.
It also predicted that the slow growth would be prolonged and would also have debt rises.
i.Budget deficit: Moody’s has also predicted a budget deficit of 3.7% of the Gross Domestic Product
(GDP) in the year through March 2020, which is a breach in the govt’s target of 3.3%. This was due to
corporate tax rate cuts, slow growth etc.
ii.Foreign currency bond: The long term foreign currency bond and bank deposit ceilings were
unchanged at Baa1 and Baa2(both being 2nd lowest investment grade score), respectively.
About Moodys:
Founded- 1909.
Founder- John Moody.
Headquarters- New York, United States.
Chief Executive Officer(CEO)- Raymond W. McDaniel Jr.
About Bond ratings:
Moody’s created the rating system to provide the investors, the system of gradation to measure the
creditworthiness of securities. Baa1 and Baa2 are rated as medium grade, with some speculative
elements and moderate credit risk.
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Nasscom’s new report titled “Indian Tech Start-Up Ecosystem: Leading Tech In The 20s” for 2019
released
On November 7, 2019 the National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom)
released a report on Indian startup ecosystem and job generation at the sidelines of the 16th
anniversary edition of NASSCOM Product Conclave 2019. It was prepared with the support of
consulting company named ‘Zinnov’. The report titled “Indian Tech Start-Up Ecosystem: Leading
Tech In The 20s” in detail are as follows
Report on Indian startups and unicorn status:
i.Job creation: By 2025, Indian startup ecosystem could create upto 12.5 lakh direct jobs. The job
generation ranges from 3.9-4.3 lakh in 2019.
ii.Indirect job creation: The number of Indirect job generation would also increase to 39-44 lakh by
2025 from the current(2019) 14-16 lakh jobs.
iii.Startup-position:
• Indian start-up ecosystem is positioned as the 3rd largest in the world after China and the
United States(US) which are in the first and second place respectively.
• Bangalore(Karnataka), New Delhi and Mumbai(Maharashtra) are home to 55-58% of
startups.
• Delhi has the highest number (6) of startups with Unicorn status(privately held company
valued at over $1 billion).
iv.Growth in startups and Unicorns: The report also suggests that the Indian start-up ecosystem
would grow about 4 times by 2025. The Indian unicorn companies would also increase to 95-105 range
by 2025.
v.18% of all start-ups are leveraging in deep-tech and fintech, enterprise, and retail tech sectors. These
areas are the most mature sectors in the startup exam ecosystem. India has grown 40% compound
annual growth rate since 2014.
About Nasscom:
Founded- 1 March 1988.
President- Debjani Gosh.
DIN system by Central Board of Indirect Taxes came into existence

On November 8, 2019 the Documentation Identification Number (DIN) system of Central Board of
Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) came into existence. This system was created to bring
transparency and accountability in indirect tax administration with the use of Information and
Technology(IT). The DIN system was created under the direction of union Finance Minister (FM)
Nirmala Sitharaman.
Key Points:
i.DIN uses: The areas in which DIN will be used include search authorisation, summons, arrest memo,
inspection notices and letters issued in the course of any enquiry. It will also provide the taxpayer a
digital facility to verify any communications.
ii.CBIC Chairman Shri Pranab informed that this would create a digital directory for maintaining a
proper audit trail of such communications and a specified communications with DIN would be
verifiable on the online portal cbicddm.gov.in.
iii.It is also to be noted that from November 8, 2019 onwards, any communication from GST (Goods and
Service Tax) or Custom or Central Excise department without a computer-generated DIN would be
treated as invalid.
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iv.The DIN system has already been executed the direct tax administration.
About CBIC:
Formed- 26 January 1944.
Chairperson- Pranab Kumar Das.
Agency responsible- Finance Ministry.
FICCI signed MoU with Singapore Fintech Association for India-Singapore fintech growths
On November 11, 2019 the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the
Singapore Fintech Association (SFA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation
for development of fintech technology in both the nation. The MoU was signed during the Fourth
edition of Singapore Fintech Festival, the world’s largest financial technology platform along with
Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology conducted from November 11-13, 2019 in Singapore.
BHIM goes international:
At the festival, soft launch was scheduled for the acceptance of BHIM-UPI QR (Bharat Interface for
Money- Unified Payments Interface Quick Response) based payments in Singapore with a live
transaction at a merchant terminal. With this transaction, BHIM usage for the first time enters an
international country.
• The project in this regard was jointly developed by National Payments Corporation of India
(NPCI) and Network for Electronic Transfers (NETS) of Singapore.
• Anyone with a BHIM app can now make payments at NETS terminals in Singapore.
Trade promotion Council of India signed MoU with MAS:
The trade promotion Council of India (TPCI) signed MoU with Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS)
for accessing the Business sans Borders (BSB), which is cross-border digital trade platform experiment
for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
About FICCI:
FICCI- It is the largest, oldest, non-government, not-for-profit apex business organisation in India.
Founded-1927.
About BHIM:
Facts: It is named after Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar. Recently BHIM 2.0 was launched which provides
additional functionalities and also supports three additional languages — Konkani, Bhojpuri and
Haryanvi, over and above the existing 13 languages.
Launched- December 2016.
Environment ministry approves IOCL proposal to set up 2G Ethanol plant in Panipat, Haryana
On November 10, 2019, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Prakash
Javadekar has approved the Rs 766 crore worth proposal of Indian Oil Corporation Limited
(IOCL) to set up 100 KLPD (Kiloliters per day) Ligno-Cellulosic 2G Ethanol Plant, a second-generation
biomass-based fuel in Baholi, Panipat district of Haryana.
Key Points:
i.This project will boost environment-friendly fuel & help in achieving the government’s goal of
doubling the income of farmers.
ii.The produced Ethanol in the plant will be used to blend transportation fuels.
iii.India’s national biofuel policy released in 2018 had set an indicative target of 20% blending of
ethanol in petrol and 5% blending of biodiesel in diesel to be achieved by 2030.
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About IOCL:
Founded– 30 June 1959
Chairman- Sanjiv Singh
Nomura revised India’s GDP to 4.9% from 5.7% for FY20

On November 9, 2019, the Japanese brokerage firm Nomura revised the Gross Domestic Product(GDP)
forecast of India to 4.9% from its previous estimate of 5.7% FY20 (fiscal year 20). The downgrade in
the forecast was due to slowed economic growth of 5% in the June quarter (1st quarter) of 2019, which
is a 6-year low. This is by far, the lowest estimate of Nomura.
About Nomura:
Founded- December 25, 1925.
Headquarters- Tokyo, Japan.
President- Toshio Morita.
NCAER forecasts India’s GDP growth for FY20 to 4.9%

On November 16, 2019, National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER),a New
Delhi based non-profit think tank of economics & and the National Institute of Public Finance and
Policy, have jointly projected India’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth for 2019 (or Fiscal year
(FY)-20) at 4.9 % as against 6.8 % in 2018 (or FY -19). It lowers its outlook due to the slowdown in
almost all sectors & it is primarily driven by a simultaneous deceleration of all the drivers of aggregate
demand.
Key Points:
i.The report further states that monetary policy measures are not expected to improve growth but the
farm sector and agriculture output had been looking up. It also suggested providing fiscal stimulus for
better growth. Till October 2019, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had cut the repo rate by 135 basis points
(bps).
ii.This outlook is the lowest among the recent forecasts by rating agencies, multilateral institutions,
research firms, and government institutions.
iii.The report forecasts gross value added (GVA) growth at 4.9 per cent July-September quarter 2019
(Q3).
Other ratings: Earlier global ratings agency Moody’s cut its GDP forecast for India to 5.6 % for 2019
from 6.2 %.It also cut India’s credit rating outlook to ‘negative’ from ‘stable’.
The State Bank of India (SBI) and CLSA (formerly known as Credit Lyonnais Securities Asia) predict a
growth rate of 5 % for FY20.
OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), World bank , IMF (International
Monetary Fund) India’s GDP growth for 2019-20 at 5.9 % , 6.0 %, 6.1 % respectively.
About NCAER
Founded– 1956
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AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

Hindi writer Leeladhar Jagoori conferred with 28th Vyas Samman for 2018, in New Delhi
On October 31, 2019 renowned Hindi writer Leeladhar Jagoori was conferred with the 28th Vyas
Samman for the year 2018 in New Delhi. The award was conferred to him by well-known author Govind
Mishra, for his 12th anthology (collection of poems or other pieces of writing) of poetry collection ‘Jitne
Log Utne Prem’.
About Vyas Samman:
Vyas Samman is a literary award in India, given annually by the K.K. Birla Foundation in honour of
Indian industrialist Krishna Kumar Birla.
Reward: A citation and a cash prize of Rs 4 lakh.
Constituted-1991.
Award eligibility: For eligibility the literary work must be in the Hindi language and have been
published in the past 10 years.
Pepsico India won 20th US award for Corporate Excellence 2019 for saving more than 17 billion
litres of water
On October 31, 2019 The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs
announced the 20th edition of the US award for Corporate Excellence 2019. The United States(US)
Secretary of state Mike Pompeo, presented the 2019 Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE) to Pepsico
India of American multinational company Pepsico, in the multinational enterprise category for its
sustainable farming initiative in India. The award was presented at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of
the state department in Washington, US.
• By the initiative, Pepsico India saved more than 17 billion of litres of water by conducting
various community programs and replenished over 5 billion litres of water, by impacting
60,000 community members.
Key Points:
i.Award category: The 2019 ACE awards were given under the categories Sustainable Operations and
Women’s Economic Empowerment.
ii.Other awardees: Other recipients of the award were as follows,
• Women’s Economic Empowerment: Chambers Federation of the Democratic Republic of
the Congo(DRC) under small to medium enterprises list and Procter and Gamble(P&G) Asia
Pacific of Singapore under Multinational Enterprise list.
• Sustainable Operations: Agilis Partners of Uganda under Small-to-Medium Enterprise list.
Chambers Federation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Procter and Gamble Asia Pacific
in Singapore and Agilis Partners in Uganda.
iii.PepsiCo India, India’s largest purchaser of potatoes, aims to replenish water in stressed areas.
About ACE:
Established- 1999.
The award is given to honour US companies for promoting standards as responsible community
members where the business is done.
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Sweden-based climate activist Greta Thunberg refuses to take Nordic Council’s environmental
award 2019
On October 30, 2019, Swedish teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg (16) has refused to accept
an environmental award 2019, saying that the climate campaign requires that, those in power start
following ‘science’ rather than giving the award. She also refused to accept the prize money of 350,000
Danish kroner (around Rs 36,90,741).
Key points:
i.She was honored in Stockholm ceremony in Sweden held by the Nordic Council, a regional body for
inter-parliamentary cooperation. Thunberg was nominated for her work in Sweden and Norway and
won the organization’s annual Environmental Award 2019.
Greta Thunberg:
i.She is best known for initiating a movement, “Fridays for Future”, a climate movement that formed in
November 2018.
ii.She began protesting outside the Swedish parliament about the need for immediate action to combat
climate change in August 2018 holding a sign reading “School strike for climate”.
50th IFFI: Rajinikanth to be honoured with first “Icon of Golden Jubilee Award”
Eminent film personality & South Indian superstar Shri S Rajinikanth will be honoured with
the first ‘Icon of Golden Jubilee Award’, in International Film Festival of India(IFFI) 2019 that is to be
held in Goa from 20th November to 28th November, 2019. Icon of Golden Jubilee Award is a special
award constituted by Government of India in the year 2019.
Key points:
i.French actor Isabelle Anne Madeleine Huppert will be honoured with “Life Time Achievement
Award” for a ‘foreign artiste’ in the International Film Festival of India(IFFI) 2019.
About IFFI 2019(Golden Jubilee):
i.Russia will be the partner country of the IFFI 2019.
ii.The 50th IFFI,2019 will screen 50 films by 50 female filmmakers to acknowledge the contribution of
women in cinema & will also witness over 200 best films from 76 countries, 26 feature films and 15
non-feature films in Indian panorama section.
UNESCO designated Mumbai and Hyderabad as members of UNESCO Creative Cities Network
On October 31, 2019 the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO) has
designated Mumbai as a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) in the field of “film”
while Hyderabad was designated in the field of “gastronomy” (art of choosing, cooking, and eating
good food).
Key Points:
i.7 categories: A total of 7 categories were made for recognition under the UCCN which was launched
in 2004. They were Crafts and Folk Arts, design, film, gastronomy, music, media arts and literature. This
year, a total of 66 cities inclusive of Mumbai and Hyderabad were added.
ii.The previous members that were included in the list were Jaipur (Rajasthan) for crafts and folk arts
in 2015; Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) for Creative city of music in 2015; Chennai (Tamil Nadu) for creative
city of Music in 2017.
iii.UCCN members: The members of the UCCN which now has a total of 246 cities, work for urban
development in making the cities safe, resilient and sustainable by placing creativity and creative
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economy. The members also work in line with the 2030 agenda for sustainable development of the
United Nations(UN).
iv.Ministry of Culture headed by Union Minister Prahlad Singh Patel is the nodal Ministry for all matters
in UNESCO relating to culture.
About UNESCO:
• Founded- 16 November 1945.
• Headquarters- Paris, France
• Director General(DG)- Audrey Azoulay.
• Director of UNESCO (New Delhi)- Eric Falt.
Sudarsan Pattnaik picked for Italian Golden Sand Art Award 2019
International acclaimed Sand Artist Sudarsan Pattnaik who belongs to Odisha has been selected for
the prestigious Italian Golden Sand Art Award 2019. He will be felicitated during the International
Scorrana Sand Nativity festival in Italy which is to be held from November 13 to 18, 2019.
i.Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik congratulated the Sand Artist for his achievement.
ii.He has received a letter from the President of ‘Promuovi Scorrona’ Vito Maraschino informing him
about his selection for the award. Mr.Pattnaik was honoured by the union government with the fourth
highest civilian ‘Padma Shri’ award in 2014.
Indian-origin researcher Neeraj Sharma wins ‘Early career researcher of the year 2019’ award
of Australian govt
On November 1, 2019, Indian-origin researcher, Dr Neeraj Sharma (35) from the University of New
South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, Australia has won the ‘Early Career Researcher of the Year 2019
(Physical Sciences)’ by the Australian government.
Key Points:
i.New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian honoured Sharma for his work in lithium-ion batteries
found in electronic devices, electric vehicles (e-vehicles ), next-generation battery systems such as
sodium-ion batteries that will leave minimal environmental impact, and transition away from fossil
fuels for energy generation and transportation.
ii.Sharma, considered one of the global leaders in the use of neutron and X-ray scattering methods, is
also exploring inherently safe solid-state batteries, energy-dense lithium-sulfur batteries, dual function
solar batteries and methods for recycling.
U.S. based-Indian author Madhuri Vijay wins 2019 JCB prize for literature
On November 3, 2019, United States (US) based-Indian author Madhuri Vijay (27) has won India’s
richest JCB (J.C. Bamford Excavators Ltd.) Prize for Literature 2019 for her debut novel ‘The Far
Field’ at the award ceremony held at Rambagh Palace in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Vijay (from Bengaluru,
Karnataka), a recipient of Henfield Prize and the Pushcart Prize, also received the Rs 25 lakh as the
prize money, a sculpture by Delhi artist duo Thukral & Tagra entitled Mirror Melting.
Key Points:
i.The novel,published by Fourth estate India, sets a complex personal story against the backdrop of the
conflict in the 1990s in Kashmir.
ii.In 2018, the JCB Prize for Literature was awarded to Jasmine Days by Benyamin, translated from
Malayalam by Shahnaz Habib.
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About JCB prize for Literature:

It is an annual Indian literary award instituted in 2018. It is awarded to a distinguished work of fiction
by an Indian writer working in English or to a translated fiction by an Indian writer. The award is
funded by the English construction manufacturing group JCB, which established the JCB Literature
Foundation to maintain this award.
Real Kashmir FC’s BBC documentary receives ‘BAFTA Scotland’ award-2019 in Glasgow, Scotland
On November 4, 2019, A documentary on the Real Kashmir Football Club (RKFC), an Indian
professional football club based in Srinagar, called “Real Kashmir FC” has been selected for the
prestigious ‘British Academy of Field and Television Awards’ (BAFTA) 2019 award in the ‘Single
Documentary’ category at a ceremony held in DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Glasgow Central , Glasgow,
Scotland.
Key Points:
i.This one-hour documentary depicts the journey of former Rangers team star David Robertson as the
coach of the Real Kashmir FC team. Under the guidance of Robertson, the team of Real Kashmir FC
finished third in their first season in the I-League, the then top-class football league in India.
ii.This film, shown on BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation)Scotland 2019, was Directed by Greg C
Clark.
iii.In their debut season in 2017-18, Real Kashmir FC performed brilliantly against a number of top
teams including East Bengal and Mohun Bagan and scored 36 points in 19 matches.
Serbia’s Sara Dawnjanovic wins ‘Miss Asia Global 2019’ title held in Kochi
On Nov 5,2019, The 5th Edition of ‘Miss Asia Global Title 2019’ was organized at Gokulam Convention
Centre in Kochi, Kerala. Sara Damnjanovic from Serbia has been crowned ‘Miss Asia Global
2019’, felicitated by Assem Yessengeldiyeva, who won Miss Asia Global in 2018.
Key Points:
i.Nguyen Thi Yen Trang from Vietnam won the ‘Miss Asia 2019’ Title, crowned by Honey Tianmia,
who won Miss Asia title in 2017. Samiksha Singh from India won the sub-title of ‘Miss Beautiful Face’
Title.
ii.Leeseul Kim from Korea and Jeanyeer Ozbot from the Philippines were awarded the ‘Miss Asia Global
first’ and ‘Miss Asia Global second runner up’ titles.
iii.The chief guest of this event was Yb Yeoh Soon Hin, the minister of tourism, Penang, Malaysia. The
founder & chairman of the Miss Asia Global, Dr.Ajit Ravi, who was conducted this event to showcase the
rich culture of the country and also to promote the tourism sector.
iv.The Next ‘Miss Asia Global Title 2020’ will be held in Malaysia.
First Indian Industrialist Venu Srinivasan received Deming award for Total Quality Management
in Japan
On November 6, 2019, Venu Srinivasan, Chairman of TVS Motor Company and Sundaram Clayton was
conferred with the Deming award ‘Distinguished Service Award for Dissemination and Promotion
Overseas’, at a ceremony held in Tokyo, Japan. He was the first Indian industrialist to bestowed this
prestigious awards for this hard-work in the field of Total Quality Management (TQM). The award
was funded by Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers (JUSE).
• Since 1989,TVS Motor Company and Sundaram Clayton are working hard to improve TQM.
• Across the country Srinivasan plays an active role in accelerating TQM.
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i.Deming prize– It is one of the highest awards for TQM in the world. Till date, 36 Indian companies
have won the Deming Prize. Thus, India becoming the second largest country to hold Deming prize
winners.Sundaram Clayton was the first company in India awarded Deming Prize in 1998 and Japan
Quality Medal in 2002. TVS Motor Company Ltd also won the award in the same year of 2002.
ii.Global Reach– Around 60 countries the company serves their products with high quality measures.
iii.Principles- The principle of TQM is to adopt the community for development.
Additional Information
Srinivasan’s Services Trust (SST)- It focuses on Economic development, Health, Education,
Infrastructure & Environment covering 5000 villages in five states across India.
Gulab kothari, chairman of Rajasthan patrika group will receive PCI’s Raja ram mohan roy
award 2019
Gulab Kothari (70),an Indian author, journalist and editor-in-chief of Indian daily
newspaper Rajasthan Patrika has been selected by the Press Council of India (PCI) for the prestigious
Raja Ram Mohan Roy Award 2019, for his outstanding contribution towards journalism. On
November 16,2019, on the occasion of National Press Day, he will be given this award at Vigyan
Bhawan in the national capital, New Delhi.
Key Points:
i.The winners of this award were selected by the jury comprising of popular members of PCI such as Jai
Shankar Gupta, Balwinder Singh and Ashok Upadhyaya among others.
Here’s the full list of Winners of National Awards for Excellence in Journalism 2019:
S. Category Name of the winner Cash Prize
No.
1 Raja Ram Mohan Roy National Gulab Kothari Rs.
Award for Excellence in 100000/-
Journalism
2 Rural Journalism Sanjay Saini, (Correspondent, Dainik Rs. 50000/-
Bhaskar) & Raj Chengappa, (Group
Editorial Director, India Today)
3 Developmental Reporting Shiva Swarup Awasthi, (Senior Reporter of Rs. 50000/-
Dainik Jagran) & Anu Abrahim, (Sub-
Editor of Matrubhumi, Calicut)
4 Photo Journalism: P G Unnikrishnan (Senior Photographer, Rs. 50000/-
i) Single News Picture The Mathrubhumi) & Akhil E S, (News
Photographer, Mathrubhumi)
ii)Photo Feature Sipra Das, Consulting Editor Rs. 50000/-
(Photography), India Empire Magazine
and Parliamentarian Magazine
5 Sports Reporting / Sports Photo Saurabh Duggal , Hindustan Times Rs. 50000/-
Feature
6 Financial Reporting Sandeep Singh( Indian Express Associate Rs. 50000/-
Editor and Special Correspondent Krishn
Kaushik)
7 Gender Issue Reporting Anuradha Mascarenhas, (Indian Express Rs. 50000/-
Senior Editor)& Ruby Sarkar
(Deshbandhu, Special Correspondent).
8 Best Newspaper Art: Covering – Rs. 50000/-
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cartoons, caricatures and

illustrations
ii.No entry could qualify, under the category of award, “the Best Newspapers Art: Covering, Cartoons,
Caricatures and Illustration” 2019.
About National Awards for Excellence in Journalism :
This award is given to a senior journalist or photo journalists for his lifetime work in his field.
For the Raja Ram Mohan Roy award, the jury committee itself decides the nominations for category and
therefore no entries are invited.
About PCI:
Formation- 1966
4 Indians shortlisted for 9th edition of DSC prize 2019 for South asian literature
On November 6, 2019, The shortlist for the prestigious 9th DSC prize for South Asian literature has
been announced by the chair of the jury panel Harish Trivedi at London School of Economics & Political
Science in London, England.
The Far Field by Madhuri Vijay (Bangalore, Karnataka) , which also won the JCB Prize for Literature,
The City and the Sea by Raj Kamal Jha (Bhagalpur,Bihar), Half the Night is Gone by Amitav Bagchi
(Kolkata, West Bengal), There’s Gunpowder in the Air (Translated by Arunava Sinha) by Manoranjan
Byapari (West Bengal ) have been chosen from the longlist which consisted 15 books.
Key Points:
i.The Empty Room by Sadia Abbas (who grew up in Pakistan and Singapore)and 99 Nights in Logar
byPakistan-born Jamil Jan Kochai have also been shortlisted.
ii.The winner of the DSC Prize 2019 will be declared on December 16,2019 at the Nepal Literature
Festival in pokhara.
About DSC prize:
Instituted in 2010, the award encourages and rewards fiction writing about the South Asian region
comprising Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
It carries a cash prize of $25,000.
Kumar Mangalam Birla conferred with 2019 ABLF Global Asian Award 2019
On November 7, 2019 Chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, Kumar Mangalam Birla was conferred with
UAE (United Arab Emirates) govt. backed 2019 ABLF Global Asian Award at an event in Dubai. The
award was given for ‘powerful individual whose business footprint and commitment to excellence have
engaged international interest’.
Key Points:
i.Previous awardees: The previous awardees include Dhirubhai Ambani, Lakshmi Mittal, Mohamed Ali
Alaber, chairman of Emaar group, and Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman of Emirates.
ii.The Asia Business Leadership Forum (ABLF) currently runs in three forms, they are on ‘talks, awards,
and publications’.
KSUM recognized as world no 1 public business accelerator

On November 8, 2019 Sweden based company UBI Global has recognised the Kerala Startup
Mission(KSUM) as the World’s top Public Business Accelerator. UBI Awards & Recognition Gala
event 2019 released the top lists of business incubators and accelerators as per the assessment made in
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the World Benchmark Study 2019 -2020. The announcement in this regard was made at the World
Incubation Summit for best programmes, hosted by Qatar Development Bank at the Museum of Islamic
Art in Doha, Qatar.
Key Points:
i.A total of 364 programmes from 78countries were selected for the assessment.
ii.Other categories: Awards were given in other categories, they are, World Top University Business
Incubators, World Top Public Business Incubators, World Top Private Business Incubators, World Top
University Business Accelerators and World Top Private Business Accelerators.
About KSUM:
KSUM: KSUM is a nodal agency for entrepreneurship development and incubation activities in the
Indian states.
Founded- 2006.
Headquarters- Thiruvananthapuram.
Chief Executive Officer(CEO)- Dr. Saji Gopinath.
West Bengal writer Abhisek Sarkar won 2019 Gemcon Young Poetry Literature award at Dhaka
Lit-fest in Bangladesh
The 9th edition of the Dhaka Lit-fest, which was a literature festival organised from November 5-7,
2019 was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh. West Bengal based Indian writer Abhisek Sarkar won “Gemcon
Young Literature Award” for the year 2019 for his manuscript “Nishiddho”.
Focus: The special focus for the 2019 fest was on Indigenous Languages as the UNESCO (United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) has marked 2019 as the year of Indigenous Language
Protection.
Key Points:
i.Poetry winner: Bangladeshi poet Rofiquzzaman Rony won the 2019 Gemcon Young Poetry Award for
the poem “Dhoashar Tamate Rong”.
ii.Award-winning author and Booker prize finalist Monica Ali, iconic author of Bangla literature Sankar,
Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Jeffrey Gettleman, writer Shashi Tharoor(India) and others participated
in the event.
Indian Wildlife Biologist Ullas Karanth won 1st George Schaller lifetime award 2019
On November 9, 2019, Bangalore (Karnataka) based Indian wildlife biologist Ullas Karanth won the
first-ever instituted George Schaller lifetime award for the year 2019 for his contribution in the field
of wildlife conservation science. The award was instituted by the Wildlife Conservation Society
(WCS) in New York, United States(US) in honour of Dr. George Schaller, who is considered as one of the
greatest wildlife scientists and conservationists globally.
Key Points:
i.The WCS Board of Trustees honoured Dr. Karanth at a function in New York on October 29, 2019.
ii.WCS George Schaller Lifetime Award has been created to honour members of WCS for their
outstanding contributions in conserving wildlife and wild places.
iii.Awards: He was honoured with various awards, which include Padma Shri award (2012), Karnataka
Government’s Rajyothsava Award (2010), etc.
About WCS:
Formation- April 26, 1895.
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Founder- Andrew H. Green et al.

Former name- New York Zoological Society
Karnataka’s Suranga Bawadi selected as World Monument Watch list for 2020
On November 12, 2019, Suranga Bawadi of Vijayapura, Karnataka, has been selected as the World
Monument Watch List for 2020, by the New York-based non-governmental organisation. Suranga
Bawadi was selected under the category of “Ancient Water System of the Deccan Plateau” along with
24 monuments across the world. It is one of the integral parts of the ancient Karez system of supplying
water through subterranean tunnels, is now set to get funding for restoration.
Key Points: –
i.It was built in the 16th century by Adil Shahi-I in Vijayapura.
ii.World Monuments Fund- It works in collaboration with the local stakeholders, including the district
administration, the Archaeological Survey of India and local explorers of ancient monuments, in
highlighting the need for restoration of an ancient monument.
World Monument Watch:
The World Monuments Watch is a biennial selection program of at-risk cultural heritage sites that
combine great historical significance with contemporary social impact. It was established in 1996 on
the occasion of the 30th anniversary of World Monuments Fund to recognize endangered cultural
heritage sites and provide direct financial and technical support for their preservation.
Karnataka’s Suranga Bawadi selected as World Monument Watch list for 2020
On November 12, 2019, Suranga Bawadi of Vijayapura, Karnataka, has been selected as the World
Monument Watch List for 2020, by the New York-based non-governmental organisation. Suranga
Bawadi was selected under the category of “Ancient Water System of the Deccan Plateau” along with
24 monuments across the world. It is one of the integral parts of the ancient Karez system of supplying
water through subterranean tunnels, is now set to get funding for restoration.
Key Points: –
i.It was built in the 16th century by Adil Shahi-I in Vijayapura.
ii.World Monuments Fund- It works in collaboration with the local stakeholders, including the district
administration, the Archaeological Survey of India and local explorers of ancient monuments, in
highlighting the need for restoration of an ancient monument.
World Monument Watch:
The World Monuments Watch is a biennial selection program of at-risk cultural heritage sites that
combine great historical significance with contemporary social impact. It was established in 1996 on
the occasion of the 30th anniversary of World Monuments Fund to recognize endangered cultural
heritage sites and provide direct financial and technical support for their preservation.
Indian Scholar Ravi Prakash won BRICS-Young Innovator Prize 2019

On November 13 2019, Ravi Prakash, an Indian scholar from Bangalore won $25,000 (equivalent to Rs.
18 lakh), BRICS-Young Innovator Prize, 2019. He was awarded during the 4th BRICS-Young Scientist
Forum (YSF), 2019 held from November 6-8,2019 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was a part of 21-member
delegation sent to Brazil by the Department of Science and Technology for the YSF. The theme for 4th
BRICS-YSF was “Cybersecurity and Bio economy”. Ravi Prakash, who hails from Bihar invented an
affordable home-grown milk chilling unit for smaller and minimal rural dairy farmers.
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Key points: –
i. Ravi Prakash was a Ph.D. scholar from Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-National Dairy
Research Institute (NDRI), Bangalore.
ii.About 1st Three Forum-First forum of BRICS-YSF was hosted by India in September 2016, Second
was by China in Hangzhou in July 2017, and third forumheld in South Africa Durban in July 2018.
Milk Chilling Technology
This Milk Chilling Technology is used for chilling milk from the point of production by bringing down
the temperature of raw milk from 37°C to 7°C within 30 minutes. It uses Nano-fluid based phase change
materials for this process. This technology makes a social-economic important for all the countries for
preserving the quality of the milk.
BRICS Young Innovator Prize
The BRICS Young Innovator Prize aims to search and reward the candidate who are having the
innovative project in technology and with the potential contribution to the science and technology
sector of the BRICS countries. The special recognition is given for the young talented research students
to make an impact on the socio-economic environment.
BRICS
BRICS is an acronym invented for a relationship of five major emerging national economies: Brazil,
Russia, India, China and South Africa. The BRICS Forum is an independent international organization
encouraging commercial, political and cultural cooperation among the BRICS nations, was formed in
2006 and headquartered at Shanghai, China.
American-Italian actor Robert De Niro to be conferred with SAG life achievement award 2019
On November 13, 2019, Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. (76), an American-Italian actor, producer, and
director has been named the 56th recipient of SAG-AFTRA’s (Screen Actors Guild -American Federation
of Television and Radio Artists) prestigious “ SAG Life Achievement Award 2019” for his career
achievement & humanitarian accomplishment. He will be honoured at the 26th edition of Screen
Actors Guild Awards, which is scheduled to be held on January 19, 2020 at the Shrine Auditorium
in Los Angeles,US (United States).
Key Points:
i.A seven-time Academy Award nominee, De Niro has earned 2 Oscars for his films The Godfather Part
II (1974) and Raging Bull (1980).He also received a Golden Globe, a Kennedy Center Honor and the
Cecil B. DeMille Award, among others.
ii.De Niro won a SAG Award as a cast member of “American Hustle (2013)” and received SAG Award
nominations for “Silver Linings Playbook” and “Marvin’s Room”.
SAG Life Achievement award:

Nominated and voted on by members of the SAG-AFTRA National Honors and Tributes Committee,this
award is given annually to an actor who fosters the best ideals of the acting profession.
About SAG award:
Presented by -SAG-AFTRA
First awarded -1995
Tab Expo 2019: Tobacco Board of India awarded with 2019 Golden Leaf Award in Netherlands
On November 14, 2019 the Tobacco Board of India was awarded the 2019 Golden Leaf Award at the
Tab Expo 2019 event in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The tobacco board was awarded under ‘Most
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Impressive Public Service Initiative category for the year 2019’ for initiating various sustainability
(green) initiatives in Flue-Cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco cultivation in India. The award received by
Executive Director of Tobacco Board, K. Sunitha.
Previous Golden leaf award in 2014: The Tobacco Board of India previously won the golden leaf
award in 2014 under ‘Most Impressive Public Service Initiative category’ for implementation of an
electronic auction system, that has made the tobacco marketing system transparent and accountable.
Key Points:
i.The golden leaf award: The award created in 2006 by Tobacco Reporter, an international magazine,
is given to a company/institution which has introduced public service programmes and has achieved
outstanding performance in 5 categories.
• Recognition of the award: The aim of the award is to recognize professional excellence and
dedication in the tobacco industry.
ii.Initiatives created by the tobacco board: Some of the initiatives for which the tobacco board was
awarded are given below
• Initiatives for production of organic tobacco, introduction of 365-days green cover in tobacco
cultivation.
• Promoting advanced technologies- Green Tech nurseries, elimination of Non-Tobacco Related
Material (NTRM).
• Educating and guiding farmers on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) etc.
iii.Facts on tobacco production in India:
• India is the world’s fourth largest producer of FCV tobacco.
• Tobacco Board has supplied 6,50,000 saplings through the forest department to the tobacco
farmers for greenery development in tobacco producing areas.
About Tobacco Board:
Functions- Regulating Virginia tobacco productions in India, facilitating the sale of tobacco through e-
auctions on the auction floors of the Board etc.
Ministry responsible- Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Act- Tobacco Board Act of 1975.
Chairman- Shri Raghunadha Babu Yadlapati.
Headquarters- Guntur, Andhra Pradesh.
UP Police bagged 3rd prize during International Call Centre Award event in Dubai
On November 14 2019, Dial 112 service of Uttar Pradesh (UP) police was awarded 3rd prize in the
emergency response category during Dubai Police international call center event at Dubai, UAE
(United Arab Emirates). Above 500 police services from all over the world including 911 of the US
(United State) considered for the award. On October 26 2019 Chief Minister (CM) Yogi Adityanath
launched 112 police service.
Key Points:
i.Singapore Police won the first prize, second prize was won by Sharjah Police, UAE.
ii.This award was to encourage the police and also to improve service for the citizen and incorporating
the latest technology in order to launch the rule of the law.
iii. Dial 112 is an integrated emergency number for police, medical and fire emergencies in state of
Uttar Pradesh.
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India’s ace sprinter Dutee Chand included in ‘Time 100 Next’ list
On November 13, 2019, TIME, an American weekly news magazine has named Indian
professional sprinter Dutee Chand (23) to its first-ever TIME 100 Next, a new expansion of the TIME
100 list of the most influential people in the world.
Key Points:
i.The list has been started by ‘Time’ magazine which includes 100 rising stars who are ready to make a
fortune in business, entertainment, sports, politics, health and science.
ii.Dutee from Odisha won 2 silver medals in the 100m and 200m events at the Jakarta Asian Games
(2018) and became the 1st Indian runner to win a gold medal in the 100m at the 31st Summer
Universiade competition 2019 in Naples, Italy held in July 2019.
About TIME magazine:
Editor-in-Chief – Edward Felsenthal
Based in – New York, U.S.
Actor Manoj Bajpayee’s film Bhonsle wins 2 awards at 7th Asian film festival Barcelona 2019
Indian film actor, Manoj Bajpayee (50) starrer film “Bhonsle” has won 2 awards for ‘Best
Screenplay’ and ‘Best Director’ at the 7th Asian Film Festival Barcelona (AFFBCN) 2019 held
in Barcelona, Spain from October 30 -November 10, 2019. The film, based on the struggle of migrants
and their battles with the local politicians, was directed by Devashish Makhija. Manoj was the main
character, as a policeman.
Key Points:
i.The film, co-produced by Golden Ratio Films was premiered in the ”A Window on Asian Cinema”
section of the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) 2018 held at Busan Cinema Center, South Korea.
ii.It was also screened at various film festivals including the MAMI(Mumbai Academy of Moving Image)
Film Festival, 2018 Dharamshala Film Festival, the 2019 International Film Festival Rotterdam, the
Bengaluru International Film Festival & Singapore South Asian International film festival.
GI tag granted to Darjeeling green and white tea

On November 16, 2019 the green tea and white tea of Darjeeling have been granted with the
Geographical Indication (GI) product tag. The announcement in this regard was made by the Darjeeling
Tea Association (DTA). Both the green and white tea varieties are registered under Geographical
Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act 1999, with effect from October 2019.
Key Points:
i.The tea board of India has applied for the GI tag in December 2017.
ii.The GI tag for Darjeeling tea which is considered as a “niche and luxury” product in the country and
abroad will add strength to its intellectual property status. It is also to be noted that Darjeeling black tea
has already been granted GI tag.
iii.Darjeeling tea production: Annually 8.5million kilograms of Darjeeling tea are produced. Of this,
green tea comprises of 1million kilogram and white tea comprises one lakh kilogram.
About Darjeeling:
Fact- Darjeeling is a town in India’s West Bengal state. Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, a UNESCO
(United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage Site is located here.
Nickname- The Queen of hills.
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Bangladesh singer Rezwana Choudhury Bannya received ICCR Alumni award in Dhaka,
Bangladesh
On November 15, 2019, Rezwana Choudhury Bannya was conferred the India Council for Culture
Relations (ICCR) distinguished alumni award in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The award was given by High
Commissioner of India Riva Ganguly Das at a programme titled ‘ICCR Scholar’s Evening and Award
Presentation Ceremony’ organized by the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre (IGCC).
Key Points: –
i.Rezwana Choudhury Bannya is a well known for her unique style of singing and also recognized as
a great exponent of Rabindra Sangeet
ii.She is a recipient of ‘Independence Award 2016’ which is the highest civilian award of Bangladesh.
iii. She is running a musical school ‘Shurer Dhara’ in Bangladesh to bring forward the Guru-Shishya
tradition as practised in Shantiniketan.
iv. She learned Bangala music such as Folk Kirtan, Classical Tappa, Harmonium and Esraj.
v.To commemorate the 150thbirth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore in 2010, she released the
complete audio version of Gitobitan called Shruti Gitobitan. She has sung a song, “Vaishnava
Janato” produced by Ministry of External Affairs, Govt. of India to commemorate the 150th birth
anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
vi. Achievments- She won eight prestigious awards recently. she received Doctorate of Arts “Honoris
Causa” from Asian University for Women in the year 2019.
vii.Distinguished Alumni Award was instituted in 2015 to recognise foreign students who have studied
in various Indian Universities under the ICCR sponsored scholarship schemes and made an exemplary
contribution in varied fields.
DMRC won 2 awards at 12th Urban Mobility India Conference & Expo 2019 in Lucknow, UP
On November 18, 2019 the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) was conferred with 2 awards at the
12th Urban Mobility India Conference and Expo 2019 held from November 15 to 17, 2019 in Lucknow,
Uttar Pradesh(UP). DMRC was awarded for its initiatives in promoting the metro as a green and
sustainable mode of transport. The awards and its category are as follows,
Award name Awarded category
‘Last Mile Connectivity’ project best non-motorised transport
Green Metro project – An Initiative for Sustainable and Viable best green initiative in urban
Urban Transport transport.
Key Points:
i.The awards were given by the Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister (Dy. CM) Dinesh Sharma.
About Delhi Metro Rail Corporation:
Fact- The Delhi metro’s first service began in December 2002 on Shahdara-Tis Hazari corridor of Red
Line, Delhi. It currently spans over 350kilometers having over 250 metro stations.
Founded- 3 May 1995.
English broadcaster & natural historian David Attenborough receives Indira Gandhi peace prize
for 2019
On November 19, 2019, English broadcaster and natural historian, Sir David Frederick
Attenborough (93) was conferred with Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and
Development 2019 prize for his tireless work to preserve and protect biodiversity. His name was
selected for the award by an international jury headed by former President Pranab Mukherjee.
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For the year 2018: Former Vice President of India, Mohammad Hamid Ansari has given Indira Gandhi
Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for the year 2018 to Centre for Science and
Environment (CSE), the New Delhi based research and advocacy think tank for its work in
environmental education and protection.
Key Points:
i.David name is involved in contributing all people to live in a sustainable and harmonious manner. He
has been recognized for his work on various occasions. He was honoured with knighthood, UNESCO’s
(United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization ) Kalinga prize- 1981, Michael faraday
prize-2003, the Descartes prize -2004and fellowship of the royal society, etc.
About Indira Gandhi Peace Prize:
This prestigious award , named after former prime minister (PM) Indira Gandhi, has been accorded
annually by Indira Gandhi Trust since 1986. It is awarded to individuals or organizations in recognition
of their creative efforts towards promoting international peace, development.
The award consists of monetary award of 25 lakhs and a citation.
The 2017 Prize had gone to former Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh.
NTPC won the 2019 ‘Golden Peacock Award for Sustainability’ award
On November 19, 2019, India’s largest power generation company NTPC ltd (National Thermal Power
Corporation Limited) was bestowed with ‘Golden Peacock Award for Sustainability’ 2019 award for
its efforts in providing cleaner and green energy, in-order to minimize environmental impact. The
award was conferred during the 19th International Conference on Corporate Governance &
Sustainability held in London, United Kingdom(UK).
The award was received by Shri Biswarup Basu, Chief General Manager(CGM) of (SSEA) and Shri Vikash
Kumar, DM (SD) on behalf of NTPC.
Key Points:
i.The award was conferred by the Institute of Directors (IOD), India. Former judge of the Supreme
Court(SC) Justice (Dr.) Arijit Pasayat, was the Chairman of the Jury for the awards.
About National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC):
Founded- 1975. Headquarters- New Delhi. Managing Director(MD) and Chairman- Gurmeet Singh.
Virat Kohli wins PETA India’s ‘Person of the Year for 2019’
On 20th November 2019, Indian cricket player Virat Kohli named as the People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals (PETA) India’s ‘Person of the Year for 2019’.The PETA awards are given to
people or organisations that take initiative in the welfare of animals and violence against animals. Kohli
has sent a letter to the officials appealing for the release of Malti, an elephant which used for rides in
Amer Fort who has been reported to be physically abused several times.
Past winners of ‘PETA India’s Person of the Year’:
i.Sonam kapoor – 2018
ii.Anushka Sharma – 2017
iii.Other recipients :- Actors Sunny Leone, Kapil sharma, Jackline frenandez,R.Madhavan and Hema
malini , Congress leader Shashi Tharoor and former Supreme Court Justice KS Panicker Radhakrishnan.
About PETA(people for the ethical treatment of animals):
Founded – March 22, 1980
Focus – Animal welfare and animal rights
Location – Norfolk,Virginia, United States
Motto – “Animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, use for entertainment, or abuse in any other way”.
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APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS

Centre transferred 3 CJs to the High Courts of Madras, Madhya Pradesh and Patna
On October 30, 2019 the union law ministry announced the transfer of 3 high court Chief Justices(CJs)
under article 222 of the constitution of India. They are as follows:
• The Patna high court(HC) CJ, Amreshwar Pratap Sahi was transferred to Madras HC,
replacing incumbent Justice Vineet Kothari. Vineet was appointed for a temporary term
following the resignation of the previous CJ of Madras HC, justice Vijaya Tahilramani in
September 2019.
• Tripura HC Chief Justice Sanjay Karol, has been appointed to Patna HC replacing Justice Sahi.
Meghalaya HC chief Justice Ajay Kumar Mittal has been appointed as CJ to the Madhya
Pradesh HC replacing chief justice Sanjay Yadav.
2 judges transferred:
Patna HC judge, Justice Rakesh Kumar was transferred to Andhra Pradesh HC and Punjab & Haryana HC
judge Justice Amit Rawal was transferred to Kerala HC.
Appointments:
Chief justice name Transferred to
Amreshwar Pratap Sahi Madras High Court
Sanjay Karol Patna High Court
Ajay Kumar Mittal Madhya Pradesh HC
Pavan Kapoor appointed as India’s Ambassador to UAE

On Oct 29 2019, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has appointed Shri Pavan Kapoor as India’s
Ambassador to UAE (United Arab Emirates). He was a 1990 batch Indian Foreign Service officer (IFS).
He will replace Navdeep Singh Suri.
i.Pavan Kapoor was India’s High Commissioner to Mozambique and the Kingdom of Swaziland from
January 2014 to February 2016.
ii.He was serving as India’s ambassador to Israel for more than three years..
Latha, MD and CEO of Dhanlaxmi Bank Resigns

On October 30, 2019, private sector lender Dhanlaxmi Bank, Managing Director (MD) and Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) T. Latha has resigned from her post due to personal reasons. The bank’s board
has accepted the resignation.
i.Ms Latha was appointed as MD and CEO of Dhanlaxmi Bank for three years due to the retirement of
former MD and CEO G Sreeram.
About Dhanlaxmi Bank:
Founded:1927.
Headquarters: Thrissur, kerala.
Chairman: Mr.Sanjeev Krishnan.
IndusInd Bank named Sumant Kathpalia as its new MD & CEO

On November 1, 2019, A private sector lender, IndusInd Bank has appointed its consumer banking
head Suman Kathpalia, as its new Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He
will replace Romesh Sobti, who will retire in March 2020.
Key Points:
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i.Before joining IndusInd Bank, Sumant Kathpalia headed consumer loans vertical at ABN Amro Bank
and joined IndusInd Bank in 2008.
ii.IndusInd Bank derives its name from the Indus valley civilization.
About IndusInd Bank:
Founded:1994.
Headquarters: Mumbai.
Tagline: we make you feel richer.
IPS officer Aditya Mishra designated Chairman of Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI)
On Nov 4, 2019, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Narendra
Damodardas Modi, has approved the appointed of the senior IPS (Indian Police Service) officer Aditya
Mishra as the Chairman of Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) for a period of 5 years. He is a 1989
batch IPS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre.
About LPAI:-
The Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) is a statutory body working under the Ministry of Home
Affairs (Department of Borders) has notified the establishment of the Land Ports Authority of India
(LPAI), under the land ports authority of India Act, 2010, to put in place of security systems related to
cross-border movement of passengers, vehicles, goods and also to manage functions of all integrated
check posts.
i.The Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) came into effect on March 1, 2012. It manage several
Integrated Check Posts of all across Borders in India.
Founded: 2012.
Headquarters: New Delhi.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan re-elected as 4th President of UAE

On November 7, 2019, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has been re-elected as 4th President of
UAE (United Arab Emirates ) by the Supreme Council of the Union for a five-year term.
Shaikh Khalifa was first elected President on November 3, 2004 following the death of his father Shaikh
Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
Dr. Vinaya Shetty appointed as IODA’s 1st Indian and Asian General Vice President
On November 6, 2019 Dr. Vinaya Shetty from Mumbai, Maharashtra was appointed as the first
Indian and Asian to be elected as the General Vice President(GVP) of the International Organisation
Development Association (IODA).
Key Points:
i.In 2016, Vinaya became the first Indian woman entrepreneur finalist for the prestigious Empretech
Women in Business Award by United Nations Conference Trade and Development (UNCTAD). It was
also the first time an Indian made into the finals after a gap of 20 years.
ii.Conference: The IODA host annual conference in various countries. The conference was first
conducted in Poland in 1987 while it was conducted in India in 2009.
About IODA:
IODA- It is actually a non-profit association, to initiate and support organizational and societal change
processes all over the world.
President- Michelle de Bruyn.
Launched- 1986.
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Arun Alagappan was appointed as a Managing Director by Cholamandalam Investment and

Finance Company Ltd.
The Board of Directors of Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Company Ltd (CIFCL) have
accepted the appointment of Arun Alagappan as the Managing Director for a period of 5 years. He has
been the Executive Director of this company from August 19, 2017.
i.CIFCL-It was incorporated in the year of 1978, as the financial services arm of the Murugappa group.
Chola holds 1029 branches across India, with the assets of above INR-64000 crores under the
management level.
ii.Career Starts- 1996, he started his career as GE Capital Services India (it is a non-banking financial
service). After two years he joined Murugappa Group in the year of 1999.
Posts Arun Alagappan Served:-
• 1996, he served as a Credit Manager,
• 1999, Head of Human Resource and Sourcing,
• 2005, Head of International Business,
• 2006, president of TI cycles in India, and
• 2017, Executive of CIFCL.
Prime Minister Pravid Jugnauth claims the victory: Mauritius

On November 8 2019, Pravid Jugnauth elected as a Prime Minister with 80 percent of the votes
counted by electoral authorities. Pravid Jugnauth is 57 years old leader.
Key Points: –
i.Partial result: -The Partial results is generated from the state-run commission estimate Jugnauth’s
Centre-right Morisian Alliance will win 38 of 62 possible seats in parliament.
Additional Details
• Electoral Commission gave a large lead to a coalition led by Jugnauth, who took the helm of
one of Africa’s wealthiest countries when his father stepped down in 2017.
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis resign

On November 8, 2019, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Maharashtra chief minister (CM)
Devendra Fadnavis resigned from his duty. The resignation was first handed over to state governor
Bhagat Singh Koshyari at Raj Bhawan. The resignation is accepted by the governor. The resignation will
take Maharashtra a step nearer to the possibility of President’s rule.
i.Agreement- Shiv sena claimed that BJP and Shiv Sena made an agreement before the lok shaba polls
that CM post could share by each parties with two-and-half year. But none of the parties had not taken
decision regarding for the post of CM so Devendra Fadnavis decided to resign as his term of period had
come to an end.
ii.18th CM- On October 31 2014, Devendra Fadnavis takes the charge of caretaker Chief Minister.
• He served as a CM for 5 years and 1 week
Anjani Kumar was appointed as Indian Envoy of Mali

On November 7 2019, Ministry of external affairs (MEA) announced Anjani Kumar was the next
ambassador of India to the Republic of Mali. He is an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Officer of batch
2003. Before Anjani kumar, Pradeep Kumar Gupta was the ambassador of the Republic of Mali.
Bolivia President Evo Morales resigns after election result dispute

On November 10, 2019, Bolivia President Evo Morales announced his resignation among unrest over a
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disputed election which he had demanded to win. The Organization of American States (OAS) found
“serious irregularities” in President election vote on October 20 2019. Morales announced that he will
step down for the country’s welfare.
Key Points: –
• Bolivia vice president, Álvaro García Linera, also resigned from his position. He served from
2006 to 2019.
• He is the 80th president who served from 2006 to 2019.
• Evo Morales was born on October 26, 1959 in Isallawi, Bolivia.
• He was the first Indigenous president of Bolivia.
Sanjay Gupta was appointed as new Country Manager by Google India

On November 8, 2019, Google India has appointed Sanjay Gupta, former Star and Disney head as its new
country manager and Vice president of sales and operations for India. He replaced the place of Rajan
Anandan who quit Google in April 2019. Gupta joins Google from Star and Disney India where he was
the managing director.
Key Points: –
i.Achievements: He also launched the hugely popular kabaddi and football leagues, Pro Kabaddi
League and Indian Super League.
ii.He is a post-graduate from the Indian Institute of Management(IIM) Kolkata and an Engineer from
Delhi College of Engineering.
The longest-serving British MP of Indian origin, Keith Vaz, announces retirement

On November 11, 2019, Nigel Keith Anthony Standish Vaz (62), the longest-serving British
MP(member of parliament) of Goa-origin, announced his retirement from Parliament after 32 years.
He made this announcement following the recommendation of a committee of parliament that
suspended him for 6 months over cocaine (addictive drug) and prostitute scandal.
Key Points:
i.Vaz, a Labour Party’s MP for Leicester East since 1987,made significant contributions to public life as
an MP and representative of Asian descent as part of a pioneering group of black and Asian Labour MPs.
ii.Vaz had played a key role in the India-UK(United Kingdom) bilateral relations over the years and
hosted numerous Indian ministers and MPs during their visit to Britain.
iii.He has helped to pave the way for more BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) people came into
Britain’s politics.
iv.The first 3 Indian-origin MPs in British Parliament were Dadabhai Naoroji (1892, Finsbury Central),
Mancherjee Bhownagree (1895, Bethnal Green North East) and Shapurji Saklatvala (1922, 1924,
Battersea North).
Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises-Arvind Sawant resigned

On November 11 2019, Shiv Sena MP (Member of Parliament) Arvind Sawant resigned as the Union
Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises in Narendra Modi Cabinet. The resignation was
accepted by the President Ram Nath Kovind. Arvind Sawant resigned because of the consequences
between BJP and Shiv Sena over government formation in Maharashtra.
Key Points: –
i.Sharing of Post- The Sena leader’s approaches that BJP have broken their pre-election promise, with
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respect to have a rotational chief minister as a part of 50-50 formula (dividing the years of posting).
ii.He is the member of Lok Shaba from South Mumbai since 2014.
Prakash Javadekar gets charge of Ministry of Heavy Industries after Arvind Sawant’s resignation
On November 12, 2019, Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Minister of
Information and Broadcasting (I&B), Shri Prakash Keshav Javadekar (constituency-
Maharashtra) has been given an additional charge of the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public
Enterprises after Shiv Sena MP(member of parliament) Arvind Ganpat Sawant stepped down from the
post due to the consequences between BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party ) & Shiv Sena over government
formation in Maharashtra.
Key Points:
i.President of India, Ram Nath Kovind has accepted the resignation of Arvind Sawant from the Union
Council of Ministers, with immediate effect, under clause (2) of Article 75 of the Constitution.
Senator Jeanine Anez declares herself interim President of Bolivia

On November 12 2019, Opposition Leader in the Senate, Jeanine Anez (52), declared herself as the
interim president for South American country, Bolivia, without a legislative quorum, after the
resignation of longtime President Evo Morales.
Key Points: –
i.Anez, a Democratic Social Movement politician is serving in the Bolivian Senate since 2010.
ii.Born on June 13 1967, she is a qualified lawyer.
ITDC appointed Kamala Vardhana Rao as the new Chairman and MD

On November 13, 2019 the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), has appointed 1990 batch
Indian Administrative Service(IAS) officer Ganji Kamala Vardhana Rao as its new Chairman and
Managing Director(MD). He replaced Ravneet Kaur from the post.
Key Points:
i.Prior to the appointment Rao previously served as Principal Secretary of the Kerala government. He
had also served as the Secretary of Kerala Tourism in 2014-15.
ii.Other previous positions: Rao had also served in multiple positions like Chairman of Indian tobacco
board, Director of the fisheries department, Director in the department of tourism and culture of
Andhra Pradesh govt.
About ITDC:
Fact- the ITDC works to construct, take over and manage existing hotels and market hotels, beach
resorts, provide transport, entertainment, shopping, and conventional services etc.
Founded- October 1966.
Authorised capital- Rs 150 crores.
Nils Andersen appointed as the new Chairman of Unilever

On November 13, 2019, the British-Dutch consumer goods company Unilever announced the
appointment of Nils Andersen as the next chairman of the board. Nils replaced Marijn Dekkers from
the post. However, Marijn will continue on the board as a non-executive director.
Key Points:
i.Currently Andersen serves as a non-executive director in Unilever’s audit committee and serves as
chairman of Dutch paint company Akzo Nobel and privately held Danish retailer Salling Group.
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About Unilever:
Founded- 2 September 1929.
Headquarters- London, United Kingdom(UK) and Netherlands.
Chief Executive Officer(CEO)- Alan Jope
Nita Ambani becomes the 1st Indian trustee of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art
On November 13, 2019, Nita Ambani (56), chairperson of the Reliance Foundation & the wife of
Reliance Industries’ Chairman and Managing Director(MD) Mukesh Ambani, has been elected to the
honorary Trustee of New York (United States) based The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met) due to
her commitment to preserve and encourage Indian art and culture. With this, She became the 1st Indian
to become a trustee in the 149-year history of this museum.
Key Points:
i.Nita Ambani, member of the Met’s International Council’, is supporting the Met since the year 2016.
ii.The Museum honored Nita Ambani in 2017 at The Met Winter Party, an event celebrating the
achievements of those people who promote greater diversity and inclusion in the world of art.
About Met:
Established -April 13, 1870
Chairman -Mr. Daniel Brodsky
President & CEO- Daniel Weiss
Karabi Gogoi becomes the 1st woman Navy officer designated as defence attache to Russia
On November 13, 2019, Lt-Commander (equivalent to an Army Major), Karabi Gogoi from Guwahati,
Assam has become the first woman officer from the Navy to be posted as Assistant Naval Attache at
the Indian embassy in Moscow, Russia.
Key Points:
i.Karabi, a naval engineer presently posted at the Karwar base of Indian Navy in Karnataka (Bangalore)
, is expected to take up her new role in December 2019 in Moscow after completing required
procedures. She was commissioned into the Indian Navy in the year 2010.
ii.Earlier In September 2019, Indian Air Force (IAF) has selected Wing Commander Anjali Singh as the
deputy air attaché at the same embassy. Singh, who is trained on MiG-29 fighter aircraft, became India’s
1st female military diplomat to be assigned in any of the Indian missions abroad.
iii.Defence attache : These people play a key role in safeguarding the security interests of the country.
India has more than 100 Defence Attaches / Defence Advisors. They are posted on different Indian
missions abroad.
About Indian Navy:
Motto- May the Lord of the Water be auspicious unto us
Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) -Karambir Singh
IFS officer Ms. Padmaja concurrently accredited as the next High Commissioner of India to the
Kingdom of Tonga
On November 13, 2019, As per the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India (GoI), Ms.
Padmaja, a 2000 batch IFS (Indian Foreign Service) has concurrently accredited as the next High
Commissioner of India to the Kingdom of Tonga, with residence in Suva. Presently serving as the
High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Fiji, Padmaja replaces Shri Vishvas Vidu Sapkal.
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About Tonga:
Capital- Nuku’alofa
Currency- Tongan paʻanga
Prime Minister -Pohiva Tuʻiʻonetoa
Sangita Dhingra, a Delhi high court judge became a member of CCI

On November 13, 2019, the appointment committee of the Cabinet (ACC) had approved the
appointment of Delhi High Court (HC) judge, Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal as a member of the
Competition Commission of India (CCI). She will serve for five years or until she retires (at the age of
65).
Key Points: –
i.On Dec 15, 2014, Justice Sehgal joined the High Court as an Additional judge and later became a
permanent Judge on June 2, 2016.
ii.She obtained her LL. B degree from Delhi University in 1981 and completed her LL.M in 1983. She
subsequently did her Ph.D. from Amity University, Noida in 2012.
iii.Books- The books authored by Sehgal are’ Woman Know Thyself’ on different laws relating to
women in India, ‘An Exhaustive Guide to the Slum Area (Improvement & Clearance) Act, 1956 and
relevant Rules’, which was published in 1998.
About CCI: –
Headquarter- New Delhi, Chairperson– Ashok Kumar Gupta
Founded- October 14 2003.
Justice Akil Abdulhamid Kureshi takes oath as 5th Chief Justice of Tripura HC
On November 16, 2019, Justice Akil Abdulhamid Kureshi (59), the Bombay High Court judge, was
sworn in as the 5th Chief Justice (CJ) of the Tripura High Court(HC). Governor Ramesh Bais
administered the oath of office at old Raj Bhavan in Agartala. Kureshi succeeds Justice Sanjay Karol,
who was sworn in as Chief Justice of Patna High Court.
Also, Justice Mohammad Rafiq, a judge of the Rajasthan High Court, was elevated as the chief justice of
the Meghalaya High Court.
Key Points:
i.In May 2019, the Supreme Court (SC) Collegium had recommended Justice Kureshi’s elevation as Chief
Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, but the recommendation was not approved by the Centre.
ii.Kureshi had started his career as a lawyer in 1983 after obtaining an LLB(Bachelor of Laws) degree.
In March 2004, he was designated as an additional judge of Gujarat High Court and was confirmed as a
permanent judge in 2005.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa elected as the 7th executive President of Sri Lanka

On November 17 2019, Sri Lanka’s former Defence Secretary Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa has won
the Presidential election by defeating Sajith Premadasa. Gotabaya Rajapaksa is the brother of former
President Mahinda Rajapaksa. He replaced President Maithripala Sirisena for a period of 5 years. He
served as a Defence Secretary at the end of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) war.
Key points: –
i.Gotabaya Rajapaksa won elections with 52.25 percent votes (6,924,255) while Sajith Premadasa
received 41.99 percent votes polled (5,564,239).
ii.Sajith Premadasa, is a housing minister in the current government.
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iii.After his defeat, Sajith Premadasa resigned from the post of deputy leader of United Nations Party
(UNP).
iv.Gotabaya Rajapaksa becomes the seventh executive president of Sri Lanka.
Reliance communication Director Anil Dhirubhai Ambani resigned

On November 16 2019, Anil Dhirubbai Ambani has resigned as the Director of Reliance
Communication (RCom) because of the consolidated loss stood at Rs. 30,142 crores in the second
quarter of 2019-2020.
Key Points: –
i.Other Resigns: Along with Anil Ambani, Chhaya Virani, Ryna Karani, Manjari Kacker, and Suresh
Rangachar have also resigned as directors. Manikantan V, director and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of
RCom have resigned early.
ii.Agreement– To resolve the family dispute between Anil Ambani with his elder brother Mukesh
Ambani, Anil got the telecom responsibility as a part of an agreement.Later Mukesh had started his own
telecom venture, Reliance Jio, which is one of the largest telecom players in the country.
iii. Reliance Communications has been admitted under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) since
May 15, 2018.
iv.RCom’s total liability includes Rs 23,327 crore licence fee and Rs 4,987 crore spectrum usage
charges.
Lt Col Jyoti Sharma appointed as Indian Army’s 1st woman JAG officer on foreign mission
On November 14, 2019, Lieutenant Colonel Jyoti Sharma has been designated as the 1st woman
Judge Advocate General (JAG) of the Indian Army on a foreign mission. She will serve the
government of the East African country of Seychelles as a legal expert & would give her opinion about
defense and military act.
Key Points:
i.Earlier, in September 2019, Wing Commander Anjali Singh was appointed the 1st female military
diplomat at the Indian Embassy in Russia. Prior to this,Wing Commander S Dhami became the first
female flight commander of the flight unit of the Air Force. The flight commander is the second major
position in the flight unit.
ii.Indian Army also plans to appoint women to the Military Police Corps. At present, women are
employed in military services in select sectors like medicine, law, education, signaling and engineering.
iii.According to government figures, 3.80 % in the Army, 13.09 percent in the Air Force and 6 % in the
Navy has its workforce as women.
About Indain army:
Motto- “Service Before Self”
Founded-1 April 1895
Chief of the Army Staff (COAS)- Bipin Rawat
Sudhir Mital and Shantikumar Singh elected as President & General secretary of Gymnastics
Federation of India
On November 5 2019, Former Competition Commission of India (CCI) chairman Sudhir Mital and
Shantikumar Singh were elected as president and general secretary respectively, of the Gymnastics
Federation of India (GFI). It was announced by the returning officer SK Mendiratta in the elections
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held at the Indian Olympic Association headquarters.

Key Points: –
i.Sudhir Mital is a retired IAS officer of Punjab cadre, was also a former president and worked as GFI
chief from 2003 to 2007. He served as chairman of Competition Commission of India (CCI) in 2018 after
joining the organization in 2014 as a member.
ii.Shantikumar, was a former national level gymnast from Manipur, had served as GFI treasurer from
2011 to 2015 and then got elected as secretary in the 2015 elections.
iii. GFI was de-recognized by the Sports Ministry in 2012 but after this election it likely to be reckoning
for recognition.
iv.Indian Olympic Association is also expected to give their acknowledgementto the new national
gymnastics body as it was involved in holding the election. The World Body asked the GFI to get its
electoral college approved by IOA chief Narinder Batra.
About Gymnastics Federation of India (GFI)
Affiliation year- 1952
Act- Societies Registration Act, 1957
ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

Singapore’s e-commerce platform Qoo10 acquired ShopClues in all-stock deal
On October 31, 2019 Indian e-commerce platform ShopClues owned by Clues Network Pvt.
Ltd was acquired by Singapore based e-commerce platform Qoo10 private Ltd. Shopclues which
once attained unicorn status (private company valued over $ 1billion) in 2015 with a value of $1.1
billion, is expected to have been bought at acquisition cost of $70-100 million.
Key Points:
i.Qoo10 is expected to acquire Momoe, the payments arm of Clues Network as part of the buyout.
About Shopclues:
Founded- July 2011.
Headquarters- Gurugram, Haryana.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)- Sanjay Sethi.
Founder- Sandeep Aggarwal and Radhika Aggarwal
IT major Tech mahindra acquires US-based Born group for $95 million
On November 5, 2019, Tech Mahindra Ltd (Tech M),an Indian multinational subsidiary of the
Mahindra Group, providing information technology (IT) services has acquired New York (United
States) headquartered media outsourcing firm Born Group Pte. Ltd (formerly known as Group FMG )
for $95 million.Tech M will buy BORN’s India unit, while Tech Mahindra Pte, the IT firm’s Singapore
arm, will take over other entities.
The deal also includes a future payout of $25 million to achieve financial targets for the financial year
(FY) ending 31 December 2019.
Key Points:
i.The acquisition will help to boost electronic and mobile commerce segment globally, and equipped to
deliver enhanced user experience to customers of Tech Mahindra globally.
ii.Born group,owned by private equity firm True North and Zodius Capital , will offer services for Tech
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M such as consulting, content creation, maintenance and hosting services, digital and social marketing,
among others.
iii.In 2018, the revenue for Born group pegged at $50 million, up from $39 million in 2017. It has
clients such as Google, Tata, Red Bull and TAG Heuer.
About Tech Mahindra:
Formation- 24 October 1986
Headquarters- Pune, Maharashtra
Chairman- Anand Mahindra
MD & CEO- C.P. Gurnani
About Born Group:
Founded- 1987
CEO- Dilip Keshu
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

IIT Delhi to set up space technology cell in collaboration with ISRO at its campus
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi in collaboration with the Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO) will set up a space technology cell (STC) to contribute to the space technology
research areas such as AI (Artificial Intelligence), nanotechnology, functional textiles, smart
manufacturing at its campus. The institute will also act as the academic partner of ISRO.
Key points:
i.The announcement has been made by V Ramgopal Rao, IIT Delhi Director On November 1, 2019, a day
ahead of its Golden Jubilee (50th) Convocation on November 2,2019 where Dr. Kailasavadivoo Sivan,
Chairman, ISRO will be the chief guest.
ii.IIT Delhi will also team up with premiere institutions like IISc (Indian Institute of Science) Bangalore,
IIT Bombay, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Madras, IIT Guwahati and IIT Roorkee where the STCs have
been installed to contribute to the space technology research & applications to the newer scale.
About ISRO:
Headquarters: Bengaluru , Karnataka
Founder: Vikram Sarabhai
Founded: 15 August 1969
How the Big bang may have occurred decoded: study

On November 1, 2019, According to a research published in the journal Science, scientists from
the University of Central Florida in the US (United States) understand the origin of the universe by
using the mechanisms that could cause the Big Bang explosion. They are using the turbulence to
enhance the mixing of the reactions to the point where it transitions into this big reaction and
essentially leads to supernovas, exploding stars.
Key points:
i.The cause of the universe’s origin is believed to be a big explosion called Big Bang. This event took
place 13.8 billion years ago. At that time, time is considered as zero, that is, time was not even created.
ii.According to the Big Bang Theory , the universe has evolved from a single point of view.
iii.The finding will help in faster air and space travel, and improved power generation, including
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reactions that generate zero emissions as all of the products used in the combustion are converted into
energy.
Labour ministry launched 3 Apps: UAN Registration, E-Inspection and DIGI Locker at 67th EPFO
foundation day in New Delhi
On November 2, 2019 the Minister of State (MoS-independent charge) for Labour and Employment,
Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar launched 3 apps during the 67th foundation day of Employees’ Provident
Fund Organization (EPFO) in New Delhi. The 3 apps are UAN Registration, E-Inspection and DIGI
Locker. These apps were developed by EPFO for enhancing ease of doing business and also to promote
transparency in EPFO. A booklet commemorating the journey of EPFO from 1952 to 2019 was also
released.
The apps in detail:
i.UAN Registration: With the UAN (Universal Account Number) registration, a worker can immediately
obtain Provident Fund(PF), life insurance and pension benefits without dependence on employer. Thus
it leads to ease of living and also ensures for social security.
ii.DIGI locker: The Pension Payment Order(PPO) will be integrated with Digi Locker website/app in
electronic form thus making easy access to individual pensioners. It is also part of the move towards
paperless system.
iii.E-Inspection: E-inspection form by EPFO will help the employers who haven’t filed Electronic
Challan cum Return(ECR) and provides information related to closure of business or unpaid dues for
payment. The employers will be nudged based on compliant behaviour and prevent them from undue
harassment of non-willful defaulter.
Award distributions:
Awards were distributed to various EPFO offices under several categories.apart from that, Two new
categories on swachhta (Cleanliness) and punctuality were included in the award. They were as
follows,
• Best performing EPFO offices: These include EPFO zonal offices of Haryana,
Dehradun(Uttarakhand), Agra (Uttar Pradesh) and Thrissur(Kerala).
• Best Online Claims settlement performer: KrishnaRaja Puram (K R Puram) EPFO office in
Karnataka.
• Best in KYC seeding in UAN: Regional Office(RO), Delhi was adjudged best in Know Your
Customer (KYC) seeding in UAN.
• The best performing IT team award: EPFO Team that developed facility for UAN for
workers.
• The best performing Exempted PF Trust award: BHEL (Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited)
Hyderabad Provident Fund Trust.
• Swachhata: RO of Dehradun.
• Punctuality: RO of Kannur, Kerala.
Current EPFO statistics:
• EPFO is one of the biggest social security organisation that covers 6 crore active members
and 65lakh pensioners. It maintains account of 22crore workers with fund worth 13 lakh
crores. The interest rate of EPFO was recently increased upto 8.65%.
• EPFO is the largest user of UMANG (Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance) app
i.e 87% of customers on the UMANG app are EPFO subscribers. 92% grievances get resolved
in 20 days and 98% of the grievances on CPGRAM (Centralized Public Grievance Redress and
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Monitoring System) related to EPFO are resolved in 9 days. Public outreach programme of
EPFO “Nidhi Aapke Nikat” (fund near you) also eased the grievance redressal.
• Members present: Heeralal Samariya, Secretary of labour & employment, Sunil Barthwal,
Central Provident Fund Commissioner and other officials were present during the event.
About EPFO:
• Founded- 4 March 1952.
• On 1 October 2014, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi launched UAN for employees
covered by EPFO to enable PF number portability.
Pegasus: New spyware attack in WhatsApp to spy journalists & others, especially Indians
Facebook owned messenger app, WhatsApp recently confirmed that Israeli based NSO group, used a
spyware called ‘Pegasus’ in WhatsApp to spy on govt. officials, journalists and activists globally, mainly
Indians. The announcement was made after whatsapp sued NSO group and Q Cyber Technologies, in
American court for illegal snooping (illegal private information gathering), which was earlier suspected
to have made a cyber-attack in the app.
Key Points:
i.The spyware attacked the whatsapp users by just a missed video call. 1400 user attacks were reported
in May 2019. The spyware has the capability to seize every detail stored in mobile device without
leaving any electronic trace.
GRSE delivered 101st warship ‘Annie Besant’ to Indian Coast Guard

On November 6, 2019 the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) has delivered its second in
the series of the fast patrol vessel(FVP) named “Annie Besant” to the Indian Coast Guard (ICG). It is
also the 101st warship presented to the ICG.
Key Points:
i.Protocol signing: The protocol of delivery and acceptance was signed between the Chairman and
Managing Director(MD) of GRSE, Rear Admiral V K Saxena and Sunny Deo, Commanding Officer of the
vessel, Commandant (JG) Sunny Deo at the Kolkata-based state-run defence shipyard.
ii.The FVP is named after British socialist, women’s rights activist, writer Annie Besant who also served
as the president of the political party- the Indian National Congress(INC).
About GRSE:
Founded- 1884
Headquarters – Kolkata, West Bengal.
IIT Madras developed India’s first indigenously made standing wheelchair

On November 5, 2019 researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras(IITM) has
developed India’s first indigenously developed standing wheelchair named “Arise”. The wheelchair
which was developed at TTK Center for Rehabilitation Research and Device Development (R2D2) of
IITM was headed by Prof.Sujatha Srinivasan. It was launched by Union Minister for Social Justice and
Empowerment, Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot.
Key Points:
i.Cost and collaboration: The wheelchair is priced at Rs 15,000 and was developed in collaboration
with Phoenix Medical Systems, with the support of the UK-based Wellcome Trust.
About IITM:
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Established- 1959, in Chennai, TamilNadu.

Motto- Success is born out of action.
TTK centre abbreviation- Tiruvellore Thattai Krishnamachari.
China launched Sudan’s first ever satellite named SRSS-1

On November 5, 2019 China has launched the first ever satellite of Northeast African country Sudan,
named the Sudan Remote Sensing Satellite, SRSS-1. The satellite was launched in a Long March-4B
rocket from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in North China’s Shanxi Province.
Key Points:
i.The SRSS-1 was developed for the Sudanese government for civil and military remote sensing by the
Shenzhen Aerospace Oriental Red Sea Satellite Co.Ltd.
ii.SRSS-1 was launched along with the launch of China’s satellites that included Gaofen 7, Xiaoxiang-1
08, Whampoa 1.
China approves world’s 1st carbohydrate-based drug GV-971 to cure Alzheimer’s disease
On November 4, 2019, China’s National Medical Products Administration has officially approved an
indigenously developed Alzheimer’s drug called GV-971 (sodium oligo-mannurarate). The Shanghai
Institute of Materia Medica (SIMM) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed the
drug after 22 years of research jointly with Ocean University of China and Green Valley Pharmaceutical
Co Ltd.
Extracted from brown algae, the oral drug is the world’s first multi-targeting and carbohydrate-based
drug,which will now be available to patients from December,29,2019.
Key Points:
i.This drug is the only Alzheimer’s drug among more than 320 drugs developed by pharmaceutical
companies worldwide, which has been successful in clinical trials.
ii.China has about 10 million people with Alzheimer’s, the highest in the world.
Alzheimer’s disease:
It is an irreversible, progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory, thinking ability, and the
capability to carry out simple tasks.
Researchers from US discovered new strain of HIV virus after 19 years

On November 7, 2019 team of scientists from Abbott Laboratories, an American medical devices and
health care company along with University of Missouri, Kansas City(America), have recently discovered
a new subtype of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) named HIV-1 Group M, subtype L. The
findings of this HIV virus is published in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes(JAIDS).
This was the first time a new subtype of “Group M” virus was discovered after new strains classifying
guidelines were established in 2000.
Key Points:
i.Group M viruses are responsible for the global pandemic (disease spread across a large region), which
can be traced back to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the Sub-Saharan Africa.
ii.The first 2 samples of the latest subtype were found in DRC in the 1980s and 1990s, and the third was
found in 2001. The samples were stored in the Abbott labs for several years.
Indian Railways launches three applications to strengthen IT enablement

On November 8 2019, Indian Railways launched three applications namely “CRS Sanction
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Management System”, “Rail-road crossing GAD approval system” and “TMS for construction” for
India to strengthen IT enablement of railways. It helps to ensure the proper monitoring of projects
being undertaken by Indian Railways and boots the Digital India.
Three applications: –
i.CRS Sanction Management System– CRS Sanction is an important aspect in construction,
maintenance and up-gradation of railway assets.
Benefits-
• Efficient preparation and processing of cases for CRS Sanction.
• Managerial reports to monitor the cases, comparative performance.
ii.Rail-road crossing GAD(General Arrangement Drawing)approval system–It is for online e-
Governance platform to expedite preparation, processing & approval of General Agreement Drawings
(GADs) related to the construction of Road Over Bridges (ROB)/Road Under Bridges (RUB).
Benefits-
• Accountability of Railways and State Governments/UTs is stable to each stage for approval of
proposals.
• Real time coordination among the stakeholders (Railways/States).
• Complete proposal is targeted to be approved in a maximum of 60 days.
iii.TMS for construction- It is developed for new assets being constructed by the construction/project
organization.
Benefits-
• Data validation at source, Ease in data entry and correction thereof, Easy
checking/verification of data entry, and for every data ownership and responsibility is
defined and fixed in the application design.
CSIR’s NEERI launches India’s 1st air pollution web repository called “IndAIR”
On November 6, 2019 Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)’s , National
Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), a research institute created and funded by
the Government of India (GoI),has launched India’s 1st online repository called IndAIR (Indian Air
quality Studies Interactive Repository),which documents air quality studies undertaken in the past
60 years.
Key Points:
i.IndAIR will provide information about innovative research & analysis in the field of air pollution in
India and its disadvantages and effects and with its help, researchers, media and academics can access
studies being conducted on air pollution.
ii.The objective of the establishment of ‘IndAIR’ is to make the information of air quality research
available to all.
iii.IndAIR has brought about 1,215 research papers, 170 reports and case studies, more than 100 cases
and 2000 laws and Internet time to spread the history of research and legal processes related to air
pollution in India. Stored around 700 scanned documents, ‘Indair’ has all the major laws dating back to
the year 1905.
iv.NEERI has started this innovative initiative in collaboration with institutions like CSIR – National
Institute of Science, Communication and Information Resources (NISCAIR), Bhabha Atomic Research
Center (BARC) and National Archives of India (NAI). Institutions such as The Energy Resources
Institute (TERI), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and Central Pollution
Control Board (CPCB).
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About NEER:
Formation- Nagpur, Maharashtra in 1958
Director– Rakesh Kumar
It aims to innovate and research in the field of environment and engineering. Its 5 regional laboratories
are located in Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai.
MoS HRD Sanjay Dhotre launched Shaala Darpan portal for Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti in New
Delhi
On November 6, 2019 the Union Minister of State(MoS) for Human Resource and Development(HRD)
Shri Sanjay Dhotre launched the Shaala Darpan portal, an E-Governance school automation and
management system for Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) in New Delhi. The portal was designed for
knowledge/information sharing of its employees and its students. It was the first major initiative
implemented to enable automation of NVS (India’s largest schooling system) through a single umbrella.
Key points:
i.Portal design: The portal was designed from ‘open source technology’ whereby it incurred low cost.
The minimum cost is abided by the Guidelines for Indian govt. sites(GIGS).
ii.Portal features: The portals features are as follows- containing information related to service record,
transfer/posting, disciplinary action, Automatic content recognition(ACR) tracking, mess management
etc.
iii.Members present: Shri Bishwajit Kumar Singh, commissioner of NVS; Shri Vivek Khaneja, executive
director of the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing(C-DAC) and other officials were
present during the event.
About NVS:
NVS- The Navodaya Vidyalayas are co-educational residential schools established by the Navodaya
Vidyalaya Samiti. It is an autonomous organization under MHRD to provide quality modern education.
Chairman- Shri Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ (union minister of HRD).
NASA unveiled early version of its first electric airplane X-57 “Maxwell”
On November 9, 2019, Civilian space program and aeronautics space agency NASA (National
Aeronautics and Space Administration) has launched its 1st all-electric experimental aircraft named
the X-57 “Maxwell.” It is NASA’s 1st crewed X-plane (experimental plane) in nearly 2 decades adapted
from Italian Tecnam P2006T aircraft. The first delivery of the all-electric experimental aircraft was
taken from Empirical Systems Aerospace (ESAero) in California, United States(US). The aircraft is
expected to be operational by late 2020.
Key Points:
i.Simulator launched: NASA also launched a simulator of the “Maxwell” to have manoeuvring
experience of the aircraft.
ii.Battery used:The X-57 uses rechargeable lithium-ion batteries with 14 electric motors and has been
under experiment since 2015.
iii.First flight test: the 1st flight test will be conducted in 2020 at Edward Air Force Base in California.
About NASA:
Founder- Dwight David “Ike” Eisenhower.
Headquarters- Washington, D.C, US.
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Huge X-ray burst from outer space detected by NASA

On November 7, 2019 American aerospace agency NASA (National Aeronautics and Space
Administration) had detected burst of X-rays from outer space through its Neutron star Interior
Composition Explorer (NICER) telescope. The X-ray burst, the brightest ever seen through NICER at the
International Space Station (ISS), was caused by thermonuclear flashes on the surface of a pulsar
(highly magnetized rotating neutron star). The burst came from an object/pulsar named “J1808”.
Publication: A paper describing the findings was published by The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Key Points:
i.The energy released in 20 seconds was equivalent to that released by the sun in 10 days.
ii.J1808 location: It is located about 11,000 light-years away in the constellation Sagittarius.
About NASA:
Headquarters- Washington, D.C, United States(US).
Administrator- James Frederick “Jim” Bridenstine
Motto- For the Benefit of All.
American aerospace manufacturer SpaceX launched 2nd batch of 60 ‘Starlink’ satellites for
global internet
On November 11, 2019, In a bid to provide global internet coverage, Private American aerospace
manufacturer, Space Exploration Technologies Corp (SpaceX), has launched the 2nd batch of 60
mini ‘Starlink’ satellites into low-Earth orbit. These satellites are launched from ‘Falcon’ rocket from
Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force, Florida, US (United States).
Key Points:
i.The launch create multiple records for SpaceX’s reusable rocketry program :(i) It marks the 4th flight
for this particular booster (ii) 1st time a Falcon 9 has flown more than 3 times &(iii) It was its heaviest
payload (575 pounds each ) to date.This fairing was flown during the Falcon Heavy Arabsat-6A mission
that occurred in April 2019.
ii.By operating at a lower altitude of approximately 217 miles (350 km) above the Earth,the compact
flat-panel satellites -weighing just 575 pounds (260 kilograms) each will meet the needs of consumers
across the globe.
iii.After 6 launches , Starlink aims to provide service in parts of the U.S. and Canada, rapidly expanding
to global coverage after 24 launches.It is expected to bring into space about 12,000 Starlink satellites by
2024.
iv.SpaceX sent the 1st batch of 60 Starlink satellites into space earlier on May 23, 2019, as a test.
About SpaceX:
Founded- May 6, 2002
Founder -Elon Musk
Headquarters -California, U.S.
President and COO- Gwynne Shotwell
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) renames Ultima thule to Arrokoth after
Nazi controversy
On November 13, 2019, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has renamed a
distant space rock Ultima Thule, to Arrokoth. It is the farthest cosmic body ever visited by a spacecraft.
Arrokoth or “sky” is the name of the Native American Powhatan language following a significant
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backlash over the old name’s Nazi connotations. The name portrait the co-operation with Powhatan
Tribal elders.
Key Points: –
i.The icy rock, which orbits in the dark and frigid Kuiper Belt about a billion miles beyond Pluto, was
plotted by the NASA spaceship New Horizons in January, it consisted of two spheres stuck together in
the shape of a snowman.
ii.On November 12 2019, the new official name which was chosen by New Horizons team has been
approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU)in a ceremony at NASA headquarters.
About NASA
Headquarters-Washington, D.C
Established- July 29,1958
IIT Guwahati Researchers designed a paper-based sensor that detects the quality of Milk
On November 14, 2019, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati researchers have designed
a paper-based sensor to detect the freshness of the milk. It is a simple visual detection technique to
detect the quality of milk without any special equipment and instruments. Bacteria and microbes in the
milk affects the taste, freshness and also results in health issues. The work was recently published in
the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics. The research team was led by Dr Pranjal Chandra, Assistant
Professor, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Guwahati.
The visual detection technique uses the filter paper, chemically modified it and loaded with anti-
Alkaline Phosphatase(ALP) element to find the ALP in milk upon treatment with color-forming
compound BCIP. The captured complex of ALP forms a Blue-Green Colored Precipitate otherwise does
not give any color which indicates the absence of ALP. The sensor detects down to 0.87 units of ALP per
milliliter of milk to about 91100 percent accuracy.
Key Points: –
i.Pasteurization is the common way to kill microbes in the milk. ALP is a metalloprotein that found
naturally in raw milk and it is considered as an important biomarker in quality control of milk.
The sensor takes merely 13 minutes to detect ALP, which is quick to analysis.
ii.Methylene blue test are time consuming process, because it takes several hours for color change
which indicates whether the microbes are present or not.
iii. Profitable phenol-based test need sophisticated spectrophotometers and multistep procedure.
About Assam
Capital– Dispur
Governor- Jagdish Mukhi
Chief Minister-Sarbananda Sonowal
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DEFENCE
2nd edition of joint naval exercise “Samudra Shakti 2019 ” between India & Indonesia held in Bay
of Bengal
The 2nd divisional naval exercise ‘Samudra Shakti 2019 ‘ between India navy & Indonesia navy was
held in Bay of Bengal, the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean,from November 6-7,2019. INS (Indian
Naval Ship) Kamorta, an anti-submarine warfare corvette was jointly exercising with Indonesian
warship KRI (Kapal Republik Indonesia) Usman Harun as part of the exercise.
Key Highlights:
i.The aim of this joint exercise is to expand mutual relations, deepen maritime cooperation and adopt
each other’s best practices.
ii.Harbor phase of practice was conducted from November 4-5,2019 at Visakhapatnam, Andhra
Pradesh.During this time, the navies of the two countries met each other’s warships and hold mutual
talks in the form of subject matter expert exchanges (SMEE), cross deck visits, simulator drills, planning
conferences, sports fixtures and social interactions.
iii.Indonesian Ambassador to India Sidharto Reza, Vice Admiral Atul Kumar Jain, Flag Officer
Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command & other officials were present during harbour phase.
iv.It was progressed by Sea Phase which included operations such as Surface warfare exercises, air
defence exercises, weapon firing drills, helicopter operations and boarding operations.
v.The 1st edition of ‘Samudra Shakti 2018’ was held at the port of Surabaya, Indonesia.
About Indian Navy:
Formation- 1934
Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS)- Admiral Karambir Singh
About Indonesian Navy:
Formation- 10 ,September, 1945
Motto- Victorious on the Sea
Chief of Staff- Admiral Siwi Sukma Adji
Indian Coast Guard conducted Regional Level Search and Rescue Workshop and Exercise 2019
(ReSAREX- 19) near Goa
The Indian Coast Guard(ICG) conducted Regional Level Search and Rescue Workshop and Exercise
2019 (ReSAREX- 19) near the coast of Goa, to check the efficiency and preparedness of ICG. The
exercise was organised for 2 days, by the coast guard district headquarters of Goa from November 6-7,
2019.
Key Points:
i.The exercise comprised of search and rescue workshop and table top exercise.
ii.ICG participation: 5 ships of ICG, 2 Chetak helicopters were used for the workshop while resources
from State Marine Police, Indian Mission Control Centre (IMCC) in Bengaluru, Karnataka, Captain of
Ports, state administration of Goa, Goa medical college and Goa’s Mormugao Port Trust were used in the
service.
About ICG:
Founded- 18 August 1978.
Motto(s)- Vayam Rakṣāmaḥ (We protect).
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Eastern Naval Command (ENC) to host first mainland MILAN Multi-lateral Naval Exercise at
Visakhapatnam in March 2020
Eastern Naval Command (ENC) to host first mainland MILAN Multi-lateral Naval Exercise at
Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh in March 2020.On November 8, 2019, A 3-day Mid Planning
Conference (MPC) for the joint multinational naval exercise MILAN 2020 concluded at Eastern Naval
Command (ENC) Headquarters in Visakhapatnam ,Andhra Pradesh.
KeyPoints:
i.A meeting of 29 naval officers from 17 countries was held to prepare for the exercise. Commodore
Sanjeev Issar informed the naval representatives of 17 countries about the increased scope of naval
exercises to be held during the harbor and sea phase.
ii.Being conducted for the 1st time on the mainland at ENC,the 2020 event will provide an opportunity
to exchange ideas and improve mutual understanding between the operational commanders of the
navies of the friendly countries on issues of mutual interest.
MILAN naval exercise:
Started in 1995, this multinational naval exercise for the year 2020 will be conducted with the navies
of neighboring maritime countries in Visakhapatnam , Andhra Pradesh. It has been conducted till now
at Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC).
About Indian Navy:
Formation- 1934
Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS)- Admiral Karambir Singh
1st Indo-Russian joint tri-service exercise named “INDRA 2019” to be held from December 10-
19, 2019
The first-ever joint tri-service exercise between India and Russia named “INDRA 2019” is to be held
from December 10-19, 2019. The fighter and transport aircraft as well as ships of respective Armies, Air
Forces and Navies will participate in INDRA exercise. A joint planning conference was held from
November 7-10 in this regard in two phases.
Focus: the focus of this exercise is to enhance interoperability between both National Armed Forces
under the United Nations(UN) flag.
Key Points:
i.Planning conference: The first phase was conducted in-service locations of Babina (Uttar Pradesh),
Pune (Maharashtra) and Goa from November 7 & 8 2019 while the second phase was conducted at New
Delhi on November 9&10, 2019.
Indian Army conducted Sindu Sudarshan-VII exercise in Rajasthan

On November 16, 2019 the Strike Corps of the Indian Army(IA) has conducted its second phase of the
exercise named Sindu Sudarshan-VII in Jaisalmer-Barmer deserts of Rajasthan from November 12-
18, 2019. The aim of the exercise was to evaluate the capability and battle readiness of the defence
forces in an integrated air-land battle in a semi-developed terrain of the desert.
The Bhopal-based strike 21 Corps, formed in 1990 and rechristened as the ‘Sudarshan Chakra Corps’ of
the southern command, has undertaken this year’s exercise.
Key Points:
i.40,000 jawans, 700 ‘A’ category vehicles, 300 guns of the Chakra Corps of Southern Command
participated in the exercise.
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ii.Newly inducted armed helicopter Rudra, manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL)
equipped with electro-optical pods, helmet-mounted sights and night vision goggles was used in the
exercise. Apart from Rudra, newly inducted K9 Vajra (South Korean self-propelled 155 mm howitzer)
was also used in the exercise.
iii.3rd & 1st phase: The 3rd phase of the exercise will be conducted in the Pokhran field firing range of
Rajasthan from November 29-December 4, 2019. Previously, the first phase of the exercise was carried
out in Pokhran using Integrated Battle Groups(IBG) in the month of October 2019.
iv.Strike corps: The army’s field forces are grouped into corps. Some of these corps, over the years
have acquired the unofficial name called “Holding” while the others are called ‘Strike Corps’. The IA’s
principal offensive formations have 3 Strike Corps, they are 1 Corps, 2 Corps and 21 Corps (Sudarshan
Chakra Corps).
About Indian Army(IA):
Motto- “Service Before Self”.
Founded- 1 April 1895.
Commander-in-Chief- President Ram Nath Kovind.
1st joint maritime exercise Za’ir-Al-Bahr 2019 by Qatar & Indian Navy began in Doha, Qatar
5 day long 1st /inaugural edition of the joint bilateral maritime exercise “Za’ir-Al-Bahr” (Roar of the
Sea) between the Qatari Emiri Navy (QEN) and Indian Navy began in Doha, Qatar on November 17,
2019 and will take place till November 21, 2019. The exercise is aimed to strengthen the cooperation
and interoperability between the two navies especially in areas of fight against terrorism, maritime
piracy and maritime security. The exercise has 2 phases which comprises of a 3-day harbour phase and
a 2-day sea phase.
Key Points:
Events/activities:
• Harbour phase: Both navies will undertake activities like seminar, professional interaction,
official visits, sports fixtures along with social and cultural events as part of the harbour
phase.
• Sea Phase: The sea phase includes tactical maritime exercise which involves domains of
surface action, air Defence, maritime surveillance and interdiction (action of prohibiting or
forbidding something) operation and anti-terrorism.
Indian side participation: Indian Navy Ship(INS) Trikand captained by Vishal Bishnoi, Patrol Aircraft
P8-I are participating in the inaugural edition of the exercise. INS Trikand is under operational
command of the flag officer Commanding-in-Chief(CIC), of Western Naval Command in Mumbai,
Maharashtra.
Qatar side participation: The Qatari Navy has included versatile Anti-Ship Missile equipped Barzan
Class Fast Attack Craft along with Rafale multi-task fighter aircraft in the exercise.
1st India-Uzbekistan Joint military Exercise – Dustlik-2019 begun at Chirchiq, Uzbekistan

The first-ever joint military exercise of India-Uzbekistan named “Dustlik-2019” from November 4-13,
2019, began at Chirchiq Training Area near Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The curtain raiser of the military drill
was presided by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Uzbekistan counterpart Major General
Bakhodir Nizamovich Kurbanov.
Focus: The key focus of this exercise is on counter-terrorism.
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LCA Navy 1st night time arrested landing at Goa completed successfully
On November 12, 2019, As per Defence Research and Development Organization(DRDO), a first night-
time arrested landing of Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Navy was effectively carried out at Shore Based
Test Facility (SBTF) Goa. It validates the ease of management and confidence, to arrested landing
technologies.
LCA Tejas- Light Combat Aircraft is a light multirole jet military aircraft frequently upcoming from the
advanced trainers. It has been reformed or designed for engaging in light combat missions, either in
light strike or attack missions, reconnaissance or interdiction roles.
Key Points: –
i. LCA Tejas was developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Air Force
(IAF) and the Indian Navy.
ii.This flight allows the control of the law mode such as hands-free take-off, reducing the pilot’s job, as
the aircraft jumps from the ramp and spontaneously puts the aircraft in an ascending trajectory.
iii.LCA (Navy) Tejas is a two seater.
DRDO Successfully conducts 1st night-time trial of Agni-II ballistic missile

On November 16, 2019,In a major step towards strengthening the security of borders and army,
the DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation), an agency of the Government of
India (GoI), charged with the military’s research and development, has successfully conducted the
1st night trial of Agni-II, an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) from Dr. Abdul Kalam Island
off Odisha.
Key Points:
i.Agni II: The 20-meter-long, 17-tonnes two-stage ballistic missile, built indigenously, has the capability
to carry up to 1000 kg of explosives. Its firepower is up to 2000 km. It is a solid-fuel missile and was
developed by Advanced Systems Laboratory along with other DRDO laboratories & Bharat Dynamics
Limited, Hyderabad.
ii.Part of agni series: The medium-range surface-to-surface missile gained a new strength in the Agni
series missiles. This series includes includes 700-km range Agni-I, 3,000-km range Agni-III, Agni-IV and
Agni-V. Agni-2 has already been inducted into the army.
iii.Background:The Agni-2 underwent its 1st flight test on April 11, 1999 .Before it was made
operational by the Army, the trial of Agni-II was conducted by the Special Strategic Force Command
(SFC) from the ITR(Integrated Test Range on May 17, 2010.
Ballistic missile :
It is a missile whose launch path is the sub orbital ballistic path. It is used to fire a weapon at a
predetermined target & is guided only at the initial stage of missile launch. The path after this is
determined by the principles of the arbitral mechanic and by the ballistic principles.
About DRDO:
Motto-“Strength’s Origin is in Science”
Chairman -Dr G. Satheesh Reddy
Pakistan launched Shaheen-1 surface-to-surface ballistic missile

On November 18, 2019 Pakistan successfully test-fired its surface-to-surface ballistic missile(SSBM)
named “Shaheen-I”. The ballistic missile is capable of delivering all types of warheads with strike range
upto 650 kilometers. The test launch was aimed at testing the operational readiness of the Army
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Strategic Forces Command (ASFC) of Pakistan.

Key Points:
i.The test was conducted days after India successfully conducted 1st night trial of ‘Agni-II’, surface-to-
surface medium-range nuclear-capable missile of range 2000 Kilometres on November 16, 2019.
ii.It is also to be noted that Pakistan successfully test-fired nuclear-capable SSBM ‘Ghaznavi‘ with a
range of up to 290 kms on August 29, 2019 days after India revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s(J&K) special
status on August 5, 2019.
GRSE delivers ICGS ‘Amrit Kaur to Indian Coast Guard (ICG)

On November 19, 2019, Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE) has
delivered ICGS (Indian Coast Guard Ship) Amrit Kaur to the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) in Kolkata, West
Bengal. Its entire design has been developed by GSRE. ICGS Amrit Kaur is named after freedom fighter,
is third in a series of five fast patrol vessels being built by GRSE for the Coast Guard. Priorly, GRSE
delivered its 101st Warship ICGS Annie Besant, second in the series to the Indian Coast Guard, on
November 05, 2019.
About newly launched ship:
• It is a medium-range surface vessel with length and width of 50-metre & 7.5-metre
respectively has a displacement of around 308 tonne.
• Its maximum speed is 34 knots with an endurance of over 1,500 nautical miles and the main
armament is 40/60 anti-aircraft gun.
• It is equipped with advanced control systems, water jet units and an Integrated Bridge
System constituting all communication and navigation systems. Also, they have fully air-
conditioned modular accommodation for 35 personnel.
• It is suitable for performing tasks of rescue, patrolling,anti-smuggling and anti-poaching
operations in the Indian maritime zones.
About GRSE:
• Founded – 1934, under the Indian Companies Act, 1913. On May 19, 1960, it was acquired by
the Government of India from Macneill & Barry Limited.
• India’s first indigenous warship – INS Ajay, 1961
• Chairman cum managing director – Rear Admiral Vipin Kumar Saxena
ENVIRONMENT
A new frog species called Polypedates bengalensis discovered in West Bengal
On November 4, 2019, Six herpetologists from Assam, West Bengal and Malaysia have discovered a
new frog species called Polypedates bengalensis (also known as the Brown Blotched Bengal Tree
Frog) in 2 places in West Bengal – Badu, North 24 Parganas District and Khordanahala, South 24
Parganas District.This is the 26th Species of the Polypedates in South and Southeast Asia. The
discovery has been published in Zootaxa, a peer-reviewed scientific mega journal for animal
taxonomists.
Key Points:
i.The new tree frog species has been named from the series of 6-9 dark brown blotches that extend
laterally from behind the frog’s eye to the vent. The frog’s body color is yellowish-brown to greenish-
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brown.
ii.The male variety of this species varied from 47.9-53.6 mm in size and a single female was 72 mm.
iii.There are more than 410 frog species found in India.
iv.The authors of the study were Guwahati (Assam )-based herpetologist Jayaditya Purkayastha, who
runs the Help Earth NGO (Non Governmental Organisation), Madhurima Das from Assam, Kingshuk
Mondal, Shibajee Mitra, and Anirban Chaudhuri from West Bengal and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
teacher Indraneil Das.
About West Bengal:
Capital-Kolkata
Chief minister- Mamata Banerjee
Governor- Jagdeep Dhankhar
2 newly discovered spider species named after Sachin Tendulkar & St. Kuriakose Elias Chavara
On November 11, 2019 Dhruv Prajapati, a research scholar from the Gujarat Ecological Education &
Research (GEER) Foundation, has discovered two new spider species found in Kerala, TamilNadu and
Gujarat. One spider species was named after Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar as “Marengo
sachintendulkar” while the other was named “Indomarengo chavarapater” after Saint Kuriakose
Elias Chavara, who played a key role in creating awareness on education in the state of Kerala.
Publication: The findings of this discovery has been published in Russian journal “Arthropoda
Selecta”.
Key Points:
i.These two species of spiders belonged to Indomarengo and Marengo genus of Asian jumping spiders.
Cyclone Bulbul hits Coastal districts of West Bengal, Odisha & Bangladesh
On November 9, 2019, Cyclone Bulbul, which rose in the Bay of Bengal, hit the coast in the Sagar
Islands of West Bengal, Bhadrak in Odisha and Khepupara in Bangladesh. The center of the storm
was northwest of the Bay of Bengal, 95 km east-northeast of Paradip (Odisha) with winds speeds
crossing over 100 kmph. The cyclone was tracked by the Doppler Weather Radars in West Bengal.
Key Points:
i.The speed of the storm was 120 to 135 kmph when it hit the coast of Odisha and West Bengal. It has
been categorized from ‘very serious’ to ‘serious’.
ii.In West Bengal, the severe cyclonic storm lashed the coastal districts of North and South 24 Parganas
and East Midnapore.
iii.In Bangladesh, cyclonic storm packed with wind speeds of up to 120 kilometers per hour (kph).
Odisha hit by over 9 lakh lightning strikes in 2019: Study
As per the “lightning strikes in India -the most widespread killer among natural calamities from January
– August 2019” analysis by the private weather agency Skymet, Odisha led in the number of lightning
strikes with 9,37,462 or about 16% of the cloud-to-ground strikes in India.
Key Points:
i.Odisha received nearly 7,00,000 more total lightning strikes(30 lakh counts) followed by West
Bengal,J harkhand, Andhra Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh .
ii.Uttar Pradesh witnessed the maximum number of deaths with the toll of 224, followed by
Bihar(170), Odisha(129), and Jharkhand(118).
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India’s first Signal Fish “Pteropsaron indicum” found in Kerala

On November 13 2019, The new signal fish was found in Lakshadweep sea off Kerala coast, which is the
home for unusual species like fish with a unique color. The name of the species is “Pteropsaron
indicum”, was collected by trawlers at a depth of 70 meters during a marine biodiversity survey.
Scientists from the University of Kerala and the Ocean Science Foundation, United State of America
(USA) have described the discovery of the new species of signal fish, as first one of the genus recorded
in Indian waters. The finding has been published in the latest issue of the Journal of the Ocean Science
Foundation.
Key points: –
i.Signal Fish- Discovered species is the world’s largest signal fish with thick yellow lines shining on the
sides of the body. Small yellow marks on the sides of the head. They also have long spines on their
dorsal fins.
ii.Characteristics- They flap their long fins as a sign of dominating their territory and attracting their
mate. It is because of these characteristics; they are called signal fish.
iii. It measures 82 and 84 mm in length have been placed at the Western Ghats Field Research Centre,
Zoological Survey of India, Kozhikode, and the museum collections of the university department of
Aquatic Biology and Fisheries.
iv.Although more than 2450 species of marine fishes have been discovered in India in that this
discovered signal fish is the world’s largest.
v.The signal fishes are found in the coral reefs. So it specifies the presence of patchy corals off the
Kerala coast.
SPORTS
Indian women’s team wins Emerging asia cup 2019 title by defeating Sri lanka in final
On October 29, 2019, Indian Women’s Cricket Team has defeated hosts Sri Lanka by 14 runs in the
final on the basis of Duckworth-Lewis (DLS)method and won the Emerging Asia Cup 2019 title at
the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka.The tournament, organized by Asian Cricket Council
(ACC),was held from 22- 29, October , 2019 with the participation of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka,
Bangladesh.
Key points:
i.India scored 175 for 9 wickets in 50 overs, including 47 runs by Tanushree Sarkar. The Sri Lankans
were bowled out for 135 runs in 34.3 overs, chasing the revised target for the win.
ii.Indian team captain Devika Vaidya took four wickets for 29 runs in 7 overs. Based on this
performance, she was voted the best player of the match. Devika Vaidya and Tanuja Kanwar took four
wickets each in the final.
DLS method:
It is a mathematical formulation designed to calculate the target score for the team batting second in a
limited overs cricket match interrupted by weather or other circumstances.
South Africa clinches its 3rd Rugby world cup title 2019 by defeating England
On November 2, 2019, South Africa defeated England’s team by 32-12 scores in the final of
the 9th edition of Rugby World Cup 2019 held at International Stadium, Yokohama, Japan. The
winners are awarded the Webb Ellis Cup, named after William Webb Ellis, the Rugby School pupil who
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invented rugby by picking up the ball during a football game.

Key Points:
i.The SA team, which won the World Cup for the first time in 1995, also won the final in 2007. With this,
this team, known as Springbok, also equalled New Zealand’s record of winning the World Cup three
times.
ii.The tournament is administered by World Rugby, the sport’s international governing body.
iii.This was the 3rd time the South African(SA) team reached the final of the World Cup and won the
tournament.
Rugby:
It is a contact team sport which originated in England in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two
codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand.
Overview of 3rd edition of world U23 Wrestling Championship held from Oct 28-Nov 3 in
Budapest, Hungary
The 3rd edition of the U23 (under 23) World Wrestling Championship for the year 2019, was held from
October 28- November 3, 2019, in Budapest, Hungary. The championship was organized by United
World Wrestling(UWW) under 3 events: Men’s freestyle, Men’s Greco-Roman and Women’s freestyle.
Indian Medal winners:
India won 2 Silver Medals, they are as follows
Ravinder (61kg) won silver medal:
Indian wrestler Ravinder obtained a silver medal in the final of Men’s freestyle event. He was defeated
by Kyrgyzstan’s Ulukbek Zholdoshbekov in the 61kg category. It was considered as India’s first medal
in the 2019 edition of the U23 wrestling championship.
Pooja Gehlot (53kg) won silver medal:
In the 53 kg women’s wrestling category, Pooja Gehlot won silver medal. She was defeated by Japan’s
Haruna Okuno in the final event of the championship.
• 2017: The first edition of the U23 championship was held in 2017 in Bydgoszcz, Poland.
• 2020: The next U23 World Wrestling Championship for the year 2020 will be held in
Tampere, Finland.
Overall Winners
The overall championship in men’s Freestyle event was clinched by Russia while men’s Greco-Roman
event won by Iran, and Women’s event by Japan.
About UWW:
Formation- 1912.
Headquarters- Lausanne, Switzerland.
Motto- Welcome to the New World of Wrestling.
President- Nenad Lalovic.
Official emblem for FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2020 unveiled in Mumbai, Maharashtra
On November 3, 2019 the official emblem of FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup for the year 2020 which
is to be conducted in India was unveiled. The emblem was unveiled by Fédération Internationale de
Football Association(FIFA) and Local Organising Committee(LOC) at the launch event in gateway of
India, Mumbai, Maharashtra.
The emblem was unveiled in the presence of Union Sports Minister shri Kiren Rijiju and All India
Football Federation(AIFF) president Praful Patel.
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Key Points:
i.FIFA Chief Women’s Football Officer Sarai Bareman, FIFA legend and two-time World Cup winner
Kristine Lillyand and others were present at the event.
ii.About design: A bright blue waves rise from the base and reach up along the form of the trophy
towards a crown forming the shape of Paisley or Boteh motif commonly used in Kashmiri Pashmina
shawl and carpets. The droplet of the design framing a ball made from a marigold flower depicts a
symbol of growth and development. The color and style is inspired from Bandhani textiles, an Indian
tie-dye technique dating back thousands of years. The stem of the marigold’s symbol is derived
from traditional Warli paintings with Bandhani patterns.
Tennis veteran Rafael nadal of spain reaches No 1 spot after one year: ATP ranking 2019
On November 4, 2019,As per the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) rankings
2019, Spanish professional tennis player ,Rafael Nadal Parera (33) has become the number one
player in the world again with 9585 points after exactly one year by replacing Novak Djokovic who has
slipped to number two (8945 points). This is the 8th time Nadal has reached the top.
Key points:
i.Nadal has previously held the number one position on November 4, 2018. He is the second aging
player to hold the number one position in the ATP rankings since 1973. Federer He became number
one in 2018 at the age of 36.
Here’s the list of top 3 players in the ATP ranking 2019:
Rank Player Name Country Points
1 Rafael Nadal Spain 9,585
2 Novak Djokovic Serbia 8,945
3 Roger Federer Switzerland 6,190
ii.In women’s singles, Australian tennis player Ashleigh Bartyholds the top spot with 7851. While,
Karolína Pliskova of Czech Republic is in second place with 5940 points. Naomi Osaka of Japan is third
in the rankings with 5496 points.
About ATP ranking:
It is the method used by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for determining the qualification
for entry as well as the seeding of players in all singles and doubles tournaments.
Lewis Hamilton won 6th F1 World Championship title at US Grand Prix 2019
On November 3, 2019 Mercedes’s Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton (Britain), won the 6th F1 World
Championship title, after finishing second in United States Grand Prix (US-GP) 2019. He also became
the second most successful driver in the F1 history after former racing driver Michael Schumacher of
Germany.
The winner of the US grand prix was Mercedes’s Valteri Bottas (Finland), while the third place was
secured by Max Verstappen.
Ireland women’s cricketer Amy kenealy announces retirement from international cricket
On November 4, 2019, Ireland Cricketer & women’s 12th highest all-time wicket-taker, Amy Johanna
Kenealy (31) has announced her retirement from international cricket.
Key Points:
i.Kenealy had played 72 matches for Ireland since she made her debut against West Indies at her club
Rathmines in 2008.
ii.She was one of the best young bowlers in ireland at the age of 18-year-old.In 2016,she achieved her
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career-best bowling figures of 4-32 against Bangladesh.

iii.Kenealy last represented Ireland in July 2018.
Women’s boxing icon Nicola Adams announced retirement at the age of 37

On November 6, 2019 Double Olympic boxing champion Nicola Adams (37 years) announced her
retirement from the sport on medical advice due to the vulnerability of losing eyesight. Adams was the
1st female boxer who won an Olympic gold medal at the London Olympics in 2012 in the United
Kingdom(UK), and also the first female boxer to become a double Olympic champion after winning a
second gold medal at the Rio Olympics 2016, in Brazil.
Key Points:
i.Nicola Adams was born on October 26, 1982 in England, United Kingdom.
ii.Final performance: Adam ended her professional boxing career in the month of September 2019,
where she retained her World Boxing Organization (WBO) title in the flyweight category.
About WBO:
Formation- 1988.
Headquarters- San Juan, Puerto Rico.
President- Fransisco Valcarcel.
Overview of 35th National junior athletics meet 2019 held in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh
The 35th edition of National Junior Athletics Championships 2019 held from 2-6 November ,2019
in Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh (AP). The Championships has been
organized by Andhra Pradesh Athletics Associations on behalf of Athletics Federation of India (AFI).
Maheshwari broke national record in 3000m steeplechase
G Maheshwari of Telangana set a national record by winning the Girls Under-20 3000m
steeplechase title on the final day of the 35th National Junior Athletics Championship 2019. She clocked
10 minutes 34.10 seconds and was 12.71 seconds ahead of her previous best in the tournament.
Maheshwari, who trains under SAI (Sports Authority of India) athletics coach N. Ramesh at the
Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad, Telangana ,easily surpassed the earlier national junior record of 10
minutes 53.91seconds that Nandini Gupta made in Lucknow in the year 2017.
Key Points:
i.Nalubothu Shanmuga Srinivas of the host state set a meet record in the boys’ under-18 200m race
showing amazing performance. He took a better time of 21.16 seconds from the time of Nisar Ahmed
made in Ranchi in 2018, 0.16 seconds.
long jumper Shaili Singh & shot putter Bharti break National records
long jumper Shaili Singh of Karnataka & shot putter Bharti of Haryana broke the under-16
National records in the 35th National Junior Athletics Championship 2019.
Bharti set a new national record by throwing a 15.32 meter shot in shot put event held in Guntur. She
broke Jasmin Kaur’s record of 14.27 meters in the Junior National Athletics Championships held in
Ranchi in the year 2018.
The 15-year-old Shaili bettered her own National record with a 6.01m effort (old record 5.94m) in the
qualification round.
Ritik, Chanda, Nivya scripts new national records
Ritik Malik of Delhi has earned the honor of being the fastest runner in the under-18 boys group by
winning the 100 meter race in 10.65 seconds to break the national and Meet records of Gurindervir
Singh (10.69) since 2017 and Praveen Muthukumaran (10.75) since 2011 respectively.
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Chanda of Delhi won the medal in the 1500m under 20 girls group with a time of 4 minutes 17.18
seconds by beating the previous record of Lili Das (4 minutes 17.29seconds) set in 2016.
Niva Antony of Kerala achieved record in the pole vault category in the under 20 girls group. Antony
set a new national and Meet record surpassing Mariya Jaison’s 3.70m set in 2015 in Ranchi, Jharkhand.
About Andhra Pradesh:
Capital- Amaravati
Governor- Biswabhusan Harichandan
Chief minister- Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy
FIH Hockey Men’s World Cup is hosted by India in 2023

India has been named as the host country for 2023 FIH Men’s World Cup, which was scheduled to be
held from January 13 to 29 2023. The decision was finalized by the Executive Board of
the International Hockey Federation (FIH) in the last annual meeting which held in Lausanne,
Switzerland on November 8 2019.
Key Points:-
i.2022 FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup:- Spain and the Netherlands have been confirmed as the co-
hosts for the 2022 FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup which is going to be held from July 1-17, 2022.
ii.The venue for the tournaments of both events have not decided yet
iii.India also become the first country to host the men’s hockey World Cup four times.
India hosted Hockey Event in recent 3 years
• FIH Junior Men’s World Cup in 2016,
• FIH Hockey World League Final in 2017 and
• FIH Men’s Series Finals in 2019
About FIH:-
Headquarters- Lausanne, Switzerland
President- Narinder Batra
CEO- Thierry Weil
India women’s cricket team won against West Indies in ODI series held at Antigua held from
November 1-6, 2019
The Indian women’s cricket team won the 3-match One-Day International(ODI) series against West
Indies for 2-1 held at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua held from November 1-6,
2019. With this win, the Indian women’s team currently ranks at 3rd position in the ICC(International
Cricket Council) Women’s Championships 2017-20 standings.
Smriti Mandhana became fastest Indian women to score 2000 ODI runs:
Indian cricketer Smriti Mandhana became the second fastest Indian to have scored 2000 runs in the
50 over cricket format after cricketer Shikar Dhawan. She achieved the feat in 51 innings. Shikar
Dhawan is the only Indian player to reach the milestone faster than Mandhana in just 48 innings.
About ICC:
Headquarters- Dubai, United Arab Emirates(UAE).
Chairperson- Shashank Manohar.
Chief Executive Officer(CEO)- Manu Sawhney.
Motto- Cricket for good.
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AIFF announced Thomas Dennerby as Indian Head Coach of FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2020
On November 9, 2019, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has announced the appointment
of Thomas Dennerby (60) of Sweden as the Indian head coach of the Women’s U-17 football team.
The FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) U-17(under 17) women’s football World
Cup 2020 will be hosted by India. The official emblem of the world cup was launched recently at the
gateway of India in Mumbai, Maharashtra on November 2, 2019.
Key Points:
i.Thomas led the Sweden Women’s national team to finish third in the FIFA World Cup in 2011. He
previously worked as coach of Super Falcons, the Nigerian women’s national team to the 2019 FIFA
World Cup in France. He was also awarded the coach of the year for 2018 in Nigeria.
About AIFF:
President- Praful Patel
India won the men’s Paytm T20I series against Bangladesh held in November 2019
The Indian Men’s cricket team won the 3 match Paytm T20I (twenty-twenty International) series
against Bangladesh in India for 2-1 held from November 3-10, 2019 in New Delhi, Rajkot (Gujarat) and
in Nagpur(Maharashtra). This is India’s first T20 series win at homeland in 2019. The T20I was a part
of Bangladesh tour of India 2019-20, which also consists of two test matches, to be held from November
14-26, 2019.
Records Broken:
Rohit Sharma records:
i.Breaks Dhoni’s record for most 6s in T20I: Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma broke the record of
Mahendra Singh Dhoni for most sixes by an Indian captain in T20I cricket. He went past Dhoni with 37
sixes in 17 innings, while Dhoni holds the record of 34 sixes in 62 innings. Virat Kohli stands third in the
list with 26 sixes in 26 innings.
ii.Becomes 1st indian & 2nd man in history to play 100 T20Is: Rohit also became the first Indian as
well as the second male cricketer in history to play 100 T20Is. Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik is the
only cricketer to have played more than 100 T20I with 111 games.
iii.Holds most international sixes: Rohit holds the record for most of sixes in international cricket in
2019. He tops the list with 66 sixes currently.
Records by Chahar:
i.1st Indian to take T20I hat-trick: Indian Pacer Deepak Chahar took a sensational six-wicket haul,
which included a hat-trick. By this he became the first Indian to take hat-trick in the shortest format.
ii.Records best ever figures in T20I: He broke the record of Srilankan skipper Ajantha Mendis for
holding best ever figures where Chahar holds 6 for 7 runs in 3.2 overs. Ajantha’s record was 6 for 8
against Zimbabwe in 2012.
Record by Chahal:
i.Becomes fastest Indian to take 50 T20I wickets: India spinner Yuzvendra Chahal surpassed Jasprit
Bumrah to become the fastest Indian bowler to take 50 T20I wickets. This achievement was done by
Chahal in just 34 T20I appearances where Bumrah achieved the feat in 41 matches. Ravichandran
Ashwin is the only other Indian to have achieved the feat in just 42 matches.
Other highlights:
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• This Test series featured the first day/night match played by either side. The first match of
the tour, the T20I in Delhi, was the 1,000th men’s Twenty20 International match to have
been played.
• Player of the series- Deepak Chahar.
• Indian T20I captain- Rohit Sharma.
• Bangladesh T20I captain- Mahmudullah Riyad.
Static:
Venue: The T20I series were held in 3 different stadiums and are as follows,
Arun Jaitley Stadium- Delhi.
Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium- Rajkot, Gujarat.
Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium- Nagpur, Maharashtra.
About ICC T20 Men’s World Cup 2020:
ICC- International Cricket Council.
T20 world cup edition- 7th edition.
Host Nation- Australia.
Duration- 18 October to 15 November 2020.
Indian tennis player Sumit Nagal achieved career-best 127th spot: ATP men’s singles rankings
2019
As per the Association of Tennis Professional (ATP) men’s singles rankings 2019 released on
November 11, 2019, Indian tennis player, Sumit Nagal (22) moved two place up & achieved his
career-best 127th spot with 433 points. Spanish professional tennis player ,Rafael Nadal Parera (33)
has retained his number one title with 9585 points .
Key Points:
i.On August 27, 2019, Nagal became the first Indian player to take the first set during his first round
defeat to 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer in the US (United States) Open.
ii.In doubles rankings, Rohan Bopana, Divij Sharan and Purav Raja have all moved up & hold 38th, 46th,
and 93rd position respectively.
Here’s the list of top 3 players in the ATP ranking 2019:
Rank Player Name Country Points
1 Rafael Nadal Spain 9,585
2 Novak Djokovic Serbia 8,945
3 Roger Federer Switzerland 6,190
127th Sumit nagal India 433
About ATP ranking:

It is the method used by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for determining the qualification
for entry as well as the seeding of players in all singles and doubles tournaments.
Indian fast bowler Deepak chahar jumped 88 places to 42nd spot in the ICC T20 ranking 2019
As per the ICC (International Cricket Council) T20 (Twenty 20) Rankings released on November
10, 2019, Indian fast bowler ,Deepak Lokendrasingh Chahar (27), who set a world record with six
wickets for 7 runs against Bangladesh in Nagpur,Maharashtra, has jumped 88 places to 42nd position
in the bowlers list with the rating of 517.
Key Points:
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i.New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner has moved up to 2nd place with 700 points after Rashid Khan of
Afghanistan (1st with 757 points).
ii.In ICC T20 Batsmen ranking, Rohit Sharma remains India’s top batsman at the 7th position as before,
while Lokesh Rahul has moved up one place to 8th position.This list was topped by Pakistani cricketer,
Babar Azam.
iii.Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi has topped in ICC T20 all rounders table for the 1st time.
iv. In the team rankings, Pakistan remained at the top spot with the rating of 270.India is at 5th position
with 260 rating.
Here’s the list of top3 & Indian players in ICC T20 ranking 2019:
Rank Bowling Batting All rounder Team
1 Rashid khan Babar Azam (Pakistan) Mohammad Pakistan
(Afghanistan) Nabi
(Afghanistan)
2 Mitchell Santner (New Aaron Finch (Australia) Glenn Maxwell Australia
Zealand) (Australia)
3 Imad Wasim (Pakistan) Dawid Malan (England) Richard England
Berrington
(Scotland)
Rank of 42nd – Deepak 7th – Rohit Sharma 5th – India
Indian Lokendrasingh Chahar 8th – Lokesh Rahul
players
About ICC:
Formation-15 June 1909
Headquarters- Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Chairman -Shashank Manohar
CEO -Manu Sawhney
Highlights of Fuzhou China Open title 2019

The 2019 Fuzhou China Open, organized by Chinese badminton association, was held from November
5-10 2019 at the Haixia Olympic Sports Center in Fuzhou, China. The Fuzhou Open was the 23rd
tournament of the 2019 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour with total prize money of
$700,000.
Highlights:
i.The world number 1 men’s doubles pair of Marcus Fernaldi Gideon (Indonesia) and Kevin Sanjaya
Sukamuljo (Indonesia) defeated the India pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, and
created history by winning fourth straight Fuzhou China Open title.
• It is also the first time by a men’s doubles pair to win the same title 4 consecutive times in the
history of Superseries and World Tour Events.
Category Winner Runner

Men’s Singles Kento Momota (Japan) Chou Tien-chen (Chinese
Taipei)
Women’s Singles Chen Yu Fei (China) Nozomi Okuhara (Japan)
Men’s Doubles Marcus Fernaldi Gideon & Kevin Keigo Sonoda & Takeshi
Sanjaya Sukamuljo (Indonesia) Kamura (Japan)
Women’s Sayaka Hirota & Yuki Fukushima Lee So-hee & Shin Seung-
Doubles (Japan) chan (South Korea)
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Mixed Doubles Huang Dongping & Wang Yilü Huang Yaqiong & Zheng
(China) Siwei (China)
About BWF:
Headquarters- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
President- Poul-Erik Høyer Larsen.
Sri Lanka becomes 1st South Asian country to call match-fixing a crime
On November 12, 2019, Sri Lanka has become the first South Asian nation to bring match-fixing cases
to the category of crime as its parliament passed a bill related to ‘Prevention of Offences Related to
Sports’. This new legislation related to match-fixing and corruption will apply to all sports & if a person
is found guilty of corruption in the game, he can be punished for up to 10 years and also be required to
pay other fines.
Key Points:
i.Sri Lanka’s Sports Ministry worked closely with the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Anti
Corruption Unit (ACU)while drafting the bill.
ii.The bill also provides for stringent action against those who will hide information even after contact
with the bookies. This now means that Sri Lankan cricketers will have to give information not only to
ACU, but also to the government-appointed Special Investigation Unit (SIU) in case of contact by the
corruptors.
iii.Since 2017 ,Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has been under investigation by the ICC’s ACU. Former Sri
Lankan cricketer Deshabandu Sanath Teran Jayasuriya was charged under the ICC Code and faced a
two-year ban.
iv.Recently, the ICC banned Bangladesh’s all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, for two years for not reporting a
suspected match-fixing offer to the ICC’s ACU.
About ICC:
Motto -Cricket for good.
Formation- 15 June 1909
Headquarters -Dubai, United Arab Emirates(UAE)
Chairman -Shashank Manohar
FIFA banned three football officials for life term

On November 13, 2019 the FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) has
banned 3 South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) officials for a lifetime for connection
with a 2015 corruption scandal in football. The three officials who were banned were Former Peru
Football Federation President Manuel Burga and Argentinian officials Eduardo Deluca and Jose Luis
Meiszner.
Key Points:
i.The three officials have been restricted from any footballing activity and were also fined 1 million
Swiss francs (912,000 euros) each.
About FIFA:
Headquarters- Zürich, Switzerland.
President- Gianni Infantino.
English abbreviation- International Federation of Association Football.
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Virat Kohli & Bumrah retain top position in ICC ODI batting & bowling rankings respectively
On November 12, 2019 the International Cricket Council(ICC) released its latest One Day International
(ODI) batting and bowling rankings for men. The batting ranking was topped by Indian cricketer Virat
Kohli while the bowler ranking was topped by Indian Bowler Jasprit Bumrah.
Rankings:
i.Batting rankings: Virat Kohli was followed by Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma and Babar
Azam(Pakistan) in the second and third places respectively.
ii.Bowler Rankings: In the bowler rankings Jasprit was followed by Trent Boult (New Zealand) and
Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Afghanistan) in the second and third places respectively.
iii.All-rounder rankings: Meanwhile in the all-rounder rankings Hardik Pandya was the only Indian
player to be listed in the top 10 rankings in the 10th spot. The list was topped by England cricketer Ben
Stokes.
iv.ODI team rankings: In the ODI team rankings, India ranked in 2nd place, while the ranking was
topped by England. India was followed by New Zealand in 3rd place.
About ICC:
Formation- 1909.
Headquarters- Dubai, United Arab Emirates(UAE).
Chief Executive Officer(CEO)- Manu Sawhney.
Chairman- Shasank Manohar.
Independent director- Indra Nooyi.
India set to host World Kabaddi cup 2019 in Punjab

India is set to host the World Kabaddi Cup, which is to be held on December 1-9 2019. It was announced
by Punjab state’s Sports Minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi. The tournament is to dedicate the 550th
birth anniversary of Sikh guru, Guru Nanak Dev. Nine teams are expected to take part in the
tournament.
Key Points: –
i.The event inauguration will be held on December 1, 2019, at Guru nanak Stadium, Sultanpur
Lodhi,Kapurthala, Punjab.
ii.The semi-finals will take place at the Charanganga sports stadium in Sri Anandpur Sahib.
iii. Shaheed Bhagat Singh sports stadium will host the end of the ceremony.
iv.Nine Teams- India, USA, Australia, England, Sri Lanka, Kenya, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Canada
v.Apart from Pakistan and Canada, all the countries got the No Objection Certificate (NOC) to
participate in the tournament.
Arsene Wenger appointed as new global football development chief by FIFA

On November 13, 2019, Renowned French football team manager Arsene Wenger, who is more
familiarly known as Le Professeur of football, was appointed as the new chief of the Global Football
Development by FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association). The chief work of Wenger
would be monitoring the growth and development of the sport globally.
Key Points:
i.Other roles as a chief: The other main roles as chief of the global football development include
chairing Fifa’s technical study group and being a member of the panels of the International Football
Association Board (IFAB).
About FIFA:
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English abbreviation- International Federation of Association Football.

Headquarters- Zurich, Switzerland.
Overview of 14th Asian Shooting Championships 2019 held in Doha, Qatar from November 5 -13
2019
The 2019 Asian Shooting Championships , organized by Asian Shooting Confederation (ASC) was
the 14th edition held at Lusail Shooting Complex, Doha, Qatar from November 5 – 13,
2019. China secured the top spot in medal tally with 45 medals (20 Gold,20 Silver,5
Bronze),while India holds 4th position with 26 Medals (5 gold, 10 Silver, 11 Bronze).
The list of Indian gold medal winners at the tournament is as follows,
S.No Category Player Name Event Medal
1 Men’s category Udhayveer Sidhu 25 m standard pistol Gold
Vijayveer Sidhu team
Gurpreet Singh
2 Angad Vir Singh Bajwa Skeet Gold
3 Women’s category Manu Bhaker 10 m air pistol Gold
4 Anjum Moudgil 50 m rifle prone team Gold
Kajal Saini
Tejaswini Sawant
5 Mixed Abhishek Verma 10 m air pistol team Gold
Manu Bhaker
Key Highlights:
i.Shooter Manu Bhaker (17) from Haryana has won a gold medal in the 10m air pistol game by finishing
first in the final with a score of 244.3. She gave India the 1st gold medal at the Championship.
ii.Angad Vir Singh Bajwa holds the distinction of being the 1st Indian shooter to win a skeet gold medal
at any continental or world event.
iii.Abhishek Verma & Manu Bhaker pair bagged gold medal in the mixed 10m air pistol team event.In
women’s 50 m rifle prone team event ,Anjum Moudgil,Kajal Saini,Kajal Saini won a Gold with a
combined score of 1864.8.
iv.In men’s 25 m standard pistol team event ,Udhayveer Sidhu,Vijayveer Sidhu,Gurpreet Singh together
wins gold with a total score of 1710.
About Asian Shooting Championships:
Began in the year 1967, these championships, including almost all ISSF (International Shooting Sport
Federation) shooting events, are held every four years.
It was last held in 2015 in Kuwait City, Kuwait from November 1–12, 2015.
Spanish footballer David villa announces retirement

On November 13, 2019, Spanish professional footballer, David Villa Sanchez (37), who scored the
most goals for Spain, has announced his retirement.
Key Points:
i.Villa, currently playing for Japan club Vissel Kobe, will finish his 19-year-long career with the
conclusion of the 2019 J-League season (7 December, 2019). He was seen playing with Spanish clubs
Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Valencia, while he played 98 matches for the Spain national team.
ii.His club honours include 2011 UEFA(Union of European Football Associations) Super Club, 2011 Club
World Cup and three La Liga titles with Barcelona.
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iii.He played three World Cups in his career and was a key member of the Spain team, which was a FIFA
(Fédération Internationale de Football Association) World Cup winner in 2010 and won the European
Championships in 2008. He scored the highest 59 goals for Spain.
iv.In addition to playing in Japan and Spain, he also played for the Major Soccer League club New York
City in the US, where he scored 80 goals in 124 matches.
France won 57th edition of BNP Paribas’s Fed Cup title 2019 in Perth, Australia
The 2019 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas (French banking financial service company) which was
the 57th edition of the most important tournament in women’s tennis, was held from February 9-
November 10, 2019. France defeated Australia with a 3-2 win in the finals which was held in Perth,
Australia. This was the first time France had won the title since 2003 and 3rd title overall.
Key Points:
i.Most no of titles in fed cup is held by the United States of America(USA) with 18 titles in total.
ii.BNP Paribas was formed after the merger of Banque Nationale de Paris (BNP) and Paribas in 1999.
About Fed cup:
Fact – It was launched to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Tennis Federation (ITF). it
was known as federation cup until 1995. It is the world’s largest women’s international team sports
competition in terms of the number of nations that compete.
Founded- 1963.
Overview of 9th World Para Athletics Championships 2019 held in Dubai, UAE from November 7
– 15, 2019
The 2019 World Para Athletics Championships, was the 9th edition participated by 118 nations, held
in Dubai Club for People with Determination Sports complex in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
(UAE) from November 7 – 15, 2019. The tournament was organized by the World Para Athletics
subcommittee of the International Paralympic Committee. China secured the top spot in medal tally for
the 3rd consecutive time wit
h 59 medals (25 golds, 23 silvers and 11 bronze – including eight world records).
While India ranked 24th position with 9 medals( 2 gold, 2 silver, 5 bronze).
The list of Indian winners:
S.No Player name Event Medal
1 Sundar Singh Gurjar Men’s F46 javelin throw Gold
2 Sandeep Chaudhary Men’s javelin F64 throw Gold
3 Sumit Antil F-64 category javelin throw Silver
4 Sharad Kumar Men’s high jump T63 event Silver
5 Yogesh Kathuniya Men’s Discus Throw F56 Bronze
6 Ajeet Singh Men’s F46 Javelin throw Bronze
7 Nishad Kumar Men’s high jump T47 Bronze
8 Mariyappan thangavelu Men’s high jump T63 event Bronze
9 Lal Vinay Kumar Men’s 400m T44 Bronze
Key Highlights:
i.Sundar Singh Gurjar recovered from the shoulder injury to win his World Para Athletics
Championships title in the men’s F46 javelin throw event with a throw of 61.22 meters.
World records:
i.Indian para-athlete Sandeep Chaudhary won the gold medal in the F64 category in the Javelin throw
event. He was able to set a world record with a throw of 66.18 meters to better his own world record of
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65.80m in F44 category. The F44 and F64 categories were clubbed into one combined event (of F64).
ii.Sumit Antil won the silver medal in his second attempt with a best throw of 62.88 meters in the F-64
category. The previous world record was also named after him, which was 61.32 meters achieved in
Paris, France in August 2019.
iii.with this, Seven world records were broken, taking the total to 44 for India. This surpassed the
London 2017 Worlds mark of 34 world records.
Luka Modric becomes the first Croatian to win prestigious ‘Golden Foot’ award 2019
On November 12, 2019, Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric (34) from Crotia became the 17th winner
of the Golden Foot award in Monaco. This award is given only to active athletes who must be over 29
years of age for outstanding athletic achievement and is awarded only once to athletes.
Key Points: –
i. Luka Modric becomes the first Croatian to win the prestigious ‘Golden Foot’ award 2019. He is also
the second person to win the Golden Foot award a year after winning the Ballon d’Or. Juventus FC’s
(Football Club) Pavel Nedved from the Czech Republic was the first player to do so.
ii. Edison Cavani, Uruguayan football player won this award in the year 2018.
Indian boxer Sarita Devi elected as a member of AIBA’s 1st ever athletes commission
On November 18, 2019, Laishram Sarita Devi (37), an Indian boxer from Manipur has been elected
unopposed to the first International Boxing Asociation’s (AIBA) athletes commission, as a member to
represent the Asian bloc. She was among the 6 boxers who were selected as members from 5
continents- Asia, Oceania, Africa, Americas and Europe (it has 2 representatives).
Key Points:
i.Sarita, who represents players in the Indian Boxing Federation, has won 8 medals including 5 golds at
the Asian Championships.
ii.The other six boxers who were selected as members are- Oleksandr Khyzhniak (Ukrainian ), Irma
Testa (Italy), Julio Cesar La Cruz (Cuba), Ramala Ali (Somalia), Caitlin Parker (Australia ).
iii.The AIBA athletes’ commission :It was formed as a part of the reforms recommended by the
International Olympic Committee (IOC), which on May 22, 2019 removed AIBA’s right to conduct
boxing in the 2020 summer Olympic Games (Host city- Tokyo, Japan) due to alleged financial, ethics and
administrative mismanagement.
About AIBA:
Formation -1946
Headquarters -Lausanne, Switzerland
President -Gafur Rakhimov
Highlights of Asian Youth Boxing Championship held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

The Asian Youth Boxing Championship, was held from November 8- 18, 2019 in
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Kazakhstan topped the medal tally followed by India at second place with a
total of 12 medals (5 gold, 2 silver and 5 bronze).
Medal winners:
Indian medal winners: Indian women boxers have won 5 gold, and 3 bronze while the men won 2
silver and 2 bronze respectively. The medal winners are as follows,
Men:
• Silver: Selay Soy (49kg) and Ankit Narwal (60kg).
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• Bronze: Satender Singh (91kg) and Aman (91kg).

Women:
• Gold medal: Naorem Chanu (51kg), Vinka (64kg) Sanamacha Chanu (75kg), Poonam (54kg)
and Sushma (81kg) won Gold.
• Bronze medal: Arundhati Choudhury (69kg), Komalpreet Kaur (81kg), Jaismine (57kg).
About Mongolia:
• Capital– Ulaanbaatar.
• Currency– Mongolian tögrög.
• President– Khaltmaagiin Battulga
IAAF officially renamed as “World Athletics”

On November 17, 2019, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has officially
changed its name to “World Athletics”. The name was changed to make the sport more accessible. It is
also to be noted that IAAF was also a changed name of International Amateur Athletic Federation
focusing on the sport of track and field athletics. The name was changed to IAAF in 2001.
Key Points:
i.The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the official website was also changed
to https://www.worldathletics.org/
Brazil defeated Mexico to win 18th FIFA U-17 World Cup trophy 2019 in Brazil
On November 18, 2019 the Brazilian football team defeated the football team of Mexico in the finals for
2-1, to win the 18th edition of the FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) under 17
World Cup trophy held in Brasilia, Brazil. With this win, Brazil’s has taken its World Cup titles tally to
four.
Key Points:
i.Netherland’s Sontje Hansen won the Golden Boot for the top goalscorer with six goals. The golden
glove award for best goalkeeping was won by Matheus Donelli (Brazil). Golden Ball award for the best
player was given to Gabriel Veron(Brazil).
ii.Fair play: FIFA fair play award given to Ecuador.
About Fédération Internationale de Football Association(FIFA):
FIFA english abbreviation: International Federation of Association Football.
Headquarters- Zürich, Switzerland
President- Gianni Infantino
Indian Wrestler Bajrang Punia & Powerlifter Gaurav Sharma honored in Dubai, UAE
On November 19, 2019, Ace Indian freestyle wrestler, Bajrang Punia (25) & Gaurav Sharma, a
world powerlifting champion as well as the Mahant (priest) of the temple at Chandni Chowk, Delhi,
were honored at Indo Arab Leaders Summit & Awards 2019 held at Marriott Hotel Al Jaddaf,
in Dubai, UAE (United Arabs Emirate). Bajrang was honored with the award of ‘Indian Personality of
the Year -Sports ‘ ,while Gaurav was honored with the ‘Visionary Leaders of the Year-Sports’
Award.
Key Points:
i.Bajrang Punia won the 65kg freestyle bronze medal in the World Championship held in Nur-Sultan,
Kazakhstan in September 2019.
ii.On October 29, 2018, Gaurav received the prestigious Mahatma Gandhi Leadership Award in
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Parliament of London.In 2007, in the Commonwealth Championship in New Zealand, he clinched four
gold medals and in the 2016 World Championship in England, he won two gold medals.
iii.Indo Arab Leaders Awards :It recognizes the achievements made by selected high profile
personalities and leaders & honours their great contributions to the country’s economic development.
About UAE:
Capital-Abu Dhabi
Currency– United Arab Emirates dirham
President– Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won F1 Brazilian Grand Prix held at Sao Paulo, Brazil
On November 17, 2019, the 2019 F1(Formula) Brazilian Grand Prix (formally known as the Formula
1 Heineken Grande Prêmio do Brasil 2019) was held at Interlagos in São Paulo, Brazil. Red Bull’s Max
Verstappen from the Netherlands, Max Verstappen topped the Grand Prix.
Verstappen was followed by Pierre Gasly (France) and Carlos Sainz Vázquez de Castro (Spain) in the
second and third place respectively.
Stefanos Tsitsipas becomes youngest Greek tennis player to win ATP Finals 2019 title by beating
Dominic Thiem
On November 17, 2019, Greece professional tennis player, Stefanos Tsitsipas (21) has won the ATP
(Association of Tennis Professionals ) World Tour Finals trophy (officially 2019 Nitto ATP Finals)
by beating world No.5 Dominic Thiem of Austria with 6-7 (6-8) 6-2 7-6 (7-4) scores in O2 Arena
,London (United Kingdom) on November 17, 2019. He also earned prize money of $2,656,000.
Key Points:
i.With this, Tsitsipas became the youngest player to win the title after 2011. In November 2001 Lleyton
Hewitt became the youngest male ever to be ranked No. 1 in the world in singles at the age of 20 years,
8 months and 26 days.
About ATP Finals 2019 :
It was the 50th edition of the was a men’s tennis tournament (45th in doubles) run by the Association
of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and was part of the 2019 ATP Tour. The event took on indoor hard
courts.
The French players Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert won the doubles title at the ATP Finals
2019.
About 2020 ATP Finals:
Schedule -15–22 November,2020
Edition – 51th (singles) / 46th (doubles)
Surface -Hard / indoor
Host city– London, United Kingdom
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OBITUARY
American actor and comedian John Witherspoon passed away at the age of 77
On October 30, 2019 renowned American actor and comedian John Witherspoon passed away at the
age of 77 at his residence in California, United States(US). His famous films include Boomerang,
Vampire in Brooklyn and The Ladies Man etc.
Key Points:
i.Born in January 27, 1942 in Michigan, US, Witherspoon made his film debut in film The Jazz Singer in
1980. He has also appeared in various television shows in the 1970s where he worked initially as a
comedian.
About America:
Capital- Washington DC.
Currency- US dollar.
President- Donald Trump.
Former Karnataka Minister Vaijanath Patil passes away at the age of 81

On Nov 2, 2019, Vaijanath Patil, Former Karnataka Urban Development Minister, former Minister for
Horticulture, and president of Hyderabad Karnataka Horata Samithi passed away
in Bengaluru, Karnataka. He was born in Aurad taluk of Bidar district, Karantaka.
i.He was a Popular Social Leader who fought for the Special Status for Kalyana Karnataka (Hyderabad
Karnataka) region under Article 371(J).
ii.He was 81 year old and suffering from prolonged illness.
Former President of FICCI & Industrialist K.K. Modi passes away at 79

On Nov 3, 2019, Former President of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and
Industry (FICCI) and Chairman of Modi Enterprises Krishnan Kumar Modi(K.K.Modi) passed away
at the age of 79 in New Delhi. He was also the president of the Confederation of Asia-Pacific Chambers
of Commerce and Industry (CACCI) from 2002 to 2006.He hailed from Patiala district, Punjab.
i.He was the eldest son of late Rai Bahadur Gujarmal Modi (founder of the city Modinagar).
ii.K.K.Modi’s eldest son, Lalit Modi,is an Indian businessman. He was the first Chairman and
Commissioner of the Indian Premier League(IPL).
French Resistance member & Nazi camps survivor Yvette Lundy passed away at the age of 103
On November 3, 2019, French Resistance legend & Nazi camps survivor Yvette Lundy who helped
Jewish prisoners of war to escape prison during the Nazi occupation of France, passed away at the age
of 103 due to old age ailments in the northern French town of Epernay, France.
Key Points:
i.Born on 22 April 1916 in France, Yvette was made Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour, which is one
of the highests decorations in France.
ii.She worked as a school teacher, and from 1940 she helped the prisoners to escape from the Nazi’s
forced labour programme, known as Service du travail obligatoire-STO (English: Compulsory Work
Service) programme.
About France:
Capital- Paris.
Currency- Euro.
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President- Emmanuel Macron.

Prime minister- Édouard Philippe.
Retired judge of Madras HC, N.V. Balasubramanian passes away in Chennai, Tamil Nadu
On November 4, 2019, The Retired Judge of Madras High Court (HC) , N.V. Balasubramanian passes
away after he collapsed at the Kapaleeswarar temple in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
i.He served as the Madras High Court judge from 1996 – 2007 & after retirement he served as the
Chairman of committees on fixation of fee for self-financing professional colleges and polytechnics after
retiring from service.
ii.He worked as senior counsel & arbitrator in Supreme Court (SC) of India for 11 years.
About Tamil Nadu:
Capital: Chennai
Governor: Banwarilal Purohit
National Parks: Guindy National Park ,Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park, Indira Gandhi
(Annamalai) National Park ,Mudumalai National Park ,Mukurthi National Park.
Jacques Dupont- 1948 Olympic champion in cycling died at the age of 91.
On November 4 2019, Jacques Dupont, olympic cyclist champion died at the age of 91 on his native
village of Lezat sur Leze in France. He is a French cyclist who won a gold medal in Olympic Games which
was held in London on 11 August 1948. At the age of 20, he won the gold medal in Olympic under the
category of 1000-meter track trial in London and defeated Belgian Pyre Nihant by a second.
i.Championship– He won the French championship in 1954 and the prestigious Pairs-tour in 1951-
1955.
ii.After retirement– On 1959, he retired from cycling and become the butcher and a home-grown
businessman.
iii. Jacques Dupont- He was born on 19 July 1928 in the village of Lejt sur Leje located in southwestern
region of France.
American author Ernest J gaines passes away at the age of 86

On November 5, 2019, The acclaimed, award-winning american novelist, Ernest James Gaines has
passed away from natural causes. He was 86.
i.Born on January 15, 1933 in Oscar, Louisiana, US(United States), Gaines won the National Book Critics
Circle Award for fiction for his 1993 novel, A Lesson Before Dying.
ii.Gaines,awarded a “genius grant” in 1993 by the MacArthur Foundation, was inducted into the French
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of Arts and Letters) as a Chevalier.
iii.Two of his books, The 1971 Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (which won the Directors Guild of
America Award, 8 Emmy Awards, nominated for a BAFTA award) and A Gathering of Old Men (1984),
became television movies.
iv.The author of eight books, Gaines received prestigious grants from the National Endowment for the
Arts (2012), and the Rockefeller and Guggenheim Foundations. He received honorary doctorates from
five colleges and universities.
Marathi author Girija Kiir passed away at the age of 86

On November 1, 2019 Noted Marathi Author Girija Kir passed away at the age of 86 due to old age
ailments. Born in Maharashtra, Girija’s works were mostly associated with children stories and her
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recent book was “Janmathep”. She had also written her autobiography titled “Mazya Ayushyachi
Goshta”.
Key Points:
i.Kir who previously worked as assistant editor of Anuradha magazine for 10 years (1968-78) was
honoured with various awards namely H.N. Apate(Hari Narayan Apte) best novel award from
Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad, Kamlabai Tilak award from the Pune Marathi Library, Abhiruchi award
and Shri Akshardhan award for female novelist.
ii.Biographies: Some of her famous biographical works include Gabharyatil Manase, Jagavegli Manase,
Kalavant, and Sahitya Sahvas. Girijaghar.
Nabaneeta Dev Sen -Legendary Bengali Writer died at the age of 81 in Kolkata
Nabaneeta Dev Sen, a Bengali Writer passed away at her age of 81 in Kolkata due to cancer. She is a
poet, a novelist, a columnist and a writer of short stories and travelogues. Dev Sen was well-known for
her research on the Ramayana.
About Nabaneeta Dev
i.Nabaneeta Dev Sen was Born on January 13, 1938 on Kolkata. Dev Sen is the Vice President of the
Bangiya Sahitya Parishat.
ii.She is the founder and president of West Bengal Women Writers’ Association.
iii.She was a former wife of Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen. Her parents are poet couple Narendra Dev
and Radharani Devi.
iv.Bama Bodhini, Srestho Kobita, Sita Theke Shuru, Icchamati are some of her notable works
v.Pratham Pratyay, was the first poem published by Nabaneeta Dev Sen on 1959.
vi.Nabaneeta Dev Sen’s 1978 book on ‘Naxal movement in Bengal’ was published in English.
Awards Received-
• Sahitya Akademi Award in 1999
• Padmashree in 2000
Football club Mohun Bagan’s former secretary Anjan mitra passes away at the age of 72
On November 8, 2019, Anjan Mitra, who was the general secretary of Iconic football club Mohun
Bagan for more than two decades, passed away in Kolkata,West Bengal after suffering from several
complications following a bypass surgery in 2014.He was 72.
i.A chartered accountant by profession, Mitra became the general secretary of Mohun Bagan from May
1995 to October 2018.
ii.A professional football club based in West Bengal, Mohun Bagan Athletic Club(AC) is one of the oldest
existing association football clubs in India and Asia.
Padma Shri Dhrupad vocalist Ramakant Gundecha passed away at the age of 57
On November 8, 2019 Noted Indian Dhrupad singer Ramakant Gundecha passed away at the age of 57
in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh due to cardiac arrest. He was awarded the Padma Shri for 2012 in the field
of Art – Indian Classical Music – Vocal along with his brother Umakant Gundecha.
Key Points:
i.His last performance was at the Vishwa Rang Tagore International Literature and Arts Festival in
Bhopal on November 6, 2019.
ii.Dhrupad: Dhrupad is a genre in Hindustani classical music from the Indian subcontinent and is
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related to the South Indian Carnatic tradition.

iii.Umakant Gundecha was his elder brother and both were experts of Dhrupad.
Tirunellai Narayana Iyer Seshan, Former Chief Election Commissioner, passed away at the age of
86
On November 10, 2019, Former chief election commissioner (CEC), Tirunellai Narayana Iyer Seshan,
passed away at the age of 86 due to cardiac arrest in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Key Points: –
i.He was appointed as a 10th CEC in December 12, 1990, to December 11, 1996.
ii.He had served as the 18th Cabinet Secretary of India, the senior-most position in the Indian civil
service hierarchy in 1989.
iii. Awards– In 1996, Seshan received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for his role in cleaning up the
electoral process in the country.
iv. In 1997, he had also unsuccessfully contested the presidential elections against KR Narayanan.
v.He was born on December 15, 1932, in Thirunellai, Palakkad district, Kerala.
Former Union secretary PS Krishnan passes away at the age of 86

On November 11, 2019, Perungulam S Krishnan, a 1956 batch Indian Administrative Service
(IAS)officer served in Andhra Pradesh & former Union Secretary of the Ministry of Welfare, has
passed away in New Delhi due to age-related health complications.He was 86.
i.Born in Thiruvananthapuram,Kerala in 1933, Krishnan was best known for his work in upliftment
of scheduled castes (SC), scheduled tribes (ST) & educationally backward classes. He had served as a
first member-secretary of the National SC/ST commission.
ii.Widely regarded as the untiring crusader of social justice in India, Krishnan was the Secretary of the
Ministry of Welfare (which was later renamed as Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in 1998)
in 1990 when the VP Singh-government implemented the Mandal Commission Report, which aims to
provide 27% reservations to socially & educationally backward classes.
Dwight Ritchie, an Australian boxer died at the age of 27

On November 9 2019, Dwight Ritchie, an Australian boxer died at the age of 27 in Melbourne, Australia.
He was struck with a body shot with Michael Zerafa in a training session, before that he had fallen back
to his corner and collapsed. Dwight Richie, nickname “The Fighting Cowboy”, held a 19-2 record.
The last match of his was on August, against Tim Tszyu fought for IBF (International Boxing Federation)
Australasian super-welterweight title in Sydney.
About Dwight Richie: –
i.Dwight Thomas Rewouf Ritchie, born in Victoria, Australia on February 29, 1992, was an Indigenous
Australian professional boxer.
ii.He won the Australian middleweight title from 2014 to 2015 and the IBF Youth junior middleweight
title in 2017.
Renowned mathematician Vashishtha Narayan Singh passed away at the age of 74

On November 14, 2019, Renowned mathematician, Vashishth Narayan Singh, passed away at the age
of 77 due to Schizophrenia (chronic and severe mental disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels,
and behaves) in Patna, Bihar.
Key Points:
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i.Born in 1942 in Basantpur village of the Bhojpur district in Bihar, Narayan Singh was said to have
challenged Einstein’s theory of relativity.
ii.Narayan Singh completed his Ph.D on cycle vector space theory in 1969, and served as a professor at
the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur(IIT-K) and the Indian Statistical Institute(ISI), Kolkata. He
was also a visiting professor at Bhupendra Narayan Mandal University, Madhepura, Bihar.
Azad Yusuf- Cochin Singer passed away at the age of 62

On November 13, 2019, Singer Azad Yusuf, popularly known as Cochin Azad, passed away at the age of
62 due to heart attack. Azad was an integral part of Cochin-based Mehboob Memorial Orchestra
(MMO), since 2005. His voice was similar to famous Indian playback singer Mohammed Rafi so he also
had a nickname ‘Kerala Rafi’.
Key Points: –
i.He had a musical career spanning over three decades and performed above 1000 stages program.
ii.As a hairstylist by profession, he performed several programs for 23 years.
1984 Bhopal gas tragedy activist Abdul Jabbar passed away at the age of 62
On November 14, 2019, Social activist Abdul Jabbar, who battled for justice to victims and survivors of
the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy, died at the age of 62 due to prolonged illness, in Madhya Pradesh. In 1987,
Jabbar was a convener of the Bhopal Gas Peedith Mahila Udyog Sanghathan, which effortlessly work to
get the justice for the worst industries tragedy victims and their kin.
Key Points: –
i.The Bhopal gas tragedy had claimed the lives of many due to leakage of methyl isocyanate gas from
Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant in December 2, 3, 1984.
Australian cricketer Tony Mann passes away at the age of 74

On November 15, 2019, Anthony Longford Mann, the leg-spinning all-rounder from Australia, who
played four Tests between 1977 and 1978, passed away after a long battle with cancer.He was 74.
Key Points:
i.Born on 8 November 1945, Middle Swan, Australia, he was best remembered for his feats in the 1977-
78 Perth Test against India when he became only the second man in history to score a century as a
nightwatchman (after Pakistan’s Nasim-ul-Ghani). He played a brilliant innings of 105 runs in this
match.
ii.In a 20-year first-class career playing for Western Australia, he picked up 200 first-class wickets. He
also played 13 domestic limited-overs games in which he bagged five wickets and scored 162 runs.
BOOKS & AUTHORS

Sahitya Akademi publishes new anthology called Modern English Poetry to mark 200 years of
Indian English poetry
On November 4, 2019, Sahitya Akademi,an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the
languages of India, has published a new anthology called ‘Modern English Poetry’ by Younger Indians,
which documents the contemporary poetry scene in India and the broader Indian diasporas to mark the
200 years of Indian English poetry .
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Key Points:
i.Noted Poet, translator, and editor Sudeep Sen, has edited the anthology ,which contains pieces by 70
poets who are in their 40s or less.
ii.It looks like a Volume 2 to earlier edited (by Sen) the HarperCollins Book of English Poetry (2012).
Both anthologies documents the last 70 years of Indian English Poetry with the representation of 150 of
the best present day poets.
iii.Indian poetry in English is approximately 200 years old tradition as poets started writing poems in
English as early as 1820.
iv.The year 2020 marks the second centenary of Indian English poetry.
About Sahitya Akademi:
Formation -12 March 1954
Headquarters – New Delhi
President -Chandrashekhara Kambara
Sikhism founder Guru Nanak dev biography will be planned to release on his 550th birth
anniversary
Sikhism Founder Guru Nanak biography has been released on his 550th birth anniversary. It was
announced by the publishing house Penguin on November 5 2019. The book was written by the
professor and author Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh, the book titled “The First Sikh:The Life and Legacy
of Guru Nanak” which describes about the majestic and magisterial portrait” of the life and legacy of
Guru Nanak.
i.Motto of the book– It aims to “We should unite the people with a deep love, the book offers
fascinating insights into the life of Guru that discovers a key features of Sikhism”.
ii.21st century– Nikky Singh explores Guru Nanak’s pluralism, humanity and teachings which finds a
great resonance on this 21st century.
iii.Guru Nanak Dev– Sikhism Founder Guru Nanak Dev, born on April 15,1469 and his birthplace was
Nankana Sahib in Pakistan.
Five noted Indian Author’s novels placed in BBC’s ‘100 novels that shaped our world’ list
On November 6 2019, The British Broadcasting Corporation announced a list of ‘100 Novels That
Shaped Our World’. A panel of leading writers, curators and critics compiled the list for the network.
Some of our notable Indian authors like R.K. Narayan, Arundhati Roy, Salman Rushdie and Vikram Seth
are among 100 writers in this list.
i.The list contains ten categories including identity, love, sex and romance, politics, power and protest,
and class and society.The BBC’s novel list is to mark the 300th anniversary of the publication of Daniel
Defoe’s novel ‘Robinson Crusoe’.
ii.List of Indian authors and their novels which placed in BBC ‘100 novels that shaped our world’
:-
• Arundhati Roy– ‘The God of small things’ features in the identity category. The book is about
the modern day classic.
• Salman Rushdie -’ The Moor’s Last Sigh’ about Modern India in the ‘Coming of Age’ section.
• RK Narayan – ‘Swami and Friends’ a story of Young boy and his escapades is placed in the
rule breakers class
• Vikram Seth – ‘A Suitable Boy’ features in the family and friendship category and
• S. Naipaul – ‘A House for Mr Biswas’ is placed in the class and society section.
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iii.Other countries authors in the list: –

• Pakistani author Kamila Shamsie and British-Pakistani writer Mohsin Hamid were also
on the list ofor their novels ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist and Home Fire’.
• Afghan-American novelist Khaled Hosseini’s second novel ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ is
also on the list in writers from around the world.
• Toni Morrison’s Beloved, Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter
series and Sue Townsend’s The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole also feature on the list.
3 books on Guru Nanak Dev Ji launched at Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Khalsa College in New Delhi
On November 7, 2019 the union Minister of Human Resource Development (MHRD) Shri Ramesh
Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ and Minister for Food Processing Industries(MoFPI) Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal
together launched 3 books on Guru Nanak Dev’s writings, the founder of Sikhism on the occasion of his
550th birthday at Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Khalsa College in New Delhi.
3 books: The 3 books were Guru Nanak Bani, Nanak Bani, and Sakhian Guru Nanak Dev published
by the National Book Trust of India. They were originally written in Punjabi and will be translated into
15 major Indian languages.
Key Points:
i.The book has already been published in Urdu, Odia, Marathi, Hindi and Gujarati.
ii.Book compilers: ‘Guru Nanak Bani’ is compiled by Bhai Jodh Singh, the ‘Nanak Bani’ is compiled by
Manjit Singh, and the ‘Sakhian Guru Nanak’ is compiled by Jagtarjit Singh.
iii.The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO) will also publish Guru
Nanak Dev’s writings in major world languages.
Book titled “Kashmir” by Historian Chitralekha Zutshi released

On November 7, 2019 a new book by renowned historian Chitralekha Zutshi titled “Kashmir” was
released. The book is part of Oxford India’s short introduction series. The book portrays the history of
the region that was made up of interconnected political and religious ideologies, literary traditions, and
social classes etc.
Key Points:
i.Zutshi is currently working as a professor at the College of William & Mary, in the United States of
America. Her previous books include “Kashmir’s Contested Pasts: Narratives, Sacred Geographies, and
the Historical Imagination” (2014) and “Kashmir: History, Politics, Representation” (2018).
Chief Justice of India (CJI), Ranjan Gogoi released the Assamese version of ‘Courts of India: Past
to Present’
On November 10, 2019, Ranjan Gogoi, Chief Justice of India (CJI) released the Assamese version of the
book ‘Courts of India: Past to Present’ in Guwahati, Assam. The book has been distributed by
the Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The book includes various
chapters that narrate the historical events of the court.
Key Points:
i.The book has been termed as the Architecture of Justice which explains the Indian Justice System
and also captured the history of the nation’s courts.
ii. Participants- Several judges of the Supreme court, Chief Minister of Assam and Principal Director
General of All India Radio news and Publication Division were present in the book release event.
iii.Additional detail- Rajan Gogoi hold the office till November 17 2019.
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A new novel called “Accidental Magic” penned by Keshava Guha released

On November 10, 2019, Author Keshava Guha‘s new novel entitled “Accidental Magic”, Published
by HarperCollins India, was launched at the 8th edition of Bangalore Literature Festival in
Bengaluru,Karnataka.
Key Points:
i.The novel documents the Harry Potter nostalgia and straddles multiple contexts such as the world of
fan fiction, university life, with complex themes like solitude, self-discovery, identity, aspirations, and
the tussle between love and duty.
ii.It is the story of four very different people (Kannan, Curtis, Rebecca, and Malathi) whose lives are
brought together by Harry Potter.
Harish Bhat’s novel, “An Extreme Love of Coffee”, launched at Starbucks, Mumbai
On November 13, 2019, Harish Bhat’s first novel, “An Extreme Love of Coffee”, published by Penguin
Random House India with the collaboration of Tata Starbucks launched at Starbucks, Mumbai. Harish
Bhat also wrote the bestselling book named “Tata log”, and he is a chairman of Tata Coffee Ltd and also
the brand custodian of Tata Sons Private Limited.
Key Points: –
i.Tata Starbucks-It enters the Indian Market in October 2012 through a 50/50 Joint Venture with Tata
Global Beverages and currently operates 167 stores in India across Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Hyderabad,
Chennai, Bengaluru, Pune, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad and Surat.
ii.Starbucks – The stores are operated by the joint venture, TATA Starbucks Private Limited, and
branded as Starbucks Coffee – “A Tata Alliance”.
iii.Penguin Random House India -It is the largest English-language trade publisher in the
subcontinent, publishing over 250 new titles every year and with an active backlist of over 3000 titles.
iv.Publishments-It publishes every segment including biography, travel, business, politics, history,
religion and philosophy, lifestyle, cookery, health and fitness, sports and leisure, visual books and
children’s books.
About Book
The book takes the readers to a sensational journey, from the coffee plantations of Coorg to graveyards
in Japan, in an exploration for treasure, which is at the heart of this fast-paced adventure story.
Venkaiah Naidu released book -Savarkar: Echoes from a Forgotten Past by Vikram Sampath in
New Delhi
The Vice President of India Shri Venkaiah Naidu released book titled “Savarkar: Echoes from a
Forgotten Past,1883-1924” at an event in New Delhi. The book was written by renowned Bengaluru
based Historian and author Vikram Sampath and published by Viking Penguin publishers. The book
describes the life of freedom fighter and philosopher Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, popularly known as
Veer Savarkar.
Key Points:
i.Savarkar was the first leader to term the 1857 rebellion as the first war of independence. It was
mentioned in Savarkar’s book ‘The History of the War of Indian Independence’, released in 1909.
ii.Members present: Rajya Sabha Member, Dr. Sonal Mansingh; Secretary General of Rajya Sabha, Shri
Desh Deepak Verma; Secretary to Vice President, Dr. Subbarao; Chairman of Prasar Bharati, Dr.
Suryaprakash, Shri Meghnath Desai, Shri Sanjeev Sanyal, Shri Ranjeet Savarkar and others were present
during the event.
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Sudha Murty’s book “The Daughter from a Wishing Tree” released in Bengaluru
On November 16, 2019, renowned author and chairman of Infosys foundation Sudha Murty launched
her latest book “The Daughter from a Wishing Tree: Unusual Tales about Women in Mythology”.
The book published by Penguin Random House India, portrays life of enchanting women and their
untold stories.
Key Points:
i.The book was launched in Mantri Mall, Bengaluru, Karnataka in presence of biopharmaceutical
company, Biocon’s Managing Director(MD) Kiran Mazumdar and her husband John Shaw
ii.This is Murty’s 4th book of popular mythology series preceded by The Serpents Revenge:Unusual
Tales from the Mahabharata,The Man from the Egg: Unusual Tales about the Trinity, andThe Upside-
Down King: Unusual Tales about Rama and Krishna.
“From Shanties to School” , a book penned by Manimala Roy was launched

On November 17, 2019, book by educationist Manimala Roy, titled “From Shanties to School”, which
explores 1991 economic reforms on literacy especially among the migrant laborers of Delhi and their
children. It was launched by the senior journalist and former MP (Member of Parliament) Hari Krishan
together with former vice-chancellor of Delhi University Dinesh Singh. The book addresses the slums of
Delhi and its outskirts as the area of research.
Key Points: –
i.Manimala Roy addressed the people of Bihar,and Uttar Pradesh to change their lives through
education in India.
ii.This book was published by Konark Publishers and also explains the surge in literacy after the 1991
liberalization had revolved by the then finance minister Manmohan Singh under the leadership of
P Pamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha Rao
iii.According to the book, the impact of literacy on migrant life is also visible from the fact that the
decade 1993-94 to 2004-05, which was right after the liberalisation, saw the growth of regular workers
in Delhi went up by “22.4 per cent”.
UNICEF releases a booklet named ‘From Uttapam to Sprouted Dal Parantha’ to tackle
underweight, obesity and anemia
On November 17, 2019, UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund ) has released a 28 page booklet
called “From uttapam to sprouted dal parantha”. It explains that nutritious food can be prepared at
less than 20 rupees that will help in dealing with problems like underweight, obesity, and anemia in
children. The book is based on the findings of the overall National Nutrition Survey 2016-18,
according to which 35 % of children under the age of five are stunted (low height for age), 17% are
Wasted (low weight for height) and 33 % are underweight.
Key Points:
i. The survey found that 40 % of adolescents girls and 18 % of adolescents boys suffer from anemia.
Also, the problem of overweight and obesity among school children and adolescents has increased with
the risk of non-communicable diseases like diabetes (10 %).
ii.The book lists the recipes of freshly prepared foods and the cost of making each. In this book, recipes
of potato stuffed paratha, paneer kathi roll and sago cutlets are given to deal with the problem of
underweight. At the same time, to deal with besity, there have been suggestions of sprouted dal
parantha, poha and vegetable upma.
iii.In addition to the calorie intake of all the recipes given in this book, detailed information on the
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amount of protein, carbohydrate, fat, fiber, iron, vitamin C and calcium is provided.
iv.The book will be made part of the curriculum of schools and it is translated into regional languages to
reach people.
About UNICEF:
Formation – 1946
Headquarters -New York City, U.S.
Executive Director – Henrietta H. Fore
IMPORTANT DAYS
World Vegan Day observed on 1st November, 2019
The World Vegan Day is observed annually on November 1st.This day helps vegans to spread the
benefits of veganism for humans, and the natural environment.
Key points:
i.Every year vegans around the world will celebrate and also promotes their vegan lifestyle on this day.
ii.It was established by UK celebrity, Louise Wallis in the year 1994.
How the word ‘Vegan’ arrives
Donald Watson from the British Vegetarian Society was attracted over the word vegetarian and took
the first three letters and last two from ‘vegetarian’.
International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists observed on November 2, 2019
The International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists is observed annually
on November 2, under the resolution (A/RES/68/163) by the United Nations(UN). The day was
decided to be observed on November 2 during the 68th UN general assembly in 2013 in New York,
United States (US). The day aims to recognize the far-reaching consequences of impunity (exemption
from punishment or loss), especially of crimes against journalists. The campaign for 2019
is #KeepTruthAlive.
Key Points:
i.The day also marks the death of two French journalists, Ghislaine Dupont and Claude Verlon in 2012,
while reporting in Mali, West Africa.
ii.West Bengal Chief Minister(CM) Mamata Banerjee has also announced to roll out social security
scheme to provide financial assistance to media personnel in the state.
About UN:
Founded- 24 October 1945.
Headquarters- New York, US.
Secretary general- António Guterres.
World Tsunami Awareness Day is observed on November 5, 2019

The World Tsunami Awareness Day is observed annually on 5th November.This year promotes the
target of “Sendai Seven Campaign”, which seeks to reduce the disaster damage to critical
infrastructure and disruption of basic services.
• UN had invited all countries to raise awareness about tsunami and to share methods about
risk reduction.It also suggested the UN office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) to
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make the observance of World Tsunami Awareness Day in collaboration with the rest of the
United Nations system.
Key Points:-
i.UN General Assembly established first ‘World Tsunami Awareness Day’ on
5 November in the year 2015.This day helps to create awarness about Tsunami among people to save
themselves from Tsunami and also steps to reduce the risk.
ii.Reason for Nov. 5 has been chosen as World Tsunami Awareness Day:- November 5 has choosen
from a real incident “Inamura-no-hi”(“burning of the rice sheaves”)which happened in Japan on same
date during 1854 earthquake. A farmer has recognized the tsunami and set fire to his harvested rice to
warn villagers.
iii.The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO make effort to coordinate
national and regional tsunami early warning services, raising global awareness about effective actions
to reduce the disaster risk through its four Tsunami Warning and Mitigation Systems for the Pacific,
Indian Ocean, Caribbean, and North-Eastern Atlantic, Mediterranean and Connected Sea regions.
International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed
Conflict is observed annually on 6th November
On November 5 2001, UN (United Nation) general assembly decided to celebrate the International day
for preventing the environment from war and armed conflicts every year on November 6. At the
time of war, it affects the ecosystem such as water supply is poisoned, forest is burnt, animals killed,
etc.,
i.United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEP)– On May 27, 2016, the UNEP decided to recognize
and develop the ecosystem as peacekeeping and peace building strategies.
ii.Events- Some sort of seminars, speeches, lectures, news articles, radio talks, and classroom activities
in schools that focus on the topic are some of the events that take place on this day.
iii. In-order to improve the environment ecosystem which affected due to war and armed conflict,
the United Nations Environment Assembly listed some Sustainable Development Goals in the general
assembly resolution 70/1, framed a title as “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development”.
National Cancer Awareness Day observed on November 7, 2019.

The National Cancer Awareness Day is observed annually in India on November 7, to spread
awareness on cancer, its symptoms and treatment. The day was first observed in 2014 as and when
announced by the union health minister Dr.Harsh Vardhan. The day coincides with the birth
anniversary of scientist Marie Curie (Marie Skłodowska Curie), winner of the 1903 Nobel Prize in
Physics.
Key Points:
i. In India, there are 2.8 million cancer cases out of which only 1.1 cases are reported annually.
ii. The kerala govt. has proposed ‘Suhurtham Scheme’ in 2014 to provide free cancer treatment in all
district and medical college hospitals of the state.
iii. World Cancer Day: February 4th
International Day of Radiology (IDOR) 2019 is observed on November 8

The International Day of Radiology (IDOR) is an annual celebration held on every 8th of November.
On November 8 1895, Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen discovered the existence of x-rays. It is to highlight
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the role that imaging professionals play in detection, diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of sports-
related injuries.
i.The theme of 2019 is ‘sports imaging’.
ii.Aim of this day-The aim of this event is to build a great awareness of radiology, which contributes to
safe patients to understand the vital role of radiologists and radiological technologists.
iii.Joining with European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology (ESSR)- From this year of 2019,
they are joining with ESSR and released the book of IDOR.
National Legal Service Day is observed on 2019

National Legal Service day (NLSD) is celebrated every year on November 9. Legal Service Day was
started in 1995 by Supreme court. It extent the awareness among the people regarding the Functions
and their activities of Legal Services in the Country.
i.Objective-It offers free service, proficient and legal services to the weaker people in society.
ii.Lok Adalat-It is one of the alternative dispute redressal mechanisms, it is a forum where cases
pending in the court of law are settled in a peaceful manner. Legal service organizes the Lok Adalat to
make safe the legal system and encourages the people equality.
Highlight of two services: –
i.Punishing the criminals
ii.Providing justice for the affected person.
World science day for peace and development observed on November 10, 2019
On November 10, 2019, The World Science Day for Peace and Development was observed all over
the world to highlight the key role of science in society and the need to engage public in debates on
emerging scientific issues.The theme for the year 2019 is “Open Science, leaving no one behind”.
Key Points:
i.The day was established by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization) in the year 2001 & it was celebrated for the first time in 2002.
ii.In order to encourage young scientists to get involved in green chemistry, the day also witnessed
Award-giving ceremony of the Russian chemical holding company- PhosAgro/UNESCO/IUPAC
(International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) grants in green chemistry in Paris.
About UNESCO:
Formation- 4, November 1946
Headquarters- Paris, France
Director-General: Audrey Azoulay
National Education Day observed on November 11, 2019

The National Education Day is observed annually on November 11 commemorating the birth
anniversary of Maulana Sayyid Abul Kalam Ghulam Muhiyuddin Ahmed bin Khairuddin Al-Hussaini
Azad (familiarly known as Maulana Abul Kalam Azad), the first vice president of India and also the
first education minister of India (1947-1958). The day has been celebrated since 2008 after the
announcement in this regard, by the Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry.
Key Points:
i.Born on 11 November 1888 in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Azad was considered as the key architect of
education of Independent India.He had set up institutions like Lalit Kala Academi, Sangeet Natak
Akademi and Sahitya Akademi to create socio-religious and cultural inter-linkages in India.
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ii.The first Indian Institute of Technology(IIT) in Kharagpur, Indian Institute of Science(IISc), School of
Planning and Architecture in Delhi and the University Grants Commission (UGC) were established
under his tenure.
iii.He was awarded Bharat Ratna, the nation’s highest civilian award in 1992 for his contribution as an
educationalist. He even had run a weekly journal in Urdu called Al-Hilal to criticise British Raj.
World Pneumonia Day observed on November 12 2019

World Pneumonia Day, marked every year on November 12. The year 2019 marked the
10th anniversary of World Pneumonia Day to fight against pneumonia. The theme for the year 2019
is “Healthy lungs for all”. It was first observed in 2009. This day raises awareness about pneumonia,
it’s causes, treatment, and prevention.
India alone accounted for 70% of the global pneumonia burden in the year 2016, the total number of
deaths among the under-five population was 1,58,176.
Pneumonia: –
Pneumonia is an infectious disease that causes infection in one or both lungs. It can be serious and life-
threatening.
Key Points: –
i.When the first World Pneumonia Day was launched, pneumonia was killing approx 1.2 million
children each year.
ii.In 2013, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations International Children’s
Emergency Fund (UNICEF) released the Integrated Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of
Pneumonia and Diarrhoea.
iii.Target- It sets a target of less than three child pneumonia deaths per 1000 live births in every
country by 2025.
Public Service Broadcasting Day observed on November 12, 2019

Public Service Broadcasting Day is observed annually on November 12 to celebrate and
commemorate the first and last visit of Mahatma Gandhi to the studio of All India Radio(AIR) in Delhi
1947.
Key Points:
i.On November 12, 1947, Mahatma Gandhi visited the AIR and made live broadcast to the displaced
people from Pakistan who then temporarily settled in Kurukshetra, Haryana after Indian subcontinent
partition.
About AIR:
Founded- 1930. Owner- Prasar Bharati
World Kindness Day observed on November 13 2019

World Kindness Day was celebrated annually on November 13. This day provides an opportunity to act
kindly with others as kindness is an important unifying human standard.
Key points: –
i.The World Kindness Movement started World Kindness Day in 1998 as an organization that was
formed in Tokyo, 1997.
ii.Inspiration– This day also inspires us to believe that one act of kindness can make a global change in
society and the community.
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550th Birth Anniversary Celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev observed on November 12, 2019
On November 12, 2019 the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev was observed. The day is also
known as Prakash Parv/Guru Nanak Jayanti. He was the first of the 10 Sikh gurus and the founder of
Sikhism. His birthday is observed every year on Kartik poornima. The celebration in detail are as
follows,
i.Air India depicts ‘Ik Onkar’ on aircraft tail:
Recently New Delhi headquartered Air India depicted ‘Ik Onkar’, the religious Sikh symbol on one of its
aircraft tail to commemorate the 550th birth anniversary.it was depicted on the Amritsar-
Stansted,United Kingdom(UK) flight.
ii.President of India at Sultanpur Lodhi:
The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, attended the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of the
Sikh guru and addressed the citizens at Sultanpur Lodhi, Kapurthala, Punjab. Sultanpur Lodhi was the
place where Guru Nanak attained enlightenment.
iii.Kartarpur corridor opening:
For the first time Indian Sikh devotees were let to pay obeisance at Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan through
the Kartarpur corridor. The corridor was inaugurated by India and Pakistan on November 9, 2019.
About Guru Nanak Dev:
Birth- Nanak was born on 15 April 1469 in Punjab, Pakistan.
Death- 22 September 1539 in Kartarpur (Now in Pakistan).
Resting Place- Gurudwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, Pakistan.
Fact- He founded 3 pillars of Sikhism. They were Naam Japna, Kirat Karni, and Vand Chakna.
World Diabetes Day (WDD) observed on 14 November, 2019

On November 14, 2019, World Diabetes Day (WDD) with the theme “Family and Diabetes” is
observed across the world to make people aware of the treatment, prevention, and symptoms and
provides education regarding the disease.
This day marks the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting for the discovery of insulin with Charles Best in
1922.
Key Points:
i.The day was first observed on 14 November 2007. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and
the World Health Organization (WHO) introduced the World Diabetes Day in 1991 with the aim to
generate a platform to promote the IDF advocacy efforts throughout the year.
ii.A blue circle logo (represents the global symbol for diabetes awareness) on a white background is the
universal symbol for diabetes.
iii.This day was instituted by United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 2007 by passing resolution
A/RES/61/225.
iv.As per the WHO statistics, currently more than 420 million diabetic adults in the world, up from 180
million in 1980.
Diabetes :
It is also known as Diabetes mellitus. It occurs when the Pancreas gland of the body is not able to make
insulin or when the body cannot make good use of produced insulin, which converts glucose from food
to get into the cells to be used for energy.
Types:there are three types of diabetes namely Type 1, Type 2 and Gestational
Type 1 diabetes : Also called insulin-dependent diabetes,it is a chronic condition in which the pancreas
produces little or no insulin.
Type 2 diabetes :It occurs when the body doesn’t make or use insulin very well, causing glucose to
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remain in the blood, which can lead to serious problems.

Gestational diabetes :It develops during pregnancy (gestation). It causes high blood sugar that can
affect your pregnancy and baby’s health.
About IDF:
Headquarters- Brussels, Belgium
Children’s day observed on November 14 2019

Children’s Day (Bal Diwas) is celebrated annually on November 14 to commemorate the birth
anniversary of first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru fondly called Chacha Nehru. On
this day, everyone recalls him for his contribution towards structuring the nation and love towards
kids. After Nehru’s death in 1964, a resolution was passed in the parliament to give him a befitting
farewell by celebrating his birthday as Children’s Day on November 14. Until then Bal Diwas was
celebrated on November 20.
Key Points: –
i.Through his vision, he helped to set up the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, or AIIMS, and the
Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT). With that, he even initiated the establishment of the Indian
Institutes of Management (IIM).
ii.He also arranged the foundation stone of Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT),
Allahabad, in 1961.
iii. The first Indian commemorative coin was issued in 1964 in remembrance of Jawaharlal Nehru’s
birth anniversary.
iv. United Nations (UN) still celebrate this day on November 20 as Universal Children’s Day, which was
declared in 1954.
International Day for Tolerance observed on November 16 2019

International Day for Tolerance is celebrated annually on November 16 to promote tolerance, respect,
appreciation, and cooperation between the world’s different cultures. It was established by the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on November 16, 1995, by the
resolution 51/95.
UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence
• In 1995, UNESCO established the Madanjeet Singh Prize for the promotion of Tolerance and
Non-Violence to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
• Madanjeet Singh was an Indian diplomat, writer, and artist.
• The Prize is given every two years on 16 November on International Day for Tolerance. Along
with this award ceremony, the winner will receive the amount of US$ 100,000. This award is
given for the significant activities in the field of scientific, artistic, cultural or communication
fields and can be awarded to institutions, organizations or persons.
National Press Day 2019 observed on November 16

National Press Day is celebrated every year on November 16 to commemorate the establishment of
the Press Council of India (PCI). It was formed on July 4, 1966, by the Parliament which officially
started working on November 16, 1966. The Press Council keeps on checking the quality of report
coverage provided by the Indian press.
This day was created to raise awareness of the role of free, pluralistic and independent news media in
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the development of the democratic society. On this occasion, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu and
Minister of Information and Broadcasting Prakash Keshav Javadekar conferred excellence in journalism
awards 2019.
About Press Council of India (PCI): –
• It derives its mandate from the Press Council Act, 1978. The Chairman should be a retired
Supreme Court judge, and 28 other members of whom 20 represents the press while 5 are
nominated from two Houses of Parliament and 3 represents cultural, literary and legal fields.
• The organization also guarantees that journalistic purposes are not compromised due to
“influence or threats of any extraneous factors.”
• Headquarters- New Delhi
• Chairman-Chandramauli Kumar Prasad
National Epilepsy Day observed on November 17,2019

National Epilepsy Day is observed on November 17 every year. The aim of this day is to create
awareness about epilepsy, its causes, and treatment. The National Epilepsy Day was established by Dr.
Nirmal Surya in the year 2009. According to World Health Organization (WHO) report, around 50
million people in the world are suffering from epilepsy disease and 80%, people are living in emerging
countries.
Epilepsy –
Epilepsy is a disorder in which brain produce the sudden abnormal bursts of electrical energy that even
affect other brain functions and lead to recurrent unprovoked seizures. This type of condition can affect
people at any age group but it is treatable.
Key Points: –
i.Symptoms- Consciousness loss, stiff muscles of arms or legs, uncontrollable jerking motions in arms
or legs.
ii.Causes-Infection in brain, Stroke and brain tumor, Injury in head, Genetic conditions, Low oxygen
during birth, Prolong fever, Congenital abnormalities.
AYUSH ministry celebrated 2nd National Naturopathy day on November 18, 2019
Ayurveda, Yoga, and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy (AYUSH) ministry celebrated
the second National Naturopathy Day on November 18, 2019. This Day aims to promote the drugless
medicine to prevent diseases, which is caused by changing the lifestyle.
The Ministry of AYUSH was formed on November 9, 2014 to ensure the optimal development and
propagation of AYUSH systems of health care. Earlier it was known as the Department of Indian
System of Medicine and Homeopathy (ISM&H) which was created in March 1995.
Key Points: –
i. On this special day, Central Council for Research in Yoga and Naturopathy (CCRYN) organized health
camps, workshops, and exhibitions in local naturopathy centers and hospitals to spread the awareness
regarding this day.
ii. In New Delhi, around 150 children dressed as Mahatama Gandhi and marched from India Gate to
Constitutional Club to spread his message of adopting naturopathy. This was also a part of the
observance of 150th Birthday of Mahatma Gandhi under the theme “Mahatma Gandhi & Nature Cure”.
iii. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has first proposed “International Day of Yoga” on June 21 2015.
“Ayurveda Day” which is marked on November 5 every year, was first celebrated on November 5 2016.
iv. “Unani Day”, which was first celebrated on February 11, 2017.
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V. ”Siddha Day” was first celebrated on January 4, 2018.

About Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy (AYUSH):
Ayush Minister – Shripad Yesso Naik
Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare – Ashwini Kumar Choubey
World Antibiotic Awareness Week observed on November 18 – 24, 2019

World Antibiotic Awareness Week (WAAW) is observed annually in November. In 2019, it is
observed on November 18 – 24,2019. It aims to make the global awareness of antibiotic resistance and
encourage best practicing among the general public, health workers and policy makers to avoid the
further emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance. World Health Organization (WHO) has
introduced an annual WAAW.
2019 Theme – “Antibiotics: handle with care.”
Key Points: –
i.November 18-24 also observed as U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week (USAAW) sponsored by Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
ii.WHO Goals– It spreads five goals namely raising awareness, increasing monitoring and Research,
reducing infections, making the best use of antimicrobial medications and committing to “sustainable
investment”.
iii.An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria and is the most important
type of antibacterial agent for fighting bacterial infections. It helps to treat number of common and
more serious infections.
vi.World Antibiotic Awareness Week (WAAW) 2018 was observed on November 12 – 18,2018.
Infant protection day celebrated on November 7, 2019

On November 7, 2019, Infant Protection Day was observed to spread awareness regarding
protecting, promoting and developing infants by taking proper care. It is necessary to protect infants as
they face a lot of problems.
Key Points:
i. In India, the infant mortality rate is higher as compared to other countries due to the lack of health
care. The government has announced an effective measure to prevent infant mortality by implementing
it.
ii.Due to the lack of basic health services, lack of awareness, and the increasing burden of the
population, there has not been an expected reduction in infant mortality.
‘World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims’ for the year 2019 was observed on
November 17
The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims is observed every year to pay tribute to
millions of people who got injured and dead in road accidents, also became road victims. This day is
observed on the third Sunday of November each year in memory of road victims who lost their life,
families and love around the world.
2019 Theme: – ‘Life is not a car part’. The theme is based on Pillar 3 of the Global Plan for the Decade
of Action for Road Safety – Safer vehicles.
Key Points:-
Background: – World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims was first observed by RoadPeace
in 1993 . Later on it had been observed and promoted worldwide by European Federation of Road
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Traffic Victims (FEVR) and its associated organizations, including many NGOs from different
countries.
Officially announced: – On October 26, 2005, United Nations officially acknowledged under General
Assembly resolution 60/5 to observe this day on every third Sunday in November each year all over the
world.
Symbols:- Road Peace uses an image of red, bleeding flower on a black background with the words
“Remember Me” underneath the flower to promote the day. WHO’s emblem is also found in promotions
for the day.
World Children’s Day observed on November 20, 2019

The World Children’s Day is observed annually on November 20 by the United Nations(UN) under
the resolution (A/RES/836(IX)). It was first recommended in 14 December 1954 in the UN General
Assembly(UNGA) and was instituted as the Universal Children’s Day (UCD). Since 1990, the date 20
November also marks the day when the Declaration of the Rights of the Child (1959) and the
Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) were adopted.
Aim: The day is celebrated to promote international togetherness and awareness among children
globally, and to improve their welfare.
Key Points:
i.The year 2019 marks the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
ii.In India, the national children’s day is observed on November 14 commemorating the birth
anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru (India’s 1st Prime Minister).
World Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) observed on November 20, 2019
The World Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) day is observed annually on the 3rd
Wednesday of November. This year the world COPD day was observed on November 20, 2019. The
day is observed to raise awareness about the COPD disease and to understand the people’s condition
who suffer from COPD.
Theme: The theme for the year 2019 is “All Together to End COPD”.
Key Points:
i.World COPD Day is organized by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) in
collaboration with healthcare professionals and COPD patient groups globally. The day was first
celebrated in the year 2002.
ii.As per World Health Organisation(WHO), COPD, which is an under-diagnosed, life-threatening lung
disease, is expected to be the 3rd leading cause of death globally by 2030.
iii.COPD causes: The COPD is caused due to risk factors such as tobacco smoking, indoor and outdoor
pollution and chemicals etc. COPD is not curable, but treatment can relieve symptoms, improve quality
of life and reduce risk of mortality, and even many cases of COPD are preventable.
About Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD):
Launched- 1997.
Managing Director(MD) and Chair – Alvar Agusti.
World Heritage Week observed from 19th-25th November 2019

The World Heritage Week is observed from November 19-25, 2019 by The United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO). The main objective of the celebration is to
raise awareness to people on the preservation of the cultural heritage and monuments.
There are currently 37 UNESCO World Heritage sites in India of which, 29 are cultural sites, 5 natural
167 | P a g e
sites and the remaining 1 is a mixed site.

Key Points:
i.Various programs will be organized by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) and museums, to
highlight the importance of historical monuments and their preservation.
ii.As part of the celebrations, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation(IRCTC) Limited,
which is the tourism arm of Indian Railways(IR) has launched “Heritage Week” tour package from
November 22-25, 2019. The tour pack covers heritage and culture of Gujarat.
About UNESCO:
Founded- 16 November 1945.
Headquarters- Paris, France.
Director General- Audrey Azoulay.
National integration day/Quami Ekta Divas observed on November 19, 2019

On November 19, 2019, National Integration Day (also known as Quami Ekta Divas) is observed
all over India to mark birth anniversary of the first woman Prime Minister (PM) of the India, Indira
Gandhi.The day is celebrated to enhance the love and unity among people all across the India. This
Week is observed every year with the main theme of “Secularism, Anti-Communalism and Non-
Violence”.
Key Points:
i.This Day celebrated every year by conducting a variety of programmes and activities like Inter State
Youth Exchange Programme (ISYEP), National Integration Camp (NIC), award ceremonies and other
functions,etc.
Quami Ekta Week (National Integration Week) 2019 observed from 19 -25, November 2019
The Qaumi Ekta Week (National Integration Week) 2019 is observed all over the country from 19th
-25th November 2019 with a view to foster and reinforce the spirit of Communal Harmony, National
Integration and pride in vibrant, composite culture and nationhood.
The programmes to be observed during Qaumi Ekta Week:
19th November National Integration Day
20th November The Welfare of Minorities Day
21st November Linguistic Harmony Day
22nd November Weaker Sections Day
23rd November Cultural Unity Day
24th November Women’s Day
25th November Conservation Day
About Indira Gandhi:
Indira Gandhi,the first woman Prime Minister of India, was born at 19th of November,1917 in
Allahabad. She was the daughter of the first Indian Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. She also
became a Cabinet member of the Lal Bahadur Shastri as the Minister for Information. After the sudden
demise of the Bahadur Shastri Ji in 1966 at Taskant, Russia, Indira was selected as the Prime Minister of
India.
World Toilet Day observed on November 19, 2019

The World Toilet Day is observed annually on November 19 by the United Nations(UN) adopted on
July 24, 2013 under the resolution (A/RES/67/291). The aim of the day is to tackle global sanitation
168 | P a g e
crisis and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals(SDG) 6 which promises access to clean water
and sanitation for all by 2030.
Theme: The Theme for the year 2019 is “Leaving no one behind”.
Key Points:
i.In 2013 the day was adopted with a resolution declaring with the title ‘sanitation for all’.
ii.At present, nearly 4.2 billion people live without safely managed sanitation.
About United Nations(UN):
Founded- 1945.
Headquarters- New York City, America.
Secretary General- António Guterres.
General Assembly President- Tijjani Muhammad-Bande.
International Men’s Day 2019 is observed on November 19, 2019

International Men’s Day (IMD) is observed annually on November 19 every year to celebrate the
achievements and contributions of boys of men towards community, family, marriage, and childcare.
The day also highlights the basic humanitarian values. The 2019 theme was “Making a difference for
men and boys”.
Key Points:
• The day was initiated in 1999 by Dr Jerome Teelucksingh, who was lecturer at the University
of the West Indies in Trinidad & Tobago.
• In India men’s advocate Uma Challa, introduced this concept in 2007.
Women’s Entrepreneurship Day 2019 is observed on 19th November, 2019

Women’s Entrepreneurship Day (WED) is observed annually on November 19 every year to empower
and support women in business worldwide. It is organized by the Women’s Entrepreneurship Day
Organization (WEDO). The day was first observed in 2013 by Ellis Island Medal of Honor recipient,
Wendy Diamond.
• According to data on the Startup India portal, there are only 14% women entrepreneurs in
India.
• Globally, women account for 85% of consumer purchases and control $20 trillion in global
spending.
World Day for Prevention of Child Abuse 2019 – November 19

World Day for Prevention of Child Abuse was observed on November 19, 2019. World Day for
Prevention of Child Abuse was launched by the Women’s World Summit Foundation (WWSF) in
2000. In order to provide respect to the rights of the child and to prevent child abuse in society, this day
is celebrated annually in collaboration with the anniversary of the International Day for the rights of the
child (20 November).
i.In 2001, WWSF in alliance with Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) from more than 100
countries come together to create awareness regarding the prevention of child abuse, mobilize public
opinion and action, and disseminate prevention programs.
ii.Reason – Child abuse, particularly sexual abuse, is a universal problem which needs attention and
efficient protection skills and prevention measures are necessary from family, local, national and
international level.
About Women’s World Summit Foundation (WWSF):
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Created: 8 March 1991.

Headquarters- Geneva, Switzerland.
Africa Industrialization Day (AID) is observed on 20th November 2019

On November 20, 2019, Africa Industrialization Day (AID) is observed with the theme “Positioning
African Industry to supply the AfCFTA Market” to raise awareness in the international community
on the challenges and opportunities for Africa’s industrialization within the framework of the newly
created African Continental Free Trade Area. AfCFTA is acronym for African Continental Free Trade
Agreement.
Key Points:
i.The day was first observed on November 20, 1990. In 1989, the 25th Ordinary Session of the Assembly
of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) declared November 20 as
Africa Industrialization Day.
ii.On this occasion, all governments & other organizations in many African countries examined the
ways to stimulate the industrialization process of Africa.
STATIC GK FROM CURRENT AFFAIRS
Indian States
AP:
Chief Minister(CM)- Yeduguri Sandinti Jaganmohan Reddy.
Governor- Biswabhusan Harichandan.
Assam:
Capital- Dispur
Governor- Jagdish Mukhi.
Largest city- Guwahati.
Statehood- 26 January 1950.
Rivers- Kopili, Dhansiri , Kolong River, Subansiri.
Bihar:
Capital- Patna.
Deputy Chief Minister- Sushil Kumar Modi.
Governor- Phagu Chauhan.
Chhattisgarh:
Capital: Raipur
Chief minister: Bhupesh Baghel (Patan, Durg)
Governor: Anusuiya Uikey
Gujarat:
Capital- Gandhinagar
Governor- Acharya Devvra
Haryana:
Capital-Chandigarh
Governor-Satyadev Narayan Arya
Himachal Pradesh:
Capital- Shimla (summer capital) and Dharamshala (winter capital).
170 | P a g e
Chief Minister(CM)- Jai Ram Thakur.

Governor- Bandaru Dattatreya.
Jammu and Kashmir: –
Capital- Jammu (winter), Srinagar (Summer)
Lieutenant Governor- Girish Chandra Murmu.
Jharkhand:
Capital– Ranchi
Chief minister- Raghubar Das
Kerala:
Other popular name- God’s own country.
Capital- Thiruvananthapuram.
Chief Minister(CM)- Pinarayi Vijayan.
Maharashtra
Capital- Mumbai
Governor– Bhagat Singh Koshyari
Manipur:
Capital: Imphal
Governor: Najma Heptulla
Chief minister: N. Biren Singh
Districts-36
Meghalaya:
Also known as- The abode of clouds.
Capital- Shillong (known as Scotland of the east).
Governor- Tathagata Roy.
Chief minister(CM)- Conrad Sangma.
Odisha: –
Capital- Bhubaneswar
Chief Minister- Naveen Patnaik
Governor – Ganeshi Lal
Delhi:
Governor- Anil Baijal
Deputy Chief Minister- Manish Sisodia.
Punjab:
Capital: Chandigarh
Governor: V.P. Singh Badnore
Tamil Nadu:
Capital: Chennai
Governor: Banwarilal Purohit
Telangana:
Capital– Hyderabad
Governor– Tamilisai Soundararajan
Chief minister– K. Chandrashekar Rao
Tripura:
Capital: Agartala
Governor: Ramesh Bais
Chief minister: Biplab Kumar Deb
Uttar Pradesh:
171 | P a g e
Chief Minister(CM)- Yogi Adityanath

Capital- Lucknow.
Governor- Anandiben Patel.
Uttarakhand:
Capital- Dehradun
Governor- Baby Rani Maurya
West Bengal:
Capital– Kolkata
Chief Minister- Mamata Banerjee
Governor- Jagdeep Dhankhar
National Parks & Wildlife Sanctuary:

Chhattisgarh:
National Parks: Indravati (Kutru) National Park, Kanger Valley National Park, Guru Ghasi Das (Sanjay)
National Park.
Jammu and Kashmir: –
National Parks-Dachigam National Park,Hemis National Park,Kazinag National Park,Kishtwar National
Park,Salim Ali National Park.
Jharkhand:
National Parks– Betla National Park
Maharashtra:
National parks– Chandoli National Park ,Gugamal National Park ,Nawegaon National Park, Pench
National Park ,Sanjay Gandhi (Borivilli) National Park, Tadoba National Park .
Manipur:
National Park: Keibul Lamjao National Park
Punjab:
Wildlife sanctuaries: Abohar WLS ,Bir Aishvan WLS ,Bir Bhadson WLS, Harike Lake WLS ,Jhajjar
Bacholi WLS ,Kathlaur Kushlian WLS ,Takhni-Rehampur WLS.
Tamil Nadu:
National Parks: Guindy National Park ,Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park, Indira Gandhi
(Annamalai) National Park ,Mudumalai National Park ,Mukurthi National Park.
Telangana:
National Parks– Kasu Brahmananda Reddy National Park ,Mahaveer Harina Vanasthali National Park
,Mrugavani National Park .
Tripura:
National Parks: Clouded Leopard National Park ,Rajbari National Park.
Uttarakhand:
National Parks- Corbett National Park ,Gangotri National Park ,Govind National Park ,Nanda Devi
National Park ,Rajaji National Park , Valley of Flowers National Park
Dances:
AP:Dance forms- Kuchipudi, Burrakatha, Butta bommalu, Lambadi.
Dams
Uttar Pradesh:
Dams– Dhanraul Dam, Rajghat Dam, Rihand Dam.
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Other Countries
Bangladesh:
Capital- Dhaka.
Currency- Taka.
Prime Minister- Sheikh Hasina Wazed.
Paraguay:
Capital- Asunción
Currency- Paraguayan guaraní.
President- Mario Abdo Benítez.
Brazil:
Capital- Brasilia
Currency- Brazilian real.
President- Jair Bolsonaro.
Switzerland:
Capital- Bern.
Currency- Swiss franc.
President- Ueli Maurer.
Guinea:
Capital- Conakry.
Currency- Guinean franc.
President- Alpha Condé.
Maldives:
Capital- Malé
Currency- Maldivian rufiyaa.
President- Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
Germany:
Capital- Berlin.
Currency- Euro.
President- Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
Chancellor- Angela Merkel.
United Arab Emirates(UAE):
Capital- Abu Dhabi.
Currency- UAE dirham.
Official language- Arabic.
President- Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
US:
Capital- Washington, D.C.
Currency- United States dollar ($) (USD)
Vice President- Mike Pence
Pakistan: –
Capital – Islamabad
President- Arif-ur-Rehman Alvi
Prime minister– Imran Khan
Currency- Pakistani rupee
Germany:
Capital- Berlin.
Currency- Euro.
173 | P a g e
President- Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Thailand:
Capital: Bangkok.
Currency- Thai Baht.
King- Maha Vajiralongkorn.
Brazil:
Fact- Brazil is the largest country in both South America and Latin America.
Capital- Brasilia.
Official language- Portuguese.
UAE:
Capital– Abu Dhabi
Currency-United Arab Emirates dirham
President– Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Spain:
Capital: Madrid
Currency: Euro
Prime Minister: Pedro Sanchez
Chile:
Capital: Santiago
Currency: Chilean peso
President: Sebastián Pinera
Spain:
Capital: Madrid
Currency: Euro
Prime Minister: Pedro Sanchez
Chile:
Capital: Santiago
Currency: Chilean peso
President: Sebastián Pinera
Australia:
Capital- Canberra
Currency- Australian dollar
Prime minister- Scott Morrison
Bangladesh:
Capital- Dhaka
Currency- Bangladeshi taka
Prime minister- Sheikh Hasina
Guyana:
Capital: George Town.
Currency: Guyanese Dollar.
President: David A.Granger.
Prime minister: Moses Nagamootoo.
Singapore:
Capital- Singapore city.
Currency- Singapore dollar.
Indian High Commissioner to Singapore- Jawed Ashraf.
Mauritius
Capital-Port Louis
Currency- Mauritian rupee
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Mali
Capital-Bamako
Currency- West African CFA Franc
President- Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta
Bolivia: –
Capital- Sucre
Currency- Bolivian boliviano
Sri Lanka: –
Legislative capital – Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte; Commercial capital – Colombo
Currency-Sri Lankan Rupee
Prime Minister- Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Sudan:
Capital- Khartoum.
Currency- Sudanese pound.
Prime Minister(PM)- Abdalla Hamdok.
Qatar:
Capital- Doha (Also the largest city).
Currency- Qatari riyal.
Official languages- Arabic.
Uzbekistan:
Capital- Tashkent.
Currency- Uzbekistani som.
Hungary:
Capital- Budapest.
Currency- Hungarian forint.
Official language- Hungarian.
Brazil:
Capital- Brasilia.
President- Jair Bolsonaro.
Official language- Portuguese.
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Current Affairs Study PDF - November 2019

Overview of Cabinet approvals with foreign countries on November 6, 2019

About Double taxation avoidance:

Overview of cabinet approvals on November 6, 2019

Government approves for four medical device parks

the scheme would soon be achieved.

Launches & Inaugurations

PM Modi inaugurated Kartarpur corridor in Punjab, India

Chief Conservator in Uttar Pradesh Forest Department.

Headquarters -New York City, United States

Other Indian Affairs News

First-ever movement of container cargo on Brahmaputra river announced

Steel Ministry issued new steel scrap recycling policy

sufficient in scrap availability.

World’s first CNG terminal to be built in Bhavnagar port, Gujarat

President’s rule enforced in Maharashtra

Motto- Yato Dharmastato Jayaḥ (Where there is righteousness, there is victory).

CBI set up Special unit OCSAE to tackle Child Porn

India pledged to contribute $13.5 million for 2020 UN Development Activities

Indian govt. extended Visa-on-arrival facility to UAE citizens

ECI to establish a visiting chair in memory of former CEC T N Seshan

Writer Anand from Kerala bags 27th Ezhuthachan Puraskaram 2019

Singer S.P.Balasubrahmanyam of Andhra Pradesh Felicitated for Chetana Award 2019

India’s first 4-level transit intersection to be constructed in Nagpur, Maharashtra

Former Maharashtra minister Babasaheb Dhabekar passed away at the age of 89

AP govt. announced observance of Sand Week from Nov 14 -21, 2019

AP CM launches ‘Nadu-Nedu’ scheme to develop the Government Education sector

Odisha: ‘Bali Yatra’ Festival celebrated in Cuttack on November 12 2019

UP CM Yogi Adityanath inaugurates Pipraich sugar mill in Gorakhpur

Haryana to set up Foreign Cooperation Department for NRI/PIO welfare

17 All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Deutscher Fußball-Bund (DFB).

Highlights of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates’s 3-day visit to India

Headquarters- Beijing, China.

Overview of P.M Modi’s visit to Thailand from November 2-4 2019

Highlights of PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Brazil from November 13-14, 2019

BANKING & FINANCE

RBI tightens liquidity management framework for NBFCs

Banks cannot charge on NEFT transactions from January 2020: RBI

Reserve Bank withdraws some exemptions granted to HFCs

news related to agriculture development.

India-Russia-China to explore an alternative to SWIFT payment mechanism

Other News Related to Banking & Finance

MSTC signs agreement with Allahabad bank to develop e-auction platform

MD & CEO- Nitin Chugh

Managing Director – David Rasquinha

BNP Paribas mutual fund:

Karnataka Bank launches CASA campaign 2019

MoUs & AGREEMENTS IN NEWS

SUMMITS & CONFERENCES

About Ministry of Power and renewable energy:

Inaugural conclave on “National Capital Region -2041” held in New Delhi

India to host SCO’s 19th Heads of government council meet in 2020

India-ASEAN Business Summit 2019 held in New Delhi

21st Annual Conference of International Society of Addiction

About Ministry of AYUSH:

50th World Economic Forum to be held in Switzerland in January 2020

Piyush Goyal attended 9th BRICS trade ministers meet in Brazil

6th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus 2019 held in Bangkok, Thailand