Monthly Current Affairs November 2021

FINANCE AND BANKING

• RBI tweaks norms for initiating prompt corrective action against banks
  • RBI recently modified its prompt corrective action (PCA) framework to exclude the parameter of return on assets (ROA) from the list of triggers.

• RBI imposes curbs on Babaji Date Mahila Sahakari Bank
  • RBI recently imposed several restrictions on Maharashtra-based Babaji Date Mahila Sahakari Bank, including capping withdrawals at Rs 5,000 for customers, amid deterioration in the lender’s financial position.

• NSDL e-Governance gets RBI’s in-principle approval as Account Aggregator
  • NSDL e-Governance Infrastructure has received an in-principle approval from RBI to set up an account aggregator business under its wholly owned subsidiary, NSDL e-Governance Account Aggregator Ltd.
  • NSDL e-Governance Infrastructure issues PAN cards and helps government agencies in e-governance projects.

ECONOMY

• IRCTC plans Shri Ramayana Yatra train tours for promoting Religious Tourism
  • The IRCTC has planned a series of Shri Ramayana Yatra Tours to promote religious tourism.
  • To meet the requirement of the pilgrim tourist market of south India, IRCTC will be operating Shri Ramayana Yatra Express-Madurai with its budget-segment train comprising of sleeper class coaches.

• Microsoft goes ahead of Apple to become world’s most valuable company
  • Microsoft Corp. has surpassed Apple Inc. to become the world’s most valuable publicly-traded company by market capitalisation.
  • Microsoft reached market cap of $2.49 trillion surpassing the market cap of Apple at $2.46 trillion.

• ADB approves $250 million loan for India’s NICDP
  • The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a USD 250 million (about Rs 1,875 crore) loan to support India’s National Industrial Corridor Development Program (NICDP).
  • This is the first subprogram of the programmatic USD 500 million loans to develop 11 industrial corridors spanning 17 states.

NATIONAL

• Chennai – Mysore Shatabdi Express gets IMS certification
  • The Chennai – Mysore – Chennai Shatabdi Express has received Integrated Management Systems (IMS) certification for maintenance and better use of environment-friendly resources and for offering travel comfort.

• PM Modi unveils Adi Shankaracharya statue in Kedarnath
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a 12-foot high statue of Adi Shankaracharya at Kedarnath.
  • Made of chlorite schist, the Shankaracharya statue, weighing 35 tonnes, has been built at the seer’s samadhi sthal that has been redeveloped after it suffered heavy damage during the 2013 deluge.

• PM Modi lays foundation stone of road projects in temple town Pandharpur
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone through video conference for two road projects aimed at improving connectivity to the temple town of Pandharpur in Maharashtra.
  • The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for four-laning of five sections of Shri Sant Dnyaneshawar Maharaj Palkhi Marg (NH-965) and three sections of Shri Sant Tukaram Maharaj Palkhi Marg (NH-965G).

INTERNATIONAL

• VAX’ named Oxford English Dictionary’s word of the year
  • The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has named vax as the word of the year for 2021. Its usage was up 72 percent from the previous year.

• US becomes 101st member country of International Solar Alliance
  • The US became the 101st member of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), an inter-governmental organisation formed by India and France to accelerate the global adoption of solar power.

• UK unveils commemorative £5 coin celebrating legacy of Mahatma Gandhi
  • Britain unveiled a new commemorative coin to mark Diwali, celebrating the life and legacy of Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi.

REPORTS AND INDEXES

• Public Affairs Index rankings 2021
  • Public Affairs Index (PAI) 2021 is released by the Public Affairs Centre in Bengaluru.
  • In the Public Affairs Index-2020, Kerala is the best governed state followed by Tamil Nadu and Telangana, while Uttar Pradesh ended at the bottom in the large states category.

• Global Drug Policy Index 2021
  • The inaugural Global Drug Policy Index 2021 is released by the Harm Reduction Consortium.
  • Top ranked Nations: Norway, New Zealand, Portugal, the UK and Australia are the five leading countries on humane and health-driven drug policies.
  • India’s Rank: India’s rank is 18 out of 30 countries.
  • Bottom ranked Nations: The five lowest-ranking countries are Brazil, Uganda, Indonesia, Kenya, and Mexico.

• National logistics Index 2021
  • The Ministry of Commerce & Industry recently came up with the Logistics Ease Across Different States 2021 Index.
  • In the index, Gujarat, Haryana and Punjab emerged as the best performing states with respect to mobility of goods and efficiency of the logistics chain. This index provides ranking to states on the basis of logistics infrastructure.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• China launches sustainable development satellite SDGSAT-1 to study Earth from space
  • China sent a satellite into orbit as part of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
  • A Long March 6 rocket, one of China's new-generation launch vehicles, lifted off from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China.

• Indian Origin Astronaut Raja Chari-led Crew 3 Mission to Lifted Off
  • NASA and the Elon Musk-owned private rocket company SpaceX have launched four more astronauts on a flight to the International Space Station (ISS).
  • The "Crew 3” mission consists of Indian-origin NASA astronaut Raja Chari as its mission commander and three other astronauts.

• NASA launches asteroid-deflecting DART spacecraft
  • The world’s first planetary defense system called the DART spacecraft was successfully launched by NASA from the Vandenberg US Space Force Base. It was carried aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.
  • The DART spacecraft was built by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland at the direction of NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office.

AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

• Apple Festival launched in J&K
  • Union Agriculture Minister, Narendra Singh Tomar and Lt Governor, Manoj Sinha has virtually inaugurated Apple Festival in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir.

• India’s first fisheries business incubator launched in Gurugram
  • A dedicated fisheries business incubator has been inaugurated in Gurugram.
  • The incubator is known as LINAC- NCDC Fisheries Business Incubation Centre (LlFlC).
  • The National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) is the implementing agency for the LIFIC.

• Haryana Govt launched ‘Uttam Beej portal’
  • Haryana State Government has launched the ‘Uttam Beej portal’ which will benefit the farmers of Haryana by providing quality seeds with transparency.

DEFENCE

• Indian Navy’s stealth frigate Tushil launched in Russia
  • The seventh frigate of P1135.6 class for the Indian Navy was launched at Yantar Shipyard in Russia's Kaliningrad. The ship was formally named as 'Tushil'.

• India and UK Take Part In Joint Exercise Konkan Shakti 2021
  • The sea phase of the maiden bilateral tri-service exercise 'Konkan Shakti 2021' between the UK and Indian Armed Forces commenced off the Konkan coast in the Arabian Sea.

• 32nd Edition of Indo-Thai Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT)
  • The 32nd edition of India-Thailand Coordinated Patrol (Indo-Thai CORPAT) between the Indian Navy and the Royal Thai Navy was conducted from 12 – 14 November 2021.
  • Indian Naval Ship (INS) Karmuk, an indigenously built Missile Corvette and His Majesty’s Thailand Ship (HTMS) Tayanchon, a Khamrosin Class Anti-submarine Patrol Craft, along with Maritime Patrol Aircraft from both navies are participating in the CORPAT.

EVENTS

• G20 Summit 2021
  • The 2021 G20 Rome summit was the sixteenth meeting of Group of Twenty (G20), which was held in Rome, Italy.
  • The two-day summit was held both online and offline under the Italian Presidency of the G20.

• CII Asia Health 2021 summit
  • Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya addressed the inaugural session of CII Asia Health 2021 summit.
  • The theme of the summit is ‘Transforming Healthcare for a better tomorrow’.

• 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26)
  • The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, more commonly referred to as COP26, was the 26th United Nations Climate Change conference, held at the SEC Centre in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom, from 31 October to 13 November 2021.
  • The summit was hosted jointly by the United Kingdom and Italy.

AWARDS AND REWARDS

• Basavashree Award 2021
  • Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar will be posthumously conferred the Basavashree Award 2021 by the Bruhanmutt.

• Booker Prize 2021
  • Damon Galgut became the third South African novelist to win the Booker Prize for his novel, The Promise.
  • The novel won the author 50,000-pound ($69,000) prize.

• JCB Prize for Literature 2021
  • Author M Mukundan’s novel Delhi: A Soliloquy, translated from Malayalam into English by Fathima E V and Nandakumar K, has won the Rs 25-lakh-JCB Prize for Literature 2021.
  • The translators will receive an additional amount of Rs 10 lakh.

SPORTS

• Unmukt Chand to become 1st Indian male to play in Australia's Big Bash League
  • Unmukt Chand is set to become the first Indian player to play in Australia's Big Bash League (BBL) signed by Melbourne Renegades.

• ISSF President's Cup: Manu Bhaker, Javad Foroughi Win Air Pistol Mixed Team Gold
  • India's woman pistol ace Manu Bhaker and Iran's reigning Olympic champion Javad Foroughi won the 10m air pistol mixed team gold at the inaugural ISSF President's Cup at Wroclaw, Poland.
  • The Indo-Iranian pair defeated the French-Russian duo of Mathilde Lamolle and Artem Chernousov.

• New Zealand vs Afghanistan: Rashid Khan becomes youngest bowler to take 400 T20 wickets
  • Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan became the youngest bowler to take 400 T20 wickets during his team's crucial Super 12 encounter against New Zealand in Dubai. Rashid Khan took the wicket of Martin Guptill.