Daily Current Affairs and GK | 17 November 2023

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

1. Global Fisheries Conference India 2023 will held in Ahmedabad on 21^_st-22^nd November.

• Union Minister for Fisheries Parshottam Rupala announced that the Global Fisheries Conference India 2023 will held in Ahmedabad.
• It will be organized on the occasion of World Fisheries Day with the theme of 'Fisheries and Aquaculture Wealth'.
• He said that in the last 9 years, total spending in the fisheries sector has reached 38,000 crore rupees.
• India has become the 3rd largest fish-producing country in the world with an 8% share in total global fish production.
• The fisheries sector provides livelihood to more than 2.8 crore people in India.
• An average of 38 lakh fishers per year are insured under the Group Accident Insurance Scheme.
• The main objective of the conference is to reach out to the various domestic and global fisheries sector stakeholders.
• It will also allow exploration of the Research and Development and opportunities that are shaping the fisheries landscape.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

2. Green House gases in the atmosphere reached a record high in 2022: World Meteorological Organization.

• As per the UN's World Meteorological Organization, Greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere reached a new record high in 2022.
• The levels of the three main greenhouse gases —carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide – broke all records.
• The high level of greenhouse gases will further increase temperature, extreme weather events, and sea levels.
• The bulletin comes ahead of the November 30-December 12 COP28 UN climate summit in Dubai.
• The global mean temperature in 2022 was 1.15C more than the 1850-1900 average.
• In 2022, carbon dioxide concentrations were at 418 parts per million, methane at 1,923 parts per billion and nitrous oxide at 336 parts per billion.
• For the first time, the average concentrations of CO2 in 2022 were 50% more than of the pre-industrial era.
• About 80% of greenhouse gas emissions come from G20 countries.
• Carbon dioxide (CO2) is responsible for about 64 per cent of the warming effect on the climate.
• Methane is the second largest contributor to climate change. It is responsible for around 16 per cent of the warming effect.

Topic: National News

3. City Investments to Innovate, Integrate, and Sustain 2.0 (CITIIS 2.0) challenge launched in New Delhi.

• It was launched by Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri on 16 November.
• “CITIIS 2.0” will replace the Smart Cities Mission and integrate with the Swachh Bharat Mission in enabling innovation across the value chain of waste management in cities.
• CITIIS 2.0 aims to advance climate action by promoting a circular economy with a focus on integrated waste management.
• CITIIS 2.0 was approved in the Union Cabinet meeting held on 31 May 2023 under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.
• The total funding for CITIIS 2.0 includes loans of Rs 1,760 crore or EUR 200 million (EUR 100 million each) from AFD and KfW.
• The program will also receive a technical assistance grant of Rs 106 crore (12 million euros) from the European Union.
• The achievements of CITIIS 1.0, include the introduction of over 1,000 new electric vehicles, the development of over 100 kilometers of non-motorized transport corridors, the creation of over 750 acres of green open spaces, and the construction of 1,400 affordable housing units, etc.
• The CITIIS project in Hubli-Dharwad recently received the Smart City Award-2022 under the Innovation category from the Honorable President of India.
• Shri Puri said that under the Swachh Bharat Mission, we have already set up 112 bio-methanation plants, 2,391 waste-to-compost plants, and 55 waste-to-energy plants.
• In addition, 2,281 material recovery facilities, 972 construction and demolition debris management plants, and 335 solid and liquid resource management plants have also been installed.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Biotechnology and Diseases

4. World Health Organization (WHO) has declared loneliness a pressing global health threat.

• An international commission on this problem has also been launched by WHO under the leadership of US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy.
• The commission will run for three years.
• The new Commission on Social Connectivity aims to address loneliness as a serious health threat, promote social connection as a priority, and accelerate the scale-up of solutions across all income countries.
• The death effect of loneliness is equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
• The rate of 'one in four' older people experiencing social isolation is similar in all regions of the world.
• This comes as the COVID-19 pandemic halted economic and social activity, increasing loneliness levels, but also amid growing awareness of the importance of the issue.
• According to WHO, loneliness increases the risk of developing dementia by 50% and the risk of coronary artery disease or stroke by 30% in adults.
• Additionally, according to research findings, 5% to 15% of teens are lonely.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: National News

5. Ministry of External Affairs assigned additional responsibilities to Amit Shivkumar Telang.

• Amit S Telang has been appointed as the Indian Ambassador to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and High Commissioner to the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis and Antigua and Barbuda.
• Presently, Dr Amit S Telang is the High Commissioner of India to the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.
• In addition, Anil Kumar Rai, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, has been appointed Ambassador to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.
• India established a formal relationship with CARICOM as a continuation of its diplomatic relations with individual members of CARICOM.
• The Government of India provided funding of US$1.166 million to support information technology and communications infrastructure, computer software, and community studios at the CARICOM Secretariat in 2005–2006.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: State News/ Sikkim

6. Indian Army and BRO rebuild Bailey bridge in flood-hit north Sikkim.

• Indian Army's Trishakti Corps personnel with the assistance of BRO completed the construction of the Bailey Bridge over the Teesta River at Chungthang in North Sikkim.
• Mr Samdup Lepcha, Minister of Roads and Bridges, Government of Sikkim inaugurated the bridge.
• It has finally connected the flood-affected areas of North Sikkim to the mainland which were cut off since the night of 03 Oct 23.
• This bridge will now pave the way for the uninterrupted movement of vehicles and provision of relief material in these flood-affected areas.
• The 200-foot Bailey Bridge is an engineering marvel in itself as it is the longest and heaviest single-span Bailey bridge.
• The BRO initially constructed the concrete structure, followed by the construction of the bridge by Trishakti sappers, which took about five days.
• For this bridging operation, the Engineer troops of Trishakti Corps and BRO along with several heavy earth-moving plants were employed.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Economy/Banking/Finance

7. Norms for unsecured personal loans for banks and NBFCs have been tightened by RBI.

• A decision has been taken to increase the risk weights with regard to consumer credit exposure of commercial banks, both outstanding as well as new, including personal loans.
• It excludes housing loans, education loans, vehicle loans, and loans secured by gold and gold jewelry.
• The risk weight on consumer credit for banks and NBFCs has been increased by RBI from 100% to 125%.
• Under the current rules, the banks must keep ₹8 for every ₹100 lent for personal loans.
• Under the new rules, they will keep 25% higher, or ₹10 on every ₹100 lent.
• RBI has also raised the risk weights on credit receivables by 25 percentage points to 150% and 125% for banks and NBFCs, respectively.

Topic: Defence

8. Exercise MITRA SHAKTI-2023 started on 16 November 2023 in Aundh (Pune).

• Exercise MITRA SHAKTI-2023 is the ninth edition of the Joint Military exercise between India and Sri Lanka.
• It is being conducted from 16th to 29th November 2023.
• The Indian contingent comprises of 120 personnel.
• It is being represented chiefly by troops from the Maratha Light Infantry Regiment.
• Personnel from the 53 Infantry Division are representing the Sri Lankan side.
• In the exercise, 15 personnel from the Indian Air Force and five personnel from the Sri Lankan Air Force are also taking part.
• The exercise's goal is to jointly practise conducting subconventional operations in accordance with UN Charter Chapter VII.

Topic: International News

9. India and the EU reached very close to settling their $600-mn trade dispute at WTO.

• India is very close to resolving one of its most contentious trade disputes related to information communications technology (ICT) products with the European Union (EU).
• EU had dragged India to the WTO’s dispute settlement mechanism in 2019 for levying import duty on various ICT products including mobile phones and components, base stations, integrated circuits and optical instruments.
• India has imposed higher duties on ICT products to promote the manufacturing of electronic products under the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme.
• This dispute could affect India’s efforts to boost electronic products manufacturing.
• The adverse final ruling could disrupt the flagship production-led incentive (PLI) scheme.
• India said that it is also facing a similar quantum of losses due to the EU’s restriction on Indian steel.
• The high-level Trade and Tech Council (TTC) meeting between India and the EU will discuss outstanding issues of both sides.
• Recently, India settled all of its seven disputes with the United States at the WTO.

Topic: Defense

10. INS Sumedha completed a 31-day anti-piracy patrol in the Atlantic Ocean.

• The Indian Navy has finished its second anti-piracy patrol in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) in the Atlantic Ocean.
• Offshore Patrol Vessel INS Sumedha participated in a 31-day anti-piracy patrol in the Atlantic Ocean along the West Coast of Africa.
• INS Sumedha deployment will promote the Indian Navy's connection with regional navies, including Senegal, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Angola and Namibia.
• India and the EU conducted their first joint naval exercise in the Gulf of Guinea on October 24.
• INS Sumedha is the third of the indigenously developed Naval OPV of the Saryu class. It had recently taken part in Operation Kaveri for the evacuation of Indian people from Sudan.

Topic: Science and Technology

11. India International Science Festival (IISF) 2023 is being organised at Faridabad, Haryana.

• IISF 2023 will be organised from 17th-20th January, 2024. IISF 2023 is the ninth edition of IISF.
• The theme of IISF 2023 is 'Science and Technology Public Outreach in Amrit Kaal'.
• IISF 2023 is being organised at the Campus of Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI) and the Regional Centre for Biotechnology (RCB) of the Department of Biotechnology in Faridabad.
• IISF 2023 will have a total of 17 themes to showcase scientific achievements.
• IISF was initiated through collaborative efforts of the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Earth Sciences in association with Vijnana Bharati.
• Since 2015, eight editions of the IISF have been held in different geographical regions of India.

Topic: International News

12. 66 Indians got Cyprus’s Golden Passport between 2014 and 2020.

• Indian Express, in partnership with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), reported this, as part of Cyprus Confidential.
• Cyprus Confidential is a worldwide offshore probe of 3.6 million documents.
• The golden passport scheme was launched in 2007. It was also known as the ‘Cyprus Investment Programme’.
• This programme allowed financially prominent individuals to obtain Cypriot citizenship.
• Vinod Adani, Pankaj Oswal and real estate baron Surendra Hiranandani were among 66 Indians who obtained “golden passport”.
• Vinod Adani is Gautam Adani’s elder brother who came under the spotlight in Hindenburg Research’s investigation.
• Pankaj Oswal is chairman and founder of Burrup Holdings Limited.
• Cyprus repealed its “golden passport” scheme. It stopped receiving new applications on November 1, 2020.
• There is only one Indian on the list of proposed revocations of Cypriot passports – Anubhav Aggarwal.
• The Nicolatos Commission’s inquiry report states that Aggarwal was implicated in the National Spot Exchange Limited (NSEL) scam.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

13. PM Modi to inaugurate the second edition of the Voice of Global South Summit on 17 November.

• India is hosting the second Voice of Global South Summit in less than a year.
• PM Modi will inaugurate the first session on the theme of Together, for Everyone’s Growth, with Everyone’s Trust”.
• The summit will have 10 sessions with the inaugural and the concluding sessions for the heads of state and governments
• 125 countries of the Global South participated in the first virtual Voice of Global South Summit.
• Foreign Ministers, Education Ministers, Energy, Ministers and Commerce Ministers of the member countries of the Global South will participate in the summit.
• Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip will also be discussed at the summit.
• The summit will focus on discussing India’s G-20 Presidency.

Topic: Important Days

14. International Students' Day: 17 November

• The International Students' Day is observed every year on 17 November.
• It is observed to mark the Nazi invasion of a university in Prague in 1939. The Nazis imprisoned many students and killed and tortured several others.
• It is observed to raise awareness about the challenges faced by students.
• It is observed to celebrate multiculturalism, diversity and cooperation among students across the globe.
• World Students Day is observed on 15 October in India in honour of former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.