Current Affairs – 22 Nov 2021

AB de Villiers announces retirement from all forms of cricket

Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. He had already retired from international cricket in 2018. However, AB de Villiers was still playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), ever since joining the franchise in 2011. The 37-year-old made the announcement, ending a 17-year career, which saw him play in 114 Tests, 228 ODIs and 78 T20Is for the Proteas.

AB de Villiers has played 156 matches for RCB and scored 4,491 runs. He is the second all-time leading run-scorer behind Virat Kohli and holds the second and third-highest individual run total in RCB history with 133* against Mumbai Indians (in 2015) and 129* against Gujarat Lions (in 2016).

World Television Day is observed on 21 November

World Television Day is commemorated on 21 November every year. The day is a reminder of the power of visual media and how it helps in shaping public opinion and influencing world politics. Television has played a significant role in the lives of people for years. It is a medium that provides entertainment, education, news, politics, gossip, etc. and helps in transmitting moving images in two or three dimensions and sound.

History of World Television Day:

On 21 November and 22 November 1996, the U.N. held the first World Television Forum. This day provides a platform and allowed the media to discuss the importance of TV in delivering information and also how it participates in the changing world. It is the single largest source of video consumption.

Andhra Tops IPF Smart Policing Index 2021

Andhra Pradesh Police has topped the ‘IPF Smart Policing’ Index 2021, among 29 states and Union Territories, released by the Indian Police Foundation (IPF). Andhra Pradesh has secured the first rank with an overall score of 8.11 out of 10. Telangana Police is in the second position with 8.10 points while Assam Police has secured the third position with an overall rating of 7.89. With a score of 5.81, Uttar Pradesh is ranked at 28th position and Bihar has occupied the last position with 5.74 points.

What is IPF SMART POLICING SURVEY 2021?

The SMART Policing idea was envisioned, articulated and introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Conference of DGPs of State and Central Police Organizations, held at Guwahati, in 2014 and it envisaged systemic changes to transform the Indian police to be strict and sensitive, modern and mobile, alert and accountable, reliable and responsive, techno-savvy and trained.

The purpose of the IPF survey was to gather information on citizens’ perceptions of the impact of the SMART policing initiative and to gauge public perceptions of the quality of policing in India and the level of public trust in the police. The experts from various Institutions of repute, including IIT-Kanpur and Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Mumbai were involved in this survey.

World Fisheries Day: 21 November

World Fisheries Day is celebrated on 21 November every year by fishing communities across the world. It highlights the importance of healthy oceans ecosystems and ensuring sustainable stocks of fisheries in the world. 2021 is the fifth World Fisheries Day. The first World Fisheries Day was celebrated on November 21, 2015. On the same day, it was the grand opening of the International Fisherman’s organization was held in New Delhi.

History of Fisheries Day:

A forum for the World Fisheries consortium was established around 1997 and was famously called WFF (World Fisheries Forum). Under this forum, several participants across the world actively took part in it. Around 18 countries signed a global consensus document that marked the standardization of practices. The memories of WFF in 1997 lay etched in the pages of history because it wrote a new form of working pattern of the fisherfolk community.

President Ramnath Kovind Presents Swachh Survekshan Awards 2021

President of India, Ram Nath Kovind presented the Swachh Survekshan Awards 2021 at the Swachh Amrit Mahotsav organised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in New Delhi. 2021 is the 6th edition of Swachh Survekshan awards in which as many as 4,320 cities were surveyed. The cities are ranked based on three parameters, which are service level progress (SLP), certifications and citizen’s voice.

Once again, Indore has been adjudged as the cleanest city of India for the fifth consecutive year. Indore is followed by Surat in Gujarat at second place and Vijaywada in Andhra Pradesh in the third position.

Here is the complete List of Award-Winning Cities:

• Cleanest City: Indore
• Cleanest Ganga town: Varanasi
• Cleanest State (with more than 100 urban local bodies): Chhattisgarh
• Cleanest State (with less than 100 urban local bodies): Jharkhand
• Cleanest City (with less than one lakh population): Vita city of Maharashtra
• Cleanest small city (1-3 lakh population): New Delhi Municipal Council
• Cleanest medium city (3-10 lakh population): Noida
• Cleanest big city’ (10-40 lakh population): Navi Mumbai
• Cleanest cantonment board: Ahmedabad cantonment
• Cleanest District: Surat
• Fastest Mover small city: Hoshangawad, Madhya Pradesh
• Best Small City in Citizens’ Feedback: Triputi, Maharashtra
• Top city in Safaimitra Suraksha Challenge: Navi Mumbai

Veteran Punjabi Folk Singer Gurmeet Bawa Passes Away

Renowned Punjabi folk singer Gurmeet Bawa has passed away following a prolonged illness. She was 77. Gurmeet was best known for her long ‘hek’ (Breathless opening of a Punjabi folk song calling “ho” to create a melodious voice with an unbreakable wave) that she could hold for about 45 seconds. She came to fame after she started performing on Doordarshan and thus became the first Punjabi female singer to appear on the national television channel.

India ends with 7 medals at 2021 Asian Archery Championships

The 2021 Asian Archery Championships was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The Indian archers bagged seven medals at the competition to occupy second place in the medal table. This included one gold, four silver and two bronze medals. South Korea won 15 medals to top the medal table, while the host Bangladesh settled at third place with 3 medals.

List of Indian medal winners

Gold medal

• Women’s individual compound event: Jyothi Surekha Vennam

Silver medal

• Men’s team recurve event: Pravin Jadhav, Kapil, and Parth Salunkhe
• Women’s team recurve event: Ankita Bhakat, Ridhi and Madhu Vedwan
• Men’s individual compound event: Abhishek Verma
• Mixed Team compound event: Rishabh Yadav and Jyothi Surekha Vennam

Bronze medal

• Mixed team recurve event: Ankita Bhakat, Kapil
• Men’s team compound event: Aman Saini, Abhishek Verma and Rishabh Yadav

Geoff Allardice appointed as Permanent CEO of ICC

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has appointed Geoff Allardice as the permanent CEO of the International Cricket governing body. He was serving as interim CEO for more than eight months. He replaces Manu Sawhney who officially resigned from his position in July 2021. Allardice, a former Australian first-class cricketer and administrator, was the ICC General Manager, Cricket for eight years. He had previously held a similar role at Cricket Australia.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• ICC Headquarters: Dubai, United Arab Emirates;
• ICC Founded: 15 June 1909;
• ICC Deputy Chairman: Imran Khwaja;
• ICC Chairman: Greg Barclay.

Lewis Hamilton wins 2021 F1 Qatar Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-Great Britain), has won the 2021 F1 Qatar Grand Prix. Max Verstappen (Red Bull – Netherlands) came second while Fernando Alonso (Alpine- Spain) came third. With this win, Lewis Hamilton has become the first driver to have won at 30 different circuits in Formula 1.

After the Qatar 2021 F1 Grand Prix, the 2021 Drivers Standings is as follows: Max Verstappen (351.5 Points) is on top followed by Lewis Hamilton (343.5 Points) on second and Valtteri Bottas (203 Points) on third. Two more Grand Prix events are to be held in 2021.

MHA ranks Delhi’s Sadar Bazar police station as best police station

The Sadar Bazar police station in Delhi has been ranked as the best police station of India for the year 2021 by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The list of the top 10 police stations in India is released annually by the Ministry of Home Affairs to rank the police stations in terms of the services and facilities available at the police station. The performance review of police stations were carried out by the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD).

List of Top 10 Police Stations in India:

• Sadar Bazar police station: north district of Delhi
• Gangapur police station: Ganjam district of Odisha
• Bhattu Kalan police station: Fatehabad district of Haryana
• Valpoi police station: North Goa
• Manvi police station: Raichur district of Karnataka
• Kadmat Island police station: Union Territory of Lakshadweep
• Shirala police station: Sangli district of Maharashtra
• Thottiyam police station: Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu
• Basantgarh police station: Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir
• Rampur Chauram police station: Arwal district of Bihar

INS Visakhapatnam commissioned into Indian Navy

INS Visakhapatnam, a P15B stealth guided-missile destroyer has been commissioned into the Indian Navy at the Naval Dockyard, Mumbai. This is the first of the four ‘Visakhapatnam’ class destroyers. It has been designed by the Indian Navy’s in-house organization Directorate of Naval Design and constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Mumbai. INS Visakhapatnam measures 163m in length, 17m in breadth with a displacement of 7,400 tonnes. It was commissioned in the presence of Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh.

RBI released report of Working Group on Digital Lending

The Working Group on Digital Lending including Lending through Online Platforms and Mobile Apps, which was constituted by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), has submitted its report. RBI had set a WG on Digital Lending including Lending through Online Platforms and Mobile Apps, with Jayant Kumar Dash, Executive Director, RBI, as the Chairman to study all aspects of digital lending activities in the regulated financial sector as well as by unregulated players.

In the near term, the WG suggested setting up a nodal agency in consultation with stakeholders to verify the technological credentials of the Digital Lending Apps (DLAs) of the balance sheet lenders and Lending Service Providers (LSPs) operating in the digital lending ecosystem.

Jason Mott won 2021 National Book Award for fiction

The 72nd edition of the National Book Award was organized as a virtual event by the National Book Foundation. Jason Mott won the 2021 National Book Award for fiction for his novel “Hell of a Book”, a narrative about a black author’s adventure while travelling around in a book tour.

Winners of 2021 National Book Awards:

Russia successfully tests fired Hypersonic Cruise Missile ‘Zircon’

Russian Navy successfully test-fired the ‘Zircon’ Hypersonic Cruise Missile from Frigate – Admiral Gorshkov warship, which rightly hit the test target placed in the Russian Arctic waters. Russia destroyed its own satellite in low-earth orbit using an Anti-Satellite (ASAT) Missile named ‘Nudol’, which led to the formation of a cloud of space debris that could potentially destroy other orbiting satellites & the International Space Station (ISS).

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Russia Capital: Moscow;
• Russia Currency: Rouble;
• Russia President: Vladimir Putin.