Current Affairs 20th November 2018

Current Affairs 20th November 2018 - Important Points

• Maratha Reservation Bill passed by - Maharashtra Cabinet
• KMP Expressway, Ballabhgarh-Mujesar Metro rail link inaugurated by – PM Narendra Modi
• Who won bronze medal in men's singles at World Junior Badminton Championship - Lakshya Sen
• World Toilet Day observed worldwide on – 19th November 2018

Current Affairs 20th November 2018 - Details

Maratha Reservation Bill passed by - Maharashtra Cabinet

The state cabinet of Maharashtra on November 18th, 2018 approved the Maratha Reservation Bill, sanctioning reservation for the Maratha community. The bill is expected to be tabled during the winter session of the state’s legislative assembly. 

The decision was based on the suggestions of the Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission, whose report was given to the state’s Chief Secretary DK Jain on November 15th. The initiative follows months of mega protests by members of the community asking for reservation in education and jobs. 

Important Highlights :

• Maharashtra’s CM Devendra Fadnavis publicized that independent reservation will be issued to the Maratha community under a new category known as Socially and Economically Backward Category. 
• The Marathas will get the reservation from an independent quota and it is not anticipated to affect the reservations issued to the OBCs.
• The commission’s report explained that Marathas are "socially and educationally backward class of residents" with minuscule symbol in government and semi-government services.
• The % of the reservation for the Maratha community will be finalised by a sub-committee, which will be founded by the state cabinet to take statutory actions for the execution of the sanctions of the backward commission.

KMP Expressway, Ballabhgarh-Mujesar Metro rail link inaugurated by – PM Narendra Modi

PM Narendra Modi on November 19th, 2018 initiated the Kundli-Manesar section of the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal-KMP western peripheral expressway. Along with this, he also inducted the 3.2 kilometres long Ballabhgarh-Mujesar Metro rail linkage, which would enable travel for people of Delhi and Faridabad, and laid the foundation stone of the Shri Vishwakarma Skill University, which will arise at Dudhola in Palwal district.

Ballabhgarh becomes the 4th city in Haryana to have metro connectivity after Gurgaon, Faridabad and Bahadurgarh. Prior this year, Manesar to Palwal stretch of the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal, whose whole length is 135.65 kilometres, was unlocked for public. 

Important facts about KMP Expressway

Kundli-Manesar-Palwal expressway will pass via 5 districts of Haryana including Gurugram, Sonipat, Mewat, Jhajjar and Palwal.

A total of Rupees 6,400 crores has been spent on the expressway project and 3,846 acres of land was acquired at a cost of Rupees 2,788 crores.

The length of the stretch from Kundli to Manesar is more than 83 kilometres. This stretch would have Fourteen major/minor bridges, 56 underpass/agricultural vehicular underpasses, 7 intersections and 7 toll plazas.

The expressway will decrease the road traffic from Delhi, especially reducing the number of trucks entering Delhi, thus helping in dipping pollution.

Besides, the project will also deliver a high-speed connection between northern Haryana and southern districts and provide a continuous high-speed link for traffic, from Haryana to neighbouring states.

Who won bronze medal in men's singles at World Junior Badminton Championship - Lakshya Sen

India’s topmost junior shuttler Lakshya Sen aged 17-years secured bronze medal at Li Ning BWF World Junior Badminton Championships 2018 organised at Markham, Canada. In singles semi-final match, he lost to uppermost seed and world junior number 1 Kunlavut Vitidsarn from Thailand by 22-20, 16-21, 13-21 points. This was Sen’s 1st medal from this prestigious tournament in 3 attempts.

India’s Performance BWF World Junior Badminton Championships

This was general India’s 5th boys singles bronze medal at BWF World Junior Championships and only medal India received in present year’s Championships. Earlier, RMV Gurusaidutt in year 2008, B Sai Praneeth in year 2010, HS Prannoy in year 2010 and Sameer Verma in year 2011 have secured bronze medals. Siril Verma in year 2015 is India’s only boy’s singles silver-medallist at World Junior Championships. Saina Nehwal in year 2008 is only India’s sole gold medallist at BWF World Junior Championships. She also has secured silver medal in 2006 in girl’s singles event.

World Toilet Day observed worldwide on – 19th November 2018

The World Toilet Day was celebrated worldwide on November 19th, 2018. The day’s key emphasis is to encourage action to tackle the global sanitation crisis and make sure that everyone has a safe toilet by 2030. This is part of the UN Sustainable Development Goa 6: sanitation and water, which goals to make sure availability and sustainable management of sanitation and water for all by 2030. 

The 2018 theme of the International Day is “Toilets and Nature”. Present year’s campaign is grounded on the narrative: When nature calls, we have to listen and act. The theme concentrates on the necessity to construct toilets and sanitation systems that work in harmony with the environment.

Objective

The main aim of the celebration is to engage with communities and repeat the national resolve to withstand the Sanitation achievement. Since the beginning of the Swachh Bharat Mission, the rural sanitation coverage has amplified from 39% in October 2014 to more than 96% presently.

Global Sanitation Coverage

Additional people in the world have phones than toilets. The world is better at communication than sanitation. More than billions of people do not have a safe toilet.

Approximately 80% of all the world’s waste-water flows back untreated into the environment.

Approximately 1/5 of schools globally have no toilet amenities at all, which is a big problem for girls during menstruation.

About 900 million school going children have nowhere to wash their hands to bar the spread of lethal diseases.

During menstruation, females and girls often stay home, when there are no safe toilets and private hygiene amenities at work or school.

Currently, about 445 million ladies and girls have no other option but to go to the toilet in the open areas.

World Toilet Day Commemoration in India

In India, the day was commemorated with mass awareness and mobilisation activities across various states and districts.

The key objective of the campaign is on the use of toilets, which is closely connected to Indian PM Narendra Modi's call for a Swachh Bharat by October 2019. 

The central part of the day’s commemorates in India was the Swachh Bharat World Toilet Day Contest, which was declared on the eve by the Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.

The crucial motive of the Contest is to inspire all districts in India to re-intensify the sanitation movement with a superior focus on Open Defecation Free-ODF Sustainability.