Daily Current Affairs and GK | 24 November 2021

Topic: National News

1. PM Modi will lay the foundation stone of Noida International Airport.

• In Jewar, Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for the Noida International Airport.
• Many international airports are being developed in Uttar Pradesh. They include recently inaugurated Kushinagar airport and the under-construction international airport at Ayodhya.
• Uttar Pradesh is on track to become India's first state to have five international airports.
• Jewar airport will be the second international airport to be built in Delhi NCR.
• Jewar airport is the first airport in India, which has been conceptualised with an integrated multi-modal cargo hub.
• A state-of-the-art Maintenance, Repair, and Overhauling (MRO) service will be housed at the airport.
• The first phase of the airport is being built at a cost of more than Rs 10,050 crore.
• The airport is spread out over more than 1300 hectares of land; when completed, the first phase will be able to service roughly 1.2 million people per year, and construction is expected to be completed by 2024.

Topic: National News

2. On the death anniversary of Dr. B R Ambedkar, Centre to organize celebrations at five of his holy sites.

• To commerate the death anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar, Union Tourism and Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy announced that the Centre will organize events at 'Panchteerth', five of his holy sites.
• The Centre will also grant scholarships to Scheduled Castes students on the occasion.
• Major events will also be held at Ambedkar's 'Panchteerth' which will include Mhow, his birthplace in Madhya Pradesh, Nagpur, 'Deeksha Bhoomi' in Maharashtra, and the place where he breathed his last.
• Similarly, a huge celebration has been proposed for Constitution Day, which is commemorated on November 26.
• The government is also building museums in Delhi and other cities in honor of iconic freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

Topic: Reports and Indices

3. Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Urban Index and Dashboard 2021-22 released by NITI Aayog.

• Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Urban Index and Dashboard 2021-22 has been released by NITI Aayog under Indo-German Cooperation.
• Total fifty-six urban areas were considered for computation of the index. Shimla has topped the Index followed by Coimbatore and Chandigarh.
• Out of 56 urban areas ranked in the index, 44 are with a population of above one million. 12 urban areas are State capitals with population of less than a million.
• The index and dashboard will further strengthen SDG localization and institute robust SDG monitoring at the city level.
• The methodology for the SDG Urban Index is drawn from the globally accepted methodology developed by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN).

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Awards and Prizes

4. NGO Pratham wins Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development 2021.

• NGO Pratham has won Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for the year 2021.
• Pratham has won the award for its pioneering work over more than a quarter century in the field of quality education.
• Pratham has won the award for its innovative use of digital technology to deliver education and regular evaluation of the quality of education.
• Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development is given annually since 1968 by Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust. It includes a citation and ₹25 lakh.

Topics: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

5. National Consultative Workshop on Citizen Charter and Delivery of Services by Panchayats organized on 22nd November 2021. 

• National Consultative Workshop on Citizen Charter and Delivery of Services by Panchayats was organized on 22nd November 2021.
• It was organized by Ministry of Panchayat Raj in collaboration with National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj and Abdul Nazir Sab State Institute of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, Mysuru.
• Mysuru Declaration on Service Delivery by Panchayats was signed by participants from 16 states.
• The participants resolved to roll out the Common Minimum Service delivery by Panchayats across the country from April 1, 2022.
• Mysuru Declaration is aimed at recognising Citizen Centric Services as the “Heart of Governance”.
• National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj is located in Hyderabad.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

6. Government of India, Government of Andhra Pradesh and World Bank signed $250 million loan agreement on 18 November 2021.

• Government of India, Government of Andhra Pradesh and World Bank have signed a $250 million loan agreement on 18^th November 2021.
• The loan agreement has been signed for a project that aims to improve quality of learning for over 50 lakh students in Andhra Pradesh.
• The project will benefit all grades and stages of school education.
• The beneficiaries are about 40 lakh students in over 45,000 government schools, and over 10 lakh children enrolled in Anganwadis (Integrated Child Development Centers),
• The Supporting Andhra's Learning Transformation Project will encourage professional development of teachers.
• It will also provide remedial learning courses for children impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Topic: State News/Uttar Pradesh

7. President Ramnath Kovind is on a two-day visit to Uttar Pradesh.

• President Ram Nath Kovind started his two-day visit to Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh on November 24.
• Mr. Kovind attended and addressed Chaudhary Harmohan Singh Yadav's birth centenary celebrations on 24 November.
• The President will attend and address Harcourt Butler Technical University's centennial festivities on November 25.
• Harcourt Butler Technical University (HBTU) is a prestigious State Technical University in Kanpur, India.
• The HBTU is one of the country's oldest engineering colleges, named after Sir Spencer Harcourt Butler, governor of the United Provinces in British India.
• On November 25, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for the Noida International Airport (NIA) in Jewar, Gautam Buddha Nagar.

(Source: News on Air)

Topic: National News

8. Bharat Gaurav, a theme-based tourism circuit train, has been announced by Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw.

• Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced launch of Bharat Gaurav, which will be run in theme-based circuits by both the private sector and the IRCTC.
• Bharat Gaurav trains will contribute to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's objective of showcasing India's rich culture and heritage.
• Bharat Gaurav trains will take tourists to all the magnificent historical sites.
• These trains will not be regular trains that run on a schedule, but rather something along the lines of the IRCTC's Ramayana Express.

(Source: News on Air)

Topic: National News

9. Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated the Centres for Nanotechnology and the Indian Knowledge Systems at IIT Guwahati.

• The state-of-the-art Centre for Nanotechnology (CNT) and Centre for Indian Knowledge System (CIKS) has been inaugurated by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan at IIT Guwahati.
• He also published a book on the implementation of the NEP 2020.
• Union Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology have provided the majority of the funds for the Centres.
• Dharmendra Pradhan praised IIT Guwahati's efforts in developing an ecosystem for research and education, as well as focusing on the northeastern region's overall development.

(Source: News on Air)

Topic: Awards and Prizes

10. Balasore has been awarded the country's best marine district.

• Balasore has been named India's "Best Performing Marine District" in the Fisheries Sector.
• For the first time, any district of Odisha has received this award.
• On the occasion of 'World Fisheries Day' 2021, Odisha has received the prestigious national level fisheries award in a ceremony hosted by the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Government of India.
• Andhra Pradesh has received the award for the best marine state, while Telangana was awarded the Best Inland State.
• The Award for the Best Inland District went to Balaghat in Madhya Pradesh. Tripura has won the award for the best hilly state.
• Assam's Bongaigaon has won the best North-eastern state and district award.
• Last year, Odisha had received the best marine state award. Last year, the Kalahandi district of Odisha had received the best inland district award.

Topic: National News

11. CII will host the 20th edition of 'Connect 2021.'

• The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) will hold its flagship event, Connect 2021, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, from November 26 to 27.
• The event's goal is to raise the state's GDP to one trillion dollars by 2030.
• The event will be inaugurated by Chief Minister M K Stalin on November 26 with the theme "Building a Sustainable Deep T'ech'N'ology Ecosystem."
• Connect is the flagship event of CII. Government of Tamil Nadu hosts it. Software Technology Parks of India and Union Ministry of Electronics and Telecommunications co-host it.
• Connect 2021 would have participation from various industrial sectors, like IT, manufacturing, automobile, textiles, food processing, healthcare, finance, banking, among others.
• Australia and the United Kingdom will be the partner countries for the event.

Topic: International News

12. El Salvador plans to build the world's first Bitcoin city.

• President Nayib Bukele declared that El Salvador will issue the world's first sovereign Bitcoin bonds and establish Bitcoin City, which will be tax-free of income, property, and capital gains.
• The city will be built in La Union's eastern section and will be powered by geothermal energy generated by a volcano.
• Except for the value-added tax (VAT), the city would not impose any taxes. Bitcoin-backed bonds will initially fund the entire city.
• The city's VAT will subsequently be used to partially fund (half) the bonds issued to build the city.
• The total cost of the city's public infrastructure is around 300,000 Bitcoins, according to Bukele.