Important Current Affairs 14th November 2017

Important Current Affairs 14th November 2017

Current Affairs 14th November 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

President of India inaugurates 37th India International Trade Fair-2017 

The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, inaugurated the 37th India International Trade Fair (IITF) -2017, today (November 14, 2017) in New Delhi. 
●    Speaking on the occasion, the President said that IITF is more than just a trade fair or exhibition. 
●    Commencing every year on November 14, it is a showcase of India on the global stage.
●    It is also a symbol of India’s ancient and enduring commitment to international trade.
●    The President said that instinctively we have been an open society – free to trade winds and cultural exchanges. 
●    We have valued a liberal, rules-based international trading order. 
●    This is part of our DNA. And this is the legacy that modern India and IITF are building on.
●    The President said that this year’s IITF takes place at a point when India is recognised as one of the bright spots of the global economy. 
●    The world has acknowledged the changed business environment in India and the strides made in ease of doing business. 

Railway Minister gives directions for “comprehensive training programme” for all employees of Indian Railways to boost productivity & efficiency.

Under the direction of Minister of Railways & Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal, a comprehensive plan for imparting training to all employees of Indian Railways is being prepared with a view to upgrade skill & knowledge. 
●    This comprehensive training programme named as “Project Saksham” will help boost productivity and efficiency. 
●    Under this plan, all employees in each zone will be put through a week’s training in skills and knowledge relevant to their work area over next one year. 
●    A communication to this effect from Chairman Railway Board, Shri Ashwani Lohani, has been sent to all General Managers of zonal railways and railways production unit. 
●    General Managers have been advised that such priority training need should be quickly identified for each category of employees (employees can be grouped into their work areas) based on the needs of respective zone. 
●    Identification of training needs and formulation of planned training calendar will be required to be completed by December 31st, 2017, ensuring that each employee is imparted training. 

The Government of India launched today the BHARAT-22 Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) managed by ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund 

The Government of India launched today the BHARAT-22 Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) managed by ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund targeting an initial amount of about Rs.8,000 crore. 
●    This New Fund Offer is open till November 17, 2017. 
●    The Units of the Scheme will be allotted 25% to each category of investors. 
●    In this ETF, the Retirement Fund has been made separate category of Investors. 
●    In case of spill-over, additional portion will be allocated giving preference to retail and retirement funds. 
●    There is a 3% discount across the board. 
●    The strength of this ETF lies in the specially created Index S&P BSE BHARAT-22 INDEX. 
●    This Index is a unique blend of shares of key CPSEs,Public Sector Banks (PSBs) and also the Government owned shares in blue chip private companies like Larsen & Toubro (L&T), Axis Bank and ITC. 
●    The shares of the Government companies represent 6 core sectors of the economy - Finance, Industry, Energy, Utilities, Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) and Basic Materials. 

R.K. Singh launches the National Power Portal(NPP) – a Centralized Platform for Collation and Dissemination of Indian Power Sector Information 

Shri R.K. Singh, Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy, launched the National Power Portal (NPP)here today. 
●    NPP is a centralised system for Indian Power Sector which facilitates online data capture/ input (daily, monthly, annually) from generation, transmission and distribution utilities in the country and disseminate Power Sector Information (operational, capacity, demand, supply, consumption etc.) through various analysed reports, graphs, statistics for generation, transmission and distribution at all India, region, state level for central, state and private sector.
●    The NPP Dashboard has been designed and developed to disseminate analyzed information about the sector through GIS enabled navigation and visualization chart windows on capacity, generation, transmission, distribution at national, state, DISCOM, town, feeder level and scheme based funding to states. 
●    The system also facilitates various types of statutory reports required to be published regularly.
●    The Dashboard would also act as the single point interface for all Power Sector Apps launched previously by the Ministry, like TARANG, UJALA, VIDYUT PRAVAH, GARV, URJA, MERIT.

Rosogolla Belongs to Bengal, State Wins GI Tag Battle Against Odisha

It was a bitter battle that ended on a sweet note for Bengal. 
●    The Geographical Indications (GI) Registry on Tuesday announced that the ‘Rosogolla’, synonymous with the Bengali identity, originated in West Bengal and not Odisha.
●    The GI announcement came months after the Odisha government formed a panel to formally lay claims on ‘Rosogolla’, which has traditionally been identified with anything Bengali. 
●    West Bengal and Odisha have been engaged in a bitter legal battle over the origin of the syrupy Rosogolla since June 2015.
●    Speaking to News18 from Chennai, Assistant Registrar of Trademarks and GI, Chinnaraja G Naidu said, “Yes, today Bengal got the GI patent for Rosogolla. 
●    After a thorough study, we found that the juicy sweet ‘Rasgulla’ indeed originated from Bengal and not Odisha.”
●    The battle over Rosogolla turned even worse when Odisha’s Science and Technology Minister Pradip Kumar Panigrahi set up several committees in 2015 to trace the origin of 'Rosogolla'. 

Indian Guy Has Declared Himself The Ruler Of A Country 

An Indian man claims to have established his own kingdom after travelling to a no-man's land between Egypt and Sudan and declaring it his own.
●    Suyash Dixit 'founded' the Kingdom of Dixit on the unclaimed land of Bir Tawil, an 800-square-mile strip of land south of the Egyptian border.
●    While Bir Tawil is legally unclaimed territory, several people have attempted to colonise it over the years, including a Russian amateur radio enthusiast and an American man who wanted to make his daughter a real-life princess.
●    King of the desert: Suyash Dixit claims to have 'founded' his own kingdom on the unclaimed land of Bir Tawil, an 800-square-mile strip south of the Egyptian border.
●    Bir Tawil, meaning 'deep well' in Arabic, is situated south of the border between Egypt and Sudan, but neither country wants to lay claim to it. 
●    The discrepancy has meant Bir Tawil has stayed as a de facto 'no man's land' for more than 100 years.
●    Mr Dixit travelled from his hometown of Indore, India, to Bir Tawil to declare himself the 'first king of Dixit'.  

Current Affairs 14th November 2017: GLOBAL NEWS

Curtain Raiser Event held for the Founding Ceremony of International Solar Alliance in Bonn, Germany 

A Curtain Raiser Event for the Founding Ceremony of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) was held at Bonn, Germany yesterday.
●    Speaking at the event, Shri Anand Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India hoped that, in the spirit of affirmative action, developed countries will earmark a percentage of Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) towards solar energy projects in developing countries. 
●    He suggested that Multilateral Development Banks and other financial institutions provide wholehearted support for solar projects through low cost finance, and research & technology institutions worldwide try their utmost to bring the cost of solar power and storage within the reach of all. 
●    Shri Kumar also invited corporates and other institutions to support solar energy development and deployment in every possible manner.
●    Recalling that the ISA initiative is the vision of Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, Shri Kumar reaffirmed Indian Government’s continued support for the ISA. 

Current Affairs 14th November 2017: AWARDS

Thaawarchand Gehlot presents Awards to winners of ‘Drawing and Painting Competition on Accessible India Campaign' 

On the occasion of Children’s Day, Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot, Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment presented the Awards to the winners of ‘Drawing and Painting Competition on Accessible India Campaign’ at a felicitation event organised by Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) under M/o Social Justice and Empowerment at Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra, New Delhi today. 
●    Ministers of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Shri Ramdas Athawale and Shri Krishan Pal Gurjar were also present on this occasion.
●    Addressing on the occasion, Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot said that his ministry is fully committed to the welfare of Divyangjans and several new schemes and programmes have been initiated during past three years. 
●    He said that the categories of Divyangjans have been increased from Seven to Twenty One to cover more Divyangjans. 
●    He congratulated all award winners of the painting competition and also applauded the efforts of DEPwD for organizing such a useful competition.
●    Total 58 winners of this competition were awarded cash prize and certificates in a colourful ceremony.