Current Affairs 29th November 2018

Current Affairs 29th November 2018 - Important Points

• Who won  Syed Modi International Badminton title 2018 ? - Sameer Verma 
• Indian Space Research Organisation to launch hi-tech imaging satellite with 30 - foreign satellites
• Venkaiah Naidu lays down foundation stone of Dera Baba Nanak - Kartarpur Sahib Corridor
• First-ever India Russia Strategic Economic Dialogue held at  - St. Petersburg
• Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System terms Titli cyclone - ‘rarest of
  rare’  
• Sunil Arora appointed as new Chief Election Commissioner on - 26th November 2018
• BCCI announces two-year ban for  - Age fraud
• International Gita Festival, 2018 to be held in - Kurukshetra
• Government launches ‘PAiSA’ Portal under National Urban Livelihoods Mission on - 26th November 2018
• Defence Minister launched ‘Mission Raksha Gyan Shakti’ on - 27th November 2018
• Defence Ministry revises security restrictions to boost development in border areas  on - 27th November 2018

Current Affairs 29th November 2018 - Details

Who won  Syed Modi International Badminton title 2018 ? - Sameer Verma 

India’s Sameer Verma has secured Syed Modi India Grand Prix Gold badminton championship 2018 in men’s singles group. In the final match organised in Lucknow, he conquered China’s Lu Guangzu by 16- 21, 21-19 and 21-14 points. Women’s singles championship was secured by China’s Han Yue after conquering India’s Saina Nehwal by 21-18, 21-8 points.
Syed Modi International India Open Grand Prix championship

• It was initiated by UP Badminton Association in 1991 as “Syed Modi Memorial Badminton Tournament” in the memory of Syed Modi.
• Primarily, it was National level programme and in 2004 it was held as International event for the 1st time.
• In 2011, it was advanced to BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament. It is organised every year at Lucknow, UP.

Indian Space Research Organisation to launch hi-tech imaging satellite with 30 - foreign satellites

The ISRO on November 29, 2018 will release a Hyperspectral Imaging Satellite- HySIS, an earth observation satellite along with 30 overseas commercial satellites from Sriharikota launch centre in Andhra Pradesh.
The satellites will be released via Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle- PSLV-C43, from the 1st launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
The satellite, which can look in 55 spectral/colour bands from 630 kilometres above the ground, will be utilised for a range of applications including agriculture, forestry and assessment of coastal zones, inland waters, soil, other geological environments and by the military for surveillance motives. 
Important Highlights

• Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle is a 4-stage launch vehicle with alternating solid and liquid propellent stages.
• Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C43 is the Core Alone version of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle which is the lightest version of it.
• Hyperspectral Imaging Satellite is an earth observation satellite advanced by Indian Space Research Organisation. It is the chief satellite of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C43 mission.
• The weight of the spacecraft is about 380 kilograms.
• The satellite will be placed in 636 kilometres Polar Sun Synchronous Orbit with an inclination of 97.957 degrees. The mission life of the satellite is believed to be 5 years.
• The chief objective of the Hyperspectral Imaging Satellite would be to observe the earth’s surface in visible, near infrared and shortwave infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.
• The overseas satellites to be launched along with Hyperspectral Imaging Satellite include One Micro and 29 Nano satellites from 8 different nations.
• All these satellites will be positioned in a 504 kilometres orbit by Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C43. Out of the 30 commercial satellites, 23 are from the USA.
• These satellites have been commercially agreement for launch via Antrix Corporation Limited, which is the commercial branch of Indian Space Research Organisation.

Venkaiah Naidu lays down foundation stone of Dera Baba Nanak - Kartarpur Sahib Corridor

The Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on November 26th, 2018 laid the foundation stone for the building of Dera Baba Nanak- Kartarpur Sahib Road Corridor at an event in Mann village, Gurdaspur district of Punjab.
The foundation stone ceremony was witnessed by Union Minister for Road Transport Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Food Processing Harsimrat Kaur Badal, and CM Punjab Captain Amrinder Singh.
On November 22nd, 2018, the Union Government finalised to construct the Kartarpur road Corridor up to the international border between India and Pakistan as an integrated development project to highlight 550th birthday of the Guru Nanak Dev Ji in 2019.
Earlier on November 15th, 2018, India and Pakistan had declared to construct Corridors on their respective sides to allow Sikh pilgrims visit the holy shrine without visa.
Gurudwara Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur

• The Gurudwara Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur is situated on the bank of river Ravi in Pakistan and is
  approximately 3-4 kilometres from the Indo-Pak border in Pakistan.
• It was listened that Guru Nanak Dev ji gathered a Sikh community and lived for 18 years until his death in 1539.
• The shrine is visible from the Indian side with the help of binoculars installed at Gurdwara Dera Baba Nanak for darshans. Pakistan authorities generally trim the nearby obstructing elephant grass.
• The gurdwara was unlocked to pilgrims following repairs and restoration in 1999, and Sikh jathas have been visiting the shrine regularly ever since.

First-ever India Russia Strategic Economic Dialogue held at  - St. Petersburg

The 1st-ever India Russia Strategic Economic Dialogue was organised at St. Petersburg in Russia. India
was headed by NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar and Russian representative led by Economic
Development Minister Maxim Oreshkin.
Important Points

• The 2-day forum provided members platform to debate development of bilateral relations in trade,
  investment, technology and industry.
• It was intended to bring together significant business figures from both nations.
• Transport, agriculture and agro-processing, Small and Medium Enterprises, digital revolution and frontier technologies and industrial co-operation were some of the important areas of focus of the forum.
  Indo-Russian Strategic Economic Dialogue
• It was formed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin in their casual summit organised at Sochi in May 2018, to have big push to economic partnership between both nations that has initiated to gain momentum since 2017.
• It goals to emphasis on macro picture of economic partnership and also explore partnership and combined ventures in services and IT sectors.
• It pursues to put in place process for partnership among resource-rich Russian regions and Indian states.
• In effort to enhance bilateral trade to $30 billion by 2025, both nations have settled to give high importance to removal of obstacles to trade in order to improve upon 21.5 percent growth in 2-way trade recorded past year.
• India has already released Strategic Economic Dialogue with China.

Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System terms Titli cyclone - ‘rarest of
rare’  

Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System- RIMES, for Africa and Asia has labelled “Titli”, the severe cyclone storm that distressed Odisha in October 2018 as “rarest cyclone”. Earlier, India Meteorological Department had named formation of Titli as “rarest of rare” occurrence after this unadorned cyclone had altered its path after making landfall.

• It is inter-governmental body registered under UN.
• It is retained and managed by 45 collaborating nations in Asia Pacific and Africa Region. India is chairman of the organisation and it was recognized in 2009 and was registered with Unite Nations in July 2009. It works from its regional early warning centre situated at campus of Asian Institute of Technology in Pathumthani, Thailand.
  Important Highlights
• As per to Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System, “Titli” cyclone is rarest of rare in
  above 200 years of cyclone track history in Odisha and also in another place.
• Its rare features were according to recurvature after landfall, recollecting its destructive potential after landfall and recurvature away from coastal areas for above 2 days.
• Due to its rare features, forecast data lacked actionable early warning data such as no indication of occurrence of secondary dangers, including landslides far away from the coasts in interior districts of Odisha.
• By learning from “Titli” cyclone, corrective measures can be progressed to minimise impacts in both coastal as well as non-coastal regions much effectively in future.

Sunil Arora appointed as new Chief Election Commissioner on - 26th November 2018

President Ram Nath Kovind on November 26th, 2018 selected Sunil Arora as the new Chief Election Commissioner. He would be subsequent to OP Rawat who retired from position on November 24.
The 62 years old Arora was selected as the Election Commission on August 31st, 2017. He was brought in last year to complete the vacancy formed by former Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi’s retirement. He is now anticipated to take charge of his new position on December 2nd, 2018.
A Chief Election Commissioner of the Election Commission can have a term of 6 years/hold office till the age of 65, whichever is earlier.
The position of CEC is generally specified to the senior-most election commissioner within the Election
Commission.
More about Sunil Arora

• Sunil Arora is a 1980 batch Indian Administrative Services officer of the Rajasthan Cadre, who grabbed top positions in various government departments.
• Earlier to being selected as a top bureaucrat in the central government, he worked as the secretary to the CM from 1993-1998. He worked as the principal secretary of CM Vasundhara Raje from 2005-2008.
• He was further designated as the Secretary in the Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting and the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
• He has also worked as the joint secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation from 1999-2002 and also served in finance, textile and planning commission during his extensive career as a bureaucrat.
• He also served as CMD Indian Airlines for a term period of 5 years, with 2 years as additional charge and 3 years as full charge.

International Gita Festival, 2018 to be held in - Kurukshetra

The International Gita Festival 2018 will be held in Kurukshetra, Haryana from December 7th-23rd,
2018. This year it is 3rd year of this super cultural event, where Mauritius is partner nation and Gujarat is the partner state. Gita festival will also be held in Mauritius upcoming February. The aim behind this
programme is to spread the message of Gita to world.
International Gita Festival 2018

• It is being held to celebrate birth of “Srimad Bhagwat Gita”, scripture having invaluable advice of Lord Krishna that he offered to Arjuna, in battlefield of Kurukshetra on 1st day of Mahabharata battle.
• It is organised mainly on eleventh day on Shukla Paksha of November to December months according to Shukla Paksha Ekadashi day of Margashirsha month.
• It is combinedly held by Kurukshetra Development Board, Haryana Tourism, District Administration &Information and Public Relations Department, Haryana.
• On side-lines of this programme, approximately 200 famous painters nationwide will draw
  paintings on walls of Kurukshetra on the theme of the Mahabharata under the “Paint-the-wall’
  competition.
• Artists around India and from Mauritius, Indonesia, Iran, Turkmenistan and Russia will take active participation during the annual festival.

Government launches ‘PAiSA’ Portal under National Urban Livelihoods Mission on - 26th November 2018

The Union Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs on November 26th, 2018 released the “PAiSA”- Portal for Affordable Credit & Interest Subvention Access, a centralised electronic platform for faster processing of loans under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana- National Urban Livelihoods Mission.
“PAiSA” is yet another exertion by the government to join directly with the beneficiaries, ensuring that
there is high-level transparency and efficiency in delivery of services. 
All 35 States, UTs and all Scheduled Commercial Banks, including Cooperative Banks are believed to be on board the PAiSA portal the ending of the year. The web platform was intended and developed by
Allahabad Bank. 
National Workshop on Municipal Finance and Urban Planning

• The “PAiSA” portal was released during the development of a daylong National Workshop on Municipal Finance and Urban Planning planned by the Union Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs. 
• The workshop delivered a platform to identify important areas of concern regarding municipal finance and urban planning and discovering the options available to resolve them by appealing senior experts to shed light on best practices. 
• Above 300 delegates including officers from the states, urban bodies, town planning offices nationwide and banks took part in the workshop.

Defence Minister launched ‘Mission Raksha Gyan Shakti’ on - 27th November 2018

The Union Defence Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman on November 27th, 2018 officially released “Mission Raksha Gyan Shakti” in New Delhi.
During the programme, salient discoveries and innovations achieved by DRDO, Defence Public Sector
Undertakings and Ordnance Factories that have caused in successful filing of Intellectual Property Right requests were showcased.
On the event, the Defence Minister also eased few of the researchers, who developed and innovated
useful products for the country. A panel discussion was organised with participation of Chairman and MDs of all Defence Public Sector Undertakings to frame a strategy for the future in this concern.
While talking on the eve, the Minister praised the efforts of Defence Research and Development
Organisation and Directorate General of Quality Assurance for attentive efforts in spreading awareness about Intellectual Property Right.
Mission Raksha Gyan Shakti: Key Highlights

• Mission Raksha Gyan Shakti has been introduced by the Department of Defence Production as a portion of the continuing initiatives to enhance self-reliance in defence.
• The mission goals to provide a boost to the Intellectual Property Right culture in indigenous defence industry.
• The DGAQ has been entrusted with the responsibility of co-ordinating and implementing the program.
• The end aim of the program is to instruct Intellectual Property culture in Indian defence manufacturing ecosystem.

BCCI announces two-year ban for  - Age fraud

The Board of Control for Cricket in India broadcasted that a cricketer guilty of age fraud will be banned
from all its recognised tournaments for a time period of 2 years.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India said in a statement that they have a zero-tolerance policy for age fraud in sport and has taken stringent action against cricketers found guilty of tampering their DOB
certificates while registering for BCCI cricket tournaments.
Important Highlights

• The Board of Control for Cricket in India declaration relayed that from the 2018-19 season, any cricketer who is found guilty of manipulating his/her DOB will be disqualified and banned from taking part in any of the BCCI tournament for a period of Two years.
• Under the new rules, the board will lock down on cricketers found guilty of manipulating with their DOB certificates.
• As per to the earlier guidelines, a cricketer guilty of age fraud had to face a restriction for a time period of Single year.
• In September 2018, the Board of Control for Cricket in India had restricted a Meghalaya-bound Delhi player, Jaskirat Singh Sachdeva, for presenting a fake DOB certificate to play in an Under-19 tournament.
  Did you know?

The problem of age fraud has occurred for a long time and it is not only restricted to the Indian Team/the sport of cricket. 

Defence Ministry revises security restrictions to boost development in border areas  on - 27th November 2018

The Defence Ministry on November 27th, 2018 released fresh strategies, in which, it has permitted developmental work of small nature to be carried out by the Central/State governments’ statutory bodies for quicker development in the border areas.
Important Points

• Under the new guidelines, limitations have been elevated for works like building, repair and maintenance of village ponds, government buildings like schools and hospitals.
• With this, the security deliberations for construction activities in border areas released earlier from time to time by the ministry shall not be appropriate for the development works in border areas.
• The fresh rules were released by the ministry by superseding the Security Restrictions Guidelines released by it in 1990.
• The necessity for new rules was felt, as the earlier limitations were restrictive in nature towards
  developmental activities near border areas and were not completely facilitating in developmental works of small nature in the border areas.