Current Affairs

12^th November 2022

Top 17 Daily Current Affairs: National & International News

Here is the Daily Current Affairs of the 12th November 2022 covering the following news headlines: Public Service Broadcasting Day, World Pneumonia Day, PV Sindhu, Eat Right Station, India Agribusiness Awards 2022, Neeraj Chopra, ASEAN-India Friendship year.

National News

1.Year 2022 declared as ASEAN-India Friendship year

The year 2022 has been declared as the ASEAN-India Friendship year, as ASEAN and India commemorate 30 years of partnership.

A series of events has been planned to celebrate the occasion throughout the year. As a part of this programme, Indian media delegation is on a visit to Singapore and Cambodia under the ASEAN-INDIA Media exchange programme from 8th November to 13th November.

On the first leg of the visit the delegation visited the Singapore-India Chambers of Commerce and Industries (SICCI) and had an exchange of thoughts on topics such as India-Singapore relations with a specific focus on business-friendly policies and the expectations of business community in Singapore from India.

2.Indian Railways Accomplishes Electrification of 82% of the Total BG network

The Indian Railways said it completed the electrification of 82 per cent of its broad gauge network. The national transporter said it achieved 1,223 route km of electrification in the 2022-23 financial year till October 2022, as compared to 895 route km (RKMs) during the corresponding period of FY 2021-22.

The railway is working steadily towards achieving net zero Carbon Emissions by 2030 to become the world’s largest Green Railway. “The Indian Railways has embarked upon an ambitious plan of electrification of its complete Broad Gauge network which would not only result in a better fuel energy usage resulting in increased throughput, reduced fuel expenditure but also savings in precious foreign exchange,” the ministry said in a statement.

As on October 31, out of 65,141 RKM of broad gauge (BG) network of Indian Railways, 53,470 BG RKM have been electrified, which is 82.08 per cent of the total BG network.

3.Nation-wide Campaign for Digital Life Certificate Launched

The Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension, Government of India has launched a Nation-wide Campaign for Promoting Digital Life Certificates for Central Government Pensioners.

In 2021, Union Minister of State  Dr. Jitendra Singh launched the milestone Face Authentication Technique of submitting a Life Certificate through any Android Mobile Phone. The department this year is launching a special nationwide campaign to promote the life certificate through Digital mode.

All the registered Pensioners Associations, Pension Disbursing Banks, Ministries of the government of India, and CGHS Wellness Centres have been directed to promote the Digital Life Certificate.

International News

4.US Treasury Removes India From Its Currency Monitoring List

The US Department of Treasury removed India along with Italy, Mexico, Thailand and Vietnam from its Currency Monitoring List. China, Japan, Korea, Germany, Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan are the seven economies that are a part of the current monitoring list, the Department of Treasury said in its biannual report to the Congress.

China’s failure to publish foreign exchange intervention and broader lack of transparency around key features of its exchange rate mechanism makes it an outlier among major economies and warrants Treasury’s close monitoring, said the report.

The move came on a day when Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen visited New Delhi and held talks with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. On her first visit to India, United States Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen quoted President Joe Biden, saying that India is an “indispensable partner to the United States”. India had been on the list for the last two years.

States News

5.CM announces Odisha to be made slum-free by the end of 2023

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced that the Odisha government aims to make Odisha slum-free by the end of 2023. The CM of Odisha has launched a survey using drones to facilitate a process to provide land deeds to slum-dwellers in five municipal areas across Odisha.

The land survey was taken in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur, Rourkela, and Sambalpur civic body areas under the state government’s ‘Jaga Mission program.

Naveen Patnaik has declared Hinjili and Digapahandi towns in the Gajman district as ‘Slum Free’ and dedicated 707 ‘Biju Adarsh Colonies’ in 33 urban areas.

All the slums in Odisha will be converted into model colonies and Odisha will be made slum-free by December 2023.

Appointments News

6.Switzerland Tourism: Neeraj Chopra becomes ‘Friendship Ambassador’ of Switzerland

Switzerland Tourism has appointed Olympic Gold medalist Neeraj Chopra as the ‘Friendship Ambassador’. In his new role, the talented Indian sports superstar will showcase and promote the adventurous, sporty, and stunning outdoors of Switzerland to Indian travellers.

As Switzerland Tourism’s ‘Friendship Ambassador’, Chopra will share his experiences in the country to showcase it as the ideal destination for outdoors and the best destination for hiking, biking, soft and extreme adventure and of course snow sports, for everyone be it beginners or seasoned pros.

The athlete also donated his gold-winning javelin to The Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland in September this year. The museum founded by the International Olympic Committee in 1993 showcases the richness and diversity of Olympism through history, culture, design, technology, and sociology with sports as the main element. Mary Kom’s gloves as well as Dhyan Chand’s hockey was already a part of the exhibits at the Museum.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

Switzerland Currency: Swiss franc;

Switzerland Capital: Bern.

Agreements News

7.NIIFL Signed An Agreement with JBIC to Boost Japanese Investments in India

National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIFL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) to promote and enhance Japanese investments into India.

The MoU outlines a partnership framework between NIIFL and JBIC which is considering the establishment of a bilateral India-Japan Fund (IJF). JBIC and the Government of India will invest in the India-Japan Fund, which will make equity investments in environmental preservation and low carbon emission strategies,” said NIIFL.

The fund will also enhance cooperation between the two countries by investing in strategic partnerships between Japanese and Indian companies and promoting business collaboration across multiple sectors in India.

8.MoRD signs MoU with Veddis Foundation under DAY- NRLM

The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) has signed an MoU with Veddis Foundation to support the setting up of effective governance systems under the DAY-NRLM.

The DAY-NRLM stands for Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihood Mission. The partnership with MoRD and Veddis Foundation for three years is non-financial in nature.

The MoU was signed between MoRD and the Gurugram-based Veddis Foundation.

The MoU was signed by Joint Secretary Rural Livelihoods, Ms. Nita Kejrewal from MoRD, and Mr. Murugan Vasudevan, CEO, of Veddis Foundation.

The meeting was chaired by Secretary, of Rural Development, Shri Nagendra Sinha.

Joint Secretary Rural Livelihoods Ms. Nita Kejrewal said that working with various stakeholders with an aligned vision will help MoRD to improve.

9.Centre Approves BSNL Rs 26,821 Crore 4G Deal with TCS

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) received a nod from Central Government to go ahead with Rs 26,821 crore deal with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) paving its way to launch 4G services in India. TCS is ready to set up the 4G lines and maintain the network for nine years.

BSNL will give Rs 10,000 crore worth of purchase orders to TCS soon. The state-run telco will aim to launch its 4G services by December 2022 or January 2023.

Tata Sons’ unit Tejas Network will manufacture the equipment locally for BSNL.

TCS will provide the core equipment within 12 months of the order.

Radio equipment would be provided within 24 months of receiving the order.

The launch of 4G services, BSNL is also aiming to launch 5G services by August 2023.

TCS aims to install 100,00 towers for the BSNL-MTNL network with the Rs 26,821 crore offer.

Additional 25,000 towers will be set up in areas affected by left-wing extremism, Lakshadweep Islands, and 4G saturation areas.

Economy News

10.Moody’s Cuts India’s Economic Growth Projections to 7% For 2022

Moody’s Investor Services has lowered India’s economic growth forecast by 70 basis points to 7 per cent for the calendar year 2022. This is in line with the downward revision of the global growth forecast.

Moody’s said that annual headline CPI inflation increased to 7.5 per cent in September after dipping below 7 per cent in July. Wholesale price inflation, however, has declined for four straight months, from a peak of 16.6 per cent in May to 10.7 per cent in September. From May to September, the RBI raised the repo rate a cumulative 190 bps to 5.9 per cent to contain inflation risks.

Business News

11.BHIM App Open Source License Model Launched by NPCI

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) announced the launch of the BHIM App open-source license model to regulate entities participating in the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) ecosystem. The source code of the BHIM App will help those who do not have a UPI app of their own, to empower them to launch their own UPI App.

Several banks in India do not have mobile banking apps and are missing out on extending the benefits of the country’s largest retail payment system, UPI to their customers.

NCPI aims to bridge the gap by extending all the readily available features of UPI to these entities through this BHIM App licensing model.

The BHIM App, will be the economical and quick-to-market solution for these entities.

Awards News

12.National Fisheries Development Board awarded “India Agribusiness Awards 2022”

National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), Hyderabad, a vibrant organization under the Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India was one of the organisation to be awarded  with “India Agribusiness Awards 2022” for the best Agribusiness Award under Fisheries Sector.

During the event for commemorating the services & support extended to the fisheries sector by  playing a crucial and exemplary role dedicated to the stakeholders for supporting various need-based projects for technology upgradation, species diversification in aquaculture, dissemination of new and improved fish varieties, promoting seaweed cultivation, ornamental fisheries, training & capacity building etc.

Notably: While Haryana has received the ‘India Agribusiness Awards 2022’ in the best state category for their contribution in the areas of agriculture.

13.Bhopal Railway Station awarded 4-star rating ‘Eat Right Station’ certification

The Food Safety and Standard Association of India (FSSAI) awarded Bhopal Railway Station a 4-star ‘Eat Right Station’ certification for providing ‘“high-quality, nutritious food to passengers”. Railway stations are awarded the certificate after an FSSAI-empaneled third-party audit agency rates them on a scale of 1 to 5 for food storage and hygiene practices.

The certification is part of the ‘Eat Right India’ movement- a large-scale effort by FSSAI to transform the country’s food system to ensure safe, healthy and sustainable food for all Indians.

Eat Right India adopts a judicious mix of regulatory, capacity building, collaborative, and empowerment approaches to ensure that our food is suitable both for the people and the planet.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

FSSAI Chairperson: Rajesh Bhushan.

FSSAI Chief Executive Officer: Arun Singhal.

FSSAI Founded: August 2011.

FSSAI Headquarters: New Delhi.

Ranks and Reports News

14.$4.2 Billion Fuel Costs Saved by India with Solar Power

India has saved around $4.2 billion in fuel costs through solar power generation in the first half of 2022. Along with this, India has saved about 19.4 million tonnes of coal.

The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, and the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis found that the top 10 economies with solar capacity are now within Asia. The five countries include India, China, South Korea, Vietnam, and Japan.

Sports News

15.Olympic medallist PV Sindhu Launches Fit India School Week Mascots Toofan & Toofani

Recently, Double Olympic medallist, PV Sindhu has launched the mascots “Toofan and Toofani” for Fit India Movement’s Fit India School Week initiative for the year 2022.

The 4th edition of Fit India School Week will kick off on 15 November 2022 wherein for a month various schools across India will celebrate fitness and sports in various forms for 4 to 6 days and reaffirm its importance amongst the school fraternity.

Fit India Movement, which was launched by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in the year 2019, kicked off its annual ‘Fit India School Week’ programme in December of that same year, and is dedicated to encouraging schools in inculcating fitness habits and increasing awareness about fitness and sports among students.

Important Days

16.World Pneumonia Day observed on 12 November

World Pneumonia Day is a global event observed every year on 12 November to spread awareness and educate people to combat Pneumonia disease, which is a world’s biggest infectious killer of adults and children, responsible for the majority of death of children below five around the world.

The day is also focused on creating ample opportunity and encourage for the global action mainly in the low and middle income countries to fight the toll due to pneumonia and other respiratory infection.

This year 2022, World Pneumonia Day theme is based on the Worldwide Pneumonia Awareness Campaign – “Pneumolight 2022”, with a theme and slogan “Pneumonia Affects Everyone”, with an aim to amplify the effect of awareness campaigns by illuminating monuments worldwide.

This year 2022, with the support of 42 countries 228 monuments will be illuminated to mark the World Pneumonia Day, with an intention to raise visibility of World Pneumonia Day, 2022 globally.

World Pneumonia Day was first observed on 12 November 2009, under the “Stop Pneumonia” initiatives by Global Coalition Against Child Pneumonia, a coalition of various institutions all together to fight the child mortality due to the respiratory infection.

17.Public Service Broadcasting Day observed on 12 November

Public Service Broadcasting Day is being celebrated on 12th November every year to commemorate the only visit of Mahatma Gandhi to All India Radio in Delhi in 1947. On 12 November 1947, Mahatma Gandhi addressed the displaced people (a refugee from Pakistan), who had temporarily settled at Kurukshetra in Haryana after partition.

Gandhiji had reportedly said that he saw the medium of radio as Shakti, the miraculous power of God. Gandhiji began his speech saying, “My brothers and sisters who are suffering, I do not know if only you or some other people are also listening to it.