28 November 2019 - Daily Current Affairs
1. Uddhav Thackeray sworn in as Chief Minister of Maharashtra
- Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray (59-years) took oath as the chief minister (18th) of Maharashtra state.
- Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari administered the oath ceremony at Shivaji Park in Mumbai.
- Mr. Thackeray is the third Shiv Sena leader to hold the post after Manohar Joshi (1995–1999) and Narayan Rane (1 Feb- 17 Oct1999).
- Thackeray is the candidate of Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress alliance for the post of Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
- Uddhav Thackeray is the son of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray.
- Mr Thackeray is married to Rashmi Thackeray and has two sons, Aditya (MLA from Mumbai) and Tejas.
- He has also published photo-books Maharashtra Desh (2010) and Pahava Vitthal (2011), capturing various aspects of Maharashtra.
Honour & Awards
2. Rajasthan Writer Manisha Kulshreshtha wins 28th Bihari Puraskar
- Noted writer Manisha Kulshreshtha (from Rajasthan) has been awarded the 28th Bihari Puraskar for 2018 for her novel ‘Swapnapash’.
- The award is presented annually to writers of Rajasthani origin by the KK Birla Foundation for their outstanding work in Hindi or Rajasthani published in the past 10 years.
- The award named after famous Hindi poet Bihari (Bihari Lal Chaube), and carries a cash prize of Rs 2.5 lakh, a citation, and a plaque.
3. Indian journalist Neha Dixit recipients of International Press Freedom Award 2019
- Indian journalist Neha Dixit is one of several recipients of the 2019 International Press Freedom Awards.
- Ms. Dixit is a Delhi-based journalist who reports on politics, social justice and gender in South Asia.
- The award is presented by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a non-profit organization whose aim is to enable journalists to work without the fear of reprisal.
- Dixit received the award for her reports on sex trafficking scandals in India by Investigative reporter in Miami Herald, Julie k.Brown.
- PatrÃcia Campos Mello – Brazil
- LucÃa Pineda Ubau and Miguel Mora – Nicaragua
- Maxence Melo Mubyazi – Tanzania
Book & Author
4. Book titled “Hemant Karkare -A Daughter’s Memoir” by Jui Karkare Navare released
- A book titled “Hemant Karkare -A Daughter’s Memoir” by his daughter Jui Karkare Navare was released in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
- The book portrays former Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare’s life as a father to Jui Karkare Navare.
- The book has been published by The Write Place.
- 18 security personnel lost their lives in the 26/11 terror attacks (11th anniversary).
- The attack was carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba, an Islamic terrorist organisation based in Pakistan, in 8 places of Mumbai.
Obituaries
5. Australian writer & broadcaster Clive James passes away
- Australian writer and broadcaster Clive James (80-years) passed away at home in Cambridge.
- Clive James moved to England in 1961 and rose to prominence as a literary critic and TV columnist.
- He went on to deliver wry commentary on international programming in such shows as Clive James On Television.
National Affairs
6. 47th All India Police Science Congress begins in Lucknow today
- Retired IPS officer ‘Kiran Bedi’ (Puducherry Lieutenant Governor) has inaugurated the 47th All India Police Science Congress (AIPSC) at the police headquarters in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
- Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be the chief guest at the valedictory function tomorrow evening.
- During 6 sessions of the event, police officers, academicians, researchers, judicial and scientific experts will present their papers.
- It will take place includes some very contemporary issues like Reforms in Policing, Role of social media in countering radicalization and terrorism.
7. Logo, motto introduced for Lokpal
- Lokpal Chairman Justice (retired) Pinaki Chandra Ghose has launched the new logo and motto for the apex anti-corruption ombudsman.
- A new motto, “Ma Gridhah Kasyasvidhanam (Do not be greedy for anyone’s wealth)”, was also adopted.
- Earlier, an open competition was conducted, inviting entries for the logo and the motto.
- A total of 2,236 entries for the logo and 4,705 entries for the motto were received.
- A logo designed by Prashant Mishra, a resident of Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, was finally selected.
- The logo symbolises how Lokpal protects and cares for the people of India by establishing justice as per law.
- A Lokpal is an anti-corruption authority or body of an ombudsman who represents the public interest in the Republic of India.
8. Cabinet extends the term of 15th Finance Commission by 11 months
- The Union Cabinet has extended the term of the 15th Finance Commission by 11 months to October 30th next year.
- This will suggest formulae for tax devolution for the 2020-21 fiscal year.
- The Fifteenth Finance Commission is an Indian Finance Commission constituted in November 2017.
- It will give recommendations for devolution of taxes and other fiscal matters for five fiscal years, commencing 1 April 2020.
- The commission's chairman is N. K. Singh, and Full-time members being Ajay Narayan Jha, Ashok Lahiri and Anoop Singh.
9. Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa arrived in New Delhi today
- The President of Sri Lanka ‘Gotabaya Rajapaksa’ reached New Delhi on a three-day state visit to India.
- During the visit, Gotabaya Rajapaksa will be accorded a ceremonial reception at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan tomorrow.
- This will be his first official visit abroad after assuming office on the 21st of this month.
- He will pay homage to Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, at Rajghat.
- On the same day, the Sri Lankan President will hold talks with the Prime Minister, President Ram Nath Kovind and External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar.
- A host of issues including stability in the Indian Ocean region, economic cooperation and the Tamil issue in Sri Lanka may figure during the talks between two leaders.
Defence
10. Indian Army inducts Israel made Anti-Tank Guided Missiles Spike along LoC in J&K
- The Indian Army has inducted Israel made Anti-Tank Guided Missiles Spike along the LoC in the northern command theatre in Jammu and Kashmir to bolster defence along the border with Pakistan.
- Known as the "fire and forget" missiles, Spike is portable by men and are powerful enough to destroy tanks and bust bunkers within four kilometres.
International Affairs
11. India attends WATEC Conference in Israel
- The Jal Shakti Minister Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat represented India at the WATEC (Water Technology and Environment Control) conference in Israel to get updates on technologies related to water and environmental management.
- Israel is considered a world hero in terms of water management.
- The country treats and reuses 80% of its sewage water for agriculture.
- With drip irrigation and seawater desalination, the country has become a global leader in agriculture.
12. India-Netherland: “Water 4 change”, an urban water management system
- The Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM), operating under the Government of Kerala has launched the “Water 4 Change”.
- Under the project, six prominent institutions from the Netherlands will perform long-term research and field-level action on urban water management systems along with Indian scientists.
- The project will bring solutions for water problems in the cities of Kozhikode, Shimla, Bhuj and Bhopal.
- The CWRDM was established by the Government of Kerala to cater to the needs of research and development in water management of the state.
State Affairs
13. ADB approves 2nd tranche of USD 150 mn for West Bengal
- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved the 2nd tranche of USD 150 million for West Bengal to boost capital investment and infrastructure in the state.
- The board of ADB approved a loan of USD 300 million to continue a comprehensive series of fiscal reforms in West Bengal to revive the financial health of public sector enterprises.
- The introduction of medium-term expenditure frameworks in two departments, and the implementation of an integrated tax monitoring system, among others.
14. Assam govt imposes a ban on tobacco products
- The Assam government has prohibited manufacture and sale of gutkha, pan masala or any others chewing material in the state.
- According to Food Safety commissioner, manufacture, storage, sale, display and transportation of any products containing tobacco or nicotine are banned in the state for one year.
Banking & Finance
15. India Ratings projects India’s GDP growth for FY20 at 5.6%
- Fitch group firm India Ratings and Research has projected India’s GDP Growth rate for FY20 (2019-20) at 5.6% (earlier- 6.1%).
- The new projection suggests that second quarter of 2019-20 GDP growth is likely to be 4.7%.
- Fitch Ratings Inc. is one of the big three credit rating agencies (other two -Moody's and Standard & Poor's).
- It is one of the three nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (NRSRO) designated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in 1975.
- Fitch Ratings is dual-headquartered in New York (US) and London (UK).
16. Reliance Industries becomes first Indian company to hit Rs 10 lakh crore m-cap
- Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has become the first company to touch a market capitalisation (m-cap) of Rs 10 lakh crore.
- Its shares jumped to touch a record high of Rs 1,581 per piece.
- A month ago, Reliance Industries became the first Indian company to cross a market capitalisation of Rs 9 lakh crore.
Sports
17. India to host 2023 Men's Hockey World Cup
- India won the bid to host 2023 Men's Hockey World Cup from 13 to 29 January 2023.
- Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar and Biju Patnaik Hockey Stadium Stadium in Rourkela to be the venues for the tournament.
- Bhubaneswar has hosted some big international sporting events, including the 2017 Asian Athletics Championships, 2017 FIH Hockey World League Final, FIH Men's Series Finals in 2019.
18. Abhishek-Jyothi combine claims compound mixed pair gold at Asian Archery C'ships
- Abhishek Verma and Jyothi Surekha Vennam claimed the gold in compound mixed pair event at the 21st Asian Archery Championships, in Bangkok.
- The Indians defeated Chinese Taipei opponents Yi-Hsuan Chen and Chieh-Luh Chen 158-151 in the final clash.
- India picked up seven medals including one gold, two silver and four bronze meddles in the event.
- The Indian archers participated in the tournament as neutral athletes under the World Archery flag due to the suspension of the national federation Archery Association of India (AAI).
