Weekly Current Affairs 16th November - 22nd November 2021

FINANCE AND BANKING

• RBI comes up with Internal Ombudsman mechanism for select NBFCs
  • RBI recently announced to introduce the Internal Ombudsman mechanism for the following two types of Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs).

• RBI moves to prevent illegal digital lending via apps
  • Seeking to safeguard the interest of customers, a working group of Reserve Bank has suggested the enactment of separate legislation to prevent illegal digital lending through apps.
  • RBI had constituted the working group under the chairmanship of Jayant Kumar Dash on digital lending.

• Total corpus of PIDF touches Rs 614 crore
  • The total corpus of Payments Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) of RBI has touched Rs 614 crore.
  • The Scheme was launched by RBI in January 2021, to subsidize deployment of payment acceptance infrastructure (PoS) in Tier-3 to Tier-6 centres with a special focus on the North-Eastern States of the country.

ECONOMY

• NH monetisation has already fetched Rs 26,000 crore: Gadkari
  • The Centre’s move to monetise national highways has already fetched Rs 26,000 crore, as it plans monetisation worth Rs 1.6 lakh crore from the national highways (NHs) over the next four years, as per minister for road transport and highways, Nitin Gadkari.

• Govt launches domestic workers’ survey
  • The Central Government launched a pan-India survey to identify, count and understand the socio-economic characteristics of the domestic workers rendering services in private households as maids, cooks, babysitters, care-takers, tutors and watchman, among others, and their employers.

• Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin completes 5 years
  • Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) completed 5 years on 20th November 2021.
  • To achieve the objective of providing “Housing to All” by the year 2022, the Government of India rolled out the revamped rural housing scheme, Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) was launched on 20th November, 2016 with effect from 1st April 2016.

NATIONAL

• India launches 41st scientific expedition to Antarctica
  • India launched the 41st scientific expedition to Antarctica with the arrival of the first batch of its contingent at the southern white continent.
  • The first batch comprising of 23 scientists and support staff reached the Indian Antarctic station Maitri.

• Union minister Piyush Goyal launches India's first Food Museum in Thanjavur
  • Union Minister for Commerce, Industry, Food and Public Distribution Piyush Goyal virtually launched India's first Food Museum in Tamil Nadu's Thanjavur.
  • The 1,860-sqft museum was established by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) as a part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebration. It was co-developed by FCI and Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museums, Bangalore, at an estimated cost of Rs 1.1 crore.

• UN chooses Telangana's Pochampally as one of the best tourism villages in world
  • The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has selected Telangana's Pochampally village as one of the best tourism villages in the world.

STATES

• Maharashtra Decides To Make Salman Khan Vaccine Ambassador
  • In a bid to speed up the vaccination drive in Maharashtra, the state government decided to make actor Salman Khan the vaccine ambassador of the state.
  • There was hesitancy about taking anti-coronavirus vaccines in Muslim-dominated areas, and the government will take the help of Salman Khan to convince people to take the jab.

• India's first grass conservatory developed in Uttarakhand's Ranikhet
  • India's first ‘grass conservatory’ spread over an area of two acres was inaugurated at Ranikhet in Almora district of Uttrakhand.

• Arunachal Pradesh Cabinet adopts declaration on climate change
  • The Arunachal Pradesh Cabinet adopted the declaration called ‘Pakke Tiger Reserve 2047 Declaration on Climate Change Resilient and Responsive Arunachal Pradesh’ aimed at climate resilient development in the state.

REPORTS AND INDEXES

• TRACE’s Bribery Risk Matrix 2021
  • The TRACE Bribery Risk Matrix (TRACE Matrix) measures business bribery risk in 194 jurisdictions, territories, and autonomous and semi-autonomous regions.
  • The TRACE Matrix was originally developed in 2014 in collaboration with RAND Corporation. It is updated annually by TRACE.

• IPF Smart Policing Index 2021
  • ‘Smart Policing Index 2021’ is conducted by the Indian Police Foundation (IPF).
  • The Indian Police Foundation (IPF), a multidisciplinary think tank and policy advocacy platform, conducted the “IPF SMART Policing Survey 2021” in 29 states and Union Territories of the country and published its report.

• India became World’s Largest Recipient of Remittances
  • World Bank has come up with ‘World Bank’s Remittance Prices Worldwide Database’.
  • As per the report, India became the world’s largest recipient of remittances by receiving USD 87 billion in 2021.

AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

• Central Government will roll back 3 farm laws
  • Recently, Prime Minister has announced that his government will repeal the three contentious agricultural laws and requested protesting farmers to go back to their fields and homes.
  • The three bills are-
  • The Farmer’s Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020
  • The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020
  • The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill

• India’s first fisheries business incubator launched in Gurugram
  • A dedicated fisheries business incubator has been inaugurated in Gurugram.
  • It was launched to nurture fisheries start-ups under real market-led conditions.
  • The incubator is known as LINAC- NCDC Fisheries Business Incubation Centre (LlFlC).

DEFENCE

• India, Thailand & Singapore To Participate In 3rd SITMEX Trilateral Maritime Exercise
  • The 3rd edition of the Singapore, India and Thailand Trilateral Maritime Exercise (SITMEX – 21) commenced
  • The Trilateral Maritime Exercise will see the participation of indigenously built Missile Corvette Indian Naval Ship (INS) Karmuk.

• PM Modi hands over indigenous Light Combat Helicopter to IAF
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi handed over indigenous Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) to the Indian Air Force (IAF) during the ‘Rashtriya Raksha Samarpan Parv’ celebrations to mark the 75th year of India’s independence, held at Jhansi from November 17 to 19.

• Russia Successfully Test Fires Zircon Hypersonic Missile
  • Russia had carried out another successful test of its Zircon hypersonic cruise missile
  • Hypersonics can travel more than five times the speed of sound and manoeuvre in mid-flight, making them much harder to track and intercept than traditional projectiles.

EVENTS

• PM Narendra Modi to deliver keynote address at The Sydney Dialogue
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered the keynote address at The Sydney Dialogue on the theme "India's technology evolution and revolution"
  • The Sydney Dialogue is an initiative of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute
  • The dialogue will brings together political, business and government leaders to debate, generate new ideas, and work towards common understandings of the opportunities and challenges posed by emerging and critical technologies.

AWARDS AND REWARDS

• 2021 KidsRights International Children's Peace Prize
  • Two Indian teenage brothers Vihaan (17) and Nav Agarwal (14) have won the 2021 KidsRights International Children's Peace Prize for tackling pollution from household waste.
  • They have developed the "One Step Greener" initiative segregating recyclables and organising pickups for trash from thousands of homes.

• KVG Bank bags award for digitalisation
  • In recognition of its initiatives in Digital Financial Services in response to ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, KVG Bank was adjudged Best Regional Rural Bank under ‘Regional Rural Banks Category’ by ASSOCHAM, Mumbai.

• 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

• VVS Laxman Set to Take Charge as NCA Chief
  • Former India batting stalwart VVS Laxman has accepted the BCCI’s offer to take charge as director of cricket at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.
  • He is currently team mentor of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

• Brazilian Grand Prix 2021
  • The Brazilian Grand Prix is a Formula One championship race which is currently held in Cidade Dutra, São Paulo.
  • Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes was the winner of the Grand Prix. Max Verstappen was second and Valtteri Bottas.

• Qatar Grand Prix 2021
  • The Qatar Grand Prix is a Formula One motor racing event. It was held at the Losail International Circuit.
  • Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton was the winner of the Grand Prix. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was second and Alpine’s Fernando Alonso was third.