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November Month Current Affairs(EM) – 2019

S.NO. TOPICSPAGE

NUMBER1. National 2-232. World 23-293. Appointments 30-404. Awards 40-505. Books and Authors 516. Defence 52-577. Economy 578. Obituary 57-619. Science and Technology 61-6410. State News 65-6811. Sports 69-8012. Important Days 81-89

KALAM IAS ACADEMY, PERAMBUR & VADAPALANI PH.9500142441 , 8608615241 www.kalamtrainingacademy.com

2National Health Minister Harsh vardhan launched Intensified Mission Indradhanush 2.0

portal in New Delhi

The IMI 2.0 is a rechristened version of mission Indradhanush-Universal

Immunization Programme that aims to achieve 100% imminization.

The portal was launched during the celebration of the silver Jubilee of the pulse Poliio

programme that was observed on Oct 2,2019.

West Bengal puts complete ban on manufacture, storage, sale of Gutka, Pan

Masala

The West Bengal government has imposed a complete ban on the production and

sale of gutka, pan masala in the state for one year with effect from 7 November. The

Mamta Banerjee government of West Bengal has issued a notification to put a complete

ban on the manufacture, storage, distribution and sale of gutka and pan masala in the

entire state.

German Chancellor visit to India: India, Germany expected to sign 20 agreements

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has arrived in India for a two-day state visit from

October 31 to November 2, 2019. Merkel will be co-chairing the 5th Biennial Indo-

German Integovnmental consultations (IGC) along with PM Narendra Modi in the

national capital.

Accompanying the German leader are the officials from 15 ministries and a high-power

business delegation. During the visit, India and Germany are expected to sign 20


3 agreements on various issues including on agriculture, development and social security,

football and museum cooperation.

ISRO to set up Space Technology Cell in Delhi

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in collaboration with IIT Delhi going

to set up a space technology cell in New Delhi.

Earlier, Space Technology Cells (STCs) have been set up at IIT Kanpur, IIT Roorkee,

IIT Kharagpur, IISc Bangalore.

It will also help the institution in various research areas like Artificial Intelligence,

smart manufacturing, textile and nanotechnology.

Haryana Day observed

Haryana state has turned 53 years old today. On this occasion, Prime Minister

Narendra Modi tweeted and congratulated the people of Haryana.

Haryana was formed on 1 November 1966. It was formed as a new state from East

Punjab on linguistic basis.

The National Capital Delhi is surrounded by Haryana on three sides and consequently,

the southern region of Haryana is included in the National Capital Region for the

purpose of planned development.

Jharkhand assembly election 2019 schedule:

Jharkhand Legislative Assembly Elections 2019 will be held in five phases from

November 30 in the 81 constituencies of the state. The counting of votes will take

place on December 23, 2019.

The five-year term of the current Jharkhand legislative assembly is scheduled to expire

on January 5, 2020. The Jharkhand legislative assembly has a total strength of 81 seats,

out of which 9 are reserved for SC and 28 for ST.

Vice President inaugurates 21st North East Book Fair in Guwahati

Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the 21st North East Book Fair in

Guwahati, Assam.

Vice President laid stress on the use of the mother tongue and the relevance of books to

stir one’s creativity and stimulate innovative and inventive ideas.4


4 This book fair organized by the All Assam Publishers and Booksellers Association

(AAPBA). There are as many as 217 bookstalls including one from Bangladesh.

Employees can now generate UAN online

Employees' Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) has launched a new feature that

allows workers to generate universal Provident Fund account number on-line.

EPFO has developed a new internet-based system for employees of the formal sector to

get registered on its digital platform.

On the occasion of 67th Foundation Day, a Digi-Locker system has also launched.

About over 65 lakh EPFO pensioners will be benefitted with this service.

Govt releases new map, PoK’s Muzaffarabad in UT of J&K

The new maps show the two UTs clearly demarcated, and while Pakistan-Occupied

Kashmir’s Muzaffarabad and Mirpur areas have been kept as part of the UT of

Jammu and Kashmir, Kargil and Gilgit and Baltistan have been shown as part of

Ladakh UT.

Around 17 agreements were signed between India and Germany

Around 17 agreements were signed between India and Germany in the fields of

agriculture, ayurveda, yoga, maritime technology and others. German Chancellor

Angela Merkel along with her team, signed the agreements with PM Modi and his

cabinet. The German team led by the Chancellor is on a two-day visit to India.

The DST (Department of Science and Technology) and the German Federal Ministry of

Education will organize a bilateral workshop in Berlin in 2020.


5

The city of Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh held the title for the world’s most polluted city

in the latest edition of Guinness World Records.

The book, ‘Guinness World Records 2020’, lists thousands of new record titles and

holders that will educate curious readers of all age groups.

Related News

Uttar Pradesh Literacy (2011) – 67.68%.

Uttar Pradesh Governor – Anandiben Patel

AYUSH Minister Inaugurates (NRIUMSD)

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for AYUSH inaugurated National

Research Institute of Unani Medicine for Skin Disorders (NRIUMSD) upgraded

from Central Research Institute of Unani Medicine (CRIUM) at Erragadda,

Hyderabad.

AYUSH Minister lauded the success of the CRIUM in the treatment of vitiligo and

other chronic and stubborn diseases and it’s perhaps the only medical institution in the

world which has treated more than 1.5 lakh patients of Vitiligo alone.

Hardeep Singh Puri inaugurates Guru Nanak Chair at University of Birmingham

Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs has inaugurated a new Guru Nanak

Chair by the support of Indian government, at the University of Birmingham to enable

research around the teachings of the founder of the Sikh religion.

He announced the new Chair to mark the 550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak.


6 First-ever movement of container cargo on Brahmaputra

The first-ever containerised cargo movement via Indo-Bangladesh protocol route and

Brahmaputra river will start from West Bengal’s Haldia.

The vessel MV Maheshwari, carrying 53 containers of petrochemicals, edible oil and

beverage will take 12-15 days to reach the IWAI terminal at Pandu in Assam’s

Guwahati.

National Waterway 2 (NW-2) is a section of the Brahmaputra River having a length of

891 km between the Bangladesh border near Dhubri and Sadiya in Assam.

Amarinder Singh launches first of its kind ‘Punjab job helpline’for job seekers

The Punjab Chief Minister(CM) Amarinder Singh has launched a first of its kind job

helpline number 76260-76260 for the unemployed youth of the state under ‘Ghar Ghar

Rozgar’ programme.

The objective of this helpline is to reach every house in Punjab and it can be

contacted on 75 thousand mobile numbers daily.

In this process, a 110-seat call centre of Punjab Job Helpline has also been created for

the data to be prepared.

Bihar Govt bans vehicles older than 15 years in Patna

The Bihar Government has taken a big decision in view of the worsening situation of

air pollution in the state. Chief Minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar, held a special meeting

with top officials on November 4, considering the problem of pollution in many cities

and regions.

The Nitish Kumar government has announced a ban on government vehicles older

than 15 years to tackle the increasing pollution in the state. Also, private vehicles 7


7 will have to undergo pollution checks. The state government has taken many major

decisions to curb pollution. All these decisions will come into effect from November 7.

Finance Minister launches two IT initiatives ICEDASH and ATITHI

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman unveiled two new IT Initiatives – ICEDASH

and ATITHI for improved monitoring and pace of customs clearance of imported

goods and facilitating arriving international passengers.

ICEDASH is an Ease of Doing Business monitoring dashboard of the Indian Customs

helping the public see the daily Customs clearance times of import cargo at various

ports and airports.

The ATITHI app will facilitate hassle-free and faster clearance by Customs at the

airports and enhance the experience of international tourists and other visitors at the

airports.

PM Modi inaugurates 5th India International Science Festival

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates 5th India International Science Festival

(IISF) at Biswa Bangla Convention Centre, Kolkata through video conferencing.

The theme of the festival is “RISEN: Research, Innovation and Science

Empowering the Nation” reflects the aspirations of 21st century India. The aims of

IISF is to build a strategy for inclusive advancement of Science and Technology.

The India International Science Festival (IISF) was launched in 2015 to promote

Science and Technology.

The goal of the Science festivity is to help youth, develop 21st-century skills, with a

focus on scientific knowledge, creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, and

teamwork.

NGT recommends stipend for daily-wage labourers after construction ban

The National Green Tribunal on November 5, 2019 recommended the central

government to in Delhi pay compensation or a stipend to the daily wage

labourers after a ban was imposed on all construction activities till further orders.

The Supreme Court of India had banned all construction and demolition activities in

Delhi-NCR until further notice on November 4, after the air pollution level hit the 8


8'severe' category in the region. The move was aimed at bringing down the pollution

level in Delhi.

However, the daily-wage labourers who depend on construction activities to earn their

daily wages have become unemployed as a result of the ban.

HRD Minister and Harsimrat Kaur badal to launch 3 books on Guru Nanak Dev

Ji

Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ and

Minister for Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal will launch three

books on Guru Nanak Dev Ji at Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Khalsa College, the University

of Delhi, on the occasion of 550thBirth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

The National Book Trust has published three titles: Guru Nanak Bani, Nanak Bani,

and Sakhian Guru Nanak Dev to spread the message of Guru Nanak Dev’s writings

among readers of Indian sub-continent.

These books, published originally in Punjabi, shall be translated into 15 major Indian

languages.

Lucknow railway station gets ‘Health ATM’

The Indian Railways has installed two ‘Health ATMs’ at the Charbagh railway station

in Lucknow. The kiosks, promoted by YOLO Health ATM, provide 16 health check-

ups for Rs 50-100.

There are two types of check-ups a 9-minute one that costs Rs 100, and a 6-minute

one that costs Rs 50. The report is delivered instantly to the email or smartphone of the

user.

The check-ups include body mass index, blood pressure, body fat, haemoglobin,

metabolic age, muscle mass, weight, height, temperature, muscle mass, basal metabolic

rating, visceral fat, oxygen saturation, pulse rate, blood glucose, and bone mass.

Health ATMs can be defined as private, walk-in medical kiosks with integrated medical

devices for basic vitals, cardiology, neurology, pulmonary testing, gynaecology, basic

laboratory testing and emergency facilities and staffed by a medical attendant.

9


9 Lok Sabha Speaker addresses 6th Speakers’ Summit of G 20 Countries

Lok sabha speaker Om Birla composed the Indian Parliament delegation for 6th

parliamentary summit of G20 countries, held in Tokyo, Japan 2019. G20 presiding

officer of parliament attended the summit.

The summit had three sessions on separate themes related to trade, technology and

sustainable development.

The gathering of this summit was about the terrorism which destroying the system of

economy.

Ayodhya Verdict in detail: Supreme Court clears way for Ram Mandir; grants

alternate land to Muslims

The Supreme Court of India delivered the crucial verdict on Ram Janmabhoomi Babri

Masjid land dispute case, wherein, Hindus get the disputed Ayodhya Land to build

the Ram Mandir and Muslims get the alternate land of 5 acres to build the mosque.

The verdict comes after 9 years of Allahabad High Court Judgement, wherein, it

divided the land among three parties - Ram Lalla, Sunni Waqf Board and the Nirmohi

Akhara.

The Supreme Court scrapped the high court ruling by giving the complete disputed land

to Hindus and rejecting the claim of Waqf Board and Nirmohi akhara.

Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi began the judgement after observing the developments in

the Ayodhya land dispute case so far. The CJI observed that the ASI Report clearly

depicts that Babri Masjid was not built on vacant land; this land was not of Islamic

origin.


1010

PM Modi to visit Brazil for BRICS summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a 2-day visit to Brazil from the 13th of this

month to attend the 11th BRICS Summit in Brasilia, Brazil.

The theme of the Summit this year is “Economic Growth for an Innovative Future”.

This will be the sixth time that Mr Modi participates in the BRICS Summit.

5th edition of GES 2019 to be held in Bengaluru

The 5th edition of Global Exhibition on Services, GES 2019 is being held from

November 26 to 28 at Bengaluru, Karnataka.

The Global Exhibition on Services is an annual event which aims to engage industry

and governments across the world and to promote greater exchange of trade in services

between India and the rest of the world.

India is looking to attract investments and partnerships in strategic areas like aviation

and space programme, infrastructure, and telecom projects.

Centre approves to set up four medical device parks

The government of India has given approval for setting up four medical device

parks with a view to support Make in India initiative and provide world-class products

at an affordable price for treatment.

The four parks will be set up in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and

Kerala.

These parks will provide the necessary infrastructure, where companies can easily plug

and play.

This will not only cut import bill but will also help in easy access to standard testing

facilities and reduce the cost of production.

The project of Andhra Pradesh Medtech Zone for creation of Common Facility

Centre (CFC) for Superconducting Magnetic Coil Testing and Research was given in-

principle approval recently.

The scheme proposes to provide Rs. 25 crores or 70% of the project cost of setting up

CFCs, whichever is less, for the creation of common facilities in any upcoming park.


11

Newly discovered species of spider named after Sachin Tendulkar

Dhruv Prajapati, a research scholar from the Gujarat Ecological Education &

Research (GEER) Foundation, has discovered two new spider species in Kerala,

TamilNadu and Gujarat.

One spider species was named after Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar as “Marengo

Sachin Tendulkar” while the other was named as “Indomarengo

chavarapater” after Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara, who played a key role in

creating awareness on education in the state of Kerala.

Chief Justice’s office comes under RTI, rules Supreme Court

The Supreme Court ruled that the office of Chief Justice comes under the

transparency law, the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

The decision by the five-judge bench of the Supreme Court, led Chief Justice Ranjan

Gogoi, who retires on November 17, comes on a petition filed by Central Public

Information Officer of the Supreme Court against a Delhi high court ruling of 2010 that

held the office of the CJI was a public authority and directed the secretary-general of

the top court to disclose details of the assets of judges sought by RTI activist SC

Agarwal.

Swachh-Nirmal Tat Abhiyaan

Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is undertaking a mass

cleanliness-cum-awareness drive in 50 identified beaches under the programme

called ‘Swachh- Nirmal Tat Abhiyaan’, from 11 -17 November 2019.


12 The Objective of Swachh-Nirmal Tat Abhiyaan to strive to make coastal areas across

the country clean and to create awareness amongst citizens about the importance of 12

coastal ecosystems so as to save marine creatures from plastic waste, industrial effluents

and other harmful substances.

39th India International Trade Fair 2019

39th India International Trade Fair 2019 begins in New Delhi.

The theme for the 39th edition of the fair is ‘Ease of Doing Business’ inspired by

India’s unique achievement of rising to 63rd rank on the World Bank’s Ease of Doing

Business Index from 142nd rank in the year 2014.

The fair will be inaugurated by Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

(MSME) Nitin Gadkari.

This year the status of ‘Partner Country’ has been accorded to ‘The Islamic Republic

of Afghanistan’ and ‘The Republic of Korea’ will be the ‘Focus Country’. Bihar and

Jharkhand will be the focus states in this edition of the fair.

Union Cabinet recommends President’s rule in Maharashtra

President Ram Nath Kovind has signed the proclamation imposing President’s

rule in Maharashtra.

The Union Cabinet has recommended the President rule on the report of the Governor

invoking Article 356 of the constitution in the state.

Article 356, commonly known as President’s rule, deals with ‘failure of constitutional

machinery in the state’

The Governor’s office stated that the government cannot be carried on in accordance

with the Constitution, and submitted a report as contemplated by the provision of

Article 356 of the Constitution.

Air Chief to inaugurate ISAM Conference in Bengaluru

Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria will inaugurate the 58th Indian Society of

Aerospace Medicine (ISAM) Annual Conference.

The aims of the conference to address contemporary issues and applications in the

subject of aerospace medicine.


13 The theme for this year’s conference is ‘Changing Paradigms in Aerospace

Healthcare’.13

The event will take place at the Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Indian Air Force,

Bengaluru from November 14-16.

Nitin Gadkari Inaugurates Khadi Pavilion at I.I.T.F

Union Minister of MSME and Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari inaugurated

the Khadi Pavilion at the India International Trade Fair (IITF) in New Delhi.

The Pavilion entrance has been themed upon Sabarmati Ashram, with melodious

Shehnai celebrating the ‘spirit of Indianness’.

A wide range of products which includes food, handicrafts, leather, textiles and hosiery,

readymade garments, wooden toys, cosmetics and herbal products offering a discount of

up to 20% are being displayed in the Khadi Pavilion at IITF 2019.

New signal fish discovered off Kerala coast

The new signal fish was found in Lakshadweep sea off Kerala coast, which is the

home for unusual species like fish with a unique color.

The name of the species is “Pteropsaron Indicum”, was collected by trawlers at a

depth of 70 meters during a marine biodiversity survey.

Scientists from the University of Kerala and the Ocean Science Foundation, United

State of America (USA) have described the discovery of the new species of signal fish,

was the first one of the genus recorded in Indian waters.

Justice Ranjan Gogoi retires as CJI


14 Sworn on October 3, 2018, as the 46th Chief Justice of India, Justice Gogoi also

headed a bench which, by a 3:2 majority verdict, referred the pleas seeking review of

the apex court's historic 2018 judgement allowing women and girls of all ages to

enter Sabarimala temple.

Justice Ranjan Gogoi on Sunday(17-11-2019) retired as the Chief Justice of India

after serving for over 13 months in the post. He will be succeeded by Justice Sharad

Arvind Bobde.

Justice Gogoi’s tenure in the apex court will be best remembered for heading the five-

judge Constitution Bench that delivered a unanimous verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi-

Babri Masjid land dispute case as well as the time he had addressed an unprecedented

press conference along with three other brother judges in 2018.

The Sixth National Summit on Good, Replicable Practices and Innovations was

held in New Delhi on 16 November 2019.

The Sixth National Summit on Good, Replicable Practices and Innovations was

held in New Delhi on 16 November 2019. It was inaugurated by Dr. Harsh Vardhan,

Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare.

India to contribute $13.5 mn for UN development activities for 2020

India will contribute USD 13.5 million for various operational activities of

development across the UN agencies for the year 2020.

The contribution was announced at the UN General Assembly Pledging Conference for

Development Activities. The contribution is in line with the country’s long-standing

tradition of supporting development activities across the UN system.

About 16 countries pledged a total of USD 516 million at the 2019 United Nations

Pledging Conference for Development Activities.

National Mission ‘NISHTHA’ launched in J&K

National Initiative for School Heads’ and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement

(NISHTHA) has been launched in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.KALAM IAS ACADEMY, PERAMBUR & VADAPALANI PH.9500142441 , 8608615241 www.kalamtrainingacademy.com

15 NISHTHA is aimed at improving learning outcomes at Elementary level through

integrated Teacher Trainings.

15

NISHTHA is a pioneer scheme being launched across the country, with a total of 86000

Elementary teachers of Government Schools being trained in J&K under the

programme.

National Tribal Festival Aadi Mahotsav to begin in New Delhi

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will inaugurate the National Tribal Festival “Aadi

Mahotsav” in New Delhi.

The theme of the 15-day Mahotsav is celebration of the Spirit of Tribal Culture,

Craft, Cuisine and Commerce. It will be held at Dilli Haat in INA, New Delhi.

The tribal textiles manufactured by master tribal craftsmen from Jammu & Kashmir in

the North to Tamil Nadu in the South and from Gujarat in the West to Nagaland/Sikkim

in the East will be the main attractions.

Government launches Bharatiya Poshan Krishi Kosh to tackle malnutrition

The Union Government has launched Bharatiya Poshan Krishi Kosh with the aim of

reducing malnutrition in India. The kosh was launched by WCD Minister Smriti Irani

along with Bill Gates on November 18, 2019 in New Delhi.

The Bharatiya Poshan Krishi Kosh is a repository of diverse crops across 128 agro-

climatic zones to help enable better nutritional outcomes.

The Kosh aims to reduce malnutrition among women and children across the country,

through a multi-sectoral results-based framework, including agriculture.

Union Minister for Rural Development inaugurates SARAS IITF 2019

The Union Minister for Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and

Agriculture inaugurated the SARAS India International Trade Fair(IITF) Mela

2019 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.

SARAS IITF Mela empowering rural women through Self-Help Groups is one of the

top priorities of the government.


16 More than seven crore women have joined Self-Help Groups so far and the Ministry is

making all efforts to take this number to 10 crores.

Women self-help groups play a very crucial role in the fulfilment of two important

goals, namely poverty alleviation and women empowerment.16

The “didis” (sisters) from the Self-Help Groups (SHGs) possess a lot of positive

energy and willpower and the same should be utilised for the progress of the nation.

International cherry blossom festival 2019 celebrated in Shillong, Meghalaya

Meghalaya Chief Minister has Inaugurated the 4th International Cherry Blossom

Festival 2019 held in Shillong, Meghalaya.

For the 1st time, India & South Korea jointly celebrated this festival that witnessed the

celebration of unique autumn flowering of Himalayan Cherry Blossoms (scientifically

known as the Prunus serrulata).

South Korea Ambassador to India Shin Bong-Kil joined the celebration.

Darjeeling’s green and white teas get GI tag

The green tea and white tea of Darjeeling have been registered as a geographical

indication (GI) products in the country.

These two varieties of Darjeeling tea have been registered under Geographical

Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act 1999, with effect from October

2019.

This will “strengthen the protection of the intellectual property rights of the

Darjeeling tea” which is considered as “niche and luxury” products in the country and

abroad.

India ranks 59th on IMD World Talent Ranking ReportKALAM IAS ACADEMY, PERAMBUR & VADAPALANI PH.9500142441 , 8608615241 www.kalamtrainingacademy.com

17 The International Institute of Management Development’s (IMD) World Talent

Ranking (WTR) report for the year 2019 was released.

In the released report, India was ranked at 59th position, a slip by 6 places on a global

annual list of 63 countries. The list was topped by Switzerland.17

The top 10 countries that followed Switzerland were Denmark(2nd), Sweden(3rd),

Austria(4th), Luxembourg (5th), Norway(6th), Iceland(7th), Finland (8th), Netherlands

(9th) and Singapore(10th).

Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial (Amendment) Bill, 2019 passed by the

Parliament

Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial (Amendment) Bill, 2019

The Bill contains an amendment to the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial Act 1951.

It has the provision to remove the President of the Congress Party as a permanent

trustee of the memorial.

The Bill makes it clear that when there is no leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha,

only the leader of the largest opposition party will be made a Trustee.

The Bill empowers the Central Government to remove a nominated member without

any reason before his term ends.

Road Accidents in India: UP recorded highest number of deaths, Tamil Nadu tops

in number of accidents

The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways released a report based on road

accidents happened in 2018. According to the report, the number of road accidents has

increased by 0.46% in the year 2018 as compared to 2017. The death rate during the

road accident has also increased by 2.37 per cent during this period.

The report states that by the year 2010 there was an increase in the number of accidents,

deaths and injuries. After that, it was stabilized to some extent with slight fluctuations

from year to year.

Census 2021 to be conducted in 16 languages

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai informed that Census

2021 will be conducted in 16 languages.KALAM IAS ACADEMY, PERAMBUR & VADAPALANI PH.9500142441 , 8608615241 www.kalamtrainingacademy.com

18 During Census 2021, a mix mode approach is being adopted for data collection. Census

will be conducted in two phases – House-listing and Housing Census from April to

September 2020 and Population Enumeration during February 09-28, 2021.

18

The Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) has recommended an amount of Rs.

8754.23 crore for conducting Census 2021 in 16 languages.

Jitendra Singh to inaugurate ‘Destination North East’ Festival

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Ministry of Development of North

Eastern Region (DoNER) Dr Jitendra Singh will inaugurate the ‘Destination North

East’ Festival in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh on 23rd November 2019.

All 8 North East states will be present at the event along with their handicrafts,

handloom, organic products and cultural troupes.

During the festival, the visitors will have live experiences of the artisans and artists

from the NE states working on their looms and crafts, performing their songs and

dances in the open stage during the day.

Indigenous games will also be performed where visitors can also participate.

Russia is the focus country at IFFI 2019

International Film Festival of India 2019, IFFI features a Country of Focus that

brings out the cinematic excellence and contributions of that particular country every

year and this year, the country of focus is Russia.

The section will showcase eight movies from Russia.

11th edition of Agro Vision inaugurated by Nitin Gadkari

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurating the 11th edition of Agro Vision-2019, an

Agricultural exhibition at Reshimbag Ground of Nagpur, Maharashtra.

The 4-day event will comprise of national Agri exhibition workshop for farmers and

seminars.

A Pavilion dedicated to Micro Small Medium Enterprise and display of livestock

will be a special attraction in Agro Vision 2019.


19 Union Minister has stressed upon the importance of Agricultural allied businesses for

the development of farmers in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra.

Emphasizing the need for a permanent venue for training on best practices in agriculture

& extension activities for the farmers in Vidarbha.

19

MP to reserve 5% quota for sportspersons in Government Jobs

Madhya Pradesh has recently announced 5 percent reservation for sportspersons in

government jobs. The state government believes that this will benefit the players in

getting jobs.

Apart from this, Madhya Pradesh government gives government jobs to Vikram Award

winners every year, Vikram Award is the highest sports award of Madhya Pradesh.

The objective of this program is to identify talented sportspersons and provide them

with better facilities for training.

Reema Juffali to become the first Saudi woman car racer

Reema has completed her driving test in the US a few years ago. She is one of the few

Saudi women to have a racing license.

Reema will take part in the Jaguar One-Pace E Trophy Race to be held in Diriyah. She

was born in Jeddah and completed her education in the US.

She has been allowed by race organizers to participate in racing as a 'VIP' guest. Earlier,

she participated in the F-4 British Championship in April last year as a professional

racer.

India ranks 8th in WHO study on physical activity among adolescents

India is ranked among the top ten countries in the list of most physically active

adolescents, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) study. While

Bangladesh tops the list with most active teenagers, USA comes fourth in the list of

146 countries.

India is ranked eighth overall, with almost 26.1 per cent of its adolescents leading a

healthy life. The Philippines was the most inactive country among boys, whereas South


20Korea had the least active girl adolescents, with just 3 per cent indulging in

physical activity daily.

The new WHO study also finds that at least 80% of the school-goers who are in their

teen years do not have an hour of physical activity a day.

In a study by the Lancet Child and Adolescent Health, the reason for the high activity

among teenagers in India could be due to the high craze for sports like cricket, while in 20

the USA, the focus on sports like volleyball, football and baseball have ensured more

adolescents take the field.

Constitution Day of India 2019

Constitution Day or Samvidhan Divas is celebrated 26 November cross the country

to mark the adopting of the Indian Constitution by the Constituent Assembly on this day

in 1949.

In 2019, it marks the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution.

It came into force on 26th January 1950, marking the beginning of a new era in the

history of the Indian Republic.

It is aimed at reiterating and reorienting the citizens towards the values and principles

expressed in the Constitution and encouraging all Indians to play their rightful role in

strengthening the Indian Democracy.

It also aims to create awareness of Fundamental Duties as enshrined in the Constitution.

Railways sets up Institute for Financial Management in Hyderabad

The Indian Railway Institute of Financial Management (IRIFM) has been set up

in Hyderabad, Telangana.


21 This new entity is set up to impart professional training in the management of railway

finances.

The project was conceived and constructed by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) at a

cost of Rs 85 crore.

IIRFM marks an important addition to the list of premier professional institutions in the

country in the field of financial management in Indian Railways.

21

The ensuing batch of probationers belonging to Indian Railway Accounts Service

(IRAS) will have the opportunity to get trained.

State’s 1st Vulture Conservation to set up by UP Government

In a major step to conserve the endangered vulture population, the Uttar

Pradesh government will set up the state’s first vulture conservation and breeding

centre in farenda area of Maharajganj district.

According to Environment Minister, there has been a sharp decline in the population of

vultures in the country which has come down from 40 million to 19,000 in a span of

over three decades.

Chattisgarh declares Guru Ghasidas National Park as tiger reserve

The Chhattisgarh government has decided to declare Guru Ghasidas National

Park in the state’s Korea district as a tiger reserve.

The decision was taken at a meeting of Chhattisgarh State Wildlife Board chaired by

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.


22 Presently the state has three tiger reserves, namely Indravati in Bijapur district,

Udanti-Sitanadi in Gariaband and Achanakmar in Bilaspur.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) had approved to declare Guru

Ghasidas National Park as a tiger reserve in 2014.

HRD Ministry launches Kartavya Portal

Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister launched

the kartavya.ugc.ac.in portal for holding monthly essay competitions for students.

22

The portal was launched as part of year-long ‘Nagrik Kartavya Paalan

Abhiyan’ being observed throughout the country.

The portal will be used primarily for holding monthly essay competitions for students

as well as other activities including quizzes, poster making, debates pertaining to

Nagrik Kartavya Paalan Abhiyan.

The Department of Higher Education under HRD Ministry will be holding 11 rounds of

National Essay Competitions during the year.

The topics of the essay will be based on one Fundamental Duty every month.

Rajnath to inaugurate 3rd edition of Military Literature Festival

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will inaugurate the 3-day-long Military Literature

Festival (MLF) on 13 December 2019 at Chandigarh.

The event would present an international level forum to foster and preserve the

exchange of knowledge related to military literature and associated works.

The 10 books of noted defence and literary authors would also be released on occasion.

This year, the event would commemorate Indian participation in the Burma Campaign

in World War II, the 75th anniversary of which falls next year.

India to host 2023 Men’s Hockey World Cup

India wins bid to host 2023 Men’s Hockey World Cup Kalinga Hockey Stadium in

Bhubaneswar and Biju Patnaik Hockey Stadium in Rourkela to be the venues for the

tournament.


23 The state capital is also one of the venues for the 2020 FIFA Women’s U-17 World

Cup.

Central Govt extends deadline for FASTags to 15th December

The Transport Ministry has extended the 01st December deadline for 100% electronic

toll collection across National Highways in the country by two weeks (15th December).

This comes as the government wants to allow a 15 days’ breather for vehicle owners to

switch to FASTags.

23

FASTag is a sticker that has to be put at the front windshield of your vehicle. This

sticker becomes the radio frequency identity of your car which is automatically read by

the sensors placed at the toll plazas.

World Spain to host COP25 Summit

Spain has offered to host COP-25 UN Climate Change Summit as it was called off by

Chile due to heaving anti-government protests.

Spain is all set to hold general elections on November 10 and schedule dates of COP25

are December 2-13.

Earlier, Sebastian Pinera, Chile’s President, said that Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez had

made a generous offer to host COP-25 summit in Madrid.


24 India will conduct its first ever military exercise with Uzbekistan in a 10-day session

on counter terrorism tactics. The exercise will be held at Chirchiq Training Area,

Uzbekistan between November 4 and November 13, 2019.

COP 25: Spain to host UN Climate Change conference after Chile backs out

Spain will be hosting the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

(COP25) from December 2-13 in IFEMA - Feria de Madrid in Madrid, Spain. The

announcement was made by UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Patricia

Espinosa.

24

Guyana to be fastest growing country in the world next year at 86%

According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Guyana’s GDP is expected to

be more at 86% in 2020 after expanding 4.4% in 2019.

This growth expectation had done after Exxon Mobil Corp.’s discovery of oil at

Guyana. Guyana’s economy will grow more than three times within five years.

Guyana’ GDP is to get fourteen times as fast as China’s GDP in 2020. Guyana is

projecting $300 million in petroleum revenue in 2020.

Sudan’s first-ever satellite for conducting research in military, economic and space

technology has been launched by China.

Sudan’s remote-sensing satellite (SRSS-1), was developed by the Shenzhen

Aerospace Oriental Red Sea Satellite Co.


25 The satellite was launched aboard China’s Long March-4B rocket along with other

Chinese satellites including Gaofen 7, Xiaoxiang-1 08, Whampoa 1 from the Taiyuan

Satellite Launch Center in northern China.

The Sudanese satellite has been mainly designed for civil and military remote sensing

over Sudan.

The remote-sensing satellite aims to advance research in space technology.

Its main objective is to acquire the required data as well as discover natural resources

for the country’s military needs.

The satellite aims to generate a comprehensive, cost-effective and reliable database on

the topographic, mapping and natural resources of Sudan.

25

China approves drug to cure Alzheimer’s disease

China’s National Medical Products Administration has officially approved an

indigenously developed Alzheimer’s drug called GV-971 (sodium oligo-

mannurarate).

The Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica (SIMM) under the Chinese Academy of

Sciences, which has developed the drug jointly with the Ocean University of China and

Green Valley Pharmaceutical Co Ltd, after 22 years of research.

Extracted from brown algae, the oral drug is the world’s first multi-targeting and

carbohydrate-based drug, which will now be available to patients from

December,29,2019.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan re-elected as President of UAE


26

The UAE’s Supreme Council of the Union has re-elected his Highness Sheikh Khalifa

bin Zayed Al Nahyan as its President for a 4th five-year term, in accordance with the

provisions of the UAE Constitution.

He was first elected President on November 3, 2004, following the death of his father

Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

26

Pravind Jugnauth sworn in as Mauritius PM

Mauritius’s incumbent Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth was sworn in for a five-year

term after elections in which his coalition consolidated its grip on parliament.


27 Jugnauth took over from his father in 2017 without going through a vote, and the

decisive victory of his centre-right Morisian Alliance in the November 7 elections have

strengthened his legitimacy.

Since attaining independence from Britain in 1968, Mauritius has become one of the

most stable democracies in Africa.

Sri Lanka becomes 1st South Asian country to call match fixing a crime

Sri Lanka has become the first South Asian nation to bring match-fixing cases to the

category of crime as its parliament passed a bill related to ‘Prevention of Offences

Related to Sports’.

This new legislation related to match-fixing and corruption will apply to all sports & if

a person is found guilty of corruption in the game, he can be punished for up to 10

years and also be required to pay other fines.

Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s President, to be chief guest at Republic Day 2020

27

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro accepted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's

invitation to become the chief guest at India's Republic Day celebrations 2020. Modi

has reached Brazil to attend the 11th BRICS Summit. Modi met with Bolsonaro on the

sidelines of this summit.

BRICS is a group of five emerging economies in the world which includes Brazil,

Russia, India, China and South Africa.

This BRICS summit was focused on creating mechanisms for counter-terrorism

cooperation and strengthens India's relations with the world's five major economies.

The two leaders held meaningful talks to strengthen bilateral relations.

Trace Bribery Risk Matrix 2019: Bangladesh tops the list in South AsiaKALAM IAS ACADEMY, PERAMBUR & VADAPALANI PH.9500142441 , 8608615241 www.kalamtrainingacademy.com

28 Trace Bribery Risk Matrix was recently released that highlights Bangladesh as the

highest risk country in terms of bribery in South Asia. Bangladesh’s total risk score

was 72 in this index which is two points higher than the previous year.

Bangladesh ranked 178 than means a stronger risk of bribery in the country. However,

India stands on 78th rank.

Trace Bribery Matrix which releases annual ranking for 200 countries informed that

Bangladesh has the highest business bribery risk among South Asian courtiers.

The Trace Matrix evaluates all countries under four different parameters that include –

transparency, business interaction, civic society oversight and anti-bribery deterrence.

The fifth edition of the Dhaka International Folk Festival was held at Bangladesh

Army Stadium, Bangladesh.

It was inaugurated by the Information Minister of Bangladesh, Dr. Hasan Mahmud.

More than 200 artistes from 6 countries performed in the largest folk festival in Asia.

The event was held from 14-16 November 2019.

Five students from India won prizes at Oxford Big Read Asia Prize at the Asia

level.

Among the five students, four were from Nagpur while one from Madurai.

A total of 6000 submissions from schools from China, Malaysia, Pakistan, and India

participated in the competition. This competition provides students with an opportunity


29to augment the ambit of their reading and also demonstrate their literary and creative

skills.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa wins Sri Lanka Presidential election

Sri Lanka’s former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa has won the Presidential

election. He is the brother of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Gotabaya got 52.25 per cent of the total valid votes. According to the final vote count

released by the country’s Election commission, he received around 6.9 million

votes against his main rival, Sajith Premadasa who got around 5.56 million votes.

Gotabaya served as the Defence Secretary during the end of the LTTE War.

Pakistan becomes 1st country to introduce new vaccine to combat typhoid

Pakistan became the 1st country in the world to introduce a new Typhoid Conjugate

Vaccine (TCV) in an effort to combat a drug-resistant strain of the potentially fatal

disease in the Sindh province.

29

The vaccine, approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2018, will initially

be used during a two-week immunisation campaign starting from November 18 to

November 30 in the urban areas of Sindh.

Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine (TCV) is a one-dose vaccine, that will be injected

intramuscularly.

The vaccine cost is low and it has high efficiency.

It is expected to provide long-lasting immunity power in adults, children and 9-month

infants.


30 Ocean Dance Festival 2019 starts in Cox Bazar

The Ocean Dance Festival 2019 kicked off in Cox Bazar of Bangladesh. Ocean Dance

Festival is the largest international dance festival of Bangladesh in which more than 200

dancers, choreographers and scholars from 15 countries are participating.

The theme of this year’s festival is ‘Bridging the distance’ or Durotter

Shetubandhan.

The dances performed at the event will show the idea of bridging cultural and economic

distances.

The festival is being organised by the Nrityajog which is the Bangladesh wing of World

Dance Alliance (WDA). The festival aims to expand cultural tourism in Bangladesh.

It also features seminars and discussion apart from the dance performances by the

artists.

30

Appointments

New Chief Justices appointed to Madras, Patna, Madhya Pradesh High Courts .


31

Patna High Court's Chief Justice Amreshwar Pratap Sahi has been appointed as the

next Chief Justice of the Madras High Court. Since the resignation of Chief Justice

Tahilramani in protest of her transfer to the Meghalaya High Court, the Madras

High Court has been functioning with Justice Vineet Kothari as its Acting Chief

Justice.

Meghalaya High Court's Chief Justice AK Mittal has been appointed the next Chief

Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.

Tripura High Court's Chief Justice Sanjay Karol has been appointed the next Chief

Justice of the Patna High Court, to fill the vacancy left behind in view of Chief Justice

Sahi's transfer to Madras.

Shri Pavan Kapoor appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the United Arab

Emirates


https://barandbench.com/president-accepts-madras-hc-chief-justice-vk-tahilramani-resignation-read-notification/

https://barandbench.com/president-accepts-madras-hc-chief-justice-vk-tahilramani-resignation-read-notification/

32 Ambassador Kapoor replaced Navdeep Singh Suri, who retired last month.

During his diplomatic career, Pavan Kapoor has served in different capacities at the

Indian Missions in Moscow, Kyiv, London and Geneva.

During his last posting, Mr Kapoor served as the Ambassador to Israel.

Arvind Singh takes over as AAI chairman

Arvind Singh, a 1988-batch IAS officer of Maharashtra cadre, took charge as

the chairman of the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

The AAI, which comes under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, owns and manages more

than 100 airports across the country.

Prior to this appointment, Singh was the additional chief secretary (Energy) of

Maharashtra government.

He also worked as chairman and managing director of Maharashtra State Power

Generation Company Limited and Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission

Company Limited.

Dr. Vinaya Shetty appointed as IODA’s 1st Indian and Asian General Vice

President

Dr Vinaya Shetty is the first Indian to be elected to the position of General Vice

President (GVP), International Organisation Development Association

(IODA) since its inception in 1986.

She has helped in change and transformation of numerous organisations across

industries in India and has been contributing to facilitating IODA’s efforts since 2009.


33 In 2016, Vinaya became the first Indian woman entrepreneur finalist for the prestigious

Empretech Women in Business Award by United Nations Conference Trade and

Development (UNCTAD).

Sanjay Gupta appoints country manager at Google India

Google India has appointed Sanjay Gupta as its new country manager and vice-

president of sales and operations for India. Gupta, the former Star and Disney India

managing director, will contribute to Google’s efforts to expand the internet ecosystem

in the country.

He will take on the role early next year, working closely with the teams based in

Gurugram, Hyderabad and Bengaluru.

He replaces Rajan Anandan, who left Google to join Sequoia Capital India.

Anjani Kumar appointed as next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Mali

The Ministry of external affairs (MEA) announced Anjani Kumar was the next

ambassador of India to the Republic of Mali.

He is an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Officer of batch 2003. He will replace Pradeep

Kumar Gupta.

33KALAM IAS ACADEMY, PERAMBUR & VADAPALANI PH.9500142441 , 8608615241 www.kalamtrainingacademy.com

34 Justice Sanjay Karol sworn in as Chief Justice of Patna High Court

Justice Sanjay Karol was sworn in as the Chief Justice of Patna High Court.

Bihar Governor Phagu Chauhan administered the oath of office to Justice Karol at the

Raj Bhavan.

He was earlier posted as Chief Justice of Tripura before this appointment.

Justice AP Sahi sworn-in as Chief Justice of Madras High Court

Justice Amreshwar Pratap Sahi was sworn-in as Chief Justice of the Madras High

Court.

Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit administered the oath of office to Justice

Sahi. Justice Sahi replaces Justice VK Tahilramani, who quit on September 6.

Prior to this appointment, Justice Sahi was Chief Justice of the Patna High Court from

November 17, 2018.

Mohammad Imran appointed Bangladesh High Commissioner to India


35 34

Mohammad Imran has been appointed as the new High Commissioner of

Bangladesh to India.

He is currently Bangladesh’s Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates. He

succeeds Syed Muazzem Ali.

The announcement was made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh.

ITDC appoints Kamala Vardhana Rao as its new Chairman and MD

India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) has appointed G Kamala

Vardhana Rao as the new Chairman and Managing Director.

Prior to this, an IAS officer 1990 batch from Kerala Cadre, was the Principal Secretary,

Kerala government. He has also served as the Secretary of Kerala Tourism in 2014-15.

He has also served multiple positions including Chairman of Indian Tobacco Board,

Director of Fisheries Department, Director, Department of Tourism and Culture,

Andhra Pradesh government.

Prakash Javadekar takes charge as Minister of Heavy Industries and Public

Enterprises

Prakash Javadekar took charge as the Union Minister of Heavy Industries and

Public Enterprises. This decision was taken after Shiv Sena leader Arvind

Sawant resigned from the Union Cabinet.

Javadekar also holds information & broadcasting, and environment, forest and climate

change portfolios.


3635

Justice Muhammad Raffiq takes oath as Chief Justice of Meghalaya HC

Justice Muhammad Raffiq took oath as Chief Justice of Meghalaya High Court. He

succeeds Ajay Kumar Mittal who is now the Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh High

Court.

Mh. Raffiq will be the 8th Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court. Justice Raffiq

started his law practice in 1984. He practised exclusively in Rajasthan High Court in

almost all branches of law.

He has been recognized as an expert on the Indian Constitution, service, land

acquisition, tax and company law cases.

In 2008, he was appointed as Justice at the Rajasthan High Court. He also served as

acting Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court twice.

Justice Dr Ravi Ranjan takes oath as Chief Justice of Jharkhand HC

Justice Dr Ravi Ranjan took oath as the Chief Justice of Jharkhand High Court.

Justice Ranjan has been appointed as the 13th Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High

Court.

The post was lying vacant since May this year after the former Chief Justice, Anirudh

Bose was appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court.

Justice Dr Ravi Ranjan was a judge in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

He was elevated to Additional Judge of the Patna High Court on July 14, 2008.

Later, he was appointed as a permanent judge on January 16, 2010.

He also served as the Acting Chief Justice of the Patna High Court for a brief period last

year.

Justice Akil Abdulhamid Kureshi sworn in as Chief Justice of Tripura High Court

Justice Akil Abdulhamid Kureshi was sworn in as the new Chief Justice of the High

Court of Tripura.

Justice Kureshi was serving as a judge of the Bombay High Court before his transfer to

Tripura.


3736

The Supreme Court collegium headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi had

recommended Justice Kureshi’s elevation as Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High

Court, but the recommendation was not approved by the Department of Justice.

Sudhir Mital elected president of Gymnastics Federation of India

Former Competition Commission of India chairman Sudhir Mital and Shantikumar

Singh were elected as president and general secretary respectively, of

the Gymnastics Federation of India (GFI).

Sudhir Mital is a retired IAS officer of Punjab cadre, was also a former president and

worked as GFI chief from 2003 to 2007.

He served as chairman of Competition Commission of India (CCI) in 2018 after joining

the organization in 2014 as a member.

Shantikumar was a former national level gymnast from Manipur, had served as GFI

treasurer from 2011 to 2015 and then got elected as secretary in the 2015 elections.

Lt Col Jyoti Sharma appointed as Army’s first female JAG officer

Lieutenant Colonel Jyoti Sharma has been appointed as Indian Army’s first female

Judge Advocate General officer to be deployed on a foreign mission.

She will serve the government of the East African country of Seychelles as a legal

expert & would give her opinion about defence and military act.

Devendra Fadnavis takes oath as CM of Maharashtra

Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP has taken oath as Maharashtra Chief Minister for a

second time.

Ajit Pawar of the NCP has also taken oath as Deputy Chief Minister.


38

37

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari administered the oath to the two leaders.

The BJP and NCP have formed an alliance to give a new government to Maharashtra

after nearly a month-long wait after the results.

Lieutenant Shivangi is the first-ever woman pilot for Navy

The first woman pilot, Lieutenant Shivangi, will join naval operations on completion

of operational training here on December 2. She hails from Muzzafarpur, Bihar.

She was inducted into Indian Navy as SSC (Pilot) as part of 27 NOC course in Indian

Naval Academy, Ezhimala, Kerala.

She, who had been undergoing training at the Southern Naval Command, will get

authorisation on December 2 to fly Dornier aircraft.

Kerala cadre IAS officer to head UN tourism body

Kerala cadre senior IAS officer Suman Billa is set to join the United Nations World

Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) at its headquarters in Madrid, Spain.


39 He will take charge next week as Director, Technical Cooperation and Silk Road

Development at the D1 level at UNWTO, a specialised agency responsible for the

promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.38

Devendra Fadnavis announces to resign as Maharashtra CM

Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis announced his resignation after the

Supreme Court asked him to face a floor-test to test the strength of his BJP-led

government’s position.

His deputy, Ajit Pawar of the NCP, had resigned minutes before.

Bipin Rawat to be first Chief of Defence Staff

General Bipin Rawat to be first Chief of Defence Staff. He will end his tenure as the

Army Chief in December 2019.

He will take over as the first Chief of Defence Staff – a four-star position being created

as part of a defence management overhaul.

He will get a term of 2 years as the CDS.

He took over as the 27th Chief of Army Staff on 31 December 2016 after General

Dalbir Singh retired.

Tata Comm board appoints A S Lakshminarayanan as MD and CEO


40

39

The Board of Tata Communications (Tata Comm) appointed Amur Swaminathan

Lakshminarayanan as the managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO)

of the telecom company for a term of five years with effect from 26 November 2019.

Prior to joining Tata Comm, Lakshminarayanan was the president and CEO of TCS,

Japan where he was in charge of accelerating the company’s market opportunity and

developing the brand in the region.

Uddhav Thackeray takes oath as Maharashtra CM

Shiv Sena Chief and Maha Vikas Aghadi nominee Uddhav Thackeray took oath as the

Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

He is the 19th Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

He was named as the leader of the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance called

the ‘Maha Vikas Aghadi’.

Governor of Maharashtra Bhagat Singh Koshyari administered the oath to Thackeray

at Shivaji Park, Dadar in Central Mumbai.

He is the first Thackeray family member to become Maharashtra’s CM.

The alliance is yet to decide the candidate for the Deputy CM post.

HR Khan Appointed as chairman of MFI panel


41

i. Former deputy governor of RBI, HR Khan has been appointed as the first chairman of

the steering committee of the Code for Responsible Lending (CRL) in micro-credit. The

CRL is a self-regulatory step for the micro-credit industry making diverse entities like

banks, NBFC-MFIs and NBFCs adhere to standards of customer protection.

40

ii. CRL was launched in September by MFIN and Sa-Dhan, an RBI-recognised

association of MFIs, along with Finance Industry Development Council, an association

of NBFCs.

Awards

28th Vyas honor to Liladhar Jagudi, thought important in poetry

The 28th Vyas Samman of the year 2018 was given by KK Birla Foundation to

renowned litterateur Liladhar Jagudi. He received this honor for the famous poem

collection 'As many as many love' published in the year 2013.


42 In the ceremony held at India International Center, well-known litterateur and chief

guest Govind Mishra, senior litterateur and Chairman of Vyas Samman Selection

Committee Prof. Vishwanath Prasad Tripathi, Dr. Suresh Rituparna, Director of KK

Birla Foundation presented him this honor.

He was awarded a citation, a sum of Rs 4 lakh and a symbol of the KK Birla

Foundation, for this honor for his outstanding literary work in Hindi.

Rajinikanth to be honoured special Icon award at IFFI

The 50th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) will honour

superstar Rajinikanth with a special Icon of Golden Jubilee Award and the Life

Time Achievement Award for a Foreign Artiste will be conferred to French

Actress Isabelle Huppert.

The festival will be held in Goa from November 20 to 28. Russia will be the partner

country at the festival this year.

Writer Anand selected for 27th Ezhuthachan Puraskaram 2019

Noted writer Anand has been selected for the 27th Ezhuthachan Puraskaram 2019.


43 This award is given by Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award and the Government of

Kerala.

He was chosen for his overall contributions to Malayalam language and Literature. His

real name is P.Satchidanandan uses the pseudonym, Anand.

Anand retired as Planning director from the Central Water Commission in New Delhi.

His native is Iringalakkuda, Thrissur at Kerala.

His first novel was Alkkoottam. He is also a recipient of Vayalar Award and Yashpal

Award.

Sudarsan Pattnaik selected for Italian Golden Sand Art Award

International acclaimed Sand Artist Sudarsan Pattnaik who belongs to Odisha has

been selected for the prestigious Italian Golden Sand Art Award 2019.

He will be felicitated during the International Scorrana Sand Nativity festival in Italy

which is to be held from November 13 to 18, 2019.

42

He was honoured by the union government with the fourth highest civilian ‘Padma

Shri’ award in 2014.

Indian-origin researcher Neeraj Sharma has been given the ‘Early Career

Researcher of the Year award’ by the Australian government.

This award is given for developing next-generation battery systems such as a sodium-

ion battery that will leave a minimal environmental impact.

He is a professor at the University of South Wales (UNSW)’s School of Chemistry.


44 Neeraj Sharma, considered one of the global leaders in the use of neutron and X-ray

scattering methods, is also exploring inherently safe solid-state batteries, energy-dense

lithium-sulfur batteries, dual function solar batteries and methods for recycling.

Serbia’s Sara Damnjanovic wins “Miss Asia Global title 2019”

The 5th Edition of ‘Miss Asia Global Title 2019’ was organized at Gokulam

Convention centre in Kochi, Kerala. Sara Damnjanovic from Serbia has been

crowned ‘Miss Asia Global 2019’.

43

The title is given to the winner from the Asian region. Nguyen Thi Yen Trang from

Vietnam was awarded the Miss Asia title given to the winner from the rest of the

world.

Samiksha Singh from India won the sub-title of ‘Miss Beautiful Face’ Title. The Next

‘Miss Asia Global Title 2020’ will be held in Malaysia.

Gulab Kothari to be awarded Raja Ram Mohan Roy Award


45 Rajasthan Patrika group chairman Gulab Kothari has been chosen for the

prestigious Raja Ram Mohan Roy Award, presented by the Press Council of

India, for his outstanding contribution towards journalism.

Sanjay Saini, Correspondent, Dainik Bhaskar, Mandi, and Raj Chengappa, Group

Editorial Director, India Today, have been jointly named as winners of the award in the

category of ‘Rural Journalism’.

Kumar Mangalam Birla conferred ABLF Global Asian award

Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, was conferred

the ABLF Global Asian Award, for “powerful individual whose business footprint

and commitment to excellence have engaged international interest and attention”.

The Asia Business Leadership Forum (ABLF) is backed by the UAE government and

currently runs in three forms- talks, awards, and publications.

The previous awardees include Dhirubhai Ambani, Lakshmi Mittal, Mohamed Ali

Alaber, chairman of Emaar group, and Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum,

chairman of Emirates.

44

Tata Literature Live! to honour Shanta Gokhale with Lifetime Achievement

award

The Tata Literature Live! Lifetime Achievement Award for 2019 was conferred on

writer, translator and film critic Shanta Gokhale.

She, born in 1939 in the town of Dahanu in Maharashtra, recently published her memoir

One Foot on the Ground: A Life Told Through the Body.

She received the Sangeet Natak Academy Award in 2015.

Poet K Satchidanandan was named the Tata Literature Live! Poet Laureate for 2019.

Ravi Prakash wins BRICS Young Innovator Award

India’s Ravi Prakash has won the BRICS-Young Innovator Prize. The winner of this

award gets USD 25,000.

He has been given this award for the invention of the small and cheap 'Milk Chilling

Unit'. This innovation is useful for small and economical weaken farmers.


46 The BRICS-Young Innovator Prize is given to a young researcher and entrepreneur

whose innovation will impact the lives of the people of BRICS countries.

Robert De Niro to be conferred with SAG Life Achievement award

Hollywood veteran and double Oscar winner Robert De Niro will receive the SAG-

AFTRA’s highest tribute: the SAG Life Achievement Award for career achievement

and humanitarian accomplishment, at the 26th edition of the ceremony 2019.

The SAG Life Achievement Award is given annually to an actor who fosters the “finest

ideals of the acting profession”.

Movie “Bhonsle” Wins awards at Asian Film Festival Barcelona

The Critically acclaimed movie “Bhonsle” has won prestigious awards at the Asian

Film Festival Barcelona.

The film has bagged two awards in the ‘Best Screenplay’ and ‘Best

Director’ categories at the festival. The film is directed by Devashish Makhija.

Bhonsle revolves around a police constable played by Manoj Bajpayee, who tries to

help in the struggles of migrants and their battles with the local politicians.

45

David Attenborough conferred with Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace

David Attenborough, a renowned naturalist, has been conferred with the Indira

Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development 2019 for his tireless efforts

towards awakening the humankind to the need to preserve and protect the planet’s

biodiversity.


47 Sir David Attenborough, as he is popularly known, has been recognized with the award

for his lifetime worth of work to reveal the wonders of the natural world and awaken

mankind to live in a sustainable and harmonious way and stop being a “plague on

earth”.

The 2019 prize winner was announced by the International Jury of the Indira

Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development, chaired by former Indian

President Pranab Mukherjee.

Virat Kohli named PETA India’s Person of the Year

India captain Virat Kohli was named People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

(PETA) India’s ‘Person of the Year for 2019’ for his animal advocacy efforts.

Kohli’s efforts to improve conditions for animals include sending a letter on PETA

India’s behalf to officials calling for the release of Malti, an elephant used for rides at

Amer Fort, who was reportedly violently beaten by eight men.

The PETA awards are given to people or organisations that take initiative in the welfare

of animals and violence against animals.

46

Swachh Survekshan Grameen Awards 2019

The Union Minister of the Ministry of Chemical and Fertilizers, conferred the Swachh

Survekshan Grameen 2019 awards to top-ranked states, union territories, and districts

in the various categories on the occasion of World Toilet Day at Pravasi Bhartiya

Kendra, New Delhi.

The top-ranked state: Tamil Nadu, and the top-ranked district: Peddapalli

(Telangana), along with the state with the maximum citizen participation: Uttar

Pradesh.

Greta Thunberg awarded international children’s peace prize


48

Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg was awarded an international children’s peace

prize, for her work in the struggle against climate change which has resonated with

schoolchildren across the world.

Cameroonian peace activist Divina Maloum, aged 15, also received the International

Children’s Peace Prize, for her fighting spirit and ‘Peaceful struggle’ against Boko

Haram jihadist group.

The prizes were distributed by Laureate Kailash Satyarthi, an Indian children’s rights

activist and 2014 Nobel Peace Prize winner.

The award ceremony was organized by the Dutch Kids Right Organization.

47

Marathon man Kipchoge, hurdle heroine Muhammad win Athlete of the Year


49 Eliud Kipchoge, the first man to run a marathon in less than two hours, and 400 metres

hurdles world champion Dalilah Muhammad won the World Athlete of the Year

awards.

Kipchoge, claimed governing body World Athletics’ year-ending prize in Monaco after

making history last month when he ran the marathon distance of 42.195 kilometres

(26.219 miles) in 1hr 59min 40.2sec.

American Muhammad won her award after a magnificent year that saw her set a world

record of 52.20 seconds at the US Trials in Iowa in July breaking a record that had

stood since 2003.

Floating school project of Bangladesh wins Aga Khan Architecture Award

Floating school project of Bangladesh wins Aga Khan Architecture

Award. Bangladesh is a land of water.

A large part of its landscape remains submerged underwater during the monsoon

months.

When Razia Alam came back from England after retirement as a teacher, she wanted to

build a school for children which is spacious, modern and healthy for learning.

Razia also wanted it to be built at the land which was underwater for about six months

of the year during the monsoon period.

She contacted the internationally renowned architect of Bangladesh Saif Ul Haque to

design the school.

48

He took up the project and came with a school which has won many prestigious awards

including the Aga Khan award.

It is a floating school named ‘The Arcadia Education Project’.

‘The Arcadia Education Project’ in South Kanarchor of Bangladesh is an innovative

concept.

It is an amphibious school built with local material and expertise near the capital city

Dhaka.


50 The floating school is unique in its design and novel in its concept. The school also

serves as a shelter, a daycare centre and a vocational training centre for the local people.

Manisha Kulshreshtha wins 28th Bihari Puraskar

Noted writer from Rajasthan, Manisha Kulshreshtha, was awarded the 28th Bihari

Puraskar for 2018 for her novel ‘Swapnapash’.

The award is presented by the KK Birla Foundation and is for writers of Rajasthani

origin.

It is given annually to an outstanding work in Hindi or Rajasthani published in the past

10 years.

Named after famous Hindi poet Bihari, the award carries a cash prize of 2.5 lakh, a

citation, and a plaque.

Indian journalist Neha Dixit recipients of International Press Freedom Award

Indian journalist Neha Dixit has receipt 2019 International Press Freedom Awards.

This award is awarded by Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a non-profit

organization whose aim is to enable journalists to work without the fear of reprisal.49

Dixit received the award for her reports on sex trafficking scandals in India by

Investigative reporter in Miami Herald, Julie k.Brown.

Sundram Fasteners’ Suresh Krishna gets ‘Quality Ratna’ award

India’s first ‘Quality Ratna’ award to Suresh Krishna, Chairman, Sundram Fasteners

Ltd.

He has been a role model for society in embracing the principles of quality in both

personal and professional life.KALAM IAS ACADEMY, PERAMBUR & VADAPALANI PH.9500142441 , 8608615241 www.kalamtrainingacademy.com

51 He pioneered the constitution of the TPM Club of India in collaboration with the Japan

Institute of Plant Maintenance in 1998 and was its first Chairman.

This award was awarded by trade body Confederation of Indian Industry

(CII) Institute of Quality, in its 27th Quality Summit held in Bengaluru.

Billie Eilish is Billboard’s 2019 ‘Woman of the Year’

Singer Billie Eilish will be honoured as Billboard’s 2019 Woman of the Year.

Pop star Taylor Swift will also be honoured at Billboard’s event, receiving the

inaugural Woman of the Decade award.

Billie has disrupted the entertainment industry through her music and social media

platforms, leaving an indelible impact on the global cultural zeitgeist.

50

Royal Aeronautical Society honour for DRDO chief G Satheesh Reddy


52

Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) London has conferred the Honorary Fellowship of

the Society for the year 2019 to G Satheesh Reddy,Secretary Department of Defence

R&D and Chairman DRDO.

He is the first Indian recipient of this prestigious award in over 100 years.

The Society’s highest award is bestowed in recognition of Reddy’s pioneering

technological contributions over the past three decades which has enabled the country

to realise frontline military systems and world-class missile technologies.

This fellowship is considered as Nobel Prize in the aerospace.

It is the world’s highest distinctions for aerospace achievement awarded for only most

exceptional contributions to the aerospace profession.

The first Honorary Fellowship was awarded in the year 1917.

‘Particles’ wins the Golden Peacock Award at IFFI 2019

‘Particles’ directed by Blaise Harrison and produced by Estelle Fialon has won the

coveted Golden Peacock Award at the 50th International Film Festival of India

(IFFI), which concluded in Goa on November 28, 2019.

The Golden Peacock Award carries a cash prize of Rs 40 lakhs to be shared equally

between the Director and the Producer, Trophy and the citation.

‘Particles’ is an “ambitious yet modest film about the mysteries of being a teenager,”.

51


53Books And Authors

Vice President releases monograph of ‘Musical Excellence of Mridangam’ in

Chennai

Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu released a monograph, ‘Musical Excellence of

Mridangam’, a rare fusion of art and science of an ancient South Indian instrument on

the CSIR-Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI) campus in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

The book, an outcome of research and development on standardisation of fabrication,

tonal characterisation and new innovations in the design of the percussion instrument,

was authored by mridangam maestro and Padma Vibhushan awardee Umayalpuram

K. Sivaraman and former scientists T. Ramasami (former Secretary of the Department

of Science and Technology) and M.D. Naresh.

CJI Ranjan Gogoi releases Assamese version of book ‘Courts of India: Past to

Present’

Chief Justice of India Justice Ranjan Gogoi released the Assamese version of the

book ‘Courts of India: Past to Present’ in Guwahati, Assam.

The book has been published by the Publication division. The various chapters of the

book narrate the historical events of the court.

MHRD launches 3 books for children namely Kumbh, Garam Pahad and Dilli ki

Bulbul

Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ launched 3 books which are a

collection of stories for Children namelyKumbh, Garam Pahad and Dilli ki Bulbul

(Sindhi edition) in New Delhi.

Authored by a popular writer of children’s books and travelogues Dr Anita Bhatnagar

Jain.

She is an officer of Indian Administrative Services (1985 batch).

The three books are a collection of stories for children and have brought out

environmental issues and topics like socio-cultural unity& cultural heritage in a very

simple and interesting manner.52


54Defence

India-Uzbekistan 1st-ever joint military exercise Dustlik-2019 begins

The first-ever India-Uzbekistan joint military exercise Dustlik-2019 begin at

Chirchiq Training Area near Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

The exercise, which will be focused on counter-terrorism, will continue till November

13.

During the exercise, an Indian Army contingent will train along with Uzbekistan Army.

The exercise will enable the sharing of best practices and experiences between the

Armed Forces of the two countries and will lead to greater operational effectiveness.

Biggest US-Bangladesh Navy exercise starts in Chattogram, Bangladesh

The second phase of the biggest US- Bangladesh Navy exercise named ‘Cooperation

A float Readiness and Training (CARAT)- 2019’ started in Chattogram, Bangladesh.

CARAT is one of the U.S. Navy’s longest continually running exercise in South Asia

and Southeast Asia.

The exercise provides an opportunity to gain a better understanding of the operational

activities of the Navies of two countries and to get acquainted with advanced

technology through various theoretical and practical training.

GRSE delivers fast patrol vessel, ‘Annie Besant’ to Indian Coast Guard

Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE) delivered Fast Patrol Vessel

(FPV) ICGS Annie Besant, the second in the series of five such ships, to the Indian

Coast Guard.

53


55 A medium-range vessel with a length of 50 metres, a width of 7.5 metres and

displacement of around 308 tonnes, the FPV is capable of operations in the maritime

zones of the country.

These powerful, fuel-efficient platforms are designed to perform multipurpose

operations like patrolling, anti-smuggling, anti-poaching and rescue operations.

ICGS Annie Besant is designed for a maximum speed of 34 knots with an endurance of

more than 1,500 nautical miles.

Indian Navy, Indonesian Navy bilateral maritime exercise ‘Samudra Shakti

India is jointly exercising its anti-submarine warfare corvette INS Kamorta along

with Indonesian warship KRI Usman Harun, a multi-role corvette, in the Bay of

Bengal as part of an ongoing bilateral exercise ”Samudra Shakti”.

The aim of the exercise is to strengthen bilateral relations, expand maritime co-

operation, enhance interoperability and exchange best practices.

The joint exercises include manoeuvres, surface warfare exercises, air defence

exercises, weapon firing drills, helicopter operations and boarding operations.

Indian Coast Guard conducted Exercise ReSAREX-2019

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) tested its efficiency and preparedness during

the Regional Level Search and Rescue Workshop and Exercise 2019 (ReSAREX-

19) conducted off the Goa coast.

ICG participation: 5 ships of ICG, 2 Chetak helicopters were used for the workshop

while resources from State Marine Police, Indian Mission Control Centre (IMCC) in

Bengaluru, Karnataka, Captain of Ports, state administration of Goa, Goa medical

college and Goa’s Mormugao Port Trust were used in the service.

India-U.S. tri-services exercise Tiger Triumph begins

The India-U.S. tri-services amphibious exercise “Tiger Triumph” has begun in

Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

Tiger Triumph will go on for 9 days off the Visakhapatnam and Kakinada coasts.

The training events will enhance U.S.-India military-to-military relations and hone

individual and small-unit skills in humanitarian assistance and disaster response.54


56 This kind of training is expected to build the capacity of both the U.S. and Indian

participants as well as improving their ability to operate together.

First night trial of Agni II missile conducted successfully

India has successfully conducted the first night trial of Agni-II, its versatile surface-

to-surface medium-range nuclear-capable missile from Dr Abdul Kalam Island off

Odisha coast.

Agni-II, an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), has already been inducted into

the armed forces.

The entire trajectory of the trial was tracked by a battery of sophisticated radars,

telemetry observation stations, electro-optic instruments and two naval ships located

near the impact point in the down-range area of Bay of Bengal.

The test was carried out by the specially formed Strategic Forces Command (SFC) of

the Army with logistic support from the Defence Research and Development

Organisation (DRDO).

The two-stage ballistic missile can carry a payload of 1000 kg over a distance of 2000

km.

Indian Army conducts ‘Sindhu Sudarshan’ exercise in Rajasthan

The Sudarshan Chakra Corps of the Indian Army conducted ‘Sindhu

Sudarshan’ exercise in Barmer, Rajasthan.

Around 40,000 jawans of the Indian Army are participating in the exercise.’ Sindhu

Sudarshan’ exercise will continue till December 05.

The aim of the exercise was to evaluate the capability and battle readiness of

the defence forces in an integrated air-land battle in a semi-developed terrain of the

desert.

Newly inducted armed helicopter Rudra, manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd

(HAL) equipped with electro-optical pods, helmet-mounted sights and night vision

goggles was used in the exercise.

Apart from Rudra, newly inducted K9 Vajra (South Korean self-propelled 155 mm

howitzer) was also used in the exercise.55


57 GRSE delivers ICGS ‘Amrit Kaur to Indian Coast Guard

Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE) delivered to the Indian

Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) ‘Amrit Kaur’, the third in a series of five ‘Fast Patrol

Vessels’ (FPV).

ICGS ‘Amrit Kaur’ is a 50-metre-long and 7.5-metre- wide medium-range surface

vessel, with a displacement of around 308 tonnes.

It is capable of performing a rescue, patrolling, anti-smuggling and anti-poaching

operations in the maritime zones of the country.

The vessel can attain a maximum speed of 34 knots with an endurance of over 1,500

nautical miles.

The ship is equipped with three main engines and has advanced control systems, water

jet units and an ‘Integrated Bridge System’ constituting all communication and

navigation systems.

Indian Naval Academy awarded President’s Colour

President Ram Nath Kovind and Supreme Commander of Indian Armed Forces

awarded President’s Colour to Indian Naval Academy (INA), Ezhimala at Kochi,

Kerala.

The President’s Colour is the highest honour bestowed upon a military unit.

It was awarded to INA in recognition of the yeoman service rendered by the institution

in training and shaping Indian Naval officers over the last 50 years at three different

locations – Goa, Kochi and Ezhimala.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to inaugurate 3rd Military Literature Festival in

Chandigarh

The three-day long Military Literature Festival (MLF) with Defence Minister

Rajnath Singh inaugurating the gala event on December 13 at the Lake Club of the City

Beautiful Chandigarh.

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will inaugurate the event, while Punjab Chief

Minister Captain Amarinder Singh will preside over the closing ceremony and honour

56


58 the descendants and units of Victoria Cross winners of the Burma Campaign of the

Second World War.

India to host naval drill Milan 2020

The Indian Navy will host military drill ‘Milan 2020’ in March which will witness the

participation of several countries.

41 nations from South Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa and Europe that share defence

cooperation with India have been invited for the drill.

MILAN stands for ‘Multilateral Naval Exercise’.

The government pursues cooperation initiatives with friendly foreign countries,

including in the Indian Ocean Region, through structured interactions like Staff Talks,

Empowered Steering Group.

The areas of cooperation include capacity building, marine domain awareness, training,

hydrography, technical assistance, operational exercise.

ISRO Launches CARTOSAT-3

India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C47 Launch Vehicle-XL (PSLV-XL)

rocket carrying advanced earth observation satellite Cartosat-3 and 13 US nano

satellites lifted off from the second launch pad of the rocket port from Sriharikota.

At about 9.28 a.m. the 44.4 meters tall, weighing 320-ton rocket blasted off from the

second launch pad at the country’s rocket port.

The launch was normal despite a clouded sky.

According to ISRO, the 1,625 kg Cartosat-3 is an advanced agile satellite to obtain

panchromatic and multispectral imagery with an operational life of five years.

India & Japan holds Mine Countermeasure Exercise(MINEX) 2019

A maiden bilateral exercise between the Indian Navy and the Japanese Maritime Self

Defence Force (JMSDF) have conducted Mine Countermeasure Exercise (MINEX)

2019 at Kochi, Kerala.

Officials of the Indian Navy and from the warships Bungo and Takashima of JMSDF’s

Minesweeper (a naval ship that is deployed in removing naval mines) Division 3,

commanded by Captain Seiji Ikubu took part in the exercise.57


59 Indian Army successfully test-fired 2 Spike LR missile in MP

The Indian Army has successfully test-fired 2 Spike long-range anti-tank missiles at

Mhow in Madhya Pradesh.

Spike is a 4th-generation missile which can engage any target with precision at ranges

up to 4 km. India became the 33rd country to have the Spike missile as part of its

inventory.

The missile has the ability to fire, observe and update, providing substantial flexibility

to the firer to pinpoint the impact point.

It also has the ability to switch to a different target mid-flight.

The firer has the option of firing from a low or high trajectory.

Economy Moody lowers India’s GDP growth forecast to 5.6 per cent for 2019

Moody’s Investors Service has slashed India’s economic growth forecast to 5.6% for

the fiscal year 2019.

It stated that the government measures do not address the widespread weakness in

consumption demand, as a reason for lowering the growth forecast.

It also stated that the economic activity in India will pick up in 2020 and 2021 to 6.6 %

and 6.7 % respectively.

Obituary TN Seshan, former Chief Election Commissioner, passes away


60 TN Seshan passed away on November 10, 2019. He was famous for strictly enforcing

electoral rules in India when he was Chief Election Commissioner of the country. He

was 86.

Seshan had played an important role in electoral reforms in the country in the 1990s.

TN Seshan's full name was Tirunellai Narayana Iyer Seshan.

He was 10th Chief Election Commissioner of India. He held this position from 12

December 1990 to 11 December 1996.

He made many changes in the Indian election system. The voter ID card was also

started in India by him.

It was a famous quote about him that, 'Politicians are afraid of only two things, one

God and the second TN Seshan'.

He completed his graduation from Christian College, Madras. He was also a lecturer for

some time in the same college.

In 1997, he contested the presidential election but defeated by KR Narayanan.

He also wrote the books 'The Degeneration of India' and 'A Heart Full of Burden'.

TN Seshan was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1996.

Sahitya Akademi awardee writer Nabaneeta Dev Sen passes away

Sahitya Akademi awardee writer Nabaneeta Dev Sen passed away.

A poet, novelist and short-story writer, Dev Sen won the Sahitya Akademi award in

1999 for her book ‘Naba-Nita’. She was also the recipient of the Padma Shri in 2000.


61

She is the founder and president of the West Bengal Women Writers’ Association.

Nabaneeta Dev Sen’s 1978 book on ‘Naxal movement in Bengal’ was published in

English.

Vashishtha Narayan Singh, a mathematician who challenged Einstein’s theory,

passes away

The great mathematician Vashishtha Narayan Singh passed away in Patna on

November 14. He was 74.

Vashishtha Narayan Singh was suffering from mental illness schizophrenia for 40

years. Mathematician Vashistha Narayan Singh had challenged Einstein's theory and

earned worldwide recognition.

Veteran actor Shaukat Kaifi passes away

Veteran actor Shaukat Kaifi passed away. She is remembered for her roles in MS

Sathyu’s Garm Hawa, Sagar Sathadi’s Bazaar and Muzaffar Ali’s Umrao Jaan.


6260

Her last film was the Vivek Oberoi-Rani Mukerji starrer Saathiya. Kaifi’s husband was

the celebrated Urdu poet and film lyricist, Kaifi Azmi. Kaifi and Shaukat were leaders

of the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA) and the Progressive Writers

Association (IWA).

Former WB minister Kshiti Goswami passes away

The General Secretary of the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and former West

Bengal Minister Kshiti Goswami passed away.

Goswami was PWD Minister in Jyoti Basu and Buddhadev Bhattacharjee’s cabinet in

the Left Front Government in the State.

Australian writer & broadcaster Clive James passes away

Australian writer and broadcaster, Clive James passed away.

He was born in 1939, he moved to England in 1961 and rose to prominence as a literary

critic and TV columnist.

He went on to deliver wry commentary on international programming in such shows as

Clive James On Television.KALAM IAS ACADEMY, PERAMBUR & VADAPALANI PH.9500142441 , 8608615241 www.kalamtrainingacademy.com

6361

Former PM of Japan, Yasuhiro Nakasone Passed Away

i. Yasuhiro Nakasone, one of Japan’s longest-reigning Prime Ministers and known for

his friendship with Ronald Reagan, has passed away at the age of 101. Nakasone, Prime

Minister from 1982 to 1987, shared the world stage with Reagan and Margaret Thatcher

while battling with bureaucrats over domestic reforms.

ii. In 1983, he became the first Japanese premier to officially visit South Korea,

mending fences with a country that Japan had brutally colonised from 1910 to 1945.

Science And Technology

UNESCO designates Mumbai and Hyderabad as member of UCCN

UNESCO has designated Mumbai as a member of UNESCO Creative Cities

Network (UCCN) in the field of FILM and Hyderabad in the field

of GASTRONOMY.

The 7 categories for recognition under UCCN are Crafts and Folk Arts, Design, Film,

Gastronomy, Music, Media Arts and Literature.KALAM IAS ACADEMY, PERAMBUR & VADAPALANI PH.9500142441 , 8608615241 www.kalamtrainingacademy.com

64 62

Previously, 3 Indian cities were recognized as members of UCCN, namely- Jaipur-

Crafts and Folk Arts(2015), Varanasi-Creative city of Music (2015), Chennai-Creative

city of Music(2017).

UCCN, created in 2004, is a network of cities which are thriving, active centres of

cultural activities in their respective countries. The UNESCO Creative Cities Network

now counts a total of 246 cities.

The Robotic Surgery Facility was opened in the Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi. It

is one of the biggest tertiary care referral centre of India under the Ministry of Health

and Family Welfare.

It caters to all poor patients for cancers like bladder cancer, kidney failure, kidney

cancers from different parts of the country.

Related Keys

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Formed – 1976

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Headquarters – New Delhi.

Harsh Vardhan inaugurates global Mega Science Exhibition ‘Vigyan Samagam’

Union Minister of Science & Technology and Minister of Earth Science has

inaugurated India’s 1-ever multi-venue Mega science exhibition, ‘Vigyan Samagam

2019’, in Kolkata, West Bengal.

The exhibition organized by Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Department of

Science and Technology (DST), and the National Council of Science

Museums(NCSM), Ministry of Culture, the exhibition will be open till December 31,

2019 for public display and will showcase the world from micro to macro, unveiling the

efforts of the international community in understanding the Universe.

IIT-Madras launches affordable standing wheelchair

Indian Institute of Technology-Madras, in collaboration with Phoenix Medical

Systems, launched the country’s first indigenously-designed standing wheelchair.

wheelchair named “Arise”, was designed and developed by the TTK Centre for

Rehabilitation Research and Device Development (R2D2), headed by Sujatha

Srinivasan, a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at IIT-Madras.


65 63

The wheelchair is priced at Rs 15,000. The assistive device helps the wheelchair-bound

move from a sitting to standing position, and vice-versa, independently.

NASA detects huge X-ray burst from outer space

NASA has detected a massive thermonuclear explosion coming from outer space,

caused by a massive thermonuclear flash on the surface of a pulsar.

The crushed remains of a star that long ago exploded as a supernova. The explosion

released as much energy in 20 seconds as the Sun does in nearly 10 days.

NASA’s Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) telescope on

the International Space Station (ISS) detected a sudden spike of X-rays on August 20,

reports the US space agency.

The X-ray burst, the brightest seen by NICER so far, came from an object

named “J1808”.

The observations reveal many phenomena that have never been seen together in a single

burst.

NASA unveils its first electric airplane

NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) has launched its 1st all-

electric experimental aircraft named the X-57 “Maxwell”.

It is NASA’s 1st crewed X-plane (experimental plane) in nearly 2 decades adapted

from Italian Tecnam P2006T aircraft.

The first delivery of the all-electric experimental aircraft was taken from Empirical

Systems Aerospace (ESAero) in California, United States(US).

The aircraft is expected to be operational by late 2020.

Syska Group launched an anti-bacterial LED bulb Bactiglow SSK-BAB-9W Bulb.

The bulb is made with microbial disinfection properties that electrocute harmful

bacteria present in a room.

Aim: Syska aims to offer products that are convenient, affordable, and reflect their

evolving needs and preferences. The Syska Bactiglow LED bulb offers consumers

innovative features that are over and provide more benefits of a regular LED bulb.


66

ISRO to launch Cartosat-3, 13 commercial nano satellites on Nov 25

India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C47 will launch Cartosat-3 and 13

commercial nanosatellites into Sun Synchronous orbit from Satish Dhawan Space

Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota on 25th November.

Cartosat-3 satellite is a third-generation agile advanced satellite having high-resolution

imaging capability.

This will be the 74th launch vehicle mission from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota.

PSLV-C47 is the 21st flight of PSLV in ‘XL’ configuration, that is with 6 solid strap-on

motors.

PSLV-C47 will also carry 13 commercial nanosatellites from the United States of

America as part of a commercial arrangement with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL),

Department of Space.

ISRO transfer space-grade Li-Ion cell technology to BHEL

ISRO has transferred its indigenous technology to produce space-grade Li-Ion

cells to Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL).

In March 2018, BHEL signed the Technology Transfer Agreement with ISRO for

acquiring the Li-Ion Cell production technology.

This production facility is primarily targeting to meet Li-Ion Cell requirements for

ISRO and other strategic sectors.

BHEL can also produce and sell Li-Ion cells for meeting other national/commercial

applications by suitably modifying the space-grade cell which can lead to cost

reduction.

BHEL is in the process of establishing the Li-Ion production facility near Bangalore in

Karnataka.


6765

State News “Bali Yatra” festival begins in Cuttack, Odisha

The festival ‘Bali Yatra’ which is organised every year in memory of the rich maritime

history of the state, was inaugurated in Cuttack, Odisha.

The festival is organised at the bank of Mahanadi River every year to mark the day

when ancient mariners from the state would set sail to the distant land of Bali, Sumatra,

Java (Jawa) in Indonesia, Borneo and Sri Lanka, for the expansion of trade and Culture.

Nilam Sawhney is the new Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh

Nilam Sawhney has become the first woman chief secretary of bifurcated Andhra

Pradesh. Her husband Ajay Sawhney is also an IAS officer and is currently serving as

secretary in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

The State government has recently removed senior IAS officer LV Subrahmanyam as

Chief Secretary.

Andhra Pradesh government launches ‘Nadu-Nedu’ scheme

The programme aims to introduce English medium from classes 1 to 6 in state-run

schools.

The scheme will be implemented in 15,715 schools in the first phase.

It will cover all schools in three years’ time with a budget of Rs 12,000 crores.

The decision to switch over to the English medium in government schools has been

taken to uplift the marginalised section of society.


68

66

Yogi Adityanath inaugurates North India’s 1st sugar mill which will produce

ethanol

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has inaugurated North India’s first

sugar mill which will produce ethanol direct from sugarcane.

The mill was inaugurated in Pipraich area of Gorakhpur, which is a unit of Uttar

Pradesh Sugar and Sugarcane Development Corporation Limited.

The mills, which previously produced around 8,000 quintals of sugar, will now

produce more than 50,000 quintals of sugar every day.

Defence Minister inaugurates Sisseri Bridge built by BRO

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated Sisseri Bridge, built by the Border

Road Organisation (BRO) on Pasighat-Bomjir Highway, Arunachal Pradesh.

The 200-metre long bridge between Jonai-Pasighat-Ranaghat-Roing road will provide

connectivity between Dibang Valley and Siang to meet the long-pending demand of the

people of Arunachal Pradesh.

Kolkata becomes first city to install ‘Third Umpire’ RT-PCR Machines

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has installed first of its kind high-

end reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) machines in India

for quick detection of diseases like dengue, tuberculosis and swine flu.

These machines are to serve as a ‘third umpire’ in situations when medical reports and

blood tests reveal contradictory results.

The purpose is to give an accurate DNA report on blood tests in order to ascertain the

exact cause of illness.

Assam government releases the new Land Policy 2019 after 30 years

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal released the new Land Policy

2019 prepared by Revenue and Disaster Management Department.

The Land Policy was approved by Cabinet on 21st October and it has been prepared by

the Revenue and Disaster Management Department after 30 years. It was last prepared

in 1989.


69

67

The state government has been putting a lot of emphasis in preparing the Land Policy to

safeguard the interest of the indigenous people and the Policy would remove

complications regarding land allotments and settlements.

Sangai Festival 2019 begins in Manipur

Every year the State of Manipur celebrates the “Manipur Sangai Festival” from 21st

to 30th November.

The ‘Festival’ is named after the State animal, Sangai, the brow-antlered deer found

only in Manipur.

It started in the year 2010 and has grown over the years into a big platform for Manipur

to showcase its rich tradition and culture to the world.

The festival is organized by the State Tourism Department and biggest festival held

annually to promote tourism.

The formal inaugural function of the festival was held at Hapta Kangjeibung at Imphal.

During the festival, cultural programmes, traditional games, folk dance and classical

music will be performed by different communities of the State as well as from other

States.

J-K achieves highest road length in country under PMGSY, 11,400 km

construction completed

The Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir has achieved the highest road length

in the country under the Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) in this

year.

The region has witnessed construction of 11,400 kilometres covering 1,838 habitations

so far.

The PMGSY is an initiative launched by the central government to provide good all-

weather road connectivity to unconnected villages in the country.

The central government has released Rs 836.64 crores under the Prime Minister’s

Development Programme (PMDP) for vital health projects in the UT.


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Etawah Lion Safari inaugurated in Uttar Pradesh

The Etawah Lion Safari, formally known as Etawah Safari Park was thrown open

for public in Uttar Pradesh without the lion segment.

It is a drive-through safari park located in Etawah, Uttar Pradesh and is one of the

biggest safari parks in Asia with an area of 350 hectares (860 acres).

It has been developed as an educative tourist destination for children as well as youths.

The safari is expected to attract tourist and make Etawah a major tourist centre in the

country.

UP govt launches immunisation campaign against Filaria

Uttar Pradesh government is launching a massive immunisation campaign against

the filariasis or Filaria.

The central government has set the year 2021 as the deadline for complete eradication

of filaria in the country. Filaria is spread by infected mosquitoes, especially through

the parasitic Culex fatigans female mosquito.

When this mosquito bites a person suffering from Filaria, it becomes infected.

This campaign more than 65 thousand teams of health workers will distribute medicines

to around 6.5 crore people till 10 December in 19 districts.

There are 1.25 lakh cases of filaria in these 19 districts.

This time these 19 district have been divided in double drug and triple-drug categories

in which they will be provided DEC tablet, Albendazole and ivermectin.


71

69

Sports India women claim Emerging Asia Cup title

The 2019 Emerging Teams Asia Cup was played between India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan

and Bangladesh in Sri Lanka. India made it to the final with wins against the hosts by

32 runs and an emphatic victory against Pakistan by 7 wickets. In the final, India

claimed the title after beating hosts Sri Lanka by 14 runs under the Duckworth/Lewis

method in Colombo.

Devika Vaidya and Tanuja Kanwar bagged four wickets each after Tanusree Sarkar's

47 and Simran Bahadur's 34 had helped India post 175 for nine in 50 overs. The Indian

bowlers produced a disciplined show and bowled Sri Lanka out for 135 in 34.3 overs to

win the tournament at the R Premadasa Stadium.

Novak Djokovic won the Paris Masters 2019 title

Novak Djokovic won the Paris Masters 2019 title. He won the title for the fifth time.


72 He sealed his 34th Master’s title and fifth overall ATP victory of the year 2019.70

He defeated Canada’s Denis Shapovalov. He secured 6-3 6-4 to win the title.

ATP Rankings 2019: Rafael Nadal No.1, India's Prajnesh Gunneswaran on 94th

ATP Rankings 2019: Rafael Nadal has once again become the world's number one

tennis player in the ATP Rankings 2019. He replaced Novak Djokovic who has

slipped to number two. Nadal had previously held the number one position on

November 4, 2018.

This is the eighth time when Nadal (33) has reached at the top. He is the second oldest

player to hold the number one position in the ATP rankings after 1973. Federer

became number one at the age of 36 in 2018. India’s Prajnesh Gunneswaran

secured 94th position.

Virat Kohli's record broken, Shubman Gill creates history

Shubman Gill, 20-year-old, has become the youngest player to captain India-C

team in the final of the Deodhar Trophy. He went past the 10-year-old record of

Indian team captain Virat Kohli to become the youngest captain of Deodhar Trophy.

Shubman Gill was 20 years and 57 days old during the final match . Virat Kohli

captained the North Zone in 2009-10 when he was 21 years and 124 days old. The final

match was played between India C and India B at the JKCA International Complex in

Ranchi.

Official emblem unveiled for FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2020

The official emblem of FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup for the year 2020 which is

to be conducted in India was unveiled.


73

71

The emblem was unveiled by Fédération Internationale de Football Association(FIFA)

and Local Organising Committee(LOC) at the launch event in the gateway of India,

Mumbai, Maharashtra.

The design of the emblem is bright blue waves rise from the base and reach up along

the form of the trophy towards a crown forming the shape of Paisley or Boteh motif

commonly used in Kashmiri Pashmina shawl and carpets.

The droplet of the design framing a ball made from a marigold flower depicts a symbol

of growth and development. The colour and style are inspired by Bandhani textiles, an

Indian tie-dye technique dating back thousands of years.

The stem of the marigold’s symbol is derived from traditional Warli paintings with

Bandhani patterns.

Manu Bhaker bags gold medal in Asian Shooting Championships 2019

Manu Bhaker won gold medal in women’s 10m air pistol event. She put up a

dominant showing, shooting 584 in qualification and 244.3 in the final to take gold.

While Vivaan Kapoor and Manisha Keer also won the yellow metal in junior trap

mixed event at the Asian Shooting Championships 2019.

Women’s boxing icon Nicola Adams announced retirement

Two-time Olympic boxing champion Nicola Adams (37 years) announced her

retirement from the sport on medical advice due to the vulnerability of losing eyesight.


74 She became the first-ever women’s Olympic boxing champion at London 2012 in the

United Kingdom(UK), and also the first female boxer to become a double Olympic

champion after winning a second gold medal at the Rio Olympics 2016, in Brazil.

Shafali Verma becomes youngest Indian to hit international fifty, breaks Sachin

Tendulkar’s 30-year-old record

Shafali Verma shared a 143-run stand with Smriti Mandhana, which is also India

Women's highest opening partnership in T20I cricket, surpassing the previous record of

130 runs set by Punam Raut and Thirush Kamini against Bangladesh in April 2013.

The 15-year-old scored 73 runs from 49 deliveries, which included six boundaries and

four maximums, and in the course, she also became the youngest Indian batter (men and

women) to score a half-century in international cricket.

Shafali broke the record held by India’s legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar.

Shafali is 15 years and 285 days old whereas Tendulkar achieved it when he was 16

years and 214 days old.

The 15-year-old also became the second-youngest player to score a half-century in T20I

format (men and women).

India to host 2023 Men’s Hockey World Cup

India will host the 2023 Men’s Hockey World Cup from 13th to 29th of January.

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) India will play host to the men’s tournament

while Spain and the Netherlands have been named as the co-hosts of the 2022 Women’s

World Cup scheduled to be held from 1st to 22nd of July.

The decisions were made during FIH’s Executive Board Meeting in Lausanne,

Switzerland.

Thomas Dennerby takes charge as Indian Head Coach in FIFA U-17 Women’s

WC


75

All India Football Federation (AIFF) has announced the appointment of Thomas

Dennerby (Sweden) as the Indian head coach of the Women’s U-17 football team.

The FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) U-17(under 17) women’s

football World Cup 2020 will be hosted by India.

Thomas led the Sweden Women’s national team to finish third in the FIFA World Cup

in 2011.

He previously worked as coach of Super Falcons, the Nigerian women’s national team

to the 2019 FIFA World Cup in France.

He was also awarded the coach of the year for 2018 in Nigeria.

Saurabh Chaudhary wins silver medal in Men’s 10m air pistol event at Asian

Championship

Saurabh Chaudhary claimed the silver medal in men’s 10m air pistol event to

continue India’s surge at the 14th Asian Championship in Doha, Qatar.

World Cup and Asian Games gold-medallist shot 244.5 to finish second on the podium

behind North Korea’s Kim Song Guk, who won the top prize with a world record 246.5.

Iran’s Foroughi Javed bagged the bronze.

Javelin thrower Sundar Singh wins gold in World Para Athletics Championships

Javelin thrower Sundar Singh Gurjar has won India’s second gold and defending

his World Para Athletics Championships title in the men’s F46 javelin throw event

in Dubai.

With this, India has secured three Tokyo Paralympic Games quota, along with the

bronze winner Ajeet Singh and Rinku.


76 FIFA bans three football officials for life for corruption

FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) has banned 3 South

American football officials for a lifetime for connection with a 2015 corruption scandal

in football.

The three officials who were banned were Former Peru Football Federation Manuel

Burga and Argentinian officials Eduardo Deluca and Jose Luis Meiszner.

74

India set to host World Kabaddi cup 2019 in Punjab

The 2019 World Kabaddi Cup will take place from December 1 to 9 and will be

organised by the Punjab government in Punjab.

This year’s tournament will be dedicated to the 550th birth anniversary of Sikh guru,

Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

Nine teams: India, USA, Australia, England, Sri Lanka, Kenya, New Zealand, Pakistan

and Canada are expected to take part in the tournament.

Korea’s Kim Joo Hyung wins Panasonic Open

South Korea’s Kim Joo Hyung has won the Panasonic Open held at the Classic Golf

and Country Club in Gurugram, India.

India’s Shiv Kapur finished tied runner-up with S. Chikkarangappa.

The victory has made Hyung the second-youngest winner behind Thailand’s Chinnarat

Phadugsil on the Tour at 17 years and 149 days.

IAAF officially changes its name to “World Athletics”

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has officially changed

its name and will now be known as “World Athletics”.

The name has been changed in a bid to make the sport more accessible.

The IAAF was founded in 1912 as the International Amateur Athletic Federation and

changed its name to the “International Association of Athletics Federations” in 2001.

Spain’s striker David Villa retires from football

Spain’s striker David Villa has announced his retirement from football.


77 He represented Spain in three World Cups and was also a member of the Spanish side

that lifted the trophy in 2010, and won the European Championships in 2008.

He netted 59 times for Spain which is a national record.

His achievements also includes a Champions League title with Barcelona, as well as

two La Liga wins and a World Club Cup medal.

75

Harmeet Desai claims Indonesia Open TT Championship

Indian paddler Harmeet Desai wins men’s singles title at International Table Tennis

Federation (ITTF) Challenge Indonesia Open 2019 Table Tennis tournament held

at Batam, Indonesia.

Harmeet had defeated compatriot Amalraj Anthony by 11-9, 9-11, 11-9, 11-9, 10-12,

11-9 score.

Sarita Devi elected as member of AIBA athletes commission


78 Laishram Sarita Devi (Manipur) is among the 6 boxers from 5 continents who were

elected as members of AIBA Athletes Commission.

She was inspired by Muhammad Ali’s achievements and turned professional in boxing

in the year 2000. She is DSP in Manipur Police.

The election of the Athletes Commission members was organized during AIBA Men

and Women World Boxing Championships 2019 in Russia.

Boxers from all over the world voted for new members – one per continent, except

Europe which has two representatives.76

Shooter Shreyasi Singh crowned National Champion in Women’s Trap

Reigning Commonwealth Games champion Shreyasi Singh won the women’s Trap

Gold at the ongoing 63rd National Shooting Championship for shotgun events

in New Delhi.

Shreyasi representing Bihar shot 42 out of 50 birds to claim the crown,

while Rajeshwari from Punjab managed 38 hits to settle for silver.

Pragati Dubey of Madhya Pradesh won bronze with a finals score of 31.

This was Shreyasi’s fourth individual career National title but her first in Women’s

Trap.

Brazil beats Mexico to lift U-17 World Cup title

The Brazilian football team defeated the football team of Mexico in the finals for 2-

1, to win the 18th edition of the FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football

Association) under 17 World Cup trophy held in Brasilia, Brazil.

The victory added to Brazil’s successes in 1997, 1999 and 2003 as it moved within one

of Nigeria’s record of five championships.KALAM IAS ACADEMY, PERAMBUR & VADAPALANI PH.9500142441 , 8608615241 www.kalamtrainingacademy.com

79 Shahadat Hossain, Bangladesh’s fast bowler, banned for five years

77

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) banned fast bowler Shahadat Hussain for five

years on November 20. He was banned due to a fight with a teammate during the

match. He is accused of beating his own partner Arafat Sunny during a domestic match.

Shahadat admitted his mistake and punishment in front of the Bangladesh Cricket

Board's disciplinary committee. This is the second unpleasant incident for Bangladesh

cricket in the recent past. Earlier, former captain, Shakib Al Hasan was banned by the

ICC on charges of indecent conduct.

Manu Bhaker bags gold medal in ISSF World Cup Finals

India’s Manu Bhaker created history at World Cup Finals in Women’s 10m Air

Pistol event.

She bagged India’s first gold medal in the tournament this year.

She shot 244.7 to claim the top prize in the season-ending tournament of International

Shooting Sport Federation at Putian in China.

Serbia’s Zorana Arunovic won the silver while Quian Wang of China bagged the

bronze.KALAM IAS ACADEMY, PERAMBUR & VADAPALANI PH.9500142441 , 8608615241 www.kalamtrainingacademy.com

80 Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won F1 Brazilian Grand Prix

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen (Netherlands) won F1 Brazilian Grand Prix at

Interlagos in São Paulo, Brazil.

Verstappen was followed by Pierre Gasly (France) and Carlos Sainz Vázquez de

Castro (Spain) in the second and third place respectively.

78

Elavenil Valarivan, Divyansh Panwar win gold medals at ISSF World Cup

lavenil Valarivan and Divyansh Panwar clinching gold medals in their events to give

the country its best ever single-day show in the ISSF World Cup Finals in Putian,

China.

The 20-year-old Elavenil claimed the top honours in the women’s 10 metres air rifle

competition.

Later, another teen sensation Divyansh finished on top in the men’s 10 metres air rifle

competition.

India is currently top of the table with 3 gold medals, followed by China 2 gold, 1

silver, 1 bronze.

Bodybuilder Chitahresh Natesan crowned Mr Universe 2019

Chitahresh Natesan 33yr old former hockey player turned bodybuilder also known as

the ‘Indian Monster’ by bodybuilding circles became the first Indian to win ‘Mr.

Universe (Pro) 2019’ in 90kg category at the 11th World Bodybuilding and

Physique Sports Championship(WBPF) in South Korea.KALAM IAS ACADEMY, PERAMBUR & VADAPALANI PH.9500142441 , 8608615241 www.kalamtrainingacademy.com

81 India secured the second position in the team championship category at the same event.

79

Lakshya Sen wins Scottish Open title

India’s Lakshya Sen has won the Scottish Open badminton men’s singles

title, defeating Brazilian Ygor Coelho to seal his fourth title in 3 months.

Entering the tournament as the top seed, the world number 41 registered an 18-21, 21-

18, 21-19 win in 56 minutes to claim the title in Glasgow, Scotland.

Rafael Nadal wins Davis Cup title 2019

Rafael Nadal has clinched 6th Davis Cup title for Spain after beating Denis

Shapovalov of Canada in front of a jubilant home crowd in Madrid.

Nadal defeated Shapovalov 6-3, 7-6 (9-7) to clinch Spain’s 2-0 win against Canada.

Vijender Singh claims 12th successive professional win

Indian boxing star Vijender Singh demolished Ghana’s former Commonwealth

champion Charles Adamu to claim his 12th successive win.

The 34-year-old former Olympic bronze-medallist prevailed unanimously in an eight-

round super middleweight contest against the 42-year-old.

Sangram Dahiya, Varsha Varman win double trap national titles


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Sangram Dahiya and Varsha Varman clinched double trap titles, winning gold at

the 63rd National Shotgun Shooting Championship in New Delhi.

In men’s category, Sangram shot 142 out of 150 targets to leave behind former world

champion Ankur Mittal, who managed 137 hits over the five rounds of 30 targets each

to win a silver.

Varsha, in the women’s category of 120 targets each, had 97 to her name to clinch the

gold ahead of state-mate Manisha Keer, who had 93 hits winning Silver

Indian archers bag recurve bronze at Asian Championship

Indian archers Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das won a bronze medal in the recurve

and compound mixed event at the Asian Archery Championships in Kolkata.

They defeated China by 6-2 to clinch the medal in the championships.


83

Important Days World Vegan Day

Every year on 1st November, vegans around the world celebrate and champion for

their vegan lifestyle. According to many acclaimed vegans, the lifestyle is beneficial for

the health of the human beings, not to mention that it fosters environmental protection

as well as the lives of animals.

The commemoration of this event began in 1994 by a UK celebrity, Louise Wallis,

who was at the time the chair of The Vegan Society, as they celebrated its 50th

birthday, the coinage of the terms vegan and veganism, as well as the inception of The

Vegan Society.

World Tsunami Awareness Day: 5 November

The World Tsunami Awareness Day was observed across the world on 5 November.


84 The day is celebrated to spread awareness among people across the world in matters

related to the dangers of tsunami. In December 2015, the UN General Assembly

designated 5 November as World Tsunami Awareness Day.

In 2019, World Tsunami Awareness Day promotes Target of the “Sendai Seven

Campaign,” which focuses on reducing disaster damage to critical infrastructure and

disruption of basic services.

World Tsunami Awareness Day was the brainchild of Japan, which due to it’s repeated,

bitter experience has over the years built up major expertise in areas such as tsunami

82

early warning, public action and building back better after a disaster to reduce future

impacts.

International day for preventing environmental exploitation during armed conflict

The International Day for preventing environmental exploitation during war and

armed conflict was observed on November 6, 2019. The day aims to ensure that the

environment is not destroyed during incidents of armed confrontations.

The environment has often remained a silent victim of wars and armed conflicts, as war

casualties are usually counted in terms of the dead or wounded or the destruction caused

to livelihoods and cities.

However, the most common target during the conflicts has been the environment, as

forests have been cut down, water wells polluted, crops burned, soil poisoned and

animals killed.

World Science Day for Peace and Development: 10 November

World Science Day for Peace and Development is celebrated every year on 10

November.

The theme for 2019 is “Open science, leaving no one behind”.

The day highlights the significant role of science in society and the need to engage the

wider public in debates on emerging scientific issues.

It also underlines the importance and relevance of science in our daily lives. The day

was proclaimed by UNESCO in 2001.


85 National Education Day: 11th November

The National Education Day is celebrated on 11 November on the birth anniversary

of Independent India’s first Education Minister, freedom fighter, scholar and eminent

educationist Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.

He was a freedom fighter, scholar and the first Education Minister of independent India.

The Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) on September 11, 2008,

announced, “The Ministry has decided to commemorate the birthday of this great son of

India by recalling his contribution to the cause of education in India.”

Abul Kalam Ghulam Muhiyuddin served as the first education minister of independent

India from 1947 to 1958.

Public Service Broadcasting Day: 12 November

Public Service Broadcasting Day is celebrated on 12 November every year.

The day is celebrated every year to commemorate the first and last visit of the Father of

the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi to the studio of All India Radio, Delhi in 1947.

The Father of the Nation addressed the displaced people, who had temporarily settled at

Kurukshetra in Haryana after partition.

World Kindness Day: 13 November

World Kindness Day is to highlight good deeds in the community focusing on the

positive power and the common thread of kindness which binds us. Kindness is a

fundamental part of the human circumstances which bridges the divides of race religion,

politics, gender and zip codes.KALAM IAS ACADEMY, PERAMBUR & VADAPALANI PH.9500142441 , 8608615241 www.kalamtrainingacademy.com

86 The Theme of 2019 for this World Kindness Day 2019 is empathy, encouraging

people across the globe to better understand “the pains of others” and touch their

lives “positively”.

World Kindness Day was first introduced in 1998 by The World Kindness Movement,

an organisation formed at a 1997 Tokyo conference by the like-minded kindness

organisations from around the world.

In 2019, the organization was registered as an official NGO under Swiss law.

There are currently over 28 nations involved in The World Kindness Movement which

is not affiliated with any religion or political movement.84

World Pneumonia Day: 12 November

World Pneumonia Day, marked every year on November 12. The year 2019 marked

the 10 anniversary of World Pneumonia Day to fight against pneumonia.

The theme for the year 2019 is “Healthy lungs for all”.

It was organized by the Global Coalition against Child Pneumonia in 2009.

This day makes an awareness about pneumonia, how it is caused, treatment and

prevention.

Pneumonia is an infectious disease that causes infection in one or both lungs. It can be

serious and life-threatening.

World Diabetes Day: 14 November

The World Diabetes Day (WDD) was observed globally on 14 November.

The theme for diabetes awareness month and World Diabetes Day 2019 “Family and

Diabetes”. World Diabetes Day (WDD) was created in 1991 by the International


87Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization in response to growing

concerns about the escalating health threat posed by diabetes.

World Diabetes Day became an official United Nations Day in 2006. It is marked every

year on 14 November, the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who co-discovered insulin

along with Charles Best in 1922.

Children’s Day: 14th November

On 14th November, Children’s Day is celebrated every year to mark the birth

anniversary of our first Prime Minister Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru.

Pandit Nehru had a great love for children. He wanted to be among them, talk to them

and play with them.85

The children also loved and respected him and called him CHACHA

NEHRU. Children’s Day is celebrated across India to increase awareness of the rights,

care and education of children.

National Epilepsy Day is observed on 17 November every year.

The day aims to create awareness about epilepsy, its causes, and treatment. Seminars,

debates, and other events are organized to educate people about epilepsy disease and its

treatment methods.

International Day for Tolerance: 16 November

The United Nations observes “International Day for Tolerance” on 16th

November every year. The United Nations is committed to strengthening tolerance by

fostering mutual understanding among cultures and peoples.

In 1995, to mark the United Nations Year for Tolerance and the 125th anniversary of

the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, UNESCO created a prize for the promotion of tolerance

and non-violence.

The UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-

Violence rewards significant activities in the scientific, artistic, cultural or

communication fields aimed at the promotion of a spirit of tolerance and non-violence.

The prize is awarded every two years on the International Day for Tolerance, 16

November.


88 National Press Day: 16th November

India celebrates “National Press Day” on 16th November every year. The day is

symbolic of a free and responsible press.

On this day the Press Council of India started functioning as a moral watchdog to

ensure that the press maintains high standards and is not constrained by any influence or

threats.

To celebrate the day, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu will confer excellence in

journalism awards.

86

The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims: 17 November

The United Nations observes “World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic

Victims” on 17 November every year.

The day has become an important tool in global efforts to reduce road casualties.

It offers an opportunity for drawing attention to the scale of emotional and economic

devastation caused by road crashes and for giving recognition to the suffering of road

crash victims and the work of support and rescue services.

The theme is based on Pillar 3 of the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road

Safety – Safer vehicles.

World Toilet Day: 19 November

World Toilet Day is celebrated on 19th November every year.

It’s all about inspiring action to tackle the global sanitation crisis and help achieve

Sustainable Development Goal, which promises sanitation for all by 2030.

World Toilet Day 2019 is drawing attention to those people being left behind without

sanitation.

However, it was not formally recognized as an official UN day until 2013.

2019 Theme: Leaving No One Behind

International Men’s Day 2019


89 International Men's Day is celebrated on 19 November every year just like

International Women's Day (8 March) every year. This day is mainly celebrated to

protect men from discrimination, exploitation, oppression, violence and inequality and

to give them their rights.

International Men's Day is celebrated on 19 November in 80 countries and it is also

supported by UNESCO. This time the theme of International Men's Day is "Making a

Difference for Men and Boys."

87

The World Children’s Day is celebrated every year on November 20

With an aim to promote togetherness and awareness among the children and boost

children's welfare.

World Television Day: 21 November

World Television Day is observed on 21 November every year. The day is observed to

acknowledge the role of broadcast media.

On this day, the journalists, writers, bloggers, and others who are associated with the

medium promote the role of television in communication and globalization.

World Philosophy Day

The World Philosophy Day is observed globally on the third Thursday of November

every year.


90 This year it was observed on 21st November. On this day, UNESCO highlighted the

value of philosophy for the development of human thought, for each culture and

individual.

The 2019 edition aims to highlight the importance of philosophy in different regional

contexts.

The goal is to obtain regional contributions to global debates on contemporary

challenges that support social transformations. World Philosophy Day was introduced

in 2002 by UNESCO.

88

World Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease(COPD) Day

The WHO (World Health Organization) and Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive

Lung Disease (GOLD) organize World COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary

Disease) Day on the third Wednesday of November every year.

It was first launched in 1997 by WHO, GOLD and other institutes in the US.

This year the day is marked to create awareness in the Theme: All Together to End

COPD.

COPD is Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. It causes severe breathlessness and

predisposes to exacerbations.

International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

The United Nations General Assembly has designated November 25 as the

International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

This day was established by the UN General Assembly in 1993. It defines violence

against women as an act of gender-based violence that results in physical, sexual or

psychological harm or suffering to women, including threat, etc.

National Milk Day: 26 November


91

National Milk Day is celebrated across the country on November 26 every year on the

birthday of Dr Verghese Kurien.

This day marks the birth anniversary of Verghese Kurien, the Father of White

Revolution in India.

India is celebrating 98th birth anniversary of Dr Kurien this year.

89

The significance of National Milk Day lies in the fact that this day celebrates the

importance of milk in a person’s life.

The Indian Dairy Association (IDA), in 2014, took the initiative to celebrate this day for

the first time.

The first National Milk Day was celebrated on 26 November 2014 where various milk

producers from 22 states participated.

International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People: 29 November

In 1977, the General Assembly called for the annual observance of 29 November as

the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

On that day, in 1947, the Assembly adopted the resolution on the partition of Palestine.

This date, which was chosen because of its meaning and significance to the Palestinian

people, is based on the call by the United Nations General Assembly for an annual

observance of the resolution on the partition of Palestine.


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