Nov

Weekly Current Affairs November 2022 Week - 02
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www.practicemock.com 1 info@practicemock.com 9319314079

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Contents
NATIONAL AFFAIRS ....................................................................................................... 3
STATES AFFAIRS......................................................................................................... 13
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS............................................................................................. 20
REPORTS & INDICES ................................................................................................... 20
GOVERNMENT SCHEMES & PROGRAMMES ....................................................................... 26
BUSINESS & ECONOMY ................................................................................................ 27
BANKING & FINANCE ................................................................................................... 31
RBI IN NEWS.............................................................................................................. 37
AWARDS & RECOGNITION ............................................................................................ 38
BOOKS & AUTHORS ..................................................................................................... 43
PERSON IN NEWS ....................................................................................................... 43
SPORTS ..................................................................................................................... 45
IMPORTANT DAYS ....................................................................................................... 49
Other Important Study Material to help you with your preparation ...................................... 52

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NATIONAL AFFAIRS
1. The 2022 India-Taiwan Industrial Collaboration Summit has been held in New Delhi,
Delhi. The business groups from Taiwan and India have signed three Memorandum of
Understandings (MoUs) to establish cooperation in electronics manufacturing and green
technology.
• The summit has been jointly hosted by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce
and Industry (FICCI), India, and the Chinese National Federation of Industries (CNFI),
Taiwan.
• During the summit, the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Coimbatore has
signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Productivity
Organization of Taiwan to improve technical collaborations between industries in
Coimbatore and experts and businesses in Taiwan.
2. The Government of India (GoI) has recently amended the Aadhaar rules. It specifies that
Aadhaar holders may, on completion of every 10 years from the date of enrolment for
Aadhaar, update their supporting documents in Aadhaar, at least once, by submitting Proof
of Identity (POI) and Proof of Address (POA) documents. This will ensure “continued accuracy”
of Aadhaar-related information in the Central Identities Data Repository (CIDR).
In this regard, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has developed a new
feature of ‘update document’. This feature can be accessed online through the myAadhaar
portal.
The changes have been made by modifying the Aadhaar (Enrolment and Update)
Regulations.
3. The 11th edition of Joint Military Training (JMT) 2022 between the Indian Air Force (IAF) and
the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) has been organized at Air Force Station,
Kalaikunda in West Bengal.
Participants:
a) RSAF: F-16 aircraft
b) IAF: Su-30 MKI, Jaguar, MiG-29 and LCA Tejas aircraft
• This edition of JMT has been conducted over a period of six weeks.
• The bilateral phase of the exercise will be conducted from 09 to 18 November 2022 and
will see the two Air Forces engage in advanced air combat simulations.

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• The objective is to provide an opportunity to the participating crews to share valuable
operational knowledge, experience and best practices while strengthening the
professional relationship between the two Air Forces.
4. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has launched the new Artificial
Intelligence (AI)/ Machine Learning (ML) based chatbot named ‘Aadhar Mitra’ for better
resident experience. The new chatbot has enhanced features like check Aadhaar
enrolment/update status, tracking of Aadhaar PVC card status, and information on
enrolment centre location.
UIDAI has also topped the Grievance Redressal Index, published by the Department of
Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) for the month of October 2022,
among all Group A ministries, departments and autonomous bodies. This is the third month
in a row when UIDAI has topped the rankings.
5. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently unveiled India’s logo, theme, and website for
its presidency of the G20. India will assume the presidency of the G20 grouping from the
current chair, Indonesia, on 1st December 2022, and hold the post for a year. The G20
Leaders’ Summit at the level of Heads of State/Government is scheduled to be held on
September 9 and 10, 2023 in New Delhi.
G20 Logo:
• The G20 logo, created with the four colours of India's national flag, comprises of earth
sitting atop a lotus.
• The symbol of lotus in the G20 logo is a representation of hope.
• The seven petals on the lotus represent seven continents.
• The earth reflects India's pro-planet approach to life.
• The word “Bharat” is written in Devanagari script under the logo.
G20 Theme:
The theme of G20 is taken from the Maha Upanishad, an ancient Sanskrit text. The theme of
G20 India 2023 is “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” or “One Earth, One Family, One Future”.
The website of India’s G20 Presidency www.g20.in has also been launched by the Prime
Minister. In addition to the website, a mobile app “G20 India” has been released on both
Android and iOS platforms.
Note: G20 Sherpa (India): Amitabh Kant
G20:
G20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation representing around 85
percent of the global GDP, over 75 percent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the
world population. It was formed in 1999.

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Members: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia,
Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Türkiye, the United
Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union.
The presidency of the G20 rotates every year among members, and the country holding the
presidency, together with the previous and next presidency-holder, forms the ‘Troika’ to
ensure continuity of the G20 agenda. During India’s presidency, India, Indonesia and Brazil
will form the troika.
6. India’s national grid operator Power System Operation Corporation Limited (POSOCO)
has been renamed as Grid Controller of India Limited (Grid-India) to reflect the important
role played by the grid operators in ensuring integrity, reliability, resilience and sustainable
operation of the Indian electricity grid.
• Grid-India is a wholly owned central government enterprise that comes under the aegis of
the Ministry of Power.
• It was set up in March 2009 to take care of the power management functions of the
Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL).
• Grid-India operates the national load despatch centre (NLDC) and five regional load
despatch centres (RLDCs).
• The Grid-India is also designated as the nodal agency for major reforms in the power
sector such as implementation and operation of Green Energy Open Access Portal,
Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) Mechanism, transmission pricing, short-term open
access in transmission, deviation settlement mechanism, Power System Development
Fund (PSDF), etc.
7. The 26th edition of the International Malabar Naval Exercise has been held in Yokosuka
of Japan. India, Australia, Japan and the USA are participating in the Malabar Naval Exercise.
It is being organized from 8th November to 18th November 2022.
Indian Naval Ships (INS) Shivalik and Kamorta are representing India in the exercise.
The year 2022 marks the 30 years of the Malabar exercise.
MALABAR exercise:
It was initiated in 1992 between the navies of India and the United States. It is a multilateral
war-gaming naval exercise. Japan and Australia first participated in 2007, and since 2014,
India, the US and Japan have participated in the exercise every year. In 2020 Australia joined
the Malabar Exercise on India’s request in order to contain China in the Indo-Pacific region.
8. The 19th ASEAN-India Summit has been held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Indian
delegation has been led by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar. External Affairs Minister, Dr
S. Jaishankar has also participated in the summit.

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The year 2022 commemorates the 30th Anniversary of ASEAN-India Dialogue Relations &
the 10th anniversary of India’s Strategic Partnership with ASEAN.
• At the summit, ASEAN and India adopted a Joint Statement announcing the elevation of
the existing Strategic Partnership to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
• Both sides reaffirmed the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, stability,
maritime safety and security, freedom of navigation and overflight in the Indo-Pacific
region.
• The Joint Statement also proposes expediting the review of ASEAN-India Trade in Goods
Agreement (AITIGA).
India and Cambodia have also signed four Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) in the
areas of culture, wildlife and health. The MoUs have been inked following bilateral talks
between Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.
17th East Asia Summit (EAS):

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar has addressed the 17th East Asia Summit (EAS) held at
Phnom Penh in Cambodia. He has highlighted global concerns on food and energy security,
and emphasised the role of the EAS mechanism in promoting free, open and inclusive Indo-
Pacific with freedom of navigation and overflight.
India has announced an additional contribution of USD 5 million to the ASEAN-India
Science and Technology Fund to enhance cooperation in sectors of public health,
renewable energy and smart agriculture.
Members of EAS: ASEAN member states - Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao
PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam and its eight
dialogue partners - India, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand, the
United States and Russia.
Hall of Dancers:
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar has also inaugurated the completed conservation work of
‘Hall of Dancers’ in Ta Prohm Temple in the Angkor archaeological complex in the
Cambodian city of Siem Reap.
The Hall of Dancers is part of a USD 4-million collaborative project between India and
Cambodia for the preservation and restoration of cultural heritage in Cambodia.
ASEAN:
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was established on 8 August 1967 in
Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration).
• Current members: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
• ASEAN Secretariat: Jakarta, Indonesia
• Chair of ASEAN 2022: Cambodia

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9. Union Minister of Power and New & Renewable Energy R K Singh has launched the Green
Energy Open Access Portal to promote clean and green energy initiated by the Government
of India (GoI).
• The Green Energy Open Access is allowed to any consumer with load limit reduced from
1000 kW to 100 kW and allows consumers to access green power easily through
transparent, simplified, uniform and streamlined procedures.
• The approval for Green Energy Open Access will be granted to a Consumer in a time
bound manner within 15 days.
• The portal is designed and developed by the Grid Controller of India Limited (Grid-
India), formerly known as Power System Operation Corporation Limited (POSOCO), the
central nodal agency for the implementation and operation of the portal.
• The portal can be accessed for processing of applications related to green energy open
access by the stakeholders including open access participants, traders, Power Exchanges,
National / Regional / State Load Despatch Centres, Central/State transmission utilities.
Note: Ministry of Power notified the Electricity (Promoting Renewable Energy through Green
Energy Open Access) Rules, 2022 on 06th June 2022. These rules aim at promotion of
generation, purchase and consumption of green energy including the energy from waste-to-
energy plants.
10. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has recently conducted a hot test of the
'Agnilet', a single-piece 3D-printed rocket engine developed by Agnikul Cosmos Private
Limited, an aerospace startup based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
• The hot test has been carried out at the Vertical Test Facility, Thumba Equatorial Rocket
Launching Station (TERLS), at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), the lead Centre of
ISRO for the development of launch vehicles, in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
• The test has been carried out as part of MoU signed between ISRO and Agnikul Cosmos
Pvt. Ltd. to provide opportunity for Indian space start-ups to use facilities of ISRO through
IN-SPACe.
11. A five-judge Bench of the Supreme Court in a 3:2 majority decision has upheld the validity of
the 103rd Constitutional Amendment, which came into effect in January 2019. It has been
agreed that the amendment does not violate the basic structure of the constitution.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) U U Lalit, and Justices Dinesh Maheshwari, S
Ravindra Bhat, Bela M Trivedi, and J B Pardiwala have delivered the judgement.
• The 103rd Amendment inserted Articles 15(6) and 16(6) in the Constitution to provide up
to 10 percent reservation to the economically weaker sections (EWS) among non-OBC
and non-SC/ST sections of the population.
• Persons with an annual gross household income of up to Rs.8 lakh can avail EWS quota
benefits.

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Note: The Supreme Court introduced the doctrine of Basic Structure in the landmark
Kesavananda Bharati case (1973), by which it ruled that certain aspects of the Constitution
were inviolable, and could not be changed.
12. Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog, has launched Women Centric Challenges
under phase-II of the 2nd edition of the Atal New India Challenge (ANIC). The challenge has
been launched during the annual ‘Mentor India Round Table’ organized by AIM, NITI Aayog to
felicitate the exemplary mentors of change.
The Women Centric Challenges address the major issues faced by woman from all spheres of
life. These include:
• Driving women hygiene through innovation
• Innovations to improve women’s safety
• Professional networking opportunities for women
• Innovations that make working mothers’ life better
• Easing the life of Rural Women
Atal New India Challenge (ANIC):

It is a flagship program of Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog. The program aims to seek,
select, support and nurture technology-based innovations that solve sectoral challenges of
national importance and societal relevance. It provides funds up to Rs.1 crore through a
grant-based mechanism.
13. India has joined the Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC) at the 27th session of the
Conference of the Parties (COP27) at Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt.
Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC):

• It was launched at the COP27 Summit in Egypt to scale up and accelerate the
conservation and restoration of the mangrove forests.
• The alliance is led by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in partnership with Indonesia.
• The alliance aims to strengthen conservation and restoration of mangrove ecosystems.
• The alliance will raise awareness about the role of mangroves as a “nature-based solution
to climate change”.
• India, Australia, Japan, Spain and Sri Lanka have joined it as partners.
• As part of this alliance, an International Mangrove Research Centre will be established in
Indonesia which will conduct studies on mangrove ecosystem services such as carbon
sequestration and ecotourism.
Mangrove:
It is a small tree or shrub that grows along coastlines, taking root in salty sediments, often
underwater. It can be found in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Mangroves
are among the most carbon-rich forests in the tropics. They account for 3% of carbon
sequestered by the world’s tropical forests.

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Asia has the largest coverage of the world’s mangroves, followed by Africa, North and Central
America, Oceania and South America.
Note: According to the Forest Survey report 2021, mangroves cover in India is 4,992 square
km, which is 0.15% of the country’s total geographical area.
14. Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Ministry of Science and Technology Dr Jitendra
Singh has dedicated to the nation India’s first national repository for life science data, ‘Indian
Biological Data Center’ (IBDC), at Faridabad, Haryana.
• As per the BIOTECH-PRIDE guidelines of the Government of India, IBDC is mandated to

archive all life science data generated from publicly-funded research in India.
• The Centre, supported by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), has been established at
the Regional Centre of Biotechnology, Faridabad with a data disaster recovery site at
the National Informatics Centre (NIC), Bhubaneshwar, Odisha.
• The Centre also hosts an online Dashboard for the genomic surveillance data generated
by the INSACOG labs that provide customized data submission, access, data analysis
services, and real-time SARS-CoV-2 variant monitoring across India.
• It has a data storage capacity of about 4 petabytes and houses the ‘Brahm’ High
Performance Computing (HPC) facility.
IBDC has started nucleotide data submission services via two data portals viz. the ‘Indian
Nucleotide Data Archive (INDA)’ and ‘Indian Nucleotide Data Archive - Controlled Access
(INDA-CA)’. It has accumulated over 200 billion bases from 2,08,055 submissions from more
than 50 research labs across India.
Life Science:
It refers to the study of living organisms, including humans, microbes, plants, animals, and
fungi. It generates massive amounts of data, which can be extracted and analyzed.
15. India has recently hosted the 2nd Agriculture Ministerial-level meeting of the Bay of
Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)
under the chairmanship of the Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare,
Narendra Singh Tomar.
• Agriculture ministers of Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand
have participated in the meeting.
• The meeting adopted the Action Plan for Strengthening BIMSTEC Agricultural Cooperation
(2023-2027).
• A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the BIMSTEC Secretariat and the
International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) have been signed and approval
has been given to bring Fisheries and Livestock sub-sectors under the Agricultural
Working Group.

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• India has urged participating countries to participate in India's initiative to promote Millet
for a friendly agricultural food system and nutrition.
BIMSTEC:
It was established in the year 1997. It includes five countries of South Asia: Bangladesh,
Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and two countries of South-East Asia: Myanmar and Thailand.
Its Secretariat is located in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
16. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has flagged off India's fifth and South India's first Vande
Bharat Express train from KSR Bengaluru Railway Station. The train will run between
Mysuru and Chennai and help cut travel time between the two destinations. The train will
cover 500 km in 6 hours 30 minutes and will halt at two stops between Chennai and Mysore-
Katpadi and Bengaluru.
Features of Vande Bharat Express:

It is a world class train with modern facilities. Some of the salient features of this train are:
• Equipped with the KAVACH (Train Collision Avoidance System) for enhanced safety in
operations.
• Improved safety with four emergency Windows in every coach.
• Better fire safety measures with Aerosol based fire detection and Suppression system in
all electrical cubicles and toilets.
• Superior flood proofing for under-slung electrical equipment to withstand floods up to
650 mm height. The train will also have four emergency lights in every coach in case of
electric failure.
• Enhanced riding comfort for passengers at 3.5 riding index. It is also equipped with 32
inch LCD TVs and passenger information and communication system in the train.
• Side recliner seat facility is made available for all classes. The Executive Coaches have the
added feature of 180-degree rotating seats.
• Bio vacuum toilets with touch free amenities and Wi-Fi content on demand.
• Finer heat ventilation and air conditioning control through higher efficiency compressor,
with Ultra Violet (UV) lamp for germ-free supply of air.
• The train’s time to reach 160 kmph is just 140 seconds. There will be driver guard
communication with voice recording facility.
• Two signal exchange lights on the coaches for exchange of signal with the way side
stations.
• It is being manufactured indigenously at Integral Coach Factory, Perambur, Chennai.

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The first Vande Bharat Express train was flagged off on 15th February 2019 on the New Delhi-
Kanpur-Allahabad-Varanasi route. Further, Vande Bharat Express trains have been
commenced on New Delhi- Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, Gandhinagar Capital – Ahmedabad –
Mumbai Central, and Amb Andaura – New Delhi routes.
Bharat Gaurav Train:

Prime Minister has also flagged off Bharat Gaurav Kashi Darshan Train. The train will run
from Bengaluru to Kashi. This train will go through Prayagraj and Ayodhya also.
The objective to run the Bharat Gaurav train is to showcase India’s rich cultural heritage and
magnificent historical places to the people of India and the world, through Bharat Gaurav
Trains (Theme- based Tourist Circuit trains).
17. The Government of India (GoI) has notified the E-waste (Management) Rules 2022 under
the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. The rules will come into force from 1 April 2023.
Key provisions of the rules:

• It will apply to every manufacturer, producer, refurbisher, dismantler and recycler
involved in manufacturing, sale, transfer, purchase, refurbishing, dismantling, recycling
and processing of e-waste or electrical and electronic equipment.
• The rule is applicable to all electrical devices and radiotherapy equipment, nuclear
medicine equipment and accessories, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), electric toys, air
conditioners, microwaves, tablets, washing machine, refrigerator and iPad among others.
• Manufacturer, producer, refurbisher or recycler need to compulsorily register under the
Extended Producer Responsibility Framework. They may store the e-waste for a period
not exceeding 180 and shall maintain a record of e-wastes.
• The government has restricted the use of hazardous substances (such as lead, mercury,
and cadmium) in manufacturing electrical and electronic equipment (EEE).
• The Central Pollution Control Board shall monitor and verify the compliance of reduction
of hazardous substance.
• ‘Environmental compensation’ to be provided by the companies that don’t meet their
target.
E-Waste:
It refers to all items of electronic and electrical equipment (EEE) and its parts that have been
discarded by their owner as waste without the intent of re-use.
India is the third-largest e-waste generator in the world after China and the USA (Global E-
waste Monitor 2020). Maharashtra generates the most e-waste among all the Indian states.
18. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully conducted the hot test of
CE20 cryogenic engine indigenously developed for LVM3 at an uprated thrust level of 21.8
tonne for the first time.
• This will enhance the LVM3 payload capability up to 450kg with additional propellant
loading.

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• The Thrust Control Valve (TCV) has been newly introduced in this test.
Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3):

It is India’s heaviest launch vehicle. It is a three-stage vehicle with two solid motor strap-ons, a
liquid propellant core stage and a cryogenic stage. It can carry up to four tonnes to a
geostationary orbit and up to six tonnes to a low earth orbit (LEO).
19. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has recently declared certain databases related to the
Census and the National Population Register (NPR) as critical information infrastructure.
The centre has declared the computer resources relating to the Census Monitoring and
Management System (CMMS) Web Portal, Self-Enumeration (SE) Web Portal, Civil Registration
System (CRS) Web Portal, Mobile applications for House Listing (HL), Population Enumeration
(PE) and National Population Register (NPR) Updation, and linked Databases including NPR
Database, Census Database and CRS Database, computer resources setup/installed at
National Data Centre (NDC), ORGI, Delhi and Disaster Recovery Site (DRS) and Data Centre
(DC) at Bengaluru and Lucknow to be 'Protected Systems'.
This falls under the Information Technology Act, of 2000.
20. The India-United States CEO Forum, chaired jointly by Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of
Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and Textiles and
Gina Raimondo, US Secretary of Commerce, has been held virtually to strengthen economic
ties between both nations.
• The CEO Forum, comprising of CEOs from leading Indian and US based companies, is co-
chaired by N. Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons and James Taiclet, President and
Chief Executive Officer, Lockheed Martin.
• This is the sixth time the Forum has been convened since its reconstitution in December
2014 by the Governments of India and the USA.
• The forum is a platform for dialogue across key sectoral themes and aims to identify areas
for closer collaboration for mutual benefit of both economies.
21. The Indian Army (IA) has launched a single window facility ‘Veerangana Sewa Kendra (VSK)’
for welfare and grievances redressal of Veer Naris.
• Under this initiative, Veer naris are employed as VSK staff to maintain inherent connection
and empathy with the beneficiaries.
• It will be available as a service to the Indian Army Veterans Portal.
• The system caters for registering grievances with tracking, monitoring and regular
feedback to the applicant.

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STATES AFFAIRS
22. Kerala has become the first state in India to launch a uniform price on 916 purity 22 carat
gold based on the bank rate. This means the jewellers in Kerala now charge the same price
as the bank rate for gold.
It should be noted that the Bank rate on gold is the same across India, however, in most
states, gold is priced Rs.150-300 per gram extra over the bank rate.
23. AdaniConneX, a joint venture between Adani Enterprises and EdgeConneX, has set up
‘Chennai 1’ hyperscale data centre campus at Sipcot IT Park in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
• The ‘Chennai 1’ campus hosts Tamil Nadu’s first pre-certified Indian Green Building
Council (IGBC) Platinum Rated data centre.
• In Phase-1, the campus offers 17 MW (IT Load) that will scale up to 33 MW at full capacity.
• It is designed to offer robust physical protection to IT Infrastructure with seven layers of
security system and commitment to provide 99.999 percent availability.
• The objective is to build 1 GW green data centre platform.
Note: India’s current data centre capacity is around 600 MW and expected to grow to around
1300 MW by 2024.
24. Maharashtra has emerged as the largest state in State's Own Tax Revenue (SOTR)
collections between April-September 2022 i.e. first six months of the current fiscal (H1FY23)
with Rs.1,15,211 crore.
• Maharashtra is followed by Uttar Pradesh with Rs.1,02, 687 crore, and Tamil Nadu with
Rs.68, 638 crore.
• Tamil Nadu has displaced Karnataka’s SOTR to emerge as the third largest in terms of own
tax revenue collections in H1FY23. Karnataka’s tax collection is Rs.66, 158 crore.
• Telangana’s SOTR grew by 26% to Rs.50,660 crore, Karnataka recorded 24% growth to
Rs.66, 158 crore.
The provisional data for the SOTR collections has been released by the Comptroller and
Auditor General of India.
State's Own Tax Revenue (SOTR):

Strong SOTR growth is an indicator of healthy state finances as higher own tax revenue
collections means lesser dependence on Centre for devolution and grants. It includes
revenues earned through State GST (Gross & Revenue Tax), Stamp & registration fees, Sales
Tax, State Excise duty, and Land revenue. Some states also levy other taxes.
25. The 46th edition of Wangala Festival has been observed in Asanang near Tura in West Garo
Hills district of Meghalaya. The three-day festival has been observed from 10th November
2022. It has been organised by the Hundred Drums Wangala Festival Committee.

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Wangala Festival:
• It is also known as the Festival of Hundred Drums.
• It is a most popular festival among the Garo tribal community in the state of Meghalaya.
• It is a harvest festival held in honour of Saljong, the Sun God of fertility.
• The celebration also signifies the end of a long toil period, which brings good output of
fields.
• Wangala dance is also performed. Men play horn and lok drums, and women make
formation around nokma in honour of Misi-Saljong.
26. Hyderbad’s growing green space city now hosts India’s largest Miyawaki forest. It spreads
over an area of 18 acres in Kavaguda near Shamshabad airport. It is followed by one in
Gujarat, spread over 14 acres.
• The 18-acre Miyawaki forest at Kavaguda is developed by the Stone Craft group headed
by Kirthi Chilukuri and Anusha Podduturi.
• The Stone Craft team has GI-tagged each tree in the forest.
• The forest has 126 species of native fruit and flowering trees.
Miyawaki method:
It was pioneered by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki. It helps build dense, fast-growing
forests with native plants. In the Miyawaki technique, various native species of plants are
planted close to each other so that the greens receive sunlight only from the top and grow
upwards rather than sideways.
27. Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has recently inaugurated and
laid the foundation stone of 8 National Highway projects worth Rs 4054 crore in Jabalpur,
Madhya Pradesh. The total length of the projects inaugurated is 214 km.
• The 53 km from Hiran River to Singur River and 12 km 4-lane construction of Nauradehi
Wild Life Sanctuary will save 2 hours travel time from Jabalpur to Bhopal.
• The farmers of Narsinghpur, the largest producer of sugarcane and pulses, will be able to
take their grains to the mandis of Malwa and Central region.
• 23 underpasses and 5 minor bridges are being built for the convenience and safety of
animals in the Wild Life Sanctuary.
• The foundation stone of 112 km, 4-lane Jabalpur Ring Road has been laid at a cost of
Rs.3600 crore under Bharatmala project. This ring road will be built on Barela - Malegaon -
Shahpura Bhatauni - Kushner - Amjhar - Barela road, which will include bridge over river
Narmada, 750 meters Iconic Bridge and ROB at Bhedaghat and ROB at Deori.
He has also inaugurated 5 National Highway projects of total length 329 km in Mandla,
Madhya Pradesh at a cost of Rs 1261 crore. These projects will well connect Mandla with
Jabalpur, Dindori, Balaghat districts.

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28. The Government of Tamil Nadu has notified the ‘Cauvery South Wildlife Sanctuary’ on
68,640 hectares as the 17th wildlife sanctuary in the state.
• The sanctuary, covering reserve forest areas in Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri districts, is
home to 35 species of mammals, 238 species of birds, Leith’s soft shelled turtles, smooth
coated otters, marsh crocodile and four horned antelopes, and is a wildlife paradise.
• The sanctuary is notified under Section 26-A of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
• It will connect Cauvery North Wildlife Sanctuary of Tamil Nadu with the Cauvery Wildlife
Sanctuary in neighbouring Karnataka.
• Two important and large elephant corridors namely, the Nandimangalam-Ulibanda
Corridor and the Kovaipallam-Anebiddahalla Corridor fall in this area.
29. The Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO) has launched the hull module of
the ‘Submersible Platform for Acoustic Characterization & Evaluation’ (SPACE) facility at
Naval Physical & Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL) in Kochi, Kerala.
• SPACE is a state-of-the-art testing and evaluation facility for sonar systems developed for
use by the Indian Navy onboard various platforms, including ships, submarines and
helicopters.
• This facility has been constructed by L&T Shipbuilding, Chennai.
• The uniqueness of this facility lies in the specially designed submersible platform, which
can be lowered up to depths of 100 meters using a series of synchronously operated
winches.
30. The Government of Rajasthan has launched its first ‘Handicraft Policy 2022’ to boost
investment in the cultural heritage of the state. The objective of the policy is to provide better
marketing arrangements for the upliftment of handicrafts, to revive traditional and extinct
arts as well as to create new employment opportunities.
31. The state government of Kerala has launched 'Technology Transfer Scheme', a scheme to
reimburse the expense incurred by new start-up ventures in procuring technology licenses
from government research institutions for commercializing their products.
The scheme will be implemented through Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM), and will reimburse
up to Rs.10 lakh for the startups.
32. The Government of Uttar Pradesh has announced that Mathura-Vrindavan, one of India's
largest pilgrimage centres, aims to become a “net zero carbon emission” tourist destination
by 2041. This will be the first such carbon neutral master plan for a tourist destination in
India.
Key announcements:
• Tourist vehicles will be banned from the entire Braj region, which includes famous pilgrim
centres such as Vrindavan and Krishna Janmabhoomi.

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• Only electric vehicles used as public transport will be allowed into the area.
• All 252 water bodies and 24 forests in the area will also be revived.
• The plan divides the entire region into four clusters, each containing two of the eight key
cities.
• The idea is to form small circuits called ‘Parikrama Paths’ which the pilgrim can undertake
either on foot or using electric vehicles.
Mathura:
It is situated on the bank of Yamuna River. It is the abode of Lord Krishna and it has a great
religious sanctity among the Hindus. It is mentioned in the epic Ramayan. It was one of the
capitals of Kushan King Kanishka (130AD).
Some of the famous temples are Bankey Bihari Temple, Govind Dev Temple, Rangaji Temple,
Dwarikadhish Temple and the ISKCON Temple.
33. The Governor of Uttarakhand Lt Gen Gurmit Singh, (Retd.) has inaugurated the 42nd
International Congress of the Indian National Cartographic Association (INCA) in
Dehradun. It has been organized by the National Hydrographic Office from 9-11 November
2022.
The theme of the 42nd INCA Congress is “Digital Cartography to Harness Blue Economy”.
34. Jaipur has hosted the 11th edition of India Stonemart 2022, the International Stone Industry
Exhibition, from 10th to 11th November 2022, at the Jaipur Exhibition and Convention Center
(JECC), Sitapura Industrial Area, Jaipur, Rajasthan.
• The exhibition is organized by the Centre for Development of Stones (CDOS), in

collaboration with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI).
• It is the largest worldwide exhibition of the stone business, showcasing natural stones,
associated products, and services.
• The main sponsor is the Rajasthan State Industrial Development & Investment
Corporation Limited (RICO).
35. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has unveiled the 'Statue of Prosperity', the 108-feet tall
bronze statue of Sri Nadaprabhu Kempegowda in Bengaluru.
He has also inaugurated Terminal 2 of Kempegowda International Airport at Bengaluru. The

terminal, nicknamed “Terminal in a Garden”, is an eco-friendly structure built using bamboo
and can accommodate 2.5 crore passengers per year.
'Statue of Prosperity':
• The statue is built to commemorate the contribution of Nadaprabhu Kempegowda, the

founder of the city, towards the growth of Bengaluru.
• The statue has been sculpted by Padma awardee Ram V Sutar using 98 tonnes of bronze
and 120 tonnes of steel. He is also known for building the Statue of Unity in Gujarat’s
Kewadia and Mahatma Gandhi’s statue in Bengaluru’s Vidhana Soudha.

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• It is 108 feet high and weighs 220 tonnes. It has a sword that weighs 4 tonnes.
• The statue has been installed inside the Bengaluru International Airport.
• It has been built at a cost of around Rs 84 crore.
Nadaprabhu Kempegowda:
He was a ruler under the Vijayanagara Empire founded in 1537. He is widely respected by
the Vokkaliga community dominant in Old Mysuru and other parts of southern Karnataka.
36. Apis karinjodian, a new species of endemic honeybee has been discovered in the Western
Ghats after a gap of more than 200 years. The new species has been given the common
name Indian black honeybee.
• This new discovery has increased the species of honeybees in the world to 11.
• It is found in the states of Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and parts of Tamil Nadu.
• IUCN status: Near threatened
The last honeybee discovered from India was Apis indica in 1798 by Fabricius.
37. The district administration Patiala, in partnership with organization Educational Initiatives,
has launched “Mindspark”, a state of the art, adaptive learning platform' for students
studying in government schools of Patiala.
• Under the initiative, students will receive access to personalized, adaptive learning
platform ‘Mindspark’.
• The main purpose of the initiative is to connect those students who lag behind due to any
reason which causes difficulty in learning the higher level concepts.
• The initiative has been launched in 82 government schools of Patiala, Punjab.
38. A new species of estuarine crab named ‘Pseudohelice Annamalai’ has been discovered in
the Cuddalore district in Tamil Nadu. It has been discovered at the mangroves in
Parangipettai, close to the Vellar River estuary in Cuddalore district.
The species has been named in recognition of Annamalai University for its contribution
towards research and education for over 100 years.
39. The States of Assam and Meghalaya will work jointly with the Indian Army to transform the
Umiam lake into a world-class venue for aquatic sports. This has been announced during the
first-ever three-day Rising Sun Water Fest 2022 held at Umiam Sports Complex in Meghalaya.
Umiam Lake:
It is one of the biggest artificial lakes in Meghalaya that is situated about 15 km from
Shillong. It is recognised as Bara Pani, and covers an area of about 220 sq km. It is also known
for water sports and adventure facilities such as kayaking, water cycling, scooting and
boating.

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40. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the
nation multiple projects worth over Rs 9500 crores in Ramagundam, Telangana.
Ramagundam Fertilizers and Chemicals Limited (RFCL) plant:
• PM Narendra Modi has inaugurated the Ramagundam Fertilizers and Chemicals Limited
(RFCL) plant in Telangana to achieve self-sufficiency in production of urea.
• The foundation stone for Ramagundam Project was laid on 7th August 2016.
• The plant will make available 12.7 LMT per annum of indigenous neem-coated Urea
production.
• The project has been set up under the aegis of Ramagundam Fertilizers and Chemicals
Limited (RFCL) which is a Joint Venture Company of National Fertilizers Limited (NFL),
Engineers India Ltd (EIL) and Fertilizer Corporation of India Limited (FCIL).
• RFCL was entrusted with the responsibility of setting up the New Ammonia-Urea Plant
with an investment of more than Rs 6300 crores.
• Gas to RFCL Plant will be supplied through Jagdishpur – Phulpur- Haldia Pipeline.
He has also dedicated the Bhadrachalam Road- Sattupalli rail line to the nation, which has
been built at a cost of around Rs 1000 crores.
He has also laid the foundation stone of various road projects worth over Rs 2200 crores,
namely the Medak-Siddipet-Elkathurthy section of NH-765DG; Bodhan-Basar-Bhainsa section
of NH-161BB; Sironcha to Mahadevpur Section of NH-353C.
41. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation
multiple projects worth over Rs. 10,500 crores in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
Foundation stone:
• Redevelopment of Visakhapatnam Railway Station, to be done at a cost of around Rs
450 crores.
• Modernisation and upgradation of Visakhapatnam Fishing Harbour, to be done at a
cost of around Rs.150 crores.
• Andhra Pradesh section of the six-lane Greenfield Raipur- Visakhapatnam Economic
Corridor, to be done at a cost of more than Rs 3750 crore.
• Port Road from Convent Junction to Sheela Nagar Junction in Visakhapatnam
• Srikakulam Angul Natural Gas Pipeline Project of GAIL with a capacity of around 6.65
MMSCMD. This 745 km long pipeline will be built at a total cost of more than Rs 2650
crores.
Inauguration:
• Narasannapeta to Pathapatnam section of NH-326A. It is built at a cost of more than Rs
200 crore as a part of the Srikakulam-Gajapati Corridor.
• The U-field Onshore Deepwater block project of ONGC, developed at a cost of more
than Rs. 2900 crores. It is the deepest Gas discovery of the project with a gas production

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potential of about 3 million metric standard cubic metres per day (MMSCMD). U-field is
situated in Krishna Godavari basin block KG-DWN-98/2 in Bay of Bengal.
42. The Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) has recently launched an Elephant Adoption
Programme in which non-governmental organisations, institutions, trusts or individuals can
sponsor the expenses of Forest Department’s camp elephants.
• Leema Rose Martin, Director of the Martin Group of Companies, Martin Trust and district
coordinator of the ‘Go Green’ programme of the Rotary Club of Coimbatore Aakruthi, has
adopted two elephants of the Kozhikamuthi elephant camp, Abhinaya and Sanjeev, for a
period of one year.
• Under the scheme, any donor who is willing to adopt the elephants will get an exemption
under section 80 G of the Income Tax Act 1961.
Anamalai Tiger Reserve:

It is located in Tamil Nadu. It forms part of the Anamalai Parambikulam Elephant Reserve
declared in 2003. It is surrounded by Parambikulam Tiger Reserve on the East, Chinnar
Wildlife Sanctuary and Eravikulam National Park on the South Western side (all belong to
Kerala). The important mammals include: Asiatic elephant, Sambar, Spotted deer, Barking
deer, Mouse deer, Gaur, Nilgiri tahr, Tiger, etc.
43. The Government of India (GoI) has granted 265 Diplomate of National Board (DNB)
postgraduate medical seats to several Government hospitals in Jammu and Kashmir across
20 districts with the active contribution of the National Board of Examinations in Medical
Sciences (NBEMS). The 50 percent of the PG seats are also reserved for local in-service
doctors to provide them with the opportunity for postgraduate training.
44. DigiLocker, the authentic documents exchange platform under the Ministry of Electronics
and Information Technology has successfully completed its second-level of integration with
Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM).
• The secure cloud-based storage platform of DigiLocker can be used now as a health locker
for storing and accessing health records such as vaccination records, doctor prescriptions,
lab reports, hospital discharge summaries etc.
• The latest integration will now enable users to utilize DigiLocker as a Personal Health
Records (PHR) app.

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• Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) holders can also link their health records from
different ABDM registered health facilities like hospitals and labs and access them via
DigiLocker.
45. The Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Ministry of Finance (MoF); Ministry of
Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA); and the World Bank Group have jointly organised a 5-
day focused workshop titled “Cities Creditworthiness Academy” in New Delhi. The aim is to
create an enabling ecosystem for financing future cities of India. The workshop has been
scheduled from 14th to 18th November 2022.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
46. Iran’s para-military, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force has
successfully test-launched a new satellite-carrying rocket 'Ghaem 100' into suborbital space.
• 'Ghaem 100' three-stage solid fuel carrier is capable of placing satellites weighing 80 kg
into orbit 500 kilometres above the Earth's surface.
• This is the first sub-orbital stage of the rocket.
47. The Netherlands has emerged as the top destination for India’s petroleum product exports
such as petrol and diesel in the first half of FY 2022. Amid the Ukraine war, India continued
to buy discounted crude oil from sanctions-hit Russia.
• India is a key Asian refining hub, with an installed capacity of nearly 250 million tonnes per
annum across 23 refineries.
• The emergence has resulted in Netherlands becoming the third biggest market for India’s
overall exports, replacing China.
• The Netherlands accounted for nearly 9% of India’s total petroleum product exports in
April to September 2022 at Rs.4.5 trillion with a growth of 180% corresponding to the
same period in FY21.
48. China has successfully launched its cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-5 to transport fuel and
supplies for its Tiangong space station, the construction of which is expected to be completed
this year. It has been launched through Long March-7 Y6 rocket from the Wenchang
Spacecraft Launch Site in the southern island province of Hainan.
REPORTS & INDICES

49. The roadmap titled 'Our Solar Future: Roadmap to Mobilise $1 trillion by 2030' has been
released during the COP27 summit in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. The roadmap is prepared by
the World Resources Institute (WRI), International Solar Alliance (ISA) and Bloomberg
Philanthropies, in collaboration with CONCITO, the Investment Fund for Developing
Countries, and the World Climate Foundation.

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This roadmap provides guidance that can accelerate and scale up solar deployment and
reduce regional investment gaps by equitably mobilizing US$1 trillion of investment in solar
energy solutions by 2030.
Key findings:
• Scaling solar energy is a key element for delivering clean, affordable, and reliable energy
access worldwide.
• Average annual investment in solar solutions needs to double from 2021 through 2030 if
the world is to achieve the Paris climate goals and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• The International Energy Agency (IEA) and BloombergNEF (BNEF) project that, to meet net
zero emission goals, solar needs to become the largest single global energy source by
2050.
• Across all market segments, major barriers to scaling up solar include a lack of enabling
policies and regulations, a lack of bankable project pipelines, and risk-management
challenges.
• Governments can take action immediately, in partnership with commercial banks and
development finance institutions, to address these barriers and to replicate and scale
effective solutions.
• The roadmap examines scaling up opportunities in four market segments:
a) Off-grid and decentralised solar applications
b) Utility-scale and grid-connected solar
c) Energy storage and grid flexibility infra
d) Advanced solar and storage technologies (e.g.,) advanced chemistry batteries, compressed
air, and solar thermal energy storage
50. The United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has released the 2022
edition of the State of Food and Agriculture report, which examined how automation in
agrifood systems can contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goals.
Highlights of the Report:

• The report looked at 27 case studies from all over the world, representing different
technologies. Only 10 of the 27 service providers are profitable and financially
sustainable.
• There is an unequal progress toward mechanization among regions, according to
available statistics on the number of tractors per 1,000 hectares of arable land.
• High-income countries in North America, Europe and Oceania were highly mechanised by
the 1960s. But regions dominated by low-and middle-income countries were less
mechanised.
• There are wide disparities in the spread of automation between and within countries, with
adoption being particularly limited in sub-Saharan Africa.
51. The Rule of Law (RoL) Index 2022 has been released by the World Justice Project (WJP). It
indicates that the ‘rule of law’ has declined globally for the fifth year in a row.
Rule of Law:

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As per WJP’s definition, the rule of law is “a durable system of laws, institutions, norms and
community commitment” that delivers the following universal principles: Accountability, Just
law, Open Government, and Accessible & Impartial Justice.
Eight Factors of Rule of Law:

1) Constraints on Government Powers
2) Absence of Corruption
3) Open Government
4) Fundamental Rights
5) Order and Security
6) Regulatory Enforcement
7) Civil Justice
8) Criminal Justice
RoL Index 2022:

• Denmark has topped the index with a score of 0.90, followed by Norway (0.89), and
Finland (0.87).
• Venezuala (0.26) has performed worst in the index, followed by Cambodia (0.31), and
Afghanistan (0.33).
• India, with a score of 0.50 on the 'rule of law' index, has ranked 77 out of 140 countries.
• China has scored 0.47 and ranked 95, Pakistan has scored 0.39 and ranked 129, and
Bangladesh has scored 0.39 and ranked 127.
52. World Travel Market (WTM) 2022, which is one of the largest international travel
exhibitions, has been held in London, UK from 7-9 November 2022.
• The theme of this year exhibition is ‘The Future of Travel Starts Now’.
• The Indian delegation led by Arvind Singh, Secretary Tourism, Government of India have
participated in the event.
• A total of 16 stakeholders, including from state governments, central ministries,
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) as the industry partner, DMCs, tour operators,
hoteliers, travel agents, online travel agents, facilitators of medical value travel have
participated as co-exhibitors in the India Pavilion.
• The objective is to showcase the diverse tourism products and services including Medical
Value travel, luxury trains and the gamut of tourism products to the international
business community
• The contribution of travel & tourism to India’s GDP was 5.19% in 2019.
The STREET (Sustainable, Tangible, Responsible, Experiential, Ethnic, and Tourism hubs)
Tourism Project of Kerala has been honoured with the Responsible Tourism Global
Award at WTM 2022 for the water conservation scheme taken up under the STREET Project,
which is a first-of-its-kind initiative in the world.

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53. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has published the provisional 'State of
the Global Climate in 2022' report. The report is based on temperature data from January
to September 2022.
Key findings:
• The global mean temperature in 2022 is around 1.15°C above the 1850-1900 pre-
industrial average, ranging between 1.02°C to 1.28°C.
• This is close to 1.5°C, the lower limit set by the 2015 Paris Agreement mandate. The upper
limit is 2°C.
• The year 2022 is slightly cooler when compared with the past few years because of the
rare phenomenon of triple-dip cooling La Niña. This is likely to be 6th or 7th warmest year
ever recorded.
• The year 2022 witnessed a record rate of melting of glaciers in the European Alps.
• The Greenland’s ice sheet lost its mass for the 26th consecutive year. The region
witnessed rain instead of snowfall in September 2022 for the first time.
• South Asia, including India, is one of the worst affected regions in 2022 due to climate
change.
• The region topped the chart in the “selected high impact events” of 2022.
• Temperature in India and Pakistan during pre-monsoon period was exceptionally high.
54. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has recently completed the Mother Tongue Survey of
India (MTSI) with field videography of 576 languages and dialects across the country.
As per the MHA’s annual report for 2021-22, it has been planned to set up a web-archive at
the National Informatics Centre (NIC) to preserve and analyse the original flavour of each
indigenous Mother Tongue.
• MTSI surveys the mother tongues, which are returned consistently across two and more
Census decades and analyses their linguistic features.
• As per analysis of 2011 linguistic census data, more than 19,500 languages or dialects
are spoken in India as mother tongues.
• Hindi is the most widely spoken mother tongue, with 43.6 per cent of population
declaring it as mother tongue. The next is Bengali, mother tongue for 9.7 crore
individuals, and accounting for 8 percent of the population.
The new National Curriculum Framework (NCF) for the foundational stages of education,
launched by Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, has recommended that mother
tongue should be the primary medium of instruction in schools for children up to 8 years of
age.
55. Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has released the Dynamic Ground
Water Resource Assessment Report 2022 in New Delhi. The assessment has been carried

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out jointly by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) and with the State and Union
Territories.
Key highlights:
• The total annual ground water recharge for the entire country is 437.60 billion cubic
meters (BCM).
• The annual ground water extraction for the entire country is 239.16 BCM.
• Out of the total 7089 assessment units in the country, 1006 units have been categorized
as ‘Over-exploited’.
• The analysis indicates improvement in ground water conditions in 909 assessment units
in the country compared with 2017 assessment data.
• The assessment indicates an overall increase in ground water recharge.
India is the largest user of groundwater in the world. Ground water is a major source of
drinking water and for irrigation in India.
56. Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has launched the “Transport
4 All Challenge” Stage-2 and Citizen Perception Survey 2022.
Transport 4 All Challenge Stage-2:

The Transport 4 All Challenge is an initiative of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs,
Government of India that aims at enhancing the mobility experience of citizens. The
challenge focuses on digital innovation and invites cities, citizens, and innovators to join
hands to develop contextual digital solutions to improve formal as well as informal public
transport to better serve the mobility needs of all citizens.
Stage 1 of the Challenge was launched on 15th April 2021.
Three Stages of the Challenge:
Stage I- Problem Identification: Cities, with the support of NGOs, identify key recurring
problems that citizens and public transport operators face
Stage II- Solution Generation: Startups develop prototypes of solutions to improve public
transport with inputs from cities and NGOs
Stage III- Pilot Testing: Cities engage Startups for large-scale pilots and refine the solutions
based on citizen feedback
Stage-2 of the Challenge is open for startups to develop solutions for the issues and
problems identified in 46 cities.
The Transport4All Challenge is organised in partnership with The Institute for Transportation
and Development Policy (ITDP) as co-host and challenge coordinator, the Word Bank as
knowledge partner, Startup India and City Innovation Exchange as technology partners, and
Association of State Road Transport Undertaking (ASRTU) as city-engagement partner.
Citizen Perception Survey 2022 (part of Ease of Living assessment):

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It has been launched under the Ease of Living Index-2022 for 264 cities to capture and reflect
opinions of from more than 21 lakh citizens across the length and breadth of the country. It
carries 30% of the marks under Ease of Living Index.
The survey has been commenced from 9th November 2022 and will continue till 23rd
December 2022.
National Institute of Urban Affairs (a think tank) and Quality Council of India (non-profit
organization) is undertaking CPS.
The survey was first conducted in 2020.
57. As per the latest data shared by SCORES, the Securities and Exchange Board of India
(SEBI) has received an average of 3,011 complaints every month so far in the 2022-23
financial year (FY23).
• This is a 15.4 per cent decline over the 3,558 average monthly complaints in FY22.
• The average monthly figure of complaints was higher in FY21 (4,906), FY20 (4,627) and in
the pre-pandemic year of FY19 (3,517).
• The number of days SCORES takes to resolve a complaint has dropped from 36.8 days in
October 2021 to 29 days as of September 2022.
• There are now over 100 million investor accounts compared to 40 million in FY19.
SCORES:
SCORES is an acronym for SEBI Complaints Redress System. It is a grievance redressal
platform of SEBI. It was launched in 2011. All complaints received by SEBI are dealt through
SCORES.
58. As per the recent research conducted by Germany based-Satista, India’s Ministry of
Defence (MoD) is the world’s biggest employer with 2.92 million people, which includes
combined active service personnel, reservists and civilian staff.
• MoD is followed by the United States (US) Department of Defence which employs 2.91
million people.
• In China, the People's Liberation Army, which doesn't include civilian positions, employs
around 2.5 million people.
• Walmart is the biggest employer among companies with massive 2.30 million personnel. It
is followed by Amazon with a 1.61 million workforce.
According to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the 5 largest spenders
on military in 2021 were the United States, China, India, the United Kingdom and Russia,
together accounting for 62 percent of expenditure.
59. A report titled ‘The Sunny Side of Asia’ has been jointly developed by energy think tank
Ember, the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) and the Institute for Energy
Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA).

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Key highlights:
• The contribution of solar generation in seven key Asian countries, China, India, Japan,
South Korea, Viet Nam, the Philippines and Thailand, avoided potential fossil fuel costs of
approximately US$34 billion from January to June 2022.
• India has saved USD 4.2 billion in fuel costs by utilising solar energy in the 1st half of 2022
and avoided the need of 19.4 million tonnes of coal which would have further stressed the
strained domestic supply.
• Solar power is expected to experience exponential growth at an average annual growth
rate of 22% until 2030 across 5 key Asian economies (China, India, the Philippines, Japan
and Indonesia).
60. The Union Cabinet has approved the “Guidelines for Uplinking and Downlinking of
Television Channels in India, 2022” by replacing those that have been operational since
2011.
The consolidated guidelines shall ease issue of permissions to the companies/ LLPs (Limited
Liability Partnerships) registered in India for uplinking and downlinking of TV Channels,
setting up of Teleports/ Teleport Hubs, use of Digital Satellite News Gathering (DSNG)/
Satellite News Gathering (SNG)/ Electronic News Gathering (ENG) systems, uplinking by Indian
News agencies and temporary uplinking of a live event.
Key guidelines:
• Under the new guidelines, programmes of national interest and national importance will
be given a 30 minutes time slot for broadcast.
• No requirement of prior permission for change of language or conversion of mode of
transmission from Standard Definition (SD) to High Definition (HD) or vice versa; only prior
intimation would be required.
• A news agency can get permission for a 5 year period as against one year at present;
• The TV Channels uplinking in frequency band other than C band are mandatorily required
to encrypt their signals.
GOVERNMENT SCHEMES & PROGRAMMES

61. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India has notified the
National Bioenergy Programme and has extended it from FY 2021-22 to 2025-26.
• The programme has been recommended for implementation in two Phases.

• The Phase-I of the programme has been approved with a budget outlay of Rs.858 crore.
Sub-schemes under the National Bioenergy Programme:

a) Waste to Energy Programme (Programme on Energy from Urban, Industrial and
Agricultural Wastes /Residues) to support setting up of large Biogas, BioCNG and Power
plants (excluding MSW to Power projects).
b) Biomass Programme (Scheme to Support Manufacturing of Briquettes & Pellets and
Promotion of Biomass (non-bagasse) based cogeneration in Industries) to support setting up

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of pellets and briquettes for use in power generation and non-bagasse based power
generation projects.
c) Biogas Programme to support setting up of family and medium size Biogas in rural areas.
62. The state government of Goa has formally launched "Mukhyamantri Devdarshan Yatra
Yojana", a state-sponsored pilgrimage scheme for people announced before the Assembly
polls held in February 2022.
• The pilgrimages covered under the scheme are Velankanni in Tamil Nadu- a popular
pilgrim center, especially renowned for the Church of Mother Mary, Shirdi, the famous
shrine of Sai Baba located in neighbouring Maharashtra, and the famous Tirupati shrine
in Andhra Pradesh.
• The pilgrimages under the scheme are free of cost.
63. DigiLocker, the authentic documents exchange platform under the Ministry of Electronics
and Information Technology has successfully completed its second-level of integration with
Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM).
• The secure cloud-based storage platform of DigiLocker can be used now as a health locker
for storing and accessing health records such as vaccination records, doctor prescriptions,
lab reports, hospital discharge summaries etc.
• The latest integration will now enable users to utilize DigiLocker as a Personal Health
Records (PHR) app.
• Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) holders can also link their health records from
different ABDM registered health facilities like hospitals and labs and access them via
7DigiLocker.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY

64. Bellatrix Aerospace, Bengaluru-based space tech startup, has announced an investment of
USD 76 million to establish a Research & Development (R&D) Centre and manufacturing
factory for space taxis in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
• It will begin the first phase of operations on a five-acre facility at the aerospace park near
Kempegowda International Airport (KIA).
• This new facility is expected to manufacture thrusters, hall thrusters, microwave plasma
thruster, nano thruster, and green propulsion systems.
65. The Government of Assam has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bright
Star Investments Pvt Ltd for the infrastructure development of the academic block of the
2nd medical college in Guwahati, Assam. This is the first time that the Assam government has
collaborated with the private sector for the infrastructure development of a medical college.

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66. Google, an American technology giant, has launched a platform to forecast flood, namely
‘FloodHub’. This platform shows the area and time where floods could occur, in order to
inform people about the natural calamity and authorities can assist them with effectively.
Google has expanded its AI flood forecasting services to 18 counties across Latin America,
Africa and Southeast Asia: South America (Brazil and Colombia), Sub-Saharan Africa (Burkina
Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Malawi,
Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Angola, South Sudan, Namibia, Liberia, and South Africa), and South
Asia (Sri Lanka).
67. AdaniConneX, a joint venture between Adani Enterprises and EdgeConneX, has set up
‘Chennai 1’ hyperscale data centre campus at Sipcot IT Park in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
• The ‘Chennai 1’ campus hosts Tamil Nadu’s first pre-certified Indian Green Building
Council (IGBC) Platinum Rated data centre.
• In Phase-1, the campus offers 17 MW (IT Load) that will scale up to 33 MW at full capacity.
• It is designed to offer robust physical protection to IT Infrastructure with seven layers of
security system and commitment to provide 99.999 percent availability.
• The objective is to build 1 GW green data centre platform.
Note: India’s current data centre capacity is around 600 MW and expected to grow to around
1300 MW by 2024.
68. Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) has collaborated with the Indian Institute of Technology
(IIT) Madras to support start-ups in the maritime sector.
• This collaboration will provide a platform for young and talented entrepreneurs to
develop products/services in the marine space with financial support provided by CSL.
• Under this initiative, start-ups can get up to Rs.50 lakh as seed grants, Rs.1 crore as
prototyping grants, and equity funding for start-ups at the scale up stage.
69. Haryana Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (HRIDC), a joint venture of the
Haryana government and the Ministry of Railway (MoR), has signed an agreement with
Railway Energy Management Company Limited (REMCL), a joint venture between MoR
and RITES Ltd, to develop renewable energy projects in Haryana.
Under the agreement, the two companies will collaborate to explore areas of renewable
energy projects (wind, solar and hybrid) related to net-zero carbon emission targets of the
Indian Railways.
70. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) has recently signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) to
promote energy efficiency financing for MSMEs and explore the internet of things (IoT)-based
solutions, greening MSMEs, capacity building of various stakeholders, and such others.

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71. Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU), has signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) for
the development of the Indigenous Communication-based Train Control System (i-CBTC).
• i-CBTC, being indigenously developed for the first time in India, will enable unmanned
operations of metro and trains.
• The MoU aims at leveraging the complementary strengths and capabilities of BEL and
DMRC.
• The project is being carried out under the ambit of the Ministry of Housing and Urban
Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India.
BEL has also been conferred the 'Urban Infra Business Award 2022' in recognition of its
contributions, in line with the Government's 'Make in India initiative', for the transformation
of Metro and Rail commutation in India.
Other MoU signed:

BEL has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Aerosense Technologies Pvt
Ltd for co-operation in the development and marketing of drones and soft kill aerial anti-
drone.
72. Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with
the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) to build India's first Hydrogen Fuel Cell
Catamaran Vessel for Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.
• The air-conditioned hydrogen fuel cell catamaran vessel will have a seating capacity for
100 passengers.
• It will be deployed at Varanasi after test and trial in Kochi.
• The design and development of this vessel will be undertaken by CSL in collaboration with
KPIT Technologies Limited, Pune, Maharashtra.
Other MoUs signed:

CSL has also signed another MoU for the construction of 8 Hybrid electric Catamaran
vessels viz. six electric catamaran vessels for Uttar Pradesh and two vessels for Guwahati,
Assam with an outlay of Rs.130 crores.
The air-conditioned electric hybrid vessels, designed for short-distance commute in riverine
waters, will have seating capacity for 50 passengers. The vessels will be deployed in Varanasi,
Ayodhya, Mathura-Vrindavan and Guwahati.
These MoUs have been signed during the ‘PM Gati Shakti Multimodal Waterways Summit
2022’ organized in Varanasi in the presence of Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and
Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister for Heavy Industry Mahendra Nath Pandey,
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and a host of other dignitaries.

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73. The Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has received approval from the Government of
India (GoI) to sign a Rs 26,821 crore deal with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) for rolling
out 4G network.
• As part of the deal, along with setting up the 4G sites, TCS will have to maintain the
network for nine years.
• With this, BSNL aims to launch its 4G services by December 2022 or January 2023 and 5G
services by August 2023.
74. UAE-based bank Emirates NBD has announced an additional USD 100 million investment in
its India operations, and added two more branches in Chennai (Tamil Nadu) and Gurugram
(Haryana) in addition to its Mumbai branch.
75. Amazon India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with TVS Motor
Company to strengthen electric mobility, electric infrastructure and connected services.
Under this MoU, a fleet of electric two-wheelers and three-wheelers from TVS Motor will be
deployed for Amazon’s last-mile deliveries.
76. Krishify, a Gurugram-based agritech start-up platform, has integrated with the Platform of
Platforms (PoPs) portal by the electronic National Agricultural Market (eNAM), a unit of
the Ministry of Agriculture. Krishify will cater to the needs of 14 crore farmers in India.
77. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has started accepting electronic bank
guarantees (E-GB) issued by the National e-Governance Services Limited (NeSL) and also
digitalized all its E-GBs with an aim to improve the efficiency and transparency of internal
processes and to adopt digital technology.
78. The National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) vigilance department has
released the first edition of its in-house vigilance magazine “Subodh” at the Head Office in
Hyderabad, Telangana. It aims to reinforce the commitment of NMDC to promote honesty
and transparency among all stakeholders.
79. Adani Power has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to sell its 100 percent
equity stake in its wholly-owned subsidiary Support Properties Private Ltd (SPPL) to
AdaniConnex Private Ltd (ACX) at an enterprise value of Rs 1,556.5 crore.

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BANKING & FINANCE
80. MUFG Bank has collaborated with M1xchange to facilitate digital invoice financing for the
bank’s clients. This collaboration allows MUFG Bank to leverage the digital ecosystem
established by M1xchange, thereby enhancing the efficiency of its client services.
81. The Asian Development Bank (ADB), a multilateral funding agency, has approved a USD
350 million loan to improve the road connectivity of key economic areas in Maharashtra.
• The project will upgrade at least 319 kilometres (km) of state highways and 149 km of
district roads, incorporating climate and disaster-resilient features.
• It will also construct 5 km of major district roads connecting Nanded and Telangana.
• The roads will be built under the Maharashtra State Road Improvement Project approved
by ADB in April 2020 to upgrade state highways and major district roads.
• The Connecting Economic Clusters for Inclusive Growth in Maharashtra project will further
develop the core road network in the Ahmednagar, Hingoli, Jalna, Kohalpur, Nagpur,
Nanded, Nashik, Pune, Sangli and Satara districts.
82. As per the latest data from the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI), Maharashtra,
New Delhi, and Goa have the highest mutual fund penetration in India, due to high
income levels, better literacy rates and strong inflows from corporates and high net worth
individuals (HNIs).
Mutual fund penetration is only 5- 6 percent in Kerala and Telangana, while Jharkhand is
among the top 10 states with MF penetration of 13 percent.
Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana have the lowest penetration rates among large
states.
Rank State Penetration Per capita Average Share of
Assets Under Equity
Management (AAUM) Schemes in
AAUM
1 Maharashtra 60 Rs.1,36,280 36%
2 New Delhi 42 Rs.1,66,860 47%
3 Goa 28 Rs.1,47,410 73%
4 Haryana 21 Rs.54,970 40%
5 Gujarat 17 Rs.41,720 63%
83. Max Life Insurance Company Limited (Max Life) has collaborated with Tacterial
Consulting Private Ltd (Ditto) for online life insurance distribution. This collaboration aims
to leverage Ditto's insurance advisory platform to offer Max Life's plans to online customers.

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84. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has partnered with the Global Energy
Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) to mobilize up to USD 1 billion for the financing of
green energy transition and renewable energy projects, in both the public and private
sectors. Through this partnership, both AIIB and GEAPP will address the energy transition
challenges in Asia and across the world.
85. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has approved India's first Sovereign Green
Bonds framework. This approval will strengthen India’s commitment towards its Nationally
Determined Contribution (NDC) targets, adopted under the Paris Agreement. It will help in
attracting global and domestic investments in eligible green projects.
Key highlights of the framework:

• Eligible projects under the framework include: Renewable energy, clean transportation,
water and waste management, green building etc.
• It excludes, nuclear power generation, landfill projects, direct waste incineration,
hydropower plants larger than 25 MW, etc.
• The proceeds generated from the issuance of such bonds will be deposited to the
Consolidated Fund of India (CFI) and will be deployed in Public Sector projects which
help in reducing carbon intensity of the economy.
• Public Debt Management Cell (PDMC) will keep a track of proceeds, and monitor the
allocation of funds towards eligible green expenditures.
Green Finance Working Committee (GFWC):

• As per the provisions of the framework, the Green Finance Working Committee (GFWC)
has been constituted with representation from relevant Ministries.
• The aim is to validate key decisions on issuance of Sovereign Green Bonds.
• It will be chaired by Chief Economic Adviser (CEA), Government of India. The current CEA
is V. Anantha Nageswaran.
• The committee will meet at least twice a year to support Ministry of Finance with
selection and evaluation of projects.
• The committee will review the allocation of the proceeds in a time-bound manner to
ensure that the allocation of proceeds is completed within 24 months from the date of
issuance.
In the Union Budget FY 2022-23, Finance Minister announced that Sovereign Green Bonds
will be issued for mobilising resources for green projects.
Green bonds:
Green bonds are financial instruments. They generate proceeds for investment in
environmentally sustainable and climate-suitable projects.

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86. The National Investment and Infrastructure Fund Limited (NIIFL) has collaborated with
Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) to promote and enhance Japanese
investments in India.
Under this collaboration, NIIFL and JBIC will establish a bilateral India-Japan Fund (IJF), for
making equity investments in environmental preservation and low carbon emission
strategies.
87. Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding

(MoU) with Gurugram-based Veddis Foundation to support setting up of effective
governance systems under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihood
Mission (DAY-NRLM).
• The MoU with MoRD and Veddis Foundation is for three years and is non-financial in
nature.
• The MoU will also strengthen the state capacities, establish innovative models and
implement the national strategy for Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) and SHG
convergence.
• As per the MoU, Vedis Foundation will set up a PMU in the Rural Livelihoods (RL) Division
of the Ministry of Rural Development for the next five years.
Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM):

• It was launched by the Ministry of Rural Development in June 2011.
• It is the flagship program of the Government of India towards creating institutional
platforms for the rural poor, mainly women, enabling them to increase household income
through sustainable livelihood enhancements and improved access to financial services in
addition to increased access to rights, entitlements, and public services.
• With an annual budget outlay of over Rs. 13,000 crores, the program is spread across 7.15
lakh villages in 723 districts of 34 States and Union Territories, and has brought more than
8.6 crore rural households under its fold.
88. Union Minister for Labour and Employment Bhupender Yadav has recently launched an
online Maternal Benefits Claim portal of Employee's State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) for
insured women in New Delhi.
The portal has been launched on the occasion of the 102nd birth anniversary of Dattopant
Thengadi, a social reformer and the founder of Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, organized by the
Dattopant Thengadi National Board for Workers Education & Development (DTNBWED).
He has also launched an educational video on Digital Literacy prepared by the Board along
with the QR code for easy access to the training content of the DTNBWED.
Dattopant Thengadi National Board for Workers Education and Development
(DTNBWED):
It is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India.
It is registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. It was established in 1958.

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• Chairman: Virjesh Upadhyay
89. Government-backed Self Reliant India Fund (SRIF) has committed more than Rs.5,000
crore to help small businesses with growth capital in its first year of operations. The Fund
has so far committed more than Rs.5,000 crore to 38 daughter funds for investment in
MSMEs.
SRI Fund:
• It is Rs.10,000 crore fund launched by the Indian Government in October 2021.
• It is a SEBI-registered category-II Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) that the Indian
government set up to make equity investments in micro, small and medium enterprises
(MSMEs) with an aim to address the current capital gap and catalyse the flow of capital in
the sector.
• It is anchored by NSIC Venture Capital Fund Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The
National Small Industries Corporation Limited (NSIC).
• It operates through the mother-fund and daughter-fund (Fund of Funds) structure.
The mother fund is the SEBI fund that invests up to 20 percent of the overall corpus. The
daughter fund (mostly venture capital and private equity funds) raises the rest 80 percent
of the capital from the outside sources.
• The investment by this fund will get leveraged fivefold, making the total value of the
investment capital to MSMEs to Rs.50,000 crore.
90. The Union Bank of India (UBI) has recently observed its 104th Foundation Day on 11th
November 2022 at MMRDA Ground, BKC, Mumbai, Maharashtra. The lender started its
operation on 11th November 1919 and its headquarters at Mumbai was inaugurated by the
Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi in 1921.
As part of the occasion, the bank has launched various digital products.
1) Union Vyom app:
It is the super app of the Bank providing a one stop solution for all financial products. The
Vyom app is equipped to provide consumers with a unique banking experience where they
can transact beyond traditional banking.
2) Union Sparsh:
Touch debit card, specially designed for visually impaired.
3) Union Muskaan:
Zero balance saving account for children of 0-18 years of age, having facility of term
insurance, accidental death insurance, SMS banking, NEFT, IMPS at no cost.
4) Union Channel Finance:
A fully automated financing solution for finance to dealers.
5) Union Digi Sahaj:
It is an online account opening platform to open a savings account instantly.
6) Union SARAS:
SARAS stands for Stressed Asset Recovery Automated Solution. It offers early resolution and
effective management of stressed assets.

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91. The Indian Banks' Association (IBA) has released a report on ‘EASE Reforms Index for Q1 FY
2022-23’ where EASE stands for ‘Enhanced Access & Service Excellence’.
• As per the report, the State Bank of India (SBI) has been named the Best Bank in
adopting reforms prescribed for Public Sector Banks (PSBs).
• SBI is followed by the Union Bank of India (UBI) at 2nd position, and Bank of Baroda (BoB)
at 3rd position.
The performance of PSBs is measured on five themes under EASE 5.0:
Rank Digitally Big Data Modern Collaborative Employee

Enabled and Technology Banking Development
Customer Analytics Capabilities &
Offerings Governance
1 SBI Canara Bank UBI UCO Bank UBI
2 UBI BoB SBI Central Bank SBI

of India
3 BoB SBI PNB SBI Bank of
Maharashtra
Enhanced Access & Service Excellence (EASE):

It is an initiative by the Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance as part
of the PSB Reforms Agenda and is currently under its fifth iteration which focuses on
Enhanced Digital experience, Integrated and Inclusive Banking.
92. The Government of India (GoI) has sold its entire 1.55% stake in Axis Bank, held through
the Specified Undertaking of the Unit Trust of India (SUUTI). It has offloaded 46.5 million
shares in the private sector lender at a floor price of Rs.830.63 per share.
The GoI sold 1.95% in Axis Bank in May 2021 to raise about Rs.4,000 crore.
93. HDFC Mutual Fund has launched two new exchange-traded funds – HDFC Nifty IT ETF and
HDFC Nifty Private Bank ETF to expand their suite of “HDFC MF Index Solutions”, that offers
solutions to gain exposure to the growing Information Technology (IT) and Private Bank
space.
The objective of the funds is to provide investment returns that correspond to the total
returns of the securities before expenses, as represented by the Nifty IT Index and Nifty
Private Bank Index, respectively.

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94. The Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has increased its shareholding in Voltas by
buying an additional 2 percent stake. LIC has acquired Voltas' shares worth Rs 634.50 crore
through open market transactions. With this, LIC has increased its shareholding from
2,27,04,306 shares (equivalent to 6.862 percent) to 2,93,95,224 (8.884 percent) in Voltas.
95. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has introduced the BHIM App open-
source license model, with an aim of achieving ‘Digital Payments for All’. The new model will
allow the source code of the BHIM app to be licensed to regulated entities participating in the
UPI ecosystem.
96. The United States’ Department of Treasury has removed India from its Currency
Monitoring List of major trading partners. Along with India, the United States also removed
Italy, Mexico, Thailand and Vietnam from the list. India had been on the list for the last two
years.
With this, seven economies that are now on the current monitoring list include Japan, China,
Korea, Singapore, Germany, Malaysia and Taiwan.
Switzerland has exceeded the thresholds of all 3 criteria and it is being labelled as “Currency
Manipulator”.
This move followed when the US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen visited New Delhi
and held talks with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. She has also addressed the US-
India Businesses and investment Opportunities event in New Delhi.
Currency Monitoring List:

The US Treasury usually puts a country’s name on the list if the said nation has intervened in
the currency market by higher levels than 2% of its GDP over a year, and had a current
account surplus above a stipulated level. Its net purchases of foreign currency, too, also need
to exceed 2% of GDP over one year.
A country that meets two of the three criteria in the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement
Act of 2015 gets included in the list. If the country meets all three criteria, it gets termed as
‘currency manipulator’ by the US Department of Treasury. Once a country appears on the
currency monitoring list, it will remain there for at least two consecutive reports to help
ensure that any improvement in performance versus the criteria is durable and is not due to
temporary factors.
97. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has recently introduced a regulatory
framework to facilitate providers of online bond platforms that are selling listed debt
securities. In this regard, SEBI has amended NCS (Issue and Listing of Non-Convertible
Securities) Regulations 2021.
New rules:

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• No one can act as an online bond platform provider without obtaining registration
certificate as a stock broker from SEBI.
• Those acting as an online bond platform provider without registration certificate prior to
the date of this regulation coming into force can continue to do so for a period of three
months.
• People will have to comply with the conditions of registration and such other
requirements specified by the regulator from time to time.
SEBI has also amended its Takeover Code to facilitate transactions involving change in
control of State-owned enterprises. As per the change, acquirers will get flexibility in pricing
their open offers for minority shareholders. This means the current requirement of
calculating 60 days volume weighted average market price (VWAMP) for determination of
open offer price in case of disinvestment of PSU companies has been dispensed with.
98. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has recently declared that electricity
bill payments service for more than 70 electricity boards has been enabled on 123PAY. This
feature, powered by Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS), will facilitate a smooth and quick
electricity bill payment service through 123PAY for users to instantly make payments directly
from their bank accounts.
UPI 123PAY:
It is an instant payment system for feature phone users who can use Unified Payments
Interface (UPI) payment service. Through UPI 123PAY, feature phone users can undertake a
host of transactions based on four technology alternatives. They include calling an IVR
(interactive voice response) number, app functionality in feature phones, missed call-based
approach and also proximity sound-based payments.
99. ICICI Prudential Life Insurance has launched a new participating savings product, ‘ICICI
Pru Sukh Samruddhi,’ which provides customers with guaranteed benefits and growth
potential in the form of bonuses. This also provides a life cover for the entire duration of the
policy, including the income period, providing financial security to the family.
RBI IN NEWS
100. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has recently released the Report on Municipal Finances,
compiling and analyzing budgetary data for 201 Municipal Corporations (MCs) across all
states. The report explores ‘Alternative Sources of Financing for Municipal Corporations
(MCs)’ as its theme.
This report has been prepared in the Division of State Finances of the Department of
Economic and Policy Research.
Highlights of the report:
• Municipal Finances (MFs) are dominated by property tax collections and devolution of
taxes and grants from upper tiers of government, resulting in lack of financial autonomy.

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• MCs’ expenditure of administrative costs and interest and finance charges is rising, but
capital expenditure is minimal.
• MCs mostly rely on borrowings from banks and financial institutions and loans from
centre/ state governments to finance their resource gaps in the absence of a well-
developed market for municipal bonds.
MFs, consisting of tax revenue, non-tax revenue, and transfers, are estimated at 0.61 percent
of GDP in 2017-18. Non-tax revenue, accounted for 30 % of total revenue receipts of MF.
Property tax accounts for 50% of the total tax collections of MF.
Municipal Corporation:
It is the urban local government that is responsible for the development of any Metropolitan
City having a population of more than one million people. MCs are established in the states
by the acts of the state legislatures, whereas in the Union Territories through the acts of the
Parliament.
The first municipal corporation in India was created in Madras in 1688, followed by municipal
corporations in Bombay and Calcutta in 1726.
101. Ftcash, a Small & Medium Enterprises (SME) lending startup, has received a licence from
the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to set up a Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC). With
this, the company aims to disburse loans worth Rs.100 crore in FY23.
102. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved the Scheme of Amalgamation of Shree
Sharada Sahakari Bank Ltd, Pune (Maharashtra) with The Cosmos Co-operative Bank
Ltd., Pune (Maharashtra). The scheme has been approved in exercise of the powers under
the provisions of Section 44A read with Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
AWARDS & RECOGNITION

103. Forbes has released the World's Best Employers Rankings 2022. This is 6th annual ranking
of the World’s Best Employers. Forbes has partnered with the market research company
Statista to compile the ranking.
• The global ranking list has been topped by South Korean giant Samsung Electronics,
followed by US giants Microsoft, IBM, Alphabet and Apple.
• Reliance Industries has been named India's best employer and the world's 20th best
firm to work with. It has 2,30,000 employees.
• Other Indian companies on the list: HDFC Bank is ranked 137th. Bajaj (173rd), Aditya
Birla Group (240th), Hero Motocorp (333rd), Larsen & Toubro (354th), ICICI Bank (365th),
HCL Technologies (455th), State Bank of India (499th), Adani Enterprises (547th) and
Infosys (668th).
104. Indian physician and scientist Dr Subhash Babu has been awarded the prestigious 2022
Bailey K. Ashford Medal, and 2022 Fellow of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and

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Hygiene (FASTMH) award for his exemplary research work and contribution in tropical
medicine.
He is the first Indian to receive both the Bailey K. Ashford Medal and the FASTMH award. He
is the Scientific Director of the ICER (International Centre for Excellence in Research) - India
Programme.
Bailey K. Ashford Medal:
It is awarded annually to one or more mid-career investigators who have done outstanding
work in tropical medicine. It was established in 1941 by the ASTMH.
105. The 15th edition of QS Asia University Rankings 2023 has been released by Quacquarelli
Symonds (QS), the International Ranking agency.
Peking University, Beijing, China has topped the rankings, followed by National University
of Singapore (NUS), and Tsinghua University, Beijing China.
Indian Universities:
• Around 19 Indian universities have been featured amongst the top 200 universities in the
QS Asia Universities Ranking 2023.
• Among 19, 11 Indian Universities have made it to the top 100 on the list.
• Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (40) has topped among the Indian universities.
• Other Indian Universities on the list: IIT Bombay (40th), IIT Delhi (46th), IISc Bangalore (52),
IIT Madras (53), IIT Kharagpur (61), IIT Kanpur (66) University of Delhi (85), IIT Rorkee (114),
JNU (119), IIT Guwahati (124), VIT Vellore (173), University of Calcutta (181), Jadavpur
University (182), Anna University (185), Chandigarh University (185), IIT Indore (185), BITS
Pilani (188), Jamia Millia Islamia (188), and Amity University Noida (200).
• All the Indian Universities which have featured in the top 200 list have improved in their
Academic Reputation and the International Research Network.
106. Haryana has been conferred with the India Agribusiness Award-2022 in the category of
'Best State' by the Indian Chamber of Food and Agriculture (ICFA), for its outstanding
contribution in the areas of policies, programmes, production, inputs, technologies,
marketing, value addition, infrastructure and exports in the agriculture sector.
National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), Hyderabad, under the Department of

Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, has been awarded the “India Agribusiness Awards 2022” for
the best Agribusiness Award.
The award has been presented at the ‘AgroWorld’ 2022’, an India International Agro Trade
and Technology Fair – 2022 held from 9th to 11th November 2022 at Indian Agriculture
Research Institute, Pusa Campus, New Delhi. It is being organised by ICFA.
107. Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports has announced the National Sports Awards 2022. The
awardees will receive their awards from the President of India at a specially organized
function at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 30th November, 2022.

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Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award 2022:
The award is given for the spectacular and most outstanding performance in the field of
sports by a sportsperson over the period of the previous four years.
S. No. Name of the Discipline
sportsperson
1. Shri Sharath Kamal Table Tennis
Achanta
Arjuna Awards for outstanding performance in Sports and Games 2022:

The award is given for good performance over a period of the previous four years and for
showing qualities of leadership, sportsmanship and a sense of discipline.
sportsperson
1. Ms Seema Punia Athletics
2. Shri Eldhose Paul Athletics
3. Shri Avinash Mukund Athletics
Sable
4. Shri Lakshya Sen Badminton
5. Shri Prannoy HS Badminton
6. Shri Amit Boxing
7. Ms Nikhat Zareen Boxing
8. Ms Bhakti Pradip Chess
Kulkarni
9. Shri R Chess
Praggnanandhaa
10. Ms Deep Grace Ekka Hockey
11. Ms Shushila Devi Judo
12. Ms Sakshi Kumari Kabaddi
13. Ms Nayan Moni Saikia Lawn Bowl
14. Shri Sagar Kailas Mallakhamb
Ovhalkar
15. Ms ElavenilValarivan Shooting
16. Shri Omprakash Shooting
Mitharval
17. Ms Sreeja Akula Table Tennis
18. Shri Vikas Thakur Weightlifting
19. Ms Anshu Wrestling
20. Ms Sarita Wrestling
21. Shri Parveen Wushu
22. Ms Manasi Para Badminton
Girishchandra Joshi
23. Shri Tarun Dhillon Para Badminton

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24. Shri Swapnil Sanjay Para Swimming
Patil
25. Ms Jerlin Anika J Deaf Badminton
Dronacharya Award for outstanding coaches in Sports and Games 2022:

The award is given to coaches for doing outstanding and meritorious work on a consistent basis
and for enabling sportspersons to excel in International events.
A. Regular Category:
S. No. Name of the Coach Discipline
(S/Shri/Ms)
1 Shri Jiwanjot Singh Teja Archery
2 Shri Mohammad Ali Boxing
Qamar
3 Ms Suma Siddharth Para Shooting
Shirur
4 Shri Sujeet Maan Wrestling
B. Lifetime Category:
S.No. Name of the Coach Discipline
(S/Shri/Ms)
1 Shri Dinesh Jawahar Cricket
Lad
2 Shri Bimal Prafulla Football
Ghosh
3 Shri Raj Singh Wrestling
Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime achievement in Sports and Games 2022:
The award is given to honour sportspersons who have contributed to sports by their
performance and who continue to contribute to promotion of sports event after their
retirement.

sportsperson
1 Ms Ashwini Akkunji C. Athletics
2 Shri Dharamvir Singh Hockey
3 Shri B.C Suresh Kabaddi

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4 Shri Nir Bahadur Para Athletics
Gurung
Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar 2022:

The award is given to corporate entities (both in private and public sector), Sports Control
Boards, NGOs, including sports bodies at the State and National level, who have played a visible
role in the area of sports promotion and development.
S. No. Category Entity

recommended for
RashtriyaKhel
Protsahan
Puruskar, 2022
1. Identification and TransStadia
Nurturing of Budding Enterprises Private
and Young Talent Limited
2. Encouragement to Kalinga Institute of
sports through Industrial
Corporate Social Technology
Responsibility
3. Sports for Ladakh Ski &
Development Snowboard
Association
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy 2022: Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar
The overall top performing university in inter-university tournaments is given this trophy.
108. The Print, a news portal, has been awarded with the prestigious International Press
Institute (IPI) India Award for Excellence in Journalism 2022 for its series of stories which
exposed how hospitals, local bodies and governments in various states mismanaged the
support system for the fight against COVID.
109. Saurabh Shukla of NDTV has also been awarded the IPI India Award for his story on hate
speeches by certain religious men in Haridwar.
The award carries a cash prize of Rs.1 Lakh, a trophy and a citation to each team.
110. The crews of Indian Naval Ship (INS) Kochi, INS Kolkata and Greatship Ahalya have been
awarded certificates of commendation by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in
recognition of "exceptional courage" shown during a rescue work. The award has been
received by Vikram K Doraiswami, Indian Naval Advisor, High Commission of India (HCI),
London on behalf of the Indian Navy.

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BOOKS & AUTHORS
111. B.V.R Mohan Reddy, an Indian entrepreneur, and founder and chairman of Cyient, has
authored a new book titled ‘Engineered in India: From Dreams to billion dollar Cyient’. It has
been published by Penguin Business. The book narrates the author’s journey and struggles
in creating ‘Cyient, which provides outsourced engineering services.
112. A new book titled “E. K. Janaki Ammal: Life and Scientific Contributions”, featuring the
life and remarkable achievements of Edavalath Kakkat Janaki Ammal, a pioneering botanist
and the first Indian woman to be awarded a PhD in the botanical sciences, has been
authored by retired school teacher Nirmala James.
• The book is published by Enview Research and Development.

• The book has been released during the event organized on the 125th birth anniversary of
E.K. Janaki Ammal.
• She was born on 4th November 1897 in Thalassery in Kannur district of Kerala.
• The book depicts how Dr Janaki Ammal fulfilled her professional dreams despite the
gender and caste barriers.
Other books released: 'Chromosome Woman, Nomad Scientist: E K Janaki Ammal, A Life
1897-1984' by Savithri Preetha Nair
PERSON IN NEWS
113. The Board of Directors of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has approved the appointment
of K.V. Kamath as an Independent Director of the company for a period of 5 years. He has
also been appointed as an Independent Director and non-executive Chairman for Reliance
Strategic Investment Limited (RSIL). He is currently the Chairman of the National Bank for
Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID).
RSIL will be renamed as Jio Financial Services Limited (“JFSL") and the scheme of demerger
approved by the board of directors for demerger of the financial services business.
114. Senior bureaucrat Vivek Joshi has been appointed as the Secretary of the Department of
Financial Services (DFS) under the Ministry of Finance. He has replaced Sanjay Malhotra as
he will become the new Revenue Secretary. He is a 1989 batch IAS officer of the Haryana
cadre.
115. Skechers South Asia Private Limited, a subsidiary of Skechers USA, has appointed
Bollywood actress Kriti Sanon as the new brand ambassador for Skechers India. She will be
the face of the fashion and lifestyle categories for the brand and appear in its upcoming
campaign for a line of streetwear sneakers.

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116. The Government of India (GoI) has recently constituted the 22nd Law Commission of India
with Justice (retd) Rituraj Awasthi, former Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court, as its
Chairman.
Other five members on the commission include former Kerala High Court judge Justice K T
Sankaran, M Karunanithi, and law professors Anand Paliwal, D P Verma, and Raka Arya.
Note: The tenure of the 21st Law Commission, which was headed by former Supreme Court
judge Justice B S Chauhan, came to an end on August 31 2018.
Law Commission of India

The Law Commission of India is a non-statutory body that is constituted by a notification of
the Government of India, with definite terms of reference to carry out research in the field of
law.
• It was first constituted in 1955.
• The main function of the Commission is to research and advise the Government of India
on legislative matters and its reforms.
• It consists of legal experts and is headed by a retired judge.
• The Commission is constituted for three years and serves as an advisory body to the
Ministry of Law and Justice.
117. GSMA, a global organization covering mobile ecosystem across countries, has elected
Gopal Vittal, Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Bharti Airtel Group,
as Deputy Chair of the GSMA Board of Directors. He has been elected for a two-year term,
beginning 1 January 2023 through 31 December 2024.
118. All India Rubber Industries Association (AIRIA) has elected Ramesh Kejriwal of India Oil
Seals and Synthetic Products, Kolkata, as its new President for the year 2022-23. He has
succeeded Sawar Dhanania.
Shashi Kumar Singh of Osaka Rubber Pvt Ltd., Mumbai, has been elected as the Senior Vice-
President and Sanjeev Sikka of Majestic Rubber Industries, Ghaziabad has been elected as
the Vice-President.
119. Mahindra Rural Housing Finance Limited (MRHFL), a subsidiary of Mahindra and Mahindra
Financial Services Ltd, has appointed Shantanu Rege as its Managing Director (MD) & Chief
Executive Officer (CEO). He has succeeded Rajnish Agarwal.
120. Switzerland Tourism has appointed Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra as its
'Friendship Ambassador' to showcase and promote locations in Switzerland to Indian
travellers. He will share his experiences in Switzerland to showcase it as the ideal destination
for outdoors and the best destination for hiking, biking, soft and extreme adventure and
snow sports.

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121. Religare Enterprises Limited (REL), a financial services company, has appointed Padma
Shri awardee and Indian freestyle wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt, as its brand ambassador. He
will be the face of the company’s integrated brand marketing campaigns across mediums.
Note: Yogeshwar Dutt was honoured with the Padma Shri in 2013.
122. Natasha Pirc Musar, a human rights lawyer linked to former US first lady Melania Trump,
has become the first female President of Slovenia. She has defeated Anze Logar the former
Foreign Minister and a veteran of conservative politics in the elections.
123. Elon Musk has become the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Twitter, the social media
company, as he acquired Twitter for USD 44 billion. He has replaced Parag Agarwal. He is also
the CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, and The Boring.
124. Nykaa Fashion, the multi-brand ecommerce fashion and lifestyle destination, has
appointed Bollywood actress Jhanvi Kapoor as its brand ambassador for its website and two
apps including Nykaa Beauty and Nykaa Fashion that caters to the needs of consumers.
SPORTS
125. Mumbai, led by Ajinkya Rahane, has won the fifteen edition of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
2022-23, a Twenty20 competition, by defeating Himachal Pradesh, led by Rishi Dhawan, by 4
wickets in the final match held at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, West Bengal.
• Player of the match (final): Tanush Kotian (Mumbai)

• Most runs: Yash Dhull (363) (Delhi)
• Most wickets: Siddarth Kaul (19) (Punjab)
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy:

It is a domestic T-20 cricket championship in India, organized by the Board of Control for
Cricket in India (BCCI), among the teams from the Ranji Trophy. It is named after Indian
former test cricketer Syed Mushtaq Ali. It was first held in 2006-07. Tamil Nadu is the the
most successful team of the tournament.
126. The 2022 BWF Para-Badminton World Championships has been held from 1st to 6th
November 2022 in Tokyo, Japan. In the championship, Indonesia has topped the medal tally
with 11 medals (6 Gold, 2 Silver, and 3 Bronze), followed by Japan (3 Gold, 2 Silver, and 5
Bronze), and South Korea (2.5 Gold, 2 Silver, and 5 Bronze).
India has finished 4th in the medal tally with 2 Gold, 2 Silver, and 11.5 Bronze.
• Indian Para-badminton player Pramod Bhagat (Odisha) has won the men's singles (SL3)
title by defeating Nitish Kumar in the finals.

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• Nitish Kumar (Haryana) has won the silver in Men’s Singles SL3 event.
• Pramod Bhagat and Manoj Sarkar (Uttarakhand) have won the silver medal in Men’s
Doubles SL3 event.
• Manisha Ramadoss (Tamil Nadu) has won the gold medal in the women’s singles (SU5)
title by defeating Mamiko Toyoda of Japan in the finals.
127. The 2022 Hylo Open, a badminton tournament, has been held at the Saarlandhalle in
Saarbrücken, Germany, from 1 to 6 November 2022. The tournament has a total prize of USD
180,000.
Category Winners
Men’s singles Anthony Sinisuka Ginting
(Indonesia)
Women’s singles Han Yue (China)
Men’s Doubles Lu Ching-yao and Yang Po-
han
(Taiwan)
Women’s Doubles Benyapa Aimsaard and
Nuntakarn Aimsaard
(Thailand)
Mixed Doubles Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto
and Lisa Ayu Kusumawati
(Indonesia)
128. Belgium and the Netherlands will co-host the men’s and women’s International Hockey
Federation (FIH) Hockey World Cups in 2026.
• The two FIH Hockey World Cups will be held in July or August 2026 in
Amsterdam/Amstelveen in the Netherlands and Wavre in Belgium.
• Both the women’s and men’s teams will play at both venues.
• The Netherlands are the defending champions at the FIH Women’s Hockey World Cup
2026.
Note: India will host the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023 from January 13 to 29.
129. Viacom18 Sports, a joint venture between Network 18 and Paramount Global, has signed a
seven-year partnership agreement with Cricket South Africa (CSA) to telecast and stream
all international cricket played in the rainbow nation from 2024-2031.
• Viacom 18 Sports will broadcast all senior men’s and senior women’s international
matches held in South Africa.
• The partnership will cover all international cricket from South Africa, including the
Mahatma Gandhi-Nelson Mandela series between India and South Africa.

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• The deal includes other high-profile series like the Basil D'Oliveira against England and
tours from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, West Indies, Australia, and Bangladesh.
• Viacom 18 recently announced a 10-year partnership with SA20, South Africa’s premier
cricket league.
Note: South Africa’s new Twenty20 Competition will be called SA20.
130. India will host the 2023 International Boxing Association (IBA) Women's World Boxing
Championship, elite women’s competition, in 2023 in New Delhi, Delhi.
• The Host City Agreement has been signed between IBA and the Boxing Federation of India
(BFI) in the presence of IBA President Umar Kremlev and BFI President Ajay Singh.
• It will be the third Women’s World Championships (13th edition) to be conducted in India.
Previously, India hosted the Women’s championship in 2006 and 2018, both times in New
Delhi. India also hosted the Women’s Youth World Championships in 2017.
131. West Indies batting legend Shivnarine Chanderpaul, England Women’s team legend
Charlotte Edwards and Pakistan conic spinner Abdul Qadir have been inducted into the
International Cricket Council (ICC) Hall of Fame.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Charlotte Edwards and Abdul Qadir have become inductees number
107, 108 and 109 respectively.
ICC Cricket Hall of Fame:

The ICC Cricket Hall of Fame was launched on 2nd January 2009, in association with the
Federation of International Cricketers Associations (FICA). It recognises the achievements of
the legends of the game from cricket's long and illustrious history.
132. Uttar Pradesh will host the Khelo India National University Games in 2023-24 in four
cities of the state. These cities are Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Varanasi and Noida.
• Around 4,500 athletes will participate representing 150 universities across the country.
• There will be 20 disciplines including basketball, judo, kabaddi, wrestling, swimming,
boxing, rowing, etc.
• Disciplines like kabaddi, judo, archery, and fencing will be organised in Noida, whereas
Gorakhpur will organize rowing.
• Events of wrestling, malkhamb and yoga will be held in Varanasi, whereas the rest of the
events will be organized in Lucknow.
133. Australia has hosted the 8th ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 from 16 October to 13th
November 2022. The host cities are Adelaide, Brisbane, Geelong, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth,
and Sydney.

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• England has won the 8th ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022 after defeating Pakistan in the
final match held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Melbourne.
• This is England’s second title.
• Sam Curran of England has been named the Player of the Match (finals) and also the
Player of the Tournament.
Major achievements:
• Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav have been named in the "Most Valuable Team" of
ICC 2022 T20 World Cup.
• Suryakumar Yadav has become the first Indian player to score 1,000 T20 International
runs in a calendar year of T20I.
• Virat Kohli has become the first player to end two ICC T20 World Cup as the leading run-
scorer in the tournament. He has also become the first batter in history to score 4000
runs in T20 Internationals.
• Pakistan’s opening pair of Babur Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have become the first-
ever duo to have three-century stands in the history of the ICC T20 World Cup.
• Sikandar Raza of Zimbabwe has become the first-ever player in the history of T20I cricket
to score 500+ runs and take 25 wickets during a calendar year in T20I.
134. Danish teenager Holger Rune has won the men's singles title at the 2022 Rolex Paris
Masters by defeating 6-times champion Novak Djokovic in the final held at the Accor Arena
in Paris, France.
Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski have won the men's doubles title at the tournament.
135. Indian cricketer Virat Kohli has been named the ICC Men's Player of the Month for
October 2022 after some outstanding performances in the shortest format of the game.
Pakistan all-rounder Nida Dar has been named the ICC Women's Player of the Month for
October 2022 after some terrific performances during the Women's Asia Cup.
136. Netherland cricketer Stephan Myburgh has announced his retirement from International
cricket. He made his ODI debut for the Netherlands against Kenya in 2011. He represented
the Netherlands in 22 ODIs and 45 T20Is. He is the 3rd-highest run-getter for the Netherlands
in T20Is.
137. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has adopted a resolution to designate
November 18 annually as the ‘World Day for the Prevention of and Healing from Child
Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Violence’.
The day encourages commitments to raising public awareness of those affected by child
sexual abuse and the need to prevent and eliminate child sexual exploitation, abuse and
violence, and the imperative to hold perpetrators to account; ensuring the access of survivors
and victims to justice and remedies; as well as facilitating open discussion on the need to

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prevent and eliminate their stigmatisation, promote their healing, affirm their dignity and
protect their rights.
138. Mercedes’s driver George Russell has won the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix held at the
Interlagos Circuit in São Paulo, Brazil. Mercedes’s driver Lewis Hamilton has finished second
and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz has finished third in the race.
139. Switzerland has won the Billie Jean King Cup 2022 for the first time after defeating
Australia in the final in Glasgow, Scotland. Belinda Bencic has beaten Australia's Ajla
Tomljanovic in straight sets in the second match of the finals to give them an unassailable 2-0
lead.
Billie Jean King Cup:

It is the premier international team competition in women's tennis, launched as the
Federation Cup in 1963 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Tennis
Federation. It was named in honour of former World No.1 Billie Jean King in 2020.
IMPORTANT DAYS
140. The Indo-German Week of the Young Researchers 2022 has been held in New Delhi
from 7th to 10th November 2022. It has been organized by the Science and Engineering
Research Board (SERB), India, and German Research Foundation (DFG).
• The Department of Chemistry, IIT Delhi has coordinated the conclave.

• The main aim of the conclave is to foster collaboration among early and mid-career
researchers and scientists who will be setting the agenda of scientific cooperation in the
near future.
• The conclave focuses on Chemistry and Chemical Biology.
• During the conclave, 30 promising young researchers from India and Germany have
discussed closely on various contemporary matters in chemical sciences.
• The conclave is led by Prof Vinod K Singh from IIT Kanpur and Prof Burkhard König
from University of Regensburg, Germany.
141. World Urbanism Day, also known as “World Town Planning Day”, is observed annually on
8th November to recognise and promote the role of planning in creating livable
communities.
The day is organised by the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP).
The day was founded in 1949 by the late Professor Carlos Maria della Paolera of the
University of Buenos Aires.
142. International Day of Radiology is observed annually on 8th November to promote the
role of medical imaging in modern healthcare. The day is a joint initiative of the European

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Society of Radiology (ESR), the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) and the
American College of Radiology (ACR). The year 2022 marks the 11th International Day of
Radiology.
The day also marks the anniversary of the discovery of x-rays by Wilhelm Roentgen in 1895.
The day was first observed in 2012.
Theme 2022 (as per the International Society of Radiographers and Radiological
Technologists (ISRRT)): ‘Radiographers at the Forefront of Patient Safety’
Theme 2022 (as per ESR): “Radiologists & radiographers supporting patients”
143. The State of Uttarakhand celebrates its Foundation Day every year on 9th November. The
state was formed on 9th November 2000 as the 27th State of India, when it was carved out of
northern Uttar Pradesh. It was earlier known as Uttaranchal, however, in 2007, it was
renamed Uttarakhand. It is located at the foothills of the Himalayan mountain ranges. It is
largely a hilly State, having international boundaries with China (Tibet) in the north and Nepal
in the east.
The year 2022 marks the 22nd Uttarakhand Foundation Day.
144. National Legal Services Day is observed annually on 9th November to create awareness
for ensuring reasonable fair and justice procedure for all citizens. The day also marks the
enactment of the Legal Services Authorities Act 1987.
The day was first started by the Supreme Court of India in 1995 to provide help and support
to poor and weaker sections of the society.
145. World Science Day for Peace and Development is observed annually on 10th November
to focus on the important role of science and the need to engage the public widely in debates
on emerging scientific issues. The day was declared by the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2001 and observed for the first time in 2002.
The year 2022 marks the 21st edition of World Science Day for Peace and Development.
Theme 2022: “Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development”
146. National Education Day is observed annually on 11th November to commemorate the
birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the first education minister of independent
India. The year 2022 marks the 134th birth anniversary of him.

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The day was declared by the Ministry of Human Resource Development on 11 September
2008.
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad:
He was born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia in 1888. He served as India’s education minister from 15
August 1947 to 2 February 1958. He was awarded Bharat Ratna posthumously, India’s
highest civilian honour in 1992.
147. World Pneumonia Day is observed annually on 12th November to spread awareness,
promote prevention and treatment and produce action to combat the disease. The day was
first celebrated in 2009 by the Global Coalition against Child Pneumonia.
148. Public Service Broadcasting Day is observed annually on 12th November. This day is
observed to commemorate the first and only visit of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma
Gandhi, to the studio of All India Radio, Delhi in 1947.
The day was declared as Public Service Broadcasting Day or (Jan Prasaran Diwas) in 2000.
149. World Diabetes Day is observed annually on 14th November to mark the birth anniversary
of Sir Frederick Banting, who discovered the insulin hormone along with Charles Herbert Best
in 1922. The day was established by the International Diabetes Foundation (IDF) and the
World Health Organisation (WHO) in 1991. The day was recognised by the United Nations in
2006.
Theme 2022: “Access to Diabetes Education”

The 2022 theme underpins the multi-year theme (2021-23) of ‘Access to Diabetes Care’.
150. Tribal Pride Day or 'Janjatiya Gaurav Divas' is observed annually on 15th November to
commemorate the contribution of tribal communities to the history and culture of the
nation. The day also commemorates the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda, an iconic
freedom fighter, social reformer, and renowned tribal leader. The year 2022 marks the 147th
birth anniversary of him.
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved to declare 15
November as Tribal Pride Day in 2021.
Birsa Munda:
He was born on 15th November 1875 in Ulihatu village in Jharkhand. He was an Indian tribal
freedom fighter, folk hero and a religious leader. He was also known as Dharti Aaba (Father
of Earth). He started the faith of ‘Birsait’. He led the famous Munda Rebellion in the south of
Ranchi in 1899-1900.

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Other Important Study Material to help you with your
preparation
• Highlights of the Union Budget 2022-23- Download Free PDF - PracticeMock
• Daily Quantitative Aptitude | Reasoning | English | Current Affairs Quizzes for Banking &
Government Exams
• Weekly Current Affairs- Download Free PDF
• Static GK- Download Free PDFs- For All Government, Banking Exams
• The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary- Download Free PDF
• Seating Arrangement Tips & Questions for Practice- Download PDF
• 600+ Synonyms asked in Previous Years’ SSC Exams- Download PDF
• How to Prepare for Banking/Financial Awareness? Download PDFs
• Download PDF- Syllogism- Only & Few Concepts & Questions
• Alphanumeric Series Free PDF- Tips & New Type Questions
• Inequalities PDF- Concept, Examples, Tricks & Expected Questions
• 175+ Important SSC GK Questions asked in Last 15 Years- Download PDF
• Reading Comprehension Guide PDF- Strategy, Tips & Questions for Practice
• Simple/Compound Interest Tricks & Model Questions- PDF
• 500 GA Previous Years’ Questions PDF- Very Important for SSC CGL
• Parajumbles Concept, Tips & Questions for Practice- Download PDF
• A Guide to Master Your Vocabulary- Download Free PDF
• Coding-Decoding Concept, Tips & Questions for Practice- Download PDF
• Direction Sense- Concept, Tips & Questions for Practice- Download PDF
• Most Probable Current Affairs PDF- Very Important for the Upcoming Exams
• Analogy- Concept, Tips, Examples & Questions for Practice- Download Free PDF
• Quadratic Equation- Concept, Tips, Examples & Questions for Practice- Download PDF
• [Updated] List of Countries, Capitals & Currencies- Download Free PDF
• List of Firsts in India- Download Free PDF
• Computer Awareness- Abbreviations & File Extensions- Download Free PDF

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Contents
STATES AFFAIRS......................................................................................................... 10
REPORTS & INDICES ................................................................................................... 18
BANKING & FINANCE ................................................................................................... 28
RBI IN NEWS.............................................................................................................. 33
PERSON IN NEWS ....................................................................................................... 39
OBITUARIES............................................................................................................... 42
SPORTS ..................................................................................................................... 42
IMPORTANT DAYS ....................................................................................................... 46
Other Important Study Material to help you with your preparation ...................................... 50

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NATIONAL AFFAIRS
1. The Government of India (GoI) has planned to launch the 'Ganga Vilas Cruise', the world’s
longest luxury river cruise, in January 2023. The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI)
has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Antara Luxury River Cruises and JM
Baxi River Cruises for this.
• The cruise will sail from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh to Dibrugarh in Assam via
Bangaldesh in a longest river journey of 50 days covering 27 river systems and visit
over 50 tourist sites including World Heritage Sites.
• The 50-day cruise will set sail from Varanasi on 10 January 2023 and cover 4,000 km,
passing through Kolkata and Dhaka before reaching Bogibeel in Dibrugarh district of
Assam on 1 March 2023.
2. The 3rd edition of India's largest coastal defence exercise, Sea Vigil 2022, has recently been
conducted in the entire 7,516 km-long coastline and Exclusive Economic Zone of India from
15th to 16th November 2022.
• The exercise has been conducted by the Indian Navy in coordination with the Indian
Coast Guard (ICG) and other ministries entrusted with the task of maritime activities.
• The exercise also involves all the Coastal States and Union territories along with other
maritime stakeholders, including the fishing and coastal communities.
• Assets of the Indian Navy, Coast Guard, Customs and other maritime agencies have
also participated in the exercise.
• In addition to the Ministry of Defence, the conduct of this exercise has also been
facilitated by the Ministries of Home Affairs, Ministry of Ports Shipping and Waterways,
Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Ministry of Fisheries Animal Husbandry and
Dairying, Ministry of Customs, and other agencies of Centre/ State.
Sea Vigil:
It was conceptualised in 2018 to assess the various security measures that were taken to
enhance maritime security after the Mumbai terror attack in 2008. The first edition of the Sea
Vigil Exercise was held in 2019. The exercise is a build up towards the major Theatre Level
Readiness Operational Exercise (TROPEX), which the Indian Navy conducts every two years.
3. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) will deal with all Goods & Services Tax (GST)
anti-profiteering complaints from 1st December 2022, as the extended tenure of National
Anti-profiteering Authority (NAA) ends on 30th November 2022.
As per the decision by the GST Council, NAA will cease to exist from 1st December 2022.
Henceforth, all investigations, based on complaints filed by consumers, will be done by the
Directorate General of Anti-profiteering (DGAP) which will then submit a report to CCI.

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National Anti-profiteering Authority (NAA):
• The NAA was set up in November 2017 under Section 171A of Goods and Services Tax
(GST) law to check unfair profiteering activities by registered suppliers.
• The NAA was originally intended to operate for two years, until 2019, but was later
extended to November 2021.
• The GST Council, in its 45th meeting in September 2021, gave another 1-year extension till
30th November 2022, to NAA and also decided to shift the work to CCI after that.
Competition Commission of India (CCI)

CCI was established to enforce the law under Competition Act, 2002. It consists of a
chairperson and six members appointed by the central government.
• Current Chairman (Acting): Sangeeta Verma
4. The National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), under the Ministry of Environment
Forest and Climate Change and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP),
have jointly launched the “In Our LiFEtime” campaign. The campaign has been launched in a
side event at the India Pavilion at COP 27, Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt.
Objective: To encourage youth between the ages of 18 to 23 years to become message

bearers of sustainable lifestyles.
This campaign envisions to recognize youth from around the world taking climate action
initiatives that resonate with the concept of LiFE.
Other initiative launched at COP 27:

The Global Shield Against Climate Risks initiative has been launched by the Vulnerable
Twenty (V20) countries and G7 countries. It is pre-arranged financial support that
established for the needs of poor and vulnerable countries facing increasing risks of losses
and damages from climate change.
Vulnerably Twenties (V20):

It is a dedicated cooperation initiative of economies systemically vulnerable to climate
change. It was established in 2015 at Lima, Peru.
5. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI), Ministry of
Education (MoE) and Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) have jointly
organized the first Virtual Global Skill Summit (VGSS) with the Indian Ambassadors /High
Commission representing India Missions from ten nations to facilitate overseas mobility of
the skilled workforce.
• Union Minister of Education, Dharmendra Pradhan, and Union Minister of Commerce

and Industry, Piyush Goyal have co-chaired the Summit.
• The Summit aimed to institutionalize a mechanism for the exchange of information on
skill requirements of countries and skill availability in India.

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• Indian Ambassadors from ten different countries namely Australia, France, Germany,
Japan, Malaysia, Mauritius, Singapore, Tanzania, United Arab Emirates, and United
Kingdom deliberated in this summit.
6. The 18th edition of Indo - US joint training exercise “YUDH ABHYAS 22" has been conducted
at Auli in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand. Exercise Yudh Abhyas is conducted annually
between India and USA with the aim of exchanging best practices, Tactics, Techniques and
Procedures between the Armies of the two nations.
• This 15-day-long exercise (16th November to 2nd November 2022) focuses on high altitude
and extreme cold warfare.
• US Army soldiers of 2nd Brigade of the 11th Airborne Division and Indian Army soldiers
from the Assam Regiment will be participating in the exercise.
• The training schedule focuses on employment of an integrated battle group under
Chapter VII of the UN Mandate.
• The joint exercise will also focus on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR)
operations.
• The exercise will facilitate both Armies to share their wide experiences, skills and enhance
their techniques through information exchange.
The previous edition of the exercise was conducted at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson,
Alaska (USA) in October 2021.
7. During the meeting, a broad consensus emerged among stakeholders on adoption of USB
Type-C as a charging port for electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops.
• The Ministry of Consumer Affairs has also formed a sub-group to examine the feasibility
of uniform charging ports for wearable devices like smart watches.
• With universal chargers consumers will no longer need a different charger every time they
purchase a new device.
• The move will also reduce massive amounts of e-waste.
• It will be a step towards LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) that nurtures a global network of
individuals, i.e., ‘Pro-Planet People’ (P3).
Recently, European Parliament voted in favour of legislation to standardize the USB-C

charging port on electronic items.
Note: According to an ASSOCHAM-EY report, India is estimated to have generated 5 million

tonnes of e-waste, only behind China and the US in 2021.
8. The National Commission for Women (NCW) has recently launched the fourth phase of
the Digital Shakti Campaign to create safe cyberspace for women and girls.
• It has been launched in collaboration with CyberPeace Foundation and Meta.

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• It is a pan-India project for making women digitally skilled and aware to stand up against
any illegal/inappropriate activity online.
• It aims to sensitize more than 1 million women across India.
Digital Shakti:
Its first phase was launched in 2018 and over 3 Lakh women across India have benefited. It is
helping women in reporting & redressal mechanisms, data privacy and usage of technology
for their benefits. The third phase of the program was started in March 2021 with the launch
at Leh.
9. The 17th edition of the G-20 Heads of State and Government Summit has been hosted
under the Indonesian Presidency in Bali under the theme ‘Recover Together, Recover
Stronger’.
• Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has attended the summit at the invitation of
Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
• G20 Summit Agenda includes three working session’s viz. Food & Energy Security; Health;
and Digital Transformation.
Key highlights of the summit:
• Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) has been launched to decarbonize Indonesia’s
coal-powered economy. It is an agreement of Indonesia with G7 countries. It will be co-led
by Japan and the United States (US).
• Member countries adopted a declaration deploring Russia's aggression in Ukraine "in the
strongest terms" and demanding its unconditional withdrawal.
• The leaders promised to take coordinated action to address food security challenges and
applauded the Black Sea grains initiative.
• Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen global health governance, with the
leading and coordination role of World Health Organisation (WHO) and support from
other international organisations.
• Leaders agreed to pursue efforts to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees
Celsius.
• Leaders recognised the importance of digital transformation in reaching the sustainable
development goals.
During the summit, India has assumed the charge of the G20 presidency and the 18th G20
Summit 2023 will be held in New Delhi.
G20:
The G20 was formed in 1999 in the backdrop of the financial crisis of the late 1990s that hit
East Asia and Southeast Asia in particular. It aims to secure global financial stability by
involving middle-income countries. The G20 countries include 60% of the world’s population,
80% of global GDP, and 75% of global trade.

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Members: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia,
Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United
Kingdom, the United States and the European Union (EU).
10. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have announced the UK-
India Young Professionals Scheme on the sidelines of the 17th dition of the G20 Summit
held in Bali, Indonesia.
• Under this scheme, the UK will provide 3,000 visas each year to degree-educated Indian
citizens between the ages of 18 and 30 who wish to visit the country and work there for
up to two years. It will be a reciprocal system.
• Applicants under the Young Professionals scheme will have to hold a diploma or degree
equivalent to at least three years of higher education and be able to express themselves
in the language of the host country.
• India is the first visa-national country to benefit from such a scheme.
11. India’s first privately developed rocket ‘Vikram-S’ has been successfully launched by the
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in
Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
• Vikram-S is a single stage sub-orbital launch vehicle which carried three customer
payloads to help validate the majority of technologies in the Vikram series of space launch
vehicles.
• The rocket carried three payloads built by Andhra Pradesh-based N Space Tech India,
Chennai-based startup Space Kids and Armenian BazoomQ Space Research Lab.
• Among these 3 payloads, Spacekidz, a Chennai-based aerospace startup, has launched
'Fun-Sat', a 2.5 kg payload developed by students from India, the US, Singapore and
Indonesia.
• The Vikram S rocket weighs 545 kg and comprises the Vikram II and Vikram III series.
• Vikram-S is capable of reaching Mach 5, five times the speed of sound.
• It can carry a payload of 83 kg to 100 kilometers.
• It has been developed by a Hyderabad-based startup Skyroot Aerospace.
• It has been launched under Mission Prarambh (beginning).
• It is named after Vikram Sarabhai, the father of India's space programme.
• It is powered by India’s first carbon-fibre-built solid fuel engine.
Skyroot Aerospace is the first startup to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with
ISRO for launching its rockets.
12. The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Trikand has participated in the Combined Maritime Forces
(CMF) led Focused Operation “Sea Sword 2” held in the Northwest Arabian Sea from 06 to 14
November 2022.

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• Objective: To counter terrorism, prevent narcotics trade and stop smuggling entities from
using the seas for their nefarious activities.
• The Indian Navy’s long range maritime patrol aircraft has also participated in the
operation and provided air support.
INS Trikand:
It is a Talwar-class frigate of the Indian Navy. It is the third and final ship of the second batch
of Talwar-class frigates ordered by the Indian Navy. It was built by the Yantar shipyard in
Kaliningrad, Russia. It was commissioned to Indian Navy service on 29 June 2013.
The other two Talwar-class frigates, INS Teg, and INS Tarkash were commissioned in 2021 at
the Western Fleet.
13. India has launched the official website and theme of the Shanghai Cooperation
Organisation (SCO) as it will host the next SCO summit as a chairman of organisation in
2023.
• The official website of India’s Chairmanship of SCO Council of Heads of State is

https://indiainsco.in.
• The theme of SCO summit 2023 is “For a SECURE SCO”.
India received the SCO rotating presidency during the 22nd Meeting of the SCO Council of
Heads of State 2022 held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. India will hold the presidency of the
grouping for a year until September 2023.
Background:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had floated the concept of SECURE at the SCO summit in
China in 2018. In the acronym SECURE, the letter ‘S’ represents security for citizens, ‘E’ for
economic development, ‘C’ for connectivity in the region, ‘U’ for unity, ‘R’ for respect of
sovereignty and integrity, and ‘E for environment protection.
14. Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush, Sarbananda Sonowal has
announced India’s first National Centre of Excellence for Green Port & Shipping
(NCoEGPS) a major initiative by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW)
towards providing greener solutions. The announcement has been made at the recently
concluded “INMARCO 2022” in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Key points:
• The NCoEGPS will be working under the framework of the Sagarmala programme.
• The main objective of the proposed NCoEGPS is to provide support to MoPSW in
developing and maintaining a policy and regulatory framework for a green alternative
technologies road map for the shipping sector in India for its transition to carbon
neutrality and CE principles.
The NCoEGPS will focus on five broad areas:

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a) Policy, Regulatory and Research
b) Human Resource development
c) Network- Key Partners and Strategic collaborators
d) Explore- Area of work, outcomes, projects and resources
e) Engage- Past events, upcoming events, dissemination
The Centre will interact with all the ports, shipping, maritime states in understanding their
problems and offering solutions through well proven and upstream scientific approaches.
Specific objectives of NCoEGPS are:

a) Empower ‘Make in India’ in Port, Coastal and Inland water transport, and Engineering.
b) Enable fast-track innovations in these sectors.
c) Create a pool of competent manpower to the industry.
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) is the knowledge and implementation partner
for this project.
Note: International Maritime Organization (IMO) aims to reduce overall greenhouse gas
emissions from ships by 50% from 2008 levels by 2050.
15. The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) has initiated the process for
integration of its various infrastructures with PM Gati Shakti-National Master Plan (PMGS-
NMP).
In the first step, DAHD has integrated its 7 central Cattle Breeding Farms, 4 Central Herd
Registration Scheme and Central Frozen Semen Production and Training Institute located at
various locations of the country with PMGS-NMP.
16. The Government of India (GoI) will set-up branches of the National Investigation Agency
(NIA) in all the states by 2024 to deal with cybercrimes, narcotics, cross-border terrorism, and
sedition.
NIA was established following the terror attack in Mumbai on 31st December 2008, with the
NIA Act of 2008.
STATES AFFAIRS
17. President of India Droupadi Murmu has launched the 'e-KUMBH' portal from Jayadev
Bhawan, Bhubaneswar in Odisha. It is a digital platform to provide glossary of engineering
syllabus and books in 12 local languages.
• The full form of e-KUMBH is Knowledge Unleashed in Multiple Bharatiya Languages.

• This is a portal on which courses and books of degrees related to engineering studies will
be made available in 12 scheduled Indian languages.

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She has also released engineering books of All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)
in Odia language and glossary of 50,000 technical terms in Odia language developed by
Commission for Scientific and Technical Terminology (CSTT).
18. A total of 6 Marwari horses have been exported from Jodhpur to Bangladesh where they
will be used for carrying the cart of Bangladesh’s President. All six horses belong to Marwar
Stud of Bal Samand Lake Palace, governed by the Umaid Bhawan Palace of Jodhpur, and have
been registered as a ‘Marwari horse’ with the Marwari Horse Stud Book Registration Society
(MHSRS) of India.
Marwari Horse:
It is the original desert horse breed of Marwar region of Rajasthan. It is capable of covering
long distances with good speed by virtue of its strong limbs and hooves. It can withstand
intense heat and cold and adverse climatic conditions. It is genetically similar to the
Kathiawari breed of Kathiawad (Gujarat).
Spiti, Bhutia, Manipuri, Zanskari, Bhimthadi, Chummarti, and Sikang are other Indian breeds
of horses.
19. The Government of Jammu & Kashmir has introduced the Integrated Sheep Development
Scheme (ISDS) to promote the establishment of sheep and goat units in J&K union territory.
The provisions under the scheme includes procurement of shearing units, consisting of one
shearing machine, one Genset and shearing accessories and spares; 50% of the unit cost as
total eligible subsidy with a ceiling of Rs.75,000/- unit whichever is less.
20. Nagaland has hosted the first edition of the Tokhü Emong Bird Count (TEBC) on the
occasion of Tokhü Emong, a post-harvest festival of the Lotha Nagas.
• TEBC is a four-day documentation event that sought to list birds in Nagaland.

• The objective is to highlight the diversity of bird species in Nagaland and bring to attention
the threatened habitats in the state.
• The event has been organized in collaboration with the Wokha Forest Division and the
Divisional Management Unit, Nagaland Forest Management Project (NFMP), Wokha, and
Bird Count India.
Tokhü Emong:
It is a 9-day post-harvest festival celebrated by Lotha Nagas, a major Naga ethnic group
native to Wokha District in Nagaland. It is celebrated during the first week of November each

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year. The term “Tokhü” means feast (eating food or drinking) and the term “Emong” means
the Halt on the appointed time.
21. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has gifted the artistic memoirs like ‘Kangra Miniature
Paintings’, ‘Patan Patola’,‘Silver Bowl’, Kinnaur’s Shawl and many others made by local artisans
to all the country’s heads while administering the G20 presidency at the end of Summit in
Bali, Indonesia.
Gift to USA:
‘Kangra Miniature Paintings’: It is made by master painters from Himachal Pradesh using
natural colors which generally portray ‘Shringar Rasa’ or depiction of love on a natural
backdrop.
Gift to UK:
Mata ni pachedi: It is an handmade textile of Gujarat and an offering in temple shrines
which house Mother Goddess. It is a religious textile folk art featuring Mother Goddess at the
centre and her stories and legends filling the remaining cloth. It is hand-painted, hand spun
cloth of rectangular shape, with natural colours.
Gift to Australia
Phithora: It is a ritualistic tribal folk art by the Rathwa artisans from Chhota Udaipur in
Gujarat. These painting are depiction of the cave paintings that tribals used to make
reflecting the social, cultural and mythological life and beliefs of those tribals.
Gift to Italy:
Patan Patola: It is ancient art of double ikat or Patola woven in pure silk. It is a traditional
saree from the Patan town of Gujarat. The technique of dyeing is, known as ‘bandhani’
process. It is dyed with natural extracts of marigold, onion skin, etc.
Gift to France, Germany, Singapore:

Agate Bowl: Gujarat is known for its agate craft. Khambhat is best known for shaping agate
stones and the method of processing agates used by the artisans. The existence of Agate
mines at Ratnapur and Rajpipla date back to A.D. 77.
Gift to Indonesia:
Silver Bowl: The unique and finely crafted bowl is made of pure silver. This is a centuries old
craft perfected by the traditional and highly skilled metalsmiths of Surat region in Gujarat.
Kinnauri Shawl: It is a type of shawl manufactured in Kinnaur district of the Indian state
Himachal Pradesh. The shawls are known for their geometric designs.
22. Jammu & Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has launched the Jammu and Kashmir
Remote Sensing Information System (JKRIS), a spatial data infrastructure initiative, and g-
SAM (Gram Panchayat Spatial Assets Mapper) mobile app on the occasion of the World
Geographic Information System (GIS) Day (16th November).
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23. The Tamil Nadu Forest Department has introduced the ‘Tamil Nadu Elephant Death
Audit Framework’, a first of its kind initiative in India, to document reasons for elephant
deaths for better accountability.
Three objectives of the framework:

• To establish a Systematic Standard Protocol for conducting post-mortem to determine the
reason(s) for death of an elephant;
• To study and understand the circumstances in cases of preventable and unnatural deaths
of elephants.
• To formulate remedial measures for prevention of unnatural and preventive deaths by
conducting periodical death audits and monitoring these over time.
The framework will improve transparency, assist all stakeholders in assessing the results and
ultimately facilitate standardisation and more credible comparisons of cause of mortality.
Note: Elephants are among the most long-lived mammals, with a life expectancy of around
50 years in the wild, and a generation length of 22 years.
24. Secretary Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals Arun Baroka has inaugurated the
4th edition of the Indian Chemicals Council (ICC) Sustainability Conclave in New Delhi.
• The conclave has been organized jointly by the United Nations Environment Program
(UNEP) and International Council of Chemical Associations.
• The conference has been supported by the Union Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers and
the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change.
• The theme of the conclave is “Boardrooms to Community-ESG, Carbon Neutrality,
Operational Safety, Greener Solutions”.
25. The ‘Baliyatra’ Festival 2022 at Cuttack, Odisha has entered the Guinness World Records
for achieving an impressive feat of origami, with over 2,100 students making 22,000 paper
boats in just 35 minutes.
• Baliyatra, literally means ‘voyage to Bali’, is one of India’s largest open-air fairs.
• The annual Baliyatra celebrates the ancient trade relations between India and Indonesia.
• It commemorates the 2,000-year-old maritime and cultural links between ancient Kalinga
(Odisha) and Bali and other regions like Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.
• The week-long festival begins on Kartik Purnima (full moon night in the month of Kartik).
• The festival celebrated on the banks of the River Mahanadi in Cuttack, can be traced
back more than 1,000 years.
• The sadhavas (traders) traditionally began their voyage across the sea on this auspicious
day, when the winds were favourable for the boats, known as boita, to sail.
Note: The Baliyatra Festival is similar to the ‘Masakapan Ke Tukad’ festival of Bali, Indonesia.

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26. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the first Greenfield airport 'Donyi Polo
Airport' in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh.
• The name of the airport reflects the traditions and rich cultural heritage of Arunachal
Pradesh and its age-old indigenous reverence for the Sun (‘Donyi’) and the Moon (‘Polo’).
• The airport has been developed in an area of over 690 acres, at a cost of more than
Rs.640 crores.
• With a 2300 m runway, the airport is suitable for all weather day operations.
• The airport terminal is a modern building, which promotes energy efficiency, renewable
energy and the recycling of resources.
He has also inaugurated the 600 MW Kameng Hydro Power Station in the West Kameng
district of Arunachal Pradesh. It has been developed at a cost of more than Rs.8450 crore and
in an area spread over more than 80 kilometres.
Note: Aircraft movement in the North-East has witnessed an increase of 113% since 2014,
from 852 per week in 2014 to 1817 per week in 2022.
27. Noida-based Tech Eagle, a drone delivery startup, has successfully carried out the world’s
first vaccine delivery for animal husbandry in Arunachal Pradesh. The startup used its
indigenously developed hybrid drone ‘Vertiplane X3’, which delivered vaccines 12 times
faster than ground transportation. The first time livestock vaccines have been delivered by
drone from Kangkong to Paglam in the Lower Dibang Valley district.
28. Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has inaugurated the
first Greenfield Farm Machinery Plant of Mahindra & Mahindra at Pithampur in Madhya
Pradesh. This New Farm Machinery Division is of M&M Farm Equipment Sector (FES), part of
the Mahindra Group. The plant will manufacture affordable and accessible farm machinery
equipment under the Mahindra and Swaraj brands. It is set up over an area of 23 acres.
29. The 8th Norway-India Joint Working Group (JWG) Maritime Meeting has been held in
Mumbai, Maharashtra. The meeting has been co-chaired by Rajesh Kumar Sinha, additional
secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. The Norwegian delegation has been led
by Director General Ottar Ostnes from the Ministry of Trade, Industries and Fisheries.
The 7th JWG on Maritime was held in Oslo in November, 2019.

Key points:
• Both governments presented their visions and plans for a green maritime sector.
• India and Norway are part of Green Voyage 2050 project.
• Both parties agreed on willingness, devotion, partnership and capacity building for
achieving common goals.

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• India has pressed upon cooperation in the field of Maritime Training in latest maritime
technology and requested Norway to extend Ship Board training and Ship Board training
in the area of Polar Water Navigation.
30. The Government of Rajasthan has approved an outlay of Rs.2.60 crore for the Camel
Conservation Scheme which is aimed at protecting camels.
• Under the scheme, each female camel and calf will be tagged by the Veterinary doctor and
an identity card will be issued.
• The camel rearer will be given Rs.5,000 while the veterinarian will receive Rs.50
honorarium for each identity card.
• The rearer will get another instalment of Rs.5,000 after the came calf has completed one
year.
31. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated ‘Kashi Tamil Sangamam’, a month-long
programme being organised in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. The objective of the programme is
to celebrate, reaffirm and rediscover the age-old links between Tamil Nadu and Kashi – two
of the country’s most important and ancient seats of learning.
It is being organized by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Government of

Uttar Pradesh. IIT Madras and Banaras Hindu University (BHU) are the two implementing
agencies for the programme.
During the programme, the Prime Minister has also released a book ‘Tirukkural’ along with
its translation into 13 languages.
32. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will launch the 'Psyche'
mission on 10th October 2023 to explore the massive Golden Asteroid, worth a USD 10,000
quadrillion that could possibly make everyone on Earth a billionaire.
• The massive asteroid, hailed as ’16 Psyche’ is 140-mile wide which could contain a core of
iron, nickel and gold worth $10,000 quadrillion and orbits the Sun between the orbits of
Mars and Jupiter.
• The Psyche mission is a part of NASA’s Discovery Program of low-cost robotic space
missions.
Project HyTEC:
NASA has recently awarded the cost-share contract to Pratt & Whitney with a total value of
USD 13.1 million under the project Hybrid Thermally Efficient Core (HyTEC) to advance new
combustor designs for small core engines to revolutionise air travel and combat climate
change.

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33. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA’s) next-generation moon rocket,
the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion crew capsule, lifts off from launch
complex 39-B on the unmanned Artemis 1 mission to the moon, from the Kennedy Space
Centre in Cape Canaveral, Florida, United States (US). The rocket Artemis 1 marks the first
flight of the SLS rocket, built by Boeing Company, and the Orion Capsule, built by Lockheed
Martin Corporation together, in coordination with NASA.
• It is the first integrated test of NASA’s deep space exploration systems: the Orion
spacecraft and Space Launch System
• (SLS) rocket.
• It is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will enable human
exploration to the Moon and Mars.
• The launch is the first leg of a mission in which Orion is planned to travel approximately
40,000 miles beyond the Moon and return to Earth over the course of 25.5 days.
Artemis 2: It has been planned for 2024. It will be a crewed flight that will orbit the Moon but
not land on the surface.
Artemis 3: It has been planned for 2026. It will land a crewed spacecraft on the Southern
pole of the moon.
34. Egypt’s COP27 Presidency, in partnership with World Meteorological Organization (WMO),
has launched AWARe (Action on Water Adaptation or Resilience), an initiative that will
champion inclusive cooperation to address water related challenges and solutions across
climate change adaptation. It is a collaboration between various stakeholders, including
African Union (AU) and African Ministers' Council on Water (AMCOW).
The initiative will have an Africa-first focus. It will address water security as part of climate
change adaptation.
AWARe will focus on three priorities for action:
i) Decrease water losses worldwide and improve water supply.
ii) Promote mutually agreed, cooperative water adaptation action.
iii) Promote cooperation and interlinkages between water and climate action in order to
achieve Agenda 2030, in particular SDG 6.
Note: COP27 President is H.E. Sameh Shoukry.
35. Exercise Keen Sword 2023 has been held between the US military and the Japan Self-
Defence Force (JSDF) from 10th to 19th November 2022 around Tokunoshima Island, situated
southwest of Japan.
• It is a joint and bilateral field training exercise.

• It is held once in two years to boost the preparedness and interoperability between the
military personnel of Japan and the United States.

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• It aims to create comprehensive scenarios to challenge the critical capabilities required to
support the security of Japan and the stability of the Indo-Pacific.
Exercise Keen Sword was first held in 1986.
36. Abu Dhabi has hosted the first edition of the Global Media Congress (GMC). It has been
organized by the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) Group in collaboration
with the Emirates News Agency (WAM).
• GMC Theme: “Shaping the Future of the Media Industry”

• It is a conference-cum-exhibition congress that provides a platform for international-level
discussions about the present-day challenges and opportunities in the media sector.
• Discussions have been held on topics like digital communications, impact of artificial
intelligence on contemporary media and the integration of advanced technology and
innovation in the media sector.
• During the event, the Emirates News Agency (WAM) has unveiled the “Tolerance Charter
for News Agencies and Media Outlets” which seeks to unite media entities from across the
world to promote tolerance, coexistence, and intercultural dialogue via global
cooperation.
37. The third edition of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) 2022 has been
held in Tokyo, Japan. The GPAI summit 2022 focuses on 4 themes. These are:
a) Responsible AI
b) Data governance
c) Future of work
d) Innovation and commercialisation
During the summit, France, the current Council Chair, has handed over the presidency of the
Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) for 2022-23 to India. India has become the
Council Chair after it received more than two-thirds majority of the first-preference votes,
followed by Canada and the United States respectively.
Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar has
represented India at the summit.
Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI):

It is a multi-stakeholder initiative that was developed by the G7 alliance. It was launched in
2020. Its objective is to fill the gap between theory and practice on artificial intelligence by
promoting cutting-edge research and related activities.
Currently, it has 25 member states. These are Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czech
Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the

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Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, the Republic of Korea (South Korea), Singapore, Slovenia,
Spain, Sweden, the UK, the US and the EU.
India joined the GPAI in 2020 as a founding member.
Note: Artificial Intelligence is expected to add 967 billion US dollars to the Indian economy by
2035. It is also expected to add 450 to 500 billion US dollars to India’s GDP by 2025
accounting for 10 percent of the country’s 5 trillion dollar GDP target.
38. Ghana has assumed the Presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for
November 2022. During the month of November 2022, Ghana shall preside over the
meetings of the Council (adoptions, debates and consultations) and, under its authority, shall
represent the Security Council in its capacity as an organ of the United Nations.
Ghana was first given the opportunity to serve on the council from 1962 to 1963. It is the
third time Ghana is holding a non-permanent seat on the Council.
39. Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has announced that India’s longest train, Vivek Express
that connects Dibrugarh in Assam with the southernmost tip of Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu
will be available twice a week beginning 22nd November 2022.
The Dibrugarh- Kanyakumari Vivek Express, which was flagged off on 19th November 2011,
covers a distance of 4,189 km and traverses through nine states in over 80 hours.
40. Chinese scientists has been planning to send monkeys to space to study reproduction in
zero gravity. The experiment will be conducted on China’s new Tiangong space station, inside
the Wentian lab module.
REPORTS & INDICES

41. Rating agency Moody’s Investors Service has lowered India's Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
growth forecast for 2022 by 70 bps to 7 percent from 7.7 percent in September 2022 in its
Global Macro Outlook 2023-24.
Moody’s has also lowered its growth projection for 2023 from 5.2% to 4.8%, with a recovery
to 6.4% anticipated in 2024.
Other growth forecast:
As per the UBS India Report, GDP growth in India will drop to 5.5% in FY24, down from 6.9%
in the current fiscal year 2022-23 (FY23).
42. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has released a report titled 'State of the
Climate in Asia 2021', which has been prepared jointly with the UN Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

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The report has been presented during the UN Climate Change Conference, held at COP27, in
Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
• As per the report, the Asian region was warming faster than the global average, with
economic losses from extreme weather events like floods, and droughts amounting more
than USD 35 billion in 2021, including at least USD 7.5 billion in India.
• The report highlights that how climate change impacts are wreaking an ever-increasing
human, financial and environmental toll, worsening food insecurity and poverty and
holding back sustainable development.
• In 2021, there were a total of more than 100 natural hazard events in Asia, of which 80
percent were flood and storm events.
• In 2021, flooding caused the highest economic losses in China (US$ 18.4 billion), followed
by India (US$ 3.2 billion), and Thailand (US$ 0.6 billion).
• Storms also caused significant economic damage, especially in India (US$ 4.4 billion),
China (US$ 3.0 billion), and Japan (US$ 2 billion).
43. World Bank has released a report titled 'Financing India's Infrastructure Needs:
Constraints to Commercial Financing and Prospects for Policy Action'. The report
underlines the urgent need to leverage more private and commercial investments to meet
emerging financial gaps.

• India will need to invest $840 billion over the next 15 years into urban infrastructure.
• By 2036, 600 million people will be living in urban cities in India, representing 40 percent
of the population.
• Currently, Central and State governments finance over 75% of city infrastructure. Share of
urban local bodies (ULB) (15%) and private sector (5%) is low.
• Currently, the 10 largest ULBs were able to spend only two-thirds of their total capital
budget over three recent fiscal years.
• Between 2011 and 2018, urban property tax stood at 0.15 percent of GDP compared to an
average of 0.3-0.6 percent of GDP for low- and middle-income countries.
• Over the medium term, the report suggests a series of structural reforms including those
in the taxation policy and fiscal transfer system.
44. The Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2023 has been released jointly by three
environmental non-governmental organizations viz. Germanwatch, NewClimate Institute and
the Climate Action Network (CAN) International.
• None of the countries made it to the first three ranks.

• Denmark, with the score of 79.61, has been ranked at fourth position. It is followed by
Sweden (5th) with a score of 73.28 points, and Chile (6th) with a score of 69.54.
• The worst performers in the index are Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Kazakhstan.
India’s performance:
India, with the score of 67.35 points, has been ranked at 8th position among 63 countries.

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In 2022 and 2021, India stood at 10th position. In 2020, it stood at 9th rank.
It has been ranked at 9th position in Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions category and 24th
and 9th position in Renewable Energy and Energy Use categories respectively. It has been
ranked 8th on Climate Policy.
India earns a “High” performance rating in GHG Emissions with a score of 29.69; and Energy
Use (16.03). In the Climate Policy and Renewable Energy categories, it earned a "Medium"
rating.
Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI):

The CCPI is released every year at the UN Climate Change Conference. It evaluates 59
countries and the European Union, which together generate over 92 percent of Global
Greenhouse Gas Emissions. The climate protection performance is assessed in 4 categories,
consisting of 14 indicators:
a) Greenhouse Gas Emissions (40%)
b) Renewable Energy (20%)
c) Energy Use (20%)
d) Climate Policy (20%)
45. According to the World Steel Association, India has become the world’s 2nd largest producer
of Crude Steel after China in 2018 and 2019, replacing Japan.
• As per the Ministry of Steel, data on 5th February 2022, India’s crude steel production in
2018 was 109.3 million tonnes (MT), an increase of 7.7% from 101.5 MT in 2017.
• In 2019, it furthered increased to 2 MT and moved from the 4th largest producer of steel to
the 2nd largest producer of steel on a global scale.
Top 5 Crude Steel producers in the world in 2018 & 2019 are: China, India, Japan, USA, and
South Korea.
46. The Network Readiness Index 2022 (NRI 2022) report has recently been released by a US-
based Portulans Institute, an independent non-profit research and educational institute. The
NRI 2022 report ranks a total of 131 economies that together account for about 95 percent of
the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The NRI report maps the network readiness landscape of 131 economies based on their
performance in four areas: technology, people, governance, and impact.
Global:
• The United States of America (USA) has been ranked first with an overall score of
80.3. Singapore has been ranked second with a score of 79.35, and Sweden has been
ranked third with a score of 78.91.
• Singapore leads Asia Pacific, followed by South Korea and Japan.
India’s performance:

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• India has been ranked 61st in the index.
• India’s overall score has improved to 51.19 in 2022 from 49.74 in 2021.
• India ranked first in ‘AI talent concentration,’ second in ‘Mobile broadband internet traffic
within the country,’ and third in ‘Annual investment in telecommunication services,’ fourth
in ‘ICT Services exports,’ fifth in ‘FTTH/Building Internet subscriptions,’ and sixth in ‘AI
scientific publications.’
• India ranks 3rd among 36 lower-middle-income countries.
• India ranked 11th within the Asia and Pacific region.
47. According to Goldman Sachs Group Inc, India’s Gross domestic product (GDP) may decline to
5.9 percent in calendar year 2023 from an estimated 6.9 percent in 2022 amid low consumer
demand from higher borrowing costs and fading benefits from pandemic reopening.
Key points:
• India's GDP grew by 8.7% in 2021-22.
• The headline retail inflation to ease to 6.1% in 2023 from an estimated 6.8% in 2022.
• Inflation has remained above the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) tolerance band of 6% for
the last ten months.
48. National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has launched the “Training
Modules for the Child Welfare Committees (CWCs)”, “Protocols for Restoration and
Repatriation of Children” along with the “GHAR - GO Home and Re-Unite (Portal for
Restoration and Repatriation of Child)” on the occasion of World Children’s Day (20th
November).
Training Module for Child Welfare Committees (CWCs):

The objective of the training module is to enhance functional knowledge, improve relevant
skills of members and Chairperson of CWC to deliver effective and timely service for
protection and rehabilitation of children.
• CWC is the primary body for addressing issues related to children in need of care and
protection (CNCP).
• It is mandatory to form a CWC under Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children)
Act, 2015 in every district of State.
• CWC acts as facilitators for all child welfare related activities in the district.
Protocols for Restoration and Repatriation of Children:

It aims to eliminate those challenges which are being faced by authorities in repatriation and
send the maximum number of children back to their native place with their families/relatives.

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GHAR - GO Home and Re-Unite (Portal for Restoration and Repatriation of Child):
The portal addresses the amended roles of CWCs and District Child Protection Units (DCPUs)
in matters of children in need of care and protection.
Features:
• Digital tracking and monitoring of children who are in the JJ system and have to be
repatriated to another Country/State/District.
• Digital transfer of cases of children to the concerned JJB/CWC of the State. It will help in
speedy repatriation of children.
• Where there is a requirement of a translator/interpreter/expert, request will be made to
the concerned State Government.
• CWCs and DCPOs can ensure proper restoration and rehabilitation of children by digitally
monitoring the progress of the case of the child.
• A checklist format will be provided in the forms so that the children who are being hard to
repatriate or children who are not getting their entitled compensation or other monetary
benefits can be identified.
• List of Government implemented schemes will be provided, so that at the time of
restoration the CWCs can link the child with the schemes to strengthen the family and
ensure that child remains with his/her family.
National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR):

It is a statutory body constituted under Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act,
2005 to protect the child rights and other related matters in the country. The Commission is
mandated to monitor the proper and effective implementation of Juvenile Justice (Care and
Protection of Children) Act, 2015 and its Rules; Protection of Children from Sexual Offences
(POCSO) Act, 2012 and Right to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009.
• Chairperson: Priyank Kanoongo
49. The United Nations (UN) has recently released the 27th edition of World Population
Prospects (WPP) 2022 which states that the global population is projected to achieve 8
billion on 15th November 2022, and India is projected to surpass China as the world’s most
populous country in 2023.
• The global population is growing at its slowest rate since 1950, having fallen under 1
percent in 2020.
• The latest projections suggest that the world’s population could grow to around 8.5
billion in 2030 and 9.7 billion in 2050.
• It is projected to reach a peak of around 10.4 billion people during the 2080s and to
remain at that level until 2100.
• The share of global population at ages 65 and above is projected to rise from 10 percent
in 2022 to 16 percent in 2050.
• More than half of the projected increase in the global population up to 2050 will be
concentrated in eight countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia,
India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and the United Republic of Tanzania.

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• Countries of sub-Saharan Africa are expected to contribute more than half of the increase
anticipated through 2050.
50. As per the report by Knight Frank (Q3 2022), Indian cities of Hyderabad, Chennai and New
Delhi have emerged as three of the top data centre markets in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.
• The market analysis includes the nine rapidly emerging markets in APAC region - Osaka,
Melbourne, Jakarta, Manila, Hanoi, Taipei, Hyderabad, New Delhi, and Chennai.
• The total supply in these regions increased from just under 700 MW in 2017 to over 3,000
MW in 2022, a phenomenal increase of more than 300%.
51. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has released a report
titled "2022 Mid-Year Trends". The report states that a global surge in the number of
forcibly displaced people by 13.6 million to 103 million in H12022 (first half of 2022) as
compared to the end of 2021.
• The increase is driven by the Ukraine-Russia war, and is more than the entire population
of Belgium, Burundi, or Cuba.
• As per the report, one in every 77 people worldwide is forcibly displaced.
• Globally, refugees under UNHCR’s mandate and other people in need of international
protection increased by 6.3 million in H12022 i.e. from 25.7 million at the end of 2021 to
32 million by mid-2022.
• Türkiye hosted 3.7 million refugees, the largest population worldwide. It is followed by
Colombia with 2.5 million, and Germany with 2.2 million refugees.
• Low- and middle-income countries hosted 74 percent of the world’s refugees.

52. The Indian Army has started a short film festival 'Dil Maange More', aimed at empowering
young filmmakers from Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. The Dil Maange More Short Film
Festival (DMMSFF) is an initiative of the Northern Command of the Indian Army.
• The month-long festival, curated by Captain Rahul Bali, is being organised in association
with Innovations India in Udhampur, J&K.
• The festival is dedicated to the independent, talented and discerning film makers from
J&K and Ladakh, who crave to showcase their deftness and craft of film making to the
world via short films.
53. The Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik has launched the Mukhyamantri Siksha
Puraskar Yojana (Chief Minister Education Award Plan), an award and scholarship scheme
to encourage healthy competition between the state schools and to recognize excellence in
education.
• Under the scheme, annual awards worth Rs.100 crore per year will be given to school
students, educational institutions and principals, teachers, sarpanches, school

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management committee for achieving excellence in education and alumni for their
contribution.
• The awards will be given to 50,000 students, 1,500 principals, school management
committees, sarpanches and alumni.
He has also approved the policy, christened ‘Prarambh — Odisha State Policy for Children,
2022’. The policy has seven focus areas:
i) Survival- which includes health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, ii) Education and
holistic development, iii) Child Protection which includes child abuse, exploitation, neglect,
maltreatment, violence, child labour, child marriage, child trafficking, drugs/substance abuse,
online abuse and other hardships, iv) Identity, Family/Alternative Care, Birth Registration,
Quality of Life, v) Special Measures for the Vulnerable children, vi) Dispensation of Justice and
Legal Provisions for Children, and vii) Children’s Participation.
54. President of India Droupadi Murmu has launched the four schemes of the Jharkhand state
on the occasion of Jharkhand’s Foundation day (15th November 2000) to promote education
and skill development of students and youths.
The schemes include Higher and Technical Education department’s Mukhya Mantri Shiksha
Prothsahan Yojana (MMSPY), Eklavya Prasikshan Yojana (EPY) and Guruji Student Credit Card
Yojana (GSCCY), and Labour department’s Mukhya Mantri Sarathi Yojana (MMSY).
Mukhya Mantri Shiksha Prothsahan Yojana (MMSPY):

Under the MMSPY, class 10 pass students will be provided free coaching at Jharkhand-based
institutions of national repute for entrance examinations of engineering, medical, common
law admission test, mass communication, fashion designing, hotel management and
chartered accounting.
Eklavya Prasikshan Yojana (EPY):

Under EPY, job-oriented free coaching will be provided for various competitive examinations
such as union public service commission, jharkhand public service commission, bank PO,
bank clerk, railways and staff selection commission.
Guruji Student Credit Card Yojana (GSCCY):

Under this, students are provided with financial support for higher education, engineering,
medical, and others.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
55. TATA Steel Foundation has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the
Government of Odisha to implement the Jaga Mission across 5 municipal corporations
(Sambalpur, Rourkela, Berhampur, Cuttack and Bhubaneswar) in the state. Under this MoU,

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the Tata Steel Foundation and the state government will work together to provide land rights
to over 2.5 lakh families in 1,110 slum areas.
Jaga Mission:
It was launched by the Government of Odisha in 2017. It is the world’s largest slum titling and
upgradation initiative. It is a unique land titling project under which land rights will be
provided to eligible slum residents. It also includes upgradation of physical infrastructure in
slums. It aims to transform slum areas into liveable habitats called “Adarsh Colonies”.
56. The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) has awarded the contract of setting up
India's first multi-modal logistics park (MMLP) near Chennai to Reliance Industries (RIL).
• RIL has been awarded the work to develop the 1st MMLP at Mappedu in Thiruvallur district
of Tamil Nadu.
• MMLP Chennai at Mappedu is being developed in 184.27 acre.
• The estimated project cost is Rs.1,424-crore.
• It is estimated to cater to around 7.17 million tonnes (mt) cargo over 45 years.
57. The Government of Assam has collaborated with the Indian Institute of Management,
Bangalore (IIM-B) to train working professionals in the state. Under this collaboration, 75
working professionals from the private sector will be shortlisted for training to work at the
district-level under the ‘Chief Minister’s Young Professional Programme’. The training
programme will span 2 years.
Mission Basundhara 2.0:

The Assam government has recently launched Mission Basundhara 2.0 in an official
ceremony held at Shrimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra Auditorium in Guwahati. The objective of
Mission Basundhara 2.0 include several key developments which include, providing land
rights to the indigenous people of Assam, especially for the people who do not have any legal
claims to land.
58. The Government of Kerala has recently collaborated with India Hydrogen Alliance (IH2A) to
build the Kochi Green Hydrogen (KGH2) Hub, a large-scale green hydrogen hub with
multiple use cases, in Kochi, Kerala.
• The KGH2 Hub is the first of its kind in India, in its current form and scale.
• The potential capital expenditure of the proposal is USD 575 million.
• The proposal envisages building a 60-tonnes per day (TPD) green hydrogen plant with a
150 MW Electrolyser, Storage and Infrastructure, which could achieve giga-watt scale and
build the hydrogen economy in Kerala.
• The KGH2 Hub plan is modelled after the Hydrogen Valley projects in the European Union
(EU).

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59. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has completed the delivery of all 16 Advanced Light
Helicopter (ALH) Mk-III helicopters, as ordered by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG). The
delivery of the chopper took place at a ceremony in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
The ICG signed a contract with HAL for the supply of 16 ALH Mk-III in March 2017.
With the completion of this supply, ICG has again signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) for nine more
ALH Mk-III helicopters.
ALH-Mk-III:
• It is indigenously manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
• It is equipped with advanced RADAR as well as Electro optical sensors, full glass
cockpit, high-intensity searchlight, advanced communication systems, and automatic
identification system.
• It is powered by two Shakti helicopter engines.
ALH-Mk-III have been deployed at Porbandar (Gujarat), Chennai (Tamil Nadu), Bhubaneswar
(Odisha), and Kochi (Kerala).
60. Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (Tata Power-DDL) has signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI) to promote Urja
Arpan initiative. The collaboration promotes the core strengths of both entities for effective
utilization of green energy efficiency.
61. ReNew Power Private Ltd, a subsidiary of ReNew Energy Global Plc (ReNew), one of the
leading renewable energy companies globally, has signed the framework agreement with the
Government of Egypt to set up a Green Hydrogen Plant in the Suez Canal Economic Zone
with an investment of USD 8 billion and a targeted annual production of 2,20,000 tonnes of
green hydrogen
• This project is scheduled to be implemented in phases, the first of which is a pilot phase
to produce 20,000 tonnes of green hydrogen, along with derivatives, annually.
• The pilot phase project is expected to be commissioned in 2026.
• ReNew Power has also partnered with Elsewedy Electric S.A.E. (Elsewedy) which will be the
local co-developer for the project.
62. Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), a Navratna Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) under the
Ministry of Defence, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Hindustan
Shipyard Limited (HSL) to carry out joint development, manufacturing and product
upgrades of identified products / systems. The MoU also aims to capitalise on the emerging
opportunities in the domestic Defence, non-Defence and Export markets.
Other MoUs signed:

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• BEL has signed an MoU with Spacefaring Technologies Pvt Ltd for co-operation in
technology development in the field of fabric-based Radome, Shelters, deployable space
habitats, aerostat, etc, for Defence and non-Defence applications.
• BEL has signed an MoU with SVC TECH VENTURES LLP for co-operation in the
manufacturing and marketing of Heavy Duty Blast Doors.
• BEL has signed an MoU with Yantra India Limited (YIL) for co-operation in the areas of
Ammunition Hardware and Military Grade Components to jointly address the
requirements of Indian Defence and Export markets.
• BEL has signed an MoU with Profense LLC, USA, for cooperation in the manufacturing
and marketing of light weapons.
63. The National Museum, India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the
Kolding Museum of Denmark to open the joint exhibition "Silver treasures from Denmark
and India" in March 2023.
• The exhibition will showcase the finest of the silver collection from the Museum Kolding
and the National Museum in New Delhi in March 2023.
• The collaboration and exhibition is under the recently agreed cultural exchange
programme between India and Denmark for the years 2022 to 2026.
• The exhibition is focused on the Danish and Indian Silver artefacts where both museums
will show the best silver objects from their collections.
64. Jammu and Kashmir Rural Livelihoods Mission (Umeed) has signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with e-commerce company Meesho to support the growth of 1,800
self-help group (SHG) members by providing them an online platform to launch and grow
their business and empower rural women entrepreneurs.
65. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), 'Maharatna' and a Fortune Global 500
Company has ranked first in the Indian oil and gas sector for its sustainability performance in
the 2022 edition of the S&P Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) Corporate Sustainability
Assessment (CSA) rankings. It is the 3rd year in a row that BPCL has topped the DJSI Indices in
India, with a score of 65 percentage points against an industry average score of 31.
66. The Government of Arunachal Pradesh has signed a Memorandum of Understanding

(MoU) with the National Highway Logistics Management Limited (NHLML), a Special Purpose
Vehicle (SPV) of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), for infrastructure
development in the state.
67. Amazon has unveiled the design of its new Prime Air delivery drone named 'MK30’, which
will handle high temperatures and light rain, will enter into service in 2024 by replacing
MK27-2. The MK30 will be lighter and smaller than the MK27-2.

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68. The Government of Karnataka has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with
Google to enhance the startup ecosystem in the state through digital skilling initiatives.
Under this MoU, Google will collaborate with Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society
(KITS) to offer women-led founders and startups across tier 2 and tier 3 cities access to
essential training, partners, and expertise on tech giant’s suite of tools and technologies.
69. The Federation of Telangana Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FTCCI) and the
Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey have signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) to facilitate trade and investment between Telangana and Turkey.
70. The Mahindra Group has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation to support women's economic empowerment in India. This two-
year MoU marks a significant step towards achieving the Mahindra Group’s Environmental,
Social and Governance (ESG) commitment of impacting one million women annually from
2026.
71. Navi Group, a technology-driven financial products and services company founded by
Sachin Bansal and Ankit Agarwal, has partnered with Piramal Capital & Housing Finance
Ltd., to offer ‘Digital Personal Loan’ to customers across India.
• Under this partnership, borrowers can avail personal loans up to Rs.20 lakhs with a tenure
of up to 72 months on the Navi app.
• Piramal Finance will fund 80% of the loan while the remaining 20% will be funded by Navi
Finserv.
BANKING & FINANCE

72. HDFC Bank has collaborated with Arzooo to launch Purchase cards specially designed for
offline retailers. The aim is to roll out over 1 lakh such credit cards over the next 12 months.
The key feature of this card is that it offers interest-free credit for up to one month and a
credit limit of up to Rs 1 crore.
73. According to an analysis of the quarterly financial numbers published by Public Sector Banks
(PSBs), Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) has emerged as the top performer among PSBs in
terms of loan growth in percentage terms during the second quarter of 2022-23 (Q2FY23).
BoM recorded 28.62 percent increase in gross advances at Rs.1,48,216 crore at the end of
September 2022.
• BoM is followed by Union Bank of India with 21.54 percent growth to Rs 7,52,469 crore.

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• The State Bank of India (SBI) has finished third with 18.15 percent jump in gross advances.
With regard to Retail-Agriculture-MSME (RAM) loans, BoM has recorded the highest growth of
22.31 percent followed by Bank of Baroda with 19.53 percent and SBI at 16.51 percent.
With respect to Current Account Savings Account (CASA) deposits, BoM has topped the chart
with 56.27 percent followed by Canara Bank at 50.99 percent.
For Net Interest Margin (NIM), BoM and SBI with 3.55% stood at the top among PSBs.
BoM has 16.71 percent Capital Adequacy Ratio, highest among PSBs, followed by Canara
Bank at 16.51 percent and Indian Bank at 16.15 percent.
Note: In the first half of FY23, the cumulative net profit of all PSBs increased by 32 percent to
Rs 40,991 crore.
74. Max Life Insurance has launched the 'Smart Wealth Advantage Guarantee Plan', a non-
linked, non-participating individual life insurance savings plan that offers guaranteed returns,
life insurance cover and financial protection all combined in one product.
It is a holistic plan that endeavours to ensure customers meet their life goals and remain
protected in the long-run from financial uncertainties.
75. ESAF Small Finance Bank (ESAF SFB) has been awarded the “Best in Class” rating for the
Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) practices from Mumbai-based CareEdge Ratings.
• ESAF is pivoting against the practice of ‘Greenwashing’ or faking ESG credentials.

• ESAF is the first Indian member bank of the Global Alliance on Banking on Values (GAVB).
• ESAF secured four out of five points for its commitment towards ESG integration.
76. The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has sanctioned Rs
220.50 crore to the Government of Odisha under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund
(RIDF) for the construction of 57 flood protection projects and one bridge at a rural area.
• The projects will help districts including Kendrapara, Bolangir, Kalahandi, Nuapada,
Rayagada, Boudh, Nayagarh, Jajpur, Khurda and Sonepur.
• In addition, a box cell bridge will be constructed over Sankha creek in Jagatsinghpur
district to prevent intrusion of saline water into the farmlands at Patua and Baghadi,
respectively.
77. The State Bank of India (SBI) has recently signed a 150 million euro (Rs 1,240 crore) loan
agreement with KfW Development Bank, Germany for funding solar projects. The
agreement of this long-term loan has been facilitated by SBI Capital Markets, investment
banking subsidiary of SBI.

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78. InsuranceDekho, an insurtech, has collaborated with the Life Insurance Corporation of
India (LIC) through which the latter’s products will be available for all customers on its
platform pan-India. This collaboration will empower InsuranceDekho to democratise
insurance.
79. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed a USD 40 million financing package with
GreenCell Express Private Limited (GEPL) to develop 255 electric battery-powered buses (e-
buses) in India with a focus on women's safety.
• This e-buses will serve 5 million people a year on 56 intercity routes in India.
• The bus will include security features such as panic buttons connected to command
controls for immediate response.
ADB has also approved a USD 400 million loan to the Government of Maharashtra to bring
in 5000 electric buses.
80. Tata Power Solar Systems (TPSSL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Power Renewable
Energy (TPREL), has joined hands with Union Bank of India (UBI), to help MSME (Micro,
Small and Medium Enterprises) sector switch to solar solutions.
• The objective of this collaboration is to improve access to green energy and save on the
cost of electricity.
• The collaboration will be implemented under UBI's solar scheme called 'Union Solar'.
81. The Government of India (GoI) has raised the maximum tenure of the Managing Director
(MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Public Sector Banks (PSBs) to 10 years, from the
previous 5 years, while retaining the superannuation age at 60.
The change in the rule also applies to the whole-time directors of Central Public-Sector
Enterprises (CPSEs).
The amendment will be known as the Nationalised Banks (Management and
Miscellaneous Provisions) Amendment Scheme, 2022.
Key points:
• As per the notification, a whole-time director, including the managing director, shall
devote his whole time to the affairs of the nationalised bank.
• His initial term in office must not exceed five years and it may be extended up to a total
period, including the initial term, of not more than 10 years, as the central government
may, after consultation with the Reserve Bank, specify and shall be eligible for
reappointment.

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• The GoI has the authority to terminate the term of a whole-time director, including the
MD, any time before the expiry of their tenure, by giving them a notice of not less than 3
months in writing, or 3 months’ salary and allowances in lieu of the notice.
Previously, the MD or CEO of a PSB was eligible for a maximum tenure of 5 years or until they
reach 60, whichever was earlier.
82. Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman has chaired the 5th
meeting of the Governing Council (GC) of National Investment and Infrastructure Fund
(NIIF), in New Delhi.
Highlights of the meeting:

• In a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), NIIF and Japan Bank for International
Development (JBIC) have proposed to establish NIIF's first bilateral fund - the "India Japan
Fund" - with contributions from the Government of India (GoI).
• The two infrastructures Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs), where NIIF has
majority stakes, have increased their combined loan book from Rs. 4,200 crores to Rs.
26,000 crores in 3 years without experiencing any Non-Performing Loans (NPLs).
• The NIIF has been directed to undertake advisory activities proactively to support central
and state governments to create a pipeline of investible Public-Private Partnership (PPP)
projects.
National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF):
NIIF is a government-backed entity established to provide long-term capital to the country’s

infrastructure sector. It was established in December 2015 as a Category-II Alternate
Investment Fund. The Government of India holds 49% stake in NIIF with the rest held by
foreign and domestic investors.
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• MD & CEO: Sujoy Bose
83. Shriram Life Insurance Company (SLIC) has been empanelled as an Annuity Service
Provider (ASP) by the Pension Fund Regulatory Development Authority (PFRDA). The
empanelment will help the insurer manage the annuity component of the maturity proceeds
under the National Pension System (NPS).
• The PFRDA certification will help SLIC garner more NPS subscribers under its annuity plan.
• SLIC as an ASP will help in mobilising 40% of the NPS maturity amount which will be open
to investment in annuity schemes.

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Note: The annuity premium mobilisation in India is above Rs.25,000 crore per year.
Annuity Service Provider:

It is an IRDA-registered insurance company empaneled by PFRDA for providing Annuity
Services to NPS subscribers upon their exit from the system. ASPs will be responsible for
managing the funds (allocated for buying annuity) and payment of the pension after a
subscriber attains the age of 60.
84. ICICI Venture, the alternative investment arm of ICICI Bank, has invested Rs.360 crore, or
around $44.3 million, in consumer houseware company Cello World, marking its first bet
from the fifth private equity (PE) fund. This is the first private equity raise by Cello World.
85. Kotak Investment Advisors Limited (KIAL) has secured an anchor investment of USD 500
million from a wholly owned subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) for
its 13th Real Estate (RE) Fund, a $1 billion platform targeting real estate investments in India.
The fund will primarily target investments in residential real estate.
86. Karnataka Bank has recently launched the CASA (current account savings account)
campaign of 2022-23 for 100 days. Under this campaign starting from 15th November 2022
to 24th March 2023, the bank intends to open more than 3.65 lakh CASA accounts in all 883
branches across India.
87. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has introduced a new option for
appointment and removal of independent directors from the boards of companies. In this
regard, SEBI has amended LODR (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) rules.
Under this, the appointment and removal of independent directors could be done by way of
two parameters:
i) Threshold for ordinary resolution
ii) Threshold for majority of minority shareholders
Currently, the appointment, re-appointment or removal of independent directors is made

through a special resolution which needs 75% of 'yes' votes from a company's board.
88. According to the 'Micro Matters: Macro View - India Microfinance Review FY 2021-22' report
by Microfinance Institutions Network (MFIN), Microfinance sector grew by 16.5-times from
Rs.17,264 crore in March 2012 to Rs.2,85,441 crore as of March 2022.
• NBFC-MFIs are the second-largest provider of micro-credit with an outstanding of

Rs.1,00,407 crore (35.2 percent). While small finance banks (SFBs) had a total loan amount
outstanding of Rs.48,314 crore (16.9 percent).

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• As per the report, there are close to 6 crore unique microfinance clients. As of March
2022, about 202 entities are catering to them.
• Banks held the largest share of the portfolio with a total loan outstanding of Rs 1,14,051
crore, which is 40 percent of the total micro-credit universe.
89. Japanese investment major SoftBank has sold 4.5% stake in One97 Communications Ltd,
the owner of the Paytm payments app, for USD 215 million (Rs.1,631 crore) through an open
market transaction.
As of 30 September 2022, SoftBank held a 17.45% stake in Paytm through SVF India Holdings
(Cayman).
90. PE fund KKR & Co-backed clean energy platform Serentica Renewables has signed a pact
with Greenko Group, to source 1500MWhr energy storage capacity through Greenko’s
pumped storage projects located in India.
Under this pact, Serentica will leverage Greenko’s energy storage capacity from its upcoming
Off Stream Closed Loop Pumped Storage Projects (OCPSP) at Pinnapuram in Andhra Pradesh
and Gandhi Sagar in Madhya Pradesh.
RBI IN NEWS
91. Open, a neo-banking platform, has received in-principle approval from the Reserve Bank of
India (RBI) to operate as a Payment Aggregator (PA). Earlier, Infibeam, Innoviti, Razorpay,
MSwipe, Stripe, and Pine Labs received the PA license.
The RBI announced the PA framework in March 2020, requiring all payment gateways to
obtain a license in order to acquire merchants and provide payment services to merchants.
92. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved the opening of nine special Vostro accounts
with two Indian lenders — UCO Bank and IndusInd Bank — to facilitate overseas trade in
Indian rupees (INR).
• Sberbank and VTB Bank, the two largest banks of Russia, are the first foreign lenders to
have received approval from the RBI.
• Russia’s Gazprombank, which has no branches in India, has also created this account with
the state-run UCO Bank (Kolkata, West Bengal).
• Six different Russian banks have also opened accounts with IndusInd Bank.
Vostro account:
The word Vostro means ‘‘yours’’ in Latin. It is an account that a domestic bank holds for a
foreign bank in the currency of the domestic bank, which in India is INR. Vostro accounts are
maintained in the domestic currency. If a person deposits money in the Vostro account, it will
be transferred to the account holder's bank.

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Nostro account:
Nostro is a Latin word that means “ours”. The account opened by an Indian bank in the
foreign country is a Nostro account. Nostro accounts are maintained in the foreign currency.
Loro account:
It is a current account that is maintained by one domestic bank for another domestic bank in
the form of a third party account.
As a result, accounts opened by IndusInd and UCO are Vostro accounts, while those opened
by Russian banks are Nostro accounts.
93. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has fined nine entities, including six co-operative banks and
three Sahakari banks, a total of Rs.11.60 lakh for violating various banking norms.
• Berhampur Cooperative Urban Bank (Odisha) has been fined Rs.3.10 lakh.
• Osmanabad Janata Sahakari Bank, Osmanabad (Maharashtra) has been fined Rs.2.5 lakh.
• Santrampur Urban Co-operative Bank Ltd, Santrampur in Mahisagar district (Gujarat) has
been fined Rs.2 lakh penalty.
• Jila Sahakari Kendriya Bank Maryadit, Balaghat (Madhya Pradesh); Jamshedpur Urban
Cooperative Bank Ltd, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand; and Renuka Nagarik Sahakari Bank
Maryadit, Ambikapur (Chhattisgarh) have been fined Rs.1 lakh each.
• Krishna Mercantile Co-operative Bank Ltd, Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) and Kendrapara
Urban Co-operative Bank Ltd, Kendrapara, Odisha have been fined Rs.50,000 each.
• The Nawanagar Co-operative Bank Ltd, Jamnagar (Gujarat) has been fined Rs.25,000.
94. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved DSP Investment Managers Private Limited
(DSPIM) acquisition of up to 9.99 percent stake in Equitas Small Finance Bank.
• DSPIM will acquire up to 9.99 per cent of the paid-up equity capital of the bank through
the schemes of DSP Mutual Fund, following the amalgamation of parent company Equitas
Holdings Limited with the bank.
• The approval is valid for one year till 15th November 2023.
95. Noted Rajasthani writers Madhu Kankariya and Dr Madhav Hada have been honoured
with the 31st and 32nd Bihari Puraskar, respectively. The award has been given by
Indravardhan Trivedi, vice-chancellor of Mohan Lal Sukhadia University in Udaipur.
• Madhu Kankariya has been awarded the Bihari Puraskar 2021 for her 2018 novel ‘Hum
Yahan The’.
• Madhav Hada has been awarded the Bihari Puraskar 2022 for his 2015 literary criticism
book ‘Pachrang Chola Pahar Sakhi Ri’.

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Bihari Puraskar:
The Bihari Puraskar was instituted by KK Birla Foundation in 1991. It is named after the
famous poet Bihari. It is given every year for an outstanding work published in the last 10
years by a Rajasthani author in Hindi or Rajasthani. The award carries a cash prize of Rs.2.5
lakh, a plaque and a citation.
96. India-born Nobel laureate Professor Venkatraman Ramakrishnan has been awarded the
prestigious Order of Merit by Britain’s King Charles III in recognition of his distinguished
service to science.
Order of Merit:
It is an exclusive mark of honour conferred by the British sovereign. It was founded in 1902
by King Edward VII. It is conferred on individuals of exceptional distinction in the armed
forces, science, arts, and literature, or for the promotion of culture based on the personal
choice of the monarch.
Venkatraman Ramakrishnan:
He was born in 1952 in Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu. He is an Indian-born American and
British structural biologist. He received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2009 for his work on
ribosomal structure. He received India's second highest civilian honour, the Padma
Vibhushan, in 2010. He was knighted by the Queen in 2012. He was President of the UK's
Royal Society from November 2015 until November 2020.
97. Bhopal Junction Railway Station of West Central Railway has been awarded a 4- star 'Eat
Right Station' certification for providing high-quality, nutritious food to passengers. This
certification is granted by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to railway
stations adhering to standard food storage and hygiene practices. This certification is valid up
to 1st November 2024.
• The ‘Eat Right Station’ certification is awarded by FSSAI to railway stations that set
benchmarks in providing safe and wholesome food to passengers
• The 4-star rating indicates full compliance by the station to ensure safe and hygienic food
is available to passengers
• The certification is part of the 'Eat Right India' movement.
Other railway stations with ‘Eat Right Station’ certification are:

1) Anand Vihar Terminal Railway Station; (Delhi)
2) Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus; (Mumbai)
3) Mumbai Central Railway Station; (Mumbai)
4) Vadodara Railway Station
5) Chandigarh Railway Station
98. L Ganesh, Chairman of Rane Group, has been conferred with Japan’s prestigious Deming
Distinguished Service Award for Dissemination and Promotion (Overseas) 2022 for his

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outstanding contribution to the dissemination and promotion (overseas) of total quality
management (TQM). He is the third Indian and the fifth globally to be bestowed with this
award.
Deming prize:
It was established in 1951. It is an annual award presented to organisations and individuals
that have implemented TQM catering to its management philosophy, scope, the scale of
business, type, and management environment. The winner receives the Deming medal with
an accompanying certificate of merit from the Deming prize committee.
The award was instituted to pay tribute to W Edwards Deming, who made a significant
contribution to the spread of statistical quality control in Japan, following World War II.
99. Journalist Danish Manzoor Bhat, originally hailing from Kashmir Valley, has been honoured
with Jaipur Foot USA’s first Global Humanitarian Award for COVID-19 relief efforts, at the
ceremony held at the Consulate General of India in New York, USA. He is the first person to
receive this award.
Jaipur Foot USA’s Global Humanitarian Award:

It was established by Jaipur Foot USA, an international non-profit organization committed to
the rehabilitation of physically disabled people. The award has been constituted to honour
and recognise “selfless work of Indians” who went above and beyond to help those in need
during the difficult years of the pandemic.
100. The Tata Literature Live! The Mumbai LitFest has been held at Tata Theatre, National Centre
for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai, Maharashtra. During the event, the winners of Tata
Literature Live! Literary Awards 2022 have been announced.
a) Tata Literature Live! Book of the Year (Fiction): The Map and the Scissors by Amit
Majmudar. Published by HarperCollins Publishers.
b) Tata Literature Live! Book of the Year (Non Fiction): Lords of the Deccan: Southern
India from the Chalukyas to the Cholas by Anirudh Kanisetti. Published by Juggernaut Books
c) Tata Literature Live! First Book (Fiction): We Move by Gurnaik Johal. Published by
Hachette
d) Tata Literature Live! First Book (Non-Fiction): Whole Numbers and Half-Truths by
Rukmini S. Published by Westland
e) Tata Literature Live! Business Book of the Year: The Ambuja Story: How a Group of
Ordinary Men Created an Extraordinary Company by Narotam Sekhsaria. Published by
HarperCollins Publishers
f) Tata Literature Live! Publisher of the Year Award: HarperCollins Publishers India
101. Himachal Pradesh Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has been felicitated the 14th
Dalai Lama, Tibetan spiritual leader with the Gandhi Mandela Award 2022 at the
Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala.

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He has been selected by a jury including former Chief Justice of India KG Balakrishnan and
Justice Dipak Misra, former Supreme Court Judge Gyan Sudha Misra, former Chief Justice of
Nepal Justice Kedarnath Upadhyay and former Chief Justice of Bangladesh Justice MD
Tafazzul Islam.
Gandhi Mandela Award:

The award was constituted by the Gandhi Mandela Foundation, a Government of India (GoI)
registered Trust and a non-profit organization, in recognition of promoting the values and
ideals of Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela in the interest of global peace and freedom.
It is awarded for Peace, Social Welfare, Culture, Health Care, Sports, Education and
Innovation.
The award was instituted in 2019 on the 105th birth anniversary of our Father of the Nation,
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (M.K. Gandhi).
102. Pratham, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) functioning in the field of education,

has received the 2021 Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament & Development at
Jawahar Bhawan in New Delhi.
• The award is in recognition of Pratham’s work in ensuring quality education for children of
the country, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The former Vice-President of India Hamid Ansari has presented the award to the Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) of Pratham Education Foundation, Rukmini Banerji, in the
presence of Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson of Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust.
Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development:

It was instituted in 1986 in the memory of the former Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi. It
consists of a monetary award of Rs 25 lakh along with a citation.
The award is given to individuals or organisations who work towards ensuring international
peace and development, ensuring that scientific discoveries are used to further the scope of
freedom and better humanity, and creating a new international economic order.
103. Chennai-based Aquaconnect, a technology-driven full-stack aquaculture input and output
platform with embedded fintech and supported by a physical distribution network, has
received the ISO 27001 certification for its Information Security Management System (ISMS).
• It is the first Indian Fisheries Start-up to earn this recognition.

• The company is now fully equipped to maintain its data and periodically monitor
information security, making its platform more trustworthy.
ISO/IEC 27001 is the leading international standard focused on information security.
104. The Cambridge dictionary has chosen "Homer" as the Word of the Year for 2022. The
word ''homer'' was searched for nearly 79,000 times during the first week of May 2022 owing
to it being an answer in Wordle.

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In the context of the game, ”homer” doesn’t refer to the Greek poet and author, or a
character from Simpson, but refers to an informal American English word for a ‘home run’ in
baseball.
Wordle:
It is a free online game that gives users a new word puzzle each day. It gives players six
chances to guess a randomly selected five-letter word. The brainchild behind the game is
Brooklyn-based software engineer Josh Wardle who created Wordle for free in October 2021
as a unique gift for his girlfriend Palak Shah. It was later acquired by The New York Times.
105. Bollywood star actor Ranveer Singh, who is known for his uniqueness, has been awarded
the Etoile d'or (Golden Star) at the 19th edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival
held in Morocco.
The Marrakech International Film Festival has previously honoured Indian stars including
Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan.
106. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has posthumously awarded the prestigious
'Friends of Liberation War' honour to former US Senator Edward M Kennedy in Dhaka for
his contribution to the liberation of Bangladesh. The honour has been handed over to his son
Edward M. Ted Kennedy Jr.
Edward M Kennedy took a bold step against the genocide committed by Pakistan on innocent
Bengali people despite the US government’s engagement in the 1971 Liberation War.
107. Indian-origin paediatrician Angraj Khillan from Victoria state has been honoured with the
2023 Victorian Australian of the Year Award for his work providing healthcare education
to the state of Victoria’s culturally diverse community, the City of Melbourne, Australia.
108. Emmanuel Lenain, Ambassador of France to India, has conferred the Chevalier de la
Legion d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour) on Sumeet Anand, Founder, IndSight
Growth Partners, and President of the Indo-French Chamber of Commerce & Industry, in
Mumbai. He has been honoured for his contribution to the development of bilateral relations
between France and India in business.
“Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur” is the highest civilian award given by the French Republic
for outstanding contribution to the recipient’s field of expertise, regardless of nationality.
109. India has won the Excellence in Leadership in Family Planning (EXCELL) Awards-2022 in
the 'country category' at the International Conference on Family Planning held in Pattaya city
in Thailand. The award is a recognition of India's efforts towards ensuring access to quality
family planning choices based on right information & reliable services. India is the only
country to have received the award in the ‘country’ category.

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110. Kathak veteran Uma Sharma has received the prestigious 'Sumitra Charat Ram Award' in
recognition of her contribution in the field of Indian classical music and dance. She has
received the award from former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Karan Singh and Sarod
player Ustad Amjad Ali Khan in a ceremony organised at Kamani Auditorium by Shriram
Bharatiya Kala Kendra (SBKK).
111. 11 Career Researchers from India and Germany have been awarded the ‘Paired Early
Career Fellowship in Applied Research (PECFAR)’, which will facilitate a short-duration visit
to explore opportunities for connecting and networking for research collaborations between
India and Germany in frontier areas of science and technology. This is the first time
researchers have received this award under the PECFAR.
PECFAR has been launched by the Indo-German Science & Technology Centre (IGSTC).
112. NTPC’s QC Team from Unchahar ABHYUDAYA has won the "GOLD" award in the 47th
International Convention on Quality Control Circle (ICQCC-2022). The convention has been
held from 15th-18th November in Jakarta, Indonesia. The theme for ICQCC-2022 is “Built Back
Better through Quality Efforts”.
NTPC QC Team presented on "Frequent Choking of Collecting tanks of AHP-IV".
113. The Ministry of Education (MoE) has awarded the Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar (SVP) for
the 2021-22 academic year to 39 schools (34 in the overall category, and 5 in sub-categories)
from across India, including 17 elementary, and 22 secondary or higher secondary schools.
Cash prizes of Rs.60,000/- to 34 schools (in overall category) and Rs.20,000/-, (in sub-
categories) have been given to the awardee schools.
The third edition of SVP 2021-22, saw participation from 9.59 lakh schools, which is approx.
1.5 times more than the number of schools (6.15 lakh schools) in SVP 2017-18.
Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar:

The Department of School Education and Literacy launched the Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar in
2016-17 to ensure long term sustainability and behavioural change. It not only honours the
schools who have taken exemplary work in the field of water, sanitation and hygiene but also
provides a benchmark and roadmap for schools to make further improvement
Under this Award, schools are rated on six broad parameters of (a) Water (b) Toilets (c)
Handwashing with Soap (d) Operation and Maintenance (e) Behaviour Change and Capacity
building and (f) COVID-19 (Preparedness and Response).
The award is given at District, State and National level.
PERSON IN NEWS

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114. The President of India Droupadi Mormu, on the recommendation of the Selection
Committee, has appointed senior IAS officer and former CEO of MyGov Gaurav Dwivedi as
the Executive Member (Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in Prasar Bharati with effect from the
date he assumes charge of the office. He has been appointed for a period of five years. He is
an IAS officer of the 1995 batch of the Chhattisgarh Cadre.
Director General of Doordarshan Mayank Agrawal was given the additional charge of CEO
Prasar Bharati in June 2022.
115. The Government of India (GoI) has recently approved the appointment of former Chief
Economic Advisor Arvind Virmani as a full-time member of the National Institution for
Transforming India (NITI) Aayog with immediate effect and until further orders. He is the
Founder & Chairman of Foundation for Economic Growth & Welfare.
The other existing Members of NITI Aayog are VK Saraswat, Ramesh Chand and VK Paul.
116. Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has appointed Suraj Bhan as
Chairman of the Board of Trustees of National Pension System Trust (NPS Trust) with
effect from 12th November, 2022. He is responsible for managing funds under the NPS Trust.
He has succeeded Dinesh Kumar Mehrotra.
117. The President of India Droupadi Murmu has appointed Dr CV Ananda Bose as the new
Governor of West Bengal. He is a 1977 batch (retired) Indian Administrative Service (IAS)
officer of Kerala cadre. His appointment will take effect from the date he assumes charge of
his office.
Manipur Governor La Ganesan had been holding the additional charge of West Bengal since
July 2022.
118. Facebook-parent Meta has appointed Sandhya Devanathan as the new Head of Meta
India with effect from 1st January 2023. In her new role, she will report to Dan Neary, vice-
president of Meta’s overall APAC (Asia Pacific) business. She has succeeded Ajit Mohan who
resigned from Meta India on 3rd November 2022.
119. The Government of India (GoI) has extended the tenure of Enforcement Directorate (ED)
chief Sanjay Kumar Mishra by a year till 18th November 2023. He is a 1984-batch Indian
Revenue Service (IRS) officer. He was first appointed as the ED chief in November 2018 for a
period of 2 years.
120. Real11, an online gaming company, has appointed Indian Cricketer Kuldeep Yadav as its
brand ambassador. This will help the company reach a wider audience in the nation.

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This collaboration will play a pivotal role for the brand as the game of skill industry is growing
at a brisk pace and the brand strives to set a benchmark in the space in near future.
121. Ghana has assumed the Presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for
November 2022. During the month of November 2022, Ghana shall preside over the
meetings of the Council (adoptions, debates and consultations) and, under its authority, shall
represent the Security Council in its capacity as an organ of the United Nations.
Ghana was first given the opportunity to serve on the council from 1962 to 1963. It is the
third time Ghana is holding a non-permanent seat on the Council.
122. President of India Droupadi Mormu has appointed Arun Goel as the new Election
Commissioner of the Election Commission of India (ECI). He is a 1985 batch IAS officer of
Punjab cadre. He has joined the 3 member ECI which includes, Chief Election Commissioner
(CEC) Rajiv Kumar, and Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey.
Note: As per Article 324, a person can hold the office of an Election Commissioner or Chief
Election Commissioner for 6 years or till the age of 65.
123. American business magazine Fortune has released the 2022 edition of its annual ‘40
Under 40’ list. The 2022 edition has featured two Indian-origin entrepreneurs: Ankit Gupta,
Founder & CEO of Bicycle Health and Kanav Kariya, President of Jump Crypto.
• Ankit Gupta has been featured on the list under the Health and Bioscience category while
Kanav Kariya has been featured under the Finance and Crypto category.
• The list also includes renowned Barbadian singer Rihanna, famed TikToker Khaby Lame,
and French footballer Kylian Mbappe.
124. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India Rajiv Kumar has been invited by the Election
Commission of Nepal as an international observer for the forthcoming elections to Nepal’s
House of Representatives and Provincial Assembly.
• He will lead a delegation of ECI officials as State guest in Nepal from 18 November to 22
November, 2022.
• Elections are scheduled in Nepal on 20 November to elect 275 members of the Federal
Parliament and 550 seats of the seven Provincial Assemblies.

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OBITUARIES
125. Noted Indian mathematician and electrical engineering professor Rangasami

Lakshminarayan Kashyap has recently passed away at the age of 85. He was born on 28th
March 1938. He was the founder of Sakshi Sanstha.
• He along with Harvard professor Yu-Chi Ho developed the ‘Ho-Kashyap rule’, an

important result (algorithm) in pattern recognition.
• He translated 25 thousand Sanskrit mantras into English language and created more than
50 books.
• He is the only person in the world to translate all the 4 Vedas.
• He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2021 by the central government for his considerable
service in the field of studying the Vedas.
126. Noted Telugu actor Ghattamaneni Siva Rama Krishna, popularly known as Krishna, has
recently passed away in Hyderabad, Telangana. He was born on 31st May 1943 in Burripalem,
Madras Province, British India (now Andhra Pradesh). He is the father of renowned Telugu
actor Mahesh Babu.
He was honoured with the Padma Bhushan for his contributions to Indian cinema in 2009.
127. Noted political analyst (psephologist) Sir David Butler, known as the “Father of modern
election science”, has recently passed away at the age of 98 in the United Kingdom (UK). He
was born on the 17th October 1924 in London, England. He introduced the Swingometer, a
graphics device used to show the shift of votes from one party to another.
128. Veteran director Rakesh Kumar, known for films "Mr. Natwarlal", "Khoon Pasina", "Do Aur
Do Paanch" and "Yaarana" with megastar Amitabh Bachchan, has recently passed away in
Mumbai, Maharashtra.
129. India’s Basketball legend Gulam Abbas Moontasir has recently passed away in Mumbai,
Maharashtra. He was born on 7th January 1942 in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• He represented India in the quadrangular in Colombo in 1964 and captained the Indian
side in the Asian Basketball Championship held in Bangkok in 1969 and 1975.
• He became the first Indian basketball player to receive the Arjuna Award in 1970 for his
achievement in national sport.
• He authored a book titled ‘Principles of Basketball’.
SPORTS

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130. The ICC board has unanimously re-elected Greg Barclay of New Zealand as the
Independent Chair of the International Cricket Council (ICC) for a second two-year term.
He was originally appointed as the ICC Chair in November 2020.
He was previously the Chair of New Zealand Cricket (NZC) and was a director of the ICC Men's
Cricket World Cup 2015.
131. The 2022 Asian Amateur Boxing Championships has been held in Amman, Jordan from
1st to 12th November 2022. Kazakhstan has topped the medal tally with 21 medals (6 Gold, 7
Silver, and 8 Bronze). Uzbekistan has finished second with 12 medals (6 Gold, 3 Silver, and 3
Silver), followed by India with 12 medals (4 Gold, 2Silver, and 6 Bronze).
India Medal Winners:

Medals Winners
Gold Lovlina Borgohain (women’s 75kg), Saweety
Boora (women’s 81kg), Alfiya Pathan
(women’s +81kg), and Parveen Hooda
(women’s 63kg)
Silver Shiva Thapa (men’s 63.5kg) and Minakshi
(women’s 52kg)
Bronze Govind Sahani (men’s 48kg), Mohammad
Hussamuddin (men’s 57kg), Sumit (men’s
75kg), Narender (men’s +92kg), Preeti
Dahiya (women’s 57kg), and Ankushita Boro
(women’s 66kg).
132. President of the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games,
Tony Estanguet, has unveiled the mascots for Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games,
“The Phryges” (pronounced fri-jee-uhs) in Paris, France.
The Olympic Phryge and Paralympic Phryge mascots are based on Phrygian caps, a type of
hat that has become an enduring symbol of freedom throughout French history.
Features of Phryges:
• Phryges are small Phrygian caps, which represent a strong symbol of liberty, inclusivity
and the ability of people to support great and meaningful causes.
• They are kitted out in a red, white and blue colourway, with the golden Paris 2024 logo
emblazoned across their chests.
• They also have a mischievous and expressive eye made of a ‘cockade of France’, a knot of
ribbons that is the French national ornament.
133. Noted table-tennis player Achanta Sharath Kamal has become the first Indian player to
be elected in the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Athletes’ Commission.

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• Eight athletes have been elected from Asia, Africa, Europe, South America, North America,
and Oceania region along with the two highest-voted para-athletes.
• These elected players will serve in the ITTF Athletes’ Commission for a period of 4 years
starting from 2022 to 2026.
Elected Athletes: Elizabeta Samara (Romania), Achanta Sharath Kamal (India), Daniely Rios
(Puerto Rico), Omar Assar (Egypt), Melissa Tapper (Australia), Stefan Fegerl (Austria), Jon
Persson (Sweden), and Liu Shiwen (China).
Elected Para-Athletes: Ingela Lundback (Sweden) and Kelly van Zon (Netherlands).
Note: Sharath Kamal will be honoured with the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award 2022,
India’s highest sports recognition later in November 2022.
134. The 2nd edition of the North East Olympics Games has been held from 10th to 16th
November 2022 in Shillong, Meghalaya. It has been organised by the Government of
Meghalaya and the state Olympic Association under the aegis of Northeast Olympic
Association.
• Manipur has secured the first position with a total of 240 medals which included 88 gold
medals, 75 silver and 77 bronze medals.
• Assam has finished the second spot with a total of 203 medals which included 79 gold
medals, 61 silver and 63 bronze medals.
• Arunachal Pradesh has finished the third spot with a total of 112 medals which included
39 gold, 36 silver and 37 bronze medals.
• Meghalaya has finished at the 4th spot followed by Nagaland at the 5th, Mizoram at 6th,
Tripura at 7th and Sikkim at the last position.
Note: The first North East Olympics games was held in Manipur in 2018 and the third edition
will be held in Nagaland.
135. The 15th edition of Asian Airgun Championship 2022 has been held at Daegu International
Shooting Range, Daegu in South Korea. India has finished first in the championship with 38
medals (25 Gold, 9 Silver, and 4 Bronze).
India’s gold medal winners:
Men:
Shiva Narwal (10m air pistol), Shiva Narwal, Vijayveer Sidhu, and Naveen (10m air pistol
team), Rudrankksh Patil, Arjun Babuta, and Kiran Ankush Jadhav (10 m air rifle team)
Women:
Rhythm Sangwan (10m air pistol), Mehuli Ghosh (10 m air rifle), Mehuli Ghosh, Elavenil
Valarivan, and Meghana Sajjanar (10 m air rifle team).
Mixed:

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Rhythm Sangwan, and Vijayveer Sidhu (10 m air pistol team), Mehuli Ghosh, and Arjun
Babuta (10 m air rifle team).
Junior Men:
Sagar Dangi (10m air pistol), Sagar Dangi, Samrat Rana, and Varun Tomar (10m air pistol
team), Divyansh Singh Panwar (10 m air rifle), Divyansh Singh Panwar, Ravishankar Sri Karthik
Sabari Raj, and Vidit Jain (10 m air rifle team).
Junior Women:
Manu Bhaker (10m air pistol), Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh, and Shikha Narwal (10 m air pistol
team), Tilottama Sen (10 m air rifle), Tilottama Sen, Nancy Mandhotra, and Ramita Jindal (10
m air rifle team).
Junior Mixed:
Manu Bhaker and Samrat Rana (10m air pistol team), Ramita Jindal, and Divyansh Singh
Panwar (10 m air rifle team).
Youth Men:
Sandeep Bishnoi (10m air pistol), Sandeep Bishnoi, Sahil, and Amit Sharma (10 m air pistol
team), Parth Rakesh Mane (10 m air rifle), Parth Rakesh Mane, Sheersh Kashyap, and Abhinav
Shaw (10 m air rifle team).
Youth Women:
Yashasvi Joshi, Harnavdeep Kaur, and Kanishka Dagar (10 m air pistol team), Yukthi Rajendra
(10 m air rifle), Yukthi Rajendra, Gautami Bhanot, and Hazel (10 m air rifle team).
136. Indian table tennis player Manika Batra has won the bronze medal in Women’s singles at
the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF)-Asian Table Tennis Union (ATTU) Asian Cup
tournament held at Huamark Indoor Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
• She has become the first Indian woman and the second Indian table tennis player to
win medal in Asian Cup Table Tennis tournament.
• She has defeated World number six and three-time Asian champion Hina Hayata by 4-2 to
clinch the bronze medal.
Note: Chetan Baboor was the first Indian table tennis player to win a medal in Asian Cup. He
won the silver in 1997 and bronze in the 2000 Asian Cup.
137. Red Bull's Max Verstappen has won the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix held at the Yas
Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. This is his 15th win of this season.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has finished second, and Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez has finished third in
the event.
The 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is the final race of 2022 Formula One World Season.
138. World champion boxer MC Mary Kom, double Olympic Badminton medallist PV Sindhu
and multiple-time winter Luge Olympian Shiva Keshavan are among 10 eminent
sportspersons elected unopposed as members of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA)
Athletes Commission in the polls held in New Delhi.

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The other seven members of the apex body are Tokyo Olympics silver medallist weightlifter
Mirabai Chanu, 2012 Olympics bronze winner shooter Gagan Narang, veteran table tennis
player Achanta Sharath Kamal, ace hockey player Rani Rampal, cyclist Bhavani Devi, rower
Bajrang Lal and former shot putter OP Karhana.
IMPORTANT DAYS
139. National Press Day is observed annually across India on 16th November to recognize the
importance of the free and responsible press in a democratic society. The day also marks the
establishment of the Press Council of India (PCI). The day also aims to highlight its
importance as the 4th pillar of democracy (media).
Theme 2022: “The Media's Role in Nation Building”
Additional Information:
Press Council of India (PCI) is a statutory and quasi-judicial body that works as a watchdog to
oversee the print media’s conduct. It works under the Press Council Act 1978. It was formed
on the recommendations of the First Press Commission in 1966.
• Chairman: Justice Ranjan Prakash Desai
• Headquarters: New Delhi
140. World Philosophy Day is observed annually on the Third Thursday of November to
promote an academic exchange of philosophy for the development of human thought. In
2022, the day falls on 17th November.
The day was first introduced in 2002 by UNESCO. In 2005, the UNESCO General Conference
proclaimed that World Philosophy Day would be celebrated every third Thursday of
November.
Theme 2022: “The Human of the Future”
141. India has recently observed its 2nd edition of ‘Audit Diwas’ on 16th November to mark the
historic origin of the institution of Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) and the
contribution it has made to the governance, transparency and accountability over the past
several years.
Why 16th November?

On 16th November 1858, after the merger of the audit departments of the Bengal, Madras
and Bombay Presidencies under the Government of India Act 1858, the first Auditor General
took the charge.
Note: G. C. Murmu is currently serving as the 14th CAG of India.

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142. International Day for Tolerance is observed annually on 16th November to raise
awareness about the dangers of intolerance. The day also marks the anniversary of
UNESCO’s Declaration of Principles on Tolerance. The day was first observed in 1997.
UNESCO has also created ‘Madanjeet Singh Prize’ to recognize that tolerance is a universal
human right. The prize is awarded every two years on the International Day for Tolerance.
• UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Prize 2022: Franca Ma-ih Sulem Yoong (Cameroon)
143. World COPD Day is observed annually on the third Wednesday of November to spread
awareness about chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and improve COPD care
throughout the world. In 2022, the World COPD Day falls on 16th November. The day was
first observed in 2002.
Theme 2022: “Your Lungs for Life”
COPD is a lung disease that blocks airflow and makes it difficult to breathe.
144. International Students’ Day is observed annually on 17th November to ensure that every
student has access to education around the globe. The day commemorates the anniversary
of the 1939 Nazi attack on the University of Prague during World War II.
145. National Epilepsy Day is observed annually across India on 17th November to create
awareness about epilepsy. The day is organized by the Epilepsy Foundation of India.
Epilepsy is a central nervous system (neurological) disorder in which brain activity becomes
abnormal, causing seizures or periods of unusual behaviour, sensations and sometimes loss
of awareness.
Note: The month of November is observed as ‘National Epilepsy Awareness Month’.
146. National Naturopathy Day is observed annually across India on 18th November to
promote positive mental and physical health through a drugless system of medicine, called
as Naturopathy. It was on this day in 1945, when Mahatma Gandhi became lifetime Chairman
of the All India Nature Cure Foundation Trust. The day was first observed in 2018 by the
Ministry of AYUSH.
Theme 2022: ‘Naturopathy: An Integrative Medicine’
147. The Battle of Rezang La has commemorated its 60th anniversary on 18th November 2022.
It was fought between Indian and Chinese troops on the icy mountain tops on the
southeastern ridge of the Chushul Valley.

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• In 1962, the Charlie Company (C Company) of the 13th battalion of the Kumaon Regiment
fought against the Chinese attack at the Rezang La Pass in Ladakh.
• The C Company, led by Major Shaitan Singh, had 117 soldiers. Of these, 110 were
martyred during this battle.
• The valour of the Company not only successfully stopped China’s advance, but it also
resulted in the Chushul airport being saved, thereby preventing a possible Chinese
occupation of the entire Ladakh region in 1962.
Rezang La:
It is also known as Rechin La. It is a mountain pass on the Line of Actual Control (LAC)
between Indian-administered Ladakh and the Chinese administered Spanggur Lake basin,
which is also claimed by India. It is situated on the eastern watershed ridge of the Chushul
Valley that is being claimed by China.
148. World Antimicrobial Awareness Week is observed annually from 18th November to 24th
November to raise awareness of global antimicrobial resistance and to encourage best
practices among the general public, health workers and policymakers to avoid the further
emergence and spread of drug-resistant infections.
The slogan of World Antimicrobial Awareness Week remains 'Antimicrobials: Handle with
Care'.
Theme 2022: “Preventing Antimicrobial Resistance Together”
149. World Toilet Day is observed annually on 19th November to celebrate toilets and raise
awareness for the people living without access to sanitation. The day promotes action to
address the global sanitation crisis and contribute to the achievement of Sustainable
Development Goal 6 (SDG 6): sanitation and water for all by 2030.

Theme 2022: “Making the Invisible Visible”
The global campaign for World Toilet Day 2022 focuses on “Sanitation and Groundwater”.
150. The Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) Hardeep Singh Puri has
launched the ‘Toilets 2.0 campaign’ at a national event organized in Bengaluru, Karnataka
on the occasion of the World Toilet Day 2022 (19th November).
The campaign aims to change the face of public and community toilets in urban India
through collective action involving citizens and Urban Local Bodies.
The campaign has five thematic areas:

a) People for Toilets: Cleaning and maintaining the community and public toilets
b) Partners for Toilets: Adoption of Public toilets
c) Design Toilets: Design Challenge
d) Rate your Toilet: Promoting user feedback to improve public toilets and

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e) My thoughts - Our Toilets: Gathering public opinion for toilets
A Champion of Change certificate will be rewarded to the participants at the end of the
survey.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), in collaboration with knowledge partner
WASH Institute, has conducted the 3-day capacity building workshop, between 16th to 18th
November 2022 at Bengaluru, Karnataka to equip states to facilitate integrated management
of used water in a time bound manner.
151. National Integration Day (Quami Ekta Diwas) is observed annually on 19th November to
commemorate the birth anniversary of India’s first woman Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
The year 2022 marks the 105th birth anniversary.
Indira Gandhi:
She was born on 19 November 1917, to Jawaharlal Nehru and Kamala Nehru in Allahabad,
Uttar Pradesh. She was India’s third Prime Minister and the country’s only female PM till date.
She served as India’s PM from January 1966-March 1977, then again from January 1980, till
her assassination by her bodyguards on 31st October 1984. She was awarded the Bharat
Ratna in 1971.
152. International Men's Day is observed annually on 19th November to cherish the
achievements and contribution of all men in society. The day was established in 1999 by Dr
Jerome Teelucksingh in honour of his father’s birthday.
In India, the day was first observed in 2007.

Theme 2022: “Helping Men and Boys”
153. Women’s Entrepreneurship Day is observed annually on 19th November to acknowledge,

support and celebrate the invaluable contribution of women business leaders and
entrepreneurs towards economic growth and development. The day is organized by the
Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Organisation (WEDO). The day was first observed in 2014.
154. World Heritage Week is observed annually across India from 19th November to 25th
November to promote the conservation of the heritage and the culture of monuments.
At present, there are 3693 monuments in India protected by the Archaeological Survey of
India (ASI). Uttar Pradesh has the highest number (745) of ASI-protected monuments.
155. World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims is observed annually on the third
Sunday of November to remember the many millions killed and injured in road crashes,
their families and communities, as well as to pay tribute to the dedicated emergency crews,
police and medical professionals who daily deal with the traumatic aftermath of road death
and injury. In 2022, the day falls on 20th November.

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The day was started by the European Federation of Road Traffic Victims (FEVR) in 1995 and
adopted by the UN General Assembly Resolution 60/5 on 26th October 2005 as an
“appropriate acknowledgement for victims of road traffic crashes and their families”.
Theme 2022: “Remember. Support. Act”
156. World Television Day is observed annually on 21st November, to recognize that television
plays a major role in presenting different issue that affect people. In December 1996, the
United Nations proclaimed 21 November as World Television Day commemorating the date
on which the first World Television Forum was held in 1996.
157. World Fisheries Day is observed annually on 21st November to raise awareness about the
fishing industry's environmental issues. The day was first celebrated in 2015.
The World Fisheries Forum (WFF) was established in 1997 as a forum for the World Fisheries
Consortium.
Other Important Study Material to help you with your

preparation
Government Exams

iia • Inequalities PDF- Concept, Examples, Tricks & Expected Questions

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Contents
STATES AFFAIRS........................................................................................................... 9
REPORTS & INDICES ................................................................................................... 16
BANKING & FINANCE ................................................................................................... 25
RBI IN NEWS.............................................................................................................. 31
BOOKS & AUTHORS ..................................................................................................... 39
PERSON IN NEWS ....................................................................................................... 39
OBITUARIES............................................................................................................... 41
SPORTS ..................................................................................................................... 41
IMPORTANT DAYS ....................................................................................................... 42
Other Important Study Material to help you in your preparation .......................................... 44

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NATIONAL AFFAIRS
1. The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), the research centre of the Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO), has successfully completed the Integrated Main Parachute
Airdrop Test (IMAT), a major development test of its crew module deceleration system at
the Babina Field Fire Range (BFFR) in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh.
• It is the first in a series of tests planned to simulate different failure conditions of the
parachute system before it is deemed qualified to be used in the first human spaceflight
mission 'Gaganyaan’.
• The design and development of the Parachute-based Deceleration system for the Crew
module is a joint venture between ISRO and the Defence Research and Development
Organization (DRDO).
2. The South-Western Command of the Indian Army has recently conducted the Integrated
Fire Power Exercise ‘Shatru Nash’ at Mahajan Field Firing Range (MFFR) in the Thar Desert in
the Bikaner district of Rajasthan.
• The exercise witnessed the use of multifarious firing platforms in an integrated manner
involving both ground and aerial manoeuvres.
• During the exercise, Real-time communication and sharing of a common operating picture
amongst various participants to overcome emerging threats were practised & skills were
honed.
3. Australia’s Parliament has recently passed the Free Trade Agreement with India. Under
the pact, Australia is offering zero-duty access to India for about 96.4% of exports (by value)
from day one. This covers many products that currently attract 4-5% customs duty in
Australia.
The trade agreement will provide duty-free access to the Australian market for over 6,000
broad sectors of India, including textiles, leather, furniture, jewellery, and machinery.
4. India has successfully conducted the training launch of the Agni-III Intermediate Range
Ballistic Missile (IRBM) from APJ Abdul Kalam Island, Odisha coast. This is a part of routine
user training launches which are performed under the aegis of the Strategic Forces
Command.
• Agni-3 was first tested on 9 July 2006. However, it was not a successful launch.
• The missile test fired successfully in its second flight which took place in 2007. The missile
also performed as per the standards in its third consecutive launch that took place in
2008.
• It is a two-stage ballistic missile that is capable of nuclear weapons delivery.
• The 16-meter-long missile, weighing more than 48 tonnes, has a range of over 3000
kilometers and is capable of carrying a payload of over 1.5 tonnes.

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• Due to its high range of circular error probable (CEP), the Agni-3 missile is known as the
world's most accurate strategic ballistic missile of its range class.
• It is designed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and
manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL).
5. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has launched its 200th consecutive 'RH-200'
Rohini sounding rocket from its lead facility, the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
RH-200:
• It is a two-stage rocket capable of reaching a height of 70 kms while carrying scientific
payloads.
• The number '200' in the name refers to the rocket's diameter in mm.
• The first and second stages of RH-200 are powered by solid motors.
• These small, low-cost solid-fueled rockets are intended for research, meteorology, and
atmospheric studies.
Currently, India has three operational sounding rocket variants: RH-200, RH-300-Mk-II and
RH-560-Mk-III.
6. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoH&FW) has introduced the 'National Suicide
Prevention Strategy’, the first of its kind in India, to achieve a reduction in suicide mortality
by 10% by 2030. The strategy is in line with the World Health Organisation’s South East-Asia
Region Strategy for suicide prevention.
Objectives:
• The strategy aims to establish effective surveillance mechanisms for suicide within the
next three years.
• It aims to establish psychiatric outpatient departments that will provide suicide
prevention services through the District Mental Health Programme in all districts within
the next five years.
• It also aims to integrate a mental well-being curriculum in all educational institutions
within the next eight years.
7. The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), under the Ministry of
Commerce & Industry, has launched startup applications for registration on the MAARG
portal, the National Mentorship Platform by Startup India, to provide further boost to startup
ecosystem by catalysing the startup culture and building a strong and inclusive ecosystem for
innovation and entrepreneurship in India.
MAARG Portal:
Mentorship, Advisory, Assistance, Resilience and Growth (MAARG) is a one stop platform
to facilitate mentorship for startups across diverse sectors, functions, stages, geographies,
and backgrounds. It is being operationalized in three phases which include,
• Mentor Onboarding

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• Startup Onboarding
• MAARG Portal Launch and Mentor Matchmaking
8. Binod Kumar, IAS, Principal Secretary Transport, West Bengal has launched the seventh 250
Men Ferry Craft ‘Manjula' (Yard 786) at M/s Shalimar Works Ltd, Kolkata, and West Bengal.
• Manjula Ferry Craft was built under the ‘Make in India’ initiative of Ministry of Defence.
• These Ferry Craft are built with a service life of 25 years.
• The Ferry Craft will provide impetus to operational and logistics requirements of the
Indian Navy.
Note: Six out of Seven Ferry Craft have been delivered at Port Blair, Visakhapatnam and
Mumbai.
9. The 8th edition of the India-Indonesia bilateral joint training exercise ‘Garuda Shakti’ 2022
has been held at the Sangga Buana Training Area in Karawang, west Java, Indonesia.
• The 13-day Garuda Shakti exercise seeks to boost understanding, cooperation, and
interoperability between the special forces of Indian and Indonesian armies.
• It covers counter-terrorism, close-quarter combat, and other special operations.
Note: The first edition of Exercise Garuda Shakti was conducted in 2012 in India.
10. The 22nd Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Meeting of the Council of Ministers
(COM) has been held in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
• The Indian delegation has been led by the Minister of State for External Affairs Dr.
Rajkumar Ranjan Singh.
• The Meeting held a strategic dialogue on the topic of “Saving Environment of the Indian
Ocean” and exchanged views on potential cooperation in the Indian Ocean.
• The Meeting has adopted the Dhaka Communique which acknowledges the progress
made under IORA and reflects member states’ commitment to work collectively to
promote post-pandemic economic recovery as well as recognizes climate change as an
important part of IORA’s agenda.
• India will set up an e-Office at the IORA Secretariat and has also announced provision of
e-subscription by India to Mahatma Gandhi Library at IORA Secretariat.
Bangladesh has adopted the theme of “Harnessing the opportunities of the Indian Ocean
sustainably for inclusive development” for its Chairship from 2021 – 2023.
Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA):

It was established in 1997 to enhance economic cooperation, trade and investment
facilitation and sustainable development of the Indian Ocean region. Currently, IORA has 23
member states and 10 dialogue partners.
• Secretary General: Salman Al Farisi

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• Secretariat: Ebene, Mauritius
11. The 13th edition of the bilateral exercise between the Indian Navy (IN) and the Royal Oman
Navy (RNO), ‘Naseem Al Bahr’ or Sea Breeze 2022, has been conducted off the coast of
Oman from 19 to 24 November 2022. The exercise has been conducted in three phases:
Harbour phase, Sea phase, and debrief.
• The Indian Navy’s guided missile stealth frigate, INS Trikand, Offshore patrol vessel INS
Sumitra and MPA Dornier, have participated in the exercise.
• The exercise facilitates operational-level interaction between the two navies to foster
mutual cooperation and enhance good order at sea.
• The exercise also aims to strengthen the ancient maritime and cultural linkages between
India and Oman.
• The year 2022 marks 30 years of the bilateral exercise between India and Oman.
Note: Naseem Al Bahr naval exercise was started in 1993.
12. Y 12705 (Mormugao), the second ship of Project 15B stealth-guided missile destroyer, has
been delivered to the Indian Navy. It is built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL)
and designed by the Warship Design Bureau, the Indian Navy’s in-house organization.
• The keel of Mormugao was laid in June 2015 and the ship was launched on 17 September
2016.
• The ship is 163 metres long and 17 metres wide, displaces 7400 tonnes when fully loaded,
and has a maximum speed of 30 knots.
• Apart from myriad indigenous equipment in the ‘Float’ and ‘Move’ categories, the
destroyer is also installed with the under-mentioned major indigenous weapons.
13. India has won the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Vice Presidency and
Strategic Management Board (SMB) Chair for the 2023-25 term.
• India’s representative, Vimal Mahendru has been elected as the IEC Vice President.
• He has been elected by securing over 90 percent of the votes cast by full members of IEC
during its General Meeting held recently in San Francisco, USA.
IEC is an international standard-setting body that publishes international Standards for all
electrical, electronic and related technologies. Standardization Management Board (SMB) is
an apex governance body of IEC responsible for technical policy matters.
14. The first India-ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting has been held in Siem Reap, Cambodia
to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of India-ASEAN relations in 2022, which has also been
designated as ‘ASEAN-India Friendship Year’.
• The meeting has been co-chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Deputy Prime
Minister and Minister of National Defence of Cambodia General Tea Banh.

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• The meeting has been preceded by the 9th ASEAN-Defence Ministers Meeting’ (ADMM)
Plus.
During the meeting, India has proposed two major initiatives to expand the scope and the
depth of the India-ASEAN defence relations. The 2-initiatives are:
a) ‘India-ASEAN Initiative for Women in UN Peace Keeping Operations’:
This includes conducting of tailor-made courses for women peacekeepers of ASEAN Member
States at the Centre for United Nations Peacekeeping in India and conduct of a ‘Table Top
Exercise’ in India for women officers from ASEAN incorporating facets of UN peacekeeping
challenges.
b) ‘India-ASEAN Initiative on Marine Plastic Pollution’:
This includes channelizing of the energy of the youth towards addressing the critical issue of
marine pollution.
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN):

It was established on 8th August 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand with the signing of the ASEAN
Declaration (Bangkok Declaration) by the Founding Fathers of ASEAN: Indonesia, Malaysia,
Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.
Current members: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam,

Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia.
ASEAN Secretariat: Jakarta, Indonesia
15. The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) has formed a panel to revamp the “Mahatma
Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act” (MGNREGA), MoRD’s only
employment guarantee scheme, to direct more work to India’s poorer regions.
• The panel will recommend institutional mechanisms for more effective utilisation of funds
of the scheme.
• The panel will also examine expenditure trends across various states and identify reasons
for variations.
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme:
MNREGA Act was passed by the Indian Parliament on 23rd August 2005 but it came into force
on 6th February 2006. In 2009, an amendment was made in the National Rural Employment
Guarantee Act 2005, to change the nomenclature of the Act from NREGA to MGNREGA
The mandate of the MGNREGA is to provide at least 100 days of guaranteed wage
employment in a financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to
do unskilled manual work.
It is being implemented by the Union Ministry of Rural Development.

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16. The Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) has approved the Himalayan Yak
as a 'food animal' to help check the decline in the population of the high-altitude bovine
animal by making it a part of the conventional milk and meat industry.
• The Yak population in India is decreasing at an alarming rate over the years.
• As per the latest census carried out in 2019, India has 58,000 yaks which is around 25
percent drop from last livestock census carried out in 2012.
According to National Research Centre (NRC), at Dirang in the West Kameng district of
Arunachal Pradesh, Food Animals are those that are raised and used for food production or
consumption by humans.
Himalayan Yak (Bos grunniens):

It is a species of long-haired domesticated cattle. They are found throughout the Himalayan
region of the Indian subcontinent. Yak milk is highly nutritious, rich in fat, contains essential
minerals and has medicinal value.
17. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully launched PSLV-C54 carrying
Oceansat-3, also known as Earth Observation Satellite-6, and 8 nanosatellites from Satish
Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
The eight nanosatellites include ISRO Nano Satellite-2 for Bhutan (INS-2B), 'Anand' from
Pixxel, Thybolt two numbers from Dhruva Space, and Astrocast - four numbers from
Spaceflight USA.
Anand: It is technology demonstrator to demonstrate the capabilities and commercial

applications of miniaturized earth-observation camera for earth observation using a
microsatellite in Low Earth Orbit.
Thybolt: It is a 0.5U spacecraft bus that includes a communication payload to enable rapid
technology demonstration and constellation development for multiple users.
Astrocast: It is a technology demonstrator satellite for the Internet of Things (IoT) as the
payload.
INS-2B: It will have two payloads namely NanoMx and APRS-Digipeater. NanoMx is a
multispectral optical imaging payload developed by Space Applications Centre (SAC). APRS-
Digipeater payload is jointly developed by DITTBhutan and URSC.
18. The bilateral training exercise “AUSTRA HIND 22” between contingents of the Indian Army
and the Australian Army have been commenced at Mahajan Field Firing Ranges in
Rajasthan.

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• This is the first exercise in the series of Austra Hind with the participation of all arms and
services contingent from both armies.
• The Indian Army is represented by troops from the DOGRA Regiment.
• The Australian Army is represented by soldiers from the 13th Brigade of the 2nd Division.
• The aim of the exercise is to build positive military relations, imbibe each other's best
practices and promote the ability to operate together while undertaking multi-domain
operations in Semi deserts terrain under a UN peace enforcement mandate.
Exercise "Austra Hind" will be a yearly event that will be conducted alternately in India and
Australia.
19. India–Malaysia joint military exercise “Harimau Shakti 2022” has been commenced at
Pulai, Kluang, Malaysia on 28th November 2022. The military exercise will culminate on 12th
December 2022.
• The exercise will enhance the defence cooperation between Indian Army and the
Malaysian Army.
• Combat troops of the Garhwal Rifles Regiment of the Indian Army and the Royal Malay
Regiment of the Malaysian Army are participating in the exercise.
• The military exercise will enhance interoperability in planning and execution of various
operations in jungle terrain.
Harimau Shakti is an annual training event between Indian and Malaysian armies which has
been conducted since 2012.
20. The Department of Consumer Affairs, under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public
Distribution, has launched the framework titled Indian Standard (IS) 19000:2022 ‘Online
Consumer Reviews-Principles and Requirements for their Collection, Moderation and
Publication’ to safeguard and protect consumers from fake and deceptive reviews in e-
commerce.
• The standards will be applicable to every online platform which publishes consumer
reviews.
• The new framework has been formulated by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
• BIS will also develop a Conformity Assessment Scheme for the standard to assess
compliance.
STATES AFFAIRS
21. The 10-day-long Manipur Sangai Festival 2022 has been organized by the Manipur
Tourism Department at the main venue, Sangai Ethnic Park, Moirang Khunou, Bishnupur
district in Manipur.
• The year 2022 marks the 11th edition of the celebration.

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• It has been organized from 21st November to 30th November 2022 in 13 locations spread
over 6 districts in Manipur.
• The theme of Sangai Festival 2022 is the “Festival of Oneness”.
Sangai Festival:
It is an annual cultural festival organized by Manipur Tourism Department every year from 21
to 30 November. The ‘Festival’ is named after the State animal, Sangai, the brow-antlered
deer found only in Manipur. It was first observed in 2010.
22. The 14th Poultry India Expo, South Asia's largest poultry event, has been organized at Hitex,
Madhapur, Hyderabad from 23rd to 25th November 2022. It has been organized by the Indian
Poultry Equipment Manufacturers’ Association (IPEMA).
The objective of the exhibition is to help farmers keep in line with the latest developments in
management, animal health, and nutrition, new technologies in poultry production at
affordable costs, and more.
Around 370 companies including 99 global experts have participated in the exhibition.
23. The Rajasthan Government's Department of Industry and Commerce has launched the Dr
Bhimrao Ambedkar Rajasthan Dalit, Adivasi Udyam Protsahan Yojana – 2022 to ensure
participation by the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in industrial
development in the state.
24. The Government of Tamil Nadu has notified the 193.215 hectares of area in Arittapatti and
Meenakshipuram villages in Madurai district as the first Biodiversity Heritage Site (BHS).
• The site comprising 139.63 hectares in Arittapatti village (Melur block) and 53.8 hectares in
Meenakshipuram village (Madurai East taluk) will be known as the Arittapatti
Biodiversity Heritage site.
• It has been notified under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
25. The Government of Odisha has launched the ‘AMLAN’ (Anaemia Mukta Lakhya Abhiyan)
to ensure the complete eradication of anaemia problem among women and children in the
state. The programme will be rolled out in 55,000 government and government aided schools
and 74,000 Anganwadi Centres across the state.
The Odisha Government has also announced a special package for the welfare of 8 lakh
Kendu leaf pluckers and other persons engaged in the trade. Under the first Phase, each
kendu leaf plucker will receive Rs.1000 and Rs.1500 for each seasonal staff and binder.

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Kendu Leaf:
It refers to as green gold of Odisha. It is a significant non-wood forest product in Odisha.
Odisha is the third largest producer of Kendu leaf next to Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh
and produces about 20% of the countries annual production.
Note: The Government of India has imposed 18% GST on Kendu leaf business.
26. The Sahyadri Farmer Producer Company (FPC) has bagged a licence, the first in India, to
set up a private agricultural mandi at Dindori, in Nashik district, Maharashtra.
• The mandi will come up over the next three months at a cost of Rs 25 crore.
• The private agri-mandi will have a 100-acre dedicated market space integrated with world-
class infrastructure, services from banking to storage, processing, and packaging under
one roof.
Note: Until now, traditional Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs) played a major
role in regulating the market for agricultural produce and have established a monopoly.
27. The Government of Odisha will launch an 'E-Detection Portal' on national highways with
effect from 1st January 2023 to keep a check on vehicles plying without valid documents and
issue e-challans.
The portal aims to collect information from various toll gates on National Highways (NHs).
28. Sultanpur village in Solapur district in Maharashtra has been renamed as ‘Rahul Nagar’.
The local residents of the village have changed its name in memory of its native, who laid
down his life while fighting terrorists during the 26/11 Mumbai attacks in 2008.
Rahul Shinde, who hailed from Sultanpur in Madha tehsil of Solapur district, was amongst the
first police personnel to enter the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in south Mumbai after reports of
firing by terrorists. He was hit with a bullet in his stomach by terrorists, in which he died.
29. Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar has introduced the Ganga Water Supply Scheme
(GWSS), a "first-of-its-kind project" in India, in Rajgir, Nalanda district, under which flood
waters will be treated for supply to households in the southern part of the state.
• The project will facilitate supply of 135 litres of treated Ganga water every day for each
person in a household.
• The scheme, estimated to cost over Rs 4,000 crore, will also be dedicated to the people of
Gaya and Bodh Gaya.
30. The Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) in Madhya Pradesh has planned to issue India's
first municipal green bond, aimed at retail investors, with the revenues going toward
funding a solar power plant.

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• It has planned to sell a 10-year bond in December 2022 in order to raise up to Rs.2.6
billion.
• IMC has mandated A.K. Capital Services Ltd. and SBI Capital Markets Ltd. as lead
managers of the offering.
• The 60-megawatt solar plant will be built near Indore at a cost of Rs.3 billion.
31. Union Minister of Ayush and Ports, Shipping & Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal has recently
inaugurated the Regional Research Institute of Unani Medicine (RRIUM), the first of its
kind institute for Unani medicine in North East, in Silchar, Assam.
• The new complex spread over an area of 3.5 acres is built with an investment of Rs.48
crores.
• The complex is developed by the National Projects Construction Corporation (NPCC), a
Government of India enterprise.
• It is handed over to Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM), an
autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Ayush, Govt of India.
32. Uttarakhand will launch a new scheme named "Mukhya Mantri Pratham Gram Samekit
Vikas Yojana" to accelerate economic activities in the villages near the border region.
• The state will also launch ‘Mukhya Mantri Paryavaran Mitra Yojana’ for the cleanliness
of villages and ‘Mukhya Mantri Chaupal’ for the planned development of village
panchayats.
• Uttarakhand has an international border of 625km: 350km with China and 275km with
Nepal.
33. According to a Refinitiv analyst and Refinitiv ship tracking data, India has received its first
cargo from Indonesia's Tangguh liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant at the Dahej terminal in
Gujarat. The LNG tanker “BW Helios” is transporting 132,000 cubic metres of LNG cargo.
• Tangguh LNG, operated by British oil firm BP, is located in Indonesia’s West Papua
province and commenced production in 2009.
• Petronet LNG Terminal (PLL) has built the first LNG receiving and regasification terminal in
India and South-East Asia in Dahej, Gujarat.
34. Indian Air Force (IAF) has recently conducted the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief
(HADR) Exercise 'Samanvay 2022' at the Air Force Station in Agra, Uttar Pradesh.
• The exercise aims to assess the efficacy of institutional disaster management structures
and contingency measures.
• The exercise also aims to provide a unique platform for exchange of domain knowledge,
experience and best practices with the participating ASEAN member countries.
• It promotes a synergistic approach towards HADR by various national and regional
stakeholders involved in Disaster Management including the Civil Administration, the
Armed Forces, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), etc.

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HADR is an annual joint exercise involving various stakeholders from India and
representatives from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) counties.
35. The Government of Assam has launched the Assam Tourism Policy 2022 on the sidelines of
the ‘Assam Tourism Road Show 2022’, hosted by the Department of Tourism, Government of
Assam. The policy aims to guarantee effective standardization of processes and practices, to
foster uniformity which can result in sustainability and an overall improvement in the quality
of tourism products.
36. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently distributed over 71,000 appointment letters via
video conferencing to newly enlisted recruits under Rozgar Mela in 45 places across India
(except Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh).
He has also launched the Karmayogi Parambh module, an online orientation course for all
newly appointed employees of different government departments.
37. The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has developed a mobile app named 'Kerala E-
Mobility App' (KeMapp), which will serve as a common platform for accessing the services
of e-vehicle charging stations.
38. Chennai-based space tech startup Agnikul Cosmos has launched India's first private
launchpad and mission control centre at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC),
Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
The facility, designed by Agnikul Cosmos and executed with the support of ISRO and IN-
SPACe, has two sections: the Agnikul Launchpad (ALP) and the Agnikul Mission Control Center
(AMCC).
39. The 27th UN Conference of Parties (COP27) Summit has been held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.
During the summit, delegates from the United Nations has agreed to create a 'Loss and
Damages Fund’ to provide compensation to vulnerable countries for the damages they
suffered due to climate-related disasters.
• The “Loss and Damage” Fund covers the cost of damages caused by climate crisis that the
countries cannot escape from or adapt to.
• The Fund will assist developing countries in their efforts to avert, minimize, and address
losses and damages associated with the adverse effects of climate change considering
continued global warming.
• Governments also agreed to establish a ‘Transitional Committee’ to make
recommendations on how to operationalize the new funding arrangements.

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40. Black-Naped Pheasant-Pigeon has been rediscovered after 140 years by a research team
that was part of The Search for Lost Birds, a collaboration between Bird Life International,
Rewild, and American Bird Conservancy.
In September 2022, they found the species at the western slope of Mount Kilkerran, the
highest peak of Fergusson Island.
• Black-Naped Pheasant-Pigeon was first and last seen in 1882.
• It is a large, terrestrial pigeon having black and orange feathers and red eyes.
• It eats fallen fruits and seeds.
• The species is endemic to Fergusson Island in Papua New Guinea.
• The species is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation
of Nature (IUCN).
41. The Sultanate of Oman has hosted the 3rd High-level Ministerial Conference on
Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in Muscat, Oman from 24 and 25 November 2022 to
accelerate tackling AMR at the national, regional, and global levels and to enhance
international cooperation.
• The conference focus on paving the way to bold and specific political commitment in the
United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AMR (UNGA HLM) in 2024.
• Union Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare Dr. Bharti Pravin Pawar has
represented India in the conference.
• The government of India has identified Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR) as a key priority in
its National Health Policy, 2017.
42. China has planned to build its first moon base powered by nuclear energy by 2028,
followed by landing astronauts on Moon in subsequent years, as it challenges the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s dominance in space exploration.
China also aims to eventually expand the base into an International Research Station (ISS).
43. The 19th Conference of Parties (COP19) to the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species (CITES), also known as the 19th World Wildlife Conference has been held
from 14th to 25th November 2022 in Panama Convention Centre, Panama City, Panama.
CoP19 of CITES is aimed at protecting various endangered Species by prohibiting the trade of
these species.
The Conference has accepted a proposal to include sea cucumbers (Thelenota) in Appendix
II of the Convention.
India’s proposal:
The Indian delegation has been led by Chandra Prakash Goyal, Director-General of Forests &
Special Secretary (DGF&SS), Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change (MoEF&CC).

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• CoP 19 to CITES has approved India’s proposal to transfer Leith’s Softshell Turtle from
Appendix II to Appendix I of CITES to ensure that legal international trade in the species
does not take place for commercial purposes.
• India has proposed to amend the appendices of the fresh water turtle Batagur kachuga
(Red Crowned Roofed Turtle) and transfer it from Appendix II to Appendix I. The proposal
earned the support of the parties in CoP19 of CITES.
• India’s Shisham (Dalbergia sissoo) is included in Appendix II of the convention, thereby
requiring it to follow CITES regulations for the trade of the species.
CITES:
CITES is an international agreement between governments (184 at present) to ensure that

international trade in wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival of the species.
The convention entered into force in 1975. It has three appendices:
Appendix I: It lists species that are the most endangered among CITES-listed animals and
plants.
Appendix II: It lists species that are not necessarily now threatened with extinction but that
may become so unless trade is closely controlled.
Appendix III: It is a list of species included at the request of a Party that already regulates
trade in the species and that needs the cooperation of other countries to prevent
unsustainable or illegal exploitation.
44. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has renamed monkeypox as ‘mpox’, citing concerns
the original name of the decades-old animal disease could be construed as discriminatory
and racist.
Monkeypox:
• It is a viral zoonotic disease with symptoms similar to smallpox, although with less
clinical severity.
• It was first discovered in 1958 following two outbreaks of a pox-like disease in colonies of
monkeys kept for research
which led to the name ‘monkeypox’.
• It is caused by the Monkeypox virus.
• It is endemic in parts of Central and West Africa.
• It causes the lymph nodes to swell (lymphadenopathy), which does not exist in smallpox.
45. Qatar Energy has signed the 27-year natural gas supply deal with China, referring to it as
the “Longest” ever seen as it strengthened ties with Asia at a time when Europe is looking for
alternate supplies. Qatar Energy will send 4 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas annually
from its new North Field East project to China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation
(Sinopec).

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46. SpaceX's Dragon cargo spacecraft has successfully docked to the International Space
Station (ISS) to deliver tons of fresh supplies, new solar wings and even some ice cream for
the orbiting lab. The SpaceX freighter launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket took off from NASA's
Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA.
47. The Orion spacecraft for the Artemis I Moon Mission has been successfully placed into
lunar orbit by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Orion will fly
approximately 40,000 miles above the moon.
On 26th November 2022, Orion has broken the record for the most distance covered by a
spacecraft designed to carry humans to space and safely return them to Earth. Orion was
252,133 miles from Earth and 52,707 miles from the moon.
48. Rolls-Royce PLC, the British manufacturer of aircraft engines, and it’s testing programme
partner easyJet, has successfully tested the hydrogen-fueled aircraft engine, the world’s
first modern aircraft engine for the aviation industry.
REPORTS & INDICES

49. Rating agency CRISIL has lowered India’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth forecast
by 30 bps for 2022-23 to 7 percent from 7.3 percent earlier.
• For 2023-24, the Indian economy will slow to 6% from 6.5% earlier projections due to the
global slowdown and tightening financial conditions. It will average to 6.6% between
fiscals 2024 and 2026.
• India’s inflation to average 6.8% in 2022, before easing to 5% in 2023-24.
• The Q2FY23 growth will be 6.5% as compared to Q2FY22 when the economy grew at
12.7%. ICRA has also estimated the same figures.
Other GDP forecast:

• The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has lowered
India’s FY23 GDP forecast to 6.6 percent from 6.9 percent, citing higher medium-term
global uncertainty and slowing domestic economic activity. The GDP growth will slow to
5.7 percent in FY24.
• The S&P Global Market Intelligence has recently projected India’s real gross domestic
product (GDP) growth to average 6.3 percent annually between FY’s 2021 and 2030. As a
result, India will surpass Japan and Germany to become the world’s third-largest
economy.
50. As per the recently released data by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal
Trade (DPIIT), the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) equity inflows into India has declined by

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14 percent to USD 26.9 billion during the April-September FY23 (H1FY23) from USD 31.15
billion during H1FY22.
• The total FDI inflows, which includes equity inflows, re-invested earnings and other capital,
has also declined to USD 39 billion in H1FY23 by 9.1 percent as against USD 42.86 billion
in H1FY22.
• Singapore has emerged as the top investor with USD 10 billion FDI. It is followed by
Mauritius (USD 3.32 billion), UAE (USD 2.95 billion), USA (USD 2.6 billion), the Netherlands
(USD 1.76 billion), and Japan (USD 1.18 billion).
• The computer software and hardware sector has attracted the highest inflows of USD
6.3 billion. It is followed by services (USD 4.16 billion), trading (USD 3.28 billion), chemicals
(USD 1.3 billion), automobile industry (USD 932 million) and construction (infrastructure)
activities (USD 990 million).
51. The Times Higher Education (THE) has released the 12th edition of its annual Global
Employability University Ranking and Survey (GEURS) 2022-23. It is produced and owned
by the higher education HR consultancy Emerging and published exclusively by THE.
• Globally, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA) has topped the ranking,
followed by California Institute of Technology (USA) and Harvard University (USA).
• In all there are 55 US universities in the top 250, followed by France with 18 and the UK
14.
• Singapore, Japan and the UK have one institution each in the top 10.
India:
• GEURS 2022-23 has featured 7 Indian universities among the top 250 universities in the
world for graduate employability.
• The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi has topped among Indian institutions
with a global rank of 28th, and the only Indian institute in the top 50.
• The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru is at the second spot (58), improving its
ranking by three positions, followed by IIT-Bombay at 72, up from 97 in 2021.
• IIM-Ahmedabad (154), IIT-Kharagpur (155), Amity University (225), Noida and Bangalore
University (242).
52. According to the World Intellectual Property Indicators (WIPO) 2021 report by the World
Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Global innovators submitted 3.4 million patent
applications in 2021, an increase of 3.6 percent from 2020. Nearly 67.6 percent of all
applications worldwide have been received by offices in Asia.
Key points:
• In 2021, India (+5.5 percent), China (+5.5 percent) and South Korea (+2.5 per cent) have
experienced rapid increases in local patent filings.
• Local patenting activity in the U.S. (-1.2 per cent), Japan (-1.7 per cent) and Germany (-3.9
per cent) declined in 2021.

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• With 18.1 million trademark class counts globally in 2021, an increase of 5.5% from 2020,
most nations witnessed increases in trademark filing activity.
• The number of industrial design filings increased by 9.2 percent and highest design
growth came from Asian offices.
53. The United Kingdom India Business Council (UKIBC) has released its 8th annual 'Doing
Business in India' 2022 report. As per the report, Maharashtra has topped amongst states in
terms of the operating environment, followed by Gujarat, Chandigarh, Haryana, Himachal
Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh.

• The UK businesses want the issues of tariffs, product standards/certification, intellectual
property (IP), and customs procedures to be covered under UK-India Free Trade
Agreement (FTA).
• Improving turnaround time of approvals and bureaucratic processes is the most desired
reform by UK Businesses. It is chosen by 54% of businesses surveyed.
• 67 percent of businesses surveyed viewed Atmanirbhar Bharat as an opportunity to do
more trade and investment with India while 33% saw it as a challenge.
• Telecommunication facilities, availability of skilled labour and availability of supply chain
are regarded as strong elements in India’s operating environment.
Doing Business in India report:

It was first initiated in 2015. It highlights the views and experiences of UK businesses and
higher education institutions on India’s business environment. It also covers the challenges
they face in entering and operating in India, their reform priorities, and rating of various
aspects of India’s business environment.
54. The National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
(MoSPI), has released the 16th Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS).
• India's unemployment rate (UR) for persons aged 15 years and above in urban areas has
declined to 7.2% during July-September 2022, as against 9.8% during July-September
2021.
• UR for persons in April-June 2022 was 7.6%.
• UR among Females: 9.4%; and UR among Males: 6.6%.
• Labour force participation rate (LFPR) in CWS (Current Weekly Status) has increased to
47.9% in the July September 2022 from 46.9% in July-September 2021.
• The Worker-to-Population Ratio (WPR) saw a marginal increase of 0.6 percentage points
sequentially to 44.5% in Q2.
Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS):

It was launched by NSO in April 2017. The objective of PLFS is primarily twofold:

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• To estimate the key employment and unemployment indicators (viz. Worker Population
Ratio, Labour Force Participation Rate, Unemployment Rate) in the short time interval of
three months for the urban areas only in the ‘Current Weekly Status’ (CWS).
• To estimate employment and unemployment indicators in both ‘Usual Status’ (ps+ss) and
CWS in both rural and urban areas annually.
55. Mercom India Research’s has released the Mercom India Rooftop Solar Market Report Q3
2022. As per it, India has installed more than 1.2 GigaWatts (GW) of rooftop solar capacity in
a duration of 9 months of the calendar year 2022 (CY22), this accounts for a decline of 11%
compared to the corresponding period in 2021.
• Rooftop solar capacity installations in India fell 29 percent to 320 megawatt (MW) in July-
September 2022.
• According to the report, at the end of Q3 2022, cumulative rooftop solar installations
reached 8.3 GW.
• Maharashtra has recorded the most rooftop solar installation in Q3CY22, followed by
Kerala and Gujarat.
• Gujarat has topped the list of cumulative rooftop solar installations with 23%, followed by
Maharashtra at 13%, and Rajasthan at 10%.
• The top 10 states accounted for approximately 73 percent of cumulative rooftop solar
installations.
• In the third quarter of 2022, 46 percent of rooftop solar capacity was installed in the
industrial sector, followed by 32 percent in residential, commercial 21 percent and the
remaining in the government sector.
56. S&P Global Ratings has recently lowered India's FY23 GDP growth forecast to 7 percent
from 7.3 percent estimated in September 2022. Subsequently, for FY24, GDP growth has
been lowered by 50 basis points to 6%. The rating agency stated that domestic demand
recovery will support growth in India.
S&P expects India’s policy rate to peak at 6.25 percent in FY23 and come down to 5.5 percent
in FY24.
Latest forecast by Bank/Institution (FY23):
• World Bank: 6.5%
• OECD: 6.6%
• IMF: 6.8%
• Fitch: 7.0%
• India Ratings: 6.9%
• ADB: 7.0%
• RBI: 7.0%
57. According to the latest State Bank of India (SBI) Ecowrap report, India's GDP growth rate for
the second quarter (July-September 2022) of FY23 has lowered from 6.1 percent to 5.8
percent.

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The estimate is 30 basis points (bps) below average estimates due to a weak manufacturing
sector and significant margin compression.
The report has also projected full year growth (FY23) at 6.8%, 20 bps lower than the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) forecast to 7%.
FY23 Real GDP Projections
SBI RBI
Q2 5.8% 6.3%
Q3 4.5% 4.6%
Q4 4.4% 4.6%
Annual 6.8% 7.0%

58. The Government of India (GoI) has recently approved the continuation of the Interest
Subvention Scheme (ISS) with modification for the financial years 2022-23 and 2023-24.
Key modifications:
• The applicable lending rate to farmers will be 7 percent and the rate of interest
subvention to lending institution will be 1.5%.
• The farmers who repay loans promptly will get an additional 3% subsidy.
• These loans will be short-term crop loans for allied activities including animal husbandry,
dairy, fisheries, beekeeping etc.
• The subvention will be provided to lenders including Public Sector Banks (PSBs) and
Private Sector Banks (rural and semi-urban branches), Small Finance Banks (SFBs) and
computerized Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies (PACS) on use of their own
resources.
• To ensure hassle-free benefits to farmers under the ISS, Aadhar linkage will continue to be
mandatory for availing the short term loans.
• Also, farmers repaying promptly will get short-term crop loans and/or short-term loans
for allied activities at 4% per annum.
Note: In August 2022, the Union Government approved the interest subvention for 2022-23
to 2024-25 for lending short-term agri-loans is up to Rs.3 lakh to the farmers.
59. Ministry of Rural Development has launched “Nai Chetna-Pahal Badlav Ki”, a
community-led National campaign against Gender-based discrimination of Deendayal
Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission in New Delhi.

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• This is an annual month-long campaign that will be conducted as a 'Jan Andolan' (people's
movement) in all the States/UTs of the country from 25th November to 23rd of December,
2022.
• The 2022 campaign mainly focuses on Gender-Based Violence, under the theme of
‘Elimination of Gender-Based Violence’.
• This campaign will be implemented by all states in collaboration with CSO partners, and
actively executed by all levels including the State, District, Block engaging the Community
Institutions along with the extended community.
• As part of the campaign, there will be knowledge workshops, leadership training,
seminars on sexual violence and redressal mechanisms.
The ministry has also inaugurated 160 Gender Resource Centres in 13 states, which is
described as “Naari Chetna Kendras”.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY

60. Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) has signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with TReDS Platform (Trade Receivable Discounting System) and
M1xchange to enable MSME under Udyam portal to register on M1xchange to discount their
invoices.
Under the MoU, all MSMEs registered with Udyam portal will now be able to register on
M1xchnage and thereby enabling reach of TReDS to millions of MSMEs in India with Udyam
login.
Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDS):

It is the institutional mechanism for facilitating the financing of trade receivables of MSMEs
from corporate and other buyers, including Government Departments and Public Sector
Undertakings (PSUs), through multiple financiers. It has been set up under the regulatory
framework set up by RBI under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act 2007.
61. Infrastructure Resilience Accelerator Fund (IRAF) has been unveiled by the Coalition for
Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) at the India Pavilion of COP27 held in Sharm El-Sheikh,
Egypt.
• IRAF is a multi-donor trust fund created with the assistance from the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk
Reduction (UNDRR).
• The fund will be managed by the United Nation Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office (UN
MPTFO) in New York.
• It will assist the global efforts towards creating disaster-resilient infrastructure systems,
especially in developing countries and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
• IRAF has already received USD 50 million in financial commitments over a 5 year period.

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• It has backing from the governments of India, the United Kingdom, Australia and the
European Union.
• The initial focus of this fund will be on supporting island states in the Pacific region. In this
regard, Infrastructure for Resilient Island States (IRIS) is one of the first initiatives
supported by the IRAF.
Initiatives/Summit/MoUs signed at COP27:

• Praj Industries Limited (Praj) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with
Egyptian Sugar and Integrated Industries Company (ESIIC) of Egypt to drive
sustainable climate actions to combat evils of climate change.
• India and Sweden have hosted the Leadership for Industry Transition (LeadIT)
Summit, on the sidelines of COP27 at Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt. The LeadIT initiative
focuses on the low-carbon transition of the hard-to-abate industrial sector.
• The World Economic Forum (WEF), in partnership with the National Institute of Urban
Affairs (NIUA), Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), the Basel Agency for Sustainable
Energy (BASE), and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), has launched the Toolbox
of Solutions for Urban Decarbonisation.
• India has committed in its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to create an
additional carbon sink of 2.5-3.0 billion tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent through
additional forest and tree cover by 2030.
• The Ministers of Brazil, South Africa, India and China representing the BASIC Group have
met at COP27. The meeting has been chaired by the South African Environment minister
Barbara Creecy and has been attended by the Indian Environment minister Bhupendra
Yadav, Brazilian Environment minister Joaquim Leite, Chinese special envoy on Climate
change XIE Zhenhua.
• General Electric has signed a framework agreement with the International Renewable
Energy Agency (IRENA) to collaborate on a plan to support both climate change and
energy security.
62. Sany Heavy Industry India Pvt Ltd. (Sany Bharat) has signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with Union Bank of India (UBI) to make equipment financing an easy,
efficient, and simple process.
Under this MoU, the network of Union Bank will extend equipment finance to customers of
Sany Bharat across the country and in turn the Bank’s portfolio under equipment finance is
likely to strengthen and get a wider reach.
63. Honda Cars India Limited (HCIL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with
IDBI Bank to offer a host of finance schemes for its customers. This collaboration will allow
customers to avail of hassle-free affordable financing options and schemes for purchasing
Honda Car models.

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64. Bengaluru-based Plant Biosciences Company Absolute, in collaboration with DigiSafe
Insurance, has launched a do-it-yourself (DIY) crop insurance product named ‘Digifasal’. The
product will be introduced on Absolute’s Upaj, World’s First Universal AgCloud ecosystem.
The product has been developed by over 100 Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning
(ML) engineers with extensive research for almost 7 years.
65. The Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy
(AYUSH) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Department of
Science & Technology (DST), under the Ministry of Science & Technology, to explore
cooperation, convergence, and synergy for evidence-based scientific intervention in the
AYUSH sector.
Ministry of AYUSH and DST have agreed to jointly undertake research and development
activities on scientific validation of AYUSH concepts, processes and products.
66. ‘Ikshak’, the 3rd of the four Survey Vessels (Large) (SVL) Project, has been launched at Larsen
& Toubro (L&T)’s Kattupalli facility in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It is built by Garden Reach
Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) and Larsen & Toubro (L&T) for the Indian Navy. The
meaning of ‘Ikshak’ is Guide.
• SVL ships will replace the existing Sandhayak Class survey ships with newgeneration
hydrographic equipment to collect oceanographic data.
• SVL ships are 110 m long, 16 m wide with deep displacement of 3400 tons and a
complement of 231 personnel.
• The hull of these ships is made from indigenously developed DMR 249-A steel
manufactured by Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL).
• The primary role of the ships is to undertake full scale coastal and deep-water
hydrographic surveys of Ports and navigational channels.
67. Hindustan Zinc Limited, based in Udaipur, Rajasthan, has been ranked 3rd globally in the
metal and mining sector in the latest S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA)
2022. The company has retained its 1st position in Asia Pacific for the 4th consecutive year.
68. Tata Consumer Products Limited (TCPL) will acquire India’s largest packaged drinking
water company, Bisleri, for an estimated Rs 6,000-7,000 crore. Chairman Ramesh Chauhan
is aiming to disinvest Bisleri International to Tata Consumer Products three decades after
selling soft drink brands Thums Up, Gold Spot and Limca to Coca-Cola. The current
management will continue for two years as part of the deal.
Bisleri was originally an Italian brand that set up shop in India in Mumbai in 1965.

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69. Meesho, an e-commerce firm, has become the 4th unicorn to join the Open Network for
Digital Commerce (ONDC) after Paytm, Dunzo, and Shiprocket. Meesho's ONDC pilot will be
launched in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The aim is to help connect buyers with Hyperlocal Sellers.
70. India and the European Union (EU) have signed an Intent of Cooperation on High-
Performance Computing (HPC), Weather Extremes, and Climate Modelling, and Quantum
Technologies. It is aimed at establishing collaboration on HPC applications using Indian and
European Supercomputers in the areas of Bio molecular medicines, COVID therapeutics,
mitigating climate change, predicting natural disasters and Quantum Computing.
71. The Department of Science and Technology (DST), under the Ministry of Science &
Technology, has collaborated with the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) to create
a platform that will support the development of new electric vehicle (EV) batteries to suit
Indian requirements.
72. PhonePe, a digital payments firm, will acquire Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) startup ZestMoney
for USD 200- USD 300 million. After the acquisition, ZestMoney will continue to operate as a
separate entity with the Zest brand.
This acquisition will help PhonePe to strengthen its lending services and compete with
Google Pay, Paytm, and Amazon Pay in Indian fintech, which is expected to be worth USD 350
billion by 2026.
73. The BSE Limited has signed an agreement with TAC Security, a risk and vulnerability
management company, to make it the official cyber security partner of the BSE. The
association aims to ensure that the BSE is empowered with the highest possible level of
cybersecurity.
74. The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), India’s best-performing port, in association
with the Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras, has developed a Continuous
Marine Water Quality Monitoring Station (CMWQMS) & introduced an Electric
Environmental Monitoring Vehicle (EV) to help achieve leadership in sustainability.
75. News broadcaster New Delhi Television Ltd’s (NDTV’s) promoter firm RRPR Holding has
transferred shares constituting 99.5 percent of its equity capital to Adani group-owned
Vishvapradhan Commercial (VCPL). The transfer of shares will give the Adani group control
over a 29.18 percent stake in NDTV.

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76. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the deal of M&G Group subscribing
to convertible bonds and warrants issued by Trustroot Internet Pvt Ltd has been cleared
under the green channel route.
77. Castrol India Limited (CIL) will acquire a 7.09 percent stake in TVS Automobile Solutions'
digital subsidiary Ki Mobility Solutions with an investment of Rs.487.5 crore in an all-cash
deal.
BANKING & FINANCE

78. Kotak Mahindra General Insurance has introduced “Meter” (switch on/switch off), an add-
on cover for Private car insurance policy to allow policyholders to pause the insurance cover
when the vehicle is idle.
• With this launch, Kotak General Insurance claims to become India’s first company to
offer cashback via an add-on for a private car insurance policy.
• The ‘Meter’ add-on was initially introduced through Insurance Regulatory and
Development Authority (IRDAI)’s regulatory sandbox.
79. ICICI Bank Limited has launched two new products named Loan Against Deposits (LAD)
and Dollar Bonds for its Non-Resident Indians (NRI) customers at its branch in GIFT City, the
Gujarat-based emerging global financial and IT services hub.
ICICI Bank is the first bank to offer these products in GIFT City.
• The LAD facility is similar to a loan in foreign currency against a deposit in India and
includes Non-Resident External (NRE) Fixed Deposits (FD) in rupees. The customers can
avail up to 95 percent of the deposit value.
• The Dollar Bonds is an alternative investment option for NRIs, to book dollar bonds
through ICICI Bank in GIFT city from among 50 marquee issuers or companies for these
bonds.
80. Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank (KVGB), one of the leading regional rural banks, has
received a National Award from Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority
(PFRDA) for significant enrolment under Atal Pension Yojana (APY).
• KVGB has so far enrolled 3,34,687 (cumulative) accounts to the APY.

• During 2022-23, the bank enrolled 69, 132 accounts, exceeding its target of 50, 320.
• The bank currently has 629 locations in the 9 districts from Vijayapura to Mangaluru.
81. Airtel Payments Bank has launched the Face Authentication-based Savings Bank
account opening for customers, first-of-its kind in India to ease the process of account
opening.

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• The new facility will help Business Correspondents (BCs) of the bank to open an account
just by undertaking face authentication e-KYC.
• The authentication will be processed through a mobile application developed by the
Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
• This KYC facility uses AI/ML based Face Authentication Registered Device (RD) Application,
which helps in the prevention of fraudulent activities by cross-checking individual’s photo
with the image captured in Aadhaar and allows secure customer onboarding.
82. Federal Bank Limited has launched a deposit scheme for Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) titled
‘Deposit Plus’, which offers higher interest rate than the existing Non-Residential External
(NRE) fixed deposits. The maximum interest rate offered in Deposit Plus scheme is 7.50% for
a tenure of 700 days.
Tie-up with JCB India:

Federal Bank has recently tied up with JCB India to finance the prospective buyers of heavy
construction equipment and boost its loan portfolio.
83. Billbox, an Indian payments and merchant ecosystem solution provider, has launched a
wearable device for contactless payments named ‘TapTap’ in association with NSDL
Payments Bank & Visa. The aim is to simplify payments and offers users convenience.
84. Bank of Baroda (BoB) has tied up with Aerem Solutions Pvt Ltd (ASPL) and its subsidiary
Aerem Finance Pvt Ltd (AFPL) to finance solar rooftop projects for captive use by Micro,
Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME).
This will encourage MSMEs to adopt solar energy, significantly reducing power bills and
increasing profitability of the business as well as supporting the development and growth of
the renewable energy market in India.
BoB has also opened its first dedicated mid-corporate branch in Kochi, Kerala.
85. HDFC Bank Limited has collaborated with Flywire Corporation, a global payments
enablement, and software company, to enable Indian payers to pay international education
fees to higher education institutions all over the world digitally.
This will enhance transparency and digitizes Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS)
documentation process for payers.
86. Axis Bank has partnered with Flipkart to launch the ‘Flipkart Axis Bank Super Elite Credit
Card’ as an effort to scale the Flipkart’s SuperCoins reward program and enhance the
customer shopping experience.
• The card will enable Flipkart customers to earn a total of 8 SuperCoins for every Rs.100
spent and a maximum of 200 SuperCoins can be earned on every successful transaction.
• For all other transactions outside of Flipkart, customers will earn two SuperCoins with no
upper limit for every Rs.100 spent on all eligible spends.

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• The card will charge customers an annual fee of Rs.500 for these benefits, which is waived
off on an annual expense of Rs.2 lakhs on the card.
Additional Information:
Recently, Axis Bank has launched the seventh edition of ‘Evolve’ for MSMEs with the theme
of ‘Indian SMEs: Shifting Gears for Next Level Growth’ along with sub-themes such as
‘Digitalisation to Building Indian SMEs’ and ‘Export Opportunities for SMEs in the New World
Order’.
87. ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, and SBI Life Insurance have acquired 10 percent stake each in a
proposed joint venture of Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) and Chennai Petroleum
Corporation Limited (CPCL).
• The acquisition will be completed within 180 days from the date of joint venture
agreement.
• The target entity is initially proposed to be incorporated through seed capital of Rs.5 lakh.
• The JV of IOCL and CPCL aims to set up a nine million metric tonne per annum refinery at
Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu.
• IOCL and CPCL will together hold 50 percent stake, i. e 25 percent each.
88. The Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) has been included in the list of Financial
Information Providers (FIP) under the Account Aggregator (AA) framework to facilitate
cash flow-based lending to MSMEs.
• For this purpose, GSTN will be regulated by the Department of Revenue, Ministry of
Finance.
• The financial information will be Goods and Services Tax (GST) Returns, viz. Form GSTR-1
and Form GSTR-3B.
AA Framework:
AA framework was launched in September 2021. AA’s are licensed NBFCs that enable instant
exchange of financial data between FIP and Financial Information Users (FIUs). They are
responsible for providing services that include the transfer but not storing of a customer’s
data.
89. Canara Bank, in partnership with National E-Governance Services Limited (NeSL), has
launched an Electronic Bank Guarantee (e-BG) on its 117th Foundation Day, celebrated on
19th November 2022.
• With this launch, Canara Bank now offers an API-based digital workflow of Bank
guarantees which will eliminate physical issuance, stamping, verification, and paper based
record maintenance of Bank Guarantees.

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• This paves way to augment integration of Environmental & Social Governance (ESG)
framework into Business.
90. India's first sticker-based debit card named 'FIRSTAP' has been launched by IDFC FIRST
Bank in association with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to facilitate
transactions by simply tapping the sticker on a near-field communication (NFC)-enabled
point-of-sale terminal.
91. The sticker-based debit card is one-third the size of a regular debit card and can also be
affixed on any surface of customers’ choice, such as cell phones, identity cards, wallets, tabs,
airpod cases, etc.
92. Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) has signed an agreement with broking partner SMC Global
Securities Limited to open a 3-in-1 account (SB, demat account, and trading account).
As per the agreement, the savings bank (SB) and demat account of the clients will be with IOB
while the trading account will be with SMC Global.
93. VA Tech Wabag Limited, a water technology player, has signed an agreement with Asian
Development Bank (ADB) to raise Rs 200 crore through unlisted non-convertible
debentures (NCDs) with a 5-year and 3-month tenor. This NCD will be subscribed by ADB
over a 12-month period.
This investment is ADB’s first private sector financing in India’s water sector.
94. The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has approved the
amendments to rules on registering insurance companies and investing in them. This aims to
enable policyholders, insurers, and merchants to provide ‘insurance for everyone 2047’.
Key amendments:
• Private equity (PE) funds can now directly put in money in insurance companies, and
investment through special purpose vehicles (SPVs) has been made optional for PEs.
• Now, corporate agents, including banks, will be allowed to tie up with 9 insurers (earlier 3
insurers), and insurance marketing firms can distribute products of 6 insurers (earlier 2
insurers) in each line of Life, General, and Health insurance.
• The lock-in period of investment for investors and promoters will be stipulated on the
basis of the age of the insurer.
• Promoters can now dilute stake up to 26% in listed entities.
• Threshold for promoter has been increased to 25% for single investors.
• Companies can now raise funds through subordinated debt without IRDAI approval.

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95. Scientists from the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics
(ICRISAT) have developed high-resolution spatial maps for South Asia to assess croplands,
crop type and crop intensity data in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
96. These spatial maps make cropland mapping feasible for insurance claims, and agriculture
policy decision aimed at Regenerative Agriculture (RA).
97. Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited (KMBL) has partnered with Actyv.ai, an AI-powered
enterprise SaaS platform, to provide finance to dealers. Under this partnership, KMBL will
provide short-term finance under the 'Buy Now, Pay Later' category for working capital needs
of dealers.
98. The Government of Maharashtra has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with
US-based Women's World Banking to strengthen 5000 women of self-help groups (SHGs) to
become business correspondents (BC Sakhis) supporting banking services in rural areas.
99. The Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has reduced its holding in Bharat Bijlee
from 6.695 percent to 4.54 percent. Around 1.218 lakh shares were sold at an average price
of Rs.1,693.96 from 19th November 2019 to 25th November 2022.
The shares of LIC climbed 0.34 percent at Rs.630, and that of Bharat Bijlee jumped 4.15
percent at Rs.2,418.
100. Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has increased its stake in Tech Mahindra to
6.874% from 4.863% earlier. It has increased its shareholding in Tech Mahindra from
4,73,44,343 to 6,69,25,392 equity shares.
101. Punjab National Bank (PNB) has received the approval from the Department of
Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM), Ministry of Finance (MoF), Government of
India (GoI), to sell all or a portion of its stake in UTI Asset Management Company Limited
(UTI AMC) as part of its non-core asset sale plan to shore up its capital base.
102. The bank, which holds 15.22% stake in UTI AMC, will sell its entire stake in the mutual fund
company in single or multiple tranches for the realization of gain on investment. It's current
valuation stands at Rs.1,329 crore.
Besides PNB, State Bank of India, Life Insurance Corporation of India, Bank of Baroda and US-
based T Rowe Price are other sponsors.

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103. Eversource-promoted Accretive Cleantech Finance Private Ltd, operating as ‘Ecofy’, has
received regulatory approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate as a non-
deposit taking Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC). This makes Ecofy one of its kind
green retail NBFC in India. Ecofy will lend to individuals and small businesses to accelerate
the transition towards a net zero carbon world.
104. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has issued a uniform format for
reporting Over-The-Counter (OTC) trades in listed Non-Convertible Securities (NCS). The
new regulations will enter into force on 1st January 2023.
• SEBI has amended the SEBI (Prohibition of Insider Trading) Regulations, 2015 to
include the buying and selling of mutual fund units under the ambit of insider trading
rules. The new norms became effective on 24th November 2022.
• SEBI has announced that municipal debt securities issuers can now issue green bonds
in accordance with the guidelines for issuing and listing non-convertible debentures.
105. The Ministry of Tourism (MoT) has organised ‘CEO round table on Sustainable Tourism’
in partnership with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and Responsible
Tourism Society of India (RTSOI) in New Delhi.
The round table aimed to enhance awareness of industry stakeholders on national and
global priorities for sustainable tourism. It is in line with the National Strategy for Sustainable
Tourism.
The round table derived at three initiatives on Sustainable Tourism, which was signed by
participants, with an objective to accelerate sustainable consumption and production (SCP) in
tourism policies and practices:
• Travel for LiFE Pledge
• Responsible Traveller Campaign
• Global Tourism Plastics Initiative
106. Max Financial Services Limited (MFSL) has received approval from the Insurance
Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) to purchase the remaining 5.17%
stake held by Mitsui Sumitomo Company Limited (MSI) in Max Life Insurance Company
Limited (Max Life). After this acquisition, MFSL shareholding in Max Life will increase to 87%.
107. Yes Bank has acquired a 9.99% stake representing 12,370, 050 equity shares in JC Flowers
Asset Reconstruction Company (ARC) at Rs.11.43 per share. The lender has also planned to
acquire an additional shareholding of 10.00% in JC Flowers ARC, subject to requisite
regulatory approvals.

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108. The State Bank of India (SBI) board has approved raising Rs.10,000 crore through
infrastructure bonds during the financial year 2023 including a green shoe option of Rs.5,000
crores.
109. Star Health and Allied Insurance, a standalone health insurance company, has launched
its 'Star Out Patient Care Insurance Policy', which aims at providing complete health and
wellness benefits to customers at an affordable cost. The aim is to bridge the gap between
expenses related to in-patient hospitalization, which is catered to by the health insurance
industry, and outpatient expenses.
RBI IN NEWS
110. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released the seventh edition of its statistical
publication titled “Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2021-22”. It has been prepared
under the supervision and overall guidance of Dr Deba Prasad Rath, Principal Adviser,
Department of Economic and Policy Research (DEPR), RBI.
• As per the publication, Karnataka has the highest installed grid-interactive renewable
power capacity in India with a total installed capacity of 15,463 Megawatts (MW).
• Karnataka is followed by Tamil Nadu with 15,225 MW, and Gujarat with 13,153 MW.
• Renewable power includes power from various sources namely bio-power, solar power,
small hydropower, waste-to-energy, and wind power.
• According to Indian Energy Exchange (IEX), Karnataka distribution companies (discoms)
had become the top seller of renewable energy under the Green Term Ahead Market
(GTAM).
This publication covers sub-national statistics on socio-demographics, state domestic

product, agriculture, price and wages, industry, infrastructure, banking, and fiscal indicators
across Indian states over various time periods ranging from 1951 to 2021-22.
In the current edition of the Handbook, two new sections viz., Health and Environment are
introduced.
111. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced that overnight balances held by banks with
the RBI under the Standing Deposit Facility (SDF) will be eligible as "Level-1 High-Quality
Liquid Assets (HQLA)" for the computation of the Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR). This

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circular is effective immediately and applicable to all Commercial Banks (excluding local area
banks, regional rural banks and payments banks).
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed Monetary Penalty on 7 Cooperative Banks for
non-compliance with the directions issued by RBI.
• RBI has imposed a monetary penalty of Rs.20.00 lakh on Indian Mercantile Co-operative
Bank Ltd., Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
• RBI has imposed a monetary penalty of Rs.1.25 crore on Zoroastrian Co-operative Bank
Ltd., Bombay.
• Imposition of monetary penalty of Rs.50 Lakh on Bharat Co-operative Bank (Mumbai)
Limited, Maharashtra.
• Monetary penalty of Rs.1.00 lakh imposed on The Tiruchirappalli District Central
Cooperative Bank Ltd., Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu.
• The Cumbum Co-operative Town Bank Ltd., Cumbum, Prakasam District, Andhra Pradesh
for non-adherence / violation of directions issued under Frauds – Classification and
Reporting and Board of Directors – UCBs is levied by monetary penalty of Rs.3.00 lakh.
• National Co-operative Bank Limited, Bengaluru, Karnataka imposed with monetary
penalty of Rs.2.00 lakh.
• The Chittoor Co-operative Town Bank Limited, Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh imposed with
monetary penalty of Rs.6.00 lakh.
112. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released the 'Quarterly Statistics on Deposits and Credit of
Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs), September 2022' on its Database on Indian Economy
(DBIE) portal.
Key highlights:
• Bank credit growth improved further to 17.2 percent (y-o-y) in September 2022 from 14.2
percent a quarter ago and 7.0 percent a year ago.
• Credit growth remained broad-based as all population groups and bank groups recorded double
digit annual growth.
• Aggregate deposits growth (y-o-y), which remained in the close range of 9.5-10.2 percent since
June 2021, stood at 9.8 percent in September 2022; since December 2020, bank branches in
metropolitan centres have been recording higher annual growth than those in rural, semi-urban
and urban areas.
• Private sector bank group has been outpacing public sector banks, foreign banks and regional rural
banks in deposit mobilisation.
• Growth (y-o-y) in term deposits rose to 10.2 percent in September 2022 from 6.4 percent a year
ago, whereas current and savings deposits growth moderated to 8.8 percent and 9.4 percent from
17.5 percent and 14.5 percent, respectively, a year ago.
• The share of savings deposit in total deposits, which increased from 32.4 percent in June 2019 to a
peak of 35.2 in June 2022, moderated marginally to 34.7 in the latest quarter.
• All-India credit-deposit (C-D) ratio increased further to 74.8 percent in September 2022 from 73.5
percent a quarter ago and 70.0 percent a year ago; C-D ratio for metropolitan bank branches,
which have a dominant share in the banking business, stood much higher at 87.6 percent in
September 2022 (82.8 percent a year ago).

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113. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India has announced the National
Adventure Awards called “Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award” (TNNAA) for the
year 2021. The award is given in four categories namely, Land Adventure, Water Adventure,
Air Adventure, and Life Time Achievement.
S. Name Category
No.
1. Naina Dhakad Land Adventure
2. Shubham Dhananjay Water Adventure
Vanmali
3. Group Captain Kunwar Bh Life Time
awani Singh Samyal Achievement
Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award:

It is given every year to recognize the achievements of persons in the fields of adventure, to
encourage young people to develop the spirit of endurance, risk-taking, cooperative teamwork,
and quick, ready, and effective reflexes in challenging situations and to provide incentive to the
young people for getting exposed to the adventure activities.
The award carries statuettes, certificates, and award money of Rs.15 lakh each.
114. The Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying has presented the National
Gopal Ratna Awards 2022 at Dr. Babu Rajendra Prasad International Convention Centre,
GKVK Campus, Bengaluru, Karnataka as a part of the National Milk Day (26th November)
celebration 2022.
S. Category Winners Rank

No.
1. Best Dairy farmer 1. Jitendra Singh, Fatehabad, Haryana. 1st
rearing indigenous 2. Ravishankar Shashikant Sahasrabudhe, 2nd
cattle/buffalo breeds Pune, Maharashtra. 3rd
3. Goyal Sonalben Naran, Kachchh,
Gujarat.
2. Best Artificial 1. Gopal Rana, Balangir, Odisha. 1st
Insemination 2. Hari Singh, Ganganagar, Rajasthan 2nd
Technician (AIT) 3. Maachepalli Basavaiah, Prakasam, 3rd
Andhra Pradesh.
3. Best Dairy 1. Mananthavady Ksheerolpadaka 1st

Cooperative Sahakarana Sangam Ltd, Wayanad,
society/Milk Producer Kerala. 2nd
company/ Dairy 2. Arakere Milk Producers Cooperative 3rd
Farmer producer Society Ltd, Mandya, Karnataka.
organization

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3. Mannargudi MPCS, Thiruvarur, Tamil
Nadu
National Gopal Ratna Award:

It is one of the highest National Awards in the field of livestock and dairy sector, with an
objective to recognize and encourage all individuals like Farmers rearing indigenous animals,
AI Technicians and Dairy cooperative societies / Milk Producer Company / Dairy farmers
Producers Organizations working in this sector.
The award consists of a cash prize of Rs. 5 lakh for 1st rank, Rs. 3 lakh for 2nd rank and Rs. 2
lakh for 3rd rank along with a Certificate of merit and a memento in each category.
115. ‘The Paradise of Food’, authored by noted Urdu writer Khalid Jawed, and translated by
Baran Farooqi from Urdu to English, has won the JCB Prize for Literature 2022. The author
has received the prize money of Rs 25 lakh along with a trophy – a sculpture by Delhi artist
duo Thukral and Tagra, titled 'Mirror Melting.'
• The Paradise of Food is the fourth translation and the first in Urdu to win the JCB Prize.
• The book published by Juggernaut books was originally written in Urdu as “Ne’ mat
Khana” in 2014.
• The Paradise of Food narrates the story of a middle-class joint Muslim family over a span
of 50 years. Its narrator struggles to find a place for himself, at odds in his home and the
world outside.
JCB Prize for Literature was instituted by the JCB Literature Foundation, a not-for-profit
company, in 2018 to promote the art of literature in India.
116. The United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) has announced the 2022
Champions of the Earth, the highest environmental honour bestowed by the United
Nations (UN). The award is acknowledged in 4 categories: Policy Leadership, Inspiration &
Action, Entrepreneurial Vision, and Science & Innovation.
Category UNEP Champion of the Earth 2022

Inspiration & Action 1) Cécile Bibiane Ndjebet (Cameroon), A
Women’s Right Activist
2) Constantino (Tino) Aucca Chutas (Peru), A
Conservationist
3) Arcenciel (Lebanon), An Environmental
Enterprise
Science & Innovation Sir Partha Dasgupta (United Kingdom), An
Economist

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Entrepreneurial Vision Dr Purnima Devi Barman (India), A wildlife
biologist
117. India’s Purnima Devi Barman, an Assam-based wildlife biologist, has received the award
for her efforts to protect the greater adjutant stork, known as “Hargila”, by establishing the
“Hargila Army”, an all-female grassroots conservation movement. The women in the Hargila
Army create and sell textiles with motifs of the bird, helping to raise awareness about the
species while building their own financial independence.
Hargila:
Hargilas are five-foot-tall birds that live in wetlands in parts of Southeast Asia, including India
and Cambodia. The species is classified as Endangered by IUCN. It can be found in Assam
and Bihar in India.
118. India’s youngest entrepreneur, Ravi Kumar Sagar, founder, and CEO of the INNO Group,
has been honoured with Dr. Abdul Kalam Seva Puraskar in 2022 for his persistent service to
society.
• A young entrepreneur from the Telangana states, Ravi Kumar Sagar also known as RK'S
nailed it as a budding entrepreneur during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
• He was awarded the ‘Indian Icon Award’ in 2020 and the ‘Young Entrepreneur of the Year’
in 2021.
• He also authored a book titled “Yuvata Vyaaparam”.
Dr. Abdul Kalam Seva Puraskar:

It is hosted every year by Vande Bharat Foundation and LeadIndia Foundation to mark the
birth anniversary (15th October) of late former President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. The
award is given to deserving candidates to recognize people who have done extraordinary
work for the society.
119. e-Panchayat Mission Mode Project (eGramSwaraj and AuditOnline) of Ministry of

Panchayati Raj has recently won the GOLD AWARD under the category “Excellence in
Government Process Re-engineering for Digital Transformation” of the National Awards for e-
Governance. The award is a recognition of the excellent and exemplary work done by Team
eGovernance and supported by Team NIC-MoPR.
The award has been presented during the 25th National Conference on e-Governance at
Jammu, Jammu & Kashmir.
eGramSwaraj Portal:
It has been developed with a vision to strengthen digitisation in Panchayats. It is a simpliﬁed
work based accounting application for Panchayati Raj. It is one of the applications
developed as part of Panchayat Enterprise Suite (PES) under e-Panchayat Mission Mode
Project (MMP).

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It aims to bring in better transparency and strengthen the e-Governance in Panchayati Raj
Institutions (PRIs) across the country through decentralized Profiling, Planning, Physical
Progress, Reporting and Work-Based Accounting. It is also integrated with AuditOnline for
auditing.
National Awards for e-Governance:

The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DAR&PG), Government of
India presents National Awards every year during National conference on e-Governance. The
award recognizes and promote excellence in implementation of e-Governance initiatives.
120. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) has organized the 11th
edition of its Global Sports Summit, TURF 2022, in New Delhi. The theme for this edition is
“Vision 2047: Indian Sports after 100 years of Independence”.
During the TURF 2022, India Sports Awards of FICCI have been presented:
• Former Ranji cricketer Sarkar Talwar has been honoured with the Lifetime Achievement
of the Year award.
• Avani Lekhara (Shooting), who won two medals at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, has won
the Para Sports Person of the Year award.
• Shrey Kadyan (softball) has been recognized as the Special Sportsperson of the Year.
• Odisha has been recognized as the best state for promoting sports.
• The All India Chess Federation has won the National Sports Federation of the Year Award
for hosting another successful edition of the Chess Olympiad in 2022.
• Emerging player (male): Payas Jain (table tennis)
• Emerging player (female): Linthoi Chanambam (judo) and Antim Panghal (wrestling)
• Grandmaster R.B. Ramesh and golfer Nonita Lal Qureshi have received the best coaches
awards.
121. Prashant Wagh, MD, AQURA Enviro Projects Private Limited, has been conferred with
‘Asia’s Inspirational Leader 2022’ award by White Page International, at the ‘Global Business
Conclave 2022’, held in London, UK.
The award has been given in recognition of his exemplary achievements and immense
contribution to the growth of his organisation and industry.
AQURA has also been recognised as ‘Asia’s Most Admired Brand 2022’, for having made a
mark due to innovative solutions, sustainability, social impact and goodwill.
122. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Asia-Pacific
Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation 2022 has been announced which included four
winners from India.
Award of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Mumbai

Excellence

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Award of Stepwells of Golconda, Hyderabad; Zarch Qanat, Yazd, Iran;
Distinction and Neilson Hays Library, Bangkok, Thailand.
Award of Merit Domakonda Fort, Telangana; Byculla Station, Mumbai;

Topdara Stupa, Charikar, Afghanistan; Nantian Buddhist Temple,
Fujian, China; Sadoughi House, Yazd, Iran; and 25 Chivas in
Kathmandu, Nepal.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Mumbai:

The museum is a part of the Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai's world
heritage property. It was established as the Prince of Wales Museum of Western India in
1922.
UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation:

Since 2000, the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation
programme has recognised the efforts of private individuals and organisations in
restoring, conserving and transforming structures and buildings of heritage value in the
region. The awards give people a sense of pride and sense of ownership of their own
heritage.
123. The 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) has been held at the Dr. Shyama
Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium in Panaji, Goa. The festival has been hosted by the
Government of Goa, and the Directorate of Film Festivals.
The opening and closing films of the IFFI 2022 festival were the Austrian film 'Alma and
Oskar', directed by Dieter Berner, and Krzysztof Zanussi’s ‘Perfect Number’.
Eight movies were shown as part of the Country Focus package, with France serving as the
“spotlight” nation.
Winners of the 53rd International Film Festival of India
(IFFI)
Awards Winners
Golden Peacock (Best Film) ‘I Have Electric Dreams’
(Spanish film directed by
Valentina Maurel)
Silver Best Director Nader Saeivar
Peacock (Turkish film ‘No End’)
Best Actor Vahid Mobasheri
(Male) (Turkish film ‘No End’)
Best Actor Daniela Marin Navarro
(Female) (Spanish film ‘I Have Electric
Dreams’)

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Special Jury Lav Diaz
Award (‘When the Waves are Gone’)
Satyajit Ray Lifetime Carlos Saura (Spain)
Achievement Award
Indian Film Personality of Chiranjeevi Konidela
the Year Award
ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Medal Payam Eskandar
(Iranian film “Nargesi”)
Jury Special Mention Praveen Kandregula
(Indian film ‘Cinema Bandi’)
Best Debut Feature Film of Asimina Proedrou
a Director (Greek film ‘Behind the
Haystacks’)
124. American dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster has chosen "Gaslighting" as its word of
the year for 2022. Searches for the word on merriam-webster.com increased 1,740 percent in
2022.
• The official definition for "Gaslighting" is "psychological manipulation of a person usually

over an extended period of time that causes the victim to question the validity of their
own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories and typically leads to confusion, loss of
confidence and self-esteem, uncertainty of one's emotional or mental stability, and a
dependency on the perpetrator."
• The word was first used 80 years ago in a 1938 play titled "Gas Light" by Patrick Hamilton.
125. The Ambassador of France to India, Emmanuel Lenain, has conferred the French National
Order, the insignia of Chevalier de l’Ordre national du Mérite on the Director General of the
Indo-French Chamber of Commerce (IFCCI)/ CCI France-Inde, Payal S Kanwar at a special
ceremony.
She has been recognized for his outstanding commitment and contribution to developing
and promoting economic and bilateral relations between India and France as well as
expanding the French business ecosystem in India.
126. Steven Spielberg will be honoured with Lifetime Achievement award by the 73rd Berlin
International Film Festival 2023. He will be honoured with an homage and Golden Bear for
lifetime achievement in February 2023 in Berlin, Germany. His latest film 'The Fablemans' will
also screen at the festival.
127. Sonam Wangchuk, the Ladakh-based engineer whose life inspired a character in
Bollywood blockbuster "3 Idiots", has been awarded the seventh Dr Paulos Mar Gregorios
Award by former Vice President Venkaiah Naidu.
Earlier, he won the Ramon Magsasay Award for his community-driven reform of learning
systems in remote northern India.

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Dr Paulos Mar Gregorios Award
The award is instituted by the Sophia Society of the Malankara (Indian) Orthodox Church. The
award is given every alternate year in the memory of the first Metropolitan of Delhi Diocese
and noted philosopher Dr Paulos Mar Gregorios.
128. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), has felicitated
Rajendra Singh Pawar, Chairman & Founder, NIIT with ‘Lifetime Achievement Award
2022’ at the 8th FICCI Higher Education Excellence Awards ceremony held in New Delhi. He
has been recognized for his immense contribution and exemplary work in the field of
education as well as creating the IT Training industry.
129. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty, whose father N R
Narayana Murthy co-founded Indian IT major Infosys have made their debut on the 'Asian
Rich List 2022', which profiles the richest 101 Asians in the UK. They are ranked 17th on the
list, with an estimated wealth of 790 million pounds.
• The Hinduja family has topped the list for the eighth time in a row, with an estimated
worth of 30.5 billion pounds, up three billion pounds from the previous year.
• Lakshmi Mittal and his son Aditya (12.8 billion pounds) and Prakash Lohia and family (8.8
billion pounds) and Nirmal Sethia (6.5 billion pounds) are other richest on the list.
130. International Snow Leopard Trust has been honoured with the 17th edition of BBVA
Foundation Biodiversity Conservation Awards for its role for supporting Global Snow
Leopard Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP).
• The GSLEP is a first-of-its-kind intergovernmental alliance for the conservation of the snow
leopard and its unique ecosystem.
• It is led by the environment ministers of 12 countries in Asia that form the home range of
the snow leopard. These are Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The total range spans two
million square kilometres.
• The secretariat of GSLEP Program is based in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan and is hosted by the
Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology, and Technical Supervision of the Kyrgyz Republic.
BOOKS & AUTHORS

131. Union Education & Skill Development Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has released the book titled
‘India: The Mother of Democracy’ prepared and published by Indian Council of Historical Research
(ICHR) in New Delhi. The book aims to demonstrate the democratic values that have been ingrained in
India since the beginning of civilisation.
PERSON IN NEWS

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132. Prof. Venu Gopal Achanta, Director, CSIR-National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL), New
Delhi, has been elected as a member of the prestigious International Committee for Weights
and Measures (CIPM).
He has been declared an elected Member of CIPM in the recently held 27th General
Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) meeting in Paris, France.
He is among 18 elected members from different countries and 7th personality in Indian
history elected to CIPM.
International Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM):

The CIPM is a supreme international committee that functions under the authority of the
General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM), the highest intergovernmental
international organization created as a diplomatic treaty called the Meter Convention signed
on 20th May 1875 in Paris.
At present, CGPM is represented by 64 member countries and meets every 4th year at the
International Bureau of Weight, and Measure (BIPM), France. India became a member of the
CGPM in 1957.
133. Former diplomat Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has been re-elected as the President of
Kazakhstan. He has secured a second term in the snap election, winning 81.31% of the vote.
134. Vinit Kumar, Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineers (IRSEE) officer of the 1993 batch,
has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Khadi & Village Industries
Commission (KVlC) under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MoMSME) at
KVIC Central Office, Mumbai, Maharashtra.
135. Malaysia’s veteran opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has been named the 10th Prime
Minister of Malaysia by King Sultan Abdullah. He has succeeded Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
136. The Board of Directors of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) has promoted
Meenesh C Shah, the acting Chairman of NDDB, to Managing Director (MD) from Executive
Director. His tenure as acting Chairman of NDDB ends on 30th November 2022.
137. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has appointed Padma Shri, Khel Ratna Arjuna
Awardee and the President of the Paralympic Committee of India Deepa Malik as Nikshay
Mitra ambassador in New Delhi. She has adopted 5 TB patients as Ni-Kshaya Mitra and
encouraged people to enrol in this scheme.
Nikshay Mitra:
It is an initiative under Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, launched by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi in March 2018. The initiative ensures three-pronged support includes:

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Nutritional, Additional diagnostic, and Vocational support. This program was brought in the
direction of Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan with the aim of eradicating TB by 2025.
138. Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has been re-elected as the President of Equatorial
Guinea for his sixth term with 95% of the vote. He is the world’s longest-serving president.
139. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has approved the appointment of
Sundararaman Ramamurthy as the Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer
(CEO) of BSE Limited (formerly Bombay Stock Exchange).
He has succeeded Ashishkumar Chauhan who resigned as BSE chief in July 2022 to join
National Stock Exchange (NSE) as MD & CEO.
OBITUARIES
140. Vikram Gokhale, veteran film and TV actor, has recently passed away in Pune,
Maharashtra. He was born on 14th November 1945 in Pune, Bombay Presidency.
He was known for his roles in Marathi theatre, Hindi films and television. He won the
National Film Award for Best Actor category for his Marathi film Anumati.
SPORTS
141. Serbian Tennis player Novak Djokovic has won the Nitto ATP Finals title for the 6th time.
He has won the title after defeating Norway’s Casper Ruud in straight sets 7-5, 6-3 in Nitto
ATP Finals 2022 held at the Pala Alpitour in Turin, Italy. This marks his 91st career title and 5th
title of the 2022 season.
American-British pair Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury have won the 2022 Nitto ATP Finals
doubles title.
142. The 2022 Davis Cup is the 110th edition of the Davis Cup, a tournament between national
teams in men’s tennis. It is sponsored by Rakuten. It is organized by the International Tennis
Federation (ITF) and is contested annually between teams from competing countries in a
knock-out format.

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• Canada has won the Davis Cup title 2022 after defeating Australia in the finals held in
Spain.
• This is Canada's first ever Davis Cup title.
143. Legendary former Indian track and field athlete Pilavullakandi Thekkeraparambil Usha
(P.T. Usha) has been elected as the President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). With
this, she has become the first woman President of IOA. She is also the first Olympic winner
and international medallist to take over the top post.
Earlier in 2022, she was elected as a Member of Parliament in Rajya Sabha.

P.T. Usha:
She was born on 27th June 1964 in Kuttali, Kozhikode, Kerala. She is also known as the
‘Golden Girl’, ‘Payyoli Express’, and ‘Queen of Indian track and field’.
IMPORTANT DAYS
144. International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women is observed annually
on 25th November to spread awareness of the fact that women around the world are subject
to various forms of violence and the true nature of the issue is often hidden. The day was
first observed in 2000.
Theme 2022: “UNiTE! Activism to End Violence against Women & Girls!”
145. Constitution Day, also known as 'Samvidhan Divas', is observed annually across India on
26th November to mark the anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of the country.
On this day in 1949, the constitution was adopted which came into force on 26th January
1950.
Note: The year 2022 marks the 73rd anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of India.
The Government of India has designated 26th November as 'Constitution Day' on 19
November 2015, during the year-long celebration of the 125th birth anniversary of the Father
of the Indian Constitution, Dr. BR Ambedkar.
Earlier, this day was celebrated as Law Day.
146. National Milk Day is observed annually across India on 26th November to commemorate
the birth anniversary of the Father of India’s White Revolution, Dr Verghese Kurien. The year
2022 marks the 101st birth anniversary of him. The day was first observed in 2014.
Dr Verghese Kurien is known as the ‘Father of the White Revolution’ in India. He led the
‘Operation Flood’, which is the largest agricultural dairy development programme worldwide.
Note: World Milk Day is observed annually on 1st June.

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147. President of the Arab Republic of Egypt Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will be the chief guest at the
Republic Day celebrations on 26th January 2023. Notably, it is the first time that an Egyptian
President will be the Chief Guest on India's Republic Day.
It is worth mentioning that India had not invited any foreign dignitary as the Chief Guest for
the Republic Day celebrations in 2021 and 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Note: India and Eqypt are celebrating the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic
relations in 2022. Egypt has been invited as a ‘Guest Country’ during India’s Presidency of G-
20 in 2022-23.
148. National Cadet Corps (NCC) Day is celebrated every year on the fourth Sunday of
November. In 2022, the day falls on 27th November. The year 2022 marks the 74th raising
day of NCC.
National Cadet Corps (NCC):

NCC, which is the largest uniformed youth organisation in the whole world, was established
on 15th July 1948. It is headquartered in New Delhi. It includes the army, the naval and the air
wing.
149. National Organ Donation Day is observed annually across India on 27th November to
spread awareness among people and to recognize the selfless efforts made towards
mankind, and re-establish our belief in humanity.
The year 2022 marks the 13th National Organ Donation Day.
The day is organised by the National Organ & Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) under
the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
150. International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is observed annually on 29th
November to mark the anniversary of resolution 181, wherein the Assembly adopted the
resolution on the partition of Palestine on 29th November 1947.
In 1977, the United Nations General Assembly designated 29 November as the International
Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
151. Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare is observed annually on 30th
November to pay tribute to the victims of chemical warfare, as well as to reaffirm the
commitment of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to the
elimination of the threat of chemical weapons, thereby promoting the goals of peace,
security, and multilateralism.

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Other Important Study Material to help you in your
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Weekly Current Affairs November 2022 Week - 02

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17th East Asia Summit (EAS):

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Atal New India Challenge (ANIC):

Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC):

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• As per the BIOTECH-PRIDE guidelines of the Government of India, IBDC is mandated to

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Features of Vande Bharat Express:

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Bharat Gaurav Train:

Key provisions of the rules:

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Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3):

This falls under the Information Technology Act, of 2000.

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State's Own Tax Revenue (SOTR):

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• The exhibition is organized by the Centre for Development of Stones (CDOS), in

He has also inaugurated Terminal 2 of Kempegowda International Airport at Bengaluru. The

• The statue is built to commemorate the contribution of Nadaprabhu Kempegowda, the

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Ramagundam Fertilizers and Chemicals Limited (RFCL) plant:

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Anamalai Tiger Reserve:

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REPORTS & INDICES

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Highlights of the Report:

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Eight Factors of Rule of Law:

RoL Index 2022:

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Transport 4 All Challenge Stage-2:

Three Stages of the Challenge:

Citizen Perception Survey 2022 (part of Ease of Living assessment):

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GOVERNMENT SCHEMES & PROGRAMMES

• The programme has been recommended for implementation in two Phases.

Sub-schemes under the National Bioenergy Programme:

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BUSINESS & ECONOMY

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Other MoU signed:

Other MoUs signed:

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