Kento Momota and An Seyoung wins 2021 Indonesia Masters Tournament
In badminton, Kento Momota of Japan beat Anders Antonsen of Denmark 21-17, 21-11 to win the men’s singles title at the 2021 Indonesia Masters Super 750 badminton tournament. The US$600,000 tournament was held at Bali in Indonesia from November 16 to 21, 2021. In women’s single, An Seyoung of South Korea defeated top-seed Akane Yamaguchi of Japan 21-17, 21-19 to win the title.
List of winners of 2021 Indonesia Masters
- Men’s Single: Kento Momota (Japan)
- Women’s Single: An Seyoung (South Korea)
- Men’s Double: Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi (both of Japan)
- Women’s Double: Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida (both of Japan)
- Mixed Double: Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai (both of Thailand)
Anita Desai awarded Tata Literature Live! Lifetime Achievement Award
India’s one of the best-selling authors, Anita Desai has been conferred with the Tata Literature Live! Lifetime Achievement Award for 2021 to recognise her long literary career which spans over 50 years. Meanwhile, the Poet Laureate award for 2021 has been conferred upon Indian poet Adil Jussawala. Both these awards are presented to recognise exceptional work which has made a significant impact in the Indian literary field.
The Twelfth Edition of Tata Literature Live! The Mumbai Litfest was organised from November 18th to 21st 2021. She has received several awards and honours in the course of her long-spanning literary career, including the Padma Bhushan, Sahitya Akademi Award and later Fellowship, and the Benson Medal of the Royal Society of Literature.
EPFO gets permission to park 5% of annual deposits in InvITs
The Central Board of Trustees (CBT) of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) have approved that up to 5 per cent of the annual deposits can be invested in alternative investment funds (AIFs) including infrastructure investment trusts (InvITs). This investment will offer diversification to the EPFO’s investment basket.
The Finance Investment and Audit Committee (FIAC) have been tasked to decide upon the investment options, on a case-to-case basis. However, the board has also decided to focus only on government-backed alternatives, which are category one funds like public sector InvITs and bonds. The AIFs are regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
SBI Ecowrap report projects India’s GDP for FY22 between 9.3%-9.6%
State Bank of India (SBI) economists in its research report “Ecowrap”, has revised upwards the GDP growth projection for India to the range of 9.3%-9.6% for FY22 (2021-22). Earlier this was estimated in the range of 8.5%-9%. The reason for the upward revision is a decline in the number of COVID cases.
The analysis suggested that “India remained unscathed in Q3 from the global situation, which is marred by supply disruptions, stubborn inflation and surges of infections during Q3 2021.” As per the report, India has recorded only an 11 per cent increase in Covid-19 cases during Q3 this year the second-lowest among the top 15 most affected countries.
8,573 Venezuelan musicians set world’s largest orchestra record
Venezuela has set a new Guinness World Record for the largest orchestra with 8,573 musicians playing together for more than five minutes. The record was set by the country’s National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras, known as “El Sistema”. The previous such record for an orchestra was made by Russia when 8,097 musicians played together in St. Petersburg.
The broadcast included a recording of Guinness World Records expert Susana Reyes announcing that the Venezuelan musicians had been successful in setting a new record after they played LaMarche Slave by Pyotr Tchaikovsky for more than five minutes.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Venezuela Capital: Caracas;
- Venezuela Currency: Venezuelan bolívar;
- President of Venezuela: Nicolás Maduro.
El Salvador Plans to Build World’s First ‘Bitcoin City’
El Salvador President Nayib Bukele has announced that the country is planning to build the world’s first “Bitcoin City”. The new city is planned to be developed in the eastern region of La Union and will be initially funded by bitcoin-backed bonds. It would get geothermal power from a volcano. Bitcoin City will not levy any taxes except for value-added tax (VAT). One half of this VAT levied will be used to fund the bonds issued to build the city and the next half would be used to pay for services such as garbage collection.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- El Salvador Capital: San Salvador.
CII to organize 20th edition of ‘Connect 2021’ in Chennai
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) will organise its flagship event ‘Connect 2021’ from November 26 to 27 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Connect is an international conference and exhibition on information & communication technology (ICT). Theme: “Building a Sustainable Deep T’ech’N’ology Ecosystem”.
About the ‘Connect 2021’:
- The main focus of ‘Connect 2021’ is to take the state’s GDP to US$ 1,000 billion by 2030.
- The event will be inaugurated by the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on November 26, 2021. Australia and the United Kingdom are the partner countries for the event.
- The flagship event of CII is hosted by the Government of Tamil Nadu and co-hosted by Software Technology Parks of India and the Union Ministry of Electronics and Telecommunications.
Andhra Pradesh Bags Best Marine State Award
Andhra Pradesh has been named the best marine state in the country by the Department of Fisheries. The Department of Fisheries under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying awarded best performing States for 2021-22 on 21 November 2021 on the occasion of the ‘World Fisheries Day, to recognise their accomplishments in the field and their contribution to the growth of the sector. The awards were announced by the Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Parshottam Rupala in Bhubaneswar.
Top States
- Marine states: Andhra Pradesh
- Inland states: Telangana
- Hilly and North East states: Tripura
Top Districts
- Best Marine District: Balasore in Odisha
- Best Inland District: Balaghat in Madhya Pradesh
- Best Hilly and NE District: Bongaigaon in Assam
Odisha celebrated ‘Boita Bandana’ Festival on Karthika Purnima
On Karthika Purnima, which is also known as Boita Bandana is celebrated at various water bodies of Odisha. The festival is the maritime tradition that is celebrated as a testament to the maritime trade history of Kalinga, tradesmen and mariners known as sadhabas travelled on boitas (boats) to trade with distant island nations that share borders with the Bay of Bengal like Indonesia, Java, Sumatra and Bali.
Other popular festivals of Odisha:
- Chhau Festival
- Konark Dance Festival
- Bali Jatra
- Raja Parba
- Nuakhai
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Chief Minister of Odisha: Naveen Patnaik and Governor is Ganeshi Lal.
RBI authorized RBL Bank to collect Direct Taxes
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) authorized RBL Bank to collect direct taxes on behalf of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) based on a recommendation from the Controller General of Accounts, Ministry of Finance and Government of India. Now, the customers of RBL Bank could pay their direct taxes through RBL Bank’s mobile banking or net banking platforms or through branch banking networks.
About the Bank:
- RBL Bank is one of India’s leading private sector banks with an expanding presence across the country.
- The Bank offers specialized services under five business verticals namely: Corporate & Institutional Banking, Commercial Banking, Branch & Business Banking, Retail Assets and Treasury and Financial Markets Operations.
- It currently services over 9.97 million customers through a network of 445 branches, 1,435 business correspondent branches (of which 271 banking outlets) and 386 ATMs spread across 28 Indian states and Union Territories.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- RBL Bank Founded: 1943;
- RBL Bank Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra;
- RBL Bank CEO & MD: Vishwavir Ahuja;
- RBL Bank Tagline: Apno Ka Bank.
Pratham NGO won Indira Gandhi Peace Prize 2021
Pratham NGO has been awarded the Indira Gandhi Peace Prize 2021 for its work on expanding the scope for education in India. Its pioneering work for more than a quarter-century in ensuring that every child has access to quality education. Its innovative use of digital technology to deliver education. Its regular evaluation of the quality of education. Its timely response in making children learn amid Covid-19 restrictions.
About Pratham NGO
- Pratham NGO is an innovative learning organization, which was created to improve education quality in India.
- The NGO was co-founded by Farida Lambay and Madhav Chavan in 1995. It is one of the largest non-governmental organisations in India.
- It focuses on high-quality, low-cost, and replicable interventions for addressing the gaps in the education system.
- It was established in 1994 in Mumbai to give pre-school education for children in slums.
About the Indira Gandhi Peace Prize:
The Indira Gandhi Peace Prize is an annual prestigious award. It has been named after former prime minister Indira Gandhi. It is conferred every year since 1968 by Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust. It consists of a monetary award of ₹25 lakh along with a citation.
A new book “India vs UK: The Story of an Unprecedented Diplomatic Win” by Syed Akbaruddin
Senior Indian diplomat, Syed Akbaruddin has authored a new book titled “India vs UK: The Story of an Unprecedented Diplomatic Win”. The book features the behind-the-scenes details on India’s victory against the United Kingdom in the elections to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2017. Syed Akbaruddin, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN at the time, presents a behind-the-scenes account of India’s coming-of-age in world affairs through the prism of this momentous election.
Education Minister launches Centres For Nanotechnology at IIT Guwahati
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated the state-of-the-art Centre for Nanotechnology and Centre for Indian Knowledge System at IIT Guwahati. He also released a book on NEP 2020 implementation. Assam Education Minister Ranoj Pegu was present on the occasion. IIT Guwahati has achieved excellent rankings in the various national and international ranking systems.
Centre for Nanotechnology and Centre for Indian Knowledge System
- The Centre for Nanotechnology will work towards meeting future challenges and augmenting academic partnerships with industry in Nanotechnology.
- The Centre for Indian Knowledge System (CIKS) will focus on preserving, documenting and sustaining the knowledge that is unique to India, such as Indian classical music, Yoga, Sanskrit, traditional medicines, temple architecture, ceramic tradition and special agricultural practices of North-East India, among other things.
- The funding for the Centre came from the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
