Today's Current Affairs -20th November 2022

NATIONAL

Govt has decided to set up 100 archery academies to promote talent amongst tribal children by nurturing their archery skills: Arjun Munda

• Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda has said the government has decided to set up 100 archery academies in the country to promote talent amongst tribal children by nurturing their archery skills.
• Munda said, his Ministry is continuously working for enhancing educational and health facilities and also focusing on generating employment in the tribal areas. He informed that the government is setting up Eklavya Model Residential School and implementing ‘Pradhan Mantri Adi Adarsh Gram Yojna which aims at mitigating gaps and providing basic infrastructure in villages with significant tribal population.
• Trailblazers in any field are a sought after lot as they pave the way for others to follow. And even if the next generation or even those contemporaries who chose to follow on their footsteps go on to achieve far more than these pioneers, their importance cannot be understated.
• Limba Ram was synonymous with Indian archery for those growing up following Olympic sports disciplines in the 90s. And it was the intrigue surrounding the rise of an athlete from the tribal belt of Rajasthan that caught the attention of the entire country.

Indian Army registers exclusivity for 'Combat uniform'

• Indian Army registered for Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) of the new design and camouflage pattern uniform to establish the ownership. The Controller General of Patents, Designs, and Trademark, Kolkata completed the registration process.
• The new Digital Pattern Combat Uniform for Indian Army soldiers was unveiled on 15 January 2022 which was also Army Day.
• The improved uniform has a contemporary look and functional design. The fabric has been made lighter, stronger, breathable, quick-drying, and easier to maintain.
• The uniform’s uniqueness is evident with the inclusion of gender-specific modifications for women’s combat uniforms.
• The Defence Ministry has informed that the exclusive ‘Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)’ of the Design and Camouflage Pattern rests solely with the Indian Army, and therefore manufacturing by any vendor who is not authorized to do so will be illegal and is liable to face legal repercussions.

 SPORTS

FIFA World Cup 2022 kicks off in Qatar

• The 22nd FIFA men’s world cup was formally declared open at a colourful ceremony held at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar on 20 November. It is for the first time that an Arab country is hosting the football tournament. 32 teams will play for the most coveted prize in international football, with the final scheduled to take place on December 18 at the Lusail stadium, the biggest one among the eight stadiums being used to host the World Cup. On December 18, 2022, Qatar’s National Day, the opening game takes place at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor between Qatar and Ecuador.
• The 22nd FIFA men’s world cup will be held in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022.
• It is the first time that an Arab country will host the tournament.A total of 32 teams will participate in the world cup. La’eeb is the official mascot of the Cup. It is inspired by the keffiyeh, a traditional headdress worn by Arab men.

 APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

T20 World Cup fallout: BCCI sacks 4-member selection committee led by Chetan Sharma

• The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has dissolved the four-member National Selection Committee headed by Chetan Sharma after India team’s uninspired performance in T20 World Cup. Apart from chief selector Chetan Sharma, other members of the selection committee were Sunil Joshi, Harvinder Singh and Debashish Mohanty.
• The BCCI invited fresh applications for the position of National Selectors for the senior men’s team and deadline to submit the applications is 28th November. A release by cricket’s apex governing body in the country mentioned the criteria for those who wish to apply for the positions.
• A release by cricket’s apex governing body in the country mentioned the criteria for those who wish to apply for the positions. “Should have played a minimum of 7 Test matches or 30 First Class matches, or 10 ODI and 20 First Class matches,” read the official BCCI statement. “Should have retired from the game at least 5 years ago and no person who has been a member of any Cricket Committee (as defined in the rules and regulations of BCCI) for a total of 5 years shall be eligible to be a member of the Men’s Selection Committee,” the release added.

 IMPORTANT DAYS

World Children’s Day 2022: 20^th November

• World Children’s Day is celebrated on November 20 annually. The day aims to promote international togetherness and awareness among children as well as to improve their welfare. November 20 marks the anniversary of the UN General Assembly adopted a Declaration and Convention on children’s rights. This year, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) wants to remind world leaders to “fulfil the promise of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child”.
• The theme for International children’s day is, “Inclusion, for every child”. This theme means that every child belonging to any society, community or nationality is entitled to equal rights.
• The United Nations (UN) says, “World Children’s Day offers each of us an inspirational entry-point to advocate, promote and celebrate children’s rights, translating into dialogues and actions that will build a better world for children.”

 SUMMIT'S & MOU's

India launches official website of SCO for 2023-“For a SECURE SCO”

• India has launched the official website of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) as it will host the next SCO summit as a chairman of organisation in 2023. The website highlights the events that will be undertaken under the chairmanship of India next year.
• The theme of the event is “For a SECURE SCO”. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had floated the concept of SECURE at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in China in 2018. Explaining the SECURE concept, the Prime Minister said ‘S’ for security for citizens, ‘E’ for economic development, ‘C’ for connectivity in the region, ‘U’ for unity, ‘R’ for respect of sovereignty and integrity, and ‘E for environment protection.
• India received the SCO rotating presidency in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. India will hold the presidency of the grouping for a year until September 2023.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin extended his good wishes to India for hosting the 23rd edition of the summit next year. Apart from Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping also congratulated India on assuming the presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) for 2023. “We will support India for its presidency next year,” Jinping stated at SCO Summit in Uzbekistan. Notably, India will take over the rotating annual chairmanship of the SCO, which is now held by Uzbekistan.

 AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Dalai Lama receives Gandhi Mandela Award

• The 14th Dalai Lama was conferred the Gandhi Mandela Award 2022 at Thekchen Choeling in Dharamshala’s McleodGanj by Himachal Pradesh governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar. The Tibetan spiritual leader, receiving the peace prize from the New Delhi-based Gandhi Mandela Foundation. The event was attended by former Chief Justice of India Justice KG Balakrishnan and former Supreme Court Justice Gyan Sudha Misra.
• This time, the awardee, Dalai Lama, was selected by a jury including former Chief Justice of India KG Balakrishnan and Justice Dipak Misra, former Supreme Court Judge Gyan Sudha Misra, former Chief Justice of Nepal Justice Kedarnath Upadhyay and former Chief Justice of Bangladesh Justice MD Tafazzul Islam.
• The award is given to personalities who have carried forward the legacies of Gandhi and Mandela by making significant contributions in the fields of Peace, Social Welfare, Culture, Environment, Education, Healthcare, Sports and Innovation.

Khalid Jawed’s 'The Paradise of Food' wins the JCB Prize for Literature 2022

• Author Khalid Jawed’s “The Paradise of Food”, translated by Baran Farooqi from Urdu, won the fifth JCB Prize for Literature. The book, originally published as “Ne’mat Khana” in 2014, is the fourth translation to win the award and the first work in Urdu. “The Paradise of Food” tells the story of a middle-class joint Muslim family over a span of fifty years where the narrator struggles to find a place for himself, at odds in his home and the world outside.
• Jawed received the prize money of Rs 25 lakh along with a trophy, a sculpture by Delhi artist duo Thukral and Tagra, “Mirror Melting”. Baran Farooqi also received an additional Rs 10 lakh for the award. The winner was selected by a panel of five judges, consisting of journalist and editor AS Panneerselvan, author Amitabha Bagchi, author-academician Rakhee Balaram, translator-historian J Devika and author Janice Pariat.
• A shortlist like none other in the award’s history, which only included translation, also featured International Booker-winning novel “Tomb of Sand” by Geetanjali Shree (translated from the Hindi by Daisy Rockwell) and “Imaan””by Manoranjan Byapari (translated from the Bengali by Arunava Sinha).

 RANKING

Jal Jeevan Mission rankings: Several Uttar Pradesh districts excel, Shahjahanpur on top

• Shahjahanpur has become number one in the country in giving maximum number of tap connections in a month. Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, Shahjahanpur has created history in providing tap connections to every household in rural areas.
• According to the data given on the website of Jal Jeevan Mission, Bulandshahr, Bareilly, Mirzapur have also got a place in this survey. This achievement is being considered as a big leap in the matter of rural drinking water supply. In this survey, districts are selected across the country on the basis of the progress of the scheme.
• The names of Shahjahanpur, Bulandshahr and Bareilly have been registered among the best performing districts of UP in October. In the ranking of districts, Shahjahanpur topped the best performing category by scoring 689990 marks. Bulandshahr is second by scoring 657180 marks and Bareilly is third in this category by scoring 619114 marks.
• In Jal Jeevan Survekshan-2023, districts across the country are selected in 5 categories. In four categories, the districts with 100 percent tap connections in a month as front runners, the districts with 75 to 100 percent tap connections as high achievers, the achievers category, the districts providing 50 to 75 percent tap connections as performers. And districts with 0 to 25 percent tap water are included in the aspirant category.

 BANKING AND ECONOMY

Goldman Sachs sees India’s growth slowing next year, cuts GDP forecast

• Goldman Sachs Group Inc. sees India’s economic growth slowing next year, citing a hit to consumer demand from higher borrowing costs and fading benefits from pandemic reopening, while lowering its growth forecast. Gross domestic product (GDP) may expand by 5.9% in calendar year 2023 from an estimated 6.9% this year.
• “Growth will likely be a tale of two halves, with a slower first half as the reopening boost fades, and monetary tightening weighs on domestic demand. In the second half, growth is likely to re-accelerate as global growth recovers, drag from net exports diminishes, and investment cycle picks up”.
• India’s export growth fell sharply in October. It contracted 16.7% annually from 4.8% growth. September. This indicates a decrease in global demand.
• India’s exports saw a contraction for the first time in the post-pandemic phase and the last time exports contracted was back in February 2021. “We expect weakening exports to have important implications for India’s growth. The consistent slowdown across months in core import growth and weak industrial output data suggest that domestic growth momentum peaked in Q2”.