Daily Current Affairs and GK | 20 November 2025

Topic: Awards and Prizes

1. Art director Thota Tharani has been hpnored with the French government’s Chevalier rank title of The Order of Arts and Letters, or Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for this year.

• Several Indian artists have previously been honored with the Chevalier.
• They include Sivaji Ganesan, Balamuralikrishna, Kamal Haasan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and Kalki Koechlin.
• Thota Tharani is the sixth Indian film personality to join list of Indian artists honored with the Chevalier.
• Chevalier rank title comes after Commandeur and Officier, in the Order of Arts and Letters. It is the third of three ranks.
• Mrinal Sen, Sharmila Tagore, and Soumitra Chatterjee are the only three Indian film personalities with the Commandeur title.
• Only Indian film personality to be honored with the Officier rank is Shah Rukh Khan.
• Thota Tharani is known for his work in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi cinema. He was awarded Padma Shri in 2001. 
• Chevalier rank title of The Order of Arts and Letters is given to individuals making exceptional contributions in arts, literature, cinema, and culture.

Topic: Defence

2. Sagar Defence has won “Accelerating the Autonomous Robotics Revolution” challenge.

• Sagar Defence has won the challenge under the VISTA Track at Dubai Airshow 2025.
• It has got a USD 5,000 prize for its autonomous systems concept.
• Sagar Defence is an iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence) winner startup.
• It showcased “Genesis” as part of the startup vista challenge.
• This is a “boat-in-a-box” concept developed around  AI-driven, platform-agnostic module.
• It can be retrofitted onto existing vessels. It can make existing vessels semi-autonomous, fully autonomous or remotely operable.
• PM Modi launched iDEX in 2018. Under the iDEX initiative, over 650 startups and MSMEs are presently supported.
• 15 iDEX-supported startups took part in the Dubai Airshow
• These startups presented technologies in robotics, space systems, electronic warfare, autonomous aviation, and battlefield awareness.
• Dubai Airshow 2025 is the 19th edition of Dubai Airshow. It is being held from 17 November to 21 November at Dubai World Central.
• It features the Vista Startup Zone, providing mentorship, investor access and pitch platforms to startup and global visibility for their emerging technologies.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

3. An MoUs signed between TEC and IIIT Delhi for collaboration in telecom standardisation.

• On 19 November, the MoU between the Telecommunication Engineering Centre and IIIT Delhi was formally signed to strengthen joint studies, research and technical contributions in advanced telecom technologies.
• The aim of the partnership is to create India-specific standards and testing frameworks and promote collaborative research in telecom and ICT.
• It will also explore future network technologies like 6G, optical communication, and NTNs while strengthening India’s role in ITU-T study groups through national working groups.
• Key Areas of Collaboration:
  • The collaboration aims to expand India’s contribution to global standardisation bodies like ITU and 3GPP through indigenous expertise.
  • The partnership supports the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision by encouraging domestic research, design, manufacturing and secure communication systems.
  • The overall objective is to accelerate innovation, improve national capabilities and reduce dependence on imported telecom technologies.

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

4. A summit to boost Interoperable Digital Health Systems hosted by India.

• On 19th and 20th November 2025, the Regional Open Digital Health Summit was organised in New Delhi to promote interoperable and standards-based digital health ecosystems across the Global South.
• The National e-Governance Division of the Ministry of Electronics and IT, in collaboration with the National Health Authority (NHA), WHO-SEARO, and UNICEF, has organized the Summit.
• The aim of the summit was to build a robust digital public infrastructure to transform health systems in the South-East Asia region.
• It also aims to accelerate the adoption of an open, interoperable, and standards-based digital health ecosystem across the region.
• Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava outlined the country's journey in strengthening its digital health infrastructure through strong governance, open standards and emerging technologies.
• The Summit builds on the momentum of the first Open Digital Health Summit held in Nairobi (2024) and demonstrates India's commitment to advancing Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and WHO's Global Strategy on Digital Health.

Topic: State News/Bihar

5. Nitish Kumar sworn in as the Chief Minister of Bihar for a record tenth time.

• On 20 November, Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan administered the oath of office to Nitish Kumar as the Chief Minister of Bihar at Gandhi Maidan in Patna.
• Earlier on 19 November, Nitish Kumar was unanimously chosen as the leader of the NDA Legislature Party.
• His election followed the formal selection as leader of the JD(U) Legislature Party in a meeting with newly elected MLAs.
• Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha were elected again as leader and deputy leader of the BJP Legislature Party.
• The proposals for their leadership were placed by Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya acting as central observer.
• The oath-taking followed NDA’s landslide victory in the Assembly elections, where it secured 202 of 243 seats.
• Nitish Kumar became the Chief Minister for the first time in 2000, but it lasted only seven days.

Topic: Defence

6. Intellectual Property Rights for the New Coat Combat (Digital Print) secured by the Indian Army.

• The New Coat Combat (Digital Print) was introduced by the Indian Army in January 2025, marking a milestone in its ongoing journey towards modernisation, indigenisation, and improved soldier comfort.
• The new Coat Combat has been designed and developed by the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), New Delhi as a consultancy project under the Army Design Bureau.
• The three-layered garment incorporates advanced technical textiles and an ergonomic design tailored for diverse climatic and tactical conditions.
• Its outer layer includes a durable digital camouflage coat, supported by an insulated mid-layer and a thermal base layer.
• The design of the New Coat Combat (Digital Print) has been successfully registered by the Indian Army with the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks, Kolkata.
• The registration under Design Application No. 449667-001, dated 27 February 2025, was published in the Official Journal of the Patent Office on 07 October 2025.
• It provides legal protection against unauthorised production and commercial use.
• Any infringement of the design will lead to legal action under the Designs Act, Designs Rules and Patents Act.
• The uniform supports ongoing modernisation and indigenisation initiatives under the Army’s Decade of Transformation (2023–2032).
• It enhances soldier comfort, mobility and operational efficiency while strengthening national self-reliance.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

7. NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission and CFA Institute have entered into a strategic partnership.

• The partnership aims to boost financial literacy, governance across innovation ecosystem of India.
• The partnership was formalized through a Joint Statement of Intent, which was signed in New Delhi.
• As per NITI Aayog, the parnership is a step to strengthen ethical judgement and financial awareness.
• It is also a step towards strengthening governance standards across the growing innovation and entrepreneurial sector.
• Under the initiative, extensive support will be offered to Atal Tinkering Labs, Atal Incubation Centres, Atal Community Innovation Centres, and emerging startups.
• The partnership plans to roll out structured training programmes, specialized finance-education content, and global best-practice frameworks.
• These efforts will help nurture responsible, future-ready innovators.
• As part of the collaboration, students in Atal Tinkering Labs will get structured learning modules focused on financial literacy and ethics.
• CFA Institute:

• It is a global not-for-profit organization. It is headquartered in Virginia, US.
• It provides finance education for investment professionals.

Topic: Biotechnology and Diseases

8. Its first indigenous CRISPR-based gene therapy for sickle cell disease has been launched by India.

• Science and Technology Minister, Dr. Jitendra Singh launched CRISPR-based gene therapy for sickle cell disease.
• This disease mainly impacts tribal population of country. The therapy is called BIRSA 101.
• BIRSA 101 honours Birsa Munda on the occasion of his 150th birth anniversary.
• The launch of BIRSA 101 is a major milestone in India’s efforts to eliminate sickle cell disease.
• International therapies cost 20–25 crore rupees. This makes the newly developed therapy comparatively affordable.
• He highlighted the therapy’s importance for tribal regions in central and eastern India.
• He praised the strengthening collaboration between government research agencies and Indian industry, including the Serum Institute of India.
• CRISPR stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats.
• Sickle Cell Disease is a genetic red blood cells disorder in which RBCs have a deformed shape like a crescent that affects the level of haemoglobin in the body.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

9. The seventh meeting of the Colombo Security Conclave’s National Security Advisers convened in New Delhi on November 20, 2025.

• India’s NSA Ajit Doval hosted meeting and his counterparts from Member States.
• Security advisers from the Maldives, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh took part in the conclave.
• Seychelles took part as an observer. Malaysia participated as a special invitee.
• During the meeting, progress made under key collaborative areas was assessed.
• These areas include maritime security, counter-terrorism, anti-radicalization efforts, transnational crime prevention, cybersecurity, critical-infrastructure protection, and disaster-relief coordination.
• Delegates also deliberated on the planned roadmap for the year 2026.
• The Colombo Security Conclave was formed to deepen security cooperation among member nations.
• It also aims to bolster regional stability across the Indian Ocean.
• Colombo Security Conclave:

• It is a regional security grouping. It has India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and Mauritius as members.
• In the starting, it was called Trilateral for Maritime Security Cooperation. Its permanent secretariat is in Colombo.
• The sixth meeting of the Colombo Security Conclave’s National Security Advisers was convened in December 2023 in Mauritius. 

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

10. 21^st PM-KISAN installment worth ₹18,000 crore released by PM Modi in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.

• This will support nine crore farmers across the country.
• He inaugurated the South India Natural Farming Summit 2025 at the CODISSIA Trade Fair Complex in Coimbatore.
• The Prime Minister said that the agriculture sector has undergone major reforms over the past eleven years.
• He highlighted that agricultural exports have doubled.
• Modi stated that over ₹10 lakh crore has been disbursed to farmers through Kisan Credit Cards.
• He said reductions in GST on bio-fertilisers have eased farmers’ costs.
• The Prime Minister encouraged farmers to dedicate at least one acre for a season to natural-farming methods.
• Union Minister L. Murugan noted that 22 lakh farmers in Tamil Nadu have gained from the PM-KISAN Samman Nidhi scheme.
• Modi interacted with farmers at the event and honoured five experts in natural farming.
• He also toured an exhibition featuring organic produce, natural-farming innovations, and exemplary cultivation practices.
• Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana (PM-KISAN):

• It was launched on 24 February 2019. It is being implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
• It is a 100% centrally sponsored scheme. It is also known as Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana. It was announced during the interim budget of 2019.
• Under this scheme, Rs 6,000 per year is transferred by the Central Government in three equal installments of Rs 2000, to the bank accounts of the cultivable land holding farmer family having a land holding of up to 2 hectares.