SPOTLIGHT

Monthly Current Affairs

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RBI - NABARD - SEBI

SPOTLIGHT – NOVEMBER
2021
BY- ANUJ JINDAL
 KEY BENEFITS OF OUR COURSES

Our course structure includes a lot of perks that are otherwise

unavailable elsewhere.
It is a comprehensive guide to help you crack the paper & secure
your dream position.

We provide personal solutions all queries using a Telegram group wherein Anuj Jindal
himself will clarify your doubts.

We curate the learning strategies of past year toppers to help you learn from the
success of the best

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Contents
NATIONAL NEWS .......................................................................................................................................... 4
STATE NEWS .............................................................................................................................................. 37
AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT .......................................................................................... 50
DEFENCE NEWS......................................................................................................................................... 52
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING .................................................................................................... 57
INTERNATIONAL NEWS ............................................................................................................................. 58
REPORTS AND INDICES ............................................................................................................................ 80
BANKING AND ECONOMY ......................................................................................................................... 98
GDP FORECASTS ..................................................................................................................................... 117
APPOINTMENTS ....................................................................................................................................... 117
IMPORTANT DAYS.................................................................................................................................... 121
AWARDS .................................................................................................................................................... 129
SPORTS ..................................................................................................................................................... 136
MISCELLANEOUS ..................................................................................................................................... 141
QUESTIONS .............................................................................................................................................. 145

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 NATIONAL NEWS
1. 14th Urban Mobility Conference 2021 was inaugurated by Union Minister of Housing and
Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri, in New Delhi.
• Theme - “Mobility for All”
• 15th Urban Mobility Conference will be held in Kochi in November 2022 on the theme of
“Azadi@75: Sustainable AtmaNirbhar Urban Mobility”.

2. Ramky Enviro has inaugurated one of the world’s first and India’s largest landfill gas-to-
compressed biogas plant at the Hyderabad Integrated Municipal Solid Waste (HiMSW) site.
• Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd (REEL) is one of Asia’s largest environmental solutions
providers controlled by global private equity firm KKR.

3. Union Minister of Home Affairs and Cooperation has launched the "Dairy Sahakar"
scheme at Anand, Gujarat, during the function organised by Amul for celebrating its 75th
foundation year.
• Budget – Rs 5000 crores
• Implementing Agency – National Cooperative Development Corporation, Ministry of
Cooperation
• Purpose – to provide financial assistance to cooperatives for bovine development, milk
procurement, processing, quality assurance, value addition, branding, packaging,
marketing, transportation and storage of milk and milk products, exports of dairy products.

4. India and Italy have agreed to collaborate on green hydrogen and gas sector.
• Both countries will explore development of green hydrogen, setting up renewable energy
corridors, and joint projects in the natural gas sector.
• They will collaborate on large size green corridor project in India to capitalize on India’s
target to produce and integrate 450 GW of renewable energy by 2030.

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5. National Commission for Women (NCW), along with the National Legal Services Authority
(NALSA) has launched a pan-India Legal Awareness Program for Women titled
"Empowerment of Women through Legal Awareness".
• The programme was launched in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh by Justice UU Lalit (SC Judge
& Chairman of NALSA) and Rekha Sharma (chairman of National Commission for Women).

6. eGov Foundation's DIGIT platform will provide its support to the National Urban Digital
Mission (NUDM).
• The purpose of this collaboration is to create and implement the National Urban
Governance Platform (a cloud-based platform), which is one of the several initiatives
under the NUDM.
• The NUDM was launched in February 2021 to provide govt services online to the citizens
to improve the ease of living for citizens.
• Along with the National Urban Governance Platform, nine other services applications are
also being developed under the NUDM.
• DIGIT stands for ‘Digital Infrastructures for Governance, Impact and Transformation’.

7. On Rashtriya Ekta Diwas, Union Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, has launched the
Bhasha Sangam initiative for schools, Bhasha Sangam Mobile App and Ek Bharat
Shreshtha Bharat Mobile Quiz.
• Bhasha Sangam Initiative for schools – developed by NCERT; available on DIKSHA,
ePathshala and 22 booklets; to acquaint students with Indian languages.
• Bhasha Sangam Mobile App – developed by Dept of Higher Education and MyGov;
o The App has been developed by a startup Multibhashi, selected by myGov through
a competition.
o The App initially has 100 sentences of every day usage in 22 Indian languages.
• EBSB Quiz App – to acquaint children and youngsters with different regions, states,
culture, national heroes, monuments, traditions, tourist locations, languages, geography,
history, topography etc.

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8. NITI Aayog and World Bank have launched a $300-million ‘first loss risk sharing
instrument’ for financing electric vehicles.
• State Bank of India (SBI) has been appointed as the program manager.
• This facility would seek to garner around $1.5 billion in financing for EVs.
• The present rate of interest for electric two-wheelers & electric 3 Wheelers is in the range of
20-25%. That is expected to come down to 10-12%.
• These funds will be provided to all financial institutions and banks to use in case of defaults
in loans (given to borrowers for purchasing EVs).

9. Indian Oil Corporation has launched India’s first mega-scale Maleic Anhydride Plant to
manufacture value-added chemical products at its Panipat Refinery and Petroleum
Complex (PRPC).

10. Dr Jitendra Singh has launched i-RISE, Technology Business Incubator (TBI) at Mohali to
provide world class research facilities for start-ups in the country.
• It has been developed with support of Department of Science and Technology and
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali.
• During the event, a 650 teraflops supercomputing facility has been launched at National
Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute at Mohali.

11. Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency limited (IREDA) has launched ‘Whistle
Blower’ portal.
• Through this portal, IREDA employees can raise concerns related to fraud, corruption,
abuse of power etc.
• It has been launched as a part of “Vigilance Awareness Week 2021” (26th Oct to 2nd
Nov). Theme of Vigilance Awareness Week 2021 is ‘Independent India @75: Self Reliance
with Integrity’.
• On the occasion, vigilance journal ‘Pahal’ was also released.

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12. Shri V. Muraleedharan, Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs visited
the Republic of The Gambia from 1-3 November 2021.
• Two Agreements, an Agreement on Exemption from Visa requirement for Holders of
Diplomatic and Official Passports, and a General Framework Agreement for Cooperation
between India and The Gambia were signed during the visit.
• MoS visited the National Assembly Building Complex of The Gambia in Banjul, which is
built under Indian Line of Credit.
• Gambia capital – Banjul; currency - Dalasi

13. Department of Telecommunications has formed a Technology Innovation Group on 6G,

headed by K Rajaraman (Telecom Secretary), for researching on developing 6G technology.
• The group has 22 members.

14. MoS for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs Shri V. Muraleedharan visited Senegal to
co-chair the Third India-Senegal Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) in Dakar.
• Two MoUs were signed during the visit namely
o MoU for cooperation in the field of Health and Medicine and
o MoU for training of Senegalese diplomats.
• Muraleedharan visited the Centre for Entrepreneurship Development and Technology
(CEDT) in Dakar, built with Indian grant assistance.
• Smt. Meenakashi Lekhi and Dr Rajkumar Ranjan Singh are also the MOS for External
Affairs.

15. In response to an RTI query, Ministry of Women and Child Development revealed that there
are over 33 lakh malnourished children in India.
• Maharashtra, Bihar, and Gujarat have the highest number of such children.
• The data belongs to 34 states and UTs.
• The data has been collected from the Poshan tracker app, which was launched last year
for real-time monitoring of nutritional outcomes.
• Alarming rise!!!

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 o Severely acute malnourished children (SAM) – from 9.27 lakh in Nov 2020 to 17.76
lakh in October 2021 (91% increase).
o Moderately acute malnourished (MAM) children - 15.46 lakh in October 2021

16. Union Ministry of Civil Aviation has declared the Srinagar airport as a “major airport”
under the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority Act, 2008 (AERA).
• Now, AERA will be able to determine the tariff, including the development fee and
passenger service fee, for aeronautical services at the Srinagar airport.
• The Centre designates an airport as a major airport if it crosses a particular volume of
annual passenger traffic.

17. “Ganga Mashaal” (people of Ganga Task Force) has started its journey from Rishikesh and
Haridwar in Uttarakhand to Ganga Sagar in West Bengal, at the end of Ganga Utsav.
• The 5th edition of ‘Ganga Utsav 2021- The River Festival’ was held in New Delhi from 1st
to 3rd November 2021.
• During the Utsav, Continuous Activity and Learning Portal (CLAP), Ganga Knowledge
Portal, etc. were launched.

18. Department of Justice has launched ‘Tele-Law on Wheels’ campaign to provide pre-
litigation advice to people and address their problems.
• Pre-litigation is a process for resolving the cases before the lawsuit being officially filed and
court proceeding begin.
• The campaign was started on 8th November and it will continue till 14th November.
• It is being conducted with aid of CSC e-Governance.
• Tele-Law mobile app has been launched. This app would connect the beneficiaries directly
with Panel Lawyers offering legal advice and consultation.

19. Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh, has launched Star College
Mentorship Programme for strengthening UG Science Courses.

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 • Under the program, the new colleges will receive mentorship from the Star Colleges under
the aegis of Star College Scheme.
• Star College Scheme was launched in 2008 to support colleges and universities offering
undergraduate education to improve science teaching across the country.
• The Scheme also aims to improve critical thinking and encouraging experimental science at
undergraduate level in basic science subjects.
• The scheme is being implemented by Dept of Biotechnology.
• Under the scheme, support is being provided to a Star college for a maximum duration of 3
years.

20. 17 scientists from scientific institutions across the country have been awarded the
Swarnajayanti Fellowship for their innovative research ideas and the potential of creating
impact on R&D in different disciplines.
• Ministry – Ministry of science and technology 

• Launch year – 1997 

• Duration – 5 years
• Support 
–
o Rs.25000 per month for 5 years 

o Research grant of 5 lakh Rupees for 5 years 

o This support is provided in addition to the salary they draw from their parent
institution.

21. India and US have conducted the 11th group meeting of Defence Technology and Trade
Initiative (DTII) virtually.
• An expo of the Defence Industry Collaboration Forum (DICF) was organised virtually.
• India and US have signed an agreement for developing an air-launched unmanned aerial
vehicle under the joint working group on air systems as part of the framework on DTTI.
• Four joint working groups focused on land, naval, air and aircraft carrier technologies
have been established under DTTI to promote mutually agreed projects within their
domains.

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22. India's first centre for excellence in research on drone and unmanned aerial vehicle
(UAV) technology and artificial intelligence, along with a skill development centre for drone
operation and maintenance, has been launched at the IIT Guwahati.

23. 51st Conference of Governors and Lieutenant Governors was held at Rashtrapati Bhawan
in Delhi.
• It was attended by President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• President’s powers – Article 52-62 of the constitution
• Governor’s powers – Article 153-162

24. Union cabinet has approved continuation of central sector scheme - MP Local Area
Development Scheme (MPLADS) for remaining part of financial year 2021-22 up to 2025-26.
• Objective -To enable MPs to recommend works of developmental nature like drinking
water, primary education, public health, sanitation and roads, etc. primarily in their
Constituencies.
• Implementing Ministry –Ministry of statistics and program implementation.
• Launch year –1993
• Funds –Annually Rs.5 Crore is provided to each MP in two instalments of Rs.2.5 Crore.
• Total outlay from 2021-22 to 2025-26 –Rs.17417 Crore.

25. Secretary-General of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Dr Nayef Falah Mubarak Al-Hajraf
has visited India to hold a discussion with Minister of External Affairs of India, Dr S. Jaishankar.
• Both parties agreed to host the next India-GCC Troika Political Dialogue soon. The last
round of the dialogue was held in 2020.
• The Sec-Gen also hold discussions with Minister of Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush
Goyal.

26. Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya M Scindia, has launched e-GCA (an e-
governance platform) for Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

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 • This single window platform aims at eliminating operational inefficiencies, minimizing
personal interaction, improving regulatory reporting, enhancing transparency and increasing
productivity.

27. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare has launched “Nutrition Smart Village
Program” to develop 75 Nutri Smart Villages to strengthen the POSHAN Abhiyan.
• Total 75 villages will be adopted by All India Coordinated Research Project on Women
in Agriculture (AICRP –WIA) and ICAR –Central Institute for Women in Agriculture
(CIWA).
• There are 13 centres of AICRP –WIA. Each centre will adopt 5 villages each. Rest of the
villages will be adopted by ICAR-CIWA.
• In these villages, nutritional awareness, nutrition-sensitive agriculture will be promoted in
order to overcome malnutrition.

28. Central government has formed a 3-member committee, chaired by Gopal Krishna Pillai,
for the determination of RoDTEP rates for exports from special economic zones (SEZs) and
export-oriented units (EOUs).
• These sectors were left out in the earlier exercise.
• RoDTEP - Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Product

29. Border Roads Organization (BRO) is developing the world’s longest bi-lane road tunnel
called “Sela Tunnel” on Balipara (Assam) – Charduar (Assam) -Tawang (Arunachal Pradesh)
road under its Project Vartak.
• The tunnel, near Indo-China border, will ensure all-weather connectivity between Guwahati
in Assam and Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.

30. Update on Production-Linked Incentives Scheme (PLI) for Automobile sector –

• The Union government has added more than 100 advanced technologies, including
alternate fuel systems such as compressed natural gas (CNG), under the scheme.

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 • Until now, the government has included only two-wheelers and four-wheelers under the
scheme.
• The scheme has also included e-quadricycles.
• The scheme for the sector is open to existing automotive companies as well as new
investors who are not in the automobile or auto component manufacturing business.

31. Ministry of Civil Aviation has declared Shirdi airport (Maharashtra) as a major airport
under the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority Act, 2008.
• Now, the AERA will determine the tariff for the aeronautical services rendered at major
airports.
• Under the AERA, the Centre can designate an airport as a major airport if it has an annual
passenger traffic of at least 35 lakh.
• For the non-major airports, these tariffs are determined by the Airports Authority of
India (AAI), which is a body under the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

32. Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), in collaboration

with Uttar Pradesh govt, has organized a Regional Conference on the theme
“Strengthening the State Institutes of Public Administration” at Lucknow.

33. India's first ‘grass conservatory’ has been inaugurated at Ranikhet in Almora district,
Uttarakhand.

34. The Indian Antarctic program was started in 1981 to explore Antarctic region.
• Under this program, 40 scientific expeditions have been completed.
• India has built three permanent research base stations in Antarctica, named Dakshin
Gangotri (1983), Maitri (1988) and Bharati (2012), as part of this program.
• As of today, Maitri and Bharati are fully operational. The National Centre for Polar and
Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa—an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Earth
Sciences—manages the entire Indian Antarctic program.

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 • Why in News? - 41st expedition has been launched recently, for which Indian Scientists
have travelled to Antarctica.
o As part of the 41st expedition, scientists will explore Amery ice shelf at Bharati
station to assess the link between India and Antarctica in the past.
o They will also be drilling of 500 meters of ice core near Maitri station to understand
the climate phenomenon.
o For drilling, India has partnered with British Antarctic Survey and the Norwegian
Polar Institute.

35. India’s First Security Food Museum has been established by the Food Corporation of
India (FCI) in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu.
• The food museum has been co-developed by FCI and Visvesvaraya Industrial and
Technological Museums, Bengaluru.

36. Ministry of Science & Technology has inaugurated the “Tech NEEV@75” as part of Azadi
ka Amrit Mahotsav.
• At the event, the Ministry announced that 30 Science Technology and Innovation (STI)
Hubs will be set up across the country for Scheduled Tribes (STs) by end of 2022.
• In October 2021, the Ministry announced to set up 75 STI Hubs for SCs and STs. Out of 75
proposed STI Hubs for SCs/STs, 20 have already been established by Department of
Science and Technology.

37. Wings India 2022 will be organized in Hyderabad, Telangana on the theme of India@75:
“New Horizon for Aviation Industry”.
• Organizers - Ministry of Civil Aviation, Airport Authority of India, and FICCI with the support
of Ministry of External Affairs, and states government.
• Indian has become the third largest domestic aviation market in the world and handles
the third largest domestic traffic after the USA and China.
• As on date, 387 routes connecting 62 Airports including 6 Heliports and 2 Water
Aerodromes have been made operational under RCS-UDAN Scheme.

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38. PM Narendra Modi has virtually addressed the inaugural session of the 82nd All India
Presiding Officers’ Conference in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh.
• At the Conference, the PM proposed 'one nation, one legislative platform' to boost the
parliamentary system of India by leveraging technology.
• The platform will connect all state assemblies in the country.

39. National Animal Husbandry and Dairy Farmers (AHDF) Kisan Credit Card (KCC)
campaign has been launched by Department of Fisheries, in association with Department
of Financial Services.
• Purpose - to expand the benefit of Kisan Credit Card to all eligible animal husbandry, dairy
and fishery farmers in the country.

40. Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Giriraj Singh inaugurated
'Bhumi Samvaad' - National Workshop on Digital India Land Record Modernisation
Programme (DILRMP) in New Delhi.
• On this occasion, the Minister also launched National Generic Document Registration
System (NGDRS) portal and dashboard.
• The Department of Land Resources has also started the National Land Management
Award, 2021 and National Level Ranking of States to appreciate and encourage the
good work done by the State Governments.

41. Telecom Secretary and Digital Communication Commission (DCC) Chairman K.

Rajaraman has launched a Public Procurement Policy (Make in India) portal for telecom
products.
• On this portal, the manufacturers, vendors and other stakeholders can register their
grievances and track the status of their complaints.

42. Minister of State for External and Parliamentary Affairs, V. Muraleedharan, paid official visit to
Uganda and Rwanda.

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 • In Uganda, he inaugurated the Learning Centre under e-Vidya Bharati and e-Arogya
Bharati (e-VBAB) initiative at the Makerere University in Kampala.
• In Rwanda, he co-chaired first ever India-Rwanda Joint Commission Meeting in Kigali.
• He also inaugurated India-Rwanda Entrepreneurship Development Centre, built with
Indian assistance, in Kigali.

43. India’s first POD hotel has been inaugurated at the Mumbai Central Railway Station for
providing resting space to the commuters.
• The POD Hotel consists of a total Pod inventory of 48.

44. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has given its approval for continuation of PM
Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) – I and PMGSY –II up to September 2022.
• Road Connectivity Project for Left Wing Extremism Affected Areas has also been extended
up to March 2023.
• Reason for extension - For completion of pending projects under the scheme.

45. India’s first Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) project will be
set up in Hingoli, Maharashtra.
• The India-LIGO project got approval in 2016. India and USA are collaborating for this
project.
• The LIGO observatory will help in research in the area of astronomy and fundamental
physics.

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46. The President of India felicitated the awardees of Swachh Survekshan 2021, Safaimitra
Suraksha Challenge, and Garbage Free Star Rating for cities at Swachh Amrit Mahotsav.
• Swachh Survekshan 2021 results -
Categories Winners
Cleanest City (more than 1 lakh population) Indore
Surat
Vijaywada
Cleanest city (less than 1 lakh population) Vita
Lonavala
Sasvad
(All three cities are from Maharashtra)
Best ganga town Varanasi
Cleanest cantonment Ahmedabad
Meerut
Delhi
Fastest mover (more than 1 lakh population) Hoshangabad (MP)
361st position in 2020 to 87th position in 2021.
Fastest mover state (More than 100 ULBs) Karnataka
Fastest mover state (less than 100 ULBs) Mizoram
Cleanest state (More than 100 urban local Chhattisgarh
bodies)
Cleanest state (Less than 100 urban local Jharkhand
bodies)
Maximum number of awards Maharashtra
Under Prerak Daur Samman Indore, Surat, Navi Mumbai, New Delhi
Municipal Council and Tirupati were
categorized as ‘Divya’ (Platinum)

• Swachh Survekshan 2021 Parameters –

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 o The award has been given on the basis of 6 indicators –
o Segregation of waste into Wet, Dry and Hazard categories
o Processing capacity against wet waste generated
o Processing and recycling of wet and dry waste
o Construction & Demolition (C&D) waste processing
o Percentage of waste going to landfills
o Sanitation status of cities

• SafaiMitra Suraksha Challenge

Categories Winners
Top performers (City) Indore
Navi Mumbai
Nellore
Dewas
Top state Chhattisgarh
Top UT Chandigarh

• Garbage free star rating

5 star rating Indore,
Surat,
New Delhi Municipal Council,
Navi Mumbai,
Ambikapur,
Mysuru,
Noida,
Vijayawada
Patan
3 star rating 143 cities

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47. FSSAI has released the proposal of bringing into effect the Food Safety and Standards
(Genetically Modified or Engineered Foods) Regulations, 2021.
• The proposed regulations will apply to “Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) or
Genetically Engineered Organisms (GEOs) or Living Modified Organism (LMOs) intended
for direct use as food or for processing.”

48. Ministry of Coal has constituted a “Sustainable Development Cell”, in line with the
commitment of clean energy.
• Coal & Lignite companies have planned to install additional 5,560 MW of renewable
capacity with an investment of over Rs. 15,000 Crores.
• This will take the total installed capacity to 7 GW. Coal India alone has planned to install 3
GW of solar Power in next 5 years to achieve its net zero target.
• CIL alone will enhance its mechanical loading and transport of coal from the present level of
120 million tonnes to 565 million tonnes by 2023-24.

49. Supreme Court bench of Justices U U Lalit, S Ravindra Bhat and Bela M Trivedi has given
judgement for constituting an offence of sexual assault under Section 7 of Protection of
Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
• As per the judgement, the “act of touching the sexual part of body or any other act involving
physical contact, if done with ‘sexual intent’, would amount to ‘sexual assault’ within the
meaning of Section 7 of POCSO Act”.

50. Cyber Security Grand Challenge – a first-of-its-kind Cyber Security challenge – was
launched to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in the country in Jan 2020.
• The winner of the Cyber Security Grand Challenge is entitled for a prize money of Rs 1
crore while the 1st runner-up and 2nd runner-up will win Rs 60 lakh and Rs 40 lakh
respectively. Total prize money is Rs 3.2 crore.
• A unique feature of this challenge is that the Intellectual Property Right (IPR) of the product
being developed as part of the challenge will be owned by the respective start-up.

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 • Data Security Council of India (DSCI) and the Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY)
launched the Cyber Security Grand Challenge to promote innovation and provide impetus
to the growth of Indian cyber security products.

51. India has been invited to the inaugural Sydney Dialogue, hosted by Australia.
• PM Narendra Modi will deliver the keynote address at The Sydney Dialogue on the theme
of India’s technology evolution and revolution.
• Japan’s former PM Shinzo Abe was also invited to the Dialogue.
• Sydney Dialogue is an initiative of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
• It will bring together political, business and government leaders to debate, generate new
ideas, and work towards common understandings of the opportunities and challenges
posed by emerging and critical technologies.

52. According to the National Family Health Survey (NHFS) 5 phase-II, the Total Fertility Rate
(TFR), or the average number of children per woman, has declined further from 2.2 reported in
2015-16 to 2.0 at the all-India level.
• An ideal TRF ratio is 2.1, which indicates a sustained level of population.
• India has fallen below the ideal TFR. A fall to 2 means India has achieved the goal of
population stabilisation.
o This means India will possibly still become the most populous country in the world —
it was expected somewhere between 2024-2028 — but it will now be delayed.
• The NFHS-5 assesses 2019-21 period.
• Urban area fertility rate – 1.6
• Rural area fertility rate – 2.1
• This phase – II of NFHS-5 covers 14 states and UTs. The phase-1 findings of 22 states
and Union Territories were released in December last year.
Categories States Total Fertility Rate (TFR)

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 1. Bihar 3
2. Meghalaya 2.9
States with higher TFR than
3. Uttar Pradesh 2.4
the national average
4. Jharkhand 2.3
5. Manipur 2.2
States with TFR at the same 6. Madhya Pradesh 2
level as the national average 7. Rajasthan
8. Haryana, 1.9
9. Assam,
States with TFR of 1.9 10. Gujarat,
11. Uttarakhand
12. Mizoram
13. Kerala, 1.8
14. Tamil Nadu,
15. Telangana,
States with TFR of 1.8
16. Arunachal Pradesh,
17. Chhattisgarh
18. Odisha
19. Maharashtra, 1.7
20. Karnataka,
21. Andhra Pradesh,
States with TFR of 1.7
22. Himachal Pradesh,
23. Nagaland
24. Tripura
States with TFR of 1.6 25. West Bengal 1.6

Reasons for fall in TFR:

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Other Indicators:
• Infant and Child Mortality Rates (per 1,000 live births)
o Neonatal mortality rate (NNMR) - 24.9
o Infant mortality rate (IMR) - 35.2
o Under-five mortality rate (U5MR) - 41.9
• Sex Ratio Nationwide - 1,020 women for every 1,000 men
• Child Nutrition (Under 5 years of age)– Indicators showed a slight improvement
o Stunting – 36%
o Wasting – 19%
o Underweight – 32%

53. Article 245 of the Indian Constitution gives Parliament the power to make laws and also
gives the legislative body the power to repeal them.
• Background – Repeal of the three farm laws.

54. Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has carried out an Operation 'Molten Metal' to
bust a racket of gold smugglers.
• Under the Operation, several Indian and foreign nationals suspected to be indulging in
smuggling gold into India from Hong Kong using the air cargo route have been identified.

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55. Union Minister for MSME, Shri Narayan Rane, launched the Special Credit Linked Capital
Subsidy Scheme (SCLCSS) for Services Sector in Guwahati.
• Purpose – It aims to help the enterprises in the services sector in meeting the technology
related requirements.
• 25% capital subsidy for procurement of Plant & Machinery and service equipment will
be provided to the SC-ST MSEs, through institutional support.

56. 56th Conference of Director Generals of Police (DGPs) and Inspector Generals of Police
(IGPs) was held at Police Headquarters in Lucknow, UP.
• During the Conference, an announcement was made for constituting a High-Power Police
Technology Mission, under the leadership of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, to adopt
future technologies for grassroots policing requirements.

57. Ministry of Tribal Affairs and CBSE have launched a certificate course on Experiential
Learning for the 21st Century for Educators from CBSE and Eklavya Model Residential
Schools (EMRSs).
• The course has been launched in collaboration with Tata Trusts, Centre of Excellence in
Teacher Education of Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, and Mahatma Gandhi
International School (MGIS), Ahmedabad.
• The program will be deployed for 350 educators in 6 States.
• The Experiential Learning for 21st Century Programme, a 6 week program, is an online
certificate course for educators – teachers, school heads, and principals to help them adapt
classroom learning to real life experiences.
• Select teachers will be recognized as “Teacher Leaders” by MoTA.

58. Ministry of Home Affairs has released its annual ranking of Best Police Stations in India.
• The ranking is prepared by the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD).
• Top 3 –
o Sadar Bazar police station: north district of Delhi

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 o Gangapur police station: Ganjam district of Odisha
o Bhattu Kalan police station: Fatehabad district of Haryana
• Parameters - handling of property offences, crime against women, crime against weaker
sections, missing persons cases, infrastructure, approachability of personnel and feedback
of citizens etc.

59. Food Corporation of India has set up India’s First State of Art Laboratory for in-house
testing of food grain samples in Gurugram.
• The ‘Quality Control Laboratory’ has been established at the Institute of Food Security
(IFS), FCI, Gurugram (Haryana).
• The laboratory has been set up under the guidance of the Central Food Technological
Research Institute, Mysuru in Karnataka.
• Fortified rice distribution will be completed by 2024 through ICDS, Mid-Day Meal, and
various other schemes.

60. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has inaugurated the Centre for
Nanotechnology (CNT) and the Centre for Indian Knowledge System at IIT-Guwahati.

61. Indian Railways has launched Bharat Gaurav trains, that will be operated by private players
on theme-based circuits, to promote and attract tourism business.
• Each train will have between 14 and 20 coaches (including two guard coaches or SLR).
• Under the Bharat Gaurav policy, any operator or service provider, can lease trains from
Indian Railways to run on a theme-based circuit as a special tourism package. For e.g.
Ramayana theme based train, will connect several places connected to Lord Ram.
• The operator will be able to decide route and tariff. The tenure of the arrangement is a
minimum of 2 years and maximum of the codal life of the coach.

62. 24th edition of Bengaluru Tech Summit 2021 - Asia’s largest technology event - was
organized on the theme of “Driving the Next”.
• The Summit was inaugurated by the Vice President of India.

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 • Australian PM Scott Morrison and Israeli PM Naftali Bennett participated along with 30
other countries, including South Africa, Vietnam and UAE, which themselves participated
for the first time in the summit.
• The Summit hosted the first edition of the US Tech Conclave.
• Australia – India Centre of Excellence for Critical and Emerging Technology Policy
and Australia’s Consulate will be set up in Bengaluru.
• ‘Beyond Bengaluru Startup Grid’ will be established by Karnataka Digital Economy
Mission to expand startups ecosystem in surrounding areas of Bengaluru such as
Mangalore, Mysore, and Hubballi.
• Harshil Mathur (founder and CEO of Razorpay) has been appointed as the head of the
Fintech Task Force of the Karnataka Digital Economy Mission.
• IT Ratna of Karnataka Award was given to Infosys by Software Technology Parks of
India (STPI) and Karnataka govt.
o Padma Duralswamy (Founder and CEO of Chimera Technologies) received the ‘IT
Women Entrepreneur of the Year’ Award.
• Karnataka government has announced Smart Bio Awards.
o Innovator of the Year – Axio Biosolutions
o Best Start-up Against Covid-19 – NeoDx Biotech Labs
o Women Entrepreneur of the Year – Janani Venkataraman (from Biomoneta
company)
o Biotech Start-up of the Year – HealthCube
o Best Social Enterprise – Biocon Academy

63. India’s first Virtual Science Lab for Children has been launched under the CSIR Jigyasa
Programme.
• It will cater to the students of class 6 to 12.
• The information will be available in English. Later on, it will be provided in Hindi and other
regional languages also.

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 • CSIR Jigyasa program was launched in 2017 to increase the curiosity and scientific
temperament in the students. It is being implemented in partnership with Kendriya
Vidyalaya Sangathans (KVS).

64. 5th East Asia Summit Conference on Maritime Security Cooperation was organized in
Kolkata, in partnership with Australia.
• Organizers - ASEAN-India Centre (AIC) at Research and Information System for
Developing Countries (RIS), National Maritime Foundation (NMF), and the Research
Centre for East and North East Regional Studies, Kolkata (CENERS-K).
• The EAS conference was first initiated in 2015 and the first conference was held in New
Delhi. The second was held in Goa in 2017, the third in Bhubaneswar in 2018, and the
fourth in Chennai in 2020.

65. Central govt has constituted a Central Vista Oversight Committee to directly oversee the Rs
20,000 crore project for a period of two years,
• Chairperson - Ratan P Watal (Former Finance Secretary)
• Total members - 5

66. Udan Utsav celebrations were held at Veer Surendra Sai Airport in Jharsuguda, Odisha.
• Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia announced to increase the number of
airports in India to 220 in the next 5 years.

67. Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) has partnered with Vigyan Prasar, an autonomous
organization of the Department of Science and Technology.
• Purpose - to drive synergies between AIM’s Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL) and Vigyan Prasar’s
unique interactivity platform, Engage With Science (EWS).

68. Minister of Coal and Mine, Pralhad Joshi, has launched the “E-portal” for granting
accreditation for minerals exploration.

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 • This scheme was launched at the 5th National Conclave on Mines and Minerals at New
Delhi.

69. Indian Railways is constructing the world's tallest bridge pier in Manipur which is a part of
111 km long Jiribam-Imphal railway project.

70. 1st International Conference on Hydrogen Energy - Policies, Infrastructure Development

and Challenges - is organized by Central Board of Irrigation and Power (CBIP) with the
support of Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, Central Electricity Authority and NTPC in
New Delhi.
• The conference has been sponsored by NHPC Ltd., SJVNL as Platinum Sponsor and by
POWERGRID and THDC Ltd. as Silver Sponsors.

71. India Young Water Professional Program has been launched by Australian Water
Partnership, in collaboration with National Hydrogen Project of the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
• This is the first edition of the program.
• Purpose – to train professionals working, in the field of water, with necessary skills to
address the water needs of India.
• Training tools – on-line lectures, workshops, discussions etc.
• Phases – In the first phase, 20 participants are allowed. Later on, based on the success of
Phase 1, this program will be expanded.
• Background – During the National Hydrology Project (NHP) on ‘Sustainable Water
Management’ in November 2019, India and Australia had agreed to launch this program.

72. DBT-National Brain Research Centre has launched project SWADESH, to make data and
analytics on certified neuroimaging, neurochemical, neuropsychological domains accessible to
researchers for managing brain disorders.
• SWADESH is the first large-scale multimodal neuroimaging database, designed
specifically for Indian population with big-data architecture and analytics for various disease
categories under one platform.

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 • Tools developed under SWADESH project –
o GAURI system – It uses adaptive pattern recognition and learning schemes for
predictive single or differential diagnosis, designed with MRI modalities and
neuropsychological batteries.
o NINS-STAT – It is a high-performance state-of-the-art automated statistical test
selection and execution software package with high applicability in clinical research.
o KALPANA – It is an integrative package for visualization, pre-processing, and
quantitation of MRS data.
o PRATEEK – It analyses multimodal neuroimaging data that minimizes the need for
expertise in handling different neuroimaging tools for processing and analysing
multimodal data.
o Stimulus Timing Integrated Module (STIM) – It is used for functional MRI-related
purposes, mapping brain activity non-invasively in normal healthy condition and
clinical evaluation of various brain disorders.

73. Online travel services firm MakeMyTrip partnered with the Ministry of Civil Aviation to
promote regional air connectivity through the RCS-UDAN scheme.
• MakeMyTrip will now provide information, sourced from the AirSewa portal of the Ministry
of Civil Aviation, on its platform.
• The AirSewa Portal provides information about the air travel and registers complains of
customers. The portal also provides information on UDAN air flights.

74. Energy Efficiency Services Ltd. (EESL) has collaborated with the Global Environmental
Facility (GEF), Ministry of MSME, and the UN Industrial Development Organisation
(UNIDO) to implement the ‘Promoting Market Transformation for Energy Efficiency in
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises’ (MSME).
• The project aims at promoting market transformation for energy efficiency in the MSME
sector.
• 35 energy-efficient technologies will be deployed in MSMEs, as part of this project.

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75. Union Cabinet has extended the National Apprenticeship Training Scheme for the next 5
years.
• The Cabinet also approved Rs 3,054 crores for stipend under the scheme during FY22 to
FY26. This is about 4.5 times the expenditure made during the previous 5 years.
• Under the scheme, industry and commercial organisations will train approximately 9 lakhs
apprentices.
• Apprentices (graduates in Engineering, Science, Humanities, and Commerce) will be given
stipend of Rs 9,000, while the apprentices completing diploma in the above-mentioned
fields, will be given stipend of Rs 8,000 per month.

76. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the continuation of the umbrella
scheme "Ocean Services, Modelling, Application, Resources and Technology (O-
SMART)".
• O-SMART was launched in 2018 by the Ministry of Earth Sciences for providing forecast
and services based on the continuous observation of our oceans and development of
technologies.
• The schemes also undertake exploratory surveys for sustainable harnessing of our oceanic
resources (both living and non-living).
• The scheme has continued for a period from 2021 to 2026.
• The estimated cost of the scheme is Rs 2177 Crore.
• Implementing agencies of O-SMART–
o National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai
o Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Hyderabad
o National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa
o Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology (CMLRE), Kochi
o National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR), Chennai
• Sub-Schemes –
o Ocean Technology
o Ocean Modelling and Advisory Services (OMAS)
o Ocean Observation Network (OON)

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 o Ocean Non-Living Resources
o Marine Living Resources and Ecology (MLRE)
o Coastal Research
o Operation and Maintenance of Research Vessels

77. Germany has made commitments of EUR 1.2 billion (approx. INR 10,025 crore) to help
India's fight against climate change and for cooperation on clean energy.

78. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the continuation of the umbrella
scheme "Atmosphere & Climate Research-Modelling Observing Systems & Services
(ACROSS)" along with its 8 sub-schemes from 2021-2026.
• Budget – Rs 2,135 Crore till FY26
• Ministry of Earth Sciences has launched this scheme address different aspects of
weather and climate services.
• The scheme is being implemented by a number of institutions, working under the Ministry.

79. NITI Aayog has released a discussion paper titled 'Digital Banks: A Proposal for Licensing
and Regulatory Regime for India' seeking comments till December 31, 2021.
• The report mentions that India has made great efforts towards enhancing the financial
inclusion. But, steps are needed to enhance the reach of formal-institutional credit to
MSMEs.
o MSMEs employ a great number of people, almost next to agriculture in India.
o MSMEs contribute 30% to India’s GDP, 45% to manufacturing, and 40% to exports.
o Approx. 63 million (6.3 crore) MSMEs are operating in India, which need more
access to the credit.
• PM Jan Dhan Yojana, faster adoption of UPI, Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) through apps,
Account Aggregator ("AA") regulatory framework, are some initiatives towards achieving the
financial inclusion in rural areas.

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80. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has approved the construction of 3.61 lakh houses
under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban.
• Now, the total number of houses sanctioned under the scheme is 1.14 crore.
• The housing units are sanctioned in 17 states/UTs across Affordable Housing in
Partnership (AHP), Beneficiary-Led Construction (BLC), In-Situ Slum Redevelopment
(ISSR) verticals of PMAY-U.
• Total budget of the scheme is ₹7.52 lakh crore.
o Central govt’s share in the scheme is ₹1.85 lakh crore.
• e-Finance module has also been launched by the Ministry to disburse funds via the online
platform.

81. Women’s Involvement in Science and Engineering Research (WISER) program has been
launched by the Indo-German Science & Technology Centre (IGSTC) to promote women in
the field of research and development.
• The program is joint initiative of DST and the Federal Ministry of Education and
Research of Germany.
• 20 awardees will be selected per year.
• IGSTC will support the awardees with maximum amount of Rs 39 Lakh from Indian side
and € 48000 from German side.

82. The All India Ayurvedic Congress and the Ministry of AYUSH have organised a 3-days
Ayurveda Parv (festival) at Shri Dhanwantry Ayurvedic College and Hospital, Chandigarh
from Nov 12 to Nov 14.

83. Election Commission of India hosted an International Webinar on “Enhancing Electoral

Participation of Women, PwDs & Senior Citizens: Sharing Best Practices & New
Initiatives” at New Delhi.
• The webinar marked the completion of 2 years of the Chairmanship of the A-WEB.
• Chief Election Commissioner of India, Sushil Chandra, informed that women’s
participation in voting has surpassed men.

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 • Delegates from 24 countries participated in the webinar.

About A-WEB:
• A-WEB – Association of World Election Bodies – was established in 2013 in South Korea.
• A-WEB is the first of its kind international organization of election management
organizations. It undertakes capacity building programs for the election officials of its
members.
• Currently, it has 118 Election Management Bodies (EMB) from 108 countries as its
members.
• A-WEB aims to promote free and fair elections for promoting democracy.

84. Ministry of Finance has allocated additional funds of ₹10,000 crore as an interim measure
for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme
after it ran out of funds allocated in the budget.
• Even after the additional allocations, the funds available for the scheme stand at ₹76,340
crore, which is lower than the incurred expenditure of ₹86,229 crore (including wages and
payment for materials).
• The scheme’s budget is facing a shortfall in 24 States and Union Territories.

85. 2nd edition of the Summit on Global Chemicals & Petrochemicals Manufacturing Hub
(GCPMH) was inaugurated by Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers Dr Mansukh
Mandaviya.
• Organizers - Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals under Ministry of Chemicals &
Fertilizers, in association with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and
Industry (FICCI), in a hybrid format.
• India aims to become global chemical and Petro-chemical manufacturing hub. This
Summit will help in attracting investment in India.
• Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Odisha, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu are participating as
Partner States in the Summit.

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86. 21st edition of the India-Russia Annual Summit will be held in December.
• Russian PM will visit India for this Summit.
• 2+2 Ministerial dialogue will also be held at the side lines of the Summit.

87. Ministry of Panchayati Raj, in partnership with National Institute of Rural Development &
Panchayat Raj, Hyderabad and Abdul Nazir Sab Institute of Rural Development &
Panchayat Raj, Mysuru, has organized the ‘National Consultative Workshop on Citizen
Charter & Delivery of Services by Panchayats’ as part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
• During the workshop, ‘Mysuru Declaration on Service Delivery by Panchayati Raj
Institution’ was adopted by 16 states.
• It will come into effect from April 1, 2022.
Mysuru Declaration on Service Delivery:
• This declaration is an affirmation by states to put ‘citizen centric services’ at the heart of
the governance at Panchayat’s level.
o ‘Citizen Centric Services’ - Services that are needed by the citizens. Instead of
looking at the developmental projects from the policymaker’s perspective, this line of
thought essentialises citizens’ needs and make them available to the citizens.
• The declaration aims to provide citizen services at the grassroot level in an efficient and
time-bound manner to fulfil the aspirations of citizens.
• It also establishes high standards of professional integrity and accountability for the
Panchayats for achieving timely delivery of services.
• The declaration also promotes inclusivity and local self-government in the service delivery.

88. President Ram Nath Kovind addressed the centenary celebrations of Harcourt Butler
Technical University in Kanpur.
• Harcourt Butler Technical University (HBTU) is a premier State Technical University
situated at Kanpur.
• The HBTU was named after Sir Spencer Harcourt Butler, Governor of the United Provinces
in British India and is one of the oldest engineering institutes in the country.

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89. Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, has launched the River Cities
Alliance to ideate, discuss and exchange information for sustainable management of urban
rivers.
• The alliance is a result of partnership between Ministry of Jal Shakti (National Mission for
Clean Ganga) and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (National Institute for Urban
Affairs).
• The Alliance will focus on three broad themes- Networking, Capacity Building and
Technical Support.
• The Secretariat of the Alliance will be set up at National Institute for Urban Affairs,
New Delhi.
• Number of member cities – 30

90. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar, has flagged off Food
Safety Awareness vehicles and Mobile Food Testing Vans named Food Safety on Wheels
to check food adulteration at the doorsteps.
• Books named 'History and Food', cookbook named 'Eat Right with Low Salt' with
curated recipes, and 'National Low Salt Cooking Challenge Report' were launched.

91. Central govt has constituted a "Group of Food Secretaries" from States, along with Senior
officers of Central Govt, to prepare the framework of the Community Kitchens Scheme.
• The Food Secretary of Madhya Pradesh (incumbent: Shiv Shekhar Shukla) will be
heading the Group.
• The Group of Food Secretaries include Food Secretaries from 8 states of Kerala, Odisha,
Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Assam, Bihar, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh.
• The Community Kitchens Scheme will be built on 4 pillars of Quality, Hygiene,
Reliability & Spirit of Service.
• It will help realize the goal that No One Sleeps Hungry.

92. Union Minister for Home and Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah, addressed the Annual General
Meeting (AGM) of the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) through video conferencing.

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 • In his address, Shah focussed on ‘India@75 – Empowering North-East India’.

93. Conference on India-Israel Women in STEM was held to discuss ways to increase the
participation of women in the STEM fields.
• As per a data released in July this year, about 43% of STEM graduates in India are women,
which is the highest in the world, but women’s share in STEM jobs in India is a mere 14%.

94. 'India Internet Governance Forum 2021' was held in November on the theme of
"Empowering India through Power of the Internet".

95. Union Minister for MSME Shri Narayana Rane has launched the unique anti-bacterial fabric
developed by Kumarappa National Handmade Paper Institute, Jaipur, under KVIC.
• The fabric is treated with anti-bacterial agent extracted from cow dung which prevents
bacterial growth in the fabric.
• The institute has also developed Khadi Prakritik Paint and the unique plastic-mixed
handmade paper.

96. Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions has launched a "unique" face
recognition technology that would act as a proof of 'life certificate' for pensioners.
• All pensioners are mandated to submit their life certificate annually to continue receiving
pension.
• The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions has already implemented a
facility of giving the certificate digitally. The face recognition would further ease the process
for pensioners.
• In 2017, Department of Pension had launched the ‘Bhavishya’ online platform in all
central ministries and departments for processing pension cases.

97. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has released National Health Account Estimates
for India for 2017-18.
• The report highlights the government’s expenditure on health.

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 • It has been prepared by National Health Systems Resource Centre.
• Accounting framework based on internationally accepted System of Health Accounts
2011, provided by the World Health Organization was used to prepare the index.
Results:
Categories Expenditure as % of GDP
Share of government health expenditure in the 1.35% in 2017-18
total GDP
Increased from 1.15% in 2013-14.
Share of government health expenditure in 40.8%
total (Public + Private) expenditure
Share of government health expenditure in 5.12%
total government expenditure
Government health expenditure per capita Rs. 1753
Share of primary health care in government 54.7%
health expenditure
Foreign aid for health Reduced to 0.5%
Out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) as a share Reduced to 48.8%
of total health expenditure

98. Tribes India Conclave was organized by TRIFED, in association with the Ministry of
External Affairs.
• The Conclave was attended by participants from 20 countries.

99. 7th edition of the India International Science Festival (IISF) has been launched in New Delhi.
• IISF is an annual event considered to be the biggest platform in the country which brings
together students, the public, researchers, innovators and artists from around the globe to
experience the joy of doing science for the wellbeing of people and humanity.
• The theme of IISF 2021 is ‘Celebrating Creativity in Science, Technology and Innovation
for Prosperous India’.

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 • The programmes will be categorised under five sections.
o Freedom Struggle - the role of the scientific community in Indian independence
o Ideas@75 - to discuss new science and technology (S&T) ideas for new India
o Achievements@75 - to showcase the S&T achievements of our country in the past
75 years
o Actions@75 - to chart an S&T action plan for new India.
o Resolves@75 - to come up with resolutions related to S&T towards achieving Atma
Nirbhar Bharat in areas

100. PM Narendra Modi has handed over an advanced electronic warfare system named
'Shakti' to the Indian Navy in the Jhansi city of Uttar Pradesh.
• Shakti is meant for interception, detection, classification, identification and jamming of
conventional and modern radars.
• It is developed by DRDO for the capital warships of the Indian Navy.
• This hand-over ceremony is a part of the 3-day 'Raksha Samarpan Parv'.
• 12 Shakti Systems, developed by Defence Electronics Research Laboratory of DRDO,
are under production at Bharat Electronics Ltd.
• First Shakti System was installed at INS Visakhapatnam and the second one is being
installed at INS Vikrant.

About the Raksha Samarpan Parv:

• The Parv is celebrated on the birth anniversary of Lakshmi Bai.
• During the Parv, Defence Minister announced to set up 100 new Sainik Schools, and NCC
Alumni Association was launched.
• Apart from this, National Programme of Simulation Training for NCC Cadets was
launched to scale up simulation training facilities for three wings of NCC namely Army, Air
and Naval.
• NCC Border and Coastal Scheme was also launched to increase the NCC in borders and
coastal areas.

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101. Skyroot Aerospace, a Hyderabad-based space technology startup, has test fired India’s
first privately developed fully cryogenic rocket engine named Dhawan-1.
• This engine will be fitted in the Vikram-2 launch vehicle.
• Vikram series of rockets / launch vehicles are also being developed by Skyroot Aerospace.
• In December last year, Skyroot Aerospace test-fired its Kalam-5 rocket engine for its
Vikram rocket.
• This year, Skyroot signed an agreement with ISRO to use the latter’s facilities for launching
its small satellites.

STATE NEWS
1. Madhya Pradesh govt has launched the Mukhyamantri Awasiya Bhu Adhikar Yojana to
provide free residential homes to families who don’t have their own houses.
• The construction of these houses will be done under the PM Awas Yojana.

2. Punjab govt has announced to start the census of one of the world’s most threatened
cetaceans, the Indus river dolphin (Platanista gangetica minor) — a freshwater dolphin that is
found in river Beas.

3. Haryana govt has launched the Uttam Beej Portal for providing quality seeds to farmers.
• The portal will increase transparency in the process.

4. On Rashtriya Ekta Diwas, Gujarat government has launched its 'e-Sarkar' app on a pilot
basis to make administrative works paperless, quick and easy for citizens.
• The app will be launched in full scale on December 25 i.e., Good Governance Day (birth
anniversary of former PM Atal Bihari Bajpayee).
• The app is integrated with IWDMS (Integrated Workflow and Document Management
System) app that was launched by the Gujarat government in 2005 for administrative
purposes.

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5. Union Power Minister R K Singh virtually inaugurated the diversion of Marusudar River of
Pakal Dul Hydro Electric Project (1,000 MW) in Kishtwar, J&K.
• The Pakal Dul HE Project is being constructed by Chenab Valley Power Projects Pvt Ltd
(CVPPPL), a joint venture company of National Hydro Electric Power Corporation (NHPC)
and Jammu and Kashmir State Power Development Corporation (JKSPDC).
• Marusudar River is a major tributary of the Chenab River.

6. Jammu and Kashmir UT has declared Kalij Pheasant as the new UT bird.
• Hangul is the UT animal.
• Earlier, black-necked cranes were the UT bird but they are only found in Ladakh. Therefore,
the UT bird has been changed.

7. In 2018, Delhi govt had launched the “Jai Bhim Mukhyamantri Pratibha Vikas Yojana” to
provide competitive exam coaching to economically poor background and marginalised
communities.
• Around 15,000 students have enrolled for coaching classes in the year 2021.

8. Tamil Nadu Industrial Investment Corporation Limited (TIIC) Limited, the Society of
Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM) and the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII)
have signed an MoU to catalyse and facilitate defence manufacturing in the MSME sector.
• Through this partnership, in the first phase ‘Champion MSME Industries’ in each of the five
nodes of the Tamil Nadu Defence Corridor in Chennai, Tiruchi, Coimbatore, Salem and
Hosur will be identified.

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9. Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $61 million loan for Agartala City Urban
Development Project.
• The project aims to improve standard of living, harness technology, and promote new
developments to accommodate the expanding population in the city of Agartala, Tripura.

10. National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), Anand has signed an MoU with Uttar Pradesh
government to manage the Varanasi Milk Union for a period of five years.
• Under Rashtriya Gokul Mission, inducted Gir cows will be used to increase productivity
through IVF technology and soon Varanasi Milk Union plant will be able to process 2 lakh
litres of milk.
• Varanasi Milk Union will be India’s first Milk Union to have biogas-based tri generation
plant installed.

11. Karnataka government has launched the ‘Janasevaka’ (peoples’ servant), an online portal,
and ‘Janaspandana’, an Integrated Public Grievance Redressal System (IPGRS).
• ‘Janasevaka’ – to provide govt services at the doorstep of the state citizens.
• ‘Janaspandana’ – it will enable citizens to raise complaints against govt services /
schemes.

12. Bestu Varas is the New Year of Gujarati.

13. Tamil Nadu government has set up first ever Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) – Tamil Nadu
Green Climate Company.
• The Company will manage three critical natural conservation missions – Tamil Nadu
Climate Change, Tamil Nadu Green and Tamil Nadu Wetlands.
• The SPV’s authorised capital will be ₹5 crore.
• The State Environment Secretary (incumbent: Supriya Sahu) will be the company’s
Chairperson and MD.

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14. Assam Cabinet has approved the Industrial Relation Rules, 2021 for safeguarding the rights
of employers and employees.
• The Assam Migrant Workers' Food Security Scheme was also approved by the state
cabinet to provide relief in the form of dry ration to migrants.
• Under this scheme, data of migrant workers available on e-SHRAM portal and other
resources will be used to distribute ration to them.

15. Meghalaya Cabinet has decided to upgrade the Mairang civil sub-division to a full-fledged
district. It will be called Eastern West Khasi Hills district.
• With this, now there are 12 districts in Meghalaya.

16. Haryana State Employment of local candidates Act 2020 will come into effect from January
15, 2022.
• The law preserves 75% of private sector jobs with a monthly pay of up to Rs 30,000 for
locals.

17. 'Mukhyamantri Ghasyari Kalyan Yojana' has been launched in Uttarakhand to disburse a kit
– comprising of two hoe, two sickles, a water bottle and a tiffin – to women engaged in animal
husbandry.
• The scheme was launched by Union Home Minister Amit Shah during his one-day visit to
Uttarakhand.
• 70% of the state population is based on agriculture and animal husbandry.

18. Kerala govt has launched Haritha Karma Sena (Green Action Force) to collect and segregate
refuse from city households to transport it to the solid waste treatment facility of the Kochi
Corporation.
• The Haritha Karma Sena will comprise of volunteers.

19. cOcOn - annual cyber security and hacking conference organized by Kerala - will be
inaugurated by Chief of Defence Staff, Bipin Rawat, on November 12.

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 • The conference is organized in partnership with Information Security Research
Organization (ISRA).
• The theme of 2021 conference is “Improvise, Adapt and Overcome”.
• Prominent speakers from UAE, ISRO, and MD and CEO of Tech Mahindra (C. P. Gurnani)
will address the conference.

20. ESAF Small Finance Bank has launched State Level Local Sustainable Economic
Development Training Programme in Kerala in collaboration with NABARD.
• The programme aims to provide knowledge about the financial literacy at the panchayat
level.

21. Tribal Pride Day Mahasammelan will be held on November 15 in Madhya Pradesh.
• Mahasammelan is being organised on the birth anniversary of Lord Birsa Munda.
• PM will attend the Mahasammelan and inaugurate India’s first PPP-mode built Habibganj
railway station.

22. Delhi Government launched the 'Shramik Mitra' scheme to ensure that the benefits of
government schemes reach construction workers in the national capital.
• A total of 800 'Shramik Mitras' will reach the construction workers at their doorstep and
inform them about the schemes launched by the Delhi government in the interest of the
workers.
• There are at least 3-4 Shramik Mitras in all the wards who can help the construction
workers.

23. Assam’s Inland Water Transport (IWT) department has signed an MoU with the World Bank
for a Rs 770 crore loan to improve river transportation in the state.
• The central government would refund 80% of the sanctioned amount and the state
government would bear the remaining 20%.

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24. Deocha-Pachami Coal Mine Project has been inaugurated in Birbhum district, West
Bengal.
• West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has announced a compensation package of
₹10,000 crore for the ones who would get displaced or affected in some way or the other
due to the project.

25. Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, virtually
inaugurated the Kisan Bhawan and Beekeeper Conference at the Central Institute of
Horticulture, Nagaland.
• Central Institute of Horticulture, Nagaland was established under the Central Sector
Scheme of the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

Additional Facts:
• To promote the honey production in India, the Central govt has spent Rs 500 crores on
Honey Mission, till now.
• The production of honey in the country in 2020-21 has increased to 1.25 lakh metric
tonnes from 76,150 metric tonnes in 2013-14.
• The export of honey in the year 2020-21 has increased to about 60 thousand metric ton
from 28 thousand metric tons in the year 2013-14.

26. Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Pallike (BBMP) has collaborated with European Union for
developing low-carbon municipal solid waste management system in Bengaluru.
• This project is funded by EU and German’s Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation,
and Nuclear Safety.

27. Odisha has launched the ‘Rakshak’ road safety initiative, in collaboration with the GIZ
(German company) and the Indian Red Cross Society.
• As part of the initiative, the state government will train volunteers from roadside
communities such as eateries, small repair shops, gas stations, and also police officers to
be first responders to road accident victims.

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 • They will be equipped to administer first aid and pre-hospital trauma care to accident
victims within the golden hour on national and state highways.

28. Karnataka government has announced to celebrate ‘Onake Obavva Jayanti’ on November
11th (the birth anniversary of Onake Obavva).
• Onake Obavva was a woman-soldier who fought against the forces of Hyder Ali in
Chitradurga in the 18th century.

29. Kerala Start-up Mission and Cisco’s Launch-Pad Accelerator Program (CLAP) have
collaborated to host India Techno-preneurship Series for innovators and start-ups in the
state.
• This initiative will provide a platform for innovation and collaboration in order to enable
nascent companies to solve new-age challenges.

30. Wangala Festival (The 100 Drums Festival) is celebrated in Meghalaya.

• It is a post - harvest festival of Garo tribe. Saljong – the Sun God of Garos – is worshipped
during the festival.

31. For the first time, Arunachal Pradesh has adopted the Pakke Declaration on Climate
Change at the Pakke Tiger Reserve in Pakke Kessang district.
• The full name of the declaration is ‘Pakke Tiger Reserve 2047 Declaration on Climate
Change-Resilient and Responsive Arunachal Pradesh’.
• The declaration is aimed at lowering emissions and achieving sustainable development.
• The state govt also launched e-Cabinet portal to make the state’s cabinet work ‘paperless’.
• 'Kaiser-e-Hind' (Teinopalpus imperialis) was adopted as the state butterfly.

43
32. On World Pneumonia Day, Karnataka state has launched the Pneumococcal Conjugate
Vaccine (PCV) programme to increase awareness on pneumonia.
• Karnataka state has maintained that eggs are agricultural produce and transporting them
from one place to another would not draw any GST.

33. Gujarat government has launched the ‘Niramay Gujarat Yojana’ to screen and protect
people above 30 years from non-communicable diseases.
• The citizens will be screened at the primary health centres and community health centres
every Friday — also known as Mamta Divas.
• They will be given a Niramay Card with their health details. The screening and facilities of
treatment would save a family’s expenses by Rs 12,000 to 15,000.
• Another initiative: -
o The state cabinet has also decided to launch the ‘Atmanirbhar Gram Yatra’ in rural
areas as part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebration.
o Under the yatra, developmental works worth Rs 500 crore will be started or
dedicated in different districts of the state.
• The state government has decided to rename the Labour and Employment Department to
the Labour, Skill and Employment Department.

34. Maharashtra govt has signed an MoU with Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), a US-based
NPO, to support the adoption and promotion of Electric Vehicles (EVs) in the state.
• The MoU was signed at the Glasgow in the United Kingdom.
• The Maharashtra EV Policy, which was approved in July 2021, aims to have a 10% share
of EVs in total registrations by 2025.

35. Kashi Utsav will be organized by Rudraksh International Cooperation and Convention
Centre in Varanasi this month.
• Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath installed a rare idol of Maa Annapurna Devi
at Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi.

44
 • PM inaugurated the 13-foot-tall statue of Adi Guru Shankarachary at Kedarnath Temple
in Uttarakhand.

36. Bhagwan Birsa Munda Smriti Udyaan Sah Swatantrata Senani Sanghralaya was
inaugurated in Ranchi, Jharkhand, on the occasion of Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas (Nov 15).

37. Habibganj Station in Bhopal has been renamed to honour Ginnorgarh’s Rani Kamlapati.

38. Punjab govt has launched the Punjab Career Portal, in partnership with UNICEF India,
aimed at providing professional guidance to students of schools and colleges of the state.
• Technical partner for the portal is Aasman Foundation.

39. West Bengal govt has launched the ‘Duare Ration’ Scheme to deliver ration at the doorstep
of people on a fixed date in every month.
• Government has also decided to enhance commission for ration dealers from Rs75 to Rs
150 per quintal of food grains.
• Each dealer will be allowed to appoint at least two persons who will help them in delivering
ration.

40. The 341-km Purvanchal Expressway at Karwal Kheri in Sultanpur district was inaugurated by
PM.
• The Expressway links Lucknow with Ghazipur.

41. Madhya Pradesh has approved the Mukhya Mantri Udyam Kranti Yojana for self-
employment of those who have passed the higher secondary stage and are in the 18-40 age
group.
• This scheme will provide loans to youth for starting their own enterprise.

42. Nagaland state has signed MoU with Department of Posts for delivery of Elector Photo
Identity Cards (EPICs).

45
43. Central govt has approved to set up a Rajya Sainik Board for welfare and resettlement of
60,000 ex-servicemen, war widows, widows, serving personnel, including their dependents in
the Union Territory.
• The board is the apex body under which Zila Sainik Welfare Offices, Leh and Kargil will
function on all matters related to the welfare and resettlement of ex-servicemen.
• The board will be an effective link between the Centre and the UT administration for
implementing various policies for Sainik welfare.
• The Rajya Sainik Board is under the Ministry of Defence.

44. The Department of Food & Supplies, West Bengal has launched a dedicated WhatsApp
chatbot for the citizens of the State to apply for a ration card, lodge grievances and get access
to other critical resources.
• The chatbot also helps farmers with verified information pertaining to paddy related
procurement.
• The bot is free to use and is available in English and Bengali.
• It is India’s first such chatbot for PDS.

45. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid the foundation stone of the Uttar Pradesh Defence
Industrial Corridor project worth Rs 400 crores in Jhansi.
• The Centre has decided to set up two Defence Industrial Corridors in the country-- one in
Tamil Nadu and the other in Uttar Pradesh.
• The Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor has nodes at Agra, Aligarh, Jhansi,
Chitrakoot, Lucknow and Kanpur.

46. Odisha govt has signed an MoU with Delhi-based Save Life Foundation (SLF), an NGO
working in the field of road safety, to reduce accident deaths.
• SLF has been tasked to identify accident-prone stretches, find out the causes of accidents
and recommend remedial measures to create ‘zero fatality corridors’ in the state.
• The MoU aims at reducing road deaths in the next three years.

46
47. Tamil Nadu Government has constituted a FinTech Governing Council to facilitate the
establishment of FinTech companies in the State.
• The Industries Minister and the Chief Secretary will be its Chairperson and Vice-
Chairperson respectively.

48. Union Minister of Ayush and Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, has
announced a slew of major initiatives for promotion of AYUSH in Arunachal Pradesh.
• The North Eastern Institute of Ayurveda and Folk Medicine Research (NEIAFMR) at
Pasighat in the state will be expanded.
• Gradually, Regional Raw Drug Repository (RRDR) & Museum, Sophisticated Analytical
Instrument Facility (SAIF), State of Art Panchakarma Treatment & Research Centre will be
set up in Northeast India.

49. Meghalaya became the first Indian state to sign an agreement with UN’s World Food
Program to improve its Food Security System to achieve SDG 2 of Zero Hunger.
• The state has also signed an agreement with Common Service Centre for strengthening its
Public Distribution System.

50. Odisha celebrates the Boita Bandana (maritime) festival on Karthika Purnima.

51. Atal Ekta Park was inaugurated at Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh.

• Foundation stone for a 600 MW of ultra-mega solar power plant at Garautha, Jhansi.

52. Union Home Minister Amit Shah laid foundation stone of Rani Gaidinliu Tribal Freedom
Fighters Museum in Luangkao village in Tamenglong district of Manipur.
• The museum project has been sanctioned by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs at an estimated
cost of Rs 15 crore.

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53. The first-ever Aharbal festival was held in the Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir to
promote tourism in Kashmir, especially at Aharbal waterfall as a tourist destination.

54. Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru has become the first airport in South
Asia to commission a tactical simulator from Austria-based company Rosenbauer International
to strengthen its firefighting capabilities.

55. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, in association with the Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL),
launched the first prototype of an indigenous Rolling Stock Driver Training System
(RSDTS) for its train drivers.
• It is a major step towards the indigenisation of technologies involved in operating the
network.

56. Madhya Pradesh has renamed the Patalpani Railway Station in Indore as Tantya Mama
Railway Station.
• Recently, Habibganj Railway Station in Bhopal was renamed as Rani Kamlapati Station.

57. Ministry of Finance has announced a number of new schemes and initiatives for Jammu &
Kashmir, during her visit.
• Tejasvini scheme – It focuses on providing financial assistance of Rs. 5 lakh to girls
between 18-35 years for starting their business.
• Hausala scheme – It aims to promote potential of women entrepreneur by building a
comprehensive program which can serve as a guide.
• Shikhar scheme – It focuses on meeting credit requirements of up to Rs. 2 crore for hotel,
tour & tourism industry.
• Shikaras scheme – Under Shikara scheme, credit up to Rs. 15 lakh for repair of Shikaras
is provided in Kashmir valley.
• For FY 2020-21, NABARD increased its financial commitment for J&K to Rs 1500 crores
from Rs 787 crores earlier
• SIDBI cluster development fund of Rs. 200 crore was also launched for J&K.

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 • Punjab National Bank (PNB) is also partnering with J&K for Shikhar and Shikaras
scheme.

58. Nagaland has launched the ‘Call your Cop’ mobile app at Police Headquarters in Kohima.
• Purpose – to enable all citizens of the state especially those in distress to get in touch
directly with the police as easily available with just one click away.

59. World Bank will provide a $250 million loan for a school education project in Andhra
Pradesh.
• The project aims to improve quality of learning for over 50 lakh students in the state of
Andhra Pradesh.
• The fund will be utilised for supporting Andhra's 'Learning Transformation Project' to
encourage professional development of teachers, provide remedial learning courses for
children impacted by Covid-19 pandemic.

60. Andhra Pradesh govt has introduced the AP Motor Vehicles Taxation (Amendment) Bill
2021 to levy a Green Tax.

61. Delhi government has announced to add Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan and Velankanni
Church in Tamil Nadu to its pilgrimage scheme “Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana”.
• The govt of Delhi facilitates free travel to five religious circuits to the senior citizens of Delhi.

62. Kerala govt will launch the 'STREET' project in select spots in seven districts to promote
tourism by spreading awareness about the diversity of offerings in these locales.
• The STREET is an acronym for Sustainable, Tangible, Responsible, Experiential, Ethnic,
Tourism hubs.
• Green street, cultural street, village life experience street, experiential tourism street, agri-
tourism street, water street and art street are the themes of the project.
• The project, conceived by the Responsible Tourism Mission, is inspired by the 'Tourism
for Inclusive Growth' slogan of The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

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 • The project would also help rural destinations develop their basic infrastructure.

63. Assam government has launched the ‘Assam Micro Finance Incentive and Relief Scheme,
2021’ for rolling out the microfinance loan waiver scheme to give relief to 24 lakh women in
the state.

AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

1. Punjab has become the first state to approve the 'Punjab Tissue Culture Based Seed
Potato Rules-2021' to develop Punjab as a standard potato seed centre.
• The rules will help in developing the Jalandhar-Kapurthala belt as the export hub of potato.
• Cabinet also approved to introduce the 'Punjab Horticulture Nursery Bill-2021' by amending
'Punjab Fruit Nursery Act-1961'.

2. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has increased the price of ethanol
extracted from sugar (for blending in petrol) to ₹63.45 a litre from the coming sugar marketing
season.
• Ethanol blending with petrol is expected to reach 10% by 2022 and 20% by 2025.
• Impact - Oil marketing companies buy ethanol from sugar mills and distilleries at the rate
set by the government. Thus, it will reduce the losses of sugar mills and encourage them to
produce more ethanol.

3. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved to provide ₹17,408.85 crore
support to the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) as reimbursement for its losses in
procuring crops from farmers at minimum support prices over the last seven years.

4. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved reservation norms for
mandatory use of jute in packaging for the Jute Year 2021 -22 (1st July, 2021 to 30th June,
2022) under the Jute Packaging Material (JPM) Act, 1987.
• 100% food grains and 20% sugar should be compulsorily packed in jute bags.

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 • Major jute producing states - West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya,
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
• It is one of the major industries in the eastern region, particularly in West Bengal.
• 75% of the total production of the Jute Industry is Jute Sacking Bags. 90% of it is
supplied to Food Corporation of India and State Procurement Agencies.

5. Rice blast disease is affecting the ‘Manuvarna rice’ – a new variety of rice – in Wayanad,
Kerala.

6. India's First Fisheries Business Incubation Centre has been set up in Gurugram, Haryana.
• It is a first-of-its-kind, a dedicated business incubator to be known as LINAC- NCDC
Fisheries Business Incubation Centre (LlFlC).
• The Centre will help in achieving the goals under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada
Yojana (PMMSY).
• Function – the incubation unit will provide handholding such as training, converting
entrepreneurial ideas into business models and doling out seed money to the new as well
as existing business entrepreneurs keen to make big in the segment.
• National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) is an implementing agency
for the LIFIC.
• NCDC has identified the first batch of ten incubates from 4 states—Bihar, Himachal
Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra.
• Out of them, 6 are from newly-created Fish Farmers Producer Organizations with the
support of the financial grant under the PMMSY.
• Targets - Fisheries are growing at 7% rate annually. The govt has set a goal of 22 million
tonnes of fish production and export to the tune of Rs 1 lakh crore by 2025. At present,
fish production is 130 lakh tonnes and export worth Rs 46,000 crores.

7. Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying has extended the Kisan Credit Card
Scheme to fishermen to provide them loans at low interest rates.

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 • The announcement was made during the 'Fishermen Convention' organised by Kerala
Pradesh Fishermen Group (BMS) at Munambam in Kochi.

8. Arunachal Pradesh is the first state in India to get certification for growing organic Kiwis
that are now ready for exports to other countries.
• Last year, the state received the certification for the fruit.
• Now, this fruit was launched at New Delhi.

DEFENCE NEWS
1. Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) has signed a contract with Airbus Defence & Space,
Spain.
• Under the contract, BDL will export its Counter Measures Dispensing System (CMDS) to
Airbus.
• The contract is worth $21 million approximately.

2. INS Visakhapatnam - a P15B stealth-guided missile destroyer - has been commissioned into
the Indian Navy at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai.
• It is indigenously designed by the Indian Navy's in-house organisation Directorate of Naval
Design and constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Mumbai.

3. Armies of India and France conducted their 6th edition of “Ex SHAKTI 2021” at the Military
School of Draguignan, France.

4. Air forces of India and Egypt conducted a two-day exercise named “Desert Warrior” at El
Berigat airbase in Egypt.

5. DRDO and the Indian Air Force have jointly conducted two flight tests of an indigenously
developed smart anti-airfield weapon (SAAW) from Chandan ranges at Jaisalmer,
Rajasthan.

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 • SAAW has been designed and developed by Research Centre Imarat, Hyderabad.

6. 3rd edition of Goa Maritime Conclave (GMC) – 2021 was hosted by the Indian Navy under
the aegis of Naval War College, Goa.
• Theme - “Maritime Security and Emerging Non-Traditional Threats: A Case for Proactive
Role for IOR Navies”
• Chiefs of Navies/ Heads of Maritime Forces from 12 Indian Ocean Region countries
comprising Bangladesh, Comoros, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius,
Myanmar, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand attended the conclave.

7. The Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd. (MDL) has delivered the fourth Scorpene Submarine of
Project P-71 to the Indian Navy – INS Vela.
• INS Kalvari, Khanderi, and Karanja are the previous three submarines.
• The fifth submarine in the series, INS Vagir, is also in the trial stage.

8. Two aerobatic teams from the Indian Air Force (IAF) will participate in the Dubai Air Show
2021 from November 14-18 at Dubai World Central, Al Maktoum International Airport.
• ‘Sarang’ and ‘Suryakiran’ aerobatics teams will participate in the show. IAF’s light combat
aircraft (LCA) Tejas will be used along with other aircrafts.
• Sarang has previously participated in the Al Ain Grand Prix in UAE in 2005.
• Surya Kiran is the first aerobatic team of the Indian Air Force, formed in 1982.

9. Armies of India and France will conduct the 6th edition of their biennial ‘Shakti’ exercise from
November 15-26 in Frejus, France.

10. 32nd edition of India-Thailand Coordinated Patrol (Indo-Thai CORPAT) was held between
the Indian Navy and the Royal Thai Navy.
• INS Karmuk, along with Maritime Patrol Aircraft, is participating in the CORPAT from Indian
side.

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11. 3rd edition of Singapore, India, and Thailand (SITMEX) maritime exercise was held at the
Andaman Sea.
• The Indian Navy is being represented by the INS Karmuk missile corvette in the exercise.

12. Indian Army and Indian Air Force conducted a joint exercise named Operation Hercules to
assess their logistics supply chain.
• This exercise was held at a time when the Indian armed forces are preparing for another
winter of enhanced deployment of over 50,000 troops in Ladakh amid continuing tensions
with China.

13. Indian Navy has conducted a security exercise, called "Prasthan", in the Offshore
Development Area (ODA) off the coast of Mumbai.
• The exercise, conducted by the Headquarters Western Naval Command, is held every six
months.
• Purpose of the exercise - to integrate maritime stakeholders, including the Navy, Air
Force, Coast Guard, ONGC, Port Trust, Customs, State Fisheries department and Marine
Police, for refining standard operating procedures for response to various contingencies
that could occur in the ODAs.

14. Ministry of Defence signed a contract for Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd for procuring two
simulators for Jaguar Aircrafts at a cost of Rs 357 crores.
• Under the contract, two Fixed Base Full Mission Simulators (FBFMS) will be procured for
Jaguar aircraft from HAL for the training of pilots of Jaguar fighter.
• The simulators would be installed at Air Force stations in Jamnagar and Gorakhpur.

15. 15th edition of the biennial trilateral coast guard exercise named ‘Dosti’ involving India, the
Maldives and Sri Lanka is being held in Male, Maldives.
• It has been 30 years since the beginning of this exercise.

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16. Sagar Shakti exercise was held among Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, Indian
Coast Guard, Border Security Force, Gujarat Police and the Marine Police in Kutch
Peninsula.
• The high-intensity exercise was organised by the Indian Army's Southern Command.
• This exercise aims to test the combat readiness of the agencies in a real-time scenario.

17. Airbus Defence and Space (European aircraft manufacturer) has signed a contract with
Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for developing Radar Warning Receiver (RWR) and
Missile Approach Warning System (MAWS).
• This is part of Airbus' offset commitments under the C295 aircraft programme of India.
• In September, India had signed a nearly Rs 20,000 crore contract with Airbus Defence and
Space to procure 56 C-295 transport aircraft to replace the Avro-748 planes of the IAF.

18. Pune -based Southern Command of Indian Army has conducted the Dakshin Shakti military
exercise in Rajasthan and Gujarat to strengthen their operational readiness.
• Indian Army, Navy and Air Force, and other paramilitary forces also participated in this
exercise.
• Recently concluded Sagar Shakti exercise was also a part of the Dakshin Shakti exercise.

19. Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has granted permission for the mass production of AK-
203 rifles.
• The Council has also approved an independent satellite – GSAT-7C - for the Indian Air
Force.

20. 37th edition of India-Indonesia Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) is being held in the Indian
Ocean region.
• The first Indo-Indonesia CORPAT was conducted in 2002.
• INS Khanjar and Dornier Maritime Patrol Aircraft participated in the CORPAT.

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21. India and Russia will hold the 1st edition of their 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in December 2021,
for which Russian PM Vladimir Putin will visit in India.
• The two countries had signed an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) in February 2019
for setting up a Joint Venture named as Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL) at
Korwa in Uttar Pradesh for manufacturing rifles.
o Joint Venture parties - Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) from the Indian side and
Rosoboron Export and Kalashnikov on the Russian side.
• Recently, Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has granted permission for the mass
production of AK-203 rifles (6.71 lakh rifles) in India, in collaboration with Russia, under the
IGA.
• Deals in limbo - Igla-S Very Short Range Air Defence (VSHORAD) systems; Ka-226T utility
helicopter deal.
• The DAC also approved GSAT-7C communication satellite for the Indian Air Force (IAF)
at a cost of ₹2,236 crore.

22. Indian Air Force has received two-second hand Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft from France at
its Gwalior airbase.

23. Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) had sanctioned Kaveri Engine project in 1989 for
development of engines in the country.
• At present, the LCA Tejas is integrated with an imported engine. But, the future aim is to
develop indigenous engines for powering aircrafts.
• The technological capabilities built through the Kaveri engine project will be utilised.

24. Bi-annual meeting of Border Security Force of India and Border Guard Bangladesh was
held in Shillong, capital of Meghalaya.

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 MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
1. Flipkart has signed an MoU with the Ministry of Rural Development for the Deendayal
Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM) program.
• Through this partnership, local businesses and self-help groups (SHGs) – especially those
that are led by women – will be brought on the e-commerce platform.
• This MoU is a part of the Samarth Program of Flipkart, which aims to help lower sections
of society by bringing them on the online platform and providing them with other services
like warehousing etc.

2. Indian Army has signed an MoU with Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU), Gandhinagar to
synergise innovations, research, technology incubation, joint projects, publication & patents,
training, higher learning and distance education in the Army.
• Indian Army has also signed an MoU with the Bhaskaracharya National Institute for
Space Applications and Geo-Informatics (BISAG-N), Gandhinagar, Gujarat for
conducting research in emerging technologies.
• ‘Chanakya’ is the biannual publication of RRU.

3. India’s DRDO and Israel's Directorate of Defence Research and Development have signed
an MoU for the development of dual use technologies in the defence sector.
• Purpose - to promote innovation and research and development in start-ups and MSMEs
of both countries for the advancement of dual use technologies.
• "Dual-use" refers to technology that can be used for both peaceful and military aims.

4. Ministry of Tourism has signed an MoU with Indian Railway Catering and Tourism
Corporation to strengthen hospitality and tourism industry in the country.
• Ministry of Tourism has already signed similar MOUs with Easy My Trip, Cleartrip,
Yatra.com, Make My Trip and Goibibo.

5. NTPC Ltd has signed an MoU with Indian Oil to collaborate in the field of renewable energy.

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6. Trade Promotion Council of India (TPCI) has signed an MoU with the Department of
Economy and Business Development of the Government of Navarra, Spain.
• Purpose – to strengthen trade ties as India is one of the top priority international markets
for Navarra.
• TPCI will work with the Government of Navarra for promotion of trade and investment
besides, strengthening the bilateral and commercial relationship.

7. Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying has signed an MoU with Ministry of Food
Processing Industries.
• Purpose - for extending the benefits of various schemes to the beneficiaries by providing
them credit support in establishing dairy processing, meat processing and animal feed
plant.

8. Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad has signed an MoU with the Ministry of Civil
Aviation to undertake research to study the effect of the regional connectivity scheme (RCS)
on commercial air travel in India.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS
1. COP 26 of UNFCCC was held at Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom.

'Climate Equity Monitor'

• An online dashboard - the 'Climate Equity Monitor' – was launched to

assess equity in climate action, inequalities in emissions besides energy
and resource consumption across the world. India has also endorsed this
website.
Announcements by India (Panchamrit): -
• India pledged to become net-zero carbon emission country by 2070.

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 • Renewable energy target is 500 GW by 2030.
• 50% of energy requirements to be fulfilled by renewable energy.
• Reduce 1 billion carbon emissions by 2030.
• Reduce carbon intensity of GDP to below 45% by 2030.

India’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under Paris Agreement:

• Reduce carbon intensity of GDP by 30-35% by 2030, in comparison to
2005 levels.
• 40% of energy requirements to be fulfilled by renewable energy.
• PM Narendra Modi has launched the Infrastructure of Small Island
Nations for the most vulnerable countries.

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 o The IRIS initiative is a part of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient
infrastructure that would focus on building capacity, having pilot
projects, especially in small island developing states.
o It is a collaborative effort of India, the UK and Australia, along with
the participation of leaders of small island nations Fiji, Jamaica and
Mauritius.
• India has signed the Glasgow Breakthrough Agenda, launched by UK
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, to deliver clean and affordable technology
everywhere by 2030.
o The Breakthrough Agenda aims to make clean technologies
affordable, accessible and attractive for all globally in each of the
most polluting sectors by 2030, including the developing countries.
o The Agenda will bring together public and private sector for speeding
up the development and deployment of clean technologies.
• India Green Guarantee – The UK will provide an "India Green Guarantee"
to the World Bank, to provide an additional 750 million pounds for green
projects in India.
o The green guarantee financing will support clean and resilient
infrastructure in sectors such as clean energy, transport and urban
development.
• UK’s fund EVs – UK will provide 210 million pounds for transformational
green projects in developing countries, including electric vehicles (EVs) in
India.
o The financing will be provided via Private Infrastructure
Development Group (PIDG).
o The UK's PIDG financing will go to schemes including EV
manufacturing in India, green bonds in Vietnam and solar power in
Burkina Faso, Pakistan, Nepal and Chad.

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• UK's new Clean Green Initiative (CGI) – UK launched the initiative to
scale up public and private investment in quality, sustainable infrastructure
globally.
• 'First Movers Coalition'
o The Coalition has been launched by World Economic Forum, in
partnership with US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John
Kerry, for companies to increase the demand for zero-carbon
technologies.
o Amazon and Apple as well as Mahindra Group and Dalmia Cement
(Bharat) from India have joined as founding members, along with other
companies.
o It will work across eight key sectors, seven of which -- steel, cement,
aluminium, chemicals, shipping, aviation, and trucking -- account for
more than a third of global carbon emissions but do not have cost-
competitive clean energy alternatives to fossil fuels.
o The eighth sector is direct air capture technique.
• One Sun One World One Grid
o UK and India launched the ‘Green Grids Initiative - One Sun One
World One Grid' (GGI-OSOWOG).
o International Solar Alliance is the nodal agency for implementing this
grid initiative.
o World Bank Group is also supporting the grid initiative.
o The Steering Committee, comprising of UK, US, India, France and
Australia, will spearhead this initiative. UK pledged technical, financial
and research support for the OSOWOG project.
o A consortium led by French state-run power utility firm EDF and
comprising France’s AETS and India’s The Energy and Resources
Institute has helped create the road map for OSOWOG.
o ‘One Sun Declaration’ was adopted at the COP 26 by 80 countries to
implement the GGI-OSOWOG.

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 o There will be three phases of the GGI-OSOWOG initiative –
§ 1st – interconnectivity across the Middle East, South Asia and
Southeast Asia
§ 2nd – connecting African region
§ 3rd – connecting countries globally
o The ISA aims to help mobilise USD 1 trillion of funding by 2030 to assist
developing countries in expanding their solar power grids.
o ISA was launched in 2015. Initially member countries were primarily
located in the region between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of
Capricorn. But now others like Germany, Denmark and the
Netherlands have joined after membership was opened to all nations.
• India presented its third Biennial Update Report (BUR).
• As per the BUR, India’s solar energy has increased to 45 GW (an
increment of 17 times) over the last seven years.
• India has achieved 24% reduction in emission intensity of its GDP over
2005-2014.
• At the COP 26 of UNFCCC, developing countries demanded that
developed countries should mobilise $1.3 trillion to climate financing by
2030.
• This demand was put forth by a group of 24 nations that call themselves
Like Minded Developing Countries (LMDCs), as well as countries from
Africa.
• India is part of the LMDC grouping along with China, Indonesia, Malaysia,
Iran, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Philippines and others.
• Adaptation Fund, which is meant to finance adaptation projects in
developing countries, raised a record breaking amount at the UNFCCC.
Global Resilience Index Initiative

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 • A global coalition of ten organisations launched the Global Resilience
Index Initiative (GRII) on UNFCCC CoP 26 adaptation day (8th November
2021).
• Purpose – GRII will assess the resilience of countries against climate risks.
o It will provide information to different sectors of the global economy
about the need and value (in quantitative terms) of building climate
resilience and the costs of doing nothing.
• Benefits – GRII will create a universal model for assessing the disaster
vulnerability. This, in turn, will help policymakers in prioritising the climate
policies. Investors will also be able to use this reference index to invest their
money in climate projects and others for getting optimal output.
o This will reduce the gap in direct investment and aid where they are
needed the most.
• Components of GRII –
o Corporate climate risk disclosure.
o National adaptation planning and reporting.
o Planning of pre-arranged humanitarian finance.
• Partners & Supporters of GRII –
o Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)
o Coalition for Climate Resilient Investment (CCRI)
Mission Integrated Biorefineries & e-Amrit Portal

• India, in collaboration with Netherlands, has launched the Mission

Integrated Biorefineries under Mission Innovation.
• Under the Mission Integrated Biorefineries, research, start-ups,
international collaborations will be strengthened in the area of renewable
fuels, chemicals, and materials for a low-carbon future.
• India also launched “e-Amrit” (Accelerated e-Mobility Revolution for India’s
Transportation) portal for electric vehicles.

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 o The portal will bust the myths around the adoption of EVs, their
purchase, investment opportunities, policies, subsidies, etc. in India.
o The portal has been developed and hosted by NITI Aayog.
o It has been launched as a part of UK –India joint roadmap 2030.

• Accelerating Coal Transition (ACT) Program:

o India, Indonesia, Philippines, South Africa will be the first
recipients of the Accelerating Coal Transition (ACT), a
multibillion-dollar pilot programme, for accelerating their transition
from coal power to clean energy.
o This program is administered by the Climate Investment Funds
(CIF), which was launched in 2008 by the world’s biggest
economies, to help poorer countries accelerate their shift to a low-
carbon economy.
o All the four countries account for 15% of global emissions related
to coal.
o The ACT program will help developing countries, which lack
adequate resources to finance the shift away from coal, which is vital
for limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5º C by 2030.
• Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance:
o 7 countries have formed the ‘BOGA’ alliance. This international
coalition is led by Denmark and Costa Rica.
o Core Members of the Coalition:

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 o California, New Zealand, and Portugal are the Associate Members
whereas Italy has joined as the ‘Friend of BOGA’.
• End Fossil-fuel Vehicles by 2040:
o Developed countries will phase out the fossil fuel vehicles by 2035.
o Developing countries will phase out the fossil fuel vehicles by
2040.
o Top 2 carmakers – Volkswagen and Toyota, and top 3 car markets –
US, China, and Germany, did not sign the agreement. Many major
car manufacturers abstained from signing the pact.
o This ‘landmark agreement’ was signed by 24 countries, including
India.
• Clydebank Declaration:
o Clydebank is a town in Scotland.
o 22 countries have signed the declaration, excluding India.
§ Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Denmark, Fiji,
Finland, France, Germany, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Japan,
Republic of the Marshall Islands, Morocco, Netherlands, New
Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, UK, USA.
o To create six green shipping corridors by the middle of this
decade.

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 o It will complement the Zero Emission Shipping Mission – launched
in July 2021 by Denmark, Norway, and US – to achieve net-zero
emission in the shipping sector by 2050.
o Ships handle 90% of world trade. At present, ships are fuelled by
fossil fuel sources like diesel.
o International Convention for the Prevention of the Pollution
from Ships (MARPOL), already, strives for the decarbonization of
the shipping industry.
o Greening of the shipping corridors (or marine trade routes) can
be done by shifting to alternate renewable energy sources like wind,
hydro, solar, biofuel, green hydrogen, etc.
• Inspiring Regional Leadership Award:
o Maharashtra is the only Indian state to win this Inspiring Regional
Leadership Award at the inaugural leadership awards of the
Under2 Coalition.
o The Under2 Coalition is the largest global network of states and
regions committed to climate action and is made up of more than
260 governments who represent 1.75 billion people and 50% of the
global economy.
• A glacier in far-away Antarctica has been formally named Glasgow
Glacier.
o Besides Glasgow, the eight newly named glaciers are Geneva,
Rio, Berlin, Kyoto, Bali, Stockholm, Paris and Incheon all named
after cities hosting important UN climate meetings.
o These names will be registered in the Composite Gazetteer of
Antarctica.
• UN Environment Program will open its office in India.

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 • International Solar Alliance (ISA) and United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change have signed an agreement to fight
climate change.
o The two institutions will jointly organise a set of activities with the UN
Climate Change secretariat to facilitate the implementation of
mitigation action in the energy sector, facilitate the
implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions and
Long-term Low Emission Development Strategies.
• Ganga Connect:
o Ministry of Jal Shakti has launched a global exhibition and an outreach
platform ‘Ganga Connect’ in Cardiff, Wales.
• UN Environment Program has launched the ‘Sustainable Urban Cooling
Handbook’ at the COP 26 of UNFCCC.
• As per the report, cities will become too hot to survive. Many cities would
warm up to 4º C by 2100, if the global warming is not contained.
• Depending on the climate zone, the urban heat island effect can raise
urban temperatures as much as 5 degrees Celsius, compared with
surrounding rural areas.
• Mr. Alok Sharma was the President of the COP 26.

2. Governments of the United States and India co-hosted the 4th annual Indo-Pacific Business
Forum (IPBF) virtually October 28-29, 2021.
• The key themes for the Forum were economic recovery and resilience; climate action; and
digital innovation.
• Arizona-based First Solar announced to invest $684 million in the Indian state of Tamil
Nadu for solar module manufacturing facility.

3. 2021 Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue (IPRD) was organized virtually.

• Theme – “Evolution in Maritime Strategy during the 21st Century: Imperatives, Challenges,
and, Way Ahead”

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 • IPRD was first conducted in 2018.
• IPRD is the apex international annual conference of the Indian Navy. The National
Maritime Foundation is the navy’s knowledge partner and chief organiser of each edition
of this annual event.

4. G20 Summit 2021 was held in Rome, Italy on the theme of ‘People, Planet and Prosperity’.
• Leaders adopted the Rome Declaration on Health.
• During the visit to Rome, PM Narendra Modi met with Francis Pope at Vatican City.
• This year's G20 summit, the eighth in line attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is
being hosted physically in Rome.

Highlights of the Summit: -

• The G20 Climate Risk Atlas was released to provide climate scenarios, information, data
and future changes in climate across the G20 countries.
• G20 members decided to stop financing of overseas coal-fired power generation by the
end of this year (2021).
• They will emphasise Public-Private Partnership (PPP) for pooling fund for climate
change.
• 15% Global Minimum Corporate Tax deal was endorsed by G20 members.
• Global temperature to be kept at 1.5 degrees Celsius.

India’s Decisions: -
• India is ready to produce over 5 billion vaccine doses by the end of next year (2022).
• India welcomed the European Union’s Indo-Pacific strategy and French leadership in it.
• India and France conducted a bilateral meeting on the side lines of G20. The leaders
decided to expand their Indo-Pacific partnership.

5. UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is organizing the ‘International Seed
Conference’ on November 4 and 5 in Rome, Italy.
• Indian state of Telangana has received invitation to attend the virtual conference.

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 • Telangana Seed Corporation Managing Director Dr Keshavulu will address the conference
on ‘Quality Seed Production System: A success story of India: Telangana as a seed hub’.
• He was also asked to co-chair the parallel session entitled ‘Seed enterprise development
and international trade.’
• Representatives, Ministers, scientists and seed experts from 195 countries would
participate in the two-day conference.

6. G20 Rome Summit: -

• UN Environment Program (UNEP), in association with European Commission, has
launched the International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO).
• IMEO will revolutionize the approach to methane reduction by interconnecting data with
action on research, reporting, and regulation.
• IMEO will accurately collect data on methane emissions. This data will help in formulating
precise policies for reducing methane emissions.
• IMEO will initially focus on methane emissions from the fossil fuel sector (energy sector),
and then expand to other major emitting sectors like agriculture and waste.
• Hosted by UNEP, IMEO's budget amounts to €100 million over five years. IMEO will help in
achieving targets under Global Methane Pledge.
• Global Methane Pledge – a US and EU-led effort by over ninety countries to reduce
methane emissions by 30% by 2030.

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7. US, UK, Japan, and EU have announced to become net zero emission countries by 2050;
Saudi Arabia, China, Russia by 2060; and India by 2070.
• Top Greenhouse Gas Emitters –
o China
o United States
o India
o Russia
Recommended: Watch this video to understand the economic implication of the announcements
made by India at COP 26 of UNFCCC.

8. China has launched its Earth Science Satellite named Guangmu (SDGSAT-1) into space on
a Long March-6 carrier rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre.
• It is the world's first space science satellite dedicated to serving the UN 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development.
• It will be monitoring, evaluating and studying the interaction between human and nature and
sustainable development.

9. UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak has unveiled a new 5-pound commemorative coin celebrating the
life and legacy of Mahatma Gandhi to mark Diwali.
• Coin Designer – Heena Glover
• Quote on the Coin – My Life is My Message

10. Australia has announced plans to send an Australian-made rover to the Moon by 2024 to
detect water on moon.

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 • The mission for detection of water is being carried out by private companies in Australia
and Canada, in conjunction with the University of Technology Sydney.
• This Rover will be sent on Hakuto lander, made by ispace (a Japanese company). The
rover is also built by ispace.
• Separately, Australia, in collaboration with NASA, will also send an Australian-made rover
to the Moon by as early as 2026 to collect lunar soil containing oxygen, which could
eventually be used to support human life in space.

11. UN Security Council adopted the Resolution 2601 on the protection of education in armed
conflict.
• This is the first of its kind resolution adopted by UNSC.

12. USA has joined the International Solar Alliance (ISA) at its 101st member.
• ISA Director General – Ajay Mathur

13. United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that the 45 million people in 43
countries are on the edge of famine.
• This number has risen from 42 million earlier in the year and from 27 million in 2019.
• The cost of averting famine globally now stands at $7 billion, up from $6.6 billion earlier in
the year.

14. Astronaut Wang Yaping has become the first Chinese woman to walk in space.

15. Iran has begun its annual war games “Zolfaghar-1400” in Gulf of Oman.

16. Srinagar (summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir) has joined the UNESCO Creative Cities
Network (UCCN) in folk art and craft category.
• Srinagar is among the 49 cities selected for inclusion.
• Srinagar and Gwalior were recommended for inclusion but only Srinagar was accepted.

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 • Other Indian cities in the UCCN - Chennai and Varanasi - UNESCO Cities of music;
Jaipur - UNESCO city of crafts and folk arts; Mumbai - UNESCO city of film and
Hyderabad - UNESCO City of gastronomy.

About UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN):

• UCCN was launched in 2004. It now has 295 cities from 90 countries. The list categorises
the cities into crafts and folk art, design, film, gastronomy, literature, media arts, and
music categories.
• The UCCN includes only those cities which have creativity and sustainability at their heart.
Being included in this list means that cities will now share best practices with other
members to spread culture and creativity.
• The UCCN aims to encourage creativity in urban development.

17. Japan has launched a small, low-cost Epsilon rocket carrying nine satellites.
• Among the satellites, the rocket carried RAISE 2 spacecraft, built Mitsubishi Electric Corp.
and DRUMS satellite.

18. China has exported its largest and most advanced warship, that Beijing has ever exported,
to Pakistan.
• The warship (frigate) is named as PNS Tughril.

19. International Solar Alliance (ISA) has launched the Investment Advisory Committee, in
partnership with Nordic institutional investors, to provide assistance to ISA in mobilising $1
trillion investment by 2030.
• Confirmed advisory committee members include senior representatives from Africa50,
CDPQ Global, IFC, the Development Bank of Southern Africa, Capricorn Investment Group
and Temasek.
• At the COP 26, ISA has also released the Solar Investment Action Agenda, along with
the World Resources Institute (WRI), Bloomberg Philanthropies and BloombergNEF.

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 • The Agenda will also guide the development of a Solar Investment Roadmap to be
launched in 2022.

20. Egypt will host COP 27 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) in 2022.
• Egypt will hold the conference in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh.
• The United Arab Emirates (UAE) was selected to host the COP 28 in 2023.

21. India and Sri Lanka have set up Parliamentary Friendship Association, with Minister
Chamal Rajapaksa, as its President.
• The Association will revive the parliamentary exchanges between the two democracies and
strengthen bilateral ties.

22. World Bank and Asian Development Bank, in association with the India Smart Grid Forum
(ISGF), organized the WePOWER India Partnership Forum.
• Purpose - to scale up the South Asia Women in Power Sector Professional Network
(WePOWER) in India.
• The World Bank, in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank, launched the
WePOWER in February 2019 to promoting gender equality in the Indian electricity sector.

23. South Korea has demonstrated a system for controlling urban air mobility vehicles (UAM).
• These UAMs will serve as taxis between major airports and downtown Seoul as soon as
2025, cutting travel time by two-thirds.

24. UAE, Bahrain, Israel, and USA have conducted the multilateral maritime security operations
exercise in the Red Sea.
• This is the first publicly acknowledged naval exercise between the United States, Israel and
the two Gulf countries.

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25. Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition & Conference (ADIPEC), hosted by Abu
Dhabi National Oil Company, will be held in UAE from November 15 to 17.
• Theme - Unlocking new value opportunities in the energy system
• It will be attended by Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas &
Housing and Urban Affairs.
• He will participate in the Ministerial Round Table titled “Charting the Climate Action Path
from COP 26 to COP 27”.
• The India Pavilion has been set up jointly by Federation of Indian Petroleum Industry
(FIPI), Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH), and Confederation of Indian
Industry (CII).

26. Blue Origin has announced its plans to build its own commercial space station - "Orbital
Reef," between 2025 and 2030.
• Blue Origin has been founded by Amazon Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos.
• Orbital Reef will be nearly as large as the International Space Station and will be able to
house about 10 people.

27. Russia conducted an anti-satellite test (ASAT) to detect the space debris that can impact
satellites in the Low-Earth Orbit.
• The results of this test raised concerns as the space debris is increasing.
• Russia also destroyed its own satellite by using the Direct-Ascent Anti-Satellite (DA-
ASAT) missile.
• The destroyed satellite – named as ‘Cosmos 1408’ – was launched in 1982. It was a
Soviet ELINT (Electronic and Signals Intelligence) satellite.

28. 21st Annual Council of Ministers meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA)
was held in a hybrid format in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
• India has participated in the meeting with Minister of State External Affairs (MoS), Dr
Rajkumar Ranjan Singh leading the delegation.
• Bangladesh has assumed the chairmanship of IORA for 2021-23.

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 • Russia is the new Dialogue Partner of IORA.
• Salman Al-Farisi for being selected as the next Secretary-General (SG) of IORA.

29. Clean Ocean International Expert Group of the UN Decade for Ocean Science for
Sustainable Development will present the “Clean Ocean Manifesto”.
• The Manifesto will consist of activities to achieve the goals of reducing marine debris by
50% to 90% to reach the goal of a clean ocean by 2030.
• 2021-2030 is the UN Decade for Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
• The above-mentioned expert group is chaired by Angelika Brandt (of Germany) and Elva
Escobar Briones (of Mexico).

30. UNESCO has celebrated its 75th anniversary on November 12.

• Fun Fact - UNESCO Global Geoparks are single, unified geographical areas where sites
and landscapes of international geological significance are managed with a holistic concept
of protection, education and sustainable development. At present, there are 169 UNESCO
Global Geoparks in 44 countries.

31. BRICS nations have agreed the BRICS Innovation Action 2021-24 at the 13th BRICS S&T
Committee Meeting.
• The Action Plan was prepared under India's leadership.
• The meeting was hosted by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), India.
• About 20 scientific meetings were organised in 2021 with some of the key events hosted by
India, including BRICS Young Scientist Conclave 2021, BRICS Working Group Meeting on
Science, Technology, Innovation Entrepreneurship Partnership, and BRICS Working Group
Meeting on Astronomy.

32. Russia has successfully tested its hypersonic cruise missile – Zircon – from frigate ship, after
testing it from nuclear submarine.
• Russia also destroyed one of its own low-earth orbit satellite by using the Anti- Satellite
Missile named Nudol.

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33. Barbados had become the first government to acquire virtual land and create a virtual
“embassy” on metaverse.
• For this, the govt of Barbados has signed an agreement with Decentraland, a blockchain
metaverse platform, to establish a digital platform.

34. Taiwan has opened a representation office in Lithuania’s capital Vilnius.

35. 7th Indian Ocean Naval Symposium was held in Paris, France.
• Indian Navy Chief R Hari Kumar attended the Symposium.
• IONS includes 24 nations that permanently hold territory that abuts or lies within the Indian
Ocean, and 8 observer nations.
• The inaugural IONS Seminar was held by the Indian Navy in 2008.

36. The International Institute For Strategic Studies (IISS) organizes the Manama Dialogue
every year in Manama, capital of Bahrain.
• It is a one-of-a-kind platform for government officials and corporate leaders to discuss about
the Middle East’s most serious security issues.

37. AUKUS – Australia, UK, and US – partnership for developing 8 nuclear powered submarines
for Australia has been officially signed by the three countries.

38. NASA is set to test a “Laser Communications Relay Demonstration” (LCRD) technology
in space, with the aim of speeding up space communications.
• LCRD is expected to launch in December 2021 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in
Florida.
• It will be launched on STPSat-6 spacecraft aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V
rocket.
• It will benefit in the “Artemis mission”, which will be launched in 2024.

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 • Laser technology in space will allow 10–100 times more data sent back to Earth, as against
radio frequencies.

39. NASA has launched Investigation of Convective Updrafts (INCUS), which will be group of
three small satellites, to study the behaviour of tropical storms and thunderstorms, including
their impacts on weather and climate models.
• The mission is expected to launch in 2027 as part of NASA’s Earth Venture Program.
• The Earth Science mission aims to improve understand of the current state of the Earth
system and to enable continual improvement in the prediction of future changes.

40. 13th ASEM (Asia- Europe Meeting) Summit – a biennial summit – was held virtually on the
theme of "Strengthening Multilateralism for Shared Growth”.
• The 13th Summit is being hosted by Cambodia as ASEM Chair.
• ASEM is a platform for the countries in Asia and Europe to exchange views on regional and
global issues and strengthen cooperation on a wide range of areas in the three domains of
political and security, economic and financial and socio-cultural.
• The ASEM grouping comprises of 51 member countries and 2 regional organizations –
European Union and ASEAN.
• Countries in the grouping represent 65% of global GDP, 60% of the global population, 75%
of global tourism and 55% of global trade.
• India joined ASEM in 2006. India participated in the ASEM Summit in 2008 (7th edition), for
the first time.

41. 5th World Congress on Disaster Management was virtually organized by India.
• Organizer – IIT-Delhi
• Theme – Technology, Finance and Capacity for Building Resilience to Disasters

42. NASA’s Hubble Telescope has detected “Prawn Nebula”, which emits light.
• This Nebula is 6000 light years away from Earth. It is formally known as the IC 4628.

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 • Nebula means a cloud of dust and gas in the outer space which is visible in the night
sky.
• Nebulas are formed when old stars explode, and in turn, new stars are formed from the
stellar material deposited in the nebula.

43. 20th Meeting of SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) was held in Nur-Sultan,
under the Chairmanship of Kazakhstan. It was a virtual meeting.
• External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar represented India in the meeting.

44. Russian cargo spacecraft, carrying a new docking module named Prichal (Pier), was
successfully connected with the International Space Station (ISS).

45. 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) of WTO has been postponed due to the Omicron variant
of Coronavirus, spreading in South Africa.
• The Conference was scheduled to be held in Geneva.

46. Interpol coordinated the ‘Operation HAECHI-II’ to catch the criminals committing cyber
frauds.
• Police forces from 20 countries, including India, Hong Kong, and Macau, participated in this
operation.
• Interpol will launch the Anti-Money Laundering Rapid Response Protocol (ARRP) – a
new global stop-payment mechanism – in 2022.

47. 9th Meeting of the BIMSTEC Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism and
Transnational Crime has been organized by Bhutan virtually.
• BIMSTEC Members States - Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and
Thailand
• India is the Lead Country for BIMSTEC Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism
and Transnational Crime.

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 • Members discussed the implementation of the BIMSTEC Convention on Cooperation in
Combating International Terrorism, Transnational Organized Crime and Illicit Drug
Trafficking, which entered into force in March 2021.
• India will be hosting the 10th Meeting of the BIMSTEC Joint Working Group on Counter
Terrorism and Transnational Crimes (JWG-CTTC) in 2022.

48. UN General Assembly has adopted resolution for graduation of Bangladesh, Lao People’s
Democratic Republic and Nepal from the least developed country category.
• As per the resolution, these countries have been given a period of 5 years to transition from
LDC category.
• They will be removed from LDC category on 24 November 2026.

49. BRICS Virtual Economic Conclave was organised by Delhi-based think tank Research and
Information System for Developing Countries.

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 • All the member nations decided to establish the BRICS bond fund, which has been a long
standing issue, which would help local bond markets in the member countries.

50. 18th meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Russia, India, and China (RIC) was held
digitally, under the chairmanship of the External Affairs Minister of India, Dr. S. Jaishankar.
• India took over the chairmanship of the RIC from Russia in September 2020.
• In the meeting, External Affairs Minister will pass on the chairmanship of the RIC to the
Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China for the next one year.

51. UNESCO adopted the first ever global standard on the ethics of artificial intelligence (AI)
at its General Conference.
• The Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence sets out common values
and principles to assist in the creation of the legal infrastructure required to ensure the
healthy development of AI.
• The Recommendation has three main parts: values, principles and strategic areas.
• 2021 International Forum on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Education will be held as a
"hybrid" (online and in person) event in Qingdao, China.

REPORTS AND INDICES

1. World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has released the ‘State of the Global Climate
2021’ report at the COP26 of UNFCCC.
• 2015-2021 are the warmest years on record due to unprecedentedly high GHG emissions.
• The global mean temperature for 2021 (based on data from January to September) was
about 1.09°C above the 1850-1900 average.
• Oceans have become acidic because of the absorption of 23% of the annual emissions of
anthropogenic (human generated) CO2.
• The upper 2000m depth of the ocean continued to warm in 2019 reaching a new record
high.

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 • The mean global mean sea level rise was 2.1 mm per year between 1993 and 2002 and
4.4 mm per year between 2013 and 2021.

2. 2022 QS World University Rankings have been released.

• Total – 1300 universities
• Top –

• India’s top –

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 • Parameters –
o International Students Ratio
o International Faculty Ratio
o Faculty Student Ratio
o Citations per Faculty
o Academic Reputation
o Employer Reputation

3. 2022 QS Asia University Rankings has been released.

• Top - National University of Singapore (NUS)
• India - 118 universities
o 10 new entrants; Of them, 7 bagged a spot in the top 100.
o India’s top 5 universities –
§ IIT-Bombay - Rank: 42
§ IIT-Delhi - Rank: 45
§ IIT-Madras - Rank: 54
§ IISc - Rank: 56
§ IIT-Kharagpur - Rank: 60

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4. UNEP has released the 6th “Adaptation Gap Report 2021: The Gathering Storm”.
• The global temperature reached 1.1º C in 2021, causing devastating climate-related
calamities.
• The cost of adaptation to the climate change ranges from $140 - 300 billion per year in
2030 to $280 – 500 billion per year by 2050 for developing countries.

5. UN Development Program has released the “State of Climate Ambition” report.

• As per this report, Least Developed Countries (LDC) are most vulnerable to climate
change. LDCs are doing their best to tackle the climate crisis.
• Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) –
countries that are among the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and
contribute to only 7% of global GHG emissions – are collectively leading the way on
pledging to raise ambition.
• In 2021, 93% of all SIDS and LDCs have plans to enhance their Nationally Determined
Contributions (up from 42% in 2019), of which 86% intend to raise mitigation ambition (up
from 40% in 2019).

6. Global Drug Policy Index 2021 has been released by Harm Reduction Consortium (which
is a consortium of anti-drug organizations).
• Total – 30
• Top – Norway

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• India’s rank – 18th

• Bottom – Brazil
• Parameters – 75 indicators divided into 5 domains:
o Absence of Extreme Responses
o Proportionality & Criminal Justice
o Harm Reduction
o Access to Medicines
o Development

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7. Ministry of Commerce and Industry has launched Logistics Ease Across Different States
(LEADS) report 2021. The first edition was launched in 2018.
• This report ranks states and UTs on the basis of efficiency of their logistics system.
• Number of dimensions – Infrastructure, Services, Operating and regulatory environment
• Number of indicators – 21
• Category of states – States, North Eastern States and Himalayan UTs, and Other UTs
• Top performers –
o States – Gujarat, Haryana and Punjab
o North Eastern States and Himalayan UTs – Jammu & Kashmir, Sikkim and
Meghalaya
o Other UTs – Delhi
• Top improvers – Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand

8. World Economic Forum (WEP) has released “Mission 2070: A Green New Deal for a Net-
Zero India” report to suggest a roadmap for India’s energy transition.
• The report has been released in collaboration with Kearney and Observer Research
Foundation.
• The transition to green energy will impact the following sectors the most –
o Energy
o Mobility
o Industry
o Green Buildings, Infrastructure and Cities
o Agriculture
• The new green deal would create 50 million jobs.
• It will add $1 trillion to GDP by 2030 and a massive $15 trillion to GDP by 2070.

9. NITI Aayog has released its Delta Ranking for the month of September 2021.
• The Delta Ranking shows the incremental progress in aspirational districts in
developmental areas such as health and nutrition, education, agriculture and water
resources, financial inclusion, skill development and basic infrastructure.

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 • The Aspiration District Program was launched in 2018.
• Top 5 districts in the Education Sector (rank-wise) – Bhoopalpalli in Telangana, Chatra
and Sahibganj in Jharkhand, Nuapada in Odisha and Jaisalmer in Rajasthan.
• Following list states the top 5 districts in overall Delta Rankings -

10. Climate Change Performance Index 2021 has been released by Germanwatch.
• Total – 60 countries and the European Union
• Top – Denmark (4th rank)
o No countries was positioned on the first three ranks.
• India’s rank – 10th (score 69.22)
• Bottom – Kazakhstan
• Parameters – GHG Emissions, Renewable Energy, Energy Use, and Climate Policy

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11. IQAir, a Switzerland-based climate group, has released the data on air quality of cities.
• Top most air polluted cities – Delhi at 1st (with an AQI of 556)

• Other Indian Cities – Kolkata and Mumbai recorded an AQI of 177 and 169, respectively,
at 4th and 6th position.
• A real-time air quality information platform -- IQAir is also a technology partner of the
United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP).
• An AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200
'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', then 401 and between 500 is
considered 'severe'.

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 • As per the organization, 94 out of the 100 polluted cities are in India, China, and Pakistan.

12. TRACE Bribery Risk Matrix has been released by Trace International.
• Total - 194 jurisdictions, territories, and autonomous and semi-autonomous regions.
• Top – Denmark
• India’s rank – 82nd (score 44)
• Bottom – North Korea
• Parameters – Opportunity of Business Interactions with Government; Anti-Bribery
Deterrence and Enforcement; Government and Civil Service Transparency; and Capacity
for Civil Society Oversight, including the role of the media.
o The domain scores are derived from nine subdomains.
Parameters Top India’s score
Opportunity of Business Denmark 47
Interactions with Government
Anti-Bribery Deterrence and Denmark 52
Enforcement
Government and Civil Service Sweden 36
Transparency

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 Capacity for Civil Society Denmark 43
Oversight

13. World Bank has released the ‘Remittance Prices Worldwide Database’ 2021.
Highlights:
• Remittances to low- and middle-income countries will witness a 7.3% growth rate to
reach $589 billion in 2021.
• This is for a second consecutive year, remittance flows to low- and middle-income countries
(excluding China) are expected to surpass the sum of foreign direct investment (FDI) and
overseas development assistance (ODA).
• World’s Top Remittance Receivers in 2021 – India ($87 billion), China, Mexico,
Philippines and Egypt.
• Outlook for South Asia - Remittances to South Asia likely grew around 8% to $159 billion
in 2021.
• Forecast for 2022 - Remittances are projected to continue to grow by 2.6% in 2022,
worldwide.

14. Pratham NGO has released the 16th edition of its Annual Status of Education Report
(ASER).
Basic Information about ASER: -

• The report has been released every year from 2005 to 2014, and then every alternate
year till 2018.
• ASER has reported on the schooling status of children in the 5-16 age group across
rural India and their ability to do basic reading and arithmetic tasks.

ASER 2021: -

• ASER 2021 is a phone-based survey due to Covid restrictions.

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 • The survey explores how children in the age group of 5-16 studied at home since the
onset of the pandemic and the challenges that the schools and households now face as
schools reopen across states.

Scope of ASER 2021: -

• ASER 2021 was conducted in 25 states and 3 Union Territories.

• It reached a total of 76,706 households and 75,234 children in the age group of 5-16
years, as well as teachers or head teachers from 7,299 government schools offering
primary grades.

Result of ASER 2021: -

A) SCHOOL ENROLLMENT PATTERNS (comparison between 2018, 2020, and 2021):

o At an all-India level, there has been a clear shift from private to government
schools: Percentage of enrolment in private school for children aged 6-14 has
declined from 32.5% in 2018 to 24.4% in 2021, in all grades and among both boys
and girls. However, boys are still more likely to be enrolled in private schools than
girls.
o No change in children aged 6-14 not enrolled in school: The proportion of children
not currently enrolled in school remained unchanged between 2020 and 2021. It was
4.6% in 2020.
o More older children in school than ever before: Percentage of older children, aged
15-16 in schools, has increased in govt schools from 57.4% in 2018 to 67.4%
because of declining proportion of out of school children in this age group, from 12.1%
in 2018 to 6.6% in 2021, as well as by decreasing private school enrolment.
o State-wise: The national level increase is driven by increase in enrolment in large
states like Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana and southern states like
Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh.

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 § In many north-eastern states, government school enrolment has fallen during
this period, and the proportion of children not enrolled in school has increased.

B) TUITION:
o Across the country, the percentage of children taking tuitions has risen in all states,
except Kerala.
o At an all-India level, in 2018, less than 30% children took private tuition classes. In
2021, this proportion has jumped to almost 40%.
o Children, whose parents are not highly educated and whose schools haven’t opened
yet, are taking tuitions.

C) ACCESS TO SMARTPHONES:
o Smartphone ownership has almost doubled since 2018: Availability increased
from 36.5% in 2018 to 67.6% in 2021. 79% of children enrolled in private school have
more access to smartphones, in comparison to 63.7% of govt school children.
o Smartphone availability does not translate into access for children: 67.6% of
enrolled children have smartphones at home. But, only 26.1% have access to it,
depending on their class standard.

D) LEARNING SUPPORT AT HOME:

o Learning support at homes has declined in 2021, as compared to 2020, due to
opening of schools.

E) ACCESS TO LEARNING MATERIALS:

o Almost all children have textbooks: Almost all enrolled children - 91.9% - have
textbooks for their current grade.

15. Indian Police Foundation (IPF) has conducted a survey on citizens perception.
• As per the survey, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana police have topped the ranking.
• Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh police have scored the lowest.

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 • Delhi Police has been ranked at 7th position.

16. NITI Aayog has launched inaugural SDG Urban Index and Dashboard 2021.
• The index is a result of Indo-German cooperation.
• Number of indicators – 77 (Covering 46 global SDG targets across 15 SDGs)
o SDG 14 (life below water) has not been included as it is relevant for only coastal
areas, which are only a few of the selected cities
o SDG 17 (partnerships for the goals) has been excluded as the progress of its targets
are monitored at the national level
• Number of areas ranked – 56
o 44 are with population of above one million
o 12 are State capitals with population of less than a million
• Scores
o Aspirant: 0–49
o Performer: 50–64
o Front-Runner: 65–99
o Achiever: 100
• Top 3 urban areas with scores
o Shimla – 75.50
o Coimbatore – 73.29
o Chandigarh – 72.36
• Bottom 3 urban areas with scores
o Dhanbad – 52.43
o Meerut – 54.64
o Itanagar – 55.29

17. International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International-IDEA) has
released the Global State of Democracy Report, 2021.
• While 20 countries moved in the direction of authoritarianism, seven countries moved
towards democracy; showing an alarming trend.

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 • Many established democracies are backsliding to authoritarianism. Particularly, the
examples of India and Brazil are worrisome.
• India has remained in the category of a mid-level performing democracy as it has since
2000.
• The USA and three members of the European Union (EU) – Hungary, Poland and
Slovenia (chair of the EU Council in 2021) – have also seen concerning democratic
declines.
• As per this report, pandemic has also played a major role in prolonging this negative trend
in democracy.
• The International-IDEA, which is an inter-governmental organisation supporting democracy,
was chaired by Australia and includes India as a member-state.

18. Global Nutrition Report 2021 has been released.

• The Global Nutrition Report is a multi-stakeholder initiative, consisting of a Stakeholder
Group, Independent Expert Group and Report Secretariat.
• It assesses the progress made towards eliminating malnutrition.

2021 Highlights:
Global Scenario:
Total 194 countries were assessed.
Lack of progress means unacceptable levels of malnutrition persist.
o 149.2 million children under 5 years of age are stunted,
o 45.4 million are wasted
o 38.9 million are overweight
o Over 40% of all men and women (2.2 billion people) are now overweight or obese.
105 countries are on track to meet the target for tackling childhood overweight and over 1/4th
countries are on track to meet stunting and wasting targets.
Anaemia levels are showing no progress or worsening in 161 countries.

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No country is on track to achieve the target on reducing salt intake or to stop the rise in adult
obesity.
An estimated additional 155 million people are being pushed into extreme poverty globally, as a
result of the pandemic.
Diet intake has not improved and below the recommended levels.
Recommended levels Present Scenario
(Result)
Fruit and Vegetable Low - 50% below the
intake per day – 5 level
servings (60% and 40%
respectively).
Legume and nuts intakes Low - 2/3rd below the
– 2 servings per day recommended level
Red and processed meat High - five times of the
intake - 1 serving per maximum recommended
week level
Consumption of sugary Increasingly higher
drinks – Not
recommended in any
amount

Deaths related to poor diet –

• Increased by 15% since 2010 - more rapidly than population growth.
• Diet - related deaths are now responsible for more than 12 million NCD deaths in adults.
• This is a quarter (26%) of all adult deaths each year.
Investment in Nutrition -
• Investment required in nutrition by 2030 - US $5.7 trillion per year
• It would reach US $10.5 trillion a year by 2050.

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India’s Scenario
• India has made no progress on anaemia and childhood wasting.

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 • India is among the 161 countries which made no progress or said to be worsening with
regards to reducing anaemia. Over half of Indian women in the age group 15-49 years
are anaemic.
o There has been a rise in anaemic Indian women since 2016. In 2016, 52.6% of
Indian women were anaemic. But in 2020, 53% were found to be anaemic.
• India is also among 23 countries that have made no progress or are worsening on
reducing ‘childhood wasting’.
• India is ‘off-course’ in meeting 7 of the 13 global nutrition targets. These include sodium
intake, raised blood pressure (both men and women), obesity (both men and women)
and diabetes (both men and women).
• Some 6.2% of adult (aged 18 years and over) women and 3.5% of adult men are living
with obesity in India.
• India is among 53 countries ‘on course’ to meet the target for stunting.
• Stunting of U5 children in India – 34% (higher than the average of Asian region)
o Asia’s stunting levels – 22% approx.
• India is ‘on-course’ to meet ‘childhood overweight’ and ‘exclusive breast feeding’ targets.
• 58% of infants in the age group 0-5 months are exclusively breastfed in India.

19. NITI Aayog has released its 1st edition of the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), which
has been developed by the NITI Aayog’s MPI Coordination Committee.
• NITI Aayog’s MPI Coordination Committee was constituted in 2020 to identify and
assess the lags in India’s performance across 29 global indices.
• NHFS-4 (2015-16) is the source of this index.
• Dimensions and Indicators of this MPI (total 3 dimensions and 12 indicators): -
o Health – Nutrition, Child & Adolescent Mortality, and Antenatal care
o Education – Years of Schooling and, School Attendance
o Standard of Living – Cooking fuel, Sanitation, Drinking Water, Electricity, Housing,
Assets, and Bank Accounts
• Results –
o National MPI Score – 0.118

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 o Headcount Ratio (number of multidimensional poor people) – 25.01%
o Intensity of Poverty (depth of their deprivation) – 47.13%

Note: You can also watch this video on NITI Aayog’s MPI.

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 BANKING AND ECONOMY
1. Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a USD 250 million loan to support India's
National Industrial Corridor Development Program (NICDP).
• This is the first subprogram of the USD 500 million loan to develop 11 industrial corridors
spanning 17 states.

2. Ministry of Finance has approved an 8.5% interest rate on provident funds for 2020-21.
• The EPFO has an active subscriber base of more than 6.7 crore and 6.9 lakh contributing
establishments.

3. SEBI has formed IT Projects Advisory Committee, chaired by Abhay Karandikar (a director
at IIT Kanpur), to advise SEBI to utilise advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence,
machine learning, data analytics and cloud computing.
• The committee has seven members.
• SEBI has also reconstituted its 7-member Technical Advisory Committee, which will now
be headed by Deepak B Phatak (a former professor of IIT Bombay).
o This committee recommends measures for changes and improvements in the market
structure given the technological changes.

4. Axis Bank has signed an MoU with Indian Navy to offer its Power Salute – defence salary
package services to the Navy personnel.
• Similar MoU is already in operation with Indian Army.

5. ICICI Bank has renewed its MoU with Indian Army for offering the Defence Salary Account
facilities to the Army personnel.

6. Ministry of Finance released new framework for bankers, to be implemented from April 1,
2022.

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 • Now, the bona-fide intentions of bank staff, involving a loan amount Rs 50 crores, will be
considered and they will not be punished if the loan turns into an NPA.
• However, the decisions should be with bona-fide intentions.
• Banks must initiate and complete staff accountability exercise within six months from the
date of classification of the account as NPA.
• The framework divides NPAs into three categories –
o up to Rs 10 lakh
o Rs 10 lakh - Rs 1 crore
o Rs 1 crore - Rs 50 crore

7. Bank of Baroda has signed a MoU with NCDEX e-Markets Ltd (NeML) to become a
“Clearing Bank” for handling financial transactions for NeML market place and procurement/
auction platform.
• NCDEX stands for National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange Limited.
• NCDEX e Markets Limited (NeML) is the leading Indian electronic web based, online,
commodities spot market and Services Company. It combines best features of financial
markets and spot markets.

8. ICICI Lombard General Insurance has partnered with Vega to offer personal accident
insurance cover on every online purchase of Vega helmet.
• The personal accident insurance policy will provide individuals with the benefit of accidental
death with sum insured of ₹1 lakh.

9. State Bank of India has launched a pre-approved 2-wheeler loan scheme ‘SBI Easy Ride’
through its YONO platform.
• Eligible SBI customers can avail of end-to-end digital two-wheeler loans through the YONO
app without visiting the bank branch.
• Customers can apply for the Easy Ride loan for an amount up to Rs 3 lakh @10.5% per
annum onwards for a maximum tenure of 4 years. The minimum loan amount has been
fixed at Rs 20,000.

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10. RBI’s committee, headed by Sudarshan Sen, has provided recommendations on Asset
Reconstruction Companies.
• RBI has also revised its Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework.
Note: You can understand the recommendations and new PCA framework in detail in this video.

11. Asian Development Bank (ADB) has raised USD 665 million from developed countries like
UK, Italy, EU etc. to support climate-related projects in Southeast Asia.
• The ADB manages the regional Green Recovery Platform, which has targeted a total of
USD 7 billion for such spending.
• So far, including earlier pledges, it has raised USD 2 billion.
• The platform will finance projects for reducing carbon emissions, improving climate
resiliency and aiding the region's recovery from the pandemic.

12. HDFC Life has acquired a 100% stake in Exide Industries-promoted Exide Life Insurance for
Rs 6,687 crore.

13. Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has signed an MoU with HDFC Bank to encourage and
promote listing of SMEs and small companies across India.
• Through this MoU, HDFC Bank and BSE shall evaluate banking and lending solutions for
companies undergoing listing process on the platform.

14. Central government has cut its basic duty on crude palm oil, crude soybean oil, and crude
sunflower oil to nil from 2.5%.
• The agri-cess on crude soyabean oil and crude sunflower oil has been brought down from
20% to 5% while the agri-cess on crude palm oil has been reduced to 7.5%.
• Post cuts, the effective duty on crude palm oil will be at 8.25%, and crude soybean oil and
crude sunflower oil will be at 5.5%.

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15. Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd, and Hindustan Petroleum
Corporation Ltd have announced to establish 22,000 electric vehicle (EV) charging
stations over the next 3-5 years.
• Purpose - to support the nation's target to reduce its carbon intensity and reach net zero
emissions by 2070.
• IOC will set up EV charging facilities at 10,000 fuel outlets; BPCL at 7000 outlets; and
HPCL at 5000 outlets.

16. National Company Law Tribunal has approved GAIL (India) to acquire 26% stake in ONGC
Tripura Power Company (OTPC) from IL&FS.
• OTPC is a special purpose vehicle between Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC),
IL&FS Group and Government of Tripura (GoT) for setting up of a 726.6 MW combined
cycle gas turbine (CCGT) thermal power plant at Palatana, Tripura.

17. RBI has published its ‘Statement of Commitment to Support Greening India’s Financial
System’ (NGFS).
• RBI had joined the Central Banks and Supervisors Network for Greening the Financial
System (NGFS) as a Member in April 2021.
• NGFS was launched in 2017 at the One Planet Summit in Paris. The basic objective of
NGFS is to mobilise funds for climate-resilient projects to achieve the targets of Paris
Agreement.
• As of November 2nd 2021, the NGFS consists of 100 members and 16 observers.

18. RBI has allowed Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) to invest in debt securities issued by
real estate investment trusts (REITs) and infrastructure investment trusts (InvITs).
• The central bank has now amended the Foreign Exchange Management (Debt
Instrument) Regulations, 2021 to allow such investments.

19. RBI has announced its first global hackathon – 'HARBINGER 2021 – Innovation for
Transformation' with the theme 'smarter digital payments'.

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 • Purpose - to develop solutions to make digital payments accessible to the under-
served, enhance the ease of payments and user experience, strengthening the security
of digital payments and promoting customer protection.
• Participants will also innovate to resolve several problem statements in the payment and
settlement systems.

20. Meta, formerly Facebook, has launched “Grow Your Business Hub” in India as a one-stop
destination for small and medium businesses (SMBs) to find relevant information, tools and
curated resources to cater to their goals.
• It also launched a Grow Your Business Playbook to help small businesses set up offline
to online journeys and accelerate sales.

21. NPCI Bharat BillPay has tied up with ICICI Prudential Life Insurance to provide ClickPay to
the ICICI’s customers.
• ICICI Prudential Life Insurance is the first insurance company to offer this facility of
ClickPay to its customers empowering them to make renewal premium payments with ease.
• NPCI Bharat BillPay has onboarded Tata Power on its ‘ClickPay’ platform.

22. PGIM India Mutual Fund has launched PGIM India Global Select Real Estate Securities
Fund of Fund, an open-ended equity fund of fund scheme investing in PGIM Global Select
Real Estate Securities Fund.
• The fund is India's first Global Real Estate Securities Fund.

23. Axis Bank has signed an MoU with the Army Insurance Group to offer retail mortgage
loans to the Indian Army.
• The bank will offer best-in-class products and services to the Defence personnel to cater to
their home loan requirements.

24. National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) has launched ‘Digital Payment Gateway’
facility.

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 • NIXI has partnered with PayU and National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL) to
offer the Payment gateway services.
• NIXI is a not-for-profit Company under the aegis of the Ministry of Electronics and
Information Technology with the mission to make the internet accessible to everyone.

25. Prime Minister has launched two schemes of RBI for retail investors.
• 1st – RBI Retail Direct Scheme: It will allow retail investors to trade in G-Secs of centre
and state govts. The scheme is aimed at enhancing access to the government securities
market for retail investors.
• 2nd - RBI Integrated Ombudsman Scheme: It centralizes grievance redressal and focuses
on preventing financial crime and catching cyber fraud through artificial intelligence.

26. RBI has clarified that banks should reclassify a non-performing asset to “standard” asset
only when the entire arrears of interest and principal are paid by the borrower.
• Reason - some lending institutions were upgrading accounts classified as non-performing
assets (NPAs) to ‘standard’ asset category upon payment of only interest overdues, partial
overdues, etc.

27. Central government has simplified the claim settlement process under the Investor
Education and Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA).
• The govt now allowed self-attestation of documents instead of the current requirement of
notarisation, along with other measures.
• IEPFA, which comes under the administrative control of the Corporate Affairs Ministry, has
been set up for administration of investor funds under the companies law.
• The authority also works to promote investor education and protection, refund unclaimed
shares, dividends and other amounts that have been transferred to it to the rightful
claimants.

28. RBI has projected the CPI inflation at 5.3% for 2021-22: 5.1% in second quarter, 4.5% in third;
5.8% in last quarter of the fiscal.

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 • The retail inflation during April-June (Q1) period of 2022-23 is projected at 5.2%.

29. RBI has imposed several restrictions on Laxmi Cooperative Bank Ltd, Solapur, due to
deterioration in its financial position.
• The restrictions include Rs 1,000 cap on withdrawals for customers.
• The restrictions imposed under the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, shall remain in force
for six months from the close of business on November 12, 2021.
• Recently, RBI had imposed similar restrictions on Babaji Date Mahila Sahakari Bank,
Yavatmal, Maharashtra.

30. HDFC Bank has announced its integration with the e-National Agriculture Market to enable
digital collections and settlement of funds to various e-NAM beneficiaries.

31. RBI has mandated banks to specifically mention the due date of loans for the borrowers.
• In case of the new borrowers, the banks are obliged to mention the dates by December 31,
2021.
• For existing loans, banks have to comply with guidelines as and when these loans become
due for review or renewal.

32. TVS Motor Company has become the first Indian two-wheeler and three-wheeler
manufacturer to join the United Nations Global Compact.
• The UN Global Compact is a non-binding United Nations pact to encourage businesses
and firms worldwide to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies, and to report on
their implementation.
• The UNGC has 10 principles divided into Human Rights, Labour, Environment, and
Anti-Corruption.

33. Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has collaborated with the All India MSME Association to
encourage and promote the listing of MSMEs and startups.

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34. BharatPe has launched the World’s 1st Merchant Shareholding Program (MSP) for its
merchant partners.
• It is a $100 million worth program, under which the company offers its merchant customers
an opportunity to buy BharatPe’s equity shares and become a partner.

35. PVR Cinemas has partnered with Kotak Mahindra Bank to launch first of its kind co-
branded movie debit cards.
• Kotak PVR debit cardholders will receive joining vouchers and earn points on every
transaction on the debit card, with no upper limit on the points earned.

36. SEBI has approved India’s first blockchain based Feeder Fund i.e., Invesco CoinShares
Global Blockchain ETF Fund of Funds (FoF).
• The FoF has been launched by Invesco Mutual Fund.
• Invesco CoinShares Global Blockchain ETF will invest in Ireland-based Invesco
CoinShares Global Blockchain UCITS Exchange-traded Fund (ETF).
• Invesco’s HQ – Atlanta, USA
• Invesco’s India offices – Mumbai and Hyderabad
Let’s Understand:

Q.) What is ETF?

Ans – An Exchange Traded Fund is an investment instrument.
o ETFs can only by bought from an Exchange like BSE, NSE
etc.
o It collects money from investors and invest in an index, sector
(like in the stocks of a group of pharma, IT companies etc.),
commodity (like gold, silver) etc.)
o After investment, the ETF manager / administrator allots Net Asset Value (NAV),
means units in proportion to the investment, to investors.
o The value / return of each and every NAV, or the entire ETF, varies on a daily basis
like a stock because it is based on an underlying asset.

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 o As and when the value of that underlying asset (be it any stock index like Nifty or
Sensex, or commodity like gold or silver) changes, the return of the ETF also
changes.

Similarities between Shares and ETF:

o ETFs resemble shares as the corpus of ETF cannot be changed after launch, just like
the number of shares can’t be increased.
o Both ETFs and Shares can only be bought and sold via exchanges.
o Value of shares and ETFs vary on a real-time basis as ETF is based on the other
asset’s value.

Differences between Mutual fund and ETF:

o It looks like MF because of certain similarities, but it is

not so.
o Like MFs, ETFs also gather fund from investors and
invest in other assets. But, there are a few differences between these two.
§ MFs are bought from Asset Management Companies whereas these ETFs are
bought from proper Exchanges.
§ Investor can anytime get his/her money back by selling the MF with the help of
AMC. But, in case of ETFs, the selling takes place at the exchange, akin to
shares. Therefore, in case of low demand or market slump, the ETF may not get
sold at the desired price.

Q.) What is an ETF Fund of Funds?

Ans – When the underlying asset of an ETF is another ETF, then it is called a Fund of Funds.
o For example – Invesco India’s - Invesco CoinShares Global Blockchain ETF Fund of
Funds’ – underlying asset is Ireland-based Invesco CoinShares Global Blockchain
UCITS ETF.

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 Q.) How will this work?
Ans - Invesco CoinShares Global Blockchain ETF FoF will gather money from investors in India.
o Then, the ETF FoF will invest the money in the UCITS ETF.
o Now, this UCITS ETF’s underlying asset is the blockchain based sector. That means,
the ETF tracks the performance (stocks) of companies in blockchain sector.

37. Paytm Money has launched India’s First Voice-based Trading Feature.

38. Small Industries Development Bank of India (Sidbi) has launched the second window of
Swavalamban Challenge Fund (SCF).
• This time, the focus is on with Green Bharat i.e., projects addressing the green, clean or
efficient climate change.
• Other themes are sustainable livelihood, financial inclusion, and access to financial services
and promoting the culture of entrepreneurship.
• For accessing this facility, the projects in the pilot category should be worth Rs 20 lakhs
and projects in the scale up category should be worth Rs 35 lakhs.
• A challenge fund is a financing support mechanism to allocate funds for specific
purposes using competition among organisations.
• This fund – launched in August 2021 – is a collaboration between SIDBI’s Swavalamban
Resource Facility and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO UK).

39. RBI has withdrawn more than 100 redundant circulars on the recommendations of the
Regulations Review Authority 2.0, which was set up this year, under the chairmanship of S.
Janakiraman (MD of SBI).
• The RRA has recommended withdrawal of 150 circulars in the first tranche of
recommendations.
• The objective of the RRA 2.0 is to review the regulatory instructions, remove redundant and
duplicate instructions, reduce the compliance burden on regulated entities by streamlining
reporting structure, revoking obsolete instructions and wherever possible remove paper-
based submission of returns.

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 • The RRA has also constituted an Advisory Group, representing the regulated entities.
under the chairmanship of Swaminathan J, MD of SBI.

40. IndusInd Bank has launched the 'Indus Merchant Solutions', a one-stop mobile application
to enable merchants, retailers and professionals to carry out banking transactions digitally, on
a single platform.
• Any current account holder of Induslnd Bank can instantly download the 'Indus Merchant
Solutions' app and start using it.

41. RBI has introduced internal ombudsman mechanism for select-NBFCs.

• Deposit-taking NBFCs with 10 or more branches and Non-Deposit taking NBFCs with
asset size of Rs 5,000 crore and above having public customer interface to appoint
Internal Ombudsman (IO) within a period of 6 months, for their redressal of their internal
grievances.
• Exclusions from the mechanisms –
o Standalone Primary Dealers (PDs),
o NBFC - Infrastructure Finance Companies (NBFC-IFCs),
o Core Investment Companies (CICs),
o Infrastructure Debt Fund - Non-Banking Financial Companies (IDF-NBFCs),
o Non-Banking Financial Company – Account Aggregators (NBFC-AAs),
o NBFCs under Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process, or in liquidation,
o NBFCs having only captive customers
• Eligibility criteria for Internal Ombudsman –
o Age – should not be above 70 years at any point of time during the tenure as IO.
o Experience – 7 years in financial sector regulation or supervision, or consumer
protection
o Qualification - The person shall be either a retired or a serving officer, not below the
rank of Deputy General Manager or equivalent in any financial sector regulatory
body/any other NBFC/bank.

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 o Number of IO in one NBFC – It can be more than one, depending on the number of
complaints received/branch network.
o Tenure - not less than three years but not exceeding five years.

42. SEBI has released the Investor Charter, which lists out the rights of investors, for protecting
their interests in the securities market.
• The rights include getting fair and equitable treatment, and expecting redressal of investor
grievances filed in the SCORES portal in a time-bound manner.
o The SCORES App was launched in 2020 for investors to register their complaints.
SCORES stands for SEBI Complaints Redress System.
o SCORES platform was launched in 2011.

43. HDFC Bank has launched micro-credit facility for street vendors under the PM Street
Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi), with common service centres (CSC).
• HDFC Bank will provide PM SVANidhi facilities on the digital sewa portal for its village-
level entrepreneurs (VLEs) for completion of the entire process online.
• It is a collateral-free affordable loan of Rs 10,000 with an interest subsidy of 7%.

44. SIDBI has partnered with Google India for launching a social impact lending programme by
providing a financial assistance up to ₹1 crore to MSMEs at competitive interest rates.
• Through this partnership, GIPL will invest a corpus of $15 million (around ₹110 crore) to
MSMEs.
• The enterprises need to have a turnover of up to Rs 5 crores to become eligible for this
program. These enterprises will be given loans ranging from ₹25 lakh to ₹1 crore.

45. NSDL e-Governance Infrastructure has received an in-principle approval from RBI to set
up an account aggregator business.
• For operating its account aggregator business, NSDL e-Gov has established its wholly
owned subsidiary, NSDL e-Governance Account Aggregator Ltd.

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 • NSDL e-Governance Infrastructure issues PAN cards and helps government agencies in e-
governance projects.

46. The Working Group on Digital Lending, set up by RBI in Jan 2021, under the chairmanship
of Jayant Kumar Dash, has submitted its recommendations.
• The report aims at enhancing customer protection and making the digital lending
ecosystem safe while encouraging innovation.
• The group has recommended to establish a nodal agency for verifying the digital lending
applications.
• The group recommends setting up a Self-Regulatory Organisation (SRO) covering the
participants in the digital lending ecosystem.
• An anti-predatory lending policy may be framed by each lender based on the
characteristics to be defined by RBI/ proposed SRO.
• In the medium term, the Central Government may consider bringing in legislation to prevent
illegal lending activities by introducing the ‘Banning of Unregulated Lending Activities
Act’. Research by the working group has shown that 600 out of the 1100 lending apps
currently available are 'illegal' in nature.
• Certain baseline technology standards should be developed when it comes to digital
lending apps and compliance with those standards as a pre-condition for offering digital
lending solutions.
• Auditable logs should be maintained at every fintech platform to track the activity that a
user performs on the app and every fintech app must be signed / verified in a secured
manner.

47. 7th edition of the Google for India event was held.
• At the event, Google partnered with Armman NPO for Mitra Program to help pregnant
women access healthcare services.
• Armman NPO leverages technology to create scalable solutions empowering mothers and
enabling healthy children.

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 • Google Career certificates initiative was also launched, in partnership with NASSCOM, to
help more people acquire digital literacy.

48. Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has approved USD 150 million loans to India
for implementation of the Sustainable Urban Services Program for the Chennai
metropolitan area (CMA).
• India is the largest beneficiary of AIIB and the bank has so far approved 29 projects for
India worth 6.8 billion USD.
• The project aims to develop services like water resource management, water supply and
sewerage, urban mobility, and solid waste management, and public health.
• India has applied for a loan of $2 billion for Covid-19 vaccination from ADB and AIIB. Of
this, $500 million is to be approved by AIIB.

49. Network International (an enabler of digital commerce across the Middle East and Africa)
has signed an MoU with NPCI International Payments Ltd to explore the implementation of
the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in the UAE.
• In 2020, UPI facilitated transactions worth $457 billion, which is equivalent to
approximately 15% of India’s GDP.

50. IDFC FIRST Bank and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (HPCL) have signed an
agreement to facilitate fuel payments by motorists at HPCL’s retail outlets using the Bank’s
FASTags.

51. Ministry of Finance has notified uniform 12% GST rate on manmade fibre (MMF), yarn,
fabrics and apparel.
• Currently, tax rate on MMF, MMF yarn and MMF fabrics is 18%, 12% and 5%, respectively.

52. HDFC Bank has launched ‘Mooh Band Rakho’ (a secure banking campaign), in partnership
with Jodhpur Police, to create awareness on cyber frauds and ways of preventing them.

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53. SBI’s Ecowrap Report projects India’s GDP growth rate for FY22 in the range of 9.3-9.6%.
• The report also cited the repeal of the three farm laws and suggested five key agricultural
reforms that can be adopted to stall the standoff between farmers and the govt.
• 1st - Quantity Guarantee Clause – SBI suggested that the govt should guarantee the
farmers to procure the same quantity of their produce for a minimum of 5 years. This is an
alternative to the price guarantee, given by the govt in the form of MSP, at present. It will
give assurance to farmers of the sale of their produce.
• 2nd - Floor Price Auction – There should be a floor price auction on the National
Agriculture Market for effective price discovery for the farmers.
• 3rd - APMC infrastructure – Considering the losses faced by India in the post-harvest
stage, the report suggests the govt to strengthen the APMC market infrastructure.
• 4th - Contract Farming Institution – In order to strengthen the contract farming
mechanism, a nodal institution needs to be set up.
• 5th – Symmetric Procurement – States should procure the agriculture produce
symmetrically.

54. Ministry of Labour and Employment has started the first edition of All-India Survey on
Domestic Workers.
• The survey will be conducted by Labour Bureau.
• The survey was aimed at estimating the number of proportion of domestic workers at the
national-level and in the States; the proportion of domestic workers who live-in/live-out,
engaged in informal employment and migrant/non-migrant; wages of such workers; and
other socio-economic factors.

55. RBI has released the draft scheme on the acquisition of Punjab and Maharashtra
Cooperative Bank by Delhi-based Unity Small Finance Bank (USFB).
• USFB is promoted by Centrum Financial Services, along with Resilient Innovation Pvt Ltd
as 'joint investor'.

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56. State Bank of India (SBI) has listed its $650-million green bonds simultaneously on the
India International Exchange (India INX - international arm of BSE) and the Luxembourg
Stock Exchange.
• This dual listing is in line with this year's focus of the World Investor Week, i.e.,
'sustainable finance'.
• In 2020, India INX had signed an MoU with the Luxembourg Stock Exchange for
cooperation in financial services industry, maintenance of orderly markets in securities
respective country, ESG (environmental, social and governance) and green finance in the
local market.

57. ICICI Bank has launched 'Trade Emerge' online platform to offer comprehensive digital
banking and value-added services to exporters and importers across India.

58. State Bank of India (Chennai circle) has signed an MoU with the Puducherry Cooperative
Milk Producers Union (PONLAIT) to provide loan to individual dairy farmers.
• The loan would be given under SAFAL (simple and fast agriculture loan) scheme of the
bank.
• The amount of loan is up to a limit of Rs 3 lakh.

59. The Financial Stability Board (FSB), made up of regulators from G20 countries, has
published its latest table of the world's 30 most systemic banks.
• Top - JP Morgan Chase
• BNP Paribas and Goldman Sachs have also shown improvement.

60. India and the Asian Development Bank have signed a $300 million (over Rs 2,200 crore)
loan to strengthen and improve access to comprehensive primary healthcare in urban areas
of 13 states.
• The loan aims to bridge the healthcare gaps by strengthening institutional capacity,
operation, and management of urban health and wellness centres at the central, state, and
municipal levels.

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 • It will be implemented in urban areas across Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh,
Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil
Nadu, Telangana and West Bengal.
• ADB's Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction is supporting this program with a technical
assistance grant of $2 million to provide support for programme implementation and
coordination.

61. JM Financial Products has launched the Bondskart.com, a digital application that would
enable retail investors to trade or invest in fixed income securities including corporate
bonds.
• JM Financial Products is the flagship non-banking finance arm of the JM Financial Group.

62. Ministry of Labour and Employment has released the new series of Wage Rate Index with
base year 2016 =100.
• It has been compiled by Labour Bureau.
• It has replaced the old series with base 1963-65 = 100.
• New WRI Series with base 2016 = 100 would be compiled twice a year on half yearly
basis, as on 1st January and 1st July of every year.
• 37 industries, covering 700 occupations, will be considered in the new WRI basket, as
against 21 industries which were covered in the old series.
o 30 industries from Manufacturing sector
o 4 industries from Mining Sector
o 3 industries from Plantation Sector
• In the new WRI basket, the current wage data has been collected from 2881 units under 37
selected industries.

63. An Internal Working Group of RBI, constituted in 2020 to make recommendation on the
ownership and corporate structure of the Private Sector Banks, has submitted its
recommendations in November 2020.
• Now, RBI has accepted 21 out of the 33 recommendations made by the IWG.

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Recommendations:
• Existing norms say, it should be 40% in 3 years, 20% within 10
Promoter’s years, and 15% within 15 years of obtaining a banking licence.
shareholding • Recommendation – Let the promoters sustain 26% shareholding
in the bank even after 15 years.
• Individuals and Non-financial Institutions are allowed to have a
10% shareholding of the paid-up voting equity share capital of the
Non-Promoter’s bank.
shareholding • Govt institutions/ financial institutions/ PSUs / Supranational
organizations are allowed to hold 15% stake in the bank in the
long run.
• 40% stake in the bank for first 5 years.
Lock-in period for
• In the first 5 years, there’s no need to fix any cap on the promoters
promoters
holding.
Monitoring • RBI should set up a monitoring mechanism to ensure that control
mechanism for of promoting entity or major shareholder of the bank does not fall
Promoters in the hands of persons who are not found to be fit and proper.
• If an NBFC wants to convert into a universal bank, a track record
Regulations for of 10 years is required.
NBFCs – in case of • For a Payments Bank (PB) intending to convert into a small
conversion finance bank (SFB), track record of 3 years of experience as PB
may be sufficient.
• For setting up a universal bank, an initial capital of Rs 1,000
crore is required. Earlier, it was Rs 500 crores.
Initial capital
• For small finance banks, it is increased to Rs 300 crore from Rs
requirements for
200 crore.
Banks, SFBs,
• For UCBs converting into SFBs, net worth should be Rs 150
UCBs
crore, from earlier Rs 100 crore, which has to be increased to Rs
300 crore in five years from present Rs 200 crore.

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 • SFBs which will be set-up in future will require to get listed within
‘6 years from the date of reaching net worth equivalent to
prevalent entry capital requirement prescribed for universal banks’
Listing
or ’10 years from the date of commencement of operations’,
requirements
whichever is earlier.
• Universal banks shall continue to get listed within 6 years of
commencement of operations.

64. Asian Development Bank has approved the loan of $1.5 billion for India for purchase of
Covid-19 vaccine.
• Earlier, India had applied for a loan of $2 billion ($1.5 bn from ADB and $500 million from
AIIB) for purchase of Covid-19 vaccines.
• The loans will fund at least 667 million COVID-19 vaccine doses for an estimated 317
million people.
• An ongoing ADB technical assistance grant of $4 million, which includes $2 million
support from ADB’s Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction, is helping strengthen India’s
vaccine delivery system.

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 GDP FORECASTS
1. Fitch Ratings has kept India's sovereign rating unchanged at 'BBB-' with a negative
outlook.
• GDP forecast for India for FY22 – 8.7%
• GDP forecast for India for FY23 – 10%

2. Economic Advisory Council to Prime Minister (EAC-PM) expects GDP growth in 2022-23
at 7%–7.5%.

3. Goldman Sachs has forecasted a 9.1% GDP growth rate for India for FY22.
• The organisation forecasted India’s consumer price index (CPI) inflation to rise to 5.8%
year-over-year (YoY) in 2022 from 5.2% in 2021.

4. Moody’s Investors Service has projected India’s GDP growth rate at 9.3% for FY22 and
7.9% for FY23.
• According to Moody, the economic growth in India will rebound strongly.

APPOINTMENTS
1. Justice Ashok Bhushan (Retired SC Judge) has been appointed as the full-time
chairperson of the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT).
• Justice Ramalingam Sudhakar (Retired Chief Justice of the Manipur High Court) has
been appointed as the chairperson of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).

2. Screenwriter and filmmaker Imtiaz Ali has been appointed as the ambassador of Russian
Film Festival in India.
• The Russian films will be premiered on Hotstar.
• Russia and India are cooperating in the field of cinematography through the BRICS.

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 • This first-ever online Russian Film Festival in India is organized by ROSKINO with the
support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, and others.

3. Morinari Watanabe (Japanese) has been re-elected to a new three-year term as president of
the International Gymnastics Federation (HQ - Lausanne, Switzerland).

4. Fumio Kishida has been elected as the Prime Minister of Japan.

5. Union government has appointed R Hari Kumar as the next Chief of Naval Staff.
• R Hari Kumar is the chief Vice Admiral of Western Naval Command.

6. Senior IPS officers Sheel Vardhan Singh has been appointed as the Director-General of
Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
• Atul Karwal has been appointed as the Director-General of National Disaster Response
Force (NDRF).

7. Daniel Brühl (Spanish-German actor) has been appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador for
the United Nations World Food Programme (UN-WFP).

8. Satya Narayan Pradhan, Senior IPS officer, has been appointed as the full-time Director-
General of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) till 2024.

9. P.C. Mody (Former Central Board of Direct Taxes Chairman) was appointed the new
secretary-general of Rajya Sabha.

10. Professor Bimal Patel has been elected to the UN’s International Law Commission (ILC) for
a 5-year term from 2023 to 2027.
• The United Nation's International Law Commission was set up in 1947 by the General
Assembly.

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11. President Ram Nath Kovind has signed an ordinance to extend the tenure of the Directors
of Enforcement Directorate and Central Bureau of Investigation up to 5 years.
• Till now, both posts have a fixed tenure of 2 years.
• To validate the extension, the central govt has amended the Central Vigilance
Commission Act, 2003 and the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946 which
govern the ED and the CBI respectively.
• Now, the maximum tenure of a CBI and ED chief is 5 years.
o Functioning – After completion of 2 years in service of Director-ED and Director-
CBI, the Centre, on the recommendation of the selection committee, may extend the
tenure of these posts by one year (up to a maximum of 3 years, to make it a total of
5 years) at a time.
• Present ED chief is Sanjay Kumar Mishra and CBI chief is Subodh Kumar Jaiswal.
• Separately, the Centre has also brought in an ordinance to limit the extension of tenure to
a “maximum of 2 years” for defence secretary, home secretary, director of
intelligence bureau, secretary of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).
• This new amendment is in the Fundamental Rules, 1922.

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12. MC Mary Kom has been appointed as the brand ambassador of the TRIFED Aadi
Mahotsav.
• Aadi Mahotsav is a national tribal festival and a joint initiative of the Ministry of Tribal
Affairs and the TRIFED.
• The TRIFED Aadi Mahotsav was inaugurated at Dilli Haat in New Delhi.

13. India was re-elected to the executive board of the UNESCO for the 2021-25 term.
• Besides India, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Cook Islands and China were also elected from
Asia-Pacific region.

14. International Cricket Council (HQ – Dubai) has appointed Geoff Allardice (Australia) as its
permanent CEO.

15. Spandana Sphoorty – India’s second-largest microfinance institution – has appointed

Shalabh Saxena as its new MD and CEO.
• Ashish Damani was appointed as the President and Chief Financial Officer of the
company.
• Abanti Mitra was appointed as the Chairperson.

16. Government has appointed senior bureaucrat Vivek Johri as the Chairman of the Central
Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC).

17. Magdalena Andersson has been appointed as the first female PM of Sweden.

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18. Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special director Praveen Sinha has been elected the
delegate for Asia in the executive committee of the International Criminal Police
Organization (Interpol).
• 89th INTERPOL General Assembly meet was held in Istanbul, Turkey.

19. Noted mountaineer from Uttarakhand Harshwanti Bisht has been elected as the first woman
president of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF).

20. International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) has elected Inspector General
Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi (United Arab Emirates) as its President for a 4-year term.
• The announcement was made at the 89th Interpol general assembly meeting held in
Istanbul, Turkey.

21. RBI supersedes board of Reliance Capital and appoints Nageswar Rao as its administrator.
• Soon, the resolution process of the company will be started.

IMPORTANT DAYS
1. Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day) is celebrated on October 31 to commemorate the
birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
• Patel’s Birth date – 31 October 1875
• Patel’s death date - 15 December 1950
• On this day, Ministry of Culture organized three competitions - Deshbhakti Geet writing,
Lori writing, and Rangoli Making.
• Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh has inaugurated 'Sardar Patel Leadership Centre' at Lal
Bahadur Shastri National Academy Of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie on the
occasion of Rashtriya Ekta Diwas.

2. World Cities Day is celebrated on October 31 annually.

• Sub-theme of 2021: Adapting Cities for Climate Resilience.

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 o Every year, the general theme of the World Cities Day remains same as “Better City,
Better life”. Sub-theme changes every year.
• The entire month of October will be celebrated as Urban October.
• Global host of the Day’s celebrations - Luxor, Egypt

3. November 1st is the Statehood Day of Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh,

Karnataka (Karnataka Rajyotsava), Kerala (Kerala Piravi Day) and Andhra Pradesh.

4. National Ayurveda Day is observed on November 2 in India.

• Theme - Ayurveda for Poshana (Nutrition)
• The National Ayurveda Day is celebrated on Dhanvantari Jayanti (god of Ayurveda in
Hindu mythology).

5. International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists is observed on

November 2.

6. 6th annual One Health Day is celebrated on November 3.

• The One Health Day is a global campaign to celebrate and bring attention to the need for a
One Health approach to address shared health threats at the human-animal-environment
interface.

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 • 7th World One Health Congress will be held in Singapore in November 2022 on the
theme of ‘Integrating Science, Policy and Clinical Practice: A One Health Imperative
Post Covid-19’.
• On this day, Indian Dept of Animal Husbandry and Dairying has organized a
stakeholder’s forum on the theme of ‘Industry and One Health’.

7. World Tsunami Awareness Day is observed on November 5.

• Theme - ‘Sendai Seven Campaign’

8. International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed
Conflict is observed on November 6.

9. National Cancer Awareness Day is observed on November 7 in India.

10. Infant Protection Day is observed on November 7 every year.

• Theme - “Protecting, promoting, and developing infants”.

11. World Radiology Day is observed on November 8 every year to mark the anniversary of the
discovery of X-rays in 1895.
• Theme - ‘Interventional Radiology – Active care for the patient’
• X-rays were discovered by the German Scientist Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen in 1895. He
also received Nobel Prize for this discovery.

12. World Urbanism Day or World Town Planning Day is observed on November 8 by
International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP).
• ISOCARP’s 57th World Planning Congress 2021 is being hosted by Doha, Qatar.
• The theme of the Congress is ‘Planning Unlocked: New Times, Better Places, Stronger
Communities’.

13. World Science Day for Peace and Development is observed on November 10 by UN.

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 • Theme - Building Climate-Ready Communities

14. On November 10, India marked the Transport Day.

• At the COP 26, India launched e-AMRIT portal on this day.

15. National Education Day is observed on November 11 every year, since 2008, to
commemorate the birth anniversary of independent India’s first education minister
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.

16. International Week of Science and Peace 2021 is observed from November 9 to 14 by UN.

17. World Pneumonia Day is observed on November 12.

18. Children’s Day is celebrated on November 14 in India.

• To celebrate this day, Ministry of Women and Child Development will host a set of activities
on the theme of ‘Children Ideas, Rights, and Nutrition’.

19. World Diabetes Day is observed on November 14 by UN.

• Theme – Access to Diabetes Care
o This theme has been chosen for 2021-23 tenure.
• Insulin was first discovered in 1921 by Sir Frederick G Banting, Charles H Best and JJR
Macleod.
• Buildings are lit in blue across the world to spread awareness about diabetes.

Diabetes’ Figures:
• As per 2019 estimates, India is home to 77 million diabetic people, which is the second
highest in the world, after China.
• By 2045, India will continue to be at the 2nd highest number of diabetic people in the world -
just over 134 million.
• India accounts for 15% of global diabetic burden.

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• According to the International Diabetes Federation’s (IDF) Diabetes Atlas of the World in
2021, 537 million adults (20-79 years) are living with diabetes - 1 in 10. This number is
predicted to rise to 643 million by 2030 and 784 million by 2045.

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20. First edition of Audit Diwas is celebrated on November 16 at the CAG premises.
• On the occasion, PM will also unveil the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

21. National Press Day is observed on November 16th every year to commemorate the
establishment of Press Council of India in 1966.

22. National New-Born Week is celebrated from November 15 to 21 in India.

• Theme - ‘Safety, quality and nurturing care - birth right of every new born’

23. National Epilepsy Day is observed on November 17 in India.

• Lavender is the official colour of Epilepsy.
• This day is internationally as Purple Day on March 26 to increase general public
awareness, to reduce the social stigma endured by many individuals with Epilepsy, and to
empower individuals living with epilepsy to take action in their communities.
• November is observed as the National Epilepsy Awareness Month.

24. International Students' Day is observed on November 17 by the students’ community across
the world.
• On this day, Nazis attacked the University of Prague (Czech Republic) in 1939.
• UN World Students Day is observed on October 15 on the birth anniversary of APJ
Abdul Kalam.

25. World Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Day is observed on November 17.
• Theme – Healthy Lungs: Never More Important

26. National Naturopathy Day is observed on November 18 in India.

• Theme – Poshan Aahar and Rog Mukt Bharath

27. World Toilet Day is observed on November 19.

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 • Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has launched the week long awareness
campaign on SafaiMitra Suraksha Challenge (SSC) from November 14th to 20th, on the
occasion of World Toilet Day.
• The Ministry will also organize the ‘Swachh Amrit Diwas’, an award ceremony to
recognize the role and efforts of the states, cities, ULBs and Cantonment Board in Swachh
Survekshan 2021, and Garbage Free Star Rating certification on 20th November, 2021.
• The SSC was launched on the World Toilet Day in 2020.
• A range of awards and monetary incentives across population categories has been decided
for the Challenge, as given below:
Sub-Categories 1st prize 2nd prize 3rd prize
(population)
10 lakh Rs 12 Crores Rs 6 Crores Rs 3 Crores
3 - 10 lakh Rs 10 Crores Rs 5 Crores Rs 2.5 Crores
Up to 3 lakh Rs 8 Crores Rs 4 Crores Rs 2 Crores
Total Rs 52.5 crores

• The Call Centre and Helpline number ‘14420’ has been operationalized in 345 cities for
safe cleaning of septic tanks/sewers.

28. Women Entrepreneurship Day is observed on November 19 by #ChooseWomen initiative.

29. World Heritage Week is observed on November 19 to 25 by UNESCO.

30. International Men’s Day is observed on November 19 by UN.

• Theme – Better Relation between Men and Women

31. World Children’s Day is observed on November 20 by UN.

• Theme - A Better Future for Every Child

32. Communal Harmony Campaign Week is observed from November 19 to 25 in India.

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 • November 25 is observed as Flag Day.

33. Awaas Diwas is celebrated on November 20 in India to commemorate the launch of the
Pradham Mantri Awas Yojana - Gramin.
• The scheme was launched in 2016 to provide housing for all by 2022.
• The PMAY-G was earlier the Indira Awas Yojana.

34. World Fisheries Day is observed on November 21.

• Ministry for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying awards –
o Best marine state award: Andhra Pradesh
o Best marine district award: Balasore, Odisha
o Best inland state award: Telangana
o Best inland district award: Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh
• Govt’s target – Rs 1 lakh crore export target from fisheries sector by 2024-25.

35. World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims is observed on November 21 by UN.
• The focus of the day is ‘Remember. Support. Act”.

36. World Antimicrobial Awareness Week is observed from November 18 to 24 by WHO.

• Theme - Spread Awareness, Stop Resistance
• WHO Campaign – Go Blue for AMR

37. National Milk Day is observed on November 26 across India, in memory of the father of the
white revolution, Dr Verghese Kurien.

38. SEBI observed the World Investor Week from November 22 to 28, 2021, under the aegis of
International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO).
• World Investor Week is a global investor awareness campaign. WIW is celebrated every
year, across the world, by the securities market regulators.

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 • IOSCO celebrates the week in October.

39. International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is observed on
November 25 by UN.
• Theme - Orange the World: End Violence against Women Now!
• Like every year, this year also a campaign of 16 days of activism has been launched till
the 10th December 2021 (International Human Rights Day).

40. Ministry of Women and Child Development celebrated Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav during
14-21 November, 2021 on the theme of ‘Children Ideas, Rights & Nutrition’.
• Ministry of External Affairs organized Quiz on the theme ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ for diaspora
children.
• National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) organized a National
Workshop on “Child Rights with emphasis on preventive aspects of child protection issues”
at Gandhi Darshan, New Delhi.

41. Constitution Day or Samvidhan Diwas is observed on November 26 every year in India,
which commemorates the adoption of the Constitution of India.

42. 12th Indian Organ Donation Day is observed on November 27 by National Organ and
Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO).

AWARDS
1. National Sports Awards for 2020 have been given recently.
• Categories of Awards –
o Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award (Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award)
o Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award
o Arjuna Award
o Dronacharya Award

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 o Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar
o Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy
Most Important Category Winner
o Rohit Sharma (Cricket),
o Mariyappan Thangavelu (Para
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award (Major Dhyan Athletics),
Chand Khel Ratna Award) o Manika Batra (Table Tennis),
o Vinesh Phogat (Wrestling),
o Rani Rampal (Hockey)

2. National Mission for Clean Ganga set a Guinness World Record on the first day of the
Ganga Utsav for the highest number of photos of handwritten notes uploaded on Facebook in
an hour.

3. Lt. Col. Bharat Pannu (a serving Electronics and Mechanical Engineer officer in the Indian
Army) has been mentioned in the Guinness world record for a third time.
• Reason – for cycling across the country from Gujarat to Arunachal Pradesh covering a
distance of 3,800 km in nine days seven hours and five minutes.

4. South African author Damon Galgut has won the 2021 Booker Prize for "The Promise".
• The prize is worth £50,000 (€58,750).

5. Priyanka Mohite (mountaineer) has won the ‘Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award
2020’.
• A total of seven people have won this award for the year 2020 in land and water adventure
sports’ categories.
• Winners - Col. Amit Bisht and Lt. Col. Servesh Dhadwal from Indian Army; Jay Prakash
Kumar ; Sheetal; Srikaanth Viswanathan; and Jai Kishan.

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 • Tenzing Norgay was a Nepali-Indian mountaineer. Established in 1994, The ‘Tenzing
Norgay National Award’ is the highest adventure sports honour in India. It is given along
with six other national sports awards.

6. "Delhi: A Soliloquy", authored by M Mukundan, has won the JCB Prize for Literature 2021.
• The book has been translated from Malayalam by Fathima E.V. and Nandakumar K.
• JCB Literature Foundation gives this prizes for a distinguished work of fiction by an Indian
author.

7. Vihaan and Nav Aggarwal, Indian teenage brothers, have won the 2021 KidsRights
International Children’s Peace Prize for their project on waste collection to tackle pollution.
• The prize is given by Dutch-based KidsRights Foundation.

8. Pochampally Village in Nalgonda district of Telangana has been selected as one of the best
Tourism Villages by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).
• The award will be presented at the 24th session of the UNWTO General Assembly in
Madrid, Spain on 2nd December 2021.
• Union Minister of Culture, Tourism and Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) is
G Kishan Reddy.

About Pochampally:
• Also known as Silk City of India due to Ikat-styled sarees.
• This style, Pochampally Ikat, received a Geographical Indicator (GI Status) in 2004.
• Ikat is a Malaysian, Indonesian word which means “Tie and Dye”.
• Pochampally is also known as Bhoodan Pochampally to commemorate the Bhoodan
Movement that was launched by Acharya Vinobha Bhave from this village on April 18th,
1951.

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9. 52nd International Film Festival of India is held in Goa.
• Indian Film Personality of the Year Award for 2021 – Hema Malini (Actress), and
Prasoon Joshi (Lyricist)
• Malini is the Member of Parliament from Mathura, UP and Joshi is the chairperson of
Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

10. Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank has won the ASSOCHAM’s award – Best Regional Rural
Bank in Digital Financial Services.

11. Border Roads Organization has been named in the Guinness World Records Book for
constructing world’s highest motorable road at 19,024 feet at Umling La Pass in Ladakh.

12. The Hindu has been awarded the Project SIREN Award for Newspapers 2021.
• Reason - for its responsible reporting on suicide between June 2020 and June 2021.
• Project SIREN is an initiative of the India Mental Health Observatory (IMHO) under the
Centre for Mental Health Law and Policy (CMHLP), Indian Law Society.
• The Project systematically tracks and scores media reports on suicide from major English
newspapers and online news publications to promote responsible reporting on suicide
among the media.

13. Ministry of Jal Shakti will launch ‘Water Heroes’ Share Your Stories contest from the 1st
December, 2021 to encourage and collect best practices in water conservation and
management from across the nation.
• Purpose - to boost transformational action in the water sector.
• All selected entries will be awarded a cash prize of Rs 10,000 each, along with a certificate.

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 • The “Water Heroes – Share Your Stories” Contest is organised by Department of Water
Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, working under the parent head
of Ministry of Jal Shakti.

14. “Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty”, written by Patrick Radden
Keefe, was awarded the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction.
• The Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction, formerly the Samuel Johnson Prize, is an annual
British book prize for the best non-fiction writing in the English language.

15. National Book Foundation (an American Foundation) has given 72nd National Book Awards
in the year 2021.
Category Book Author
Fiction Hell of a Book Jason Mott
All That She Carried: The Journey of
Non-Fiction Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family Tiya Miles
Keepsake
Young People’s
Last Night at the Telegraph Club Malinda Lo
Literature
Poetry Floaters Martín Espada
Elisa Shua Dusapin and
Translated
Winter in Sokcho translator Aneesa Abbas Higgins
Literature
(translated from French)

16. Pratham NGO has been awarded the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and
Development 2021 by Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust

17. Prakash Padukone has won the Lifetime Achievement Award 2021, given by the
Badminton World Federation (BWF).

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18. Governance Now, the premier publication on public policy and governance from Sri Adhikari
Brothers Group, has organized the 4th edition of “Digital Transformation Summit &
Awards”.
• J&K administration won the Digital Transformation Award in the “Digital Health”
category for its Swasthya Nidhi Survey app for Covid-19.
• Himachal Pradesh has won the award for its digitalized health approaches for tackling
non-communicable diseases (NCD).

19. UNESCO-ABU Peace Media Awards 2021 have been announced.

• The awards were given by UNESCO in collaboration with Asia Pacific Broadcasting
Union (ABU) under ‘Together for Peace’ (T4P) initiative.
Winners:
Category Winner Reason
‘Living Well with Super Doordarshan 'DEAFinitely Leading the Way'
Diversity’ category program
‘Ethical & Sustainable All India Radio ‘Living on the edge – The
Relationship with Nature’ coastal lives’ program
category

20. Senior journalist and Business Standard columnist Tamal Bandyopadhyay has won the Tata
Literature Live! award for his book Pandemonium: The Great Indian Banking Tragedy.
• Pandemonium was selected under the business book of the year category.

21. Dr S K Sohan Roy (from Kerala, CEO, and founder of Aries Group of Companies) has
become the first Indian to be honoured with the Knighthood of Parte Guelfa.
• Reason - for his humanitarian and Environmental protection efforts in business and movies.
• The honorary title was given at the conferring ceremony held at the Basilica of Santa Croce
and the Palagio di Parte Guelfa in Florence, Italy.

22. 49th edition of International Emmy Awards were announced.

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 • From India, Sushmita Sen, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and Vir Das were nominated but none
received the award.
• Best Actor - David Tennant for his acting in Des
• Best Actress - Hayley Squires for her acting in Adult Material
• Comedy - Call My Agent Season 4 (French series)
• Best Drama - Tehran (Israel)

23. Population First, a social impact organisation that works for women empowerment and
gender equality, has announced the annual Laadli Media and Advertising Award (regional)
for Gender Sensitivity 2021.
• 98 winners across 10 languages have been awarded.
• These winners include bastions like The Hindu, ThePrint, Gaon Connection etc.

24. Hunar Haat, organized by the Ministry of Minority Affairs at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi,
received the prestigious India International Trade Fair, 2021 Silver Medal for strengthening
commitment to “Vocal for Local” and its strong presence at the Trade Fair.

25. 6th edition BRICS Film Festival was held alongside the 52nd edition of the International Film
Festival of India (IFFI), for the first time.
• Awards were given at the BRICS Film Festival.
• Best film Award – South African Film Barakat by Director Amy Jephta and Russian Film
The Sun above Me Never Sets by Director Lyubov Borisova
• Best Director Award – Brazilian Filmmaker Lúcia Murat for her documentary film Ana
• Best Actor (Male) – Dhanush for his role in Asuran
• Best Actor (Female) – Brazilian actress Lara Boldorini for her film On Wheels

26. National Sports Awards 2021: -

Categories Winner

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 o Neeraj Chopra (Athletics)
o Ravi Kumar (Wrestling)
o Lovlina Borgohain (Boxing)
o Sreejesh P.R (Hockey)
o Avani Lekhara (Para Shooting)
Major Dhyan Chand KhelRatna Award o Sumit Antil (Para Athletics)
2021 o Pramod Bhagat (Para Badminton)
o Krishna Nagar (Para Badminton)
o Manish Narwal (Para Shooting)
o Mithali Raj (Cricket)
o Sunil Chhetri (Football)
o Manpreet Singh (Hockey)
Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime
5 sportspersons
achievement
Arjuna Awards 35 sportspersons
Dronacharya Award 10
o Life-Time Category o 5 coaches
o Regular Category o 5 coaches
Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar
o Identification and Nurturing of
o Manav Rachna Educational Institution
Budding and Young Talent
o Encouragement to sports through
o Indian Oil Corporation Limited
Corporate Social Responsibility
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy Panjab University - Chandigarh

SPORTS
1. ISSF President’s Cup was held in Wrocław, Poland.
• India won a total of 5 medals (2 golds, 2 silvers, and 1 bronze).
• Gold winners - Manu Bhaker (2 gold medals)

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 • Silver - Rahi Sarnobat and Saurabh Chaudhary
• Bronze - Abhishek Verma

2. India’s Manika Batra and Archana Kamath have won the women’s doubles title at the
World Table Tennis Contender.

3. Novak Djokovic has won the Paris Masters title.

4. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia) has won the 2021 Billie Jean King Cup (international
team competition in women's tennis) final in Prague, Czech Republic.

5. U23 World Wrestling Championships 2021 was held in Belgrade, Serbia.

• India’s total medals – 5
• Indian winners – Shivani Pawar (only silver), Anju, Divya Kakran, Radhika, and Nisha
Dahiya (all bronze)
• Russia topped the medal tally.

6. Sankalp Gupta has become India’s 71st Grandmaster.

7. Max Verstappen (Belgian-Dutch racing driver) has won Mexican Grand Prix.

8. 2021 AIBA Men’s World Boxing Championships was held in Belgrade, Serbia.
• Amit Panghal has won the only silver medal for India.

9. Kolkata-based player Mitrabha Guha has become India's 72nd chess Grand Master.

10. ITTF Ecuador International Open table tennis tournament has concluded.
• Men’s Singles – Manush Shah (India)
• Women’s Singles – T. Reeth Rishya (India)

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11. International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and
Crime (UNODC) have signed an MoU to further strengthen the cooperation between the two
organisations in fighting corruption and crime in sport.
• The new MoU signed today is set to remain in force until the end of 2025.
• The MoU was signed on the side lines of the 4th edition of the International Forum for
Sports Integrity (IFSI).

12. 2021 Asian 49er and 49er FX Championships (sailing championship) was held in Oman.
• Indian crew of KC Ganapathy and Varun Thakkar has won the gold medal.

13. India’s Nethra Kumanan has won gold in the laser radial section of the Gran Canaria sailing
championships held in Gran Canaria, Spain.

14. Lewis Hamilton has won the Brazilian Grand Prix 2021.

15. Australia has won the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 in Dubai.
• Australian Men’s Cricket Team captain - Aaron Finch
• Player of the Match – Mitchell Marsh from Australia
• ICC T20 Men’s rankings – England (No.1); India (No.2); and Australia (No.6)

16. Janette Brittin (England), Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka) and Shaun Pollock (S. Africa)
have been inducted into ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

17. Alexander Zverev (Germany) has won the Vienna Open 2021 / Erste Bank Open 2021.

18. India is set to host the first-ever World Yogasana Championship in June 2022.
• India’s first Physical National Yogasana Sports Championships was recently
inaugurated in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

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19. International Cricket Council (ICC) has released the ‘Team of the Tournament’ for the T20
World Cup 2021.
• Australia had won the T20 World Cup.
• The Team of Tournament’s captain is Babar Azam (from Pakistan).
• The squad has 12 cricketers from different teams. No Indian cricketer has been included in
this team.

20. International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced its upcoming events and the host
countries.
Year Event Host country
2024 Men’s T20 World Cup USA and West Indies
2025 Men’s Champions Trophy Pakistan
2026 Men’s T20 World Cup India and Sri Lanka
2027 Men’s 50 Over World Cup South Africa, Zimbabwe, and
Namibia
2028 Men’s T20 World Cup Australia and New Zealand
2029 Men’s Champions Trophy India
2030 Men’s T20 World Cup England, Ireland, Scotland
2031 Men’s 50 Over World Cup India and Bangladesh

21. 22nd Asian Archery Championship 2021 was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
• India won 1 gold, 4 silver and 2 bronze medals.

22. Garbine Muguruza (Spain) has won WTA Finals tennis title at Guadalajara, Mexico.
• She received the Billie Jean King Trophy.

23. Jyothi Surekha Vennam has won women's compound individual gold at the Asian
Archery Championships in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
• India has won 1 gold, 4 silver and 2 bronze medals in total.

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24. India’s Arjun Erigaisi has won the rapid event at the Tata Steel Chess tournament in
Kolkata.

25. 2025 Asian Youth Para Games will be held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
• 2021 Asian Youth Para Games was held in Manama, Bahrain.

26. Indonesia Masters Super 750 badminton tournament has been won by Kento Momota in
men’s and An Se-Young in women’s singles.
• Kento Momota is from Japan whereas An Se-Young is from South Korea.

27. Jammu and Kashmir alpine skier Arif Mohammed Khan has qualified for the 2022 Winter
Olympics to be held in Beijing.

28. Lewis Hamilton (British) has won the 1st edition of the Qatar Grand Prix.
• In 2021, Hamilton has won Bahrain, Portuguese, Spanish, British, Russia, and Brazil Grand
Prix.

29. Tamil Nadu has won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (cricket) by defeating Karnataka in the
final match at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.

30. Alexander Zverev (Germany) has won the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, Italy.

31. Levon Aronian (from Armenia) has won the blitz event of the Tata Steel Chess at the
National Library in Kolkata.

32. Yuki Bhambri (Indian tennis player) has won the men’s doubles title with Saketh Myneni in the
15,000 ITF men’s tennis tournament at the Tennis Project, Baliawas, Haryana.

33. Indian squash player Saurav Ghosal won the Malaysian (Squash) Open.

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34. Ravichandran Ashwin (418 in 80 tests) has become India’s third highest wicket-taker in
Tests, lagging behind Anil Kumble (619) and Kapil Dev (434).

35. Viktor Axelsen (Denmark) has won men’s singles at Indonesia Open badminton in Bali.
• Women’s singles has been won by An Se-young of South Korea.

36. India’s Ramkumar Ramanathan has won his maiden singles tennis title at ATP Challenger
tournament in Bahrain.
• The above-mentioned tournament was the inaugural Bahrain Ministry of Interior Tennis
Challenger, played on hard court.

MISCELLANEOUS
1. "The Story of the First Civilizations: From Mesopotamia to the Aztecs" book has been
authored by Subhadra Sen Gupta.

2. “Not Just Cricket: A Reporters Journey” book has been authored by Pradeep Magazine.

3. “The Sage with Two Horns: Unusual Tales from Mythology” book has been authored by
Sudha Murthy.

4. “The Cinema of Satyajit Ray” book has been written by Bhaskar Chattopadhyay.

5. “An Economist At Home And Abroad” book has been written by Shankar Acharya
(economist).

6. “Vax” (meaning Vaccine) has become the Oxford English Dictionary's Word of The Year
2021.

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7. “Finding A Straight Line Between Twist And Turns” book has been authored by Aseem
Chawla.

8. “Modern India” book has been authored by Poonam Dalal Dahiya (an ASP officer).

9. “Nehru: The Debates that Defined India” book has been authored by Adeel Hussain and
Tripurdaman Singh.

10. “Operation X” book has been authored by Captain M.N.R. Samant and Sandeep Unnithan.
• The Bangla Version of this book has been launched by Indian Navy and Mukti Bahini of
Bangladesh.

11. ‘Sunrise Over Ayodhya: Nationhood in Our Times’ book has been authored by Salman
Khurshid.

12. ‘Uddna Baaz’, the biography of first Arjuna awardee Olympian Gurbachan Singh Randhawa,
has been authored by Navneet Singh Gill.
• The book was released by the Sports Minister of Punjab, Pargat Singh.

13. “The Disruptor: How Vishwanath Pratap Singh Shook India” book has been authored by
Debashish Mukerji.
• The book is based on VP Singh (8th PM of India).

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14. Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar released a book titled ‘FORCE IN STATECRAFT’, a
compilation of essays on topics including counter-insurgency operations.

15. India’s chief national badminton coach P. Gopi Chand has launched his autobiography
‘Shuttler’s Flick: Making every match count’ at the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad.
• The book is co-authored by Priya Kumar.

16. “100 Great Indian Poems” book has been authored by Abhay Kumar (Indian diplomat).
• The book was launched at the Sharjah International Book Fair 2021, UAE. It is the
world’s largest book fair.
• This is the 40th edition of the Book Fair. The theme of the book fair was 'there's always a
right book'.

17. “Unshackling India: Hard Truths and Clear Choices for Economic Revival” has been
authored by Ajay Chhibber and Salman Anees Soz.

18. Hindi writer Mannu Bhandari has passed away. She is famous for her novels like Aapka Bunty
(1971) and Mahabhoj (1979).

19. Smriti Irani has authored her first novel ‘Lal Salaam: A Novel’.

20. Department of Design of IIT-Hyderabad organized a design workshop for Dhokra Art form for
safeguarding ‘Dhokra crafts of Ojha Gonds Community’ of Telangana.

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21. National centre for Radio Astrophysics’ (NCRA) astronomers have discovered eight stars
which belong to a rare class called Main-sequence Radio Pulse emitters (MRPs).
• NCRA is based in Pune.
• NCRA used ‘Giant Metre-wave Radio Telescope (GMRT)’, Pune, to discover the first of its
kind MRPs.

22. Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee has authored a new book (cookbook) titled “Cooking to
Save your Life”.

23. “India Vs UK: The Story of an Unprecedented Diplomatic Win” book has been written by
Syed Akbaruddin.

24. Venezuela has set a new Guinness World Record for the largest orchestra with 8,573
musicians playing together for more than five minutes.
• The record was set by the country's National System of Youth and Children's Orchestras,
known as “El Sistema”.

25. “Conversations: India’s Leading Art Historian Engages with 101 themes, and More” book
has been authored by distinguished art historian & Padma Awardee, Brijinder Nath
Goswamy.

26. 'Resolved: Uniting Nations in a Divided World' is the autobiography of the Former United
Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

27. Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal met with United States Trade
Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai during her two-day visit to India.

28. “Contested Lands: India, China and the Boundary Dispute” book has been authored by
Maroof Raza (former Army officer).

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29. “10 Flashpoints: 20 years” book has been written by Congress leader Manish Tewari.

30. Collins Dictionary has chosen NFT (non-fungible token) as the word of the year after rise in
its usage.

31. Merriam-Webster has chosen ‘vaccine’ as the 2021 word of the year.

QUESTIONS
Q.1) What was the theme of 14th Urban Mobility [b] Tripura
Conference 2021? [c] Uttarakhand
[a] Mobility for All [d] Madhya Pradesh
[b] Azadi@75: Sustainable AtmaNirbhar Urban [e] Uttar Pradesh
Mobility
[c] Nayi Azadi Naya Bharat Q.5) At the 4th annual Indo-Pacific Business
[d] Mobility Will Drive Change Forum (IPBF), Arizona-based First Solar
[e] Urban Mobility and Sustainable Development announced to invest $684 million in an Indian
state. Identify the state.
Q.2) Where is India’s largest landfill gas-to- [a] Gujarat
compressed biogas plant located? [b] Madhya Pradesh
[a] Surat [c] Uttar Pradesh
[b] Hyderabad [d] Kerala
[c] Ahmedabad [e] Tamil Nadu
[d] Kochi
[e] Delhi Q.6) Which of the following is not a part of the
Panchamrit announced at the COP 26 of
Q.3) What is the outlay of the Dairy Sahakar UNFCCC by Indian PM Narendra Modi?
scheme? [a] Indian Railways to become a 'net-zero' carbon
[a] Rs 10000 crores emitter by 2030
[b] Rs 7000 crores [b] India pledged to become net-zero carbon
[c] Rs 13000 crores emission country by 2070
[d] Rs 5000 crores [c] Renewable energy target is 500 GW by 2030
[e] Rs 15000 crores [d] 50% of energy requirements to be fulfilled by
renewable energy
Q.4) Which state has launched the Mukhyamantri [e] Reduce 1 billion carbon emissions by 2030
Awasiya Bhu Adhikar Yojana under the PM Awas
Yojana?
[a] Jharkhand

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Q.7) Who has been appointed as the full-time [d] DIGIT
chairperson of the National Company Law [e] IN-D
Appellate Tribunal?
[a] Justice Sanjay Sharan Q.12) Which of the following startups has
[b] Justice Ranjan Dash developed the Bhasha Sangam Mobile App?
[c] Justice Ravi Shanker [a] Udaan
[d] Justice Padmapani Bora [b] Meesho
[e] Justice Ashok Bhushan [c] Rubique
[d] Madhubhashi
Q.8) Justice Ramalingam Sudhakar, who has [e] Multibhashi
been appointed as the chairperson of the National
Company Law Tribunal, served as the Chief Q.13) Which state govt has launched the Uttam
Justice of which of the following high court? Beej Portal for providing quality seeds to farmers?
[a] Manipur High Court [a] Haryana
[b] Gujarat High Court [b] Gujarat
[c] Andhra High Court [c] Madhya Pradesh
[d] Madras High Court [d] Assam
[e] Shimla High Court [e] Uttar Pradesh

Q.9) At which of the following institutes has Union Q.14) Which state has launched its 'e-Sarkar' app
Minister Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurated the on a pilot basis to make administrative works
'Sardar Patel Leadership Centre', on the occasion paperless, quick and easy for citizens?
of 146th Rashtriya Ekta Diwas? [a] Gujarat
[a] LBSNAA [b] Telangana
[b] Indian School of Public Policy [c] Odisha
[c] NCAER [d] Andhra Pradesh
[d] Observer Research Foundation [e] Karnataka
[e] Centre for Policy Research
Q.15) Marusudar River is a major tributary of
Q.10) Which city is the global host of World Cities which river?
Day 2021? [a] Beas
[a] Luxor [b] Ravi
[b] Lagos [c] Sutlej
[c] Kigali [d] Chenab
[d] Nairobi [e] Jhelum
[e] Accra
Q.16) Which of the following is the new bird of
Q.11) Which company will develop the National Jammu and Kashmir UT?
Urban Governance Platform under the National [a] Bar-headed Goose
Urban Digital Mission? [b] Rufous-throated Partridge
[a] Intello Labs [c] Snow Partridge
[b] HyperVerge [d] Kalij Pheasant
[c] LogiNext [e] Blood Pheasant

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 [d] $50 million
Q.17) Which Indian state has received special [e] $300 million
invitation to attend the ‘International Seed
Conference’ 2021? Q.22) Where has Indian Oil Corporation
[a] Uttar Pradesh established India’s first mega-scale Maleic
[b] Karnataka Anhydride Plant to manufacture value-added
[c] Kerala chemical products?
[d] Punjab [a] Panipat
[e] Telangana [b] Mathura
[c] Ghaziabad
Q.18) Which organization is supporting the [d] Rohtak
International Methane Emissions Observatory of [e] Indore
UNEP?
[a] International Solar Alliance Q.23) With which company has Ministry of Rural
[b] World Wide Fund for Nature Development signed an MoU under the
[c] Greenpeace Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural
[d] European Commission Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM) program to
[e] Global Environment Facility onboard local businesses and self-help groups
(SHGs) on its platform?
Q.19) What percentage of annual anthropogenic [a] Amazon
CO2 is absorbed by Oceans (that is making them [b] IndiaMART
acidic), as per the ‘State of the Global Climate [c] Nykaa
2021’ report of WMO? [d] Flipkart
[a] 23% [e] Snapdeal
[b] 40%
[c] 15% Q.24) Which of the following countries has
[d] 30% announced to become net-zero emission country
[e] 60% by 2060?
[a] UK
Q.20) Who heads SEBI’s new IT Projects [b] US
Advisory Committee (IT-PAC)? [c] Japan
[a] Gurdeep Singh [d] Russia
[b] Bhagwat Karad [e] Denmark
[c] Shambhu Kumar
[d] Abhay Karandikar Q.25) Where is the Pekapeka-tou-roa bat found?
[e] S. Sudershan [a] Australia
[b] New Zealand
Q.21) What is the corpus of the ‘first loss risk [c] Mauritius
sharing instrument’ of NITI Aayog and World [d] Thailand
Bank for financing electric vehicles in India? [e] Malaysia
[a] $800 million
[b] $500 million Q.26) How much is the total corpus of UK’s India
[c] $200 million Green Guarantee?

147
[a] 750 million pounds [a] Amritsar
[b] 500 million pounds [b] Barnala
[c] 200 million pounds [c] Ferozepur
[d] 100 million pounds [d] Gurdaspur
[e] 600 million pounds [e] Mohali

Q.27) Which bank has signed an MoU with Q.32) Name the portal launched by Indian
NCDEX e-Markets Ltd (NeML) to become a Renewable Energy Development Agency limited
“Clearing Bank” for handling financial transactions (IREDA) for facilitating reporting of fraud,
for NeML? corruption, abuse of power etc.
[a] Bank of Maharashtra [a] Reveal
[b] Karur Vyasa Bank [b] Grievance Redressal
[c] CSB Bank [c] Energy Ombudsman
[d] Central Bank of India [d] Whistle Blower
[e] Bank of Baroda [e] 24X7 Friend

Q.28) Which bank manages the Green Recovery Q.33) What is the capital of Gambia?
Platform for Southeast Asia? [a] Accra
[a] Advanced Bank of Asia [b] Banjul
[b] Agribank Cambodia [c] Lagos
[c] ANZ Royal Bank [d] Kampala
[d] ACLEDA Bank [e] Luanda
[e] ADB
Q.34) With which country has Indian Air Force
Q.29) When is the World Vegan Day celebrated? conducted the Desert Warrior exercise?
[a] November 6 [a] Qatar
[b] November 1 [b] UAE
[c] November 5 [c] Oman
[d] November 4 [d] Yemen
[e] November 2 [e] Egypt

Q.30) Which of the following university has won Q.35) How many sectors are targeted for
the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy? decarbonization through the 'First Movers
[a] University of Rajasthan Coalition'?
[b] Chaudhary Charan Singh University [a] Eight
[c] Panjab University [b] Nine
[d] University of Lucknow [c] Seven
[e] University of Calicut [d] Ten
[e] Fifteen
Q.31) Recently, a 650 teraflops supercomputing
facility has been launched at National Agri-Food Q.36) Which university has topped in the 2022
Biotechnology Institute. Where is the Institute QS World University Rankings from India?
located? [a] IIT-Bombay

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[b] IIT-Delhi Q.41) Who heads the Technology Innovation
[c] IIT-Madras Group on 6G?
[d] IISc [a] Piyush Kumar
[e] IIT-Kharagpur [b] Moutoshi Naskar
[c] Ajit Pal Singh
Q.37) Which university has topped in the 2022 [d] K Rajaraman
QS Asia University Rankings? [e] Ujjaval Srivastava
[a] IIT-Bombay
[b] National University of Singapore Q.42) Who is the Minister of State for External
[c] Tsinghua University Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs?
[d] IISc, Bangalore [a] Chandru A.
[e] Peking University [b] Siddharth Malik
[c] V. Muraleedharan
Q.38) Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum [d] Rajkumar Ranjan Singh
Corporation Ltd, and Hindustan Petroleum [e] Rupjyoti Brahma Karjee
Corporation Ltd have announced to establish
____ electric vehicle (EV) charging stations over Q.43) Where is the headquarter of National Dairy
the next 3-5 years? Development Board located?
[a] 22,000 [a] Anand
[b] 5,000 [b] Faridabad
[c] 10,000 [c] Gurugram
[d] 30,000 [d] Ghaziabad
[e] 12,000 [e] Noida

Q.39) Which company has received approval Q.44) Which state has launched the Janasevaka
from National Company Law Tribunal for scheme?
acquiring 26% stake in ONGC Tripura Power [a] Telangana
Company (OTPC) from IL&FS? [b] Odisha
[a] GAIL [c] Andhra Pradesh
[b] BHEL [d] Karnataka
[c] IOC [e] Uttar Pradesh
[d] SAIL
[e] HPCL Q.45) Which state has set up a first of its kind
Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for handling its
Q.40) When is the World Tsunami Awareness natural conservation missions?
Day observed? [a] Tamil Nadu
[a] November 5 [b] Meghalaya
[b] November 15 [c] Kerala
[c] November 11 [d] Karnataka
[d] November 9 [e] Manipur
[e] November 10
Q.46) Which edition of Goa Maritime Conclave
(GMC) was held in 2021?

149
[a] Third [d] Chhattisgarh
[b] Seventh [e] Assam
[c] Fifth
[d] Tenth Q.52) Which state has launched Haritha Karma
[e] Second Sena (Green Action Force) to collect and
segregate refuse from city households to
Q.47) Who has been appointed as the transport it to the solid waste treatment facility?
ambassador of Russian Film Festival in India? [a] Kerala
[a] Anurag Kashyap [b] Maharashtra
[b] Mira Nair [c] Karnataka
[c] Dibakar Banerjee [d] Odisha
[d] Anjali Menon [e] Jharkhand
[e] Imtiaz Ali
Q.53) Which state organizes the cOcOn - cyber
Q.48) Who has won the 2021 Booker Prize for security and hacking conference - annually?
"The Promise"? [a] Maharashtra
[a] Akwaeke Emezi [b] Uttar Pradesh
[b] Jennifer Makumbi [c] Kerala
[c] Abdulrazak Gurnah [d] Tamil Nadu
[d] Yaa Gyasi [e] Telangana
[e] Damon Galgut
Q.54) As per the third Biennial Update Report
Q.49) Who among the following has won two gold (BUR) of India presented at the COP26 of
medals at the 2021 ISSF President’s Cup? UNFCCC, India has achieved ___ % reduction in
[a] Manu Bhaker emission intensity of its GDP over 2005-2014?
[b] Rahi Sarnobat [a] 33%
[c] Saurabh Chaudhary [b] 14%
[d] Abhishek Verma [c] 24%
[e] Jaspal Rana [d] 20%
[e] 10%
Q.50) When is the One Health Day observed?
[a] November 20 Q.55) Recently, USA has joined the International
[b] November 15 Solar Alliance. It has become the ____ member
[c] November 3 of ISA?
[d] November 11 [a] 83rd
[e] November 4 [b] 101st
[c] 98th
Q.51) Where is the 'Mukhyamantri Ghasyari [d] 78th
Kalyan Yojana' launched by Union Home [e] 65th
Minister?
[a] Madhya Pradesh Q.56) Who has become the first Chinese woman
[b] Uttarakhand to walk in space?
[c] Uttar Pradesh [a] Liu Yang

150
[b] Tao Jiali [d] Odisha
[c] Nie Haisheng [e] Jharkhand
[d] Wang Yaping
[e] Yang Liwei Q.62) Which has become the first state to
approve the Tissue Culture Based Seed Potato
Q.57) “Zolfaghar-1400” is the war game of which Rules?
country? [a] Haryana
[a] Israel [b] Punjab
[b] Saudi Arabia [c] Uttar Pradesh
[c] Iran [d] West Bengal
[d] Kuwait [e] Bihar
[e] Qatar
Q.63) Recently, Srinagar has been added into the
Q.58) Who among the following has won the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) in folk
‘Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award art and craft category. With this, India now has a
2020’? total of six cities in this network. Which city from
[a] Priyanka Mohite the following UCCN cities is accompanying
[b] Servesh Dhadwal Srinagar in the folk art and craft category?
[c] Jay Prakash Kumar [a] Chennai
[d] Jai Kishan [b] Varanasi
[e] All of the Above [c] Hyderabad
[d] Mumbai
Q.59) Who is the author of “Modern India” book? [e] Jaipur
[a] Anuja Chauhan
[b] Chitra Banerjee Q.64) What is India’s rank in the Global Drug
[c] Indu Sundaresan Policy Index 2021?
[d] Nikita Lalwani [a] 18
[e] Poonam Dalal Dahiya [b] 43
[c] 70
Q.60) Which of the following has become the [d] 88
Oxford English Dictionary's Word of The Year [e] 12
2021?
[a] Chillax Q.65) When is the Infant Protection Day
[b] Whatevs celebrated?
[c] Sumfin [a] November 7
[d] Vax [b] November 20
[e] Jafaican [c] November 15
[d] November 9
Q.61) Where will the Tribal Pride Day [e] November 10
Mahasammelan be organized?
[a] Madhya Pradesh Q.66) World Radiology Day is observed on
[b] West Bengal November 8 every year to mark the anniversary
[c] Chhattisgarh

151
of the discovery of X-rays in 1895. Who of government schemes reach construction
discovered X-rays? workers?
[a] Michael Faraday [a] Uttarakhand
[b] Stephen Hawking [b] Delhi
[c] Thomas Edison [c] Jammu and Kashmir
[d] Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen [d] Ladakh
[e] Rosalind Franklin [e] Punjab

Q.67) Which city is hosting ISOCARP’s 57th Q.72) Which state has received Rs 770 crore loan
World Planning Congress 2021? from the World Bank to improve river
[a] Doha transportation in the state?
[b] Manila [a] Assam
[c] Jakarta [b] West Bengal
[d] Riyadh [c] Gujarat
[e] Dakar [d] Andhra Pradesh
[e] Maharashtra
Q.68) How many gold medals has India won in
the U23 World Wrestling Championships 2021? Q.73) Where is the Deocha-Pachami Coal Mine
[a] 2 Project launched?
[b] 7 [a] West Bengal
[c] 10 [b] Jharkhand
[d] 5 [c] Chhattisgarh
[e] None of the Above [d] Odisha
[e] Assam
Q.69) West Indies’ cricketer Dwayne Bravo has
announced retirement from international cricket. Q.74) Which of the following initiative has been
Which country does he belong to? launched, at the COP 26 of UNFCCC, to gauge
[a] Trinidad and Tobago the value of climate resilience in quantitative
[b] Saint Vincent terms, globally, for policymakers and investors?
[c] Barbuda [a] Program for Action on the Green Economy
[d] Union Island [b] Climate Culture Assessment Toolkit
[e] Cuba [c] Portfolio Decarbonization Coalition
[d] Global Resilience Index Initiative
Q.70) Where is the headquarter of International [e] Climate and Clean Air Coalition
Gymnastics Federation located?
[a] Hungary Q.75) With which country has India launched
[b] Poland Mission Integrated Biorefineries under Mission
[c] Germany Innovation?
[d] Switzerland [a] Denmark
[e] Croatia [b] Belgium
[c] Netherlands
Q.71) Which state / UT has launched the [d] Albania
'Shramik Mitra' scheme to ensure that the benefits [e] Greece

152
 [b] Rishabh Pant
Q.76) Which of the following is not a performance [c] Amitabh Bachchan
assessment parameter of the monthly Delta [d] Jasbir Jassi
Rankings of NITI Aayog? [e] Zubeen Garg
[a] Health and Nutrition
[b] Education Q.81) In which IIT is India's first centre for
[c] Agriculture excellence in research on drone and unmanned
[d] Water Resources aerial vehicle (UAV) technology and artificial
[e] Sanitation intelligence being established?
[a] IIT-Bhopal
Q.77) Which of the following hackathons has [b] IIT-Kharagpur
been launched by Reserve Bank of India? [c] IIT-Delhi
[a] Smart India Hackathon [d] IIT-Madras
[b] UPI Hackathon [e] IIT-Guwahati
[c] Harbinger Hackathon
[d] DigiPay Hackathon Q.82) With which of the following organizations
[e] Secure Cyber Hackathon has Indian Army signed an MoU for strengthening
joint research?
Q.78) Who has won the men’s singles at the ITTF [a] Rashtriya Raksha University
Ecuador International Open table tennis [b] BISAG-N
tournament? [c] LBSNAA
[a] Sharath Kamal [d] Both A and B
[b] Sathiyan Gnanasekaran [e] Both B and C
[c] Harmeet Desai
[d] Manush Shah Q.83) With which country has India signed an
[e] Anthony Amalraj MoU for the development of dual use
technologies in the defence sector?
Q.79) Recently, Union Minister of Agriculture and [a] Israel
Farmers Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, [b] Germany
has inaugurated the Kisan Bhawan and [c] France
Beekeeper Conference at the Central Institute of [d] UK
Horticulture. In which state is this Central Institute [e] USA
of Horticulture located?
[a] Manipur Q.84) Which of the following is not a parameter of
[b] Nagaland the Climate Change Performance Index 2021?
[c] Mizoram [a] GHG Emissions
[d] Assam [b] Climate Policy
[e] Meghalaya [c] Renewable Energy
[d] Energy Use
Q.80) Who has been appointed as the brand [e] None of the Above
ambassador of My11Circle (cricket fantasy
platform)? Q.85) Which company has launched “Grow Your
[a] Mohammed Siraj Business Hub” in India as a one-stop destination

153
for small and medium businesses (SMBs) to find [c] Japan
relevant information, tools, and curated resources [d] Canada
to cater to their goals? [e] Qatar
[a] Flipkart
[b] Amazon Q.91) Who heads the Committee formed by the
[c] Myntra Central Govt for determination of RoDTEP rates
[d] Meta for exports from special economic zones (SEZs)
[e] Nykaa and export-oriented units (EOUs)?
[a] Rachna Chabra
Q.86) Who is the PM of Japan? [b] Rupinder Brar
[a] Hirokazu Matsuno [c] Chetan Prakash Jain
[b] Shunichi Suzuki [d] Sarojini Shekhar
[c] Fumio Kishida [e] Gopal Krishna Pillai
[d] Koichi Hagiuda
[e] Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi Q.92) Which of the following airports from
Maharashtra has been recently declared as a
Q.87) Who is the new Chief of Naval Staff? major airport by the Ministry of Civil Aviation?
[a] Ajit Kumar [a] Gandhinagar Airport
[b] G. Ashok Kumar [b] Aurangabad Airport
[c] Satish Namdeo Ghormade [c] Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji Airport
[d] Nilakanta Krishnan [d] Shirdi airport
[e] R Hari Kumar [e] Solapur Airport

Q.88) What is the theme of the World Science Q.93) Which state has launched the ‘Rakshak’
Day for Peace and Development 2021? road safety initiative, in collaboration with the GIZ
[a] Towards green societies: equity, (German company) and the Indian Red Cross
inclusiveness, participation Society?
[b] Science, a Human Right [a] Kerala
[c] Open Science, leaving no one behind [b] Odisha
[d] Climate Change [c] Delhi
[e] Building Climate-Ready Communities [d] Tamil Nadu
[e] Telangana
Q.89) Who is the author of “Operation X” book?
[a] M.N.R. Samant Q.94) Which state has collaborated with Cisco’s
[b] Sandeep Unnithan Launch-Pad Accelerator Program (CLAP) for
[c] Rekha Menon hosting India Techno-preneurship Series for
[d] Both A and B innovators and start-ups in the state?
[e] Both B and C [a] Karnataka
[b] Maharashtra
Q.90) Where was the 2021 Asian 49er and 49er [c] Goa
FX Championships held? [d] Gujarat
[a] Oman [e] Kerala
[b] Philippines

154
Q.95) Which state celebrates Wangala Festival? [e] Jennifer Lawrence
[a] Tripura
[b] Nagaland Q.100) When did India mark Transport Day in
[c] Assam 2021?
[d] Manipur [a] November 10
[e] Meghalaya [b] November 20
[c] November 15
Q.96) What is the venue of ‘Shakti’ exercise [d] November 11
2021? [e] November 5
[a] Jaffna
[b] Muscat Q.101) Where is India's first ‘grass conservatory’
[c] Cairo located?
[d] Volgograd [a] Uttarakhand
[e] Frejus [b] Himachal Pradesh
[c] Punjab
Q.97) Which country will host the COP 28 of [d] Sikkim
UNFCCC in 2023? [e] Nagaland
[a] Egypt
[b] UAE Q.102) 'Kaiser-e-Hind' is the state butterfly of
[c] Panama which butterfly?
[d] Nicaragua [a] Arunachal Pradesh
[e] Columbia [b] Telangana
[c] Punjab
Q.98) Which of the following statements explains [d] Kerala
the objective of RBI Retail Direct Scheme [e] Maharashtra
accurately?
[a] It facilitates entry of retail investors in money Q.103) Which state has witnessed the Rice blast
market disease recently?
[b] It aims to create an integrated ombudsman for [a] Telangana
the retail investors [b] Uttar Pradesh
[c] It facilitates retail investors to trade in G-Secs [c] Andhra Pradesh
[d] It facilitates setting up of bullion exchange at [d] Kerala
IFSC [e] Karnataka
[e] It facilitates all transactions of retail investors
on online platform i.e., e-Biz Q.104) Which of the following state-owned energy
producer has signed an MoU with Indian Oil to
Q.99) Who has been appointed as the Goodwill collaborate in the field of renewable energy?
Ambassador for the United Nations World Food [a] Power Grid Corporation of India
Programme? [b] NHPC Ltd
[a] Tom Hanks [c] Nuclear Power Corporation Of India
[b] Priyanka Chopra [d] NTPC Ltd
[c] Will Smith [e] THDC Ltd
[d] Daniel Brühl

155
Q.105) With which multilateral organization has Q.110) ‘Uddna Baaz’ is the biography of which of
India Smart Grid Forum partnered to create the following personality?
WePOWER India Partnership Forum? [a] Aakash Malik
[a] World Bank [b] Sawant Ajay Anant
[b] IMF [c] Aditi Ashok
[c] Asian Development Bank [d] Manu Bhaker
[d] Both A and C [e] Gurbachan Singh Randhawa
[e] Both B and C

Q.106) Who has been appointed as the new Q.111) Which IIT will collaborate with Oil India
secretary-general of Rajya Sabha? Limited for the development and introduction of
[a] Parimal Nathwani new technologies energy, and related sectors?
[b] P.C. Mody [a] IIT-Kharagpur
[c] Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy [b] IIT-Guwahati
[d] V. Vijayasai Reddy [c] IIT-Madras
[e] T. G. Venkatesh [d] IIT-Ropar
[e] IIT-Roorkee
Q.107) What is theme of World Children’s Day
2021? Q.112) In which year was the Indian Antarctic
[a] A Better Future for Every Child program launched?
[b] Time to focus on impact of climate change [a] 1981
[c] Children are taking over and turning the world [b] 1969
blue [c] 1975
[d] Stop violence against children [d] 1954
[e] Children and Peace [e] 1989

Q.108) Who is the captain of Australian Men’s Q.113) Which edition of the Indian Scientific
cricket team in the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup? Expedition has been sent to Antarctica in 2021,
[a] David Warner under the Indian Antarctic program?
[b] Aaron Finch [a] 41st
[c] Matthew Wade [b] 52nd
[d] Glenn Maxwell [c] 63rd
[e] Mitchell Starc [d] 71st
[e] 80th
Q.109) Who is the author of ‘Sunrise Over
Ayodhya: Nationhood in Our Times’ book? Q.114) Which of the following institutes is
[a] Kiran Desai administering the Indian Antarctic Program?
[b] Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni [a] Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology
[c] Preeti Shenoy [b] Indian National Centre for Ocean Information
[d] Durjoy Datta Services
[e] Salman Khurshid [c] National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research
[d] National Centre for Earth Science Studies
[e] National Institute of Ocean Technology

156
 [b] November 23
Q.115) Which state govt has launched the Nirmay [c] November 15
scheme to screen and protect people above 30 [d] November 16
years from non-communicable diseases? [e] November 12
[a] Meghalaya
[b] Gujarat Q.120) Which Indian company has received an
[c] Uttar Pradesh order for a 400kV double circuit transmission line
[d] Madhya Pradesh project valued at around $120 million from the
[e] Rajasthan Power Grid Company of Bangladesh Limited?
[a] Larsen & Toubro Infrastructure Development
Q.116) Who is the present Director of Projects
Enforcement Directorate? [b] GMR Infrastructure Limited.
[a] Sanjay Kumar Mishra [c] THDC Ltd
[b] Kiran Chawla [d] SJVN Ltd
[c] Chandan Mishra Dwivedi [e] Tata Projects Limited
[d] P. Haridasan Pilllai
[e] Pankaj Kumar Devrani Q.121) Where is India’s First Security Food
Museum located?
Q.117) Recently, Pochampally Village in [a] Telangana
Telangana has been selected as one of the best [b] Chhattisgarh
Tourism Villages by the United Nations World [c] Tamil Nadu
Tourism Organisation. In which district does the [d] Jharkhand
village lie? [e] Uttar Pradesh
[a] Siddipet
[b] Vikarabad Q.122) Which state will organize the Wings India
[c] Suryapet 2022?
[d] Warangal [a] Telangana
[e] Nalgonda [b] Kerala
[c] Karnataka
Q.118) India is set to host the first-ever World [d] Punjab
Yogasana Championship in June 2022. This [e] Delhi
announcement was made at the inauguration
ceremony of India’s first Physical National Q.123) Where was the 82nd All India Presiding
Yogasana Sports Championship at _____? Officers’ Conference held?
[a] Delhi [a] Shimla
[b] Ahmedabad [b] Wayanad
[c] Mumbai [c] Dehradun
[d] Bhubaneswar [d] Pune
[e] Bangalore [e] Chandigarh

Q.119) When is the Audit Diwas celebrated in Q.124) Which state govt has signed an MoU with
India? Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), a US-based
[a] November 11

157
NPO, to support the adoption and promotion of [a] Vishal Gagan
Electric Vehicles (EVs) in the state? [b] Abhay Kumar
[a] Maharashtra [c] Naveen Kumar Jain
[b] Tamil Nadu [d] Sanjai Singh
[c] Kerala [e] Dipti Mohil Chawla
[d] Andhra Pradesh
[e] Odisha Q.130) Who is the author of “Unshackling India:
Hard Truths and Clear Choices for Economic
Q.125) Which company has announced its plans Revival”?
to build its own commercial space station - [a] Ajay Chhibber
"Orbital Reef"? [b] Salman Anees Soz
[a] SpaceX [c] Somnath Ghosh
[b] Orbital [d] Both A and B
[c] Sierra Nevada Corporation [e] Both B and C
[d] Borneo Sub Orbitals
[e] Blue Origin Q.131) Which state govt has launched the ‘Duare
Ration’ Scheme to deliver ration at the doorstep
Q.126) Who has been appointed as the Director of people on a fixed date in every month?
General of Central Industrial Security Force? [a] Punjab
[a] V.L Kantha Rao [b] West Bengal
[b] Dinesh Kumar [c] Kerala
[c] Mayank Tewari [d] Rajasthan
[d] Satish Singh [e] Andhra Pradesh
[e] Sheel Vardhan Singh
Q.132) With which bank has PVR Cinemas
Q.127) When is the International Day for partnered for launching first of its kind co-branded
Tolerance observed? movie debit cards?
[a] November 7 [a] Karur Vyasa Bank
[b] November 16 [b] Canara Bank
[c] November 10 [c] Punjab National Bank
[d] November 22 [d] Karnataka Bank
[e] November 12 [e] Kotak Mahindra Bank

Q.128) Who is the captain of the ICC’s ‘Team of Q.133) Who has been appointed as the UN
the Tournament’ for the T20 World Cup 2021? Resident Coordinator in India?
[a] Dawid Malan [a] Chuck Schumer
[b] Aiden Markram [b] Dick Durbin
[c] Babar Azam [c] Shombi Sharp
[d] Devon Conway [d] Patty Murray
[e] Aaron Finch [e] Elizabeth Warren

Q.129) Who is the author of “100 Great Indian Q.134) When is the National Press Day
Poems” book? observed?

158
[a] November 10 [b] October 16
[b] November 20 [c] December 1
[c] November 15 [d] July 22
[d] November 12 [e] January 17
[e] November 16
Q.140) When was the Press Council of India
Q.135) Who has received the Indian Film established?
Personality of the Year Award for 2021? [a] 1966
[a] Hema Malini [b] 1950
[b] Rajnikanth [c] 1978
[c] Amitabh Bachchan [d] 1949
[d] Amir Khan [e] 1990
[e] Shahrukh Khan
Q.141) Where is India’s first POD hotel located?
Q.136) Which bank has won the ASSOCHAM’s [a] Surat
award – Best Regional Rural Bank in Digital [b] Ahmedabad
Financial Services? [c] Mumbai
[a] Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank [d] Kolkata
[b] Andhra Pradesh Grameena Vikas Bank [e] Bengaluru
[c] Chaitanya Godavari Grameena Bank
[d] Himachal Pradesh Gramin Bank Q.142) Which state has approved the Mukhya
[e] Kerala Gramin Bank Mantri Udyam Kranti Yojana?
[a] Madhya Pradesh
Q.137) Who is the author of “Shuttler's Flick: [b] Jharkhand
Making Every Match Count” book? [c] Chhattisgarh
[a] Priya Kumar [d] West Bengal
[b] Pullela Gopichand [e] Uttar Pradesh
[c] Dev SInha
[d] Both A and B Q.143) Which state has signed MoU with
[e] Both B and C Department of Posts for delivery of Elector Photo
Identity Cards (EPICs)?
Q.138) Which newspaper has received the [a] Nagaland
Project SIREN Award for Newspapers 2021 for its [b] Himachal Pradesh
responsible reporting on suicide? [c] Punjab
[a] Indian Express [d] Uttar Pradesh
[b] The Hindu [e] Goa
[c] The Wire
[d] The Print Q.144) Which of the following places has
[e] Economic Times received approval from the Ministry of Home
Affairs to set up a Rajya Sainik Board for the
Q.139) When is the International Men’s Day welfare of ex-servicemen?
observed? [a] Ladakh
[a] November 19 [b] Goa

159
[c] Andaman and Nicobar Q.149) Who has been appointed as the brand
[d] Lakshadweep ambassador of the TRIFED Aadi Mahotsav 2021?
[e] Puducherry [a] Sachin Tendulkar
[b] MC Mary Kom
Q.145) Which of the following exercise has been [c] Saina Nehwal
recently conducted by Indian Army and Air Force [d] Neeraj Chopra
to assess the resilience of their logistics supply [e] PV Sindhu
chain?
[a] Operation Hercules Q.150) Which of the following is the correct
[b] Operation Palash option?
[c] Operation Martian [a] 2024 - Men’s T20 World Cup - India and Sri
[d] Operation Sky Lanka
[e] Operation Blues [b] 2025 - Men’s T20 World Cup - Pakistan
[c] 2026 - Men’s Champions Trophy - South
Q.146) Recently, Trade Promotion Council of Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia
India (TPCI) has signed an MoU with the [d] 2027 - Men’s T20 World Cup - USA and West
Department of Economy and Business Indies
Development of the Government of Navarra, [e] 2028 - Men’s T20 World Cup - Australia and
which is an autonomous region of ___? New Zealand
[a] Spain
[b] Austria Q.151) Where will India’s first Laser
[c] Denmark Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory
[d] Norway (LIGO) project be developed?
[e] Sweden [a] Achalpur
[b] Wardha
Q.147) Which of the following countries has been [c] Osmanabad
included in the Indian Ocean Rim Association as [d] Hingoli
its new Dialogue Partner? [e] Latur
[a] Russia
[b] France Q.152) Ministry of Coal has constituted a
[c] China “Sustainable Development Cell”, in line with the
[d] Kazakhstan commitment of clean energy. To fulfil this
[e] Turkey objective, CIL alone will enhance its mechanical
loading and transport of coal from the present
Q.148) What is India’s score in the TRACE level of 120 million tonnes to ___ million tonnes
Bribery Risk Matrix 2021? by 2023-24?
[a] 82 [a] 565 MT
[b] 98 [b] 600 MT
[c] 101 [c] 450 MT
[d] 127 [d] 780 MT
[e] 135 [e] 800 MT

160
Q.153) Which section of the Protection of [c] IDFC First Bank
Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act [d] PNB
defines the offence of sexual assault? [e] Canara Bank
[a] Section 30
[b] Section 18 Q.158) Which of the following is not a correct
[c] Section 20 statement about of RBI’s Working Group on
[d] Section 7 Digital Lending and its recommendations?
[e] Section 11 [a] It aims at enhancing customer protection and
making the digital lending ecosystem safe while
Q.154) Which state has launched India’s first encouraging innovation
WhatsApp chatbot to apply for a ration card, [b] The group was formed in January 2019
lodge grievances and get access to other critical [c] Auditable logs should be maintained at every
resources? fintech platform to track the activity that a user
[a] Tripura performs on the app
[b] West Bengal [d] An anti-predatory lending policy may be
[c] Maharashtra framed by each lender based on the
[d] Assam characteristics to be defined by RBI/ proposed
[e] Uttarakhand SRO
[e] Research by the working group has shown
Q.155) Which company has signed a contract that 600 out of the 1100 lending apps
with Airbus Defence & Space, Spain for exporting
its Counter Measures Dispensing System Q.159) Who is the author of ‘Lal Salaam: A
(CMDS) to Airbus? Novel’?
[a] Munitions India Ltd [a] M. Mohamed Abdulla
[b] Hindustan Aeronautics Limited [b] Prasanna Acharya
[c] Bharat Electronics Limited [c] Ajit Kumar
[d] Bharat Dynamics Limited [d] Smriti Irani
[e] BEML Limited [e] P. Chidambaram

Q.156) How much remittance has India received Q.160) Which company has partnered with SIDBI
in 2021, as per the World Bank? for launching a social impact lending programme
[a] $87 billion by providing a financial assistance up to ₹1 crore
[b] $68 billion to MSMEs at competitive interest rates?
[c] $50 billion [a] Mastercard
[d] $70 billion [b] Flipkart
[e] $30 billion [c] Amazon
[d] Google
Q.157) Which bank has launched micro-credit [e] Microsoft
facility for street vendors under the PM Street
Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi), with Q.161) What is the sex ratio of India, as per the
common service centres (CSC)? NFHS-5?
[a] SBI [a] 1,020
[b] HDFC Bank [b] 989

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[c] 1001 Q.166) Which is the first country in the world to
[d] 1013 open its Embassy on Metaverse?
[e] 975 [a] Barbados
[b] El Salvador
Q.162) Which state has signed an MoU with the [c] Nicaragua
Save Life Foundation to create ‘zero fatality [d] Columbia
corridors’ in the state for reducing accident [e] Bolivia
deaths?
[a] Uttar Pradesh Q.167) Recently, Network International (an
[b] Maharashtra enabler of digital commerce across the Middle
[c] Madhya Pradesh East and Africa) has signed an MoU with NPCI
[d] Odisha International Payments Ltd to explore the
[e] Tamil Nadu implementation of the Unified Payments Interface
(UPI) in the ___ nation?
Q.163) What is the name of the exercise recently [a] Qatar
conducted by the Indian Navy for preparing [b] Bahrain
maritime stakeholders for contingencies? [c] Saudi Arabia
[a] Prasthan [d] Oman
[b] Shakti [e] UAE
[c] Suraksha
[d] Palash Q.168) When is the Flag Day observed?
[e] Shikhar [a] November 25
[b] November 14
Q.164) Which of the following countries conduct [c] November 12
‘Dosti’ exercise with India? [d] November 30
[a] Sri Lanka and Maldives [e] November 10
[b] Bangladesh and Myanmar
[c] Thailand and Philippines Q.169) When is Women Entrepreneurship Day
[d] Indonesia and Singapore observed?
[e] Japan and Philippines [a] November 19
[b] November 14
Q.165) What is the name of the exercise recently [c] November 29
conducted by Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian [d] November 22
Air Force, Indian Coast Guard, Border Security [e] November 2
Force, Gujarat Police and the Marine Police in
Kutch Peninsula to test the combat readiness of Q.170) Recently, AB de Villiers (cricketer) has
the agencies in a real-time scenario? retired. Which country does he belong to?
[a] Sagar Mala [a] South Africa
[b] Aapda Mitra [b] Namibia
[c] Suraksha Prabandh [c] Botswana
[d] Sagar Shakti [d] Zambia
[e] Sagar Suraksha [e] Algeria

162
Q.171) At which IIT has the Centre for [a] Maharashtra
Nanotechnology and the Centre for Indian [b] West Bengal
Knowledge System been inaugurated by the [c] Odisha
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan? [d] Andhra Pradesh
[a] IIT-Delhi [e] Goa
[b] IIT-Ropar
[c] IIT-Madras Q.176) Who has won the Lifetime Achievement
[d] IIT-Guwahati Award 2021, given by the Badminton World
[e] IIT-Bombay Federation?
[a] Kento Momota
Q.172) Which of the following statement is / are [b] Anders Antonsen
correct about the Bharat Gaurav Policy? [c] Chen Long
[a] It has been launched by Ministry of Fisheries, [d] Prakash Padukone
Animal Husbandry and Dairying [e] Viktor Axelsen
[b] The policy aims to increase the awareness
about the Tribal culture Q.177) What is the venue of 2025 Asian Youth
[c] It aims to complement the Ek Bharat Shreshth Para Games?
Bharat [a] Male
[d] It aims to boost adoption of cows by private [b] Ashgabat
enterprises, individuals etc. [c] Ankara
[e] It aims to promote culture of India by running [d] Jakarta
theme-based trains [e] Tashkent

Q.173) Which has become the first Indian state to Q.178) Who has won the Indonesia Masters
sign an agreement with UN’s World Food Super 750 badminton tournament in men’s
Program to improve its Food Security System to singles category?
achieve SDG 2 of Zero Hunger? [a] Viktor Axelsen
[a] Manipur [b] Jonatan Christie
[b] Meghalaya [c] Shi Yu Qi
[c] Tripura [d] Kento Momota
[d] Nagaland [e] Sai Praneeth B.
[e] Arunachal Pradesh
Q.179) Who is the author of “Cooking to Save
Q.174) Which state celebrates the Boita Bandana your Life”?
(maritime) festival? [a] PV Sindhu
[a] Odisha [b] NK Singh
[b] Andhra Pradesh [c] Abhijit Banerjee
[c] Tamil Nadu [d] Diksha Shinde
[d] Kerala [e] Rebecca Grynspan
[e] Maharashtra
Q.180) Which country has created a new
Q.175) Which state received the best marine Guinness World Record for the largest orchestra?
state award from the Govt of India? [a] Venezuela

163
[b] Poland [a] The Lancet’s report
[c] Moldova [b] Ecowrap Report
[d] Belarus [c] Agriculture in Post-Independent India: Looking
[e] Lithuania Back and Looking Ahead
[d] Innovative Policy Interventions for
Q.181) Where will the Australia – India Centre of Transformation of Farm Sector
Excellence for Critical and Emerging Technology [e] India’s Agriculture Market
Policy be developed?
[a] Bengaluru Q.186) Which bank has received approval for
[b] Kolkata acquiring Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative
[c] Agra Bank?
[d] Guwahati [a] Unity Small Finance Bank
[e] Kalinga [b] Ujjavan Small Finance Bank
[c] Equitas Small Finance Bank
Q.182) With which country did India organize the [d] Capital Small Finance Bank
5th East Asia Summit Conference on Maritime [e] Utkarsh Small Finance Bank
Security Cooperation?
[a] France Q.187) Who has been appointed as the brand
[b] United Kingdom ambassador of Plaeto, a footwear brand for
[c] Germany children?
[d] Sweden [a] Sachin Tendulkar
[e] Australia [b] Rahul Dravid
[c] MS Dhoni
Q.183) Where is Rani Gaidinliu Tribal Freedom [d] Sunil Gavaskar
Fighters Museum located? [e] Saurav Ganguli
[a] Maharashtra
[b] Telangana Q.188) Who is the CEO of International Cricket
[c] Tamil Nadu Council?
[d] Odisha [a] Kane Williamson
[e] Manipur [b] Geoff Allardice
[c] Marnus Labuschagne
Q.184) Which bank has launched ‘Mooh Band [d] David Warner
Rakho’ (a secure banking campaign), in [e] Henry Nicholls
partnership with Jodhpur Police?
[a] HDFC Bank Q.189) Which state / UT has won the Digital
[b] IDFC First Bank Transformation Award in the “Digital Health”
[c] ICICI Bank category for its Swasthya Nidhi Survey app?
[d] SBI [a] Puducherry
[e] Punjab National Bank [b] Tamil Nadu
[c] J&K
Q.185) Which of the following reports suggested [d] Telangana
a 5-prong approach to stall the standoff between [e] Kerala
farmers and the govt?

164
Q.190) Which news agency has won the Q.195) Which institute has signed an MoU with
UNESCO-ABU Peace Media Awards 2021 in the the Ministry of Civil Aviation to undertake
‘Living Well with Super Diversity’ category? research to study the effect of the regional
[a] ABP live connectivity scheme (RCS) on commercial air
[b] Aaj Tak travel in India?
[c] NDTV [a] School of Planning & Architecture
[d] Doordarshan [b] National Institute of Technology
[e] The Print [c] IIT-Guwahati
[d] Indian School of Business
Q.191) Who is the chairperson the Central Vista [e] Indian Institute of Engineering Science and
Oversight Committee? Technology
[a] Ashwini Kumar Maurya
[b] Ratan P Watal Q.196) When will NASA launch its Investigation of
[c] C.V Sarada Convective Updrafts (INCUS) mission?
[d] G.P. Sarkar [a] 2027
[e] Lal Chhandama [b] 2023
[c] 2022
Q.192) Where is the Aharbal festival celebrated? [d] 2024
[a] J&K [e] 2025
[b] Himachal Pradesh
[c] Telangana Q.197) Which bank has launched 'Trade Emerge'
[d] Meghalaya online platform to offer comprehensive digital
[e] West Bengal banking and value-added services to exporters
and importers across India?
Q.193) Where is the Veer Surendra Sai Airport [a] HDFC Bank
located? [b] ICICI Bank
[a] Odisha [c] Bank of Baroda
[b] Jharkhand [d] State Bank of India
[c] Tripura [e] Punjab National Bank
[d] Manipur
[e] Meghalaya Q.198) Which bank has signed an MoU with the
Puducherry Cooperative Milk Producers Union
Q.194) Which has become the first airport in (PONLAIT) to provide loan to individual dairy
South Asia to commission a tactical simulator farmers?
from Austria-based company Rosenbauer [a] Karur Vyasa Bank
International to strengthen its firefighting [b] CSB Bank
capabilities? [c] South Indian Bank
[a] Bangalore International Airport [d] State Bank of India
[b] Indira Gandhi International Airport [e] TamilNad Mercantile Bank
[c] Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport
[d] Chennai International Airport Q.199) Which bank is the world’s most systemic
[e] Cochin International Airport bank as per the latest annual report of Financial
Stability Board?

165
[a] BNP Paribas [c] Assam
[b] Goldman Sachs [d] Odisha
[c] JP Morgan Chase [e] Jharkhand
[d] Barclays
[e] Bank of America Q.205) Which is the first state in India to get
certification for growing organic Kiwis that are
Q.200) Who has become the first Indian to be now ready for exports to other countries?
honoured with the Knighthood of Parte Guelfa of [a] Sikkim
Italy? [b] Uttar Pradesh
[a] P. K. Srivastava [c] Himachal Pradesh
[b] Alkesh Kumar Sharma [d] Meghalaya
[c] Anuradha Thakur [e] Arunachal Pradesh
[d] S K Sohan Roy
[e] S.G.P. Verghese Q.206) What is the GDP forecast for India for
FY22 by Goldman Sachs?
Q.201) Where is world's tallest bridge pier being [a] 9.1%
developed? [b] 8.2%
[a] Manipur [c] 5.5%
[b] Bali [d] 7.6%
[c] Jakarta [e] 8.8%
[d] Male
[e] Manila Q.207) Who is the Chairman of the Central Board
of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC)?
Q.202) Which country organized the 1st [a] Vivek Johri
International Conference on Hydrogen Energy? [b] Pranav Mahajan
[a] India [c] D. Sampath Kumar
[b] South Korea [d] Fakhre Alam
[c] France [e] P. Haridasan Pilllai
[d] Philippines
[e] Singapore Q.208) Which of the following schemes has not
been recently launched by the Minister of Finance
Q.203) Which country is supporting India Young in the UT of J&K?
Water Professional Program? [a] Tejasvini
[a] Denmark [b] Hausala
[b] Norway [c] Shakti
[c] Netherland [d] Shikhar
[d] Australia [e] Shikaras
[e] United Kingdom
Q.209) What is the total budget of National
Q.204) Which state has launched the ‘Call your Apprenticeship Training Scheme?
Cop’ mobile app? [a] Rs 6,790 crores
[a] Andhra Pradesh [b] Rs 3,054 crores
[b] Nagaland [c] Rs 5,500 crores

166
[d] Rs 8,788 crores [a] 7.9%
[e] Rs 9,000 crores [b] 8.2%
[c] 4.5%
Q.210) What is the level of stunting in India, as [d] 6.6%
per the Global Nutrition Report 2021? [e] 9.3%
[a] 34%
[b] 40% Q.215) How much stake can non-promoter
[c] 28% individual holders hold in a private sector bank in
[d] 25% the long run as per the new recommendations of
[e] 15% RBI’s Internal Working Group?
[a] 10%
Q.211) Where is the headquarters of A-WEB - [b] 20%
international organization of election management [c] 15%
organizations - located? [d] 25%
[a] South Korea [e] 40%
[b] Philippines
[c] Japan Q.216) Where will 2021 International Forum on
[d] Singapore Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Education be held?
[e] Fiji [a] China
[b] Kenya
Q.212) Which institute is the host of the Ayurveda [c] Philippines
Parv 2021? [d] Japan
[a] Institute of Medical Sciences Banaras Hindu [e] Maldives
University
[b] All India Institute of Ayurveda, Delhi Q.217) Which of the following countries will be
[c] Shree Guru Gobind Singh Tricentenary removed from the category of Least Developed
University, Gurgaon Country by 2026?
[d] Tilak Ayurved Mahavidyalaya, Pune [a] Bangladesh
[e] Shri Dhanwantry Ayurvedic College and [b] Mauritania
Hospital, Chandigarh [c] Sierra Leone
[d] Gambia
Q.213) Which of the following states is not a [e] Haiti
partner state in the 2nd edition of the Summit on
Global Chemicals & Petrochemicals Q.218) What is the venue of the 10th meeting of
Manufacturing Hub? BIMSTEC Joint Working Group on Counter
[a] Andhra Pradesh Terrorism and Transnational Crime?
[b] Tamil Nadu [a] India
[c] Gujarat [b] Bhutan
[d] Rajasthan [c] Bangladesh
[e] Punjab [d] Nepal
[e] Sri Lanka
Q.214) What is India’s GDP growth rate for FY23,
as per Moody’s?

167
Q.219) Name the operation coordinated by [d] Six
Interpol to catch the criminals committing cyber [e] Eight
frauds?
[a] Operation HAECHI-II Q.224) Which state has recently launched the
[b] Operation Trigger V Micro Finance Incentive and Relief Scheme, 2021
[c] Operation Kafo II for rolling out the microfinance loan waiver
[d] Operation Balkan Trigger scheme to give relief to 24 lakh women in the
[e] Operation Force state?
[a] Assam
Q.220) Which state has announced to launch [b] Meghalaya
‘STREET project’ to boost state tourism? [c] Tripura
[a] Telangana [d] Jharkhand
[b] Madhya Pradesh [e] Odisha
[c] Gujarat
[d] Odisha Q.225) When was the Kaveri Engine project
[e] Kerala launched?
[a] 1989
Q.221) When did the Department of Pension [b] 1970
launched ‘Bhavishya’ online platform in all central [c] 1967
ministries and departments for processing [d] 1950
pension cases? [e] 1966
[a] 2016
[b] 2017 Q.226) Where did the 2021 Bi-annual meeting of
[c] 2015 Border Security Force of India and Border Guard
[d] 2020 Bangladesh take place?
[e] 2014 [a] Shimla
[b] Prayagraj
Q.222) How much is the Share of government [c] Bhopal
health expenditure in the total GDP, according to [d] Shillong
the National Health Account Estimates for India [e] Lucknow
for 2017-18?
[a] 1.35% Q.227) Which of the following is India’s first
[b] 1.7% privately developed fully cryogenic rocket engine?
[c] 1.6% [a] Kalam-5
[d] 1.52% [b] Dhawan-1
[e] 1.73% [c] Nehru-1
[d] Vikram-II
Q.223) How many programs will be organized in [e] Gandhi-3
the 7th edition of the India International Science
Festival? Q.228) Who has been elected as the first woman
[a] Five president of the Indian Mountaineering
[b] Seven Foundation?
[c] Third [a] Manjeet Kaur

168
[b] Simran Bundela [d] November 15
[c] Harshwanti Bisht [e] November 11
[d] Priya Raj
[e] Yashika Munraj Q.230) Which film received the Best film Award at
the BRICS Film Festival 2021?
Q.229) When is International Day of Solidarity [a] Barakat
with the Palestinian People observed? [b] The Sun above Me Never Sets
[a] November 29 [c] Ana
[b] November 30 [d] Both A and B
[c] November 20 [e] Both B and C

1 A 51 B 101 A 151 D 201 A

2 B 52 A 102 A 152 A 202 A
3 D 53 C 103 D 153 D 203 D
4 D 54 C 104 D 154 B 204 B
5 E 55 B 105 D 155 D 205 E
6 A 56 D 106 B 156 A 206 A
7 E 57 C 107 A 157 B 207 A
8 A 58 E 108 B 158 B 208 C
9 A 59 E 109 E 159 D 209 B
10 A 60 D 110 E 160 D 210 A
11 D 61 A 111 B 161 A 211 A
12 E 62 B 112 A 162 D 212 E
13 A 63 E 113 A 163 A 213 E
14 A 64 A 114 C 164 A 214 A
15 D 65 A 115 B 165 D 215 A
16 D 66 D 116 A 166 A 216 A
17 E 67 A 117 E 167 E 217 A
18 D 68 E 118 D 168 A 218 A
19 A 69 A 119 D 169 A 219 A
20 D 70 D 120 E 170 A 220 E
21 E 71 B 121 C 171 D 221 B
22 A 72 A 122 A 172 E 222 A
23 D 73 A 123 A 173 B 223 A
24 D 74 D 124 A 174 A 224 A
25 B 75 C 125 E 175 D 225 A

169
26 A 76 E 126 E 176 D 226 D
27 E 77 C 127 B 177 E 227 B
28 E 78 D 128 C 178 D 228 C
29 B 79 B 129 B 179 C 229 A
30 C 80 A 130 D 180 A 230 D
31 E 81 E 131 B 181 A
32 D 82 D 132 E 182 E
33 B 83 A 133 C 183 E
34 E 84 E 134 E 184 A
35 A 85 D 135 A 185 B
36 A 86 C 136 A 186 A
37 B 87 E 137 D 187 B
38 A 88 E 138 B 188 B
39 A 89 D 139 A 189 C
40 A 90 A 140 A 190 D
41 D 91 E 141 C 191 B
42 C 92 D 142 A 192 A
43 A 93 B 143 A 193 A
44 D 94 E 144 A 194 A
45 A 95 E 145 A 195 D
46 A 96 E 146 A 196 A
47 E 97 B 147 A 197 B
48 E 98 C 148 A 198 D
49 A 99 D 149 B 199 C
50 C 100 A 150 E 200 D

170
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