29th November
National & International Appointments
1. Senior bureaucrat Vivek Johri appointed as Chairman of CBIC
- Senior bureaucrat Vivek Johri has been appointed as the chairman of Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) with effect from 30th September 2021
- He is a 1985-batch IRS (Customs and Indirect Taxes) officer and is currently working as the member in CBIC
- He succeeded M Ajit Kumar, who will complete his tenure on 30th September 2021
- CBIC is the nodal national agency responsible for administering Customs, GST, Central Excise, Service Tax & Narcotics in India
Arts & Culture
2. 7th India International Science Festival 2021 to be held in Goa
- The 7th edition of India International Science Festival (IISF) 2021 will be held in Panaji, Goa
- It is a 4-day event, that will be held from 10th to 13th December 2021
- Organized by: Ministry of Earth Sciences, Ministry of Science and Technology, Dept of Atomic Energy, Department of Space and Govt of Goa
- More than 100 scientists from different fields will participate
- Theme will be based on Aazadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav with motto of Celebration of science and its promotion
Defense
3. Maiden Colombo Security Conclave Focused Operation being conducted
- Maiden Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) Focused Operation is being conducted between lead Maritime Security Agencies of India, Maldives and Sri Lanka in Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) of the three countries in Southern Arabian Sea.
- It is a two day CSC Focused Operation with an aim of keeping this vital part of the Indian Ocean Region safe and secure for commercial shipping, international trade and conduct of legitimate maritime activities.
National Affairs
4. MSDE launches pilot projects to revive and catalyze traditional Namda Craft
- Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has launched two projects:
- ‘Revival of Namda craft of Kashmir’ as a special pilot project under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana 3.0
- Upskilling of artisans and weavers of Kashmir under Recognition of Prior Learning component of PMKVY
- Aim: to boost and preserve the traditional Namda craft of Kashmir and upskill the local weavers and artisans
- Namda craft is a rug made of sheep wool through felting technique
Schemes
5. IGSTC launched WISER program for encouraging women researchers
- Indo-German Science & Technology Centre (IGSTC) has launched Women’s Involvement in Science and Engineering Research (WISER) program for encouraging women researchers in joint research and development (R&D) projects.
- It will be in addition to the ongoing flagship 2+2 program
- It is a joint initiative of Dept of Science and Technology (DST) and Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Govt of Germany
- It will be possible through lateral entry
National Affairs
6. Union Health Ministry releases NFHS-5 Phase II Findings
- Union Health Ministry has released Factsheets of key indicators on population, reproductive and child health, family welfare, nutrition and others for India and 14 States/UTs (clubbed under Phase-II) of the 2019-21 National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5).
- India has also officially hit total fertility rate (TFR) of 2.0 that indicates a decrease from the 2.2 in the NFHS-4.
- Proportion of anaemic children (5-59 months) increased from 58% to 67%.
National & International Organizations
7. WHO classified a new variant of SARS-CoV-2, Omicron
- World Health Organization (WHO) has classified new variant of SARS-CoV-2, titled as Omicron.
- It is currently circulating in South Africa, as a ‘variant of concern’
- It has been identified as Network for Genomics Surveillance in South Africa (NGS-SA)
- It had detected a group of related SARS-CoV-2 viruses, which belong to a lineage named B.1.1.529.
- Early indications are that this variant is possibly even more transmissible than the highly infectious Delta variant.
National & International Appointments
8. Petr Fiala appointed as new Prime Minister of Czech Republic
- Petr Fiala has been sworn in as the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic by President Milos Zeman with effect from 28th November 2021.
- He is the chairman of the Civic Democrat party and head of the SPOLU (Together) alliance.
- He succeeded Andrej Babis.
- Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe and is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the east.
- Capital: Prague.
- Currency: Czech koruna.
Important Dates
9. International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People: 29 November
- International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is organized every year on 29th November to mark the anniversary of resolution 181, wherein the Assembly adopted the resolution on the partition of Palestine on November 29, 1947.
- It is an UN-organized day to educate the public on the question of Palestine and support a peaceful settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
- United Nations headquarters: New York.
National Affairs
10. MoS for Ayush Munjpara Mahedrabhai inaugurates Ayurveda Parv-2021
- Mister of State for Ayush Munjpara Mahedrabhai has virtually inaugurated Ayurveda Parv-2021 in New Delhi.
- It is a three-day event that has been organized to promote Ayurveda.
- An exhibition has been arranged with 40 stalls and participation of Pharmaceutical companies.
- It has been organized for proper utilization of Ayurvedic health care and also for coordination and better utilization of Ayurvedic research, education and manufacturing of medicines.
28th November
Arts & Culture
1. 52nd International film festival of India in Goa concluded
- The 52nd edition of IFFI in Goa concluded.
- For the first time: The BRICS film festival was hosted alongside IFFI, OTT platforms participated and 75 creative young minds of cinema were felicitated at IFFI.
- The Golden peacock award: Ringu Wandering (Masakazu Kanyeko)
- The best director: Vaclav Kadrnka for ‘Saving One Who Was Dead’.
- Best actor male went to Jitendra Joshi (Godavari).
- Best actor female: Angela Molina (Paraguay)
- The Special Jury award: Renata Carvalho (Brazil)
Honours & Awards
2. Hunar Haat receives India International Trade Fair, 2021 Silver Medal
- The ‘HUNAR HAAT’, organized by the Ministry of Minority Affairs received the prestigious India International Trade Fair, 2021 Silver Medal for strengthening commitment to “Vocal for Local”.
- Over 550 artisans and craftsmen from more than 30 States and Union Territories participated and set up more than 300 stalls in the 33rd HUNAR HAAT.
- The next HUNAR HAAT will be organised at Surat and JLN Stadium, New Delhi.
- Minister of Minority Affairs: Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi
State Affairs
3. Kerala Tourism launches STREET project for experiential tourism
- Kerala Tourism will launch the 'STREET' project to to take tourism deep into the state's interiors and rural hinterland
- Project would help visitors experience the diversity of offerings in these locales.
- The project, conceived by the Responsible Tourism Mission, is inspired by the 'Tourism for Inclusive Growth' slogan of The United Nations World Tourism Organization.
- The STREET is an acronym for Sustainable, Tangible, Responsible, Experiential, Ethnic, Tourism hubs.
Summits & Conferences
4. Maritime Council to establish International Day for Women
- The International Maritime Organisation Council has decided to establish an International Day for Women in Maritime to be observed on May 18 every year.
- The observance will celebrate women in the industry, promote the recruitment, retention and sustained employment of women in the male- dominated maritime sector.
- It is a welcome move in the sector dominated by male, but many issues need to be addressed to get more women on board the shipping sector.
- IMO Hq: London, UK
International Affairs
5. New Russian module launched to International Space Station
- A Russian rocket Soyuz blasted off successfully to deliver a new docking module to the International Space Station.
- It carries the Progress cargo ship with the Prichal (Pier) docking module.
- The new spherical module with six docking ports will allow potential future expansion of the Russian segment of the station.
- The space outpost is currently operated by NASA's Raja Chari, Thomas Marshburn, Kayla Barron, and Mark Vande Hei; Russian Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov.
Banking & Finance
6. HSBC launches India’s 1st recycled PVC plastic credit card
- HSBC India has launched India’s first credit card made from recycled PVC plastic.
- The cards are issued in partnership with IDEMIA and will help gradually eliminate single-use PVC plastic.
- This initiative has initially been rolled out for HSBC Cashback Credit Card and will be gradually extended to all card variants.
- Made from 85% recycled plastic, the new rPVC cards will help save 3.18gm of plastic waste per card in addition to helping lower overall carbon emission.
Banking & Finance
7. ESAF Bank launches electric vehicle loan scheme ‘Go green’
- ESAF Small Finance Bank has announced the latest “ESAF Go Green” range of electric vehicle loan schemes.
- ESAF Go green loans validate bank’s social business strategy seeking a triple bottom line impact; people; planet; and prosperity.
- ESAF SFB caters to more than 46 lakhs customers through its 550 banking outlets across 21 States and two UTs.
- Govt had given special consideration in the budget to promote the use of electric vehicles.
- Hq: Thrissur, Kerala.
Obituaries
8. Veteran Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim passes away
- Veteran songwriter Stephen Sondheim has passed away recently.
- From the comedic 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum' to the ground-breaking 'Company' and the experimental 'Pacific Overtures', his shows have had transformed the Broadway musical stage.
- He's a recipient of Tony Awards plus a 2008 Special Tony Award for lifetime achievement.
- He also received a Pulitzer Prize ('Sunday in the Park'), and an Academy Award for the song 'Sooner or Later'.
Summits & Conferences
9. 9th Meeting of the BIMSTEC Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism held
- 9th Meeting of the BIMSTEC Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime was hosted by Bhutan.
- The meeting was attended by BIMSTEC Members: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
- The meeting discussed emerging traditional and non-traditional security threats in the BIMSTEC region.
- India would be hosting the tenth Meeting of the BIMSTEC Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crimes (JWG-CTTC) in 2022.
Agreement
10. AMTRON signed MoU to setup cyber Intelligence center of excellence
- Assam Electronics Development Corporation Limited has signed a tripartite MoU with Mastercard Asia/Pacific Pte Ltd. and I-Sec Security Services Pvt. Ltd for setting up a strategic cyber intelligence centre of excellence at Tech City, Guwahati.
- The Cyber COE is envisaged to provide intelligence services to the GoI, state govts, PSUs.
- Mastercard is already providing value-added services to various customers in India and abroad.
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