Daily GK Update: 29th November 2021

National & International Appointments

Senior bureaucrat Vivek Johri has been appointed as the chairman of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) with effect from 30th November 2021
He is a 1985-batch IRS (Customs and Indirect Taxes) officer and is currently working as a member in CBIC
He succeeded M Ajit Kumar, who will complete his tenure on 30th November 2021
CBIC is the nodal national agency responsible for administering Customs, GST, Central Excise, Service Tax & Narcotics in India

Arts & Culture

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.