Daily Current Affairs and GK | 18 November 2022

Topic: National Appointment

1. ED director Sanjay Mishra’s tenure has been extended for one more year.

• The government has decided to extend the tenure of the Enforcement Directorate’s director Sanjay Kumar Mishra for another year.
• Sanjay Mishra’s tenure originally ended in 2020. His tenure has been extended two times.
• Sanjay Mishra was first appointed the ED director for two years in 2018.
• The matter related to the extension to the ED chief has been pending in the Supreme Court.
• Directorate of Enforcement:
  • It works under the Union Finance Ministry.
  • It investigates offences of money laundering and violations of foreign exchange laws.
  • It is responsible for the enforcement of the Foreign Exchange Management Act 2019 (FEMA), Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018, and certain provisions under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
  • Its headquarters is located in New Delhi and is headed by the Director of Enforcement.

Topic: National Appointments

2. Dr CV Ananda Bose has been appointed as the Governor of West Bengal.

• Dr CV Ananda Bose is a former bureaucrat. He has been appointed as Governor of West Bengal by President Droupadi Murmu.
• His appointment will take effect from the date he assumes charge of his office.
• Manipur Governor La Ganesan was holding the additional charge of West Bengal.
• West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar became India’s Vice President.

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

3. 8^th Norway-India Joint Working Group Maritime meeting was held on 17th November, 2022 in Mumbai.

• During the meeting, useful discussions were organized on Norway-India cooperation on green maritime future.
• During the meeting, discussions were held on use of alternative fuels like green ammonia and hydrogen for futuristic shipping.
• India-Norway Joint Working Group (JWG) meetings on Maritime cooperation are being organized on a regular basis.
• The 7th JWG on Maritime was organized in Oslo in November, 2019.
• India and Norway are part of Green Voyage 2050 project. India is a signatory to Hongkong Convention for Recycling of Ships.
• The Norwegian delegation will also participate in INMARCO, the Green Shipping Conclave, and the Maritime ShEO conference.
• The Maritime ShEO conference is focused on maritime diversity and sustainability, including gender equality in the maritime industry.
• INMARCO:
  • It is a quadrennial International Maritime Conference and Exhibition. It is hosted by the Institute of Marine Engineers (India).
  • INMARCO 2022 is being held on 17th, 18th, and 19th November 2022 at Mumbai.
  • Its theme is ‘Evolving Maritime World for Greener & Sustainable Future”.

Topic: Space and IT

4. India’s first-ever private rocket has been launched from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on 18 November 2022.

• It is a one-stage solid fuelled rocket. It is equipped with sensors for securing data.
• Start up Skyroot Aerospace Private limited had developed the Vikram Suborbital rocket.
• The rocket weighs 550 kilogram. It will reach a maximum altitude of 101km. 
• It is expected to fall in the sea after an overall duration of 300 seconds post-launch.
• The Mission Prarambh will carry three customer payloads. The payloads are Space Kidz India, Bazoomq Armenia and N-Space Tech India.
• Skyroot was the first startup to sign an MOU with ISRO for launching its rockets.

Topic: National Appointment

5. Suraj Bhan appointed as the chairman of the National Pension System Trust.

• Suraj Bhan has been appointed by the Pension Fund Regulatory & Development Authority as the chairman of the National Pension System Trust (NPS Trust).
• He will be responsible for managing funds under the National Pension System (NPS).
• The authority nominated Suraj Bhan, as the chairman of the board of trustees, with the effect from November 12, 2022.
• Bhan is a trustee on the board of NPS Trust since 2018.
• In 1983, he joined the Indian Economic Service and retired as Director General of the Labor Bureau, Chandigarh in January 2018.

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

6. 4^th meeting of the Format Consultations on Afghanistan organized in Moscow.

• On 16 November, India participated in the 4th meeting of the Format Consultations on Afghanistan in Moscow, Russia.
• Special Envoys and senior officials from Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan attended the meeting.
• The ministry informed that during the meeting, the participants discussed issues related to Afghanistan.
• The humanitarian situation and assistance, dialogue between various parties in Afghanistan, formation of an inclusive government, prevention of the threat of terrorism, and ongoing efforts to ensure regional security were discussed.
• On the sidelines of the Moscow Format Consultative meeting, the Indian delegation led by Joint Secretary for Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran Affairs also held discussions with the Special Envoys of the participating countries.

Topic: Important Days

7. Indian Army celebrated 242^nd Corps of Engineers Day on 18 November 2022.

• The Corps of Engineers provides combat engineering support.
• It develops infrastructure for armed forces and other defence organisations.
• It also maintains connectivity along our vast borders. It also provides succour to populace during natural disasters.
• These tasks are executed through four pillars of the Corps.
• Four pillars of the Corps are Combat Engineers, Military Engineer Service, Border Road Organisation and Military Survey.
• The Corps of Engineers has three groups. These groups are Madras Sappers, Bengal Sappers and Bombay Sappers. They were amalgamated into the Corps on 18 November 1932.
• On the occasion of Corps day, Engineer-in-Chief of the Corps of Engineers Lt Gen Harpal Singh has called upon the Corps to put in bigger efforts to be prepared for the future challenges.

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

8. 4^th edition of the Indian Chemicals Council Sustainability Conclave has been inaugurated in New Delhi by Chemicals and Petrochemicals Secretary Arun Baroka.

• The theme of the conclave is ‘boardrooms to Community-ESG, Carbon Neutrality, Operational Safety, Greener Solutions’.
• United Nations Environment Program and International Council of Chemical Associations are jointly organizing the conclave.
• It is being organized with support of Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers and Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
• The Conclave aims to promote sustainability in the management of the entire life cycle of chemicals.

Topic: Reports and Indices/Ranking

9. India to invest $840 billion to upgrade its urban infrastructure over the next 15 years: World Bank report.

• World Bank has released a report titled ‘Financing India's Infrastructure Needs: Constraints to Commercial Financing and Prospects for Policy Action’.
• The report has highlighted the need to improve the financing avenues for India's urban local bodies.
• At present, only 5% of the infrastructure needs of Indian cities are getting financed through private sources.
• The state government and Central government finance more than 75% of the city’s infrastructure projects.
• Urban local bodies (ULB) finance 15% of their projects through surplus revenues.
• By 2036, around 40% of the population will live in urban cities in India.
• Indian cities need financing in large amounts to promote green, smart, inclusive, and sustainable urbanization.
• The population pressure on Indian cities will increase the demand for clean drinking water, power supply, and road transport.
• The report has recommended increasing the capacities of city agencies to deliver infrastructure projects.
• The weak regulatory environment and weak revenue collection increase the challenges of cities in accessing more private financing.

Topic: Banking System

10. For trade in rupees, nine Russian banks opened special Vostro accounts.

• To facilitate overseas trade in the Indian rupee, nine special Vostro accounts have been opened by Russian banks
• Sberbank and VTB Bank of Russia emerged as the first foreign lenders to receive the approval.
• Nine special Vostro accounts have been opened in UCO Bank (1), Sberbank (1), VTB (1) and IndusInd Bank (6).
• In July 2022, to reduce the depreciation of the rupee against the dollar, RBI notified a new mechanism to settle international trade in rupees.
• The RBI has allowed these special vostro accounts to invest the surplus balance in Indian government securities.
• Vostro accounts will clear the settlement of payments in rupees for the India-Russia trade.
• A Vostro account is an account which a domestic bank holds on behalf of a foreign bank.

Topic: National News

11. International Tourism Mart 2022 started in Mizoram.

• The three day mart will be held in Mizoram from 17-19 November 2022.
• A mega exhibition and food court pavilion were launched where various stalls on local food processing, handloom, cuisine and handicrafts have been set up.
• It is the 10^th edition of the International Tourism Mart.
• It has been organized by the Ministry of Tourism and Mizoram tourism department.
• The aim of the event is to highlight the tourism capability of the North-Eastern region in the domestic and international markets.
• The event will focus on “Priorities of G20 for Tourism Track”.
• In 2021, the 9^th edition of International Tourism Mart was organized in Kohima, Nagaland.
• International Tourism Marts are organized in the North-Eastern states on a rotation basis.

Topic: Environment and Ecology 

12. India raised a proposal to UN CITES to add Red-crowned Roofed Turtle to Appendix I.

• At the 19^th Conference of Parties to CITES, India asked to add the turtle species to Appendix I from Appendix II.
• COP19 to CITES is being held from 14-25 November 2022 in Panama.
• The conference is being asked to consider stringent trade regulations for around 600 species which are under increased threat of extinction from international trade.
• Species covered by CITES:

• Red-crowned roofed Turtle (Batagur Kachuga):
  • It is native to India (Ganga basin) and Bangladesh.
  • National Chambal River Gharial Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh is the only location where these species are found in substantial population.
  • Habitat loss due to pollution, large-scale development activities and illegal pet trading are causing threat to this turtle species. This protected area and habitat are also under threat.
  • Earlier, this turtle was found in Central Nepal, Northeastern India, Bangladesh and Burma.
  •  It is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 and its IUCN status is critically endangered.
• Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is a global agreement among governments to regulate or prohibit international trade in species under threat. It entered into force in 1975. Currently, there are 184 member parties.

Topic: Sports

13. Suryakumar Yadav again reached the top spot in the T20I batting rankings.

• The ICC Men's T20I Batting Rankings was released on November 16, and India's middle-order batsman Suryakumar Yadav retained his No. 1 spot.
• Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam are in the second and third position respectively.
• After a stunning performance in the Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup in Australia, Suryakumar became the No. 1 T20I batsman.
• He smashed three fifties in five innings, which helped him to achieve a career-best rating of 869 points.
• He scored 239 runs during the World Cup and was the third-highest run-scorer in the event.

Topic: Sports

14. Sharath Kamal became the first Indian player to be elected to the ITTF.

• Indian table tennis player Achanta Sharath Kamal has become the first player from the country to be elected to the Athletes’ Commission of the International Table Tennis Federation.
• Eight athletes (four male and four female) and two para-athletes were selected from Asia, Africa, America, Europe, and Oceania.
• His tenure will be of four years from 2022 to 2026.
• He also serves as the Vice-Chairman of the Athletes' Commission of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).
• Later this month, he will be conferred with the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, the country's highest sporting honour.
• International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF):
  • It is the governing body for all national table tennis associations.
  • The ITTF's role is to oversee the rules and regulations and seek technical improvements for the sport of table tennis.
  • It was founded in 1926. It is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland.
  • Its President is Petra Sörling.