Daily Current Affairs and GK | 19 November 2022
Main Headlines:
- 1. India won 25 out of 28 golds at the 15th Asian Airgun Championships in South Korea.
- 2. Domestic LPG cylinders will soon come up with QR codes.
- 3. National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS) signed an MoU with the 1 Million For 1 Billion Foundation (1M1B).
- 4. Geo Smart India 2022 Summit was inaugurated by Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
- 5. Arun Kumar Singh will be appointed as the next ONGC chairman.
- 6. India and Australia hold the 5th Bilateral Cyber Policy Dialogue in New Delhi on 17 November.
- 7. World Toilet Day: 19 November
- 8. INS Trikand took part in Combined Maritime Forces led Focused Operation “Sea Sword 2”.
- 9. India's foreign exchange reserves gained their biggest weekly rise in the last 1 year.
- 10. RINL won prestigious gold awards at the International Convention on Quality Control Circles (ICQCC).
- 11. PM Modi will visit Arunachal Pradesh and UP to inaugurate Itanagar Airport & ‘Kashi Tamil Sangamam’ on November 19.
- 12. India has raised livelihood issues associated with the use of Boswellia serrata oleo-resin.
- 13. India has received the Leadership in Family Planning (EXCELL) Awards-2022 at ICFP 2022 held in Pattaya city, Thailand.
- 14. Lance Naik Manju became the first woman soldier skydiver of the Indian Army.
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Topic: Sports
1. India won 25 out of 28 golds at the 15th Asian Airgun Championships in South Korea.
- India total won 38 medals including 25 Gold, 9 silver, and 4 bronze at the 15th Asian Airgun Championships.
- Indian Pair of Manu Bhaker and Samrat Rana won the 10-meter Junior Air Pistol Mixed Team event.
- The Indian pair of Rhythm Sangwan and Vijayveer Sidhu won gold in the senior event.
- Indian contingents, consisting of 36 shooters took part in the tournament.
- The 15th Asian Airgun Championship was held in Daegu, Korea November 9-19, 2022.
- The Korea Shooting Federation has organized the event at the Daegu International Shooting Range.
- This was the first Rifle/Pistol Asian Shooting Confederation Championship that will be counted for the new Asian Ranking System.
(Source: News on AIR)
Topic: National News
2. Domestic LPG cylinders will soon come up with QR codes.
- Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri announced that LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) cylinders will soon come with QR codes.
- This initiative will help combat theft issues and provide security to cylinders. It will also help in resolving tracking and tracing issues.
- 20,000 LPG cylinders of the first batch have been issued with the code.
- The code-based LPG cylinders will ensure better inventory management of the cylinders.
- QR (Quick Response) codes will contain details about the cylinder and are machine-readable.
- All domestic LPG cylinders will have QR codes in the next three to six months.
- Liquefied Petroleum Gas:
- It is a liquid mixture of the volatile hydrocarbons propene, propane, and butane.
- It is obtained by refining crude oil or processing natural gas.
- It is a non-renewable source of energy.
Topic: MoUs/Agreements
3. National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS) signed an MoU with the 1 Million For 1 Billion Foundation (1M1B).
- The MoU has been signed to conduct training and capacity-building programs for teachers and students of Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs).
- The Ministry of Tribal Affairs stated the program will also teach teachers and students Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) skills using CBSE's AR-VR skills curriculum.
- The program has been implemented on a pilot basis in EMRS of Rajasthan and Uttarakhand.
- The Ministry stated its a social innovation and future skills program connected with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- The MoU was signed on November 7 at the NESTS headquarters in New Delhi.
- NESTS is an autonomous organization established under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
- 1 Million For 1 Billion (1M1B) is a Bengaluru-based Not For Profit Company recognized by the United Nations. It is headquartered in Bangalore.
Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings
4. Geo Smart India 2022 Summit was inaugurated by Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
- It was organized from 15 to 17 November in Hyderabad.
- The three-day summit is attended by around 2500 delegates from around 500 government, and private organizations working on geospatial technology and so on.
- Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said the country is leading a new wave of socio-economic prosperity driven by cutting-edge technology and innovation.
- He said that the country is moving towards an era of sustainable development from the grassroots level. It aims to eradicate poverty, combat climate change, and improve business and living standards.
- Geospatial information has emerged as a major tool for development in the country.
- The government has recently issued guidelines to pave the way for the use of geospatial data in various sectors of the economy.
Topic: National Appointments
5. Arun Kumar Singh will be appointed as the next ONGC chairman.
- He retired from BPCL after attaining the superannuation age last month.
- It will be the first time that a person above the age of 60 will hold the top PSU board-level post.
- He was selected by a search-cum-selection committee constituted by the oil ministry.
- Singh will lead the ONGC for three years.
- Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) is without a regular CMD since April 2021.
Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings
6. India and Australia hold the 5th Bilateral Cyber Policy Dialogue in New Delhi on 17 November.
- The Dialogue was held under the aegis of the India-Australia Framework Arrangement on Cyber and Cyber-Enabled Critical Technology Cooperation and Action Plan 2020-2025 for Comprehensive and Deeper Cyber Cooperation.
- The dialogue was co-chaired by Muanpui Sayawi, Joint Secretary (Cyber Diplomacy Division), Ministry of External Affairs.
- The Indian delegation included senior officials from the National Security Council Secretariat, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, etc.
- At this dialogue, discussions were held related to strategic priorities, cyber threat assessment, next-generation telecommunications (including 5G technology), the United Nations' most recent cyber developments, etc.
- Australia and India agreed to look into expanding their partnership with the private sector and academia.
- Both countries will jointly organize cyber boot camps, and exchange cyber and tech policy in collaboration with Indo-Pacific partners.
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Topic: Important Days
7. World Toilet Day: 19 November
- World Toilet Day is celebrated annually since 2013.
- It raises awareness about the 3.6 billion people living without access to safely managed sanitation.
- This year, the theme of World Toilet Day is 'Making the Invisible Visible'.
- UN General Assembly adopted World Toilet Day on 24 July 2013.
- Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) organised the 'Swachhta Run' across rural India on 19 November to mark World Toilet Day.
- Ministry of Jal Shakti has directed states and union territories to conduct the Swachhta Run at the Gram Panchayat level.
- Related SDG: Sustainable Development Goal 6 (sanitation and water for all by 2030).
Topic: Defence
8. INS Trikand took part in Combined Maritime Forces led Focused Operation “Sea Sword 2”.
- INS Trikand took part in Sea Sword 2 in the Northwest Arabian Sea to counter terrorism, prevent narcotics trade and stop smuggling.
- Operation “Sea Sword 2” was organized from November 6-14, 2022.
- Earlier, the 26th edition of the multinational maritime exercise “MALABAR 22” ended in the seas off Japan on November 15.
- This edition was hosted by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. It marked the 30th anniversary of the exercise.
- INS Trikand (F51):
- INS Trikand is a Talwar-class frigate of the Indian Navy.
- INS Trikand was built by the Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad, Russia.
- INS Trikand was commissioned into the Indian Navy service on 29 June 2013.
Topic: Indian Economy
9. India's foreign exchange reserves gained their biggest weekly rise in the last 1 year.
- The foreign exchange reserve of India has risen by 14.72 billion dollars to 544.715 billion dollars.
- India's foreign exchange recorded its biggest weekly rise in the week that ended on 11 November.
- For the week ending October 28, the foreign exchange reserves had jumped 6.56 billion dollars to 531.08 billion dollars.
- The sharp increase is primarily due to an increase of $11.8 billion in the central bank’s foreign currency assets.
- The main reason for the increase in foreign exchange reserves is the weakening of the US dollar and purchases of dollars in the spot market by the central bank.
- Due to the softening of the prices of global crude and commodities the demand for the dollar has decreased.
- The rupee climbed 2.3% between October 21 and November 11.
- To ensure the rupee's stability, RBI sold a net of $10.3 billion in the spot market and another $9.7 billion in the forwards market in September.
Topic: Awards and Prizes
10. RINL won prestigious gold awards at the International Convention on Quality Control Circles (ICQCC).
- Three lean quality circle (LQC) teams from RINL's Visakhapatnam steel plant have bagged the "Gold Awards" at ICQCC-2022.
- The International Convention on Quality Control Circles (ICQCC-2022) was organized in Jakarta, Indonesia, from November 15–18, 2022.
- It has been organized by the Indonesia Quality Management Association (IQMA).
- It was organized under the "Building back better through quality efforts" theme.
- Teams of RINL presented their case studies in the competition conducted during the convention.
- The QC team "PROXY TECH" of the BF department bagged an "Excellence" award.
- Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL) is a navratna PSU under the Ministry of Steel. It runs the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.
Topic: National News
11. PM Modi will visit Arunachal Pradesh and UP to inaugurate Itanagar Airport & ‘Kashi Tamil Sangamam’ on November 19.
- He will inaugurate Arunachal Pradesh's first greenfield airport - Donyi Polo Airport, Itanagar- to enhance connectivity in the Northeast region.
- The airport's name shows the ancient indigenous regard to the Sun ('Donyi') and Moon ('Polo') in Arunachal Pradesh.
- The cost of development of the airport is 640 crores. It has a runway of 2300 meters and is well suited for all weather day operations.
- PM Modi will also dedicate 600 MW Kameng Hydro Power Station to the nation developed at a cost of more than Rs 8450 crores.
- The aim of this project is to transform Arunachal Pradesh into a power surplus state.
- In Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, a month-long programme, "Kashi Tamil Sangamam" will also be inaugurated by the PM Modi.
- The aim of this event is to celebrate and reaffirm the ancient links between Kashi and Tamil Nadu.
- The program is being implemented by IIT Madras and BHU.
Topic: Environment and Ecology
12. India has raised livelihood issues associated with the use of Boswellia serrata oleo-resin.
- On November 16, India raised this issue at the ongoing Conference of Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP19).
- In its submissions to the plant committee, India emphasized that any consideration of a genus-level listing for Boswellia is premature and should not be considered.
- Indian representatives stated that tree is abundant and well-maintained in India and Indian species of the tree does not require listings in any of the CITES Appendix.
- He said that people in rural areas and tribal communities depend on Boswellia for livelihood.
- Boswellia Serrata oleo-resin:
- Boswellia serrata oleo-resin trees are commonly referred to as Indian frankincense trees.
- These are found in the dry regions of India, Nigeria, Yemen, Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Pakistan and are members of the Burseraceae family.
- The tree is commercially important as its highly precious oleo gum resin is used to make essential oil.
- This essential oil is utilised in the food, flavour, and perfume industries.
- Significance of CITES listing:
- It helps prevent the loss of biodiversity, regulates trade in wildlife, conserve wildlife and ensures that species survive in the wild.
- It also makes sure that the local communities and indigenous peoples who depend on these species can prosper, have their livelihoods, and contribute to the economy.
Topic: Awards and Prizes
13. India has received the Leadership in Family Planning (EXCELL) Awards-2022 at ICFP 2022 held in Pattaya city, Thailand.
- India is the only country to have conferred the award in the 'country category' at the International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP).
- The award applauds India’s achievements in ensuring increased access and adoption of modern contraceptive methods.
- It also applauds India’s achievements in significantly reducing unmet needs for family planning.
- As per National Family Health Survey (NFHS) – 5 data, the overall Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) has increased substantially from 54% to 67% in the country.
- Unmet needs of family planning have also significantly declined from 13% to 9%.
- The total 'demand satisfied' for family planning among currently married women of 15-49 years of age has increased from 66% in 2015-16 to 76% in 2019-21.
- This has reached beyond the SDG target of 75 set globally for 2030.
- Mission Parivar Vikas is the government’s flagship programme to reduce unmet needs in family planning.
- It has been launched for increasing access to contraceptives and family planning services in146 high fertility districts with Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 3 and above in seven high focus states.
- Sixth International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP) was held in Thailand from 14-17 November 2022.
- ICFP is the world’s largest scientific conference on family planning and reproductive health.
(Source: PIB)
Topic: Personality in News
14. Lance Naik Manju became the first woman soldier skydiver of the Indian Army.
- She jumped from a height of 10,000 ft on 15th November 2022.
- She jumped off from Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv chopper.
- She belonged to the Eastern Command of the corps of Military Police.
- Skydiving training team of the Indian Army’s Adventure Wing trained her for the jump.
- Army Adventure Wing is part of the Indian Army under the Director General of Military training. It plans, coordinates and promotes adventure activities of the Indian Army.
- In May 2022, Captain Abhilasha Barak became the first woman officer to join the Army Aviation Corps as Combat Aviator.
- Last year, Mawya Sudan became first woman from J&K to become Indian Air Force's fighter pilot.
Important Days in News :
International Men’s Day: 19 November
- International Men’s Day (IMD) is celebrated annually on 19 November and “Helping men and boys” is the theme for International Men’s Day 2022.
- The day highlights the positive role models and raises awareness of men's well-being.
- It was started in 1992 by Thomas Oaster. It is celebrated in more than 70 countries across the world and is also celebrated in India.
National Integration Day
- The day is observed to mark the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi.
- She was the first woman Prime Minister of India. She was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1971.
- The aim of this day is to motivate people regarding unity, peace and brotherhood.
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