Daily Current Affairs and GK | 20 and 21 November 2022

Topic: Important Days

1. World Fisheries Day: 21 November

• World Fisheries Day is celebrated every year on the 21st of November.
• It was created in 1997 when the “World Fisheries Forum” was formed by representatives from 18 countries in New Delhi.
• Its main aim is to draw attention towards overfishing, habitat destruction, and other serious threats.
• This day's celebration focuses on changing how the world manages global fisheries to ensure sustainable stocks and a healthy ecosystem.
• The Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, and National Fisheries Development Board celebrated World Fisheries Day at Swami Vivekanand Auditorium​, Daman.
• On this occasion, the government gave the award to the best-performing states/districts for the past three years for promoting sustainable fisheries.
• It will be given for the Inland, marine, Hilly and northeastern regions.
• The award will be given in the best Fisheries Enterprises, best Fisheries Cooperative societies, best Individual Entrepreneurs, best Hatchery, categories, etc.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Reports and Indices/Ranking

2. Several Uttar Pradesh districts have performed well in the latest rankings released on the Jal Jeevan Mission website.

• Shahjahanpur district topped all over the India in the “aspirant districts as well as best performing district” category in October.
• Bulandshahr, Bareilly and Mirzapur are other districts that have performed well.
• Bulandshahr is in second place in best performance category. It is placed third in the fast moving districts.
• Bareilly stood second in the best performing category and was third in the aspirant category. Mirzapur stood 2nd in the fast moving category.
• Three U.P. districts have performed well in field testing kits (FTK) training category.
• Shahjahanpur was ahead of all the districts in testing water and providing FTK training.
• In Jal Jeevan Survekshan-2023, districts across the country have been selected in various categories as given below.

Topic: Books and Authors

3. Ruskin Bond launched Gautaam Borah’s new book.

• The book is titled ‘Nalanada – Until we meet again’.
• Gautaam Borah is the author of widely praised book ‘Monetising Innovation’.
• He is a senior management professional. His new book is a story of romance, vengeance, and an age-old mystery. 

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

4. 21st World Congress of Accountants addressed by Union Minister Piyush Goyal in Mumbai.

• The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India is hosting 21st World Congress of Accountants (WCOA) 2022 in Mumbai in Hybrid mode.
• ‘Building Trust Enabling Sustainability’ is the theme for the WCOA 2022. It is being held from 18th to 21st November 2022.
• WCOA 2022 is platform for exchange of ideas through discussions for accounting, finance and business professionals.
• Over 6,000 professionals related to accountancy are attending WCOA 2022. They include more than 1800 foreign delegates from 100 nations.
• World Congress of Accountants (WCOA) is popularly known as the "Olympics of the Accountancy Profession”. 20th WCOA was held in Sydney, Australia in 2018.
• The WCOA 2022 has been organised by the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC).
• International Federation of Accountants (IFAC):
  • It was founded in 1977. It is the global organization for the accountancy profession.
  • It is comprised of 180 members and associates in 135 countries and jurisdictions.

Topic: Reports/ Indices/ Rankings

5. India improved its ranking by six places in terms of network preparedness.

• India has improved its ranking by six places in terms of network preparedness to take advantage of the opportunities arising out of information and communication technology in the economy.
• This information has been given in the recently published Network Readiness Index-2022 report.
• India has now reached the 61st position in this field.
• The United States topped the list with an overall score of 80.3. It is followed by Singapore with a score of 79.35 and Sweden with a score of 78.91.
• A report based on the 131 economies evaluates their performance in four areas: technology, people, governance, and influence.
• India has not only improved its ranking but also scored more points as compared to 2021, which increased from 49.7-4 to 51.1-9 percent.
• The report states that India has secured the first position in “artificial intelligence talent” and the second position in “mobile broadband internet in terms of domestic and international internet service”.
• India ranked third in terms of “annual investment in telecommunications communication services and the size of the domestic market”.
• India ranked fourth in “exports of information communication technology services”, and the fifth rank in “FTTH/Building Internet subscriptions' and “AI scientific publications”.
• The report has been prepared by the Portulence Institute, an independent research and educational organization based in Washington DC.

Topic: International News

6. India took over the chairmanship of “GPAI - Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence” from France on 21 November.

• Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar represented India at the GPAI meeting during the handover ceremony in Tokyo.
• In the meeting, India symbolically took over the reins of the presidency from France.
• In the Council Chair election, India received more than a two-third majority of first-preference votes, while Canada and the United States were ranked the next best two in the tally.
• Canada and the United States were elected to the two additional government seats on the Steering Committee.
• Japan (as Lead Council Chair and Co-Chair), France (as Outgoing Council Chair), India (as Incoming Council Chair), Canada, and the United States will hold the five government seats for the 2022–2023 Steering Committee.
• GPAI is an international program to promote the use of Artificial Intelligence in responsible and human-centered development.
• GPAI is an organization of 25 countries. Its members include countries like the USA, the UK, European Union, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, South Korea, and Singapore.
• India joined as a founder member of the GPAI in 2020.
• By 2035, artificial intelligence can boost India's economy by 967 billion US dollars.
• It is also expected to add US$450 to 500 billion to India's GDP by 2025, which is 10 per cent of the country's $5 trillion GDP target.

Topic: National Appointments

7. Arun Goel has been appointed as Election Commissioner.

• He has been appointed by the President. His appointment is with effect from the date he assumes office.
• He is a retired IAS officer of the Punjab cadre of the 1985 batch.
• He will join Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey in Election Commission.
• He is in line to be the next Chief Election Commissioner after Rajiv Kumar demits office in February 2025. He will be in the office till December 2027.
• A person can hold the office of an Election Commissioner or Chief Election Commissioner for six years or till the age of 65, whichever is earlier.

Topic: Important Days

8. World Television Day: 21 November

• World Television Day is celebrated every year on 21 November to highlight the value of television in globalization and communication.
• The United Nations General Assembly declared November 21 as World Television Day in 1996.
• On November 21 and 22 in 1996, the United Nations held the first World Television Forum.
• To mark its anniversary, the United Nations General Assembly adopted November 21 as World Television Day.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

9. Pratham gets the Indira Gandhi prize for work in the field of education.

• Pratham, an NGO functioning in the field of education, has received the Indira Gandhi Prize for 2021.
• Former Vice-President Hamid Ansari presented the Indira Gandhi Prize to Pratham for providing quality education to children, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Pratham used digital technology to provide quality education and launched programmes to provide skills to young adults.
• Indira Gandhi Prize:
  • It is also known as the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament, and Development.
  • It is given annually by the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust to individuals or organizations.
  • It is given in recognition of efforts toward promoting international peace, development, and a new international economic order.
  • It carries a cash award of 2.5 million Indian rupees and a citation.

Topic: State News/ Tripura

10. Tripura CM launched the ‘Amar Sarkar’ portal at the Muktadhara auditorium in Agartala.

• ‘Amar Sarkar’ portal will bridge the gap between people and the government.
• A total of 78 departments have been included in the web portal.
• The ‘Amar Sarkar’ web portal is a part of the government initiatives to adapt modern technology by the state government to reach out to common people.
• It is a platform for the Panchayat Secretaries, Rural Programme Secretaries, Village Secretaries, and Rural Programme Managers of various Gram Panchayats and Village Committees of Tripura to report various issues related to the Departments of the Government of Tripura.
• Earlier in September, the state government had launched the ‘Har Ghar Sushasan’ initiative. It was launched for the delivery of major central and state government-run schemes in mission mode.

Topic: State News/ Maharashtra

11. World Heritage Week 2022 will be celebrated from 19 to 25 November.

• The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will celebrate World Heritage Week at some famous sites in Aurangabad, Maharashtra from 19 November to 25 November.
• During this period, an exhibition of old photographs and drawings will be held at Cave No. 13 of Ellora.
• Classical dance performances will be held at Ellora, Daulatabad (Devagiri) Fort and Bibi Ka Maqbara on November 19, 20 and 25.
• The Ajanta and Ellora caves are included in World Heritage sites, while other highly preserved monuments in the region include the Daulatabad (Devagiri) Fort, Bibi Ka Maqbara, and the Aurangabad Caves.
• Entry to Archaeological Survey of India monuments will be free for all on November 19 to mark the beginning of World Heritage Week.
• World Heritage Day is celebrated every year on 18 April.
• In 1972, UNESCO's member states adopted the World Heritage Convention.
• This World Heritage Convention has been ratified by 191 State Parties, including India.
• The Convention was officially ratified by India on November 14, 1977.

Topic: Miscellaneous

12. No Shave November is an initiative to raise cancer awareness.

• No Shave November is an initiative that is brought up every year as the winter season approaches.
• It is an initiative in which a person does not perform shaving/ grooming activities but allows them to grow with the aim of raising awareness about cancer.
• For many years, no-shave November has been a tradition, but in 2009, the Chicago-based Hill family decided to reinvent the activity.
• The motive behind this was to raise funds for the charity. Currently, Matthew Hill Foundation is working for the cause.
• A similar initiative is “Movember”, which is based on men growing out their moustaches in November.
• The movement gained momentum over time and began to address a variety of male health issues, such as prostate cancer, mental health issues, testicular cancer.
• Movember has grown into a community where both men and women can take part. The men are called Mo Brothers and the women are called Mo Sisters.
• About $12 million has been raised through the "No Shave November" initiative, and $87.9 million from "Movember", for cancer awareness, research, and prevention.
• In India, various schemes were launched to fight cancer at the national level as well as at the state level as well.
• National Program for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) has been implemented up to the district level.
• National Cancer Grid (NCG) was established which is a network comprising cancer centres, research institutes, patient groups and charitable organizations across the country.
• NCG established the Koita Centre for Digital Oncology (KCDO) with an aim to promote the use of digital technologies and tools to improve cancer care across India in August 2022.

Topic: Banking System

13. Government has raised the maximum tenure of the Managing Director and other whole-time directors of PSU Banks to 10 years.

• Finance Ministry issued a notification on 17 November to amend Nationalised Banks (Management and Miscellaneous Provisions) Scheme, 1970.
• The maximum tenure of the Managing Director and other whole-time directors of PSBs has been raised from 5 years to 10 years, while the superannuation (retirement) age has been retained at 60.
• Earlier, the maximum tenure of an MD or the executive director of a PSU bank was 5 years or until they reach 60, whichever was earlier.
• Government appoints Managing Directors from Whole-time Directors (WTD) of public sector banks.
• Financial Services Institutions Bureau (FSIB) recommends the names of Whole-time Directors (WTDs).

Topic: Indian Economy

14. India’s GDP is likely to grow at a growth rate of about 7% in 2022-23 according to a RBI report.

• As per the RBI report, India’s GDP is expected to grow at a growth rate between 6.1% and 6.3% in the June-September quarter of the current fiscal.
• In its report, RBI said that the Indian Economy has shown resilience to multiple shocks since early 2020. However, India is still sensitive to global headwinds.
• RBI has released the seventh edition of its statistical publication titled “Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2021-22”.
• This seventh edition incorporates two new sections-Health and Environment. It also incorporates nine new tables.