30 November 2019 - Daily Current Affairs
1. Noted Malayalam poet Akkitham wins Jnanpith Award 2019
- Noted Malayalam poet Akkitham Achuthan Namboodiri (known as ‘Akkitham’- 93 years) has been declared the recipient of the 55th Jnanpith Award (country’s highest literary honour) for the year 2019.
- His work includes Irupatham Noottandinte Ithihasam, or the legend of the 20th century, which is considered to have brought modernism into Malayalam poetry.
- Akkitham is the 6th Malayalam writer to be conferred this award.
- Akkitham Achuthan Namboodiri is the recipient of the Padma Shri (in 2017), Kerala Sahitya Academy Award (in 1971), the Sahitya Academy Award (in 1973), and the Vayalar Award i(n 2012).
- Writer Amitav Ghosh was the recipient of Jnanpith Award in 2018.
- The Jnanpith Award is an Indian literary award presented annually by the Bharatiya Jnanpith to an author for their 'outstanding contribution towards literature'.
- The award was given to the authors for their most outstanding work and consisted of a citation plaque, a cash prize of Rs 1.5 lakh and a bronze replica of ‘Saraswati’.
Important Day
2. 30 November: Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare
- The Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention decided that a memorial Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare would be observed on 30 November each year.
- This commemoration provides an opportunity to pay tribute to the victims of chemical warfare, as well as to reaffirm the commitment of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to the elimination of the threat of chemical weapons.
Defence
3. India successfully test-fires Spike anti-tank missiles
- The Indian Army has successfully test-fired two Spike long-range anti-tank missiles at Mhow, Madhya Pradesh.
- Army Chief General Bipin Rawat and several commanders witnessed the firing of the newly acquired missiles on Wednesday.
- Spike is a fourth-generation missile which can engage any target with precision at ranges up to 4-kilo metres.
- The Spike long-range anti-tank missiles will bolster the Army's firepower capability.
4. Indian Navy commissions sixth Dornier aircraft squadron
- The sixth Dornier aircraft squadron ‘Indian Naval Air Squadron 314’ has been commissioned at Naval Air Enclave- Porbandar on Gujarat coast.
- Deputy Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral M S Pawar was the chief guest on this occasion.
- According to Defense Sources, the INAS 314 derives its name Raptors from the Bird of Prey family.
- This squadron will operate the Dornier aircraft, a multi-role SRMR aircraft, with twin turboprop engine manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautical Limited, Kanpur.
- The aircraft can be used for electronic warfare missions, maritime surveillance, search and rescue and to provide targeting data to weapon platform.
5. India, Japan hold Foreign and Defence Ministerial Dialogue in New Delhi
- India-Japan Foreign and Defence Ministerial Dialogue started in New Delhi.
- Rajnath Singh (Defence Minister) and Dr. S. Jaishankar (External Affairs Minister) will head the Indian delegation, while the Japanese delegation will be led by Toshimitsu Motegi (Foreign Affairs Minister) and Mr. Taro K (Minister of Defence).
- The meeting would provide an opportunity for the two sides to further strengthening defence and security cooperation to provide greater depth to the ‘India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership’.
- The two sides will also exchange views on the situation in the Indo-Pacific region and their efforts for achieving their shared objective of peace, prosperity and progress for a better future for the people of the two countries and the region.
Banking & Finance
6. Aditya Birla Finance is now 1st firm to list commercial papers on exchanges
- Aditya Birla Finance Ltd (ABFL), the NBFC arm of Aditya Birla Capital, became the first company to list its commercial papers on the stock exchanges.
- The value date of the commercial paper is November 28 and maturity date on February 7, 2020.
- This move came after the exchanges -- the BSE and the NSE -- came out with a framework for listing of commercial papers (CPs), in a bid to broaden investors' participation in such securities.
- CP is an unsecured money market instrument issued in the form of promissory notes.
- It can be issued for maturities between a minimum of 7 days and a maximum of up to one year from the date of issue.
- CP is usually issued at a discount from face value and reflects prevailing market interest rates.
Obituaries
7. Japan Former PM Yasuhiro Nakasone passes away
- Yasuhiro Nakasone (101-years), one of the longest-reigning Prime Ministers and known for his friendship with Ronald Reagan passed away at a Tokyo hospital.
- Nakasone (Prime Minister from 1982 to 1987) shared the world stage with Reagan and Margaret Thatcher while battling with bureaucrats over domestic reforms.
- Nakasone also broke an unwritten rule on limiting the annual defence budget to 1% of Gross National Product.
- In 1983, he became the first Japanese Premier to officially visit South Korea, mending fences with a country that Japan had brutally colonized from 1910 to 1945.
National Affairs
8. FASTag deadline extended to December 15
- Union Government has extended the date for making FASTag mandatory for toll payments on National Highways to 15th December 2019.
- Earlier, The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had announced that from 1st of December, toll payments on highways would be accepted through FASTags only.
- The Ministry in a statement said that it has been found that many citizens have still not enabled their vehicles with FASTag due to various reasons.
- The Ministry also said NHAI FASTag will continue to be provided free of cost till 15th December.
- National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has equipped all Fee Plazas with Electronic Toll Collection System and to ease in availability of FASTag.
- It has also launched MyFASTag APP whereby all information regarding FASTag can be obtained.
9. PM Modi announces 400 million-dollar line of credit to Sri Lanka
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced a 400 million-dollar Line of Credit of to Sri Lanka to boost the island nation's development.
- PM Modi said India will also extend a 50 million dollars Line of Credit to Sri Lanka to fight terrorism.
- India gives priority to its relations with Sri Lanka under its Neighbourhood First' Policy.
- This is Mr Gotabaya's first overseas visit since assuming office.
- The Sri Lankan President said in his statement that the discussions were cordial and reassuring and a major focus area of the deliberations was on security cooperation.
State Affairs
10. EC recognizes JJP as state party of Haryana
- The Election Commission has recognized the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) as a State Party of Haryana.
- Currently, It was a registered unrecognized party in the state.
- In a letter to the JJP, the Commission said, it has alloted Key Symbol for the party.
- The decision in this regard was taken based on the poll performance of the party in the recent Assembly elections in Haryana.
National Affairs
11. India to set up 12 hi-tech parks in Bangladesh
- India will set up 12 hi-tech parks in Bangladesh at a cost of USD 193 million.
- According to High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh Riva Ganguly Das, these hi-tech parks will provide training to 30,000 youth of Bangladesh as skilled IT professionals.
- She also inaugurated Swami Vivekananda Bhawan at Rangpur which houses a Computer Center, Charitable Medical Centre, Coaching centre and student's home.
12. Hallmarking to be mandatory for gold jewellery from 2021
- According to Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, Hallmarking for Gold jewellery and artefacts will be mandatory from 15th January 2021.
- He said, Notification in this regard will be issued by 15 of January next year Jewellers and Retailers will get one-year time for clearing their old or existing stock.
- More than 26 thousand jewellers have taken the Bureau of Indian Standards, BIS (Hallmarking) registration till now.
- If anyone is found violating the set rules after 15th January 2021, they may attract a fine of minimum one lakh rupees or five times the value of the items or a jail term of one year.
13. UNDP launched Accelerator Lab in India to tackle pollution
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched Accelerator Lab in India to address the pollution in the country through innovation.
- The project was launched in collaboration with the government’s Atal Innovation Mission and the laboratory will be housed in the UNDP India office.
- Along with pollution other issues that the laboratory will seek to address include sustainable water management and client-resilient livelihoods.
- The UNDP India after the launch of the Accelerator Labs also organised a #DateForDevelopment.
- It is one-of-a-kind "matchmaking platform" aimed at connecting local innovators with development practitioners.
- The Accelerator Lab is an innovative new initiative by the UNDP, Germany and Qatar, to find 21st-century solutions to today's complex new challenges.
- The Accelerator Labs located in various developed countries, including Iraq, Jordan, Argentina, Colombia, Serbia, Nepal, Mexico and Vietnam.
- The United Nations Development Programme is the United Nations' global development network.
