Daily Important News will speed up the preparation for the Civil Services Examination and it also plays a crucial role to grasp the current affairs topic comprehensively. Here we have covered most of the topics related to various categories including National, International, Sports, Science and Technology, and so on.
1. Bengaluru Tech Summit, 2020
– On 19th November, Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will inaugurate Bengaluru Tech Summit, 2020. This Summit is scheduled from 19th to 21st November, 2020.
– The summit is organised by the Government of Karnataka along with Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society (KITS), Karnataka government’s Vision Group on Information Technology, Biotechnology & Startup, Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) and MM ActivSci-Tech Communications.
– The Summit will see the participation of Mr. Scott Morrison, Prime Minister of Australia, Mr. Guy Parmelin, Vice President of the Swiss Confederation and many other prominent international figures.
– This year, the theme of the summit is “Next is Now”.
UPSC 2021 Online Coaching Classes | Bilingual GS Foundation Batch
2. The 3rd Annual Bloomberg New Economy Forum
– Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi delivered an address at the 3rd Annual Bloomberg New Economy Forum that took place in New Delhi on 17th November 2020.
– The Forum was established in 2018 by Mr. Michael Bloomberg with the aims to build a community of leaders to engage in real conversations leading to actionable solutions about the critical challenges facing a world economy in the throes of a historic transition.
– The inaugural Forum was held in Singapore, and the second annual Forum was hosted in Beijing. These covered a range of topics, including global economic management, trade and investment, technology, urbanization, capital markets, climate change, and inclusion.
3. Second Successful Flight Test of QRSAM System
– Second successful flight test of the Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile (QRSAM) System was conducted from the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, off the coast of Odisha.
– The test was carried out once again, against the high-performance Jet Unmanned Aerial Target called Banshee, which simulates an aircraft.
– The flight test was conducted in the deployment configuration of the weapon system comprising of Launcher, fully Automated Command and Control System, Surveillance System and Multi-Function Radars.
– The first in the series test of QRSAM took place on 13th Nov 2020 achieving the milestone of a direct hit. The second test proved the performance parameters of a warhead.
15 Asian Countries signed the biggest trade deal: Explained why India opted out of RCEP
4. Lilavati Award-2020
– Union Minister of Education Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank virtually launched Lilavati Award-2020. It is AICTE’s Innovative education program to empower women.
– With women empowerment as the theme, the objective of the award is to create awareness about issues like sanitation, hygiene, health, nutrition, literacy, employment, technology, credit, marketing, innovation, skill development, natural resources and rights among women.
– These initiatives will inspire the girl students and women to participate and excel.
– The Minister informed that the award covers multidisciplinary areas such as women’s health, self-defense, sanitation, literacy, entrepreneurship and legal awareness. He said that the program will ensure the participation of women and enable them to hold higher positions in educational institutions.
To know more about the Energy Conservation Act, 2001:Â Click Here
5. Option-1 to meet the GST implementation shortfall
– Telangana decides to go for Option-1 to meet the GST implementation shortfall. The State has now joined 22 other States and 3 Union Territories (Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir and Puducherry) who have opted for Option-1.
– The States who choose Option-1 is getting the amount of shortfall arising out of GST implementation through a special borrowing window put in place by the Government of India.
– The window has been operationalised now and the Government of India already borrowed an amount of Rs.18,000 crore on behalf of the States in three instalments and has passed it on to 22 States and 3 Union Territories on 23rd October, 2020, 2nd November, 2020 and 9th November, 2020.
– Now the Government of Telangana will receive funds raised through this window. The next instalment of borrowings is likely to be released on 23rd November, 2020.
– Under the terms of Option-1, besides getting the facility of a special window for borrowings to meet the shortfall arising out of GST implementation, States are also entitled to get unconditional permission to borrow the final instalment of 0.50% of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) out of the 2% additional borrowings permitted by the Government of India, under Atmnirbhar Abhiyaan on 17th May, 2020. This is over and above the Special Window of Rs.1.1 lakh crores
– On receipt of the choice of Option-1from the Government of Telangana, the Government of India has today granted the State Government of Telangana additional borrowing permission of Rs.5,017 crore (0.5% of Telangana’s GSDP).
– States who have opted for Option-1 are – Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Telangana, Tripura, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, along with the three Union Territories of Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir and Puducherry.
– The amount of additional borrowing permission granted to these States and the amount of funds raised through a special window and released to the 22 States and 3 UTs so far is annexed.
6. Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP)
– Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel Shri Dharmendra Pradhan today said that Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP) is a market-friendly policy which is driving self-reliance in the energy sector. He was speaking at the signing of contracts for 11 oil and gas blocks offered under the OALP Bid Round-V.
– OALP Bid Rounds, has led to increasing in exploration acreages in India. The exploration acreage which stood at about 80,000 sq. km. from earlier regimes now stands at approx. 2,37,000 sq. km., post the award of blocks under OALP Round-V.
– Calling it a transformative policy, the Minister said that the OALP has removed red-tapism and brought in a quantum jump in Exploration & Production sector. He called for moving away from business-as-usual approach and strives for exponential growth and speed, asking the winners to bring in new technology and new business models, so as to expedite the production of oil and natural gas from these areas.
– A total of 11 blocks in 8 sedimentary basins covering a total acreage of 19,789.04 sq km has been awarded under OALP Bid Round 5, with Rs. 465 crore of immediate exploration work commitment. ONGC has been awarded 7 blocks where 4 blocks went to Oil India Limited (OIL).
7. EESL Signs MoU with DNRE Goa
– Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a joint venture of PSUs under the Ministry of Power and Department of New & Renewable Energy (DNRE), Goa, have signed a memorandum of understanding today to discuss rolling out of India’s first Convergence Project in the State.
– Under the MoU, EESL and DNRE will carry-out the feasibility studies and subsequent implementation of decentralized solar energy projects.
– EESL shall implement the solar energy projects, the establishment of 100 MW of decentralized ground-mounted Solar Power projects on government lands to be used for agricultural pumping, replace approximately 6,300 agricultural pumps with BEE star rated energy efficient pumps and distribute approximately 16 Lakh LED bulbs for rural domestic households.
IAS Prelims Mock-Test 2020 – Set 57, 18 November
What is the New Development Bank?:Â Click Here
About Dobra Chanthi Bridge:Â Click Here
