Current Affairs – 27/11/2020

International
1.The 2020 ____ Conference was virtually held in which India has announced over 100 High Impact projects
worth USD 80 mn for ____
a. Afghanistan
b.Finland
c. Europe
d.Pakistan

Explanation: India has announced a new phase of over 100 high-impact community projects in Afghanistan worth
USD 80 million (Rs 592 crore) as the country’s development portfolio in the war-ravaged nation has reached over
USD 3 billion (Rs 22,200 crore) so far. The announcement about the new development package was made by External
Affairs Minister S Jaishankar during his virtual address at a global conference on Afghanistan during which he also
called for an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire to stop violence in that country. “India’s development portfolio
in Afghanistan has to-date amounted to over USD 3 billion. The minister highlighted that no part of Afghanistan
today is untouched by the 400 plus projects that India has undertaken in all 34 of Afghanistan’s provinces. More than
65,000 Afghan students have also studied in India,” the MEA said in a release. In his address, Jaishankar also called
for an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire to stop violence in the country, and reiterated that the peace process
must be Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled. “The external affairs minister (EAM) announced at the
conference that India had just concluded with Afghanistan an agreement for the construction of the Shatoot dam,
which would provide safe drinking water to 2 million residents of Kabul city,” the release said. India had earlier built
the 202-km Phul-e-Khumri transmission line that provided electricity to Kabul city.

2.Which nation has become the 4th nation having system recognised by the International Maritime
Organisation?
a. Russia
b.China
c. India
d.USA
 Explanation: India has become the fourth country in the world to have its independent regional satellite navigation
system recognized by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) as part of the Global Radionavigation System
(WWRNS). The other three countries whose navigation systems are recognized by the IMO are the United States,
Russia and China. The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) has been designed to provide accurate
position information services to aid in the navigation of vessels in Indian Ocean waters. The Director General of
Navigation (DGS) had contacted the IMO for the granting of recognition to IRNSS as a component of WWRNS,
similar to the Global Positioning System (GPS) belonging to the United States or the Global System Satellite
Navigation System of Russia (GLONASS) – a process that took two years. Director General of Navigation Amitabh
Kumar said on Friday The Indian Express, “Over-reliance on a single system is not safe. IMO has encouraged various
countries to design their own satellite navigation systems. IMO has now accepted IRNSS as an alternative navigation
module. It was only used on a pilot basis before, but now all merchant ships are allowed to use it, even small fishing
boats.

National
1.SC takes cognizance of fire incident at Covid-19 hospital in ______

a) Rajkot
b) Ratlam
c) Raipur
d) Rajasthan

Explanation- Five coronavirus patients were killed after a fire broke out in the ICU of a designated Covid-19 hospital

in Gujarat’s Rajkot in the early hours of Friday, state Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel said. The Supreme Court

Friday took cognizance of the fire incident in a Covid-19 hospital at Rajkot in which several patients have died and

sought report from Gujarat government on the issue. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre,

assured the bench that the Union home secretary will convene a meeting latest by Saturday and issue directions on

fire safety in government hospitals across India. Five coronavirus patients were killed after a fire broke out in the

ICU of a designated Covid-19 hospital in Gujarat’s Rajkot in the early hours of Friday, state Deputy Chief Minister

Nitin Patel said. Twenty-six other patients undergoing treatment at the hospital were rescued and shifted to other

facilities, he told reporters here. A bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, R S Reddy and M R Shah, while taking note of

the surge in Covid-19 cases in the country, said that states have to rise to the occasion and be above politics to deal
with the pandemic. It is high time that strict measures are taken to implement the policy, guidelines and Standard

Operating Procedures (SOPs) to contain the surge of coronavirus cases nationwide, the bench said. Mehta told the

bench that the ongoing Covid-19 wave appears to be harsher than before and ten states are currently contributing 77

per cent of the total positive cases. The bench observed that strict measures are needed to deal with the situation and

posted the matter for further hearing on December 1. The top court on November 23 had said that the Covid-19

pandemic has “worsened” in Delhi and gone “out of control” in Gujarat and had directed the Centre and all states to

apprise it within two days of the steps taken to contain the situation nationwide. The situation is likely to worsen in

December and all states have to be ready to “combat” it, the top court had said while expressing concern over the

spurt in coronavirus cases across the country. It had said the court was of the view that immediate steps are required

to be taken by all the states as well as by the Centre. The bench was hearing the matter in which it had taken

cognizance regarding need for proper treatment of Covid-19 patients and dignified handling of dead bodies in the

hospitals.

2.Sikh ‘jatha’ from India to leave for Nankana Sahib in ______ on Friday

a) Iran

b) Afghanistan

c) Pakistan

d) America

Explanation- Earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on November 19 had made the announcement

regarding the Sikh jatha’s visit to Nankana Sahib from November 27 to December 1. A Sikh Jatha from India is set

to leave for Nankana Sahib in Pakistan on Friday on the occasion of Guru Nanak’s 551st birth anniversary. Guru

Nanak Jayanti is on November 30. Earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on November 19 had made the

announcement regarding the Sikh jatha’s visit to Nankana Sahib from November 27 to December 1. “A Sikh jatha

from India will visit Nankana Sahib from November 27 to December 1 on the occasion of 551st birth anniversary of

Guru Nanak Dev ji,” MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava had said.

Amid the threat posed by the virus, Pakistan has asked pilgrims to adhere to the coronavirus guidelines of their

country. A Covid-19 negative report has been made mandatory for every visitor to gain entry to Pakistan.
3.Coronavirus pandemic, ______ should give emergency approval for the Covid-19 vaccine

a) India

b) Norway

c) Argentina

d) Pakistan

Explanation- In this week’s The Taste, Vir Sanghvi writes, “I doubt if America will approve the Oxford vaccine any

time soon. But we, in India, should give it emergency approval as soon as possible.” Adding, “Let’s just go ahead

and beat this damn pandemic.” For many months we, in India, have waited for the Serum Institute of India, a Pune

based company, to make the Oxford vaccine available to us. The Serum Institute and many doctors believe that this

vaccine, developed by Oxford University will work against the virus. The Serum Institute’s promoters were so

confident that they put several hundred million dollars of their own money into producing the vaccine so that by the

time the approvals came, they would be ready to roll out millions of doses. Initial projections suggested that the

vaccine would be available by October but delays in the testing process have meant that December seems a more

likely date. But even as Indians have focused on the Oxford vaccine there has been significant progress elsewhere.

The Chinese have their own vaccines which they claim are effective. The Russians are touting their Sputnik vaccine

around the world. There is also an indigenous vaccine developed in India which has shown encouraging results in

testing. All in all, at least 30 vaccines, the world over, are in various stages of development and most seem to work.

The issue with a vaccine is not just that it must work. It must also have no or, at any rate, few side-effects. That’s

why the process of testing takes so long --- scientists want to wait and see if side-effects are developing. But in the

case of the Covid vaccine, because of the global health emergency, this time period has been drastically shortened

and the US FDA is likely to start approving vaccines next month. Sadly, it now looks like the Oxford vaccine will

not be one of them. Two other contenders have shown much better results. A vaccine developed by Pfizer has efficacy

rates of 90 per cent. And another one developed by Moderna has performed as impressively in trials.

This is good news for the world but not necessarily as good for us in India. The Pfizer vaccine can only be kept at

very low temperatures and therefore is unsuited to storage and transportation in the Third World. The Moderna
vaccine is easier to transport but it is expensive and most of the first year’s production seems to have been earmarked

for the West. The Oxford vaccine has run into trouble because of a flaw in the testing conducted by AstraZeneca, its
 global partner. Originally, the vaccine was expected to be around 70 per cent effective, which is not a bad success

rate for a vaccine. But after the claims of 90 per cent made by Pfizer and Moderna 70 per cent did not seem very

impressive. And so perhaps AstraZeneca tried hard to boost its own numbers. There was also an error in the testing

method. Researchers in the UK gave around 2800 volunteers a half dose of the vaccine while the other 20,000

participants in a test were given full doses. This was due to a mistake in calculating the dose. Surprisingly the 2800

who got the half dose did better. They showed 90 per cent efficacy. The full group which got the correct dose showed

only 62 per cent efficacy. What made the difference? There are many theories. But there is also one doubt: the 2800

who got the half dose may have been younger. And younger people shake off Covid more effectively, anyway.

Sports
1.In India vs Australi, Zampa removes Dhawan, who is India’s final hopes?

a) Virat Kohli
b) Hardik
c) Raina
d) Yuvraj

Explanation- India vs Australia 1st ODI Live Score: Shikhar Dhawan and Hardik Pandya slammed attacking half-
centuries to bring India back in the game. Shikhar Dhawan holed out to Mitchell Starc as Adam Zampa broke Pandya-
Dhawan stand. Hardik Pandya slammed a 31-ball fifty as India made a strong comeback into the match through him
and Shikhar Dhawan, who also got to his half-century. KL Rahul fell to Adam Zampa as India continued to lose
wickets after a brisk start.Josh Hazlewood struck twice in the same over to take out Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer.
From 53/0, India had slipped to 80/3. Kohli was on three when Adam Zampa dropped him at fine leg off the bowling
of Pat Cummins. First wicket for Australia as Josh Hazlewood strikes to remove Mayank Agarwal for 22. Openers
Shikhar Dhawan and Mayank put on 53 in five overs to provide India a positive start to a stiff chase. India are chasing
a massive target of 375 after centuries from Steve Smith and captain Aaron Finch lifted Australia to a daunting total
of 374/6.

2.Players can train in _____ Open quarantine, ATP Cup cancelled

a) French
b) US

c) Australian

d) American

Explanation- State officials on Wednesday confirmed the Melbourne Park tournament would go ahead, though it

would likely take place a week or two after the scheduled start date and that players would have to undergo quarantine.

Tennis Australia (TA) has been granted permission by the Victoria state government to allow players to train during

their 14-day quarantine ahead of the Australian Open, local media reported on Friday. Organisers have been in lengthy

discussions with authorities over the COVID-19 protocols to be established for those arriving in Australia ahead of

the first Grand Slam of the year, which is slated to be held from Jan. 18-31. State officials on Wednesday confirmed

the Melbourne Park tournament would go ahead, though it would likely take place a week or two after the scheduled
start date and that players would have to undergo quarantine. The Age newspaper, citing an unnamed source with

knowledge of the discussions, reported that players would be allowed to train during their quarantine period but would

have to “strictly adhere” to health guidelines. Tennis Australia did not immediately respond to request seeking

comment on the report.

Men’s number one Novak Djokovic recently called on the authorities to ensure players are allowed to train during

quarantine, while Russia’s Daniil Medvedev said it would be “dangerous” to be confined to a hotel room for two

weeks and then go straight into a Grand Slam. Melbourne on Friday completed 28 days since the last reported locally-

acquired case of novel coronavirus infection. Due to border restrictions between states and varied quarantine

requirements by local governments across the country, TA plans to shift all build-up tournaments for the Grand Slam

to Victoria. The report said the ATP Cup, the 24-nation men’s event which made its debut this year in Brisbane, Perth

and Sydney as a Grand Slam tune-up, would be cancelled in 2021 though other ATP and WTA lead-up events would

go ahead.
Economy & Business
1.Singapore based GIC and TPG Capital have acquired stake in which Indian company?
a. Byju’s
b. Shoppers Stop
c. Future Retail
d. Reliance Retail
Explanation: Singapore based sovereign wealth fund GIC and global private equity firm TPG Capital have invested
a total of Rs. 7,350 crores in Reliance Retail. Reliance Retail Ventures has attracted more than USD 2 billion in
investments from global investors, over the past few months. GIC will invest for a 1.22 percent stake while TPG
Capital Management will invest for a 0.41 percent equity stake.

2.Ashima Goyal, Jayanth R Varma and Shashanka Bhide were recently appointed as the members of which
committee?
a. Finance Commission
b. Monetary Policy Committee
c. Appointments Committee of the Cabinet
d. Bank Board Bureau
Explanation: The Union Government has recently appointed economists Ashima Goyal, Jayanth R Varma and
Shashanka Bhide as members of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The
Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), headed by the prime minister, approved the names. The new
members will replace Chetan Ghate, Pami Dua and Ravindra Dholakia. The RBI had earlier postponed the last
meeting of the MPC.

3.‘MSME Prerana’, that was seen in the news recently, is a programme launched by which bank?
a. Indian Overseas Bank
b.Bank of Maharashtra
c. Indian Bank
d.Union Bank of India
Explanation: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has recently launched ‘MSME Prerana’, an online
business mentoring programme for MSMEs. The programme is to implemented by Indian Bank and is aimed at
empowering entrepreneurs through skill development and capacity building workshops. The mentoring programmes
would be available in all local languages.
 4.As per the recent announcement of the RBI, which service is to be made available round the clock from
December 2020?
a.RTGS
b.NEFT
c. IMPS
d.BBPS
Explanation: Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das announced that Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS)
payment system will be available round the clock from December 2020. At present, in the RTGS service, customer
transactions are allowed from 7am to 6pm only on a working day. The relaxation of time constraints would make
online payment more efficient. The minimum amount to be remitted through RTGS is Rs 2 lakhs with no upper
ceiling.

5.E-invoicing will be available to taxpayers up to what limit of turn over, from January 2021?
a. Rs 50 crore
b.Rs 200 crore
c. Rs 500 crore
d. Rs 100 crore
Explanation: As per the recent statement from the Finance Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey, e-invoicing will be
available to taxpayers having turnover more than Rs. 100 crore a year by January 2021. He also said that e-invoicing
will be finally made available to all taxpayers for B2B (Business to Business) transactions from 1st April 2021. E-
invoicing replaces the physical invoice and it will also replace the existing e-way bill system.

Important Days & Events

1.When is Awaas Diwas observed?
a.20th November
b.21st November
c. 22nd November
d.23rd November

Explanation: On the occasion of “Awaas Diwas” celebration,Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister of Rural
Development, Panchayati Raj, Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Food Processing, Govt of India interacted with
Rural Development Ministers and officials of the States/ Union Territories through the Video Conference. During the
interaction, the Minister congratulated the States/ UTs for their contribution towards the noble goal of “Housing for
All” by providing houses to rural households. Shri Tomar further mentioned that PMAY-G is not only credited with
the task of providing houses to beneficiaries, but it also serves in protecting the dignity of the households. This
enhancement of quality of life has an additional positive impact on the welfare of the beneficiaries. Awaas Diwas /
Awaas Week is not just a day to celebrate a scheme, but a day to connect with crores of rural households, who have
been greatly benefited by this scheme or in the Permanent Wait List (PWL) to receive the benefit of the scheme.
Moreover, it is also an opportunity to spread awareness about the scheme among all stakeholders. Several State RD
Ministers expressed their views on bottlenecks and their commitment to achieve the target of ‘Housing for all by
2022’. Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, Minister of State, Ministry of Rural Development, Shri Nagendra Nath Sinha,
Secretary, Department of Rural Development; Ms. Alka Upadhyay, Additional Secretary (Rural Development); Shri
Gaya Prasad, Deputy Director General (RH) and other officials from the Ministry of Rural Development were also
present.On this occasion the Ministers of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj from 16 States were present along
with Secretaries/ program officers of all States.

The Rural Housing Scheme, Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G) was launched by the Prime
Minister of India on 20thNovember 2016 at Agra, Uttar Pradesh. To commemorate the launch of PMAY-G, which
aims to provide “Housing for All” by 2022, it was decided to celebrate 20thNovember every year as “Awaas Diwas”.

2.When is Constitution day observed in India?

a. 24th November
b.25th November
c. 26th November
d.30th November

Explanation: Constitution Day or Samvidhan Diwas is celebrated annually in India on 26 November. The day is also
known as National Law Day. The day commemorates the adoption of the Constitution in India.

On this day in 1949, the Constituent Assembly of India formally adopted the Constitution of India that came into
force on 26 January 1950.

Background: While on 26 November, the Constituent Assembly of India adopted the Constitution of India, which
came into effect from 1950, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment on 19 November, 2015, notified the
decision of the Government of India to celebrate 26 November as 'Constitution Day. The day is celebrated to promote
Constitution values among citizens. As per a report in Scroll.in, the two months between the adoption and
enforcement of the Constitution was used for reading and translation of the document from English to Hindi. The
Constituent Assembly met for 166 days for two years, 11 months, and 18 days before the Constitution was finally
adopted. The members of the Constituent Assembly signed two hand-written copies of the document on 24 January
1950 and two days later, it became the law of the land. The Constitution Day is celebrated as a mark of tribute to
India's first Law Minister BR Ambedkar, who played a pivotal role in drafting the Indian Constitution.