Current Affairs Today 3rd and 4th November 2019-Download in PDF

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Current Affairs Today – 3rd and 4th November2019  

NATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS 

Govt releases maps of newly-created UTs of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh 

  • The Government of India released the maps of newly created union territories of Jammu-Kashmir and Ladakh and the map of India depicting these union territories. 
  • According to the Home Ministry, the new Union Territory of Ladakh consists of Kargil and Leh – two districts. 
  • The rest of the former state of Jammu and Kashmir is in the new Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. 
  • The maps prepared by Survey General of India depicting the new UTs of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, as created on October 31, 2019, along with the map of India. 

Extra Shots: 

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: Baltal: Thajwas WLS, Changthang Cold Desert WLS, Gulmarg WLS, Jasrota WLS, Karakoram (Nubra Shyok) WLS etc 

Ladakh: 

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

Hardeep Singh Puri inaugurates Guru Nanak Chair at University of Birmingham 

  • Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs has inaugurated a new Guru Nanak Chair by the support of Indian government, at the University of Birmingham. 
  • AIM: to enable research around the teachings of the founder of the Sikh religion.  
  • He announced the new Chair to mark the 550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak. 

Extra Shots: 

  • Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs: Hardeep Singh Puri. 

Prime Minister Modi meets Japanese PM Shinz Abe 

  • Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi met the Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, in the sidelines of India-ASEAN and East Asia Summit 2019 at Bangkok on 4 November 2019.  
  • This is the third meeting between the last about four months. 
  • The last meeting by the two Prime Ministers in Vladivostok in September 2019. 
  • The leaders discussed the increasing economic engagement between the two countries. 

Extra Shots: 

Japan (Capital/Currency): Tokyo/Yen 

  • Prime Minister: Shinzō Abe 

Ministry of Finance launched ICEDASH and ATITHI 

  • Union Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman, unveiled two new IT initiatives, ICEDASH and ATITHI.  
  • It aims to improve the monitoring and pace of Customs clearance of imported goods and to facilitate arriving international passengers by the electronic filing of Customs baggage and currency declarations. 

Extra Shots: 

ICEDASH and ATITHI: 

  • ICEDASH and ATITHI are expected to be key drivers for further improvement. It will also reduce interface and increase the transparency of Customs functioning. ATITHI would create a tech-savvy image of India Customs. It also aims to encourage tourism and business travel to India.  
  • With ICEDASH, Indian Customs aims to provide an effective tool that helps the businesses compare clearance times across ports and plan their logistics accordingly. The dashboard was developed by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) in collaboration with the National Informatics Centre (NIC). ICEDASH can be accessed through the CBIC website. 

IFFCO introduced India’s first Nanotechnology based fertilizers for on field trials 

  • The Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) introduced its Nano-technology based product range for on-field trials on 3 November 2019. 
  • It was launched at a function held in Kalol, Gujarat.  
  • The Nano-tech product includes Nano Nitrogen, Nano Zinc, Nano Copper. 
  • The nano products were researched and developed at the IFFCO Nano Biotechnology Research Centre (NBRC) at Kalol Unit.  
  • It has been identified that these nanostructured formulations effectively deliver nutrients to the plants. 
  • The products aim to improve soil health, reduce emission greenhouse gases.  
  • It will also ensure up to a 15-30% increase in crop production and reduce the requirement of conventional chemical fertilizer by 50%.  
  • The move is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for doubling the farmer’s income by 2022. 
  • IFFCO is to test the first phase of the launch on farms under controlled conditions with support from Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). 

Extra Shots: 

IFFCO: IFFCO is India’s largest fertilizer manufacturer. 

  • Founded on: 3 November 1967 
  • Headquarters: New Delhi, India 
  • Chairman: B.S Nakai 
  • MD & CEO: Dr. U.S Awasth 

AYUSH Minister Inaugurates (NRIUMSD) 

  • Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for AYUSH inaugurated National Research Institute of Unani Medicine for Skin Disorders (NRIUMSD) upgraded from Central Research Institute of Unani Medicine (CRIUM) at Erragadda, Hyderabad. 
  • AYUSH Minister lauded the success of the CRIUM in the treatment of vitiligo and other chronic and stubborn diseases and it’s perhaps the only medical institution in the world which has treated more than 1.5 lakh patients of Vitiligo alone. 

Extra Shots: 

  • Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for AYUSH: Shripad Yesso Naik. 
  • Director-General, Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM): Asim Ali Khan. 

STATE CURRENT AFFAIRS 

Delhi Aadi Mahotsav to be organised at Dilli Haat 

  • The Delhi Aadi Mahotsav is to be organized at Dilli Haat, New Delhi, between 16th to 30th November 2019.  
  • The ceremony will be inaugurated by the Union Minister for Home Affairs Shri Amit Shah.  
  • The was an announcement about the celebration that was made by Shri Pravin Krishna, MD, Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Limited (TRIFED). 
  • The theme of the Delhi Aadi Mahotsav is a Celebration of the Spirit of Tribal Crafts, Culture, and Commerce. 
  • The theme is to represent the basic ethos of tribal life. 

Extra Shots: 

Delhi: 

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

INTERNATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS 

India to invite Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro 

  • The Central government is to invite Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro as the chief guest to the Republic Day celebrations 2020.  
  • India aims to expand its outreach to South America.  
  • India and Brazil are aiming to finalize Bolsonaro’s maiden trip to India as President.  
  • If finalized, Bolsonaro would be the third Brazilian President to be invited for Republic Day celebrations. In 1996, Fernando Henrique Cardoso and in 2004, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visited India. 

Extra Shots: 

Brazil(Capital/Currency): Brasília/Real 

  • President: Jair Bolsonaro 
  • Vice President: Hamilton Mourão 

German to invest 1 billion euros for creating friendly urban mobility 

  • The German Chancellor Dr.Angela Merkel announced that Germany would invest 1 billion euros over the next five years.  
  • The purpose of the investment is environmentally-friendly urban mobility in India.  
  • Germany also plans to invest 200 million euros in reforming the bus sector in Tamil Nadu. 

Extra Shots: 

Germany (Capital/Currency): Berlin/Euro 

  • President: Frank-Walter Steinmeier 
  • Chancellor: Angela Merkel 

SUMMITS AND CONFERENCES 

MoD organized Ambassadors Round Table conference on DefExpo 

  • The Ministry of Defence organized Ambassadors’ Round Table conference on DefExpo 2020. 
  • It was chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on 4 November. 
  • The aim of the conference is to create a major outreach to the defence manufacturing industries of the world. 
  • The Round Table focused on briefing the representatives of foreign missions based in New Delhi about the arrangements that are made for DefExpo.  
  • The conference also provided suggestions from the members to further improve the experience. 

Piyush Goyal launched 5th Global Exhibition on Services in New Delhi 

  • Shri Piyush Goyal, the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry & Railways, launched the curtain raiser of 5th Global Exhibition on Services (GES) in New Delhi on 5th November 2019.  
  • The exhibition will have been scheduled to be held in Bengaluru from 26th to 28th November 2019.  
  • The GES will showcase the planned activities over the span of the three-day Exhibition. 

Extra Shots: 

  • Union Minister of Commerce and Industry & Railways: Piyush Goyal 

SCO joint exercise on urban earthquake is to be held from 4 to 7 November 

  • The Union home minister Amit Shah is to inaugurate the four-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) joint exercise on urban earthquake search and rescue on 4 November.  
  • The exercise is hosted by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). The exercise will be held from 4 November to 7 November 2019. 
  • The exercise is aimed to rehearse disaster response mechanisms and share knowledge, experience, and technology. 

Extra Shots: 

SCO: The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), or Shanghai Pact,[1] is a Eurasian political, economic, and security alliance, the creation of which was announced on 15 June 2001 in Shanghai, China by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan; the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Charter, formally establishing the organisation, was signed in June 2002 and entered into force on 19 September 2003. 

  • Headquarters: Beijing, China 
  • Deputy Secretaries General: Sabyr Imandosov; Wang Kaiwen; Aziz Nosirov; Vladimir Potapenko 
  • Secretary General: Vladimir Norov 
  • Founded: 26 April 1996 
  • Official language: Chinese and Russian 
  • Founders: China, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan 

The 8th meeting of the IndoGerman Energy Forum was held in Delhi 

  • The 8th meeting of the Indo-German Energy Forum (IGEF) was concluded on 1 November 2019 in New Delhi. 
  • IGEF was co-chaired by Mr. Sanjiv Nandan Sahai, Secretary of Ministry of Power from the Indian side and Mr. Christian Hirte, Secretary of State, Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy, Germany.  
  • The Forum finalized the roadmap for future collaboration between the two countries, including the Flexibilisation of existing coal-fired power plants.  
  • It will also promote niche markets for Solar Energy, energy efficiency in buildings through ECBC, building materials, and credit lines for financing corresponding measures and RE evacuation through transmission grid infrastructure. 

Extra Shots: 

Germany (Capital/Currency): Berlin/Euro 

  • President: Frank-Walter Steinmeier 
  • Chancellor: Angela Merkel 

AGREEMENTS AND MOU SIGNED 

Siemens signs MoUs with NTPC, TERI on decarbonisation, energy transition 

  • Siemens Limited has signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with NTPC Limited to identify, evaluate and set up reference use cases of hydrogen sector-coupling for various upstream and downstream applications.  
  • The collaboration is aimed at developing innovative technologies, solutions and techniques to reduce the dependence on Hydrocarbons in India. 
  • Siemens Limited has also inked a separate MoU with TERI for collaboration on technologies to support the energy transition in India including sector-coupling.  
  • Among the objectives of the MoU with TERI is realizing the research and technology development projects to enable energy transitions across the electricity, transport and industrial sectors. 

Extra Shots: 

NTPC: NTPC Limited, formerly known as National Thermal Power Corporation Limited, is an Indian Public Sector Undertaking, engaged in the business of generation of electricity and allied activities. It is a company incorporated under the Companies Act 1956 and is promoted by the Government of India.  

  • Founded: 1975 
  • Chairman and Managing Director(MD) : Gurdeep Singh. 
  • Headquarters of NTPC: New Delhi. 

TERI: The Energy and Resources Institute is a research institute in New Delhi that specializes in the fields of energy, environment and sustainable development. Established in 1974, it was formerly known as the Tata Energy Research Institute.  

  • Headquarters location: New Delhi 
  • Founder: Darbari S Seth 
  • Founded: 1974 
  • Director: Ajay Mathur 

India, Uzbekistan to sign MoUs for military medicine and military education 

  • India and Uzbekistan are planning to sign two memorandum of understanding (MOUs) concerning military medicine and military education. The 2 MoUs were signed during the three-day visit of the Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to Uzbekistan, the Central Asian nation. 
  • Rajnath Singh paid tributes at a memorial of former Indian Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri in Tashkent 
  • He represented India at the Council of Heads of Government meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), which was held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.  
  • He held bilateral discussions concerning defence co-operation between the countries with Uzbekistan Defence Minister Major General Kurbanov Bakhodir Nizamovich.  
  • They also discussed the co-operation between India and Uzbekistan on military education and military medicine. 

APPOINTMENT 

Manoj Pande appointed as Member Staff, Railway Board 

  • Shri Manoj Pande, Indian Railways Personnel Service (IRPS) has taken over as Member Staff, Railway Board and ex-officio Secretary on 2 November 2019. 
  • Previously he was working as Director General, Personnel, Railway Board. 

Extra Shots: 

Indian Railways is India’s national railway system operated by the Ministry of Railways. 

  • Headquarters: New Delhi 
  • Chairman of Railway Board: VK Yadav 
  • Minister of Railways: Piyush Goyal 

ECI appoints B Murali Kumar as Special Expenditure Observer for Jharkhand election 

  • The Election Commission of India (ECI) appointed Shri B Murali Kumar as Special Expenditure Observer for the Legislative Assembly election of Jharkhand. 
  • The Special Observer will supervise and monitor the work that is carried out by the electoral machinery in consultation with the Chief Electoral Officer, Jharkhand. 

Extra Shots: 

Jharkhand: 

  • Capital: Ranchi 
  • Chief Minister: Raghubar Das 
  • Governor: Draupadi Murmu 

ECI: The Election Commission of India is an autonomous constitutional authority responsible for administering election processes in India at national, state and district level.  

Objectives: Constitutional Autonomous Body conducts the elections to the offices of the President and Vice-President of India,Parliament,State Legislative assemblies and Legislative councils. 

  • Formed: 25 January 1950 
  • Jurisdiction: Government of India 
  • Headquarters: New Delhi 
  • First executive: Sukumar Sen 
  • Preceding executive: Om Prakash Rawat 

SPORTS CURRENT AFFAIRS 

Lakshya Sen wins SaarLorLux Open badminton tournament 

  • India’s Lakshya Sen has won the SaarLorLux Open badminton tournament at Saarbrücken in Germany.  
  • He defeated Sen Weng Hong Yang of China. Lakshya, seeded eighth, needed 59 minutes to overcome Weng 17-21 21-18 21-16 in the summit clash for his third successive singles title of the season. 

Extra Shots: 

Germany (Capital/Currency): Berlin/Euro 

  • President: Frank-Walter Steinmeier 

South Africa wins Rugby World Cup 2019 

  • South Africa defeated England’s team by 32-12 scores in the final of the 9 edition of Rugby World Cup 2019 held at International Stadium, Yokohama, Japan.  
  • This was the 3 time the South African(SA) team reached the final of the World Cup and won the tournament. 
  • The SA team, which won the World Cup for the first time in 1995, also won the final in 2007. With this, the team also equalled New Zealand’s record of winning the World Cup three times. 

Extra Shots: 

South Africa(Capital/Currency): Cape Town, Pretoria, Bloemfontein/Rand. 

  • President of South Africa: Cyril Ramaphosa. 

Maisnam Meiraba clinches Korea Jr Open Title 2019 

  • India’s Maisnam Meiraba Luwang clinched the boys’ singles U-19 title at the Woncheon Yonex Korea Junior Open Badminton International Challenge 2019 in Miryang, Korea. 
  • The top seed Maisnam from Manipur needed just 36 minutes to brush aside the challenge of 15th seed Lee Hak Joo of Korea in a 21-10 21-13 win. 
  • Meanwhile, the eighth seed, Sathish Kumar Karunakaran, who had bowed out to Luwang 16-21, 22-24 in the semi-final claimed bronze in the same category. 

Pooja Gehlot wins silver in UWW Under-23 World Championships 

  • Pooja Gehlot (53kg) in wrestling claimed India’s second silver medal after going down to Japan’s Haruna Okuno in the finals of the UWW Under-23 World Championships in Budapest.  
  • She lost 0-2 to Okuno in the summit clash. Ravinder (61kg), had won India’s first silver earlier this week. 

Extra Shots: 

Hungary (Capital/Currency): Budapest/Forint 

  • President: Shavkat Mirziyoyev 

Novak Djokovic won the Paris Masters 2019 title 

  • Novak Djokovic won the Paris Masters 2019 title.  
  • He won the title for the fifth time.  
  • He sealed his 34th Master’s title and fifth overall ATP victory of the year 2019.  
  • He defeated Canada’s Denis Shapovalov. He secured 6-3 6-4 to win the title. 

DEFENCE CURRENT AFFAIRS 

India-Uzbekistan 1st-ever joint military exercise Dustlik-2019 begins 

  • The first-ever India-Uzbekistan joint military exercise Dustlik-2019 begin at Chirchiq Training Area near Tashkent, Uzbekistan.  
  • The exercise, which will be focused on counter-terrorism, will continue till November 13. During the exercise, an Indian Army contingent will train along with Uzbekistan Army.  
  • The exercise will enable the sharing of best practices and experiences between the Armed Forces of the two countries and will lead to greater operational effectiveness. 

Extra Shots: 

 Uzbekistan(Capital/Currency): Tashkent/Uzbekistani Som 

  • President: Shavkat Mirziyoyev 

AWARDS 

Writer Anand selected for 27th Ezhuthachan Puraskaram 2019 

  • Noted writer Anand has been selected for the 27th Ezhuthachan Puraskaram 2019.  
  • This award is given by Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award and the Government of Kerala.  
  • He was chosen for his overall contributions to Malayalam language and Literature.  
  • His real name is P.Satchidanandan uses the pseudonym, Anand. 
  • Anand 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. 

Extra Shots: 

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 

Neeraj sharma wins ‘Early career researcher of the year 2019’ award 

  • Indian-origin researcher Neeraj Sharma has been given the ‘Early Career Researcher of the Year award’ by the Australian government.  
  • This award is given for developing next-generation battery systems such as a sodium-ion battery that will leave a minimal environmental impact.  
  • He is a professor at the University of South Wales (UNSW)’s School of Chemistry. 

Extra Shots: 

Australia (Capital/Currency): Canberra/ Australian Dollar 

  • Prime Minister: Scott Morrison 

Sudarsan Pattnaik selected for Italian Golden Sand Art Award 

  • 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.  
  • He was honoured by the union government with the fourth highest civilian ‘Padma Shri’ award in 2014. 

Documentary on Real Kashmir Football Club bags BAFTA & Scotland Awards 

  • A documentary on Real Kashmir Football Club has bagged the prestigious British Academy of Film and Television Awards (BAFTA) and Scotland Awards at a glittering ceremony in Glasgow, Scotland. 
  • The documentary narrates the journey of former Rangers ace David Robertson as the coach of Real Kashmir FC, which in its first season finished third in the I-League, which is currently India’s second-tier football league.  
  • The hour-long film won in the ‘Single Documentary’ category. 

Extra Shots: 

BAFTA Awards: The British Academy of Film and Television Arts or BAFTA Film Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to honour the best British and international contributions to film.  

  • Ceremony date: 7 January 2020 
  • Country: United Kingdom 
  • First awarded: 29 May 1947 
  • Awarded for: The best in film 

Madhuri Vijay won the 2019 JCB Prize for Literature 

  • Madhuri Vijay won the 2019 JCB Prize for Literature for her novel The Far Field. Sir Mark Tully announced the winner in a live broadcast on social media.  
  • Vijay has been selected from a shortlist that featured novels from five accomplished writers. 

Extra Shots: 

JCB Prize: 

  • JCB Prize for Literature award established in 2018. It is an Indian literary award. Prize money of Rs.25 lakh is awarded to a distinguished work of fiction by an Indian writer working in English or translated fiction by an Indian writer. The Director of the literary award is Rana Dasgupta. The winners are announced every November. 

Rajinikanth to be conferred the Icon of Golden Jubilee of IFFI award 

  • The Government is to confer the Icon of Golden Jubilee of IFFI award to the eminent film personality Shri S Rajinikanth.  
  • It was announced by the Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting, Shri Prakash Javadekar, in New Delhi on 2 November 2019.  
  • The award recognizes his outstanding contribution to Indian cinema, during the past several decades. 

Extra Shots: 

IFFI: The International Film Festival of India, founded in 1952, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia.  

  • First awarded: 1965 
  • Last awarded: 2018 
  • Awarded for: Excellence in cinematic achievements 
  • Presented by: Directorate of Film Festivals 
  • Location: Goa, India 

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