Daily Current Affairs and GK | 21 and 22 November 2021

Topic: Important Days

1. World Television Day: 21 November

• World Television Day is observed every year on 21 November.
• The United Nations General Assembly had 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.
• It is observed to mark the anniversary of the first World Television Forum. It is celebrated to highlight the value of television in globalization and communication.
• Philo Taylor Farnsworth invented the first electronic television in 1927.
• The first Colour TV was introduced in the market in 1954. In India, the first TV channel was introduced in 1959 by Doordarshan.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

2. President Kovind presented Swachh Survekshan 2021 awards at Swachh Amrit Mahotsav.

• President Ram Nath Kovind presented Swachh Survekshan 2021 awards at Swachh Amrit Mahotsav in New Delhi.
• Indore has been awarded as India's Cleanest City for 5th time in a row.
• Surat and Vijaywada received the second and third Best Clean City awards. Varanasi has been selected as the Cleanest Ganga Town.
• Chhattisgarh was given the Cleanest State award. Jharkhand gets the second Best Clean State award.
• President Kovind appreciated the ‘Safai Mitra Suraksha Challenge' initiative of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
• The government has created more than three thousand 300 ODF Plus cities. Municipal Solid Waste processing has increased almost four-fold time since 2014.
• Prime Minister had launched Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban 2.0 for making all cities waste-free by 2026.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched Swachh Bharat Mission on 15th August 2014.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

3. Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin completed its five years.

• Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin has completed its five-year on 20th November 2021.
• PMAY-G was launched on 20th November 2016. It aims to complete 2.95 crore PMAY-G houses with all basic amenities by 2022.
• Around 7,775 crore rupees have been allocated to the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin for the Financial Year 2021-22.
• Apart from building houses for the eligible beneficiaries, PMAY-G also addresses the basic needs of households through convergence with other government schemes.
• Under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G), 92% target of completion has been achieved in the 1^st phase of the scheme i.e. from 2016-17 to 2018-19.

Topic: Important Days

4. World Fisheries Day: 21 November

• Worldwide every year 21 November is observed as World Fisheries Day by the fisherfolk communities from 1997.
• It is dedicated to raise the importance of healthy ocean ecosystems and ensure sustainable fisheries across the world.
• The World Fisheries consortium was established in 1997. This forum is famously known as WFF (World Fisheries Forum).
• World Fisheries Day was first celebrated on 21 November 2015.
• SDG 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development

Topic: State News/Manipur

5. Foundation stone of Rani Gaidinliu Tribal Freedom Fighters Museum in Manipur laid by HM Amit Shah.

• Foundation stone of Rani Gaidinliu Tribal Freedom Fighters Museum in Manipur has been laid by Home Minister Amit Shah via video conferencing.
• Rani Gaidinliu Tribal Freedom Fighters Museum will be set up at Luangkao village in Manipur's Tamenglong district.
• Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs has sanctioned the project at an estimated cost of 15 crore rupees.
• Luangkao Village in Tamenglong District is the birthplace of renowned freedom fighter Rani Gaidinliu.
• Ministry of Tribal Affairs is celebrating Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav week starting on 15th November. 15th November was launched by PM Modi as Janjatiya Gaurav Divas.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Defence

6. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh commissioned indigenously developed missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam.

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh commissioned the indigenously developed missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam into Indian Navy at Naval Dockyard in Mumbai on November 21, 2021.
• INS Visakhapatnam is the first stealth-guided missile destroyer ship of Project 15B.
• It has been designed by the Indian Navy’s in-house organisation Directorate of Naval Design and constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Mumbai.
• It is 163m in length, 17m in breadth with a displacement of 7,400 tonnes. It can be regarded as one of the most potent warships to have been constructed in India.
• It is propelled by four powerful Gas Turbines. It is capable of achieving speeds in excess of 30 knots.
• It is equipped to fight under Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) warfare conditions. It is named after the historic city of Visakhapatnam.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Important Days

7. World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.

• World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims is observed every third Sunday in November each year.
• This year, World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims was observed on 21 November.
• It was started in 1993 by RoadPeace, a charity for road crash victims in the UK.
• In 2005, United Nations endorsed it as a global day of acknowledgement for victims of road traffic injuries and their families.
• As per World Health Organization (WHO), theme for World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims is “Remember. Support. Act.”
• World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims 2021 places the spotlight on the reduction of traffic speeds.
• South Africa’s Road Traffic Infringement Agency celebrated World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims 2021 with the theme “act for low speeds on our roads/ act for low speed streets”.
• The decade 2021-2030 has been proclaimed by UN General Assembly as Decade of Action for Road Safety.

Topic: Books and Authors

8. Union Minister of Women and Child Development Smriti Zubin Irani writes her first novel titled ‘Lal Salaam’.

• Union Minister of Women and Child Development Smriti Zubin Irani has written her first novel titled ‘Lal Salaam’.
• The novel will be published on November 29. It is inspired by killings of 76 CRPF personnel in Dantewada, Chhattisgarh in April 2010.
• It is a tribute to exceptional persons who have given service in confronting the challenges in the red corridor. It is the story of a young officer, Vikram Pratap Singh.

Topic: State news/Uttar Pradesh

9. Ganga Expressway project in Uttar Pradesh has received environmental approval.

• The Uttar Pradesh Government's ambitious Ganga Expressway project, which connects Meerut and Prayagraj districts, has received environmental approval.
• Projects covered under a 2006 notification by the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change are required to obtain environmental clearance before commencing work under the project.
• The approval has paved the way for the construction of the country's longest expressway, of which more than 90 percent of the land acquisition has been completed.
• The 594-kilometer Ganga Expressway project has already begun the tender process. The project's estimated cost is 36,230 crore rupees.
• The expressway will start from Meerut-Bulandshahr highway at Bijauli in Meerut district and end at Prayagraj bypass near Judapur Dandu village in Prayagraj district.

(Source: News on Air)

Topic: State news/Manipur

10. Ministry of Textiles Piyush Goyal announced the setting up of a handloom village in Moirang, Manipur.

• The Ministry of Textiles has decided to establish a Handloom Village at Moirang, Manipur, according to Union Minister of Textiles Piyush Goyal.
• In the inaugural ceremony of the Thematic Exhibition of Crafts and distribution of Pehchan Cards in Imphal, the Union Minister who arrived for a two-day visit to the State announced the establishment of a Handloom Village.
• Shri Piyush Goyal, speaking at the event, stated that India is celebrating Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to commemorate the 75th year of Independence.
• The city of Moirang in Manipur is significant in the history of India's freedom movement since it was here that the Netaji Subhas Chandra-led Indian National Army (INA) flew the tricolour flag during the Second World War's Imphal Campaign.
• During the opening ceremony, he stated that an INA Museum is located in Moirang, and tourists from all over the world visit the museum.

(Source: News on Air)

Topic: State news/Andhra Pradesh

11. Vijayawada ranked third cleanest city in the country, according to Swachh Survekshan 2021.

• In the Swachh Survekshan 2021, Vijayawada has ranked third place as the cleanest city in the country and has also received the tag of "Garbage Free City" with a five-star rating.
• Vijayawada is the only city in Andhra Pradesh to have got a five star rating.
• Vijayawada has been also listed in the "Water Plus Cities" category. It has also received the Gold category's "Prerak Dauur Samman Award."
• Vijayawada has risen from sixth place in 2020 to third place this year.

(Source: News on Air)

Topic: State News/ Assam

12. On World Children's Day, the Assam Police Department ran a campaign "'Goes Blue".

• On World Children's Day 2021, the Assam Police Headquarters and Guwahati Police Commissionerate have run a campaign name 'Goes Blue,' reaffirming their commitment to protecting children's rights.
• Every year 20 November is celebrated as World Children's Day. UNICEF, the UN Agency that deals with Child Rights globally, started the ‘Go Blue’ campaign.
• The Blue colour has been used to illuminate iconic landmarks around the world, indicating solidarity with the protection of children's rights around the world.
• The Assam Police Department's Sishu Mitra Program is one of India's largest child-friendly policing initiatives, which began in 2019.
• The Assam Police, UNICEF, and UTSAH Child Rights Organization jointly run this program.
• On World Children's Day, the Assam Police Headquarters, Guwahati Police Commissioner's Office, and four police stations, Azara, Bashishtha, Pan Bazar, and Jalukbari (New), all had turned Blue colour.