Current Affairs in English – November 18 2022

November 18, 2022

National Events:

Bandaru Wilsonbabu:

• IFS officer Bandaru Wilsonbabu has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Union of the Comoros. Wilsonbabu is presently working as the Indian ambassador to Madagascar.
• Former VP Venkaiah Naidu visited Comoros in 2019 & It was the first state visit by an Indian political dignitary to the Union. The Comoros is an independent country made up of 3 islands in southeastern Africa.

FICCI:

• Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat Karad presented the 8th FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry) higher education excellence Awards 2022 New Delhi on 17 November 2022.
• The awards were instituted in 2014 to recognize and felicitate the achievements and excellent work done by the institutions and individuals, who have set benchmarks of excellence and are doing inspirational and exemplary work in the higher education space.

LPG cylinders:

• LPG cylinders will soon have QR code facility which will help regulate the domestic cylinders. This was informed by Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.
• It will be pasted on existing cylinders and welded on new ones. When the QR code is activated it has the potential to resolve several existing issues of tracking and tracing and better inventory management of gas cylinders.

Rezang La:

• 18 Nov 22 marked the 60th anniversary of Rezang La Day. The Battle of Rezang La in 1962 in eastern Ladakh, was India’s one of the remarkable military expeditions.
• A fierce fight broke when over 5000 Chinese with heavy artillery attacked Charlie Company, protecting the airfield of Chushul. 120 soldiers of Charlie Company of 13 Kumaon Regiment kiled over 1000 Chinese soldiers in the fight.

242nd Corps of Engineers Day:

• Indian Army celebrated the 242nd Corps of Engineers Day on 18 November 2022. The Corps of Engineers provides combat engineering support, develops infrastructure for armed forces and other defence organisations.
• The Corps of Engineers has three groups, i.e. Madras Sappers, Bengal Sappers and Bombay Sappers which were amalgamated into the Corps on 18 November 1932.

Vikram Suborbital rocket:

• India’s first ever private Vikram Suborbital rocket was launched on 18 Nov 22 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.
• The rocket reached an altitude of 81.5 km with three payloads weighing a total of 83 kilogram.
• Praram, the mission of the rocket has the payloads from Space Kidz India, Bazoomq Armenia and N – Space Tech India and are equipped with sensors.

NESTS & 1M1B:

• An MoU has been signed between National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS) and 1M1B Foundation (1M1B) at NESTS headquarters, New Delhi.
• It will capacitate the teachers and students of Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) with Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) skills using the AR – VR skills curriculum launched by CBSE.

ICQCC – 2022:

• NTPC’s(National Thermal Power Corporation Limited) Quality Control Team from Unchahar ABHYUDAYA has won the ” GOLD ” award in the 47th International Convention on Quality Control Circle (ICQCC – 2022).
• The convention is being held from 15-18 Nov ’22 in Jakarta under the theme of “Built Back Better through Quality Efforts”.
• In March 2022, NTPC had been declared the ” Dream Employer of the Year ” at the 30th Session of the World HRD Congress.

National Pension System Trust:

• Pension Fund Regulatory & Development Authority (PFRDA) has appointed Suraj Bhan as the chairman of the National Pension System Trust (NPS Trust). The trust is responsible for managing funds under the National Pension System (NPS).
• NPS started with the decision of the Government of India to stop defined benefit pensions for all its employees who joined after 1 April 2004.

ICC Sustainability Conclave:

• Chemicals and Petrochemicals Secretary Arun Baroka inaugurated 4th edition of Indian Chemicals Council, ICC Sustainability Conclave in New Delhi on 17th November 2022.
• Theme of the two – day event is ‘boardrooms to Community – ESG, Carbon Neutrality, Operational Safety, Greener Solutions’.
• The Conclave aims to promote sustainability in the management of the entire life cycle of chemicals.

Arun Kumar Singh:

• BPCL’s(Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd) former chairman Arun Kumar Singh will be the new chairman of India’s top oil and gas producer ONGC(Oil and Natural Gas Corporation).
• This will be the first time that a person aged over 60 will be heading a top PSU board – level position.
• ONGC Founded: 1956. He retired from BPCL after attaining the superannuation age in Oct 2022 and was already selected to head the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB).

“Sea Sword 2”:

• INS Trikand participated in the Combined Maritime Forces led Operation “Sea Sword 2”, which was held from Nov 6-14, 2022 in the Northwest Arabian Sea.
• The operation was held to prevent narcotics trade & stop smuggling entities from using the seas for their nefarious activities.
• Earlier, the 26th edition of the multinational maritime exercise “MALABAR 22” culminated in Japan on November 15th.

New tourism policy:

• UP CM Yogi Adityanath has approved the state’s new tourism policy aimed at establishing the Uttar Pradesh as hub of religious and spiritual tourism in the country.
• Ayodhya, Chitrakoot, Bithoor will be included in the Ramayana circuit. Mathura, Vrindavan, Gokul, Govardhan, Barsana, Nandgaon , and Baldev will be included in the Krishna circuit.

West Bengal government:

• West Bengal government has come out with a new policy that allows private land owners to get licence to harness natural resources.
• The new policy aims to overcome land acquisition hurdles for mining ‘ minor minerals ‘ and curbing illegal excavation in the state.
• It will be applicable for the mining of black stone, which is available in large quantities in the state. West Bengal CM: Mamata Banerjee.

Maharashtra Government:

• The Maharashtra Government has decided to double the pension of freedom fighters from 10,000 to 20,000 rupees per month.
• Freedom fighters associated with India’s freedom struggle, Marathwada Mukti Sangram and Goa Liberation Movement will benefit from this decision.
• The government also cleared a proposal to allow Maratha candidates to avail jobs quota under the category of economically weaker section.

Dr CV Ananda Bose:

• Dr CV Ananda Bose, a former civil servant , has been appointed as the new governor of West Bengal.
• Manipur Governor La Ganesan had been holding the additional charge of West Bengal since July 2022 after the former Governor, Jagdeep Dhankhar, became India’s Vice President.
• Bose has held the rank of Secretary to Government of India, Chief Secretary and University Vice – Chancellor.

Tamil Nadu Events:

Retired Justice V. Bharathidasan:

• Retired Justice V. Bharathidasan was appointed as the Chairman of the Commission for the Welfare of Backward Persons. The Tamil Nadu Commission for Backward Persons is headed by a retired High Court judge.

International Events:

KFW & SBI:

• SBI has signed a 150 million euro(₹ 1,240 cr) loan agreement with the German development bank KFW for funding solar projects.
• The long – term loan under Indo – German solar partnership, will facilitate new and upcoming capacities in the solar sector.
• This is the second loan from KFW to SBI as part of the solar partnership with India as another loan for the same amount has already been disbursed.

World Day for prevention of child sexual abuse: 18 November:

• The UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution to designate November 18 every year as the World Day for prevention of and healing from child sexual exploitation, abuse and violence.
• It is aimed at bringing global visibility to the trauma of child sexual abuse. According to WHO, millions of children experience sexual violence each year.

Leadership in Family Planning (EXCELL) Awards – 2022:

• India is the only country to receive the Leadership in Family Planning (EXCELL) Awards – 2022 in the ‘country category’ at the International Conference on Family Planning.
• The total ‘demand satisfied’ for family planning among currently married women aged 15-49 in India increased from 66 % in 2015-16 to 76 % in 2019-21.
• This has already crossed the SDG (Sustainable Development Goal) target of 75 set globally for 2030.

Norway-India:

• 8th Norway – India Joint Working Group Maritime meeting was held on 17 November 2022 in Mumbai.
• The Norwegian delegation will also take part in INMARCO, the Green Shipping Conclave, and the Maritime ShEO conference.
• The Maritime ShEO conference is supported by Norway and focused on maritime diversity and sustainability, including gender equality in the maritime industry.

National Museum, New Delhi, India and the Museum Kolding:

• An MoU was signed and exchanged between the National Museum, New Delhi, India and the Museum Kolding, in New Delhi on 17 November 2022.
• In the beginning of March, 2023, both will open the joint exhibition “Silver treasures from Denmark and India”, in New Delhi.
• The collaboration is under the recently agreed cultural exchange programme between India and Denmark for the years 2022 to 2026.

“Homer”:

• Cambridge Dictionary has declared the word “homer” as the 2022 Word Of the Year. ‘Homer’ refers to a home run in the popular American sport Baseball.
• ‘Homer’ was the top searched word on Cambridge Dictionary in 2022. Collins Dictionary’s word of the year 2022: ‘Permacrisis’.

India & Australia:

• India and Australia held their fifth bilateral cyber policy dialogue on 17th Nov 2022 in New Delhi.
• It was held under the aegis of the India – Australia Framework Arrangement on Cyber and Cyber – Enabled Critical Technology Cooperation.
• Moreover, India and Australia will jointly conduct a Cyber Bootcamp, as well as Cyber & Tech Policy Exchanges. Australia Capital: Canberra. PM: Anthony Albanese.

Sports Events:

Phrygian cap:

• Phrygian cap has been unveiled as the mascot for the 2024 Paris Olympics & Paralympics. These red caps date back to ancient times & were a symbol of the pursuit of liberty in the French Revolution.
• The Paralympic version of the mascot features a prosthetic leg. Paris Olympics will take place from 26 July to 11 August 2024. The Games will feature the debut of breakdancing as an Olympic event.