Current Affairs Daily Digest – November 20 2019
1. Attenborough to be conferred the 2019 Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament, and Development
Renowned naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough is to be conferred the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament, and Development for 2019.
The awards recognized his efforts for the well being of our planet, of all living creatures, and their relationship with human beings. He is awarded for a lifetime of doing more to reveal the wonders of the natural world to us than perhaps any other individual.
2. RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat inaugurates IPEC at Nagpur
RSS Chief Dr. Mohan Bhagwat inaugurated the International Principal’s Education Conference (IPEC) at Nagpur on 19 November 2019. The IPEC conference will be held on 19-21 November. The theme of the conference is Scripting the Legends of Human Excellence through Schools.
3. RIL became first Indian firm to cross Rs.9.5 lakh crore m-cap
Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) became the first Indian firm to cross the Rs.9.5 lakh crore market capitalization mark. Reliance Industries share price rose up to 3.66% to Rs.1,511.9 compared to the previous close of Rs.1,458.50 on BSE. In October 2019, RIL hit the milestone as the first Indian company to cross the staggering Rs.9 lakh crore market-cap mark.
4. Su Bingtian appointed to the Athletes Commission of World Athletics
Chinese sprinter Su Bingtian has been appointed to the Athletes Commission of World Athletics, formerly known as the International Association of Athletics Federations. He is one among the six athletes who were elected to the Commission following a vote by accredited athletes during the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar. The appointment was approved by the World Athletics Council.
5. R Rajagopal appointed as new CIC of TN
Tamil Nadu State government appointed senior bureaucrat and additional chief secretary to the governor, R Rajagopal, as the next Chief information commissioner (CIC) of the state.
Rajagopal will hold office for a tenure of three years from the date on which he enters upon his office or the date on which he attains the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier. The post of chief information commissioner was vacant, ever since retired bureaucrat Sheela Priya quit in May 2019.
6. India hosts World Customs Organization RCP meeting of Asia Pacific
India hosted the World Customs Organization (WCO) Asia Pacific Regional Contact Points (RCP) that was held for 3 three days on Puducherry. The conference is being held for the fourth time in India. Previously it was held in Jaipur and Cochin.
7. Kolkata becomes first City to Install ‘Third Umpire’ RT-PCR Machines in India
In a bid towards upholding state’s public health the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has installed first of its kind high-end Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) Machines in India for quick detection of diseases such as dengue, tuberculosis (TB) and swine flu.
8. India ranks 59th in 2019 IMD World Talent Ranking
India was ranked 59th among 63 countries in the 2019 IMD World Talent Ranking released by International Institute for Management Development. This year, India slipped by 6 places as compared to 53rd rank in 2018 edition of this global annual list. India’s poor performance was on account of low quality of life and expenditure on education.
9. Microsoft CEO Nadella tops Fortune’s Businessperson of the Year 2019 list
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella topped Fortune’s Businessperson of the Year 2019 list released by the American business magazine. Fortune ranked business leaders based on the challenges they faced and listed “Assembling the right team” as Nadella’s challenge. He was followed by Australia’s Fortescue Metals Group CEO Elizabeth Gaines and Chipotle Mexican Grill’s CEO Brian Niccol on the list.
10. Parliament passes Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial (Amendment) Bill 2019
Parliament has passed the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial (Amendment) Bill, 2019. Rajya Sabha approved the bill while Lok Sabha had passed it in the last session.
The Bill seeks to amend the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial Act, 1951. It has a provision to remove the President of the Congress party as a trustee and clarifies that when there is no Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, the leader of the single largest Opposition party will be the trustee.
11. Smriti Irani addresses South Asia Safety Summit
Union Minister Smriti Irani has stressed the need to ensure the safety of women and children within their homes, and create safe neighbourhoods to protect them against violence and abuse. The Women and Child Development Minister was addressing the 2nd edition of South Asia Safety Summit in New Delhi.
12. Africa Industrialization Day 20 November
2019 Theme: Positioning African Industry to Supply the AfCFTA Market
In 1989, proclaimed 20 November “Africa Industrialization Day”. Since then, the United Nations System has held events on that day throughout the world to raise awareness about the importance of Africa’s industrialization and the challenges faced by the continent.
13. World Children’s Day 20 November
World Children’s Day was first established in 1954 as Universal Children’s Day and is celebrated on 20 November each year to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children’s welfare.
