NATIONAL NEWS

Hamara Shauchalay: Hamara Samman”Campaign Launched

The Government of India has launched a three-week campaign, “Hamara Shauchalay: Hamara Samman,” on the occasion of World Toilet Day on 19 November 2024.

The campaign will end on 10 December 2024, on the occasion of Human Rights Day.

The end of the campaign on Human Rights Day symbolises the powerful link between sanitation, human rights, and an individual's dignity.

The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, has launched the three-week Hamara Shauchalay: Hamara Samman.

The responsibility for implementing the Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen component of the Swachh Bharat Mission lies with the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Union Ministry of Jal Shakti.

The campaign will affirm the country’s commitment to behavioural change regarding sanitation.

It focuses on total Sampoorn Swachhata—sustaining the ODF status, managing solid and liquid waste by 2024-25, and transforming all the villages from ODF to ODF Plus Model.

The campaign will focus on empowering vulnerable groups, especially women and girls, and will involve all stakeholders from village panchayat to State levels.

Integrated QR-Ticketing System for Namo Bharat and Delhi Metro Launched

The NCRTC (National Capital Region Transport Corporation) and DMRC (Delhi Metro Rail Corporation) have introduced a unified QR-ticketing system, enabling seamless travel across Namo Bharat and Delhi Metro services via their respective mobile apps.

This initiative simplifies commutes in Delhi-NCR, boosts public transport adoption, and aligns with the Government’s “One India – One Ticket” vision, emphasizing sustainability and convenience.

It ensures smooth transitions between regional transit (RRTS) and intra-city modes (Metro).

It also reduces time, effort, and the need for multiple ticketing systems.

Tamil Nadu Proposes ‘Income Distance’ Criteria for Devolution

The Tamil Nadu government has asked the 16th Finance Commission to adopt a different method of measuring per capita income, from nominal to purchase power parity, while calculating the biggest criterion for devolution of funds between the Centre and the State, namely, ‘income distance’.

Income distance measures how far a state's per capita income is from the state with the highest per capita income.

States with a greater income gap receive more funds.

Tamil Nadu requests a 50:50 split of tax pool between the Centre and State, an increase from the 41:59 split recommended by the 15th Finance Commission.

Tamil Nadu proposes the introduction of a new criterion — contribution to the national GDP for a fair distribution of taxes.

Tamil Nadu suggests reducing the weight for income distance from 45% to 35%.

Tamil Nadu requests the Commission to use the 1971 Census as the base, rather than the 2011 Census used by the 15th Finance Commission.

It also wants the population weight raised from 15% to 20%.

This proposal is the first time a state has suggested such a change in the devolution methodology to the Finance Commission.

 

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Space X Falcon 9 Rocket Successfully Launched GSAT-20 Satellite of NSIL

American billionaire Elon Musk's company, Space X, successfully launched the New Space India Limited (NSIL) GSAT-20, also known as the GSAT-N2 satellite

In January 2024, the New Space India Limited (NSIL) entered into an agreement with Space X to launch the GSAT-20 satellite.

The government of India set up NSIL in 2019 as the marketing arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO), India's premier space agency.

The GSAT-20 satellite was built by ISRO on demand from NSIL, but it is owned and operated by NSIL.

The Falcon 9 is a two-stage reusable rocket from Space X. It is the world’s first orbital-class reusable rocket that can carry humans and satellites into Earth orbit.

The GSAT-20 satellite, also known as GSAT-N2, weighs 4,700 kg.

It is a high throughput (HTS) communication satellite with a capacity of 48 Gbps.

The satellite has 32 Spot beams. It will cover even the remotest part of mainland India and the Andaman, Nicobar, and Lakshadweep islands.

The satellite will provide cellular and internet connectivity in the remotest part of the country.

The lifespan of the satellite is 14 years.

 

BANKING

Reserve Bank of India to Launch Cloud Services in 2025

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) plans to launch a pilot programme for cloud services in 2025 to offer local cloud data storage for financial firms at affordable rates.

The initiative will challenge global cloud giants like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and IBM Cloud in India’s growing cloud services market.

India’s cloud services market was valued at $8.3 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow to 24$.2 billion by 2028.

Currently, the market is dominated by foreign firms.

The service aims to cater to smaller banking and financial services firms unable to afford existing cloud solutions.

The project is spearheaded by the RBI's research wing, Indian Financial Technology and Allied Services (IFTAS).

The project aligns with the RBI’s push for localisation of financial data and payments infrastructure.

RBI will collaborate with local Indian IT firms experienced in building cloud solutions.

Only Indian-incorporated companies or consortia are eligible to bid for the project.

Data centres for the project will be established in Mumbai and Hyderabad.

State Bank of India To Open 300-400 Branches Annually In The Medium Term

The State Bank of India (SBI) plans to open 300-400 branches annually in the medium term.

The bank aims to increase financial service penetration in India by setting up branches in residential colonies and underserved areas.

SBI conducted an extensive micro-market survey to identify areas lacking financial services, leading to the target of 500 new branches.

SBI may relocate branches that are not performing well to more strategic locations, ensuring access to financial services, particularly in rural and semi-urban areas.

As of September 2024, SBI has 22,640 branches, an increase from 15,870 branches in March 2014.

 

DEFENCE

Indian Army’s Annual HADR Exercise Sanyukt Vimochan 2024 Concludes

The Indian Army has successfully concluded its annual Joint Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) exercise, Sanyukt Vimochan 2024, with friendly foreign countries.

The two-day exercise, held on 18 and 19 November 2024, was focussed on Gujarat and was held at Ahmedabad and the Chowpatty beach of Porbandar.

The Indian Army’s Southern Command’s Konark Corps organised the 2024 Sanyukt Vimochan exercise.

The 2024 Sanyukt Vimochan Exercise theme was “Cyclone in the Coastal Region of Gujarat”.

The aim of the exercise is to improve synergy between all stakeholders responsible for Disaster Management in the event of a cyclone disaster in the region.

It also identifies the gaps in interagency integration and cooperation and finds a solution.

Nine friendly foreign countries -the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam attended the 2024 Sanyukt Vimochan exercise.

 

AWARDS & PRIZES

Chhattisgarh’s Dhudmaras Village Chosen by United Nations World Tourism Organisation

Dhudmaras, a village in Chhattisgarh's Bastar district, was selected for the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Best Tourism Village Upgrade programme, emphasizing sustainable tourism development.

Out of the UNWTO initiative, 55 villages worldwide were recognized as Best Tourism Villages in 2024.

An additional 20 villages, including Dhudmaras, were chosen for the Upgrade Programme.

Villages in the Upgrade Programme will receive support to Enhance tourism infrastructure, Promote cultural heritage and Improve the quality of life for residents

 

SPORTS

Women’s Asian Champions Trophy

The defending champion Indian women's hockey team defeated the 2024 Paris Olympic silver medalist China to win the 8th Women’s Asian Champions Trophy 2024.

With this win, India has equalled South Korea's record of winning the Trophy three times. India has previously won the title in 2016 and 2023.

The final of the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy 2024 was played at the Rajgir Hockey Stadium in Bihar on November 20, 2024.

The 8th Women’s Asian Champions Trophy 2024 was organised by the Asian Hockey Federation and hosted by Hockey India and the Bihar government from 11-20 November 2024.

The only goal in the final match was scored by the Indian player Deepika, which turned out to be the match-winning goal.

The Women's Asian Champions Trophy is played using the same format as the Men’s Asian Champions Trophy. The top six ranked Asian women's hockey teams participate in the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy Hockey Tournament.

This year, teams from India, Japan, China, Thailand, Malaysia, and South Korea participated in the tournament.

 

IMPORTANT DAYS

Universal Children’s Day

Universal Children’s Day 2024 is observed on the 20th of November 2024.

Children’s Day was first officially declared a national holiday by the Republic of Turkey in 1920 on April 2

Children’s Day has been celebrated nationally since 1920 by the Turkish government and is declared as the day for children.

However, it was decided that an official confirmation was needed to clarify and justify this celebration, and the official declaration was made nationally in 1929 by the founder and the President of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

Though Universal Children’s Day was established by the United Nations in 1954, it wasn’t until November 20, 1959, that the UN General Assembly adopted an extended form of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child.

Originally acquired in 1924 by the League of Nations, the UN adopted this document as its own statement of children’s rights.