November - 2024 Current Affairs

Correct Answer :   India

---

India has been chosen to host the 13th UN Global Geospatial Information Management Asia-Pacific Plenary and Regional Conference.

This significant event will focus on sharing global best practices, exploring innovative geospatial technologies, and crafting regional strategies to optimize the use of geospatial information.

As a leader in the geospatial domain, India’s role is further highlighted by the active involvement of Hitesh Kumar S. Makwana, the Surveyor General of India.

The conference underscores India's growing prominence in advancing geospatial solutions for sustainable development.

Correct Answer :   Yamandu Orsi

---

Yamandu Orsi, representing the Broad Front alliance, was elected as Uruguay's president, marking a departure from five years of conservative leadership.

Orsi secured 1,123,420 votes, narrowly defeating his rival Delgado, who received 1,042,001 votes, as confirmed by Uruguay’s Electoral Court. His victory highlights a political shift in the nation.

Correct Answer :   Colombo

---

The Voyage Sri Lanka 2024 conference was held in Colombo, the capital city of Sri Lanka, emphasizing the strategic importance of the blue economy in the Indian Ocean.

The conference also highlighted India's support for Sri Lanka in areas like energy, ports, and wind energy, aligning with the broader goals of sustainability under India's G20 presidency.

Correct Answer :   Amara Raja

---

Amara Raja Infra, a part of the Amara Raja Group, set up India’s first green hydrogen fuelling station in Leh for NTPC Ltd.

The station, capable of producing 80 kg of green hydrogen daily, supports NTPC’s green mobility initiatives.

It will fuel five hydrogen fuel cell buses in Leh, marking a significant step in India’s efforts towards sustainable, emission-free transport.

The project also highlights Amara Raja Infra's expertise in overcoming challenges, as it was completed under extreme weather conditions, further strengthening India's green energy infrastructure.

Correct Answer :   Dr. Jaiteerth Raghavendra Joshi

---

* Dr Jaiteerth Raghavendra Joshi has been appointed as the Chief of BrahMos Aerospace, the organization renowned for the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system.

* With a career spanning over three decades, Dr. Joshi has made significant contributions to India’s missile programs, including Prithvi, Agni, and LRSAM.

* As a leader in defence technology, his expertise in missile systems and mechanical engineering reinforces BrahMos Aerospace's commitment to innovation and excellence in India's defence sector.

* His leadership is expected to further strengthen India’s defence capabilities and maintain its edge in missile technology.

Correct Answer :   Rs. 2,750 crore

---

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the continuation of the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) under NITI Aayog, extending its scope and allocating a budget of Rs. 2,750 crore till March 31, 2028.

The enhanced initiative, dubbed AIM 2.0, aims to bolster India’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, advancing the country’s goal of becoming a globally competitive and innovation-driven economy.

India currently ranks 39th on the Global Innovation Index and boasts the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem. AIM 2.0 is set to build on the successes of its predecessor by focusing on creating high-quality jobs, innovative products, and impactful services, further enhancing India’s standing in the global innovation landscape.

AIM 2.0 introduces transformative measures to expand and deepen the ecosystem, focusing on increasing participation, improving success rates, and enhancing the quality of outcomes. Notable initiatives include the Language Inclusive Program of Innovation (LIPI), aimed at reducing language barriers by promoting innovation in 22 scheduled Indian languages, and the Frontier Program, which tailors innovation models for regions such as Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, the North East, and aspirational districts.

Additionally, the mission will focus on improving throughput with programs like the Human Capital Development Program, which aims to produce 5,500 professionals to sustain the ecosystem, and the Deeptech Reactor, fostering long-term growth for research-based startups.

To elevate India’s global competitiveness, AIM 2.0 emphasizes international collaborations through initiatives like a Global Tinkering Olympiad, bilateral and multilateral partnerships, and knowledge-sharing with global institutions, including the United Nations’ World Intellectual Property Organisation.

The mission also seeks to integrate startups with key industries through programs like Industrial Accelerators and Atal Sectoral Innovation Launchpads, enabling public-private partnerships to scale advanced innovations. By fostering robust infrastructure, enhancing startup success, and driving global engagement, AIM 2.0 aims to position India as a leader in innovation and entrepreneurship on the world stage..

Source : Egov

Correct Answer :   Rs.1435 crore

---

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has given its approval for the PAN 2.0 Project of the Income Tax Department.

The financial implications for the PAN 2.0 Project will Rs.1435 crore.

The PAN 2.0 Project enables technology driven transformation of Taxpayer registration services and has significant benefits including:

PAN 2.0 Project is an e-Governance project for re-engineering the business processes of taxpayer registration services through technology driven transformation of PAN/TAN services for enhanced digital experience of the taxpayers. This will be an upgrade of the current PAN/TAN 1.0 eco-system consolidating the core and non-core PAN/TAN activities as well as PAN validation service.

The PAN 2.0 Project resonates with the vision of the Government enshrined in Digital India by enabling the use of PAN as Common Identifier for all digital systems of specified government agencies..

Source : PIB

Correct Answer :   Alphabet

---

The Competition Commission on Tuesday (26th Nov 2024) granted approval to Alphabet's arm Shoreline International Holdings LLC to acquire a stake in Walmart group firm Flipkart.

* Shoreline International Holding is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Google's parent firm Alphabet Inc. It is a holding company and does not own or operate any Google products or services.

* "The proposed transaction comprises an investment through subscription of shares of Flipkart Pvt Ltd (Target) by Shoreline International Holdings LLC (Acquirer) and an arrangement between an affiliate of the acquirer and the target's subsidiary for the provision of certain services," the regulator said in a release.

* "Commission approves transaction involving subscription of shares of Flipkart Pvt Ltd by Shoreline, an Alphabet, Inc subsidiary," the regulator said in a post on X.

* Flipkart is a subsidiary of Walmart Inc and ultimately belongs to the Walmart Group. It is primarily engaged in the business of wholesale cash and carry of goods and providing marketplace-based e-commerce platforms to facilitate trade between customers and sellers in India.

* In May this year, Walmart-owned Flipkart has closed a funding round of about $ 1 billion that includes $ 350 million from Alphabet's Google.

* Flipkart is a subsidiary of Walmart Inc and ultimately belongs to the Walmart Group. It is primarily engaged in the business of wholesale cash and carry of goods and providing marketplace-based e-commerce platforms to facilitate trade between customers and sellers in India.

* Delhi-based DMI Finance is a digital-led non-banking finance company that offers loans to individuals and small businesses.

The proposed combination envisages acquisition of additional securities of DMI Finance Pvt Ltd (DMI Finance) by MUFG Bank, Ltd, such that MUFG Bank's shareholding will increase to 20 per cent of the share capital of DMI Finance, CCI said.

* * MUFG Bank is a Tokyo-headquartered banking institution. MUFG Bank is wholly owned and controlled by Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc, which is a financial services and holding company.

* MUFG Bank in India provides corporate banking loans, deposit accounts, remittances, trade finance and bank guarantees.

* In August, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc (MUFG) and its subsidiary, MUFG Bank announced that the bank will make an additional investment of Rs 2,798.8 crore (approximately JPY 49 billion) in DMI Finance, a digital financial services business in India.

* MUFG valued DMI Finance at $ 3 billion, becoming the digital lender's second largest shareholder after DMI Ltd, Mauritius.

* Deals beyond a certain threshold require approval from the regulator, which keeps a tab on unfair business practices and promotes fair competition in the marketplace..

Source : Business standard

Correct Answer :   4 Years

---

* India’s Olympic medal-winning wrestler Bajrang Punia, who took part in protests against the country’s former wrestling body chief in 2023, has been banned for four (4) years for avoiding a doping test.

* Punia, 30, who won bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, had been provisionally suspended for refusing to provide a urine sample to national anti-doping agency (NADA) officers in March.

* Punia contested the charges and the suspension was initially lifted, but he has since been handed a ban, according to a NADA statement on Tuesday.

* Punia has maintained his innocence, saying he did not refuse testing but was wary of what he said was an expired kit that officials brought to take his sample.

* Many of India’s top wrestlers led a noisy sit-in protest in New Delhi against the then-chief of the Wrestling Federation of India, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a politician from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party.

* The protesting wrestlers demanded Singh’s removal over allegations of groping female athletes and demanding sexual favours from them.

* The 66-year-old denied all charges and claimed he was the victim of a conspiracy to force him out of parliament.

* Punia alleged the testing ban was part of Singh’s revenge for his protests.

* Wrestling is hugely popular in rural northern India, and star athletes saw a wellspring of public support.

* Punia, along with fellow protest wrestler and Olympian Vinesh Phogat, have since joined the opposition Congress Party.

* The World Anti-Doping Agency says India recorded the world’s highest number of drug cheats in 2022 – the latest year for which figures are available.

* India was the only country to have more than 100 positive results, with countries that tested more athletes such as China, the United States and Russia producing fewer violations..


Source : Aljazeera

Correct Answer :   3 Years

---

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved One Nation One Subscription,  a new Central Sector Scheme for providing country-wide access to scholarly research articles and journal publication. The scheme will be administered through a simple, user friendly and fully digital process. This will be a “One Nation One Subscription” facility for the government higher education institutions and R&D laboratories of the central government.

A total of about Rs.6,000 crore has been allocated for One Nation One Subscription for  3 calendar years, 2025, 2026 and 2027 as a new Central Sector Scheme. One Nation One Subscription will build on and further enhance the scope and reach of the range of initiatives undertaken by the Government of Indiaover the past decade in the domains of education, for maximizing access to quality higher education for the youth of India. This will supplement the ANRF initiative to promote research and development and foster a culture of research and innovation throughout government universities, colleges, research institutions, and R&D laboratories.

The benefits of One Nation One Subscription scheme will be provided to all Higher Educational Institutions under the management of the Central or State Government and Research & Development Institutions of the Central Government, through a national subscription coordinated by a central agency, namely the Information and Library Network (INFLIBNET), an autonomous inter-university centre of the University Grants Commission (UGC). This list covers more than 6,300 institutions, translating into nearly 1.8 crore students, faculty and researchers, who will be able to potentially avail benefits of One Nation One Subscription.

This is in line with the goals of Viksitbharat@2047, National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF). The initiative will expand access to scholarly journals to a vast diaspora of students, faculty, researchers and scientists of all disciplines, including those in tier 2 and tier 3 cities, thereby promoting core as well as interdisciplinary research in the country. The ANRF will periodically review the usage of One Nation One Subscription and publications of Indian authors of these institutions.

The Department of Higher Education will have a unified portal “One Nation One Subscription” through which the institutions will be able to access the journals. The ANRF will periodically review the usage of One Nation One Subscription and publications of Indian authors of these institutions. The DHE and other Ministries having HEIs and R&D Institutions under their management shall be proactively conducting Information, Education and Communication (IEC) campaigns among students, faculty and researchers of these institutions about availability and method of access to One Nation One Subscription, resulting in improved usage of the facility across the country. The State Governments will also be requested to carry out campaigns at their level for maximizing usage of the unique facility by students, faculty and researchers of all government institutions..

Source : PM India