Current Affairs Today 19th and 20th November 2019-Download in PDF

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Current Affairs Today – 19th and 20th November 2019 

IMPORTANT DAYS AND THEMES 

World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims is observed on 16 November 

  • The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims is observed on 16 November 2019.  
  • It is observed on the third Sunday in November every year.  
  • The day marks the appropriate acknowledgment of victims of road traffic crashes and their families. 
  • Road traffic accidents are a major cause of death among all age groups and the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 5–29 years. 
  • The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims was started by Road Peace in 1993. 

National Epilepsy Day is observed on 17 November 

  • National Epilepsy Day is observed on 17 November every year.  
  • The day aims to create awareness about epilepsy, its causes, and treatment. Seminars, debates, and other events are organized to educate people about epilepsy disease and its treatment methods.  
  • Epilepsy is a chronic disorder of the brain. It is characterized by recurrent seizures or fits. 
  • World Health Organization (WHO) reported that about 50 million people have epilepsy across the world.  

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WHO 

The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that is concerned with international public health. It was established on 7 April 1948, and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The WHO is a member of the United Nations Development Group. 

  • Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland 
  • Head: Tedros Adhanom 
  • Founded: 7 April 1948 

World Toilet Day observed on 19 November 

  • World Toilet Day is celebrated on 19th November every year.  
  • It’s all about inspiring action to tackle the global sanitation crisis and help achieve Sustainable Development Goal, which promises sanitation for all by 2030.  
  • World Toilet Day 2019 is drawing attention to those people being left behind without sanitation. However, it was not formally recognized as an official UN day until 2013. 
  • Theme: Leaving No One Behind 

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United Nations: It is an International Organization. Its Objective of UN is to not only maintain International Peace and Security but also to develop Friendly relations among nations. 

  • Founded – 24th October, 1945 
  • Headquarter- New York,United States 
  • Secretary General- Antonio Guterres (9th SG OF UN)  
  • He is from PORTUGAL  
  • Portugal (Capital/Currency) – Lisbon/ Euro 
  • United States (Capital/Currency) – Washington, D.C/ US Dollar 

International Men’s Day is observed on 19 November 

  • International Men’s Day is observed on 19 November every year.  
  • The objective of the day is to focus on men’s and boys’ health, improving gender relations, and promoting gender equality.  
  • The day highlights men who are making a positive difference. 
  • The day raises awareness of issues that men face on a global scale. 

Universal Children’s Day is celebrated on 20 November 

  • Universal Children’s Day is celebrated on 20th November every year.  
  • The day aims to promote international togetherness and awareness among children worldwide.  
  • The day also works towards improving children’s welfare across the world. 
  • The day aims to promote togetherness around the world, awareness of the problems children face in the world. 
  •  The day also ensures to improve the welfare of all children. 

FINANCE AND ECONOMY 

NCAER forecasts India’s GDP growth at 4.9% for FY20 

  • The National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) has pegged India’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth for 2019-20 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. 

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NCAER: National Council of Applied Economic Research is a New Delhi based non-profit think tank of economics. Nandan Nilekani is president of the governing body and Dr Shekhar Shah is current director general of NCAER.  

  • Headquarters location: New Delhi 
  • Founded: 1956 

NATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS 

Union Minister for Rural Development inaugurates SARAS IITF 2019 

  • The Union Minister for Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Agriculture inaugurated the SARAS India International Trade Fair(IITF) Mela 2019 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.  
  • SARAS IITF Mela empowering rural women through Self-Help Groups is one of the top priorities of the government. 
  • More than seven crore women have joined Self-Help Groups so far and the Ministry is making all efforts to take this number to 10 crores.  
  • Women self-help groups play a very crucial role in the fulfilment of two important goals, namely poverty alleviation and women empowerment.   
  • The “didis” (sisters) from the Self-Help Groups (SHGs) possess a lot of positive energy and willpower and the same should be utilised for the progress of the nation. 

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  • Union Minister for Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Agriculture: Narendra Singh Tomar 

PM Modi paid tributes to Indira Gandhi on her 102nd birth anniversary 

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes to Indira Gandhi on her 102nd birth anniversary on 19 November 2019. 
  • Indira Gandhi was born on 19 November 1917 in Allahabad, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, British India. 
  • She was the first and only female Prime Minister of India.  
  • She was assassinated by her own bodyguards on 31 October 1984. 

Meghalaya-based insurgent group HNLC banned by the government 

  • Meghalaya-based insurgent group, Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) has been banned by the central government for its increased activities of violence and other subversive acts.  

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Meghalaya 

  • Capital:Shillong 
  • Chief Minister: Conrad Kongkal Sangma 
  • Governor: Tathagata Roy 

Home Ministry launches a campaign to End Violence Against Women 

  • The Home Ministry in collaboration with the UN Women flagged off an awareness campaign To End Violence Against Women from Sultanpur metro station in Delhi.  
  • The initiative is part of the #OrangeTheWorld global campaign.  
  • As part of the campaign, people would be made aware about India’s single emergency helpline 112, an internationally recognised emergency number used in several countries. 
  • 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. 

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  • Home Minister: Amit Shah 

STATE CURRENT AFFAIRS 

Health ministry launched SAANS campaign in Gujarat 

  • Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare launched ‘SAANS’ campaign in Gujarat during the inauguration of 6th National Summit on Good, Replicable practices and innovations. 
  • AIM: to reducing child mortality due to pneumonia, which contributes to around 15% of deaths annually of children under the age of five. 
  • SAANS, short for ‘Social Awareness and Action to Neutralise Pneumonia Successfully’.  
  • The government aims to achieve a target of reducing pneumonia deaths among children to less than three per 1000 live births by 2025. 

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  • Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare: Harsh Vardhan 

Gujarat: 

  • Capital: Gandhinagar 
  • Chief Minister: Vijay Rupani 
  • Governor: Acharya Devvrat 
  • National Park: Vansda NP, Blackbuck NP, Gir Forest NP,  Marine NP, Gulf of Kutch 

Darjeeling’s green and white teas get GI tag 

  • The green tea and white tea of Darjeeling have been registered as geographical indication (GI) products in the country.  
  • These two varieties of Darjeeling tea have been registered under Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act 1999, with effect from October 2019. 
  • This will “strengthen the protection of the intellectual property rights of the Darjeeling tea” which is considered as “niche and luxury” products in the country and abroad. 

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West Bengal: 

  • Capital: Kolkata 
  • Chief Minister: Mamata Banerjee 
  • Governor: Jagdeep Dhankhar 
  • National Park: Buxa NP, Gorumara NP, Neora Valley NP, Singalila NP, Sunderban NP, JaldaparaNP 

NHM Jammu & Kashmir launched BMEWMP programme in J&K, Ladakh 

  • National Health Mission Jammu & Kashmir, has launched the Bio-Medical Equipment Waste Management Programme (BMEWMP) in the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.  
  • The biomedical equipment management was the need of the hour to improve the patient care facilities in the health care institutions.  
  • The objectives of the program are designed in a way that the equipment in the district level health care facility will have an uptime of 95%, in sub-district hospital 90% and in PHC 80%. 

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Jammu & Kashmir: 

  • Capitals: Jammu (Winter), Srinagar (Summer) 
  • Lt. Governor: GC Murmu 
  • National Parks: City Forest (Salim Ali) National Park, Dachigam National Park, Hemis National Park, Kishtwar National Park 
  • Wildlife Sanctuaries: BaltalThajwas WLS, Changthang Cold Desert WLS, Gulmarg WLS, Jasrota WLS, Karakoram (Nubra Shyok) WLS etc 

Ladakh: 

  • Capital: Leh 
  • Lt. Governor: R K Mathur 

Haryana to create a new department of foreign cooperation 

  • The Haryana Cabinet under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar is to create a dedicated new department of foreign cooperation.  
  • It aims to streamline and focus on various initiatives taken by the state government for the promotion of investment, generate employment for the youth and welfare of Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) from the State. 
  • The department will work to enhance international cooperation with provinces of foreign countries and engagement with cities under the sister provinces and twin cities programmes of ministry of external affairs. 
  • It will promote investment, employment in the State, education, and skill development in the State.  
  • It will also promote the Haryanvi culture and welfare of the Haryanvi diaspora with participation in bilateral and multilateral fora. 

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Haryana: 

  • Capital: Chandigarh 
  • Chief Minister: Manohar Lal Khattar 
  • Governor: Satyadev Narayan Arya 
  • National Park: Sultanpur National Park, Kalesar National Park 

Uttarakhand CM launches virtual classes project 

  • Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat launched a project that will connect 500 secondary schools to virtual classrooms and schools in the state facing a shortage of teachers will benefit from the new technology. 
  • Virtual classes are attended through video conferences where students can meet the teacher on a real-time basis and ask questions. 
  • An estimated 1.90 lakh students of 500 government-run secondary schools in the state will benefit from the project. 

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Uttarakhand: 

  • Capital: Dehradun 
  • Chief Minster: Trivendra Singh Rawat 
  • Governor: Baby Rani Maurya 
  • National Park: Corbett NP, Gangotri NP, Govind NP, Nanda Devi, Rajaji NP, Valley of Flowers NP. 

DSEJ launches special enrollment drive under ‘Aao School Chalein 

  • In Jammu, the Directorate of School Education (DSEJ) has launched a special enrollment drive under the banner ‘Aao School Chalein’ for increasing the enrollment in government schools. 
  • Apart from increasing the enrollment in the Government schools, the prime focus of the drive is on the strengthening of pre-schooling of children in the age group of 3 to 5 years. 

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Jammu & Kashmir: 

  • Capitals- Jammu (Winter), Srinagar (Summer) 
  • Lt Governor- Girish Chandra Murmu 
  • National Parks: City Forest (Salim Ali) National Park, Dachigam National Park, Hemis National Park, Kishtwar National Park 
  • Wildlife Sanctuaries: Baltal-Thajwas WLS, Changthang Cold Desert WLS, Gulmarg WLS, Jasrota WLS, Karakoram (Nubra Shyok) WLS etc 

Assam Govt approves 1 Tola Gold to Brides free of cost under Arundhati scheme 

  • Assam Govt approves Arundhati scheme to provide 1 Tola Gold to Brides free of cost. 
  • In a cabinet meeting held in Guwahati. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal approved this scheme to give 1 tola Gold (11.66 grams ) to brides parents belonging to the economically weaker sections of the society. 
  • With the aim to reduce child marriage under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act that a girl in India cant get married before the age of 18, and a boy cant get married before 21 years of age, this scheme can be availed by formal registration of the marriage under the Special Marriage (Assam) Rules, 1954 at the time of marriage.  
  • This is only limited to the weaker section of the society whose annual income is below Rs 5 lakh irrespective of caste, creed, religion etc. 

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Assam 

  • Capital:Dispur 
  • Chief Minister: Sarbananda Sonowal 
  • Governor: Jagdish Mukhi 
  • National Park: Dibru-Saikhowa NP, Kaziranga NP, Manas NP, Nameri NP, Rajiv Gandhi Orang NP 

Andhra Pradesh launched toll-free number to curb sand smuggling 

  • Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy launched a toll-free number to register complaints or irregularities around sand hoarding, smuggling, and pricing. 
  • The move aims to curb sand smuggling.  
  • He launched toll-free number 14500 for this purpose. 

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Andhra Pradesh: 

  • Capital: Amravati 
  • Chief Minister: Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy 
  • Governor:  Biswabhusan Harichandan 

Gujarat to ban the sale of junk food in schools 

  • The Gujarat State government plans to ban the sale of junk food in schools and in the 50m area around them. 
  • The ban aims to encourage the consumption of healthy food among children.  
  • Earlier, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) recommended a ban on the sale of food high in fat, salt, and sugar (HFSS) in schools.  
  • The state government is also planning to frame draft rules for the same. 

Gujarat: 

  • Capital: Gandhinagar 
  • Chief Minister: Vijay Rupani 
  • Governor: Acharya Devvrat 
  • National Park: Vansda NP, Blackbuck NP, Gir Forest NP,  Marine NP, Gulf of Kutch 

INTERNATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS 

Pakistan becomes 1st country to introduce new vaccine to combat typhoid 

  • Pakistan became the 1st country in the world to introduce a new Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine (TCV) in an effort to combat a drug-resistant strain of the potentially fatal disease in the Sindh province.  
  • The vaccine, approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2018, will initially be used during a two-week immunisation campaign starting from November 18 to November 30 in the urban areas of Sindh. 

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Pakistan (Capital/Currency): Islamabad/Pakistani Rupees 

  • Prime Minister: Imran Khan 
  • President: Arif Alvi 

Pakistan successfully test fired Shaheen I missile 

  • Pakistan successfully test-fired Shaheen-I missile on 18 November 2019.  
  • It is a nuclear-capable surface-to-surface ballistic missile.  
  • The missile can strike targets up to 650 kilometres. 
  • The launch of Shaheen-I missile was held as part of a training exercise that aimed to test the operational readiness of the Pakistan Army Strategic Forces Command (ASFC). 

Shaheen-I: 

  • The Shaheen-I missile is capable of delivering all types of warheads.  
  • It is a land-based supersonic missile. 
  • The surface-to-surface guided ballistic missile ranges up to 650 km. 
  • The missile was designed and developed by the joint venture of the National Defence Complex (NDC) of Pakistan and NESCOM. 

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Pakistan (Capital/Currency): Islamabad/Pakistani Rupees 

  • Prime Minister: Imran Khan 
  • President: Arif Alvi 

Dhaka International Folk Festival was celebrated at Bangladesh 

  • The fifth edition of the Dhaka International Folk Festival was held at Bangladesh Army Stadium, Bangladesh.  
  • It was inaugurated by the Information Minister of Bangladesh, Dr. Hasan Mahmud. More than 200 artistes from 6 countries performed in the largest folk festival in Asia.  
  • The event was held from 14-16 November 2019. 
  • The event included performances of artistes of Bhabna Nrityadal, a prominent dance troupe from Bangladesh.  
  • Daler Mehendi from India, Shah Alam Sarkar from Bangladesh, and Georgian folk band Chveneburebi performed on the programme. 
  • The three-day festival witnessed the participation of a large number of popular and renowned artistes from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Russia, and other countries. 

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Bangladesh (Capital/Currency): Dhaka/Taka 

  • Prime Minister: Sheikh Hasina 

RANKS AND INDICES 

India ranks 59th on IMD World Talent Ranking Report 

  • The International Institute of Management Development’s (IMD) World Talent Ranking (WTR) report for the year 2019 was released.  
  • In the released report, India was ranked at 59th position, a slip by 6 places on a global annual list of 63 countries. The list was topped by Switzerland.  
  • The top 10 countries that followed Switzerland were Denmark(2nd), Sweden(3rd), Austria(4th), Luxembourg (5th), Norway(6th), Iceland(7th), Finland (8th), Netherlands (9th) and Singapore(10th). 

SUMMITS AND CONFERENCES 

The 29th RCP meeting was held in Puducherry 

  • The 29th Regional Contact Points (RCP) meeting of the Asia Pacific (A/P) region of the World Customs Organization (WCO) is being held at Puducherry from 18-20 November 2019. 
  • The meeting was organized by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC). 

RCP meeting: 

  • The meeting highlighted the cultural importance of Puducherry.  
  • The meeting discussed issues of importance for the region and the ideas put forth by the member countries 
  • International organizations like UNCTAD, GS1 Company, Global Alliance on Trade Facilitation (GATF), etc. presented the best practices on customs procedures.  
  • The use of technology will bring compliant facilitation. 

The 6th National Summit on Good, Replicable Practices and Innovations was held in New Delhi 

  • The Sixth National Summit on Good, Replicable Practices and Innovations was held in New Delhi on 16 November 2019.  
  • It was inaugurated by Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare.   
  • The summit creates a platform to share the knowledge within the districts.  
  • It aims to transmit the knowledge and ideas to the district’s level health workers, functionaries. 
  • It highlighted the achievements in the health sector during the past few years, such as Ayushman Bharat, Telemedicine, NHP 2017, Medical Education, and Health Systems Strengthening. 
  • It provided a valuable platform for sharing knowledge and experiences, which will immensely contribute to meeting the health outcomes. 
  • SAANS campaign was launched in the summit. 
  • Social Awareness and Action to Neutralise Pneumonia Successfully (SAANS) has been launched to control Pneumonia.  
  • This campaign will mobilize people for protecting and preventing children from pneumonia and health personnel, governments, and other stakeholders to prioritize treatment towards the control of Pneumonia. 
  • It is one of the fatal childhood illnesses. 

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Delhi: 

  • Chief Minister: Arvind Kejriwal 
  • Lt. Governor: Anil Baijal 

AGREEMENTS AND MOU SIGNED 

ADB to provide USD 91 million loan for Vijayanagara Channel 

  • The Centre and Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed an agreement to extend 91 million US dollar loan to modernize the Vijayanagara Channel Irrigation Systems and prepare river basin management plans in the Krishna river basin. 
  • It will help improve irrigation water use efficiency and contribute to improving sustainable water security in Karnataka.  
  • The investment programme will help Karnataka Government strengthening its institutions involved in integrated water resource management and modernizing the irrigation system infrastructure for improving water use efficiency in the State. 

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ADB: The Asian Development Bank is a regional development bank established on 19 December 1966, which is headquartered in the Ortigas Center located in the city of Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines. The company also maintains 31 field offices around the world to promote social and economic development in Asia.  

  • Headquarters: Mandaluyong, Philippines 
  • President: Currently Vacant 
  • Founded: 19 December 1966 
  • Membership: 68 countries 
  • Purpose: Economic development 

ICICI Lombard partners with Fino to offer sachet based insurance products 

  • ICICI Lombard has been partnering with Fino Payments Bank to offer non-life insurance solutions to its customers.  
  • As part of this association, ICICI Lombard has introduced several innovative insurance solutions that complement Fina’s technology-enabled platforms and harness its customer reach. 

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ICICI: ICICI Bank Limited is an Indian multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra with its registered office in Vadodara, Gujarat. As of 2018, ICICI Bank is the second largest bank in India in terms of assets and market capitalisation. 

  • CEO: Sandeep Bakhshi  
  • Headquarters: Mumbai 

IRCTC signed MoU with KSTDC to improve tourism and run Golden Chariot train 

  • Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC), a tourism arm of Indian Railways, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC). The MoU aimed to market and operate the Golden Chariot train. 
  • The MOU is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to promote tourism in India. It will also execute PM Modi’s call to the countrymen to visit at least fifteen tourism spots in the country. 

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IRCTC: Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation is a subsidiary of the Indian Railways that handles the catering, tourism and online ticketing operations of the latter, with around 5,50,000 to 6,00,000 bookings every day is the world’s second busiest and highest of 15 to 16 Lakhs tickets every day. 

  • Parent organization: Indian Railways 
  • Headquarters: New Delhi 

SPORTS CURRENT AFFAIRS 

Korea’s Kim Joo Hyung wins Panasonic Open 

  • South Korea’s Kim Joo Hyung has won the Panasonic Open held at the Classic Golf and Country Club in Gurugram, India.  
  • India’s Shiv Kapur finished tied runner-up with S. Chikkarangappa. 
  • The victory has made Hyung the second-youngest winner behind Thailand’s Chinnarat Phadugsil on the Tour at 17 years and 149 days. 

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South Korea (Capital/Currency): Seoul/ South Korean won 

  • Prime Minister: Lee Nak-yeon 

Shooter Shreyasi Singh crowned National Champion in Women’s Trap 

  • Reigning Commonwealth Games champion Shreyasi Singh won the women’s Trap Gold at the ongoing 63rd National Shooting Championship for shotgun events in New Delhi.  
  • Shreyasi representing Bihar shot 42 out of 50 birds to claim the crown, while Rajeshwari from Punjab managed 38 hits to settle for silver.  
  • Pragati Dubey of Madhya Pradesh won bronze with a finals score of 31.  
  • This was Shreyasi’s fourth individual career National title but her first in Women’s Trap. 

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Delhi: 

  • Chief Minister: Arvind Kejriwal 
  • Lt. Governor: Anil Baijal 

DEFENCE CURRENT AFFAIRS 

Indian Army conducts ‘Sindhu Sudarshan’ exercise in Rajasthan 

  • The Sudarshan Chakra Corps of the Indian Army conducted ‘Sindhu Sudarshan’ exercise in Barmer, Rajasthan.  
  • Around 40,000 jawans of the Indian Army are participating in the exercise.’ Sindhu Sudarshan’ exercise will continue till December 05.  
  • 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. 

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Rajasthan 

  • Capital:Jaipur 
  • Chief Minister:Ashok Ghelot 
  • Governor: Kalraj Mishra 

APPOINTMENT 

Lt Col Jyoti Sharma appointed as Army’s first female JAG officer 

  • Lieutenant Colonel Jyoti Sharma has been appointed as Indian Army’s first female Judge Advocate General officer to be deployed 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 defence and military act. 

Sudhir Mital elected President of Gymnastics Federation of India 

  • Former Competition Commission of India chairman Sudhir Mital and Shantikumar Singh were elected as president and general secretary respectively, of the Gymnastics Federation of India (GFI). 
  • 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.  
  • 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. 

AWARDS 

Shripad Yesso Naik conferred the Rejoice National Ayush Awards 

  • Ayush Minister Shripad Yesso Naik conferred the Rejoice National Ayush Awards to health sector entities at a mega event on 17 November 2019.  
  • The award recognizes the significant contribution in providing health services through various programmes. 
  • The event was organized by Rejoice Health Foundation, along with its various partner organizations and universities. 

Five Indian students won prizes at Oxford Big Read Asia Prize 

  • Five students from India won prizes at Oxford Big Read Asia Prize at the Asia level.  
  • Among the five students, four were from Nagpur while one from Madurai.  
  • A total of 6000 submissions from schools from China, Malaysia, Pakistan, and India participated in the competition.  
  • This competition provides students with an opportunity to augment the ambit of their reading and also demonstrate their literary and creative skills. 

Delhi Metro wins 2 awards at Urban Mobility India Conference 

  • The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has been conferred with two awards for its commendable initiatives in promoting the metro as a green and sustainable mode of transport among the masses.  
  • DMRC was awarded for the ‘Last Mile Connectivity’ project in the category of best non-motorised transport and the ‘Green Metro project – An Initiative for Sustainable and Viable Urban Transport’ in the category of best green initiative in urban transport, at the 12th Urban Mobility India Conference and Expo 2019 held from November 15 to 17 in Lucknow. 

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The Delhi Metro is a rapid transit system serving Delhi and its satellite cities of Gurgaon, Noida, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Bahadurgarh and Ballabhgarh, in the National Capital Region of India. 

Indian Naval Academy at Ezhimala received the Presidents Colour award 

  • President Ram Nath Kovind awarded the President’s Colour to Indian Naval Academy at Ezhimala, Kerala, on 20 November. 
  • The award recognizes the yeoman service that was rendered by the institution in training and shaping Indian Naval officers over the last fifty years at three different locations, namely Kochi, Goa, and Ezhimala. 

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Kerala: 

  • Capital: Thiruvananthapuram 
  • Chief Minister: Pinarayi Vijayan 
  • Governor: Arif Mohammed Khan 
  • Festivals: Onam, Vishu, Thrissur Pooram, Nehru Trophy Boat Race 
  • National Parks: Anamudi Shola National Park, Eravikulam National Park, Mathikettan Shola National Park, Pambadum Shola National Park, Periyar National Park,Silent Valley National Park 
  • Wildlife Sanctuaries: Aralam WLS, Chimmony WLS, Idukki WLS, Periyar WLS, Wayanad WLS, Peppara WLS, Neyyar WLS, Kurinjimala WLS, Malabar WLS etc 

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 

ISRO to launch Cartosat-3, 13 commercial nano satellites on Nov 25 

  • India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C47 will launch Cartosat-3 and 13 commercial nanosatellites into Sun Synchronous orbit from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota 
  • Cartosat-3 satellite is a third-generation agile advanced satellite having high-resolution imaging capability.  
  • This will be the 74th launch vehicle mission from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota. 
  • PSLV-C47 is the 21st flight of PSLV in ‘XL’ configuration, that is with 6 solid strap-on motors. PSLV-C47 will also carry 13 commercial nanosatellites from the United States of America as part of a commercial arrangement with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), Department of Space. 

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ISRO: The Indian Space Research Organisation is the space agency of the Government of India. 

  • Founded: 15 August 1969 
  • Headquarters: Bengaluru 
  • Founder: Vikram Sarabhai 
  • Director: Kailasavadivoo Sivan 
  • Subsidiary: Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre 

SPORTS CURRENT AFFAIRS 

Brazil beats Mexico to lift U-17 World Cup title 

  • 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.  
  • The victory added to Brazil’s successes in 1997, 1999 and 2003 as it moved within one of Nigeria’s record of five championships. 

Extra Shots: 

Brazil (Capital/Currency): Brasilia/Brazilian real 

  • President: Jair Bolsonaro 

DEFENCE CURRENT AFFAIRS 

1st Indo-Qatari joint Naval Exercise Za’ir-Al-Bahr begins in Doha, Qatar 

  • Navies of India and Qatar have started a 5-day bilateral maritime exercise “Za’ir-Al-Bahr” begins in Doha, Qatar.  
  • The inaugural edition of the bilateral maritime exercise would further strengthen the robust defence co-operation between the two countries, especially in the fight against terrorism, maritime piracy and security. 
  • Indian Navy Ship (INS) Trikand captained by Vishal Bishnoi, Patrol Aircraft P8-I is participating in the inaugural edition of the exercise. 

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Qatar(Capital/Currency): Doha/ Qatari riyal 

  • Prime Minister: Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani 
  • Chief of the Naval Staff: Admiral Karambir Singh 

BOOKS & AUTHORS 

UNICEF releases a booklet named ‘From Uttapam to Sprouted Dal Parantha 

  • UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) has released a 28-page booklet called “From uttapam to sprouted dal parantha”. 
  •  It explains that nutritious food prepared at less than 20 rupees will help in dealing with problems like underweight, obesity and anaemia 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. 

Extra Shots: 

UNICEF: The United Nations Children’s Fund, originally known as the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund. 

  • Headquarters: New York, New York, United States 
  • Head: Henrietta H. Fore 
  • Founded: 11 December 1946, New York, New York, United States 
  • Founders: United Nations General Assembly, Ludwik Rajchman 

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