Current Affairs Today 28th November 2020-Download in PDF

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Current Affairs Today – 28th November 2020

NEWS AT A GLANCE

  1. The Lachit Divas was celebrated in several parts of the country on November 24.
  2. The ‘National Organ Donation Day’ is observed in India every year on 27 November, since past 10 years.
  3. The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is a UN-organized day held every year on November 29.
  4. Markets regulator SEBI is observing World Investor Week (WIW) in the country from November 23 – 29, 2020.
  5. Infrastructure major Larsen and Toubro (L&T) has bagged an order worth over Rs 7,000 crore to construct a part of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR), also known as the Bullet Train Project.
  6. The National Statistical Office (NSO) has released the estimates of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the second quarter (July-September) Q2 of 2020-21.
  7. The Union Minister of External Affairs Shri S Jaishankar recently announced at the Geneva Donors conference that India is to construct the Shahtoot Dam across the Maidan river, a tributary of river Kabul in Afghanistan.
  8. The Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar recently inaugurated a cooperative programme for the beekeepers and honey collectors.
  9. Low-cost domestic airline major SpiceJet launched its dedicated freighter services to Leh on 26 November 2020.
  10. The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar virtually inaugurated Honey Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO) Programme in five states, for producing honey.
  11. The Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Prakash Javadekar virtually launched the web portal “India Climate Change Knowledge Portal” on 27 November 2020.
  12. A group art-exhibition was inaugurated in Dhaka to pay tribute to the Bangladesh Father of Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
  13. The Bowring and Lady Curzon Medical College and Research Institute in Bengaluru have been named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
  14. Cambridge Dictionary has named ‘quarantine’ as the Word of the Year 2020, the year that saw people around the world being forced to remain isolated indoors in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
  15. The United Nations humanitarian chief has released 25 million US dollars from its emergency fund to support women-led organisations that prevent and respond to gender-based violence.
  16. The Russian military successfully test-fired a Tsirkon hypersonic cruise missile in the Arctic on 26 November 2020.
  17. The first coal-based power plant of Arab Gulf country is being developed in Saih Shuaib, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
  18. India and Finland signed an MoU for developing cooperation in the field of Environment protection and biodiversity conservation.
  19. Canara Bank, Axis Bank, Indian Bank and South Indian Bank have acquired 6.67% stake each in financial technology firm, IBBIC, at Rs 10 per equity share for a cash consideration of Rs 5 lakh each.
  20. The Kandhamal MP and KIIT & KISS Founder Achyuta Samanta has been honoured to be elected as the President of Volleyball Federation of India.
  21. Youth Affairs and Sports Ministry has restored the government recognition to Archery Association of India as a Nation Sports Federation for promotion and regulation of Archery Sport in the country.
  22. Renowned Author and Politician, Shashi Tharoor has released his new book titled “The Battle of Belonging”. The book is published by Aleph Book Company.
  23. Well-known Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Sadiq died in Lucknow. He was 83.
  24. Eminent Bangladeshi actor and cultural personality Aly Zaker passed away in Dhaka.

NEWS IN DETAILS

IMPORTANT DAYS AND THEMES

Lachit Divas observed on November 24

  • The Lachit Divas was celebrated in several parts of the country on November 24.
  • The day was celebrated to mark the birth anniversary of Lachit Borphuran.

11th National Organ Donation Day observed on 27 November

  • The ‘National Organ Donation Day’ is observed in India every year on 27 November, since past 10 years.
  • The day aims to promote awareness and recognize the selfless contribution made by deceased donors to healthcare and mankind re-instill our faith in humanity.
  • 2020 marks the 11th National Organ Donation Day.
  • It is organised by the National Organ & Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People observed 29 November

  • The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is a UN-organized day held every year on November 29.
  • It is observed to mark the anniversary of resolution 181, wherein the Assembly adopted the resolution on the partition of Palestine on November 29, 1947.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

SEBI launches SMARTs program to strengthen investor education framework

  • Markets regulator SEBI is observing World Investor Week (WIW) in the country from November 23 – 29, 2020.
  • As a part of the celebrations, SEBI has launched an initiative called ‘Securities Market Trainers’ (SMARTs) program, to enhance investor education and awareness.

L&T bags Rs 7,000-cr order to construct part of Bullet Train project

  • Infrastructure major Larsen and Toubro (L&T) has bagged an order worth over Rs 7,000 crore to construct a part of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR), also known as the Bullet Train Project.
  • The scope of the order includes the construction of viaducts, one station, major river bridges, maintenance depots, and other auxiliary works.
  • The approximately 508 km Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail project will cover Maharashtra, Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Gujarat, with 12 stations along the route.
  • Upon completion, the high-speed rail will operate at a speed of 320 kmph, covering the entire distance in approximately 2 hours with limited stops and in 3 hours with all stops.

India’s GDP Contracts 7.5% in September Quarter

  • The National Statistical Office (NSO) has released the estimates of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the second quarter (July-September) Q2 of 2020-21.
  • The GDP at Constant (2011-12) Prices in Q2 of 2020-21 is estimated at Rs 33.14 lakh crore, as against Rs 35.84 lakh crore in Q2 of 2019-20, showing a contraction of 7.5% as compared to 4.4% growth in Q2 2019-20.

NATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS

India to build Shahtoot dam in Afghanistan

  • The Union Minister of External Affairs Shri S Jaishankar recently announced at the Geneva Donors conference that India is to construct the Shahtoot Dam across the Maidan river, a tributary of river Kabul in Afghanistan.
  • The negotiations to build the dam across the river began in 2016.
  • In 2016, India had funded for the Salma dam across Hari river (Herat province) of Afghanistan.
  • The dam is also called the Afghan-India Friendship Dam.

Honey FPO Programme inaugurated by Agriculture Minister

  • The Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar recently inaugurated a cooperative programme for the beekeepers and honey collectors.
  • The programme was launched in 5 states.
  • Under the programme, five farmer producer organisations are to be set up in five states.
  • They are to be established in East Champaran, Bihar; Bharatpur, Rajasthan; Morena Madhya Pradesh; Mathura, Uttar Pradesh; and Sundarbans, West Bengal.
  • The organisations are to be set up by NAFED, National agricultural Cooperative marketing federation of India.

SpiceJet launches India’s first dedicated freighter services to Leh in Ladakh

  • Low-cost domestic airline major SpiceJet launched its dedicated freighter services to Leh on 26 November 2020.
  • It is the first-of-its-type service by any domestic airlines, and will boost connectivity to the area with the rest of the country.
  • The maiden freighter flight of the airline was launched from Delhi to Leh, carrying 13 tonnes of cargo supplies.
  • The flight was operated by SpiceXpress, the dedicated cargo arm of SpiceJet, whereas, a Boeing 737 freighter has been deployed on this route.
  • The freighter services to Leh will ensure seamless and timely transportation of essential supplies such as fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers, perishables, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, and other general cargo to the region during the winter season, as surface transportation is disrupted owing to harsh weather conditions

Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launches Honey FPO Programme in 5 states

  • The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar virtually inaugurated Honey Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO) Programme in five states, for producing honey.
  • The Honey FPO Programme aims to address the issues faced by beekeeping industry and also promote honey production in the country. This will also help in achieving the goal of increasing farmer’s income.
  • These 5 FPOs will be set up by the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (NAFED).
  • They will be set up at East Champaran (Bihar), Morena (Madhya Pradesh), Bharatpur (Rajasthan), Mathura (Uttar Pradesh) and Sunderbans (West Bengal).
  • The Honey FPO Programme has been launched under the Central Sector Scheme for Formation & Promotion of new 10,000 FPOs.
  • The Government has approved 2,200 FPOs for the current financial year 2020-21.
  • The task of creating these FPOs has been given to Nabard (600 FPOs), Small Farmers’ Agribusiness Consortium (500), National Cooperative Development Corporation (500) and NAFED which will support 50 commodities specific FPOs and some State level organisations.

Prakash Javadeker e-launches India Climate Change Knowledge Portal

  • The Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Prakash Javadekar virtually launched the web portal “India Climate Change Knowledge Portal” on 27 November 2020.
  • The portal is a “single point Information resource” to provide information regarding major steps taken by the Government at both national and international levels to address the climate change issues.
  • The portal comprises of eight major components.

High Commission of India organizes art exhibition in Dhaka to pay tribute to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

  • A group art-exhibition was inaugurated in Dhaka to pay tribute to the Bangladesh Father of Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
  • It has been organised by the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre of the High Commission of India in association with the Bangladesh Shilpa Kala Academy.
  • Education Minister Dipu Moni has inaugurated the exhibition as Chief Guest of the function.

STATE CURRENT AFFAIRS

Bengaluru’s Bowring Medical College named after Atal Bihari Vajpayee

  • The Bowring and Lady Curzon Medical College and Research Institute in Bengaluru have been named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
  • The institute was set up in 2018-19 on the campus of Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital in Shivajinagar in the heart of Bengaluru.
  • Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the first leader from the Bharatiya Janata Party to become the Prime Minister.
  • He served as Prime Minister thrice — briefly in 1996, from 1998 to 1999, and then for a full five-year term between 1999 and 2004.

INTERNATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS

Quarantine’ named Cambridge Dictionary’s Word of the Year 2020

  • Cambridge Dictionary has named ‘quarantine’ as the Word of the Year 2020, the year that saw people around the world being forced to remain isolated indoors in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
  • ‘Lockdown’ and ‘pandemic’ turned out to be runners-up for Word of the Year.
  • ‘Quarantine’ was the only word that ranked among the top five in both overall views and search spikes in 2020.

UN release $25 mn for women-led projects fighting gender-based violence

  • The United Nations humanitarian chief has released 25 million US dollars from its emergency fund to support women-led organisations that prevent and respond to gender-based violence.
  • The funding has gone to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and UN Women that have been asked to channel at least 30 per cent of it to organisations run by women that prevent violence against women and girls, and help victims and survivors with access to medical care, family planning, legal advice, safe spaces, mental health services and counselling.

Russia Successfully Test-Fires ‘Tsirkon’ Hypersonic Missile

  • The Russian military successfully test-fired a Tsirkon hypersonic cruise missile in the Arctic on 26 November 2020.
  • The missile was fired from the frigate Admiral Gorshkov in the White Sea.
  • It launches accurately hit the naval target 450 km away in the Barents Sea at a speed of over Mach 8 or around 10,000 kilometers per hour
  • This was the third test of the Tsirkon hypersonic cruise missile in 2020. First test was held in January followed by the second in October 2020.
  • Tsirkon ground-and-sea-based hypersonic rocket can fly at nine times the speed of sound and hit underwater and ground targets more than 1,000 kilometers away.

Arab Gulf’s first coal-based power plant being developed in Dubai

  • The first coal-based power plant of Arab Gulf country is being developed in Saih Shuaib, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
  • The 2,400MW Hassyan clean coal power station will be built at an estimated cost of $ 3.4 billion.
  • The project will comprise four units of 600MW each, which are expected to start operations in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 respectively.
  • The power plant is expected to produce sufficient electricity to power approximately 250,000 households.

AGREEMENTS AND MOU SIGNED

India and Finland sign MOU on environmental protection and biodiversity conservation

  • India and Finland signed an MoU for developing cooperation in the field of Environment protection and biodiversity conservation.
  • The MoU was signed by Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar from the Indian side and his Finnish counterpart Krista Mikkonen through video-mode.

ACQUISITION & MERGER

South Indian Bank, Canara, Axis, Indian Bank purchase stake in IBBIC

  • Canara Bank, Axis Bank, Indian Bank and South Indian Bank have acquired 6.67% stake each in financial technology firm, IBBIC, at Rs 10 per equity share for a cash consideration of Rs 5 lakh each.
  • Canara Bank (down 0.27%), Axis Bank (down 1.54%), Indian Bank (up 0.40%) and South Indian Bank (up 4.56%) advanced.
  • Post investment, all the partners will hold 6.67% shareholding in IBBIC on fully diluted basis through acquisition the of 50,000 equity shares. The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of December 2020.

APPOINTMENTS IN NEWS

Achyuta Samanta elected President of Volleyball Federation of India

  • The Kandhamal MP and KIIT & KISS Founder Achyuta Samanta has been honoured to be elected as the President of Volleyball Federation of India.
  • He is the first person from Odisha to be elected for this post. With this, Prof. Samanta has become entitled to be the member of the Olympics Association of India

SPORTS CURRENT AFFAIRS

Sports Ministry restores recognition of Archery Association of India

  • Youth Affairs and Sports Ministry has restored the government recognition to Archery Association of India as a Nation Sports Federation for promotion and regulation of Archery Sport in the country.
  • Government recognition of AAI was withdrawn eight years back on account of failure to conduct its elections in accordance with the National Sports Development Code of India. Government recognition of AAI will be valid for one year.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Shashi Tharoor’s latest book “The Battle of Belonging” launched

  • Renowned Author and Politician, Shashi Tharoor has released his new book titled “The Battle of Belonging”. The book is published by Aleph Book Company.
  • Shashi Tharoor described this book as his “magnum opus” on the Theory, evolution and practice of Nationalism across the globe and especially in India.
  • The book appears to be an extension of his book “Why I Am a Hindu”.

OBITUARY

AIMPLB vice president Maulana Kalbe Sadiq passes away

  • Well-known Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Sadiq died in Lucknow. He was 83.
  • Sadiq was an educationist, Islamic scholar and ambassador of communal amity. He was the first to organise a Shia-Sunni namaz in the history of Lucknow.
  • He was also All India Muslim Personal Law Board vice president.

Legendary Bangladeshi actor, Liberation War fighter Aly Zaker passes away

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