CURRENT AFFAIRS 26/11/2017

CURRENT AFFAIRS 26/11/2017

1. Health Ministry Wins Bronze Medal at the India International Trade Fair 2017

i. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has been awarded the Bronze Medal for its creative and informative display at the 37th India International Trade Fair 2017 being held at Pragati Maidan.

ii. The award was presented by Shri C R Chaudhary, Minister of State (Commerce and Industry) at a function organized to award the winners.

2. Justice Satrughana Pujahari Sworn in as Madras HC judge

i. Justice Satrughana Pujahari was sworn in as a Judge of the Madras High Court by Chief Justice Indira Banerjee. Justice Satrughana Pujahari had been transferred from the High Court of Orissa to the Madras High Court.

3. 26th November: Constitution Day Being Celebrated

i. 26th November is Constitution Day. On the day in 1949, the constitution was adopted which came into force on January 26, 1950 marking the beginning of a new era in the history of India. From 2015, the Government is observing 26th November as Constitution Day. 

ii. The HRD Ministry has launched a Digital Signature campaign to generate awareness on fundamental duties enshrined in the Constitution. People can join the campaign by filling a form online.

4. International Multilateral Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise 2017 begins in Bangladesh

i. The International Multilateral Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise 2017 (IMMSAREX 2017) began in Cox Bazar, Bangladesh.

ii. Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chief of the Naval Staff of Indian Navy, is attending the exercise. The exercise held  under the aegis of Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS). Indian Naval Ships (INS) Ranvir, Sahyadri, Gharial and Sukanya along with one Maritime Patrol Aircraft P-8I participating in the exercise. An ‘Extraordinary Conclave of Chiefs (ECoC)’ meeting of IONS also held on 28 November 2017.

5. President of India Inaugurates the International Ambedkar Conclave

i. The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, inaugurated the International Ambedkar Conclave, organised by the Forum of SC and ST Legislators and Parliamentarians, in New Delhi.

ii. The President said that the Constitution, of which Dr Ambedkar is considered the Chief Architect, has given our democracy a strong framework.

6. World’s First AI Politician Developed

i. Scientists have developed the world’s first artificial intelligence politician that can answer a person’s queries regarding local issues such as policies around housing, education and immigration.

ii. The virtual politician, called SAM, was created by Nick Gerritsen, a 49-year-old entrepreneur in New Zealand. The AI politician is constantly learning to respond to people through Facebook Messenger as well as a survey on its homepage.

7. Intensive Program to Train Elected Women Representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions Launched

i. The Minister of Women and Child Development, Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi launched an intensive training program for Elected Women Representatives (EWRs) of Panchayati Raj Institutions and Master Trainers, in New Delhi.

ii. This capacity building program is being organized by National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD) of the WCD Ministry which will ultimately train approximately twenty thousand EWRs covering nearly 50 EWRs from each district by March, 2018. 

8. S&P Retains India’s Sovereign Rating at ‘BBB-‘; Maintains Stable Outlook

i. New York based rating agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) kept its sovereign rating for India unchanged at ‘BBB-‘, with outlook for the nation as ‘stable’.

ii. BBB- rating is the lowest investment grade and just one notch above junk status. S&P stated that India’s sizable fiscal deficit, low per capita income and high government debt do not warrant a sovereign rating upgrade as of now.

9. Global University Employability Ranking 2017 – IISc Ranks 29th in the World

i. Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has ranked 29th among the top 150 universities on Global University Employability Ranking 2017 published by Times Higher Education.

ii. Other than IISc, only two institutes from India featured among the top 150. Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD) ranked 145th and Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB) ranked 148th.

10. Golden Temple Awarded ‘Most Visited Place of the World’

i. The Golden Temple has been awarded the ‘most visited place of the world’ by ‘World Book of Records’ (WBR), a London-based organisation.

ii. General secretary of WBR India chapter, Surbhi Kaul, and president of WBR Punjab chapter, Randeep Singh Kohli, gave this award to Shriomani Gurdwara Pharbandhak Committee (SGPC) chief secretary Roop Singh and other senior officials at Teja Singh Samundari Hall, Amritsar.

11. India to Help Mauritius on Digital Locker

i. According to Ajay Kumar, Additional Secretary, Ministry of electronics and IT, the government of India will assist Mauritius to develop and set up digital locker services, on the sidelines of Global Conference on Cyber Space 2017.

ii. The government will offer technical support and advisory services to Mauritius. DigiLocker is a key initiative of the Indian government under its flagship Digital India program. The service is aimed at paperless governance.

12. Punjab Govt Notifies Ban on Truckers' Cartelisation

i. Punjab State Government notified the ‘Punjab Goods Carriages (Regulation and Prevention of Cartelization Rules), 2017’, banning goods carriage operators from forming cartels in the state.

ii. This notification is aimed at creating a favorable environment for industries and business houses in the state which will encourage industrial and infrastructural investment.

13. 12th meeting of Standing Committee of Inter-State Council held

i. The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh chaired the 12th meeting of the Standing Committee of Inter-State Council (ISC) held in New Delhi.

ii. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the recommendations of the Punchhi Commission on Centre-state relations.

14. President Ram Nath Kovind Inaugurates International Gita Mahotsav in Haryana

i. President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the International Gita Mahotsav 2017 in Kurukshetra, Haryana. The objective behind Mahotsav is to spread the message of Gita to world.

ii. Mauritius was partner country and Uttar Pradesh was partner state of the event. President Ram Nath Kovind also inaugurated international seminar on Gita at the Kurukshetra University campus.

15. China Successfully Launches Remote Sensing Satellites

i. China has successfully launched remote sensing satellites designed to conduct electromagnetic probes and other experiments.

ii. The satellites launched on board of Long March-2C rocket from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwestern Sichuan province.

16. Gopi Wins Asian Marathon Championship Gold

i. Gopi Thonakal created history by becoming first Indian man to win Asian Marathon Championship. He achieved the feat in the 16th edition of the prestigious event held at Dongguan in China.

ii. He clocked 2 hours 15 minutes and 48 seconds to win gold medal. Uzbekistan’s Andrey Petrov and Byambalev Tseveenravdan of Mongolia won silver and bronze medal respectively.