NATIONAL NEWS

 Conference of the Indian Currency Council and Currency Fair

• Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel inaugurated the 104th Annual Conference of the Indian Currency Council and Currency Fair held at the State Museum in the premises of the International Buddhist Institute, Gomtinagar, Lucknow.

• currency is the reflection of the culture and civilization of any country.

• This gives information about the history and economy of the time, due to which our future generations get the knowledge of our rich culture.

• On this occasion, the Governor released a souvenir based on the compilation of research papers.

Indian Chemicals Council Sustainability Conclave

• A two-day 4th edition of Indian Chemicals Council Sustainability Conclave is being held at New Delhi.

• It was inaugurated by the Secretary Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals Arun Baroka on 17 November 2022.

• The conclave has been organised jointly by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and International Council of Chemical Associations.

• The conference is being supported by the Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers and the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

• The Theme of the 4th edition of Indian Chemicals Council (ICC) Sustainability Conclave is ‘Boardrooms to Community-ESG, Carbon Neutrality, Operational Safety, Greener Solutions’.
• The two-day event promotes sustainability in the management of the entire life cycle of chemicals.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

First International Olympic Committee Esports Week

• The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced that inaugural Olympic Esports Week will take place in Singapore between 22 June and 25 June 2023.

• Esports (Electronic sports) is a competitive sport where Esports athletes use their physical and mental abilities to compete in certain genres of video games in a virtual, electronic environment.

• The Olympic Esports Week will be organized by the IOC In partnership with the Singapore government and the Singapore National Olympic Committee (SNOC).

• The Olympic Esports Week will showcase the best of virtual sports in hybrid physical and simulated sports.

BANKING

German Bank ‘Kfw’ to Provide Loan to SBI

• India’s largest commercial bank State Bank of India has signed a 150-million-euro (Rs 1,240 crore) loan agreement with the German development bank KfW for funding solar projects.

• KfW Development Bank was set up in 1948 by the German Government.

• The long-term loan, under the Indo-German solar partnership will facilitate new and upcoming capacities in the solar sector.

• In 2015, the Indian and German government signed a memorandum of understanding to foster solar energy through technical as well as financial cooperation.
• Through this agreement, Germany had expressed its willingness to provide the concessional loans to India in the range of 1 billion euros through KfW.

IFSCA Signs MoU with RBI

• The International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for collaboration in the field of regulation and supervision of regulated entities.

• This MoU facilitates technical cooperation and exchange of information.

• The objective of the agreement is to strengthen the security, stability and soundness of the respective financial ecosystem, thereby ensuring a conducive environment for optimal business growth and economic growth.

ECONOMY

European Work Council

• The Indian IT giant company Wipro has reached an agreement with its employee representative to set up a European Works Council (EWC).
• It has become the first Indian company to set up an European works councils for its workers in Europe.
• European works councils (EWCs) are standing bodies that facilitate the information and consultation of employees in Europe.
• It provides an opportunity to employees of the company to be informed and consulted on the transnational companies’ strategy and status.
• The first meeting of the Wipro EWC will take place in the first quarter of 2024 where the EWC will elect its chairman and select committee members.

SPORTS

ITTF Athletes’ Commission

• Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna 2022 awardee Sharath Kamal has become the first Indian player to be elected in the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Athletes’ Commission.
• 10 athletes were elected for the ITTF Athletes’ Commission for a four-year term from 2022 to 2026.
• Amongst all elected players Sharath Kamal got the second highest votes after 2012 table tennis World Cup silver medallist Elizabeta Samara of Romania.
• Sharath Kamal was also recently elected as the member of the Athletes’ Commission of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).
• ITTF is the governing body of Table Tennis in the world which was set up in 1926.

RANKS, INDICES & REPORTS

Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI)

• The 18th edition of the Climate Change Performance Index -2023 was released by German watch and the Climate Action Network.

• India has improved by two places to rank eighth among 63 countries in the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2023.

• The report ranked no country for the first three places because "no country performed well enough in all index categories to receive a high overall rating.

• Denmark is placed fourth, Sweden fifth and Chile sixth in the ranking.

• CCPI is developed by not-for-profit organisations German watch and New Climate Institute (Germany) together with the Climate Action Network (CAN International).

• It is an important tool for increasing transparency in international climate strategy and enables comparison of climate protection efforts and progress made by individual countries.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Government Extends the Term of Enforcement Directorate Director

• The Appointment Committee of the Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 17 November 2022 has approved the extension of the tenure of the Director of Enforcement Directorate Sanjay Kumar Mishra by one year.

• Sanjay Kumar Mishra was appointed director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for a period of two years by an order on 19 November 2018.

• ED was set up in 1956 under the Union Finance Ministry.

•  It enforces the criminal provisions of the Prevention of Money of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) 2022, the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act 2018 and the civil sections of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) 1999.

Governor of West Bengal

• The President of India Droupadi Murmu has appointed Dr CV Ananda Bose as the 22nd Governor of West Bengal on 17 November 2022.

• He will replace Jagdeep Dhankhar, who was elected as the 14th Vice President of India.

• Dr CV Ananda Bose is a retired IAS officer.

• He served as the Secretary to the Chief Minister of Kerala and has held the rank of secretary to the government of India, been a Vice chancellor.
• He is currently the Chairman of the Habitat Alliance, in consultative status with the UN.

Full-Time Member of NITI Aayog

• The government has appointed senior economist and India’s former chief economic advisor Arvind Virmani as a full-time member of NITI Aayog.

• NITI Aayog, which is the government’s premier think-tank, is headed by the Prime Minister and presently has three members, V K Saraswat, Ramesh Chand and VK Paul.

• Virmani, the founder-chairman of the non-profit public policy organisation Foundation for Economic Growth and Welfare, has served as the 13th Chief Economic Advisor in the Ministry of Finance.

• Virmani, a PhD in Economics from Harvard University, USA has also served as Principal Advisor to the Planning Commission.

IMPORTANT DAYS

National Epilepsy Day

• National Epilepsy Day is celebrated every year on 17 November.
• It is to create awareness among the victims of epilepsy and their relatives.
• Epilepsy Foundation of India established National Epilepsy Day as a national campaign to reduce epilepsy in India.

OBITUTARY

India’s Basketball Legend Abbas Moontasir

• Former India basketball captain and Arjuna awardee Ghulam Abbas Muntasir passed away in Mumbai. He was at the age of 80.

• He was born in Mumbai in 1942.

• He started playing in Nagpada by the American missionaries, later he started getting inclined towards basketball.

• His basketball debut came in 1960 in an exhibition game against Australia.

• He captained the national team in the 1969 and 1975 Asian Basketball Championships in Bangkok.