Daily Current Affairs and GK | 22 November 2024

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

1. An MoU signed between India and Maldives to establish a framework for promoting the use of local currencies in cross-border transactions.

• An MoU signed by the Reserve Bank of India and the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) to establish a framework for promoting the use of local currencies, Indian Rupee and Maldivian Rufiyaa, in cross-border transactions.
• On 21 November, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das and MMA Governor Ahmed Munavvar signed the MoU in Mumbai.
• This MoU encourages the use of Indian Rupee (INR) and Maldivian Rufiyaa (MVR) in current account transactions, acceptable capital account transactions, and any other economic or financial transaction agreed upon by the two countries.
• This framework will allow exporters and importers to invoice and settle payments in their respective domestic currencies, thereby facilitating the growth of trading in the INR-MVR pair in the foreign exchange market.
• The use of local currencies is expected to optimise transaction costs and settlement times.
• This collaboration marks an important milestone in strengthening bilateral cooperation between RBI and MMA.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

2. General Dwivedi was conferred the honorary rank of General by the Nepal Army.

• On November 21, General Dwivedi was conferred the rank of Honorary General of the Nepal Army by President Ram Chandra Paudel at a special ceremony held in the capital.
• Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi is in Kathmandu on a five-day official visit at the invitation of Nepal Army Chief General Ashok Raj Sigdel.
• General Dwivedi is leading a five-member delegation, which also includes his wife Sunita Dwivedi, who is the President of the Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA) of the Indian Army.
• He also met General Ashok Raj Sigdel, COAS, NA and discussed furthering military bilateral relations between India and Nepal.
• As a symbol of everlasting friendship between the two armies, General Upendra Dwivedi gifted military horses and military dogs to General Ashok Raj Sigdel.

Topic: Summit/Conference/Meeting

3. 18th NCB International Conference and Exhibition on Cement, Concrete and Building Materials will be held.

• It will be held from 27th to 29th November 2024 at Yashobhoomi, India International Convention & Expo Centre (IICC) Dwarka, New Delhi.
• It will be organised by the National Council of Cement and Building Materials (NCB).
• Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Shri Piyush Goyal will attend the event as the Chief Guest during a special session on November 27, 2024.
• Mr Goyal will also present the NCB Lifetime Achievement Award for exemplary contribution to the cement and concrete sector.
• The event will bring together experts and stakeholders from across the globe to discuss innovations and sustainability in the cement and building materials sector.
• The theme of this year's conference, "Cementing the Net Zero Future,” underscores India’s commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2070.

Topic: Personality in News

4. International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

• International Criminal Court on Thursday issued arrest warrants against Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
• ICC accused Netanyahu and Gallant of crimes against humanity, including murder, persecution, and inhumane acts.
• Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had allegedly restricted essential supplies such as food, water, and medical aid to civilians in Gaza.
• The war between Israel and Hamas has led to the death of thousands of civilians.
• The lack of food, water, electricity, fuel, and medical supplies has destroyed part of the civilian population in Gaza.
• 44,056 people have been killed in the conflict in Gaza since October 7 last year.
• International Criminal Court dismissed two challenges by Israel against its jurisdiction in the situation in the State of Palestine.
• Israel had also requested a fresh notification regarding the investigation, initiated in 2021.

Topic: India and its Neighbour

5. Bangladesh's interim government has formed a new election commission.

• The interim government of Bangladesh has formed a new election commission.
• This five-member commission will be led by Nasir Uddin as the new chief election commissioner (CEC) for the next five years.
• Md Anwarul Islam Sarker, Abdur Rahmanel Masud, Begum Tahmida Ahmed and Brig Gen (retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah are the members of this commission.
• President Mohammed Shahabuddin appointed all five members under the 118 (1) section of the constitution of Bangladesh.
• After the formation of the interim government, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and many other political parties have been calling for necessary measures to form the Election Commission.

Topic: Sports

6. Bihar will host the Khelo India Youth Games and Para Games in April 2025.

• A flagship event of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Bihar, will be a new addition to the Khelo India map of the country.
• For the first time, Khelo India Para Games will also be organised in Bihar on the lines of the Summer Olympics.
• The Para Games will be held after the Youth Games and there will be a gap of 10 to 15 days between the two games.
• In 2023, the first edition of the Para Games was held in Delhi.
• Recently, Bihar hosted the Women's Asian Champions Trophy Hockey Championship in Rajgir.
• Earlier, Khelo India Youth Games 2023 were held in Tamil Nadu in January this year.
• Bihar has 38 Khelo India Centres and one Khelo India State Centre of Excellence that provide training to athletes of all levels.
• Apart from this, there are also three Sports Authority of India (SAI) training centres.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

7. Vision Portal launched by Dr Jitendra Singh to promote skill development among underprivileged children.

• On November 21, the "Viksit Bharat Initiative for Student Innovation and Outreach Network" (VISION) inaugurated by Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh.
• It aims to promote education, skill development, and innovation among underprivileged children.
• Dr. Jitendra Singh appreciated the entrepreneurial vision behind the initiative and its focus on democratizing opportunities for students across the country.
• The Minister reflected on India’s remarkable growth in the startup sector, which has grown from just 350 to 400 startups in 2014 to over 1.67 lakh today, making the country the third largest startup ecosystem globally.
• He said that initiatives like Vision are integral to realizing the country's aspirations under Vision India 2047.
• Its objective is to establish India as a global leader in technology, education and economic development.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

8. 4th edition of ‘Creative Minds of Tomorrow’ has been inaugurated at IFFI, Goa.

• The 4th edition of Creative Minds of Tomorrow (CMOT) has been inaugurated at the 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI).
• The CMOT initiative was launched under the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
• 100 promising young talents have been selected from 13 filmmaking crafts, up from 75 participants in 10 disciplines.
• This year CMOT offered a unique opportunity for young creators to showcase their skills and collaborate across diverse fields.
• The 100 CMOT participants will start their enriching journey from 20th to 28th November 2024 in Goa.
• The Creative Minds of Tomorrow (CMOT) initiative has been designed to identify, nurture, and promote the most talented young filmmakers in India.

Topic: Indian Economy

9. India’s GDP growth is likely to grow at a faster pace in the third quarter of the current financial year: ICRA

• According to a report by ICRA, India’s economy is projected to grow faster in the third quarter of the current financial year.
• The report added that the preliminary data for November 2024 shows a positive trend.
• The growth in electricity demand has increased due to a favourable base effect.
• As per the report, this optimism is based on improving economic indicators and robust activity levels in various sectors.
• Vehicle registrations increased to 32.4 per cent year-on-year in October 2024.
• Additionally, two-wheeler production grew by 13.4 per cent, rail freight improved to 1.5 per cent from a decline of 0.7 per cent.
• Diesel consumption recorded a marginal growth of 0.1 per cent after a contraction of 1.9 per cent in September.
• India’s non-oil exports also raised a strong performance, growing by 25.6 per cent in October 2024 compared to 6.8 per cent in September.

Topic: State News/ Haryana

10. ‘Haryana Good Governance Awards Scheme 2024’ notified by the Haryana Government to promote excellence in governance.

• The objective of the scheme is to promote excellence in governance by rewarding those employees who contribute to better governance in the State through innovative work and extraordinary efforts.
• The awards are classified into flagship scheme awards and state-level awards. ‘District level awards’ will also be given under the scheme.
• The flagship awards will recognise teams involved in key projects whose work has led to significant improvements in governance.
• An amount of Rs 51,000 will be given under each flagship award.
• State level awards will be given to teams doing outstanding work in various governance initiatives.
• In the state level award, an amount of Rs 51,000 will be given for the first prize, Rs 31,000 for the second prize and Rs 21,000 for the third prize.
• The awards will also include a trophy and a certificate of appreciation and the cash prizes will be distributed equally among the members of the winning team.
• ‘District Level Awards’ will also be given under this scheme.
• The Deputy Commissioner of each district will give 'District Level Award'.
• The first place winner in the district will be given a cash prize of Rs. 31,000, second place winner will be given Rs. 21,000 and third place winner will be given Rs. 11,000.
• Each award-winning team will also be given a trophy and a certificate of appreciation signed by the Divisional Commissioner of the respective district.

Topic: National News

11. India's first AI data bank launched to boost national security.

• On November 20, India's first Artificial Intelligence (AI) data bank launched by the Union Minister of Science and Technology Jitendra Singh at the 7th Edition of the ASSOCHAM AI Leadership Meet 2024..
• It aims to promote innovation and boost the country's national security.
• This initiative will provide researchers, startups, and developers access to high-quality, diverse datasets needed to build scalable and inclusive AI solutions.
• The theme of the event was "AI for India: Driving India's AI development - Innovation, Ethics and Governance".
• It showcased India's strategic roadmap to harness the transformational potential of AI.
• The AI ​​data bank will "enhance national security through real-time analysis of satellite, drone, and IoT data."
• It is also in line with the country’s goal of using AI for predictive analytics in disaster management and cybersecurity.

Topic: Personality in News

12. President paid tribute to Dr. Harekrishna Mahtab in New Delhi.

• On November 21, President Draupadi Murmu paid tribute to "Utkal Kesari" Dr Harekrushna Mahtab on his 125th birth anniversary celebrations in New Delhi.
• President Murmu released a special commemorative stamp and coin in honour of Dr Mahtab.
• President Murmu elaborated on how Dr Harekrushna Mahtab took active part in the freedom struggle and spread Gandhian thoughts and philosophy to the villages of Odisha.
• Dr. Harekrushna Mahtab:

• Also known as "Utkal Kesari", Mahtab was born on 21 November 1899 in Agarpara, Odisha. He died on 2 January 1987.
• He served as the first Chief Minister of Odisha from 1946 to 1950 and later served as CM from 1956 to 1961.
• He was a versatile leader of Indian history, known as freedom fighter, politician, historian, writer, social reformer and journalist.
• His political career started during college when he actively participated in freedom movement events such as Non-cooperation Movement, Salt Satyagraha, etc.
• Dr. Harekrushna Mahtab was also a literary figure of significance who wrote widely in both Odia and English and received acclaim for his work, including the historical account ' History of Orissa.'
• He won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1983 for 'Gaon Majlis'.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Important Days

13. World Philosophy Day 2024: 21 November

• World Philosophy Day is observed every year on the third Thursday of November.
• This year, World Philosophy Day was celebrated on 21 November.
• It is an international day proclaimed by UNESCO. It was first celebrated on 21 November 2002.
• The main objective of the day is to raise awareness about the importance of philosophical analysis, research, and the study of major contemporary issues.
• Philosophy is an inspiring discipline as well as an everyday practice that can transform society.
• On this occasion, UNESCO’s partners encouraged to organize various types of activities- philosophical dialogues, debates, conferences, workshops, cultural events and presentations.
• Philosophy is the study of the nature of existence, knowledge, truth, and ethics.