Current Affairs Quiz 19th and 20th November 2022, Daily GK Update

Exp. Maharashtra government doubles pension of freedom fighters

The Maharashtra Government has decided to double the pension of freedom fighters from 10,000 to 20,000 rupees per month.

Freedom fighters associated with India’s freedom struggle, Marathwada Mukti Sangram, and Goa Liberation Movement will benefit from this decision.

The state government is likely to incur an additional expense of 74.75 crore rupees due to this decision.

The government also cleared a proposal to allow Maratha candidates to avail jobs quota under the category of economically weaker section.

About Maharashtra

• Capital – Mumbai
• Chief Minister– Eknath Sindhe
• Governor – Bhagat Singh Koshyari

Exp. Vice President Dhankhar attends FIFA world cup inauguration in Qatar

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has represented India at the inauguration of the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar.

He visited there at the invitation of Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Amir of the State of Qatar.

In 2023, both countries would be celebrating 50 years of the establishment of full diplomatic relations.

India and Qatar enjoy close and friendly relations with multifaceted partnerships extending to areas of trade, energy, security, defence, health, culture, and education, among others.

In the last financial year, bilateral trade crossed USD 15 billion.

FIFA Upcoming Event

FIFA World Cup 2022 – Qatar (32 Teams)

FIFA World Cup 2026 – Canada, Mexico, USA (48 teams)

FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2022 – Costa Rica

FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2022 – India

FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2023 – Australia and New Zealand

Exp. PM Modi inaugurated a month-long ‘Kashi Tamil Sangamam’ in Varanasi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated a month-long ‘Kashi Tamil Sangamam’ in Varanasi.

It is being organized as a part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.

Sangamam is scheduled from 17 November 2022 to 16 December 2022.

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras along with Banaras Hindu University (BHU) is serving as the knowledge partner for the ‘Kashi Tamil Sangamam’.

The month-long programme has been organized to rediscover the bond of knowledge and ancient civilizational connections between Kashi and Tamil Nadu.

In the ‘Kashi Tamil Sangamam’ more than 2,500 delegates from Tamil Nadu will participate in special programmes as a means to interact with local people of the same profession and interest.

Recent Inauguration by PM Modi

• PM Modi launched new strategicair base in Gujarat’s Deesa
• PM Modi launched Mission LIFE movementat Kevadiya
• PM Modi laid foundation stone over Rs 3,400 crore in Chamoli, Uttarakhand
• PM Modi has laid the foundation stone for a plant in Vadodara that will manufacture the C-295 transport aircraft.
• PM Modi inaugurated Maze Garden, ‘OYO Ekta Houseboat’ Miyawaki’forest in Gujarat.

Exp. PM Modi inaugurated first Greenfield airport ‘Donyi Polo Airport’ in Arunachal Pradesh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated Arunachal Pradesh’s first Greenfield airport ‘Donyi Polo Airport’ at Holangi in Itanagar.

In 2019, PM Modi had laid the foundation stone for the construction of Greenfield Airport at Hollongi and inaugurated retrofitted Tezu airport.

Modi also dedicated 600 MW Kameng Hydro Power Station to the nation.

The airport, which is the first Greenfield airport in Arunachal Pradesh, has been developed in an area of over 690 acres, at a cost of more than ₹640 crores.

Donyi Polo Airport will be the fourth operational airport for Arunachal Pradesh, taking total airport count in the North-East region to 16.

Airport name reflects the traditions and rich cultural heritage of Arunachal Pradesh and its age-old indigenous reverence for the Sun (Donyi) and the Moon (Polo).

About Arunachal Pradesh

• Capital –Itanagar

Chief Minister – Pema Khandu

Governor – B. D. Mishra

Recent Inauguration by PM Modi

• PM Modi  laid foundation stone of projects worth 860 cr in Gujarat
• PM Modi declared Mangarh Dham national monumentin Rajasthan.
• PM Modi flags off south India’s first Vande Bharat Expresstrain in Bengaluru.
• PM Modi unveiled 108-feet tall statue named Statue of Prosperityat Bengaluru
• PM Modi inaugurated the silver jubilee edition of the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2022 (BTS 22)

Exp. 53rd edition of IFFI begins in Goa

The 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) begins in Goa.

The opening ceremony was held at Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium near Panaji.

A total of 280 films from 79 countries will be screened during the 9-day event.

25 feature films and 20 non-feature films will be showcased in the Indian Panorama section, while 183 films will be part of international programming.

The festival will open with Austrian film, Alma and Oskar, directed by Dieter Berner.

It will have 25 feature films and 19 non-feature films from India with special section for Asha Parekh.

About Goa

Capital – Panaji

Chief Minister – Pramod Sawant

Governor – P.S. Sreedharan Pilla

Exp. Giriraj Singh inaugurated SARAS AAJEEVIKA MELA 2022

Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh has inaugurated SARAS AAJEEVIKA MELA 2022 at India International Trade Fair in New Delhi.

SARAS Mela – It is an initiative by Deendayal Antayodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihood Mission to bring the rural women self-help group members in one platform to showcase their skills.

Currently, around 8.7 crore women are connected with self-help groups.

Women’s self Help Group will play a major role in achieving Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream of a five trillion dollar economy.

It also provides national-level exposure to understand the demand and taste of urban customers in metro cities

Exp. Network Readiness Index 2022: India ranked 61st; topped by US

India has improved its rank by six slots in the Network Readiness Index 2022 (NRI 2022) report and is now placed at 61st rank with a score of 51.19.

The NRI Report maps the network-based readiness landscape of 131 economies based on their performances in four different pillars: Technology, People, Governance, and Impact covering a total of 58 variables.

India has not only improved its ranking, but also improved its score from 49.74 in 2021 to 51.19 in 2022.

India is ranked 3rd out of 36 in the group of lower-middle-income countries after Ukraine (50) and Indonesia (59). India has a score higher than the income group average in all pillars and sub-pillars.

The US takes the 1st spot from the Netherlands (4th) as the most network-ready society. The biggest mover is Singapore (2nd), which surged from the seventh position to rank second in this year’s index, pushing Denmark (6th) and Finland (7th) out of the top 5.

The report has been prepared by the Portulans Institute, an independent non-profit, nonpartisan research and educational institute based in Washington DC.

Recent index

• Climate Change Performance Index 2023: India ranked 8th; top 3 empty; Denmark at 4th
• CFS Global Pension Index 2022: India ranked 41st; topped by Iceland
• Global Hunger Index 2022; India ranked 107th out of 121 countries
• Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index 2022: India ranked 123, topped by Norway
• Global Crypto Adoption Index 2022 – India ranked 4th; topped by Vietnam
• Human Development Index 2021 – India ranked 132; topped by Switzerland

Exp. Arun Goel appointed as Election Commissioner of India

Former bureaucrat Arun Goel has been appointed as Election Commissioner of India.

Goel is a 1985 batch IAS Officer of the Punjab cadre.

Goel joins Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey in the poll panel.

Sushil Chandra retired as the chief election commissioner in May this year after which Rajiv Kumar took charge.

Goel would be in line to be the next chief election commissioner after the incumbent demits office in February 2025. Goel will demit office in December 2027 on attaining the age of 65 years.

Arun Goel had taken voluntarily retirement from the post of Secretary, Heavy Industries.

About Election Commissioner of India (ECI)

Founded – 25 January 1950

25 January – Voter’s Day

HQ – New Delhi

1st Chief – Sukumar Sen

1st Women Chief – V.S. Ramadevi

25th Chief – Rajiv Kumar

Commissioner – Anup Chandra Pandey & Arun Goel

Tenure – 6/65yrs

Recent Appointment 

• Chairman of National Pension System Trust – Suraj Bhan
• Chairman of ONGC – Arun Kumar Singh
• Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) – Dr. V G Somani (reappointment three months).
• Full-time member of NITI Aayog – Arvind Virmani
• Director of Public Policy for all Meta brands in India – Shivnath Thukral

Exp. ISRO successfully launched first ever private Rocket from Sriharikota

India’s first-ever private titled ‘Vikram-S’ Suborbital rocket has been launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.

This rocket reached an altitude of 89.5 km with three payloads weighing 83 kilograms.

The rocket safely splashed in the waters of the Bay of Bengal at around 115 km after the lift-off from Sriharikota.

It is built by Skyroot Aerospace.

The mission under which this rocket has been launched is named ‘Prarambh’, which literally means ‘beginning’.

About Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)

Founded – 15 August 1969

Headquarters – Bangalore, Karnataka

Founder / 1st Chairman – Vikram Sarabhai

10th Chairman – S Somanath

Aryabhata India’s first satellites Launched on 19 April 1975

Exp. A book titled ‘The World: A Family History’ authored by Simon Sebag

British Historian Simon Sebag Montefiore has released a new book titled ‘The World: A Family History’.

The book will be published by Hachette India.

In ‘The World: A Family History’, Montefiore he tells how humanity evolved by the stories of different and famous families.

Through this book, the author takes the readers on an epic journey through the families that have shaped the world, including the Caesars, Medicis, Incas, Ottomans, Mughals, and Bonapartes.

Recent Books

• Nuclearization of Asia – French author Rene Naba
• Pandemic Disruptions and Odisha’s Lessons in Governance – Rajya Sabha MP Amar Patnaik (Released – Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik)
• The Last Heroes –  P Sainath
• Lata: Sur-Gatha (English) – Ira Pande
• Lata: A Life in Music (Hindi) – Yatindra Mishra

Exp. 19 November – World Toilet Day

World Toilet Day is marked on November 19 every year by the United Nations General Assembly.

The day is celebrated by a partnership between UN-Water and governments around the world to raise awareness about sanitation issues.

Theme 2022 – Making the invisible visible

The United Nations aims to explore how poor sanitation systems spread human waste into rivers, lakes and soil, polluting underground water resources.

Exp. 19 November – International Men’s Day

International Men’s Day is observed every year on 19 November.

Objective – To recognize and encourage positive male role models, who are not just celebrities, but common working-class men living a decent life.

This day is to celebrate the contributions of men to their society, community, family, marriage, child care and environment as well.

Theme 2022 – Helping Men and Boys

Exp. 20 November – World Children’s Day

World Children’s Day is observed every year on 20 November.

Objective – To promote awareness of the children all around the world who have been victims of abuse, exploitation, and discrimination.

On December 14, 1954, the UN General Assembly requested that all nations observe World Children’s Day as a day of international amity and understanding between children.

Children’s Day is marked on many dates around the world, such as December 23 in South Sudan, July 3 in Cuba, and November 14 in India.

About 153 million kids between the ages of 5 and 14 are currently being pushed into child labour and other types of exploitation, such as slavery, prostitution, and pornography. The Prohibition and Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labor were endorsed by the International Labor Organization in 1999.

Exp. Veteran Punjabi actress Daljeet Kaur Khangura passed away

Veteran Punjabi actress Daljeet Kaur passed away at age of 69.

Daljeet was one of the most popular actors in the Punjabi film industry through the 1970s and 1980s.

Kaur had appeared in several successful films, including Mamla Garbar Hai, Putt Jattan De, Patola, Ki Banu Duniya Da, and Saida Jogan.

She graduated from Lady Shri Ram College in Delhi and began her film career in 1976 with flim ‘Daaz.’