Source: Cick Here

• On 30th November 2018, Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare was observed all over the world.


• The United Nations observes the Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare on 30th November each year.


• This day offers an opportunity to pay tribute to the victims of chemical warfare, and to reaffirm the commitment of Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to eliminate the threat of chemical weapons.


• This day also promotes the goals of peace, security, and multilateralism.

Source: Cick Here

• On 27th November 2018, the 3rd ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) India Business Summit was organised by the ASEAN India Business Council (AIBC) Malaysian Chapter in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.


• The Summit consisted of 3 events: ASEAN India Business Conference, ASEAN India Business Excellence Awards and Gala Dinner.


• It was organized under the guidance of Ministry of International Trade and Industries.


• The award ceremony was presided by the Malaysian Minister of International Trade and Industry YB Datuk Ignatius Darell Leiking.


• ASEAN – India Business Summit honours businessmen from the ASEAN and Indian Business community with special achievement awards.


• Spice Garden group of restaurants owner Pardeep Batra was awarded the special ASEAN – India Achievement award for the businessman of year.

Source: Cick Here

• The European Union sets a goal to become the first major economy to be ‘Climate Neural’ by 2050 after that the emissions of green house gases needs to be offset by planting trees or burying the gases underground. As per European Union, this target can be achieved by using Solar and Wind Energy for electricity generation.


• Climate Neutrality means the emissions are to be balanced by methods of removing warming gases from the atmosphere by planting new forests or through carbon capturing technologies.

Source: Cick Here

• Air forces of the United States and India will take part in a 12-day joint exercise ‘Cope India 2019’ (CI19) at two air force stations in West Bengal from December 3 to 14, 2018.


• The exercise will be held at Air Station Kalaikunda and Air Station Arjan Singh (Panagarh) in West Bengal.


• This exercise is conducted after a gap of 8 years. The previous edition of this exercise was held in 2010.


• This is a bilateral US Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) sponsored Field Training Exercise (FTX).


• This will focus on US-Indian mutual cooperation and building on existing capabilities, aircrew tactics and force employment.


• Around 200 US Airmen with 15 aircraft from the 18th Wing, Kadena Air Base, Japan and 182nd Airlift Wing, Illinois Air National Guard will participate on behalf of United States.

Source: Cick Here

• On 29th November 2018, India-Mozambique Joint Commission on Economic, Cultural, Scientific and Technical Cooperation held its 4th session in Jawaharlal Nehru Bhavan, New Delhi.


• The meeting was chaired by the External Affairs Minister of India, Sushma Swaraj, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs & Cooperation of the Republic of Mozambique, Mr. Jose Condungua Antonio Pacheco.


• Bilateral relations between the two countries were reviewed. In 2017, India was the largest destination for Mozambican exports, which accounted for 35% of its total export revenue.


• Tica-Buzi Highway funded by Indian credit-line of about 150 million US Dollars was implemented recently in Mozambique.


• National Archives of India and National Documentation and Information Center of Mozambique, signed a MoU to improve cooperation in the field of archival management.


• Agreed Minutes of the meeting was signed by both the Ministers.

Source: Cick Here

• On 28th November 2018, India and China signed a protocol on hygiene and inspection requirements for the exports.


• The protocol was signed in New Delhi, during the visit of Chinese Vice Minister, General Administration of Customs of China Hu Wei, who led a 6-member delegation to India.


• This move will help India to start export of fish meal and fish oil to China. So far, China had not allowed these exports by India. It had earlier allowed import of rice from India.


• China imports fish oil worth USD 143.29 million per year and fish meal worth USD 263.43 million per year.


• Hu Wei met India’s Commerce Secretary Anup Wadhawan. They discussed issues of market access for products like milk and milk products, agricultural goods like soy meal, fruits and vegetables, tobacco and pharmaceuticals.

• On 29th November 2018, the first ever India Indonesia Business forum (IIBF) was held at Port Blair in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.


• The forum was held as part of policies of Delhi and Jakarta to extend their strategic partnership in the Indo-Pacific Region including Indian Ocean Region.


• It aimed to improve the commercial and people to people linkages between Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India with Aceh and North Sumatera Province of Indonesia.


• A 30-member delegation comprising members of Chamber of Commerce of Aceh, state and local enterprises, shipping and logistics companies, academics, media and officials of Foreign Ministries of India and Indonesia participated.


• Members of Andaman Chamber of Commerce and officials of Andaman and Nicobar Administration also participated.


• This edition of IIBF is a part of continuing engagements between Aceh and Andaman, that started in July 2018, when the 1st Business Forum was held in Aceh.

Source: Cick Here

• The National Festival for Children of Child Care Institutions (CCIs) – “Hausla 2018” of the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) was held at Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. It was a 4 day event, from 26 to 29th November 2018.


• Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi, Union Minister for Ministry of Women and Child Development and Ms. Mary Kom, Indian Olympic Boxer & Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) addressed the opening ceremony.


• The festival witnessed participation of more than 600 Children drawn from CCIs from 16 states in the various events like painting competition,debate, athletics meet, football, chess competition Safe Neighbourhood Project making activity and speech writing as part of the Festival.


• The theme for the event was “Child Safety”.


• The Childline India Foundation (CIF) and National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD) will be assisting the Ministry in organizing the events.


• The concluding ceremony was organized on 29th November (evening) at Siri Fort Auditorium, New Delhi in which a cultural programme by the children of CCIs, presentation of Best State Team Award based on performance during Hausla 2018 and Prize distribution to all winners of each individual category was held.

Source: Cick Here

• On 29th and 30th November 2018, the Indian Owl Festival, India’s first owl fest, was held at Pingori village in Purandar taluka of Pune, Maharashtra.


• The festival was organised by Ela Foundation. It created awareness on owl conservation and feature art forms like pictures, paintings, lanterns, lamp shades, posters, origami, stitched articles, poems and stories on owls.


• The festival featured skits and short films on owls. Out of the 262 species of owls that are found in the world, 75 are threatened.


• As per a report of Traffic India, a wildlife trade monitoring body, and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in 2010, owls were found to be consumed and traded for black magic, street performances, taxidermy, private aviaries/zoos, food, folk medicines, etc.


• They are protected under the Wildlife (Protection) Act of India.

Source: Cick Here

• On 29th November 2018, Maharashtra assembly unanimously approved 16% reservation for the Maratha community in jobs and educational institutes.


• With this move, the total reservation for OBC, SC/ST groups, other minor social groups, and the Marathas in Maharashtra will be 68% from the existing 52%.


• The bill is named the Maharashtra State Reservation (of seats for admission in education institutions in Maharshtra and for appointments in public services and posts under the state) for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) Act, 2018.


• It will come into force after Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao clears the law.


• The Maratha community comprises 32% population of Maharashtra. Reservation for this community has been granted based on the report by the Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission (MSBCC) which declared the Maratha community as socially and educationally backward.

Source: Cick Here

• 8 States have achieved 100% saturation in household electrification under Saubhagya scheme. They are Madhya Pradesh, Tripura, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Mizoram, Sikkim, Telangana and West Bengal. With this a total of 15 states in India have 100 % household electrification now.


• This announcement was made by RK Singh, Union Minister of State (IC) for Power and Renewable Energy after the ‘Review, Planning & Monitoring (RPM) Meeting with States and State Power Utilities’ in New Delhi, on 29th November 2018.


• So far, 2.1 crore connections have been released under Saubhagya. It is expected to achieve 100% saturation in India by 31st December 2018.


• Also, the Government is committed to ensure 24×7 access to electricity for all by 31st March 2019.


• An award scheme had also been announced, to create healthy competition among DISCOMs (Distribution Company)/Power Departments of States, with awards of more than Rs 300 crore to be won by States/DISCOMs.

Source: Cick Here

• The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed Rs 5 crore fine on thermal power plants which do not meet 100% fly ash disposal criteria during electricity generation.


• The Thermal Power plants on which the fine is imposed needs to deposit Rs 5 crore with Central Pollution Control Board in a month.


• The move intended to curb the pollution caused by the Thermal Power plants. Although Fly ash is not a major source of pollution but it affects the crop grown in its vicinity.

Source: Cick Here

• The Reserve Bank of India in a move to make more liquidity available to non-banking finance firms (NBFCs), has issued a circular to relax the Securitisation norms by relaxing the Minimum Holding Period (MHP) requirement.


• The NBFC sector is facing liquidity shortage after Infrastructure Leasing & Finance Services, a core investment company, started defaulting on loans.


• The cost of funds has gone up for the non-banking finance firms putting pressure on profitability.


• NBFCs are now allowed to securitise loans with maturity of more than five years after holding them for six months on their books, as compared to one year earlier.


• The relaxation on the MHP will be allowed when the NBFC retains 20% of the book value of these loans and it shall be applicable to securitisation / assignment transactions carried out during a period of six months from the date of issuance of the said circular.


• In a separate move aimed at boosting MSME sector exports, the RBI said the interest subsidy that exporters get under the ‘Interest Equalisation Scheme on Pre and Post Shipment Rupee Export Credit’ has been increased to 5% from 3%.

Source: Cick Here

• On 29th November 2018, economic policy think-tank, National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) said that Indian economy is projected to grow at 7-7.4 % in the current fiscal citing comfortable agricultural sector outlook and a marked improvement in the external sector.


• According to a report by the NCAER, the real agriculture Gross Value Added (GVA) is envisaged to grow at 3 per cent and real industry GVA at 7 per cent in 2018-19.


• The growth rates of exports and imports, in dollar terms, are estimated at 11.8 percent and 16.9 percent respectively.


• According to NCAER’s Mid-Year Review of the Economy these forecasts at constant prices are based on NCAER’s annual GDP macro model.


• The current account balance and central fiscal deficit, as percentages of GDP, are projected at -2.3 percent and 3.2 percent respectively.


• NCAER also estimated that the combined output of Kharif and Rabi food grains during the current year may be in the region of 290 million tonnes, which is slightly higher than last year’s record output.

Source: Cick Here

• On 29th November 2018, The International Boxing Association (AIBA) announced that it will introduce a “Protest System” for coaches and boxers in next year’s Men World Championship to be held in Moscow, Russia which will also acts as a qualifier for 2020 Olympic Games.


• The proposed new system for boxers and coaches has been tested at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires and recently concluded Women’s World Championship in Delhi.

Source: Cick Here

• On 29th November 2018, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) added Jamaican reggae, Georgian wrestling and Japanese raiho-shin rituals as among the new elements to its list of “intangible heritage” for the world to treasure and improve the visibility of often little-known and understood arts traditions.


• The announcement came at a gathering of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Mauritius, which is meeting till December 1 to inscribe new elements to its much coveted intangible heritage list. Every year UNESCO updates its Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists, which seeks to ensure that traditions of essential cultural significance are preserved. The concept of protected list was started in 2008.

Source: Cick Here

• On 28th November 2018, An Indian Navy Commander (Pilot) Vijay Varma and Captain (Pilot) P Rajkumar were honoured at the 7th ‘Asian of The Year’ awards acknowledging their selfless service and bravery in rescue operations during the devastating floods in Kerala. The winners were announced at the Straits Times Global Outlook Forum 2019.


• Commander Varma, 42, winched up a pregnant woman who gave birth just after being airlifted to safety, during the rescue operation in a district of the port city of Kochi.


• Captain Rajkumar, 54, winched 26 people up from a rooftop in Kochi while hovering between trees and other houses besides pulling up a wheelchair-bound pregnant woman. Rajkumar ended up with 32 people on board.


• The award was presented to them by The Straits Times, a well-known Singapore daily.


• Other notable persons who shared the honour with the Indian Navy officers include Singaporean paraglider late Ng Kok Choong, individuals involved in the Tham Luang cave rescue in Thailand, Dr Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, Singapore NGO Mercy Relief, and ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre).

Source: Cick Here

• On 28th November 2018, the market development organization for the gold industry, The World Gold Council announced the appointment of David Tait who has a very successful career in the financial services industry as the incoming Chief Executive Officer (CEO).


• David began his professional career at Goldman Sachs. Before his appointment as the CEO of World Gold Council, he worked as the Global Head of Fixed Income Macro Products at Credit Suisse.