International Day for Tolerance: 16 November
The United Nations observes “International Day for Tolerance” on 16th November every year. The United Nations is committed to strengthening tolerance by fostering mutual understanding among cultures and peoples.
History of International Day for Tolerance:
In 1994, UNESCO marked the 125th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth paving the way for the proclamation of 16 November as the International Day for Tolerance by the UN. This day pays tribute to the values of the Mahatma of peace, non-violence and equality. The UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence rewards significant activities in the scientific, artistic, cultural or communication fields aimed at the promotion of a spirit of tolerance and non-violence. The prize is awarded every two years on the International Day for Tolerance, 16 November.
How Can Intolerance Be Countered?
- Laws: Governments are responsible for enforcing human rights laws, for banning and punishing hate crimes and discrimination and for ensuring equal access to dispute settlement.
- Education: Laws are necessary but not sufficient for countering intolerance, greater emphasis needs to be placed on educating more and better.
- Access to information: The most efficient way to limit the influence of hatemongers is to promote press freedom and press pluralism, in order to allow the public to differentiate between facts and opinions.
- Individual awareness: Intolerance breeds intolerance. In order to fight intolerance individuals should become aware of the link between their behaviour and the vicious cycle of mistrust and violence in society.
- Local solutions: When confronted with an escalation of intolerance around us, we must not wait for governments and institutions to act alone. We are all part of the solution.
Lewis Hamilton wins 2021 F1 Brazilian Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-Great Britain), has won the 2021 F1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix (earlier known as Brazilian Grand Prix). Max Verstappen (Red Bull – Netherlands) came second while Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-Finland) came third in the Brazilian Grand Prix 2021. Max Verstappen is leading the World Drivers’ Standings with 312.5 points, 19 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton (318.5).
Teenage Indian brothers win Children’s Peace Prize for waste project
Two Delhi-based teenage brothers Vihaan (17) and Nav Agarwal (14) have won the 17th annual KidsRights International Children’s Peace Prize for tackling pollution in their home city by recycling household waste. The duo received the prestigious award by Indian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Kailash Satyarthi. Vihaan and Nav have developed an “One Step Greener” initiative for segregating rubbish and organising waste pickups for trash from thousands of homes, schools and offices.
About the award:
- The International Children’s Peace Prize is given annually by the International children’s rights organization KidsRights based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
- It is given to a child who has made a significant contribution to advocating children’s rights and improving the situation of vulnerable children such as orphans, child labourers and children with HIV/AIDS.
India, Singapore and Thailand Trilateral Maritime Exercise SITMEX–21 begins
The 3rd edition of the Trilateral Maritime Exercise named SITMEX–21 is being held from 15 to 16 Nov 21 in the Andaman Sea. The Navies of the India, Singapore and Thailand will participate in the event. Indian Naval Ship (INS) Karmuk is participating in the 3rd edition from India. It is an indigenously built Missile Corvette.
The event is being hosted by Royal Thai Navy (RTN) in the Andaman Sea with an aim to enhance the cooperation between the participating navies towards augmenting the overall maritime security in the region.
About the SITMEX:
SITMEX is being conducted annually since 2019 with an aim to enhance mutual inter-operability and imbibing best practices between the Indian Navy (IN), RSN and RTN. The maiden edition of SITMEX was hosted by IN off Port Blair in September 2019. RSN hosted the second edition of the exercise in November 2020. The 2021 edition of the exercise is being hosted by RTN in the Andaman Sea.
India launches 41st Scientific Expedition to Antarctica
India successfully launched the 41st Scientific Expedition to Antarctica on November 15, 2021. The first batch of its contingents comprising of 23 scientists and support staff has reached the Indian Antarctic station Maitri. Four more batches will be landing in Antarctica by mid-January 2022. The Indian Antarctic program began in 1981 and has completed 40 scientific expeditions.
The team of 48 members at the 41st expedition is being led by Dr Shailendra Saini, Scientist National Centre for Polar & Ocean Research (Voyage Leader), Shri. Huidrom Nageshwar Singh, Metrologist, India Metrological Department (Leader, Maitri Station) and Shri. AnoopKalayilSoman, scientist Indian Institute of Geomagnetism (Leader, Bharati Station). Currently, there are three permanent research base stations in Antarctica, named DakshinGangotri (1983), Maitri (1988) and Bharati (2012).
Padma Vibhushan awardee historian and author Babasaheb Purandare passes away
The eminent historian, orator and noted author from Maharashtra, Balwant Moreshwar Purandare has passed away. He was 99. The author was popularly known as Babasaheb Purandare. Purandare wrote extensively about Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. He had earned the moniker ‘Shiv Shahir’ which literally means Shivaji’s bard. He was felicitated with India’s second-highest civilian award, Padma Vibhushan, on 25 January 2019.
Nation observed its 1st edition of Audit Diwas on 16th November
Audit Diwas is celebrated to mark the historic origin of the institution of Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) and the contribution it has made to the governance, transparency and accountability over the past several years. Currently, former Lt. Governor of UT of Jammu Kashmir G. C. Murmu is serving as CAG of India. He is the 14th CAG of India. His tenure started in August 2020.
About the CAG:
CAG is the Constitutional Authority in India. It was established in accordance with Article 148 of the Constitution of India. CAG is empowered to Audit all receipts and expenditures of the central as well as state governments. The CAG is the statutory auditor of Government-owned corporations. It conducts supplementary audits of government companies, where the Government is having an equity share of 51 per cent.
Reports of CAG:
Reports of the CAG are laid before Parliament or Legislatures. They are being taken up for discussion by Public Accounts Committees (PACs) and Committees on Public Undertakings (COPUs). PACs and COPUs are special committees in the Parliament and state legislatures.
Noted Indian author Mannu Bhandari passes away
Renowned author Mannu Bhandari has passed away. She was 90. She was born in Bhanpura city of Madhya Pradesh in 1931 and grew up in Rajasthan’s Ajmer. Her father Sukhsampat Rai was a freedom fighter, who worked on English to Hindi and English to Marathi dictionaries. Bhandari was also one of the key members of the Nayi Kahani movement of Hindi literature.
Some of Bhandari’s notable works include Mahabhoj (1979), Ek Plate Sailab (1962), Yehi Sach Hai aur Anya Kahaniya (1966), Teen Nigahen Ek Tasveer (1969), and Trishanku (1999).
PM Modi inaugurates Purvanchal Expressway
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the 341-km long Purvanchal Express in Sultanpur district, Uttar Pradesh. The expressway links state capital Lucknow with Ghazipur and has been constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 22,500 crore. PM Modi landed on the Purvanchal Expressway airstrip in a military transport aircraft. The key feature of the Expressway is the 3.2 km long airstrip to enable landing and take-off of Indian Air Force fighter planes in case of emergency.
About the Purvanchal Expressway:
- The Purvanchal Expressway starts from village Chaudsarai in the Lucknow district and ends at Haidaria village on National Highway number 31, 18 kilometres east of the Uttar Pradesh-Bihar border.
- The expressway is 6-lane wide which can be expanded to 8-lane in the future.
- This expressway is set to give a boost to the economic development of the eastern part of Uttar Pradesh especially the districts of Lucknow, Barabanki, Amethi, Ayodhya, Sultanpur, Ambedkar Nagar, Azamgarh, Mau and Ghazipur.
IOCL and NTPC tied up to collaborate in Renewable Energy
National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) signed an MoU with Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) to collaborate in the field of Renewable Energy and mutually explore opportunities for the supply of low carbon/RE RTC (round the clock) captive power. This is a first-of-its-kind novel initiative by two leading national energy majors of India, to support the country’s commitment to achieving renewable energy targets and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This comes in the backdrop of Indian Oil announcing its plan to build the country’s first green hydrogen plant at its Mathura refinery.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- NTPC Limited Founded: 1975;
- NTPC Limited Headquarters: New Delhi, India;
- NTPC Limited Chairman & MD: Gurdeep Singh.
IQAir Air Quality Index: Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai among world’s top 10 polluted cities
According to the data from air quality and pollution city tracking service from IQAir, a Switzerland-based climate group, Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai are among the top ten most polluted cities of the world. Delhi topped the list with AQI at 556, Kolkata and Mumbai recorded an AQI of 177 and 169, respectively, at 4th and 6th position. The cities with the worst AQI indices also include Lahore, in Pakistan, and Chengdu, in China.
Here are the ten cities with the worst air quality indicators and pollution rankings, according to IQAir:
- Delhi, India (AQI: 556)
- Lahore, Pakistan (AQI: 354)
- Sofia, Bulgaria (AQI: 178)
- Kolkata, India (AQI: 177)
- Zagreb, Croatia (AQI: 173)
- Mumbai, India (AQI: 169)
- Belgrade, Serbia (AQI: 165)
- Chengdu, China (AQI: 165)
- Skopje, North Macedonia (AQI: 164)
- Krakow, Poland (AQI: 160)
About the IQAir:
- IQAir is also a technology partner of the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP).
- An AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, then 401 and between 500 is considered ‘severe’.
VVS Laxman will take charge as next National Cricket Academy (NCA) head
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President, Sourav Ganguly has confirmed, that former India batter VVS Laxman will be the next head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA). Laxman will take over from his former batting colleague Rahul Dravid, who was recently appointed as chief coach of the Indian team following the end of Ravi Shastri’s tenure.
Arunachal’s approved “Kaiser-i-Hind” as state butterfly
State Cabinet of Arunachal Pradesh, headed by Chief Minister Pema Khandu, approved “Kaiser-i-Hind” as the state butterfly. Kaiser-i-Hind is scientifically known as Teinopalpus imperialis. In literal terms, it means Emperor of India. The butterfly is having a wingspan of 90-120 mm. It is found across six States along Eastern Himalayas at elevations from 6,000-10,000 feet in a well-wooded terrain.
The Kaiser-i-Hind is protected under Schedule II of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Despite that, they are hunted for the supply to butterfly collectors. International Union for Conservation of Nature has red-listed the Kaiser-i-Hind.
Key facts:
- Kaiser-i-Hind’ is a large and brightly coloured butterfly.
- It is an elusive swallowtail butterfly, which carries ‘India’ in its name.
- They also flutter in Bhutan, Nepal, Laos, Myanmar, southern China and Vietnam.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Arunachal pradesh CM: Pema Khandu;
- Arunachal Pradesh Governor: B. D. Mishra.
M Mukundan Bags 2021 JCB Prize for His Book ‘Delhi: A Soliloquy’
Author M Mukundan won the 2021 JCB prize for Literature, for his book ‘Delhi: A Soliloquy’. The book, which has originally been written in Malayalam has been translated into English by Fathima EV and Nandakumar K. The novel, published by Westland, is a story about Delhi through the eyes of its Malayali youth protagonists.
Mukundan received the Prize trophy, which is a sculpture by Delhi artist duo Thukral and Tagra entitled ‘Mirror Melting’, and he will receive a prize amount of Rs 25 lakh. This is the third translation to have won the JCB award in the last four years. The jury for this award comprised Sara Rai (Chair), Annapurna Garimella, Shahnaz Habib, Prem Panicker, and Amit Varma.
