MONTHLY CURRENT AFFAIRS November 2021

Samudrayaan Mission

• Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) has launched India’s first manned ocean mission “Samudrayaan” in Chennai.
• With this Unique Ocean Mission, India joined the elite club of nations such as the US, Russia, France, Japan, and China to have niche technology and vehicles to carry out subsea activities.
• It is India’s first unique manned ocean mission that aims to send men into the deep sea in a submersible vehicle for deep-ocean exploration and mining of rare minerals.
• It will send three persons in a manned submersible vehicle MATSYA 6000 to a depth of 6000 metres into the sea for deep underwater studies.

National Sports Awards 2020 & 2021

• Sports Ministry physically hands over trophies to the winners of National Sports Awards 2020, Union Sports Minister Graces the event and says: “All athletes should take pledge of grooming and training at least five such athletes, who can win medals for India in the future”.
• On 29th August 2020, the Sports Ministry handed over a total of 74 National Sports Awards, including 5 Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratnas and 27 Arjuna Awards.
• The ceremony was attended by Rani Rampal, Vinesh Phogat and Mariyappan Thangavelu, who received the prestigious Khel Ratna Award, and Lovlina Borgohain, Ishant Sharma, Atanu Das, etc who received the Arjuna Award.
• Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award 2021 will be given to 12 Sports persons.
• 35 Sports persons will receive Arjuna Awards for outstanding performance in Sports and Games 2021.
• Neeraj Chopra (Athletics), Ravi Kumar (Wrestling), Lovlina Borgohain (Boxing), Sreejesh P.R (Hockey),  Avani Lekhara (Para Shooting), Sumit Antil (Para Athletics), Pramod Bhagat (Para Badminton), Krishna Nagar (Para Badminton), Manish Narwal (Para Shooting), Mithali Raj (Cricket), Sunil Chhetri (Football), Manpreet Singh (Hockey).

Bhasha Sangam

• Bhasha Sangam is an initiative of the Ministry of Education under Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat, to teach basic sentences of everyday usage in 22 Indian languages.
• The idea is that people should acquire basic conversational skills in an Indian language other than their mother tongue. We are aiming that at least 75 lakh people should acquire this skill during the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav period.
• An initiative for school children that is being made available on DIKSHA, ePathshala and through 22 booklets.
• Bhasha Sangam Mobile App developed in collaboration with myGov, by a startup called Multibhashi.
• A Mobile App based quiz with over 10,000 questions on states of India developed by Nazara  Technologies through the Innovation Cell of this Ministry.

G-20 Summit adopts Rome Declaration

• The G20 summit, which concluded yesterday, has adopted Rome Declaration. The member countries have agreed on mutual recognition of vaccines, strengthening of WHO to give faster approvals to vaccines and suspending debt servicing for developing countries till December 2021.
• Briefing media in Rome, Union Minister and India’s G20 Sherpa Piyush Goyal said, G20 Rome has delivered a strong message of recovery from the pandemic, in terms of economy, health, employment, education, tourism and most importantly climate action.

Sixth International One Health Day

• The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India will celebrate International One Health Day on November 3, 2021, by organizing a Stakeholder Forum on the theme ‘Industry and One Health’ as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
• To address interrelated health threats at the human-animal-environment interface.
• The day seeks to highlight interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary engagements as well as multisectoral collaboration as aspects crucial to the implementation of the One Health concept.
• The convergence of the microbial, human, animal, and wildlife worlds in nature provides everyday essentials for the survival of human beings.

National Ayurveda Day 2021

• India celebrates Ayurveda Day every year on the auspicious occasion of Dhanteras. This day has been marked every year since 2016 on Dhanwantari Jayanti.
• Importance of wellness and preventive care for a healthy life highlighted at two-day event
• Theme of National Ayurveda Day 2021: ‘Ayurveda for Poshan’
• Budget of Rs. 260 crores given for expanding the infrastructure of NIA’s satellite centre of Panchkula, Himachal Pradesh

India to Reach Carbon Neutrality by 2070

COP26 Climate Summit’s First Major Deal

• More than 100 world leaders have promised to end and reverse deforestation by 2030, in the COP26 climate summit’s first major deal.
• Brazil, where stretches of the Amazon rainforest have been cut down, was among the signatories on Tuesday. The pledge includes almost $19.2bn of public and private funds.
• Experts welcomed the move but warned a previous deal in 2014 had failed to slow deforestation at all and commitments needed to be delivered on. Felling trees contributes to climate change because it depletes forests that absorb vast amounts of the warming gas CO2.

Infrastructure for Resilient Island States

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Infrastructure for Resilient Island States (IRIS) on sidelines of climate summit in Glasgow this afternoon. It is aimed at achieving sustainable development through a systematic approach to resilient, sustainable, and inclusive infrastructure in Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
• The Prime Minister added that Indian Space Research Organisation will build a special data window for Small Island Developing States to provide them timely information about cyclones, coral-reef monitoring and coast-line monitoring.

ISRO will soon provide the world a solar power calculator application

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that Indian Space Research Organisation- ISRO  will soon provide the world a solar power calculator  application that can measure solar energy potential of any region across the globe.
• Speaking at the session on ‘Accelerating Clean Technology Innovation and Deployment at Glasgow, Mr Modi said, through this calculator, solar power potential of any place in the world can be calculated based on satellite data. 
• Mr Modi said, this application will be useful in deciding the location of solar projects and will strengthen ‘One Sun, One World and One Grid’ initiative.

Booker Prize 2021

• South African writer Damon Galgut won the prestigious Booker Prize for fiction on Wednesday with “The Promise,” a novel about one white family’s reckoning with South Africa’s racist history.
• Galgut had been British bookmakers’ runaway favorite to win the 50,000-pound ($69,000) prize with his story of a troubled Afrikaner family and its broken promise to a Black employee – a tale that reflects bigger themes in South Africa’s transition from apartheid.
• Galgut took the prize on his third time as a finalist, for a book the judges called a “tour de force.” He was previously shortlisted for “The Good Doctor” in 2003 and “In a Strange Room” in 2010 but lost both times.
• Despite his status as favorite, Galgut said he was “stunned” to win.

President of India Presents Padma Awards for 2020 & 2021

• The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind presented 7 Padma Vibhushan, 10 Padma Bhushan and 102 Padma Shri awardees. Among the dignitaries present on the occasion were the Vice President of India, Prime Minister, Union Minister for Home Affairs.
• George Fernandes , Arun Jaitley, Chhannulal Mishra & Sushma Swaraj etc were awarded Padma Vibhushan.
• M. Mumtaz Ali, Syed Muazzem Ali, Balkrishna Doshi, S. C. Jamir, Anil Prakash Joshi, Neelakanta Ramakrishna Madhava Menon, Jagdish Sheth, P. V. Sindhu etc were awarded Padma Bhushan.
• The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind presented Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri Awards for the year 2021.
• The list comprises 7 Padma Vibhushan, 10 Padma Bhushan and 102 Padma Shri Awards. The Padma awardees includes 29 women.
• Padma Vibhushan- Awarded for exceptional and distinguished service.
• Padma Bhushan- Awarded for distinguished service of a high order.
• Padma Shri- Awarded for distinguished service in any field.

Star College Mentorship Programme Launched

• This is a pan India Scheme that envisages Star College in every district of the country supported by the Department of Biotechnology.
• The plan envisages organizing workshops, meetings per month; handhold at colleges particularly in the rural areas or lesser endowed areas and conduct outreach activities with government schools,
•  The Star Status Colleges will help in incorporating the vision of DBT towards strengthening of UG Science Courses throughout the country by mentoring the newer colleges through hand-holding and peer learning and bringing them under the aegis of Star College Scheme.

Srinagar joins UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN)

• The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has expressed happiness over Srinagar joining the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) with a special mention for its craft and folk art.
• The UNESCO Creative Cities Network is a project of UNESCO launched in 2004 to promote cooperation among cities which recognized creativity as a major factor in their urban development.
• Mumbai and Hyderabad are already in the network, having made it to the list in October 2019.

USA Joins International Solar Alliance

• In a big boost to accelerate global adoption of solar energy, John Kerry, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate announced at the UNFCCC COP26 today that the United States of America (USA) has joined the International Solar Alliance (ISA) as a member country.
• U.S becomes the 101st country to sign the framework agreement of the ISA to catalyze global energy transition through a solar-led approach.

E-Amrit Portal Launched

• India launched ‘E-Amrit’, a web portal on electric vehicles (EVs), at the ongoing COP26 Summit in Glasgow, UK. It is a one-stop destination for all information on electric vehicles-busting myths around the adoption of EVs, their purchase, investment opportunities, policies, subsidies, etc.
• The portal has been developed and hosted by NITI Aayog under a collaborative knowledge exchange programme with the UK government and as part of the UK–India Joint Roadmap 2030, signed by the Prime Ministers of the two countries.
• E-Amrit intends to complement initiatives of the government on raising awareness on EVs and sensitizing consumers on the benefits of switching to electric vehicles.

Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas

• PM to inaugurate भगवान बिरसा मुंडा स्मृति उद्यान सह स्वतंत्रता सेनानी संग्रहालय at Ranchi on 15 November
• 15 November – the birth anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda – will be celebrated as Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas
• Museum to play an important role in preserving and promoting tribal culture and history. Museum to contain a 25 feet statue of Bhagwan Birsa Munda.
• Contribution of other tribal freedom fighters to also be highlighted

Kaiser-i-Hind: State Butterfly of Arunachal Pradesh

• Arunachal Pradesh has approved the large, brightly colored “Kaiser-i-Hind” (means ‘Emperor of India’) as the State butterfly.
• Scientific Name: Teinopalpus imperialis & Its presence indicates the existence of a good forest ecosystem and protection.
• It is one of the very rare and elusive swallowtail butterflies which are found at medium and higher elevations.
• This butterfly with a 90-120 mm wingspan is found in (West Bengal, Meghalaya, Assam, Sikkim, and Manipur) along the Eastern Himalayas.

First Audit Diwas to be Celebrated on 16^th November

• First edition of the Audit Diwas will be celebrated to mark the historic origins of the institution of CAG and the contribution made by it to the governance, transparency, and accountability.
• CAG is the Constitutional Authority in India. It was established in accordance with Article 148 of the Constitution of India.
• The CAG has been ranked at 9th place in the order of precedence. It enjoys same status as the sitting judge of Supreme Court.
• The event will be held at CAG office premises.

Mission 500 GW by 2030

• India takes one more step to reduce carbon emission and reduce the cost of power to consumers.
• Ministry of Power and New & Renewable Energy  have issued revised guidelines providing for thermal generation companies to set up renewable energy generation capacity either by themselves through developers by open bids or supplying it to the consumers under the existing Power purchase agreement (PPAs).
•  This step by the Central Government will lead to a faster energy transition and will be beneficial for both the Generators and the Distribution Companies.

7^th International Science Festival

• Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh to inaugurate the seventh edition of India International Science festival, IISF at Panaji, Goa on 10th December.
• The theme of 4-day IISF 2021 is ‘AzadiKaAmritMahotsav’ – celebrating Creativity, Science, Technology and Innovation for a prosperous India.
• The main aim of the Science Festival is to bring into use the innovations by the people and develop technology that is affordable to the masses
• Science Festival to showcase flagship programmes like ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’, Swasth Bharat Abhiyan ‘Make in India’, ‘Digital India’, ‘Smart Villages’, ‘Smart Cities’, ‘Namami Gange’, ‘Unnath Bharat Abhiyan’.

Pochampally village Selected as one of the best Tourism Villages: UNWTO

• Pochampally village in Telangana selected as one of the best Tourism Villages by United Nations World Tourism Organisation.
• Pochampally unique weaving styles and patterns received special focus from the Prime Minister’s mantra of Vocal 4 Local as a part of Atma Nirbhar Bharat.
• Award will be given on the 24th session of the UNWTO General Assembly on 2nd December 2021 in Madrid, Spain.

India Gets its First Gay Judge

• The senior advocate Saurabh Kirpal could be India’s first openly gay judge. After deferment for four times, the Supreme Court Collegium has finally recommended his name as judge of the Delhi High Court.
• Although conflict of interest was claimed as the excuse for deferment, it has been a popular argument in legal circles that the delay in recommending his name was due to his sexual orientation.
• If selected, his elevation will mark a key turning point in LGBTQ rights. LGBTQ is an acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning.

‘Rashtra Raksha Samarpan Parv’

• Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurated the three-day ‘Rashtra Raksha Samarpan Parv’ in Jhansi on November 17, 2021. The festival will culminate on the birth anniversary of Rani of Jhansi Laxmi Bai on 19th November.
• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will dedicate/launch several new initiatives of Ministry of Defence to the Nation in a grand ceremony being organised in the precincts of Jhansi Fort on November 19, 2021.

Annual Status of Education Report (ASER 2021)

• 16th edition of the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER 2021) survey was released. The survey analyzed the impact of Covid-19 on learning.
• It shows an increase in dependence on private tuitions and an absence of ready access to smartphones.
• Specific attention is needed to help make up for learning losses, especially in the lowest classes.

Indian Film Personality Award 2021

• Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur has announced that the Indian Film Personality Award for the year 2021 will be given to Hema Malini and Prasoon Joshi.
• Their contributions to the field of Indian cinema spread over decades and their work enthralled audiences across generations. Hema Malini and Prasoon Joshi are Indian cinematic icons who are admired and respected the world over.

Centre to repeal all three farm laws

• Law 1: The Farmer’s Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020 or the FPTC Act
• This law allowed farmers to trade their produce outside the physical markets notified under various state Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee laws (APMC acts). It overrode all the state-level APMC acts.
• Cultivators feared that its provisions would weaken the APMC mandis.
• Law 2: Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020
• The law sought to create a legal framework for contract farming.
• The farmers could enter into a direct agreement with a buyer before sowing season to sell their produce at pre-determined prices. It allowed setting up of farming agreements between farmers and sponsors. The law, however, did not mention the MSP that buyers need to offer to farmers. , the farmers feared that it would lead to corporatization of agriculture.
• Law 3: Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020
• Through an amendment, to the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, this law did away with the Centre’s powers to impose stockholding limit on food items, except under extraordinary circumstances.
• As per this law, the stock limits on farming produce would be based on price rise in the market. They could have been imposed only if there was a 100 percent increase in retail price of horticultural products and a 50 percent increase in the retail price of non-perishable agricultural food items.

INS Visakhapatnam Commissioned

• INS Visakhapatnam, a P15B stealth guided missile destroyer, was commissioned into the Indian Navy in the presence of Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh at the Naval Dockyard, Mumbai on November 21, 2021.
• The event marks the formal induction of the first of the four ‘Visakhapatnam’ class destroyers, indigenously designed by the Indian Navy’s in-house organisation Directorate of Naval Design, and constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Mumbai.
• Indigenously developed missile destroyer packed with state-of-the-art weapons & sensors with modern surveillance radars.
• Raksha Mantri describes it as a symbol of India’s growing maritime prowess.

World Fisheries Day

• World Fisheries Day is celebrated on 21st November every year to demonstrate solidarity with all fisherfolk, fish farmers and concerned stakeholders throughout the world.
• It started in 1997 where “World Forum of Fish Harvesters & Fish Workers” met at New Delhi leading to formation of “World Fisheries Forum” with representatives from 18 countries and signed a declaration advocating for a global mandate of sustainable fishing practices and policies.
• The event aims to draw attention to overfishing, habitat destruction and other serious threats to the sustainability of our marine and freshwater resources.
• The celebrations serve to focus on changing the way the world manages global fisheries to ensure sustainable stocks and healthy ecosystems.
• Govt to award best performing states for 2020-21 in Fisheries Sector.
• Govt is in the forefront in transforming the fisheries sector to bring about economic revolution through Blue Revolution.
• Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) aims to achieve fish production of 22 MMT by 2024-25 with an additional employment to about 55 lakh people.

Indore wins the title of ‘Cleanest City’

• Cleanest cities of India at the ‘Swachh Amrit Mahotsav’ hosted as part of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 by Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi.
• The award ceremony, organized to recognize the good work done for Swachhta by towns/ cities, States and Union Territories under various initiatives of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban), viz. Swachh Sarvekshan 2021, Safaimitra Suraksha Challenge, and certifications for Garbage Free Star rating for cities – saw more than 300 awards under various categories being given away through the day.
• For the fifth consecutive year, Indore was awarded the title of India’s Cleanest City under Swachh Sarvekshan, while Surat and Vijayawada bagged the second and third spots respectively in the ‘more than 1 lakh population’ category.
• Varanasi emerged as the ‘Best Ganga Town’ while Ahmedabad Cantonment won the title of ‘India’s Cleanest Cantonment’, followed by Meerut Cantonment and Delhi Cantonment.
• In the State awards, Chhattisgarh, for the third consecutive year emerged as the ‘Cleanest State’ in the category of “more than 100 Urban Local Bodies” while Jharkhand, for the second time, won the Cleanest State award in the “less than 100 ULBs category”.

President confers Gallantry Awards

• President Shri Ram Nath Kovind, conferred two Kirti Chakras, including one posthumous, one Vir Chakra and 10 Shaurya Chakras, including two posthumous, to the personnel of Armed Forces and Paramilitary Forces during Defence Investiture Ceremony (Phase-1) at Rashtrapati Bhawan. The Gallantry awards were given to the personnel for displaying conspicuous gallantry, indomitable courage, and extreme devotion to duty.
• The President also conferred 13 Param Vishisht Seva Medals, two Uttam Yudh Seva Medals and 24 Ati Vishisht Seva Medals for distinguished service of exceptional order.

All India Survey on Domestic Workers

• Union Minister for Labour and Employment, Shri Bhupender Yadav flagged off the first ever All India Survey on Domestic workers being conducted by Labour Bureau, Chandigarh.
• The All-India Survey on Domestic Workers is aimed to estimate the number and proportion of domestic workers at National and State level, percentage distribution of domestic workers with respect to Live-in/Live-out, formal/ Informal Employment, Migrant/Non-Migrant, their wages, and other socio-economic characteristics.

Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace for 2021

• Pratham, a civil society organisation dedicated to improving the quality of education among underprivileged children in India and across the world has been conferred the award.
• The Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development was instituted in the memory of the former prime minister by a trust (Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust) in her name in 1986.
• It consists of a monetary award of Rs 25 lakh along with a citation.
• The award is given to individuals or organisations who work towards ensuring international peace and development, ensuring that scientific discoveries are used to further the scope of freedom and better humanity, and creating a new international economic order.

Bharat Gaurav Trains

• Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Railways, announced today the introduction of theme – based tourist circuit trains Bharat Gaurav Trains.
• Speaking to the media in a press conference, he said that these trains will help realise the vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to  showcase India’s rich cultural heritage and magnificent historical places to the people of India and the world.
• He further added that the core strength of the professionals of tourism sector would be leveraged to develop/identify tourist circuits and run theme- based trains to tap the vast tourism potential of India.

Mysuru Declaration on Service Delivery

• Ministry of Panchayat Raj, Government of India in association with National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, Hyderabad and Abdul Nazir Sab State Institute of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, Mysuru had organised one day National Consultative Workshop on Citizen Charter and Delivery of Services by Panchayats on 22nd November 2021 as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
• Participants from 16 States signed the Mysuru Declaration and resolved to roll out the Common Minimum Service delivery by Panchayats across the country from April 1, 2022. The declaration is aimed at recognizing Citizen Centric Services as the “Heart of Governance”.

Constitution Day Celebrated on 26^th November

• Samvidhan Diwas or Constitution Day is celebrated on 26th of November every year. Celebration of Constitution Day was started in 2015 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• Mr Joshi said, his Ministry has developed two portals – one for online reading of Preamble in 22 official languages and English and another for online quiz on Constitutional democracy.
• Constitution Day (or Samvidhan Divas), also known as National Law Day, is celebrated in India on 26 November every year to commemorate the adoption of the Constitution of India. On 26 November 1949, the Constituent Assembly of India adopted to the Constitution of India, and it came into effect on 26 January 1950.

PM-WANI Framework

• The Prime Minister Wi-Fi Access network Interface (PM-WANI) scheme, launched by the Department of Telecommunications, aims to setup Public Wi-Fi Networks by Public Data Office Aggregators (PDOAs) to provide public Wi-Fi services through Public Data Offices (PDOs) spread across length and breadth of the country to accelerate proliferation of Broadband Internet services.
• As per the National Digital Communication Plan, the Central government has set a target of setting up of 10 million Wi-Fi hotspots by 2022 and the PM-WANI scheme will facilitate this.
• The proliferation of public Wi-Fi networks in the country through PM WANI will accelerate the proliferation of public broadband services through Wi-Fi networks and it will enable local entrepreneurs such as chaiwalas, kirana stores and eateries to earn additional revenue.

5th World Congress on Disaster Management

• “Our Armed Forces have time and again demonstrated that they care for and stand by the country’s partners in times of need without distinguishing between natural or man-made disasters,” said Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh while virtually inaugurating the 5th World Congress on Disaster Management on November 24, 2021.
• He reiterated India’s vision for the Indian Ocean encapsulated by the concept of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) as articulated by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.
• The Raksha Mantri underlined that SAGAR has both distinct and inter-related elements such as deepening economic and security cooperation among the littoral states; enhancing capacities to safeguard land and maritime territories; working towards sustainable regional development; Blue Economy and promoting collective action to deal with non-traditional threats like natural disasters, piracy, and terrorism.

‘INS VELA’ Commissioned

• INS Vela, the fourth submarine in the series of six submarines of Project-75, was commissioned on 25 Nov 21 in the presence of Admiral Karambir Singh, Chief of the Naval Staff. The formal commissioning ceremony took place at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai. The Scorpene Class submarines are being built in India by the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) Mumbai, under collaboration with M/s Naval Group (earlier DCNS), France. The commissioning of the 4th in class submarine is a major milestone achieved today. INS Vela would form part of the Western Naval Command’s Submarine fleet and would be another potent part of its arsenal.
• The Scorpene submarines are extremely potent platforms, they have advanced stealth features and are also equipped with both long range guided torpedoes as well as anti-ship missiles. These submarines have a state of the art SONAR and sensor suite permitting outstanding operational capabilities. They also have an advanced Permanent Magnetic Synchronous motor (PERMASYN) as its propulsion motor.
• The delivery of Vela is yet another affirmation of the impetus being given by the Indian Navy towards consolidating its position as a ‘Builder’s Navy’ as also indicative of MDL’s capabilities as a premier ship and submarine building yard. The commissioning of the submarine is coinciding with ‘Azaadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ and ‘Swarnim Vijay Varsh’ celebrations.

National Milk Day

• The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying on 26^th November celebrated “National Milk Day” to commemorate the birth centenary of Dr. Varghese Kurien (Milk Man of India).
• ‘Iconic Week’- the Week-Long Celebration of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav by the Department Will Culminate with the Celebration of National Milk Day.
• Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying Shri Parshottam Rupala conferred National Gopal Ratna Awards on this Occasion.
• IVF Labs at Gujarat and Karnataka also be launched.

NCC Celebrating 73rd Anniversary of its Raising

• National Cadet Corps (NCC), the largest uniformed youth organisation in the world, is celebrating its 73rd anniversary of its raising on November 28, 2021. Marking this solemn occasion, Director General NCC Lt Gen Gurbirpal Singh laid wreath and paid homage to the fallen heroes on behalf of the entire NCC fraternity at the National War Memorial, in New Delhi on November 27, 2021.
• The NCC raising day is also being celebrated all over the country with cadets participating in marches, blood donation camps and social development programmes. In the year gone by, NCC has successfully overcome the restrictions imposed by COVID-19 Pandemic and effectively executed the assigned mission. Contribution of cadets through various initiatives in Exercise- Yogdan in the management of the pandemic have been widely appreciated by the people across the country.
• The cadets and Associate NCC Officers, led by example in activities such as ‘Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat’, ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and ‘Fit India’. The cadets participated wholeheartedly in ‘Swachhta Abhiyan’, ‘Mega Pollution Pakhwada’ and played a pivotal role in spreading awareness about various government initiatives like ‘Digital Literacy’, ‘International Day of Yoga’, ‘Tree Plantation’ and present COVID vaccination drive, etc.

‘Koozhangal’ India’s official entry for 94th Academy Awards

• Koozhangal (means: Pebbles) is a 2021 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by debutant P. S. Vinothraj. The film was presented by Nayantara and Vignesh Shivan under the Rowdy Pictures banner. Featuring music composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, the film had cinematography handled by Jeya Parthipan and Vignesh Kumulai and was edited by Ganesh Siva.
• The film was screened at the 50th International Film Festival Rotterdam held in Netherlands on 4 February 2021, where it received the Tiger Award at the festival. It is selected as the Indian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards and will also be screened at 52nd International Film Festival of India in ‘Indian Panorama’ section, feature film category.
• A young boy follows his violent and alcoholic father on a quest to fetch back his mother, who has run away from his abuse.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

• Dr Ambedkar served as Member of the Constituent Assembly of India from _____ Province
• Madras
• Punjab
• Lahore
• Bombay

ANSWER: D

• Dr Ambedkar served as _______  in Viceroy’s Executive Council from 1942 to 1946.
• Minister of Labour
• Minister of Law
• Minister of Rural Development
• Minister of Defence

ANSWER: A

• Which of the following Gallantry Awards belong to the category of Gallantry in the face of the enemy?
• Ashok Chakra
• Shaurya Chakra
• Vir Chakra
• None of the above

ANSWER: C

• Which of the following awards were not among the first ones to be introduced after Independence?
• Param Vir Chakra
• Maha Vir Chakra
• Vir Chakra
• Shaurya Chakra

ANSWER: D

• November 26 is celebrated as the National Milk Day, to commemorate the birth anniversary of
• Verghese Kurian
• P C Mahalanobis
• M S Swaminathan
• C N R Rao

ANSWER: A

• Which special Day is observed on December 10
• Doctors Day
• Human Rights Day
• Social Justice Day
• Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination

ANSWER: B

• Consider the Incorrect statement regarding New Farms Act, 2020
• The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020
• The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Service Act, 2020
• The Farmers Protection Act, 2020
• The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020

ANSWER: C

• eNAM is an online trading platform for _____ commodities in India.
• Agricultural
• Electronic
• Cloth
• Metal

ANSWER: A

• Which of the following Himalayan pass is situated between India and China?
• Shenkota
• Thalghat
• Bhorghat
• Shipki La

ANSWER: D

• Which of the following pass is in Western Ghats?
• Palghat
• Jelep La
• Bomdila pass
• Karakoram Pass

ANSWER: A

• The SC decriminalized homosexuality by striking off parts of _______ of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)
• Section 377
• Section 370
• Section 480A
• Section 420

ANSWER: A

• The Judge of a High Court shall be appointed by the President in consultation with the_______
• Chief Justice of India (CJI)
• Governor of the State
• Chief Justice of the Concerned High Court
• All the Above

ANSWER: D

• ______of the Constitution empowers the Hon’ble High Courts to exercise power through issuance of writs.
• Article 226
• Article 227
• Article 228
• Article 32

ANSWER: A  

• Pochampally saree received Intellectual Property Rights Protection or Geographical Indication (GI) status in
• 2005
• 2007
• 2010
• 2012

ANSWER: A

• HQ of The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
• Geneva
• Madrid
• Paris
• Istanbul

ANSWER: B

• What is the state animal of Andhra Pradesh
• Blackbuck
• Parrot
• Tiger
• One Horned Rhino

ANSWER: A

• What is the state animal of Goa
• Gayal/Mithun
• Gaur
• Kamdhenu
• Asiatic Lion

ANSWER: B

• In which place Jawaharlal Nehru organised the first Kisan March?
• Auraiya
• Azamgarh
• Pratapgarh
• Hathras

ANSWER: C

• When Jawaharlal Nehru became the General Secretary of the All-India Congress Committee?
• 1920
• 1922
• 1923
• 1924

ANSWER: C

• Which of the following is not function of United Nations Development Programme?
• Protect refugees worldwide
• Poverty reduction
• Crisis prevention and recovery
• Energy and environment

ANSWER: A

• Which of the following is world’s centre for co-operation in the nuclear field?
• International Labour Organization (ILO)
• Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO)
• International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
• International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)

ANSWER: C

• Who led the Santhal uprising?
• Sidhu and Kanhu
• Birsa Munda
• Tana Bhagat
• Nilambar and Pitambar

ANSWER: A

• Who was the leader of the Munda Rebellion between 1875-1900?
• Birsa Munda
• Raghava Munda
• Balavid Munda
• Rajesh Munda

ANSWER: A

• Which of the following uprising took place under leadership of Alluri Sitaram Raju
• Andhra
• Rampa
• Dikkhu
• Santhal

ANSWER: B

• With respect to the modern Indian history, the term ‘dikus’ refers to
• passes issued by the East India Company
• a local term for infertile land in the gangetic plain
• the exploitative outsiders in tribal areas.
• a form of unpaid labour

ANSWER: C

• The medal of Bharat Ratna is designed like a leaf of ______.
• Banyan
• Peepal
• Sandalwood
• Banana

ANSWER: B

• The Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar Award is given in India for contribution to the field of
• sports
• social work
• science and technology
• literature

ANSWER: C

• ‘Ramnath Goenka Award’ is presented for which field of excellence?
• Agriculture
• Science
• Technology
• Journalism

ANSWER: D

• It is a web portal which was launched to organise the livestock market in India.
• E- Pashuhaat portal
• E- Sharma Portal
• Udyog Portal
• E- Matsya Portal

ANSWER: A

• It is given to individuals for “lifetime contribution to sports development”.
• Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna
• Arjuna Award
• Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar
• Major Dhyan Chand Award

ANSWER: D

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