Daily Current Affairs and GK | 22 and 23 November 2020

Topic: National News

1. NCC celebrated its 72^nd Raising Day.

• NCC has celebrated its 72^nd Raising Day on 22 November.
• It is observed to salute the martyrs who have sacrificed their lives for society.
• It started by paying homage at the National War Memorial in Delhi.
• NCC cadets have played a crucial role in the fight against the Covid-19.
• NCC cadets and officers have organized many activities, including ‘Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat’, ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and ‘Fit India’.
• In society, they play a vital role in spreading awareness about various initiatives of the government.
• National Cadets Corps:
  • It was formed under the National Cadets Corps Act 1948.
  • It is a tri-service voluntary organization aimed at giving military training to the youths from high and higher secondary schools, colleges and universities. 
  • Director-General: Rajeev Chopra
  • Motto: Unity and Discipline

2. Conference organized to mark the 3^rd Anniversary of UMANG.

• To mark the 3^rd anniversary of UMANG and 2000+ services, an online conference has been organized under Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad’s chairmanship.
• During the event, the international version of UMANG was launched for USA, UK, Canada, Australia, UAE, Netherlands, Singapore, and New Zealand. It will enable people living outside India to avail the services of the Government of India.
• UMANG App or Unified Mobile Application for New Age Governance:
  • It is an integrated, multi-channel and multi-service mobile app.
  • It was launched in 2017 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
  • Its main aim is to provide major Government services to citizens simply and effortlessly.
  • Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and National e-Governance Division has developed this app.
  • It has received ‘Best m-Government service’ award at the 6^th World Government Summit.

3. India International Cherry Blossom Festival cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic.

• India International Cherry Blossom Festival, which was scheduled to be held in Shillong, has been cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic.
• Every year India International Cherry Blossom festival host many events of fitness art, fashion show, rock concerts, etc.
• The India International Cherry Blossom Festival is organised by the Government of Meghalaya every year in the wake of the Himalayan cherry blossom in the East Khasi hills and in Shillong.
• It is celebrated by the local people as to mark the beginning of India’s version of autumn.  
• Cherry blossom is a flower of many trees of genus Prunus.
• Meghalaya:
  • Meghalaya is a hilly state in northeast India.
  • It is bounded by the Indian state of Assam to the north and north-east and Bangladesh to the south and south-west.
  • Capital: Shillong
  • Governor: Satya Pal Malik
  • Chief Minister: Conrad Sangma

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Agriculture and Allied Sectors

4. Many Food Processing Projects have been approved by the Government of India.

• The Government has approved 28 Food Processing Projects in 10 states of India.
• These projects are approved under the Scheme of Creation and Expansion of Food Processing and Preservation Capacities (CEFPPC).
• The project will generate employment and create a processing capacity of 1237 metric tonnes in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Assam, and Manipur.
• Food and Processing Industries Minister is Narendra Singh Tomar.
• Creation and Expansion of Food Processing and Preservation Capacities (CEFPPC):
  • It is launched by the Ministry of Food and Processing Industries in 2017.
  • Its main objective is to develop processing and preservation capacities and modernization/ expansion of existing food processing units in the country. It will also set up new Food and Processing units for capacity-building.

Topic:  Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings/

5. India to host G20 summit in 2023.

• G20 leaders have announced that India will host G20 summit in 2023.
• Ealier, it was decided at the G20 summit held in Osaka, Japan, in 2019 that Saudi Arabia will host G20 summit in 2019 and India will host it in 2022.  
• G20 leader have announced at the 15^th G20 summit held at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia that Indonesia will be the host for G20 summit to be held in 2022.
• Italy will host G20 summit in 2021 and Brazil will host G20 summit in 2024.
• The G 20 leaders have conveyed their support for Anti-Money Laundering (AML)/Counter-Terrorist Financing (CFT) policy responses in FATF’s paper on COVID-19.
• In May 2020, FATF had issued a paper titled as on COVID-19-related Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Risks and Policy Responses.
• G20 leaders also repeated their support for the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and commitment to strengthen FATF’s Global Network of regional bodies.
• G20 leaders also said that they will make every effort to ensure affordable and equitable access to COVID-19 medicines and vaccines for all.

Topic: Art and Culture

6. 1300-year old Hindu temple discovered in North West Pakistan.

• A 1300-year old Hindu temple has been discovered by Pakistani and Italian archaeological experts at Barikot Ghundai in North West Pakistan.
• The discovered temple is of Lord Vishnu and was built 1300 year ago during the Hindu Shahi period.
• Hindu Shahis or Kabul Shahis was a Hindu dynasty during 850-1026 CE.
• It ruled over Kabul Valley in eastern Afghanistan, Gandhara in modern-day Pakistan and present-day northwestern India.
• The archeologists have found traces of cantonment and watchtowers near site of temple. They also discovered a water tank used for bathing before worship.
• The traces of Hindu Shahi period have been found for the first time in Swat district, which is home to thousand-year-old archaeological sites and several places of worship of Buddhism.
• The temples are also first temple of the Ghandhara civilisation discovered in Swat district. 
• Barikot is a town in Swat district of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.

(Source: The Hindu)

Topic: Environment and Ecology

7. The Mystery behind Meghalaya’s glowing mushrooms.

• A new light emitting variety of mushroom is found in East Khasi Hills of Meghalaya. It is one of the 97 known bioluminescent fungi in the world.
• It was found during the expedition of an NGO Balipara Foundation and Kunming Institute of Botany.
• It is named as Roridomyces phyllostachydis because it belongs to the Roridomyces genus. It is India’s first species of Roridomyces genus.
• It is unique because it is the only member of Roridomyces genus to have the light emitting properties of its stipe or stalk.
• Bioluminescence:
  • It is the property of Animals, plants, fungi and bacteria to produce and emit light. Bioluminescent organisms are generally found in the Oceans and the colour of light depend upon the chemical properties of the organism.
  • The fungi produce light when luciferans is catalysed by the enzyme luciferase in the presence of oxygen.
  • There are many theories about this light-emitting property of organisms which include a method to protect itself from frugivorous, and for attracting insects.

(Source: Indian Express)

Topic: Awards and Prizes

8. Awards were given on the Occasion of World Fisheries Day.

• ‘World Fisheries Day 2020’ was celebrated on 21 November by the Department of Fisheries at NASC Complex in New Delhi.
• The Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying has given different awards to states:
  • Uttar Pradesh has got the best performing award in inland fisheries sector.
  • Odisha has got the award for best-performing state among the Marine states.  
  • Assam has been awarded to the best performing state among the Hilly and NE states.
  • Tamil Nadu Fisheries Development Corporation Ltd has won the best Organisation award in the marine category.
  • Telangana State Fishermen Cooperative societies Federation Ltd and Assam Apex Cooperative Fish Marketing and Processing Federation Ltd won the best Organisations award in the hilly region category.
  • Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh has got the best Marine District of India award.
  • Kalahandi district of Odisha has won the award of best Inland District of India.
  • Nagaon, Assam has got the best Hilly and NE District of India award.
• Many other awards were also given on this occasion which include awards for best performing Fisheries Cooperative Societies, best Individual entrepreneurs, best Marine and Inland Fish Farmer etc.

Topic: Sports

9. Indian Navy MDL Cup will begin on 22 November at Mumbai.

• The Indian Navy MDL Cup 2020 will be conducted under the Yachting Association of India (YAI) for all Senior Olympic classes.
• In this event, 12 sailing clubs will participate in four classes of boats. For the first time, in the category of 'Senior Nationals' 470 mixed class will participate in the race.
• Indian Naval Watermanship Training Centre is organizing IN-MDL Cup and National Yachting Championship at Mumbai from 22 November.
• The word associated with sailing are Bow, Clew, Head Up, Jibbing, Leech, etc.
• Nehru Trophy, America's Cup, One Ton Cup are some prominent Trophies associated with sailing.

Topic: Defense

10. SITMEX-20 exercise concluded in Andaman Sea and SIMBEX-20 exercise to take place in same area from 23 to 25 November. 

• SITMEX-20 exercise has been concluded in Andaman Sea on 22 November and SIMBEX-20 will take place in in Andaman Sea from 23 to 25 November.
• SITMEX-20 is a naval exercise between navies of India, Thailand and Singapore and SIMBEX-20 is bilateral maritime exercise between India and Singapore.
• SITMEX-20 was held on 21 and 22 November. It was hosted by Singapore Navy. The participants in the exercise are given below:
  • Anti-Submarine Warfare corvette INS Kamorta deployed by Indian Navy
  • Missile corvette INS Karmuk deployed by Indian Navy
  • ‘Formidable’ Class frigate ‘Intrepid’ deployed by Singapore Navy
  • ‘Endurance’ Class Landing Ship Tank ‘Endeavour’ deployed by Singapore Navy
  • 'Chao Phraya’ Class frigate ‘Kraburi’  deployed by Royal Thai Navy
• Indian Navy is deploying following submarine and aircraft for SIMBEX-20:
  • Destroyer INS Rana with its integral Chetak helicopter
  • INS Kamorta and INS Karmuk are already in the area
  • Submarine INS Sindhuraj
  • P8I maritime reconnaissance aircraft

• SIMBEX AND SITMEX:
  • Singapore India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX) is an annual exercise being held since 1994. SIMBEX-20 is the 27^th edition of SIMBEX.
  • Indian Navy had hosted first edition of SITMEX. It was held off Port Blair in September 2019. SITMEX-20 is second edition of SITMEX. Singapore Navy hosted it.

(Source: The Hindu)

Topic: Sports

11. Russian Daniil Medvedev defeats Dominic Thiem and wins ATP Finals title.

• Russian Daniil Medvedev has defeated Dominic Thiem and won ATP Finals title.
• He has become first Russian to win ATP Finals title since Nikolay Davydenko. Nikolay Davydenko won the title when O2 Arena in London hosted ATP Finals for the first time in 2009.
• He also became only fourth player in ATP history to defeat world's top three at the same tournament. Other three are David Nalbandian, Novak Djokovic and Boris Becker.
• He defeated world number one Novak Djokovic in the group phase, second-ranked Rafael Nadal in Saturday's semi-final and Thiem in the final.

• ATP final:
  • It is the second highest tier of annual men's tennis tournaments.
  • It is held annually in November at O2 Arena in London. It will move to Turin, Italy in 2021.

(Source: The Hindu)

Topic: National News

12. India plans to double its oil refining capacity in next five years.

• PM Modi has said that India plans to double its oil refining capacity in next five years.
• PM Modi made this announcement during his address to Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University's convocation on 21 November.
• As per FICCI, Minister of Power has earlier said that India’s oil refining capacity could double to 450-500 million tonnes in 10 years. 
• India’s oil refining capacity is currently (March 2020) 250 million tonnes per annum. In 1998, India’s refining capacity was 62 million tonnes per annum.
• Mukesh Ambani also addressed the convocation. Reliance Industries Ltd operates the world’s biggest oil refinery in Gujarat.
• India is also aiming to increase share of natural gas in its total energy consumption by up to four times.     
• PM Modi also said that India will increase renewable energy capacity to 175 gigawatts by 2022 and 450 gigawatts by 2030 ahead of schedule.
• India’s renewable energy capacity was 75 gigawatts at the end of 2018.

Topic: Space and IT

13. Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, a U.S.-European satellite launched.

• Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, a U.S.-European ocean observation satellite has been launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
• The satellite has been launched onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Nov. 21, 2020. It is named after former NASA official Michael Freilich, who passed away recently.
• First stage of Falcon 9 rocket returned to the launch site and landed for reuse. Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite’s identical twin, Sentinel-6B will be launched in 2025.
• U.S.-French satellite TOPEX-Poseidon was launched in 1992 for space-based sea level measurements. Then, Jason-3 and other satellites were launched for this purpose.  
• The satellite will ensure continuation of data on global sea surface heights. The data helps in detecting conditions such as warm El Nino and the cool La Nina and understanding overall sea level rise due to global warming.

(Source: The Hindu)