Important Days
Martyrdom Day of ‘Guru Tegh Bahadur’ observed on 24 November
Every year, November 24 is celebrated as Martyrdom Day of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Guru of Sikhs of the Sikh religion. The day is celebrated as Shaheedi Divas of Guru Tegh Bahadur across the country.
It was on 24 November 1675, Guru Tegh Bahadur sacrificed his life for the sake of people who did not even belong to his community. to protect religion, human values, ideals and principles.
National
Amit Shah lays the foundation stone of the Rani Gaidinliu museum
Union Home Minister, Amit Shah laid the foundation for ‘Rani Gaidinliu Tribal Freedom Fighters Museum’ in Manipur, through video conferencing. The museum will be set up at Luangkao village in the Tamenglong district of Manipur, which is the birthplace of freedom fighter Rani Gaidinliu.
The proposed museum is being set up at an estimated cost of Rs 15 crore by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. Such a museum in honor of the freedom fighters would imbibe a sense of nationalism among the youths.
Assam Celebrates Lachit Divas on 24 November
Lachit Divas (Lachit Day) is celebrated annually in the Indian state of Assam on November 24, to mark the birth anniversary of the legendary Ahom army general Lachit Borphukan. Lachit Borphukan was born on 24 November 1622 in Charaideo and is known for his military intelligence in the Battle of Saraighat.
Every year, since 1999, the ‘Lachit Borphukan Gold Medal’ has been awarded to the best cadet passing-out from the National Defence Academy. The ‘Mahabir Lachit Award’ is given by the Tai Ahom Yuva Parishad in Assam to notable personalities. The cash prize of Rs 50000 and a sword is presented under this award.
International
The US, Australia, and the UK signed MoU in Nuclear Submarine Alliance
Australia officially became a part of the new Nuclear Powered Submarine defense alliance with the United Kingdom and the United States after signing a deal with the countries in Canberra, Australia.
Under the AUKUS deal, Australia will be provided with 8 nuclear-powered submarines capable of stealthy and long-range missions. It is the first agreement on technology signed by the three countries after the formation of the defense alliance AUKUS (Australia-UK-US).
AUKUS is a trilateral security pact signed between Australia, UK & USA in September 2021. The first major initiative of AUKUS would be to deliver a nuclear-powered submarine fleet for Australia.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- Australia Capital: Canberra;
- Australia Currency: Australian dollar;
- Australia Prime minister: Scott Morrison.
Abdalla Hamdok reappointed as Sudan’s PM
Sudan’s removed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was reappointed after signing a political declaration to end the current political crisis by Hamdok and Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, general commander of the Sudanese Armed Force.
Before becoming prime minister, Hamdok worked for the U.N. Economic Commission for Africa, the African Development Bank, and as a special adviser at the Trade and Development Bank in Ethiopia.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- Sudan Capital: Khartoum;
- Sudan Currency: Sudanese Pound.
Banking
ICICI Bank launches online platform ‘Trade Emerge’
Private sector lender ICICI Bank has launched an online platform called ‘Trade Emerge’ for Indian exporters and importers to offer them digital banking and value-added services.
The cross-border trade will become hassle-free, expeditious, and convenient with Trade Emerge because an array of services are being offered in one place so companies will not require to coordinate with multiple touchpoints.
The exporters and importers who are not customers of ICICI Bank can also avail the benefit of this platform.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- ICICI Bank MD & CEO: Sandeep Bakhshi;
- ICICI Bank Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra;
- ICICI Bank Tagline: Hum Hai Na, Khayal Apka.
Economy
EAC-PM projected India’s GDP growth at 7.0-7.5% in FY23
The meeting of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) members was held in New Delhi to examine the Indian economic growth in 2022-23 (FY23) and further.
There, EAC-PM members projected India’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to 7-7.5% and a nominal rate of growth of more than 11% in FY23. They also projected growth of 5% in the current fiscal year (FY22) from a record contraction of 7.3% (-7.3%) in FY21.
About EAC-PM:
- Chairman: Bibek Debroy
- Part-Time Members: Rakesh Mohan, Poonam Gupta, T.T. Ram Mohan, Sajid Chenoy, Neelkanth Mishra, and Nilesh Shah
Goldman Sachs projects India’s GDP at 9.1% in FY22
Wall Street brokerage, Goldman Sachs in its recent Macro Outlook 2022 note revised upward its projection for the gross domestic product (GDP) to 9.1 percent, from the earlier estimate of 8 percent for the calendar year 2022. For 2021-22 (FY22), it pegged economic growth at 8.5 percent.
For one, Goldman Sachs expects a rise in core inflation as manufacturers pass on input cost increases to consumers. As a result, the global research and brokerage house has pegged the headline consumer price inflation in India at 5.8 percent year-on-year in 2022, from 5.2 percent in 2021.
Awards
International Emmy Awards 2021 announced
- The 2021 International Emmy Awards was the 49th edition of the annual ceremony held in New York City.
- The award recognised excellence in television programs produced and aired originally outside the U.S., and non-English language US primetime programs between the dates of January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2020.
List of Winners of 2021 International Emmy Awards:
- Best Actor: David Tennant for Des (UK)
- Best Actress: Hayley Squires for Adult Material (UK)
- Best Drama Series: Tehran (Israel)
- Best Comedy Series: Call My Agent Season 4 (France)
- Best Documentary: Hope Frozen: A Quest To Live Twice (Thailand)
- Best Telenovela: The Song Of Glory (China)
- Best TV Movie / Mini-Series: Atlantic Crossing (Norway)
- Best Arts Programming: Kubrick By Kubrick (France)
- Best Short-Form Series: INSiDE (New Zealand)
- Best Non-Scripted Entertainment: The Masked Singer (UK)
- Best Non-English Language U.S. Primetime Program: 21st Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards (USA)
Doordarshan and AIR won at UNESCO-ABU Peace Media Awards 2021
Doordarshan and radio show by All India Radio has received multiple awards at ABU – UNESCO Peace Media Awards-2021 at Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.
The awards were given by UNESCO in collaboration with Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union under the ‘Together for Peace’ initiative. Ethical and Sustainable Relationship with Nature’ award: AlR’s ‘Living on the edge – The coastal lives’
Living Well with Super-Diversity category: Doordarshan’s programme ‘DEAFinitely Leading the Way
Agreements
BOB Card’s tie-up NPCI for RuPay credit cards
BOB Financial Solutions (BFSL), a subsidiary of Bank of Baroda (BoB) has partnered with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to launch BoB Credit Cards (Easy and Premier variants) on the RuPay platform.
Both Easy and Premier variants of BoB credit cards have been launched on the JCB International network and both cards support global acceptance.
Both Easy and Premier variants of BoB credit cards have been launched on the JCB International network and both cards support global acceptance.
These cards come with benefits such as 5X reward points on select merchant categories, fuel surcharge waiver, pre-and post-purchase EMI offers, up to three complimentary add-on credit cards for family members and several exciting merchant offers enabled both by BFSL and NPCI.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- Bank Of Baroda Headquarters: Vadodara, Gujarat, India;
- Bank Of Baroda Chairman: Hasmukh Adhia;
- Bank Of Baroda MD & CEO: Sanjiv Chadha.
Sports
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Finals: Tamil Nadu defeats Karnataka
In cricket, Tamil Nadu has lifted the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy defeating Karnataka after chasing 152. Batsman M. Shahrukh Khan smashed a dramatic last-ball six to help Tamil Nadu defend the T-20 title with a thrilling four-wicket win in the summit clash in Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi.
This is the third time that Tamil Nadu has won the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament, having previously won it in 2006-07 and 2020-21. The side had also made it to the finals in the 2019-20 season and ended up suffering a loss against Karnataka.
2025 Asian Youth Para Games will be hosted by Tashkent, Uzbekistan
The 5th edition of the Asian Youth Para Games 2025 will be hosted by Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, and the approval given by the Asian Paralympic Committee’s (APC) Executive Board.
For the first time, ‘Asian Youth Games 2025’ and ‘Asian Youth Para Games 2025’ will be hosted in the same city & in the same venues.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- Asian Paralympic Committee Headquarters: Dubai, United Arab;
- Asian Paralympic Committee President: Majid Rashed;
- Asian Paralympic Committee CEO: Tarek Souei.
Books and Authors
Ban Ki-moon released his autobiography “Resolved: Uniting Nations in a Divided World”
A book titled ‘Resolved: Uniting Nations in a Divided World’ is an autobiography of the Former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. It consists of life experiences and challenges that the author faced in his life & elaborates his tenure in the United Nations (UN).
He served as the 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations for a two 5-year term (2007-2016). In ‘Resolved: Uniting Nations in a Divided World’, published by HarperCollins India, Ban goes on to describe how he became a “man of peace” from a “child of war”.
Former UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon’s first diplomatic posting was in India and he developed such a special connection that even 50 years later, he tells the Indian people that half of his “heart belongs in their country”.
Abhijit Banerjee authored a book titled “Cooking to Save your Life”
Indian-born American economist & Nobel laureate, Abhijit Banerjee has authored a new book (cookbook) titled “Cooking to Save your Life”.
The book illustrated by France-based illustrator Cheyenne Oliver is published by Juggernaut Books. He won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 2019 along with Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty.