Daily Current Affairs and GK | 12 November 2021

Topic: National News

1. Nepal Army Chief conferred the honorary rank of General of the Indian Army by President.

• President Ram Nath Kovind has conferred Nepal’s Army Chief Gen Prabhu Ram Sharma with the honorary rank of 'General of the Indian Army' at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
• President of Nepal Bidya Devi Bhandari had honored Chief General Manoj Naravane with the rank of Honorary General of the Nepal Army in November 2020.
• General Sharma is on a four-day visit to India to explore ways to expand bilateral defense cooperation.
• General Sharma also met Chief of Defense Staff General Bipin Rawat and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral defense cooperation.
• Nepal's relationship is important for India in the context of its overall strategic interests in the region, and leaders of the two countries have often noted the age-old "Roti Beti" relationship.

(Source: News on Air)

Topic: Important Day

2. National Education Day: November 11

• National Education Day is celebrated annually on 11 November in India.
• This day is celebrated every year since 2008 to mark the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.
• Maulana Abul Kalam Azad's birth anniversary is celebrated to remember his ideals of nation-building and to celebrate his most important contribution to shaping the education system.
• Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was the first education minister of independent India who served the country from 1947 to 1958.
• India's highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna, was awarded to Maulana Abul Kalam Azad in 1992.
• Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was born on 11 November 1888 in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and he came to Calcutta with his family in 1890.
• International Day of Education is celebrated on 24 January every year worldwide.

(Source: News on Air)

Topic: Art and Culture

3. Annapurna’s Idol retrieved from Canada will be handed over to UP government.

• The Uttar Pradesh government will receive Annapurna’s Idol retrieved from Canada.
• It was stolen from Varanasi about 100 years ago and it has been recently retrieved from Canada.
• The idol was received by the ASI on October 15 and On 12 November, it will be taken to Kanauj and it will reach Ayodhya on 14 November.
• Finally, it will reach Varanasi on 15 November and it will be placed at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi.
• At present, 157 sculptures and paintings have been identified abroad but only 13 rare statue and paintings could be brought to India.

Topic: Books and Author

4. Salman Khurshid released his book titled 'Sunrise Over Ayodhya'.

• Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid has released his book titled 'Sunrise Over Ayodhya'.
• The book launch event was held on 10 November and was attended by Congress Leaders P Chidambaram, Digvijaya Singh among others.
• A passage in Mr. Khurshid's new book has raised controversy. He made this controversial comment in a chapter called ‘The Saffron Sky’ in the book.
• Two lawyers in Delhi have filed complaints against Congress leader Salman Khurshid, accusing him of comparing Hindutva with terror groups ISIS and Boko Haram in his new book.

Topic: Personality in News

5. PM Modi expresses gratitude towards Dulari Devi for her gift.

• PM Modi has expressed gratitude towards Dulari Devi, who is an artist from Bihar's Madhubani.
• Dulari Devi had given PM a sample of her artwork at the time of informal interaction with Padma awardees.
• Dulari Devi was awarded Padma Shri by President Ram Nath Kovind on November 9. She is a Madhubani artist.
• Madhubani Art is a style of Indian painting. It is practiced in the Mithila region of India. It started from Madhubani district of the Mithila region of Bihar.
• PM Modi also paid tribute to Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Acharya Kripalani, and Onake Obavva on their birth anniversaries.
• Onake Obavva was a woman who fought the forces of Hyder Ali in Chitradurga, Karnataka in the 18th century.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Appointments

6. Government appointed Sheel Vardhan Singh as CISF DG and Atul Karwal as NDRF DG.

• Government has appointed Sheel Vardhan Singh as the new Director General (DG) of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and Atul Karwal as the new DG of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
• CISF was without a regular chief since May 25 as its then chief Subodh Jaiswal was appointed as CBI Director.
• NDRF is currently having IPS officer SN Pradhan as its chief. He is currently holding an additional charge as NDRF DG.
• Sheel Vardhan Singh is currently Special Director in the Intelligence Bureau. He is an IPS officer of the Bihar cadre.
• Atul Karwal is currently National Police Academy Director. He is from Gujarat cadre.
• Sheel Vardhan Singh will be DG of CISF from the date of joining the post and up to 31 August 2023 i.e. date of his superannuation or till further orders whichever is earlier.
• Atul Karwal has been appointed for a period of two years from the date of joining the post or till further orders, whichever is earlier.

Topic: Personality in News

7. Renowned Author Anand Shankar Pandya passed away.

• Noted author Anand Shankar Pandya passed away. He was a prolific author and public intellectual.
• He was a thinker and writer who selflessly devoted his life to the service of the nation.
• He was active in the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and worked selflessly towards social service.
• He will be remembered for his social welfare efforts and selfless thought.

Topic: Sports

8. Novak Djokovic won Paris Masters title by defeating Daniil Medvedev.

• Novak Djokovic clinched his sixth Paris title by defeating Daniil Medvedev in the final. This is Djokovic's 37th Master’s title.
• He defeated Daniil Medvedev by 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the final.
• Recently, Daniil Medvedev had defeated Novak Djokovic in the US Open final. It was only the second time that both had clashed in the final.
• The Rolex Paris Masters title is the annual tennis tournament for male professional players. It is part of the ATP Tour Masters 1000.
• Recently, Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic equals the record of Pete Sampras of winning the ATP Tour No. 1 trophy of six-time.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

9. NHSRCL signs MoU for Designs of High Speed Rail Track for Mumbai-Ahmedabad Rail Corridor Project.

• National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited signed an MoU for the Designs of High Speed Rail -HSR Track works for the T-3 package for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor Project.
• The MoU has been signed with Japan Railway Track Consultant Company Limited – JRTC.
• Under this MoU, JRTC will provide the detailed design and drawings of HSR track components like RC Track bed, Track slab arrangement and Continuous Welded Rail CWR.
• JRTC is a specialized agency for this kind of technical work.
• NHSRCL had earlier signed MoU for the designs of the HSR track and track works for the 237-kilometre long T-2 project between Vadodara and Vapi in Gujarat.

Topic: National News

10. National Recruitment Agency will be set up by March 2022 to conduct Common Eligibility Test for recruitment.

• According to the statement of the Union Minister of State for Personnel and Public Grievances, Dr. Jitendra Singh, Govt will set up National Recruitment Agency in the country by March 2022 that will conduct a Common Eligibility Test for recruitment.
• The Government's aim behind opening this agency is to provide at least one centre of examination in every major district, which will provide facilities to aspirants, especially girls who do not have to travel far for competitive examinations.
• Dr. Singh has announced the launch of District Level Good Governance Index in Uttar Pradesh for better competition among district administrations.
• The grievance redressal system of Uttar Pradesh will be integrated with the Central Government for better coordination.
• Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said during the function, the recruitment drives conducted during the tenure of his government are clean and transparent, which increases the confidence of the people in the administration.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Defence

11. IAF aircraft contingent will participate in biennial Dubai Air Show.

• The Indian Air Force (IAF) contingent will participate in the biennial Dubai Air Show, which will be held from November 14 to 18 at Al Maktoum International Airport.
• The Government of UAE has invited the IAF to take part with the Sarang and Suryakiran Aerobatic Teams.
• These teams will perform alongside some of the best aerobatics and performance teams in the world, including the Saudi Hawks, the Russian Knights, and the UAE's Al Fursan.
• Five Dhruv, Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) of Sarang team, 10 BAE Hawk 132 aircraft of Surya Kiran team, and three LCA Tejas aircraft were included in the Dubai Air Show on November 9.
• IAF's Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas will also take part in the aerobatics and static display during the show.
• In 2005, the Sarang team had previously taken part in the Al Ain Grand Prix in the United Arab Emirates.
• Surya Kiran and Tejas will be showcasing their flamboyant aerial maneuvers for the first time in the Gulf country.

Topic: National News

12. Bhadrachalam in Telangana has been added as a destination in IRCTC's Ramayana Circuit train.

• Government has added Bhadrachalam of Telangana as a destination in the IRCTC’s Ramayana Circuit train.
• The Sree Sita Ramachandra Swamy temple is located in Bhadrachalam.
• The Ramayana Yatra train aims to connect all the important places of Lord Rama's journey during his lifetime, the inclusion of Bhadrachalam Road station (Kothagudem station) will complete the Ramayana circuit.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Awards and Prizes

13. Film ‘Paayer Tolay Mati Nai’ (No Ground Beneath the Feet) has been selected for the international competition section of IFFI, Goa.

• Bangladeshi film ‘Paayer Tolay Mati Nai’ (No Ground Beneath the Feet) has been selected in the International Competition section of the 52nd International Film Festival of India (IFFI).
• Mohammad Rabbi Mridha has directed the Bangladeshi film 'Pyer Tole Mati Nai' (No Ground Beneath the Feet), which is his debut feature film.
• The 52nd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) will be held in Goa between 20-28 November.
• The movie is cast by stars Mostafa Monwar, Priyam Archi and Dipanita Martin.
• This movie had also selected for the 26th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), which was held in Honde, Busan, South Korea from 6 to 15 October.
• It has been selected for the Best feature-length from around the world.
• The film ‘Paayer Tolay Mati Nai’ will participate in the competition with 14 other films for the Golden Peacock and other awards like Best Director, Best Actor (male), Best Actor (female) and Special Jury Award in the festival.
• The winner of the competition will be selected for the Golden Peacock award carries a cash prize of Rs 40 lakhs, which will be shared equally between the Director and Producer.

(Source: PIB)