Important Current Affairs 9th November 2021

INTERNATIONAL

UK unveils commemorative Mahatma Gandhi coin to mark Diwali

•The Government of the United Kingdom (UK) has unveiled a £5 coin to commemorate the life and legacy of Mahatma Gandhi. It is the first time Mahatma Gandhi has been commemorated on an official UK coin. The coin is available in a range of standards, including gold and silver, The special collectors’ coin was designed by Heena Glover.

•Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the UK, chose the final design for the coin. The coin features an image of a lotus, India’s national flower, alongside one of Gandhi’s most famous quotes – ‘My life is my message’.

Guangmu: China launches earth science satellite

•China has launched the world’s first Earth-science satellite, Guangmu or SDGSAT-1 into space from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in the northern Shanxi Province. The satellite was launched by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and developed by the International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals (CBAS).

•Guangmu was launched by a Long March-6 carrier rocket which is the 395th flight mission. SDGSAT-1 is the first satellite customized according to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which was adopted in 2015 with 17 SDGs for peace and prosperity.

NATIONAL

PM dedicates various National Highway and Road projects to the nation

•Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone and dedicated various National Highway and Road projects to the nation in the temple town of Pandharpur in Maharashtra, through video conference. These initiatives are aimed at improving connectivity in the region to facilitate the hassle-free and safe movement of devotees.

•PM laid the foundation stone for four laning of five sections of Sreesanth Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi Marg (NH-965) and four laning of three sections of Sant Tukaram Maharaj Palkhi Marg (NH-965G).

•The Sreesanth Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi Marg will be completed in five phases at estimated costs of more than Rs. 6690 crore while Sant Tukaram Maharaj Palkhi Marg will be completed in three phases at estimated costs of about Rs. 4400 crore.

Tripura develops country's 'first-ever' bamboo made cricket bat

•Bamboo and Cane Development Institute (BCDI) of Tripura along with the North East Centre of Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR) claimed to have developed the country’s first-ever bamboo made cricket bat maintaining all the standard protocols used for manufacturing cricket bats. These bats could be used in all forms of cricket. The most preferred wood for the production of cricket bats is willow. The company’s CEO recently gave Biplab Kumar Deb a demonstration of the product.

•For the development of the bats, the hard Boom (local name) bamboo has been utilized. “Kanakaich (a local kind of bamboo)” has also been used to build bamboo wickets, which are almost completely solid.

Third Goa Maritime Conclave to begin on Sunday

•The third edition of Goa Maritime Conclave (GMC) 2021 has been organised by the Indian Navy from November 07 to 09, 2021 at Naval War College, Goa. Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh would chair the conclave. The theme for 2021 GMC is “Maritime Security and Emerging Non-Traditional Threats: A Case for Proactive Role for IOR Navies”.

•Chiefs of Navies/ Heads of Maritime Forces from 12 Indian Ocean Region (IOR) countries are participating in the conclave, which includes Bangladesh, Comoros, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Myanmar, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand. The conclave provides a platform to discuss non-traditional threats in the Indian Ocean Region and other issues.

IMPORTANT DAYS

National Legal Services Day 2021: 09th November

•In India, 09 November is celebrated as “National Legal Services Day” every year by all Legal Services Authorities, to commemorate the enactment of the Legal Services Authorities Act 1987. The Day is celebrated to make people aware of the various provisions under the Legal Services Authorities Act and the right of the litigants.

•On 11 October 1987, the Legal Services Authorities Act 1987 was enacted, while the act took effect on 9 November 1995. The National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) was constituted under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 on 5 December 1995, to provide free Legal Services to the weaker sections of the society and to organize Lok Adalats for amicable settlement of disputes.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Mountaineer Priyanka Mohite to get Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award 2020'

•Maharashtra-based, 28-year old mountaineer Priyanka Mohite was selected by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports for the prestigious ‘Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award 2020’ for outstanding contribution in the field of land adventure. She scaled the world’s highest peak Mt Everest, Mt Lhotse and Mt.Makalu. She is the 1st Indian woman to climb Mt Annapurna, the 10th highest mountain peak in the world.

•Priyanka is one among the 7-recipients of the ‘2020 Tenzing Norgay National Award’ & will receive the award from President Ram Nath Kovind in during the 2021 National Sports Award.

BOOKS & AUTHOR

Book “An Economist at Home and Abroad: A Personal Journey” by Shankar Acharya

•Noted Economist and former Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India, Dr Shankar Acharya has authored a new book titled “An Economist at Home and Abroad: A Personal Journey”. The book features the professional and personal life of the most accomplished policy economist Dr Shankar Acharya.

Book “The Cinema of Satyajit Ray” authored by Bhaskar Chattopadhyay

•A new book titled ‘The Cinema of Satyajit Ray’ written by the author Bhaskar Chattopadhyay and published by Westland details the life of legendary Indian Filmmaker – ‘Satyajit Ray’. Bhaskar Chattopadhyay also authored novels like “Patang” (2016), “Here Falls the Shadow” (2017), and “The Disappearance of Sally Sequeira” (2018).

Book ‘Not Just Cricket: A Reporters Journey’ by Pradeep Magazine

•A book titled ‘’Not just cricket: A Reporters Journey’’ authored by Pradeep Magazine is going to be released in Dec 2021. It consists of life experiences, social, political, ups and downs of Indian cricket by the journalist Pradeep Magazine. He is the author of the book “Not quite cricket” which exposed the match-fixing scandal.

•Pradeep Magazine is a cricket writer, columnist and former sports editor of The Pioneer, the India Today e-paper and Hindustan Times. He began his journalistic career in 1979 with the Chandigarh edition of The Indian Express and was its cricket editor in 1999-2000. Widely travelled, Magazine has covered international cricket in every Test-playing nation; he is the author of the book Not Quite Cricket that exposed the match-fixing scandal much before it surfaced in 2000.