Today's Current Affairs -21st November 2022

INTERNATIONAL

FIFA World Cup 2022: VP Jagdeep Dhankhar arrives in Qatar's Doha to attend the opening ceremony

• Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has joined the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and other dignitaries in the inauguration of FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Dhankhar is in Doha for a two-day visit to represent India at the inauguration of FIFA’s showpiece event. Besides attending the inaugural ceremony of the Football World Cup, the Vice President will also interact with members of the Indian community during the visit. The 60,000-capacity Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor will host the opening ceremony on 20 November 2022 just before the first match between host Qatar and Ecuador.
• Besides attending the inaugural ceremony of the Football World Cup, the Vice President will also interact with members of the Indian community during the visit. The Vice President’s visit would be an opportunity to join a close and friendly country Qatar as it hosts a major sporting event and also acknowledge the role played and support extended by Indians in this World Cup.

 NATIONAL

Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated Regional Research Institute of Unani Medicine in Silchar

• The first institute of Unani medicine in the Northeast region of India was inaugurated in Silchar town of Assam. The Unani medicine institute in Silchar of Assam was inaugurated by Union Ayush minister Sarbananda Sonowal.
• The new complex spreads over an area of 3.5 acres, built with an investment of Rs.48 crore. The National Projects Construction Corporation (NPCC) developed the complex, which is a Government of India enterprise. It was handed over to Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM), an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Ayush, Government of India.
• Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, and Ayush, Sarbananda Sonowal said, “Ayush system of medicine has reinvigorated its acceptability among people once again after the proven results have benefitted lakhs of people during the pandemic.”
• “Under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, there is a sincere effort to build a robust medical infrastructure that is modern, equipped and one that enables patients to heal and enhance their quality of life. The effectiveness of the Ayush system of medicine in enhancing the quality of life of people is a proven fact, which is why, we are working on a medical system, where the best of contemporary medicine can be supplemented with the traditional medicinal practices of Ayush,” he said.

 Pension of freedom fighters doubled in Maharashtra

• The Maharashtra Government has decided to double the pension of freedom fighters from ten thousand to twenty thousand rupees per month. Accordingly, freedom fighters associated with India’s freedom struggle, Marathwada Mukti Sangram and Goa Liberation Movement will benefit from this decision.
• This will benefit around 6,229 surviving patriots across Maharashtra who had taken part in India’s freedom struggle (1947), the Marathwada Liberation struggle (1948) and the Goa Liberation movement (1961). The largesse will entail an additional annual burden of Rs 74.75 crore on the state exchequer, for the pension scheme launched way back in 1965.
• It was intended to recognise the contributions of all those who took part in several of these historical and nationalistic movements in the past which finally led to the integration of the country.
• The state cabinet also cleared a proposal to allow Socially and Educationally Backward Classes candidates (Marathas) to avail jobs quota under the category of economically weaker sections (EWS), whose constitutional validity has been upheld by the Supreme Court. In this regard, the cabinet approved the recruitment process started after September 9, 2020, said a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).

 SPORTS

Max Verstappen wins 2022 F1 finale in Abu Dhabi

• Formula One (F1) world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull team won the season ending F1 Abu Dhabi race in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The battle for second place remained a major story with Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez entering the race tied at 290 points, but it was Leclerc who came out on top with a second-place finish on the Yas Marina Circuit.
• Max Verstappen was his record 15th title of the 2022 season. He also ended the 2022 season as the world F1 champion. He won his first F1 world championship title in 2021. He also holds the record for winning a maximum 15 races in a single season. He broke the previous record of 13 race victories in a season jointly held by seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher (2004 season) and four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel (2013 season).

 APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Retired IAS Arun Goel assumes charge as new Election Commissioner of India

• President Droupadi Murmu has appointed retired IAS Arun Goel as the Election Commissioner in the Election Commission with effect from the date he assumes the office. A Punjab cadre officer of the 1985 batch, Goel will join Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey in the poll panel. Till recently, Mr Goel was the heavy industries secretary and has also served in the Union Culture ministry. He was to retire on December 31, 2022, but his voluntary retirement came into effect on November 18.
• Former Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra had retired in May this year, handing charge to Rajiv Kumar. The poll panel has been a two-member body since and had to handle several crucial issues including the demands for disqualification of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren. The poll panel will have its full strength when it decides the election schedule for Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura and Karnataka in the coming months.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Television Day 2022: 21^st November

• World Television Day is observed on 21 November, every year. It is a day that recognizes the value and impact of television in our lives. We all know television plays a crucial role in society and in an individual’s life. It is our daily source of entertainment and information. All the entertainment and information that we receive from television helps us to stay updated about the world. To highlight the importance of television as something beyond an electronic tool, World Television Day is celebrated annually on November 21.
• The United Nations General Assembly declared November 21 to be World Television Day (through resolution 51/205 of December 17, 1996) in recognition of the growing influence television has on decision-making by drawing attention to conflicts and threats to peace and security as well as its potential role in sharpening the focus on other important issues, including economic and social problems.
• On 21 and 22 November 1996 the United Nations held the first World Television Forum, where leading media figures met under the auspices of the United Nations to discuss the growing significance of television in today’s changing world and to consider how they might enhance their mutual cooperation. That is why the General Assembly decided to proclaim 21 November as World Television Day.

 AWARDS & RECOGNITION

MoS for Education Subhash Sarkar confers National Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar 2021-22 in Akashwani Bhawan, New Delhi

• Thirty-nine schools from across the country have been awarded the Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar for the 2021-22 academic session. Minister of State for Education Dr Subhash Sarkar conferred National Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar 2021-22 in New-Delhi.
• The schools selected from among the total 8.23 lakh entries are 28 government and aided while 11 are private schools. A total of 39 schools have been selected for the national award including 34 in the overall category and five in sub-categories by the national selection committee. The schools will get an award money of Rs 60,000 each. Besides, every school will get a certificate of participation showing the category-wise scores and overall rating of the school.
• The Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar has been instituted by Ministry Of Education to recognize, inspire and celebrate excellence in sanitation and hygiene practice in schools. The purpose of the SVP is to honor schools that have undertaken significant steps towards fulfilling the mandate of the Swachh Vidyalaya Campaign.

 Urdu writer Khalid Jawed wins 2022 JCB Prize for Literature

• 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).

Chiranjeevi named the India Film Personality of the Year 2022 at IFFI

• At the opening ceremony of the 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi was honoured with the Indian Film Personality of the Year 2022 award. Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting Anurag Thakur announced that the Indian Film Personality of the Year award will be conferred upon megastar Chiranjeevi. In a career spanning nearly four decades, Chiranjeevi has acted in more than 150 films, primarily in the Telugu film industry.
• Chiranjeevi is a renowned Indian actor, film producer, philanthropist and politician who has predominantly worked in Telugu cinema. Actor Chiranjeevi has starred in over 150 films in his career. He has acted in Telegu, Tamil, and Hindi movies. His debut with Punadhirallu in 1978 set the screen for him.
• In 2006, he was honoured with the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian award, for his contributions to Indian cinema and was presented with an honorary doctorate from Andhra University.
• In his four decade film career, Chiranjeevi has won the Andhra Pradesh state’s highest film award, the Raghupathi Venkaiah Award, three Nandi Awards, and nine Filmfare Awards, Telugu.

RANKING

India climbs six places to 61st rank in network readiness index

• India has moved up by six slots to improve its position and rank 61st as per the Network Readiness Index 2022 (NRI 2022) report prepared by a US-based Portulans Institute, an independent non-profit research and educational institute. In a statement issued by the Telecom Ministry, it was stated that India’s overall score has improved to 51.19 in 2022 from 49.74 in 2021. The NRI 2022 report ranks a total of 131 economies that together account for about 95 per cent of the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
• According to the report, India ranked first in ‘AI talent concentration,’ second in ‘Mobile broadband internet traffic within the country,’ and third in ‘Annual investment in telecommunication services,’ fourth in ‘ICT Services exports,’ fifth in ‘FTTH/Building Internet subscriptions,’ and sixth in ‘AI scientific publications.’
• While India’s overall rank is 61st the country’s rank among lower-middle-income countries is 3rd. In each of the 4 pillars of the score, India’s score was higher than the average score in the group. On the other hand, India ranked 11th within the Asia and Pacific region.

 BOOKS & AUTHOR

Historian Simon Sebag Montefiore’s new book 'The World: A Family History' to release on November 21

• British Historian Simon Sebag Montefiore has released a new book titled ‘The World: A Family History’. In ‘The World: A Family History’, Montefiore he tells how humanity evolved by the stories of different and famus families. The two-part book, which will be published by Hachette India, will tell the story of humankind in “a ground-breaking, single narrative that will forever shift the boundaries of what history can achieve”.
• The begins with the story of a family some 9,50,000 years ago. In the coming pages, Montefiore takes the readers on an epic journey through the families that have shaped the world, including the Caesars, Medicis, Incas, Ottomans, Mughals, Bonapartes, Habsburgs, Zulus, Rothschilds, Rockefellers, Krupps and Churchills.