Daily Current Affairs and GK | 20 November 2024

Topic: Miscellaneous

1. Harbhajan Singh has been appointed as the ambassador for sports in Dubai.

• Indian cricket legend Harbhajan Singh has been appointed as Dubai's Sports Ambassador by the Dubai Sports Council.
• This is a significant step towards the emirate's commitment towards developing its sports infrastructure and culture.
• With this, Harbhajan joined other eminent sports personalities including Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) legend Khabib Nurmagomedov, tennis star Sania Mirza and football icon Patrice Evra as ambassadors of Dubai Sports Council.
• Harbhajan Singh, who has represented India in over 100 Test matches and taken over 700 international wickets across formats, will bring his vast experience and global influence to this prestigious role.
• The former Indian off-spinner has joined an elite panel of international sports ambassadors tasked with enhancing Dubai's status as a global sports hub.

Topic: Sports

2. West Bengal won the team title at the 4th National Finswimming Championship.

• West Bengal swimmers showcased complete dominance at the 4th National Finswimming Championships 2024.
• West Bengal won the team championship title with 151 medals including 67 gold, 43 silver and 41 bronze.
• Karnataka finished runners-up, far behind with a total of 50 medals. Their swimmers won 17 gold, 18 silver and 15 bronze medals.
• Uttarakhand secured third position with 21 medals including 8 gold, 6 silver and 7 bronze medals.
• Haryana also won 21 medals (6 gold, 10 silver and 5 bronze), but finished fourth due to winning 2 gold less than Uttarakhand.
• Dronacharya awardee hockey coach AK Bansal, the chief guest of the closing ceremony, presented trophies and medals to the winners.
• The three-day championship was organised by the Underwater Sports Federation of India (USFI) in collaboration with the Physical Education Foundation of India.
• 1500 participants from 26 states and union territories took part in this championship.

Topic: Summit/Conference/Meeting

3. The 19th G20 summit concluded and Brazil handed over the presidency to South Africa.

• The 19th G20 summit concluded with Brazilian President Lula da Silva handing over the presidency to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on 19 November.
• In his closing remarks, President Lula talked about the various initiatives taken during his Brazilian presidency.
• These initiatives include launching a global alliance against hunger and poverty, initiating an unprecedented debate on taxation, putting climate change on the agenda of finance ministries and central banks, and approving the first multilateral document on the bioeconomy.
• Calling action for reforms to make global governance more effective and representative, and establishing dialogue with society through G-20 Social, are also among the initiatives.
• Key actions include establishing a Women’s Empowerment Working Group, proposing an 18th SDG for racial equality, committing to triple global renewable energy capacity by 2030, and forming a coalition for local vaccine and medicine production.
• After South Africa's presidency, all G20 countries will have led the group at least once.
• The 19th G20 Summit was started on 18th November 2024 in Brazil.

Topic: International News

4. Modi became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Guyana in 56 years.

• On 20 November, Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Guyana, the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the South American country in 56 years.

• Guyana President Mohamed Irfaan Ali welcomed him with unprecedented warmth at the Georgetown Airport.
• He will also attend the 2nd India-CARICOM (Caribbean Community and Common Market) Summit with leaders of Caribbean partner countries.
• He will co-chair the summit with Grenada Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell.
• The summit aims to strengthen bilateral relations between CARICOM and India, focusing on areas such as energy and infrastructure, agriculture and food security, health and pharmaceuticals, as well as technology and innovation.
• India and Guyana share a long-term development partnership in various sectors including health, connectivity, renewable energy and defence.
• Recent initiatives include the delivery of a seagoing yacht built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers, the provision of two HAL 228 aircraft under a line of credit, solar lighting systems for 30,000 indigenous families, and the training of 800 Guyanese professionals in India under the ITEC programme.

Topic: Miscellaneous

5. Meta fined ₹213.14 crore by CCI over 2021 WhatsApp privacy policy.

• On November 18, social media giant Meta was fined Rs 213.14 crore by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) over the 2021 WhatsApp privacy policy update.
• CCI has said that sharing of user data collected on WhatsApp with other meta companies or products for purposes other than providing WhatsApp services will not be made a pre-condition for users to access the WhatsApp service in India.
• In January 2021, WhatsApp informed users about updates to its terms of service and privacy policies.
• The in-app notification, effective February 8, 2021, stated that users were required to accept these terms to continue using the instant messaging application.
• This included expanded scope of data collection and mandatory data sharing with Meta companies.
• In the previous privacy policy, users had the option to decide whether they wanted to share their data with Facebook or not.
• However, with the latest policy update in 2021, WhatsApp made it mandatory for all users to share data with Meta, removing the old option to opt out.
• As a result, users had to accept the new terms to continue using the platform, which includes sharing data with Meta.

Topic: Sports

6. In the Hockey India-14th Senior National championship final, Odisha defeated Haryana 5-1 to win its first gold.

• The SDAT-Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium served as the venue for the final.
• After losing to Punjab in the previous summit match, Haryana suffered its second straight loss.
• Earlier, Uttar Pradesh won the bronze medal after defeating Manipur 2-1.
• The goalkeeper Sahil Kumar Nayak and the rushers Kerobin Lakra and Amit Kumar Topno of Odisha shown great agility by interfering with Haryana's penalty corners.
• Haryana lost the game because of Shilanand's three goals in the fourth and final quarter.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

7. Coal India Ltd received Green World Awards 2024 in London.

• Coal India Ltd (CIL) won Green World Environment Award in the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) category.
• The award has been given to CIL for Thalassemia Bal Sewa Yojna for permanent curative treatment of over 600 Thalassemia patients.
• In 2017, CIL became the first Public Sector Undertakings to take up the CSR project for curative treatment of Thalassemia through Bone Marrow Transplant.
• As part of this scheme, CIL provides financial assistance upto Rs. 10 lakh for Bone Marrow Transplant.
• The award was given by The Green Organization, an independent, non-political, non-profit environment group.
• This organisation is dedicated to recognizing, rewarding and promoting environmental best practices and CSR around the world.
• CIL produces over 80% of India’s overall coal. It contributes to 70% of the total coal-based power generation.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

8. National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) signed a MoU with the RSSDI.

• The MoU has been signed to advance quality and consistency of diabetes care in India.
• As part of the MoU, NABH and RSSDI will collaborate to enhance NABH’s Accreditation Standards for Allopathic Clinics for specific needs of diabetes care.
• They will develop digital health standards for Clinic Management Systems (CMS) for better management of diabetes care.
• RSSDI will promote certification of NABH’s Allopathic Clinic Accreditation Standards across its member base.
• According to Shri. Rizwan Koita, Chairperson of NABH, Diabetes impacts more than 250 million people across India.
• National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) is a constituent body of Quality Council of India (QCI).
• It was set up in 2005 to establish and operate accreditation programs for healthcare organizations in India.
• Research Society for the Study of Diabetes in India (RSSDI) is India’s largest professional body representing over 12,000 diabetes care providers across the country.
• It is recognized by IDF (International Diabetes Federation).

Topic: Miscellaneous

9. On November 20, the 55th edition of the International Film Festival kicked off with a grand ceremony in Goa.

• This grand event will continue till 28th November.
• The grand opening ceremony of the event took place at Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium.
• The festival kicked off with the red carpet premiere of the opening film ‘Better Man’, directed by Australian filmmaker Michael Gracey.
• On this occasion, Chief Minister of Goa, Dr. Pramod Sawant welcomed the guests to the beautiful coastal state of Goa, where IFFI is being organised since 2004.
• The opening ceremony was hosted by popular film personalities Abhishek Banerjee and Bhumi Pednekar.
• This year's IFFI will feature Australia as the focus country.
• The special '90s Rewind: Dance Explosion' will bring back nostalgia with electrifying performances on iconic Bollywood hits.
• While a poetic tribute, "Timeless Souls", will honour cinematic legends like Raj Kapoor, ANR and Mohammed Rafi through visuals, music and poetry.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Defence

10. Multi Agency Disaster Relief Exercise 'Sanyukt Vimochan 2024' successfully conducted by the Indian Army.

• On 18-19 November 2024, the Multilateral Annual Joint Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Exercise, 'Sanyukt Vimochan 2024' successfully conducted by the Indian Army.
• Organised by the Konark Corps of Southern Command of the Indian Army, the exercise was conducted over two days in Ahmedabad and Porbandar in Gujarat.
• Chief of Army Staff, General Upendra Dwivedi attended this important event which showcased India's disaster response preparedness.
• The opening ceremony of the exercise at Ahmedabad included a discussion-based session i.e. ta Table Top Exercise on Emergency, Disaster or Crisis Response on the theme 'Cyclone in Coastal Region of Gujarat' on 18 November.
• Representatives from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority (GSDMA), Meteorological Department and FICCI as well as officials from the Indian Armed Forces also attended the event.
• On the second day, 19 November 2024, a Multi-Agency Capability demonstration event was held at Chowpatty beach in Porbandar.

Topic: Geography

11. 'Bomb cyclone' is set to hit the west coast of America.

• A powerful 'bomb cyclone' driven by a Category 5 atmospheric river is forecast to hit the US west coast this week.
• This storm poses a risk of strong winds, devastating floods and heavy snowfall in the mountains.
• Intense mid-latitude storms are expected to impact areas from Washington state to Oregon and northern California between November 19 and 21, potentially affecting millions of residents.
• Experts also warn that more than eight trillion gallons of rain will accumulate in states like California.
• What is Bomb Cyclone?

• Atmospheric rivers are narrow atmospheric corridors capable of transporting massive amounts of moisture.
• These form when cold Arctic air meets warm, tropical air, causing heavy rainfall.
• Meanwhile, a "bomb cyclone" forms when a cold air mass collides with a warm air mass, causing the storm to intensify rapidly and increasing the risk of violent winds and coastal flooding.
• Bomb cyclones were named in the 1980s by meteorologists who associated sudden, intense changes in weather with bomb explosions.

(Source: DD News)

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

12. On November 18, 2024, the Grievance Redressal Assessment and Index (GRAI) 2023 launched by Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh.

• The Grievance Redressal Assessment and Index (GRAI) was conceptualized and designed by DARPG, Government of India based on the recommendation of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.
• It aims to present a comparative picture organization-wise and provide valuable information regarding the strengths and areas of improvement in the grievance redressal mechanism.
• The first edition of GRAI 2022 was released on 21 June 2023.
• 89 central ministries and departments were assessed and ranked based on a comprehensive index across the dimensions of (1) Efficiency, (2) Feedback, (3) Domain and (4) Organizational Commitment and related 11 indicators.
• To calculate the index, data between January and December 2023 was used from the Centralised Public Grievance Redressal and Management System (CPGRAMS).
• There are 28 ministries/departments in Group A with registered grievances exceeding 10,000, 33 ministries/departments in Group B with registered grievances ranging from 2,000 to 9,999, and 28 ministries/departments in Group C with registered grievances fewer than 2,000.
• In Group A, the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare topped the ranking, followed by the Department of Posts.
• In Group B, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India topped the ranking, followed by the Department of Land Resources.
• In Group C, the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management and the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region secured first and second positions respectively.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

13. National Workshop on Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Urban 2.0 inaugurated by Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs and Power, Manohar Lal in New Delhi on 18 November.

• The workshop was organised by the Ministry in partnership with Housing and Urban Development Corporation Ltd (HUDCO).
• The Minister spoke about Affordable Rental Housing which has been introduced as a separate vertical for the first time in a housing scheme.
• The workshop was centred on the theme of implementation of PMAY-U 2.0.
• PMAY-U 2.0 is currently in the implementation phase. Over 25 States/UTs have signed the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
• HUDCO is a Central Nodal Agencies (CNA) for implementation of Interest Subsidy Scheme (ISS) vertical of the Scheme.
• About 90 lakh houses have been constructed under PMAY-U.
• PMAY-U 2.0 was approved by the Union Cabinet in August 2024.
• It was launched by Hon’ble Prime Minister Modi in September 2024.
• It aims to provide pucca houses to 1 crore people of urban India.
• PMAY-U 2.0 will address the affordable housing requirement in urban areas through four verticals.
• The four verticals are Beneficiary-Led Construction (BLC), Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP), Affordable Rental Housing (ARH) and Interest Subsidy Scheme (ISS).

Topic: Important Days

14. Naturopathy Day: 18 November

• Naturopathy Day is celebrated on 18 November, the day on which Mahatma Gandhi became a Life Member of the Nature Cure Foundation Trust and signed the deed. 
• Naturopathy Day is celebrated every year since 2018 in India.
• Gandhi Ji is considered the founding figure of Naturopathy in India.
• This year, 7th Naturopathy Day was celebrated on 18 November.
• Naturopathy had its roots in 19th-century Germany.
• John Schell first used the term ‘naturopathy’ in 1895.
• Benedict Lust popularised it in the U.S. Benedict Lust is known as the 'Father of Modern Naturopathy'.
• When German nutritionist Louis Kuhne translated The New Science of Healing, naturopathy became well-known in India.
• Dronamraju Venkatachalapathy Sarma translated it into Telugu for the first time in 1894.
• Shri Shroti Kishan Swaroop translated it into Hindi and Urdu in 1904.