Current Affairs

4^th November 2022

Top 17 Daily GK Updates: National & International News

Here is the Daily GK Update of the 04th November 2022 covering the following news headlines: Track Asia Cup 2022 Cycling Tournament, Ganga Utsav 2022, Mangarh Dham National Monument, Shyam Saran, Invest Karnataka 2022.

National News

1.Ganga Utsav 2022– The River Festival to be celebrated on 4th November

Ministry of Jal Shakti is organizing Ganga Utsav- The River Festivals 2022 on 4th November 2022 at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium in New Delhi in two separate sessions.

The Ganga Utsav- The River Festivals 2022 is being organized by the collaboration of The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, and the Ministry of Jal Shakti.

NMGC will make Ganga Utsav- The River Festivals 2022 more colorful with the active and inspirational participation of multiple stakeholders. One of the main objectives of Ganga Utsav 2022 is to celebrate rives and spread awareness of the significance of river rejuvenation across river basins in India.

2.Finance Minister Launches Biggest Ever Coal Mine Auction of 141 Mines

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched the biggest-ever coal mine auction of 141 mines that are expected to benefit twelve states directly.

During the launch, the finance minister said that a fast-growing economy like India needs greater investment in coal production and gasification projects.

The Coal Ministry in a statement said that 33 coal mines were put up for auction in the sixth round of commercial auctions, out of which 71 were new coal mines and 62 coal mines were rolling over from earlier tranches of commercial auctions. Additionally, 8 coal mines under the second attempt of 5th round of commercial auctions were included for which single bids were received in the first attempt.

3.PM Modi Declared Mangarh Dham National Monument

Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared Mangarh Dham a National Monument in the Banswara District, Rajasthan. PM Modi mentioned that India’s past, present, and future are not complete without the tribal community.

Mangarh Dham is a symbol of tenacity and sacrifices of tribals and added that this is the common heritage of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also paid tribute to Bhil Freedom fighter Shri Govind Guru at the event.

International News

4.Netanyahu And Allies Again Wins Israel Elections

Former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu sealed his return to power, as the final vote count from elections this week gave him and his far-right allies a clear majority in parliament.

Results released by the electoral commission said that with 99 per cent of votes counted, Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party had earned 32 seats in Israel’s 120-seat parliament, the Knesset.

Combined with 18 for two ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties and 14 for the rising extreme-right alliance called Religious Zionism gave the bloc supporting Netanyahu 64 seats.

The parties backing centrist caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid won 51 seats, a definitive win for Netanyahu that spells an end to Israel’s unprecedented era of political deadlock, which forced five elections in less than four years.

Shyam Saran Negi, Born in July 1917, voted for the first time in 1951 in the general elections of India and has voted for sixteen times in Lok Sabha Elections. He cast his vote in every Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha and all local bodies right after 1951. He has also been made a state election icon in 2014.

States News

5.Shyam Saran, first voter of Independent India, casts his postal ballot for Himachal polls

106-year-old Shyam Saran Negi, the first voter of Independent India, exercised his right to franchise for the 34th time for the Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections through a postal ballot at his residence in Kinnaur district.

Negi, a teacher by profession who hails from the tribal district of Kinnaur in Himachal Pradesh exercised his right to franchise for the 34th time for the 14th Vidhan Sabha elections through a postal ballot at his home in Kalpa. He cast his vote through a postal ballot for the first time.

Appointments News

6.VR Krishna Gupta named as Chairman of BPCL

Vetsa Rama Krishna Gupta has taken over the additional charge of Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), post-superannuation of Arun Kumar Singh.

According to Bharat Petroleum’s official statement, Gupta has an illustrious career spanning over 24 years at the company, in various Finance roles, V R K Gupta is Director (Finance) in the company and holds the additional charge of Director (HR).

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

BPCL Headquarters: Mumbai;

BPCL Founded: 1952.

7.Energy Efficiency Services Limited named Vishal Kapoor as CEO

Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) has announced the appointment of Vishal Kapoor as its chief executive officer (CEO). He takes charge after completing his tenure as the joint secretary at the Ministry of Power.

As joint secretary, he led various government interventions, schemes, and reforms in the distribution sector. He also spearheaded cyber security and IT initiatives in the power sector. He played an instrumental role in formulating the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme for the Operational and Financial turnaround of distribution utilities.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

Energy Efficiency Services Limited Headquarters location: New Delhi;

Energy Efficiency Services Limited Founded: 2009;

Energy Efficiency Services Limited CEO: Arun Kumar Mishra.

Economy News

8.Unemployment Rate Surges to 7.77% in Oct Against 6.43% in Sept: CMIE

India’s unemployment rate rose in October due to a sharp increase in the rural joblessness rate after the kharif harvest season, according to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE).

Unemployment rate in surged last month on the back of significant increase in rural unemployment rate, reversing the decline registered in September. The jobless rate rose to 7.77% in October, from a four-year low of 6.43% in September, the CMIE data showed.

The rural unemployment rate surged to 8.04% from 5.84% in September, while the urban jobless rate moderated to 7.21% compared with 7.7% in the previous month. Kharif crops sown at the beginning of the monsoon season are harvested between September and the first half of October.

Summits and conferences News

9.Union Agriculture Minister Chairs National Natural Farming Mission Meeting

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar chaired the first National Natural Farming Mission committee meeting at Krishi Bhawan. Shri Narendra Singh Tomar launched the NMNF portal. Natural farming in India would be taken forward with the cooperation of everyone.

Union Agriculture Minister asked the officers to coordinate with the State government and central departments and enable market linkage so that farmers can easily sell their products.

The meeting was attended by Union Rural Development Minister Shri Giriraj Singh, Jal Shakti Minister Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Uttar Pradesh Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi, Union Agriculture Secretary Shri Manoj Ahuja, and Senior officers of other ministries.

10.PM Modi inaugurated Global Investors Meet ‘Invest Karnataka 2022’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has addressed the inaugural function of Invest Karnataka, the Global Investors Meet via video conferencing. The meet is aimed at attracting prospective investors and setting up development agenda for the next decade.

The three-day programme, being held from 2 to 4 November in Bengaluru, would witness more than 80 speaker sessions.

“Invest Karnataka’ is going to grab the attention of the whole world. Global investment is coming here as Karnataka has a rich atmosphere. This will put a strong foundation for the development of Karnataka in the next five years.

Ranks and Report News

11.Gender Wealth Gap(GWG) in APAC Largest in India at 64%: Report

A new study revealed that India has the widest gender wealth gap (64%) as compared to other APAC countries. This is largely due to the higher burden of caregiving responsibilities.

The 2022 WTW Global Gender Wealth Equity report found that opportunities for women in leadership positions are also limited, with only 3% of women in the workforce occupying senior positions in India.

To read the complete report: Click Here

Ranks and Reports News

12.Ministry of Education Releases Report on Performance Grading Index(PGI) for States/UTs

The Ministry of Education released the Performance Grading Index (PGI) for 2020-21, an evidence-based comprehensive analysis of school education system across states and Union Territories.

The prime objective of PGI is to promote evidence-based policymaking and highlight course correction to ensure quality education for all, the Ministry of Education said.

The PGI structure comprises of 1,000 points across 70 indicators grouped into two categories –Outcomes, and governance management.

These categories are further divided into 5 domains, viz, Learning Outcomes (LO), Access (A), Infrastructure& Facilities (IF), Equity (E) & Governance Process (GP).

As was done in the previous years, PGI 2020-21 classified the States/UTs into ten grades viz., highest achievable Grade is Level 1, which is for State/UT scoring more than 950 points out of total of 1000 points. The lowest grade is Level 10 which is for score below 551.

Sports News

13.Asian Continental Chess C’ship: India’s R Praggnanandhaa and PV Nandidhaa win titles

Top-seeded Indian Grandmaster, R Praggnanandhaa and compatriot P V Nandhidhaa won the titles in the Open and women’s sections respectively in the Asian Continental Chess championship, in New Delhi.

Praggnanandhaa drew with compatriot B Adhiban in a 63-move game in the ninth and final round to emerge clear winner with seven points. The 17-year-old Chennai player had gone into the final round with half a point lead over the rest of the field. He held off the challenge from the experienced Adhiban and shared honours to win the top prize.

14.ICC T20 World Cup: Virat Kohli becomes 1st player to register a hat-trick in the history

Virat Kohli has hit the form and is scoring fifties in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup. After playing a match-winning knock of 82 not out again Pakistan, he amassed an unbeaten 62 against the Netherlands.

After failing in a game with South Africa in Perth, the 33-year-old came back to his back and registered a crucial fifty against Bangladesh at the Adelaide Oval. Kohli is the first player in the history of the T20 World Cup to score 3 or more fifty-plus knocks on three occasions.

15.Kerala to host Track Asia Cup 2022 Cycling Tournament

Kerala is set to host the Track Asia Cup 2022 Cycling Tournament. Track Asia Cup is one of the biggest cycling events and will be held at LNCPE Outdoor Velodrome from 25th November 2022 to 28th November 2022.

In the Track Asia Cup 2022, around 200 cyclists will participate from over 25 countries in Asia. The event is being conducted outside Delhi for the first time.

Track Asia Cup is sanctioned by the Asian Cycling Confederation and Cycling Federation of India.

The Cycling Association of Kerala informed that due to extreme heat, efforts are being made to hold the matches under flood lights.

Track Asia Cup also the selection of Asian Countries for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Obituaries News

16.Arunachal Pradesh MLA Jambey Tashi passes away

Jambey Tashi, MLA from Lumla assembly seat in Arunachal Pradesh, passed away due to following illness. He was 48.

Tashi was the sitting MLA from the Lumla Assembly constituency of Tawang district. He was holding the post of Advisor to the Planning and Investment Minister of the state. He died in a hospital in Guwahati.

Miscellaneous News

17.Adani New Industries installs India’s largest wind turbine, taller than Statue of Unity

Adani New Industries Ltd. has constructed a wind turbine in Mundra in Gujarat as part of its growth plans for renewable energy that is taller than the Statue of Unity and has blades that are broader than the wingspan of a jumbo jet.

Adani New Industries Limited (ANIL) has announced the installation of the largest wind turbine generator (WTG) in the nation in Mundra, Gujarat.”