Kalanamak, a traditional variety of paddy with a black husk and a strong fragrance, which is considered a gift from Lord Buddha to the people of the Sravasti when he visited the region after enlightenment, is all set to get a new look and name. Grown in 11 districts of the Terai region of northeastern Uttar Pradesh.

The five-day international dance and music festival, Udbhav Utsav-2022, will begin in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior on Saturday (29-Oct, 2022)

• Taiwan's Ambassador to India Baushaun Ger will open the mega event, which will have more than 1,000 participants, including 350 artistes from Taiwan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Sri Lanka.
• USEKS and Greenwood Public School were organising the event jointly, and Taiwan was the partner country for the show. 
• Dance and music troupes from Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Maharastra, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Rajsathan and Madhya Pradesh will take part in the festival.

Kerala government announced the first awardees of the newly-established top state hounours- the Kerala Jyothi, Kerala Prabha and Kerala Sree.

• Writer MT Vasudevan Nair will be honoured with the Kerala Jyothi award.
• Actor Mammotty, plawright and novelist Omchery N N Pillai, former civil servant T Madhava Menon are selected for Kerala Prabha.
• Kerala Sree award will be given to science writer and activist MP Parameswaran, biologist Sathyabhama Das Biju, magician Gopinath Muthukad, sculptor Kanayi Kunhiraman, industrialist Kochouseph Chittilappilly and singer Vaikom Vijayalakshmi.

The Karnataka government posthumously conferred the state’s highest civilian award, the ‘Karnataka Ratna’, on late actor Puneeth Rajkumar on Tuesday, on the occasion of the 67th Kannada Rajyotsava.

• The actor who died after suffering a heart attack last year is the ninth recipient of the prestigious honour. Karnataka Ratna was last awarded to Dr Veerendra Heggade for his social service in 2009.
• Puneeth’s late father Rajkumar is among the first recipients of the award in 1992, along with noted poet Kuvempu.
• Veteran actors Rajinikanth, Junior NTR, and Infosys chairperson Sudha Murthy were also present at the event during which chief minister Basavaraj Bommai presented the award.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched 75 new projects including the virtual launch of two helipads, one in Hanle and one in Thakung in Eastern Ladakh.

Key Points

1. In the event, there was an onsite unveiling of 120-meter-long ‘Class-70 Shyok Setu’ on the DS-DBO road at an altitude of 14,000 feet and a virtual inauguration of two helipads.

2. The 75 projects implemented by the Border Roads Organization (BRO) included 45 bridges, 27 roads, two helipads, and one ‘Carbon Neutral Habitat’.

3. Twenty of the projects are in Jammu and Kashmir, 18 in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh, five in Uttarakhand, and 14 in other border states of Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Rajasthan.

4. The BRO’s first Carbon Neutral Habitat at a height of 19,000 feet for its personnel was also inaugurated at Hanle.

5, The Key features of this complex include the accommodation of 57 personnel and thermal comfort during extreme weather.

6. The Defence Minister also laid the foundation stone of the Himank Air Despatch Complex being constructed in Chandigarh and a BRO museum at Leh.

The first edition of India-Mozambique-Tanzania Trilateral Exercise (IMT TRILAT), a joint maritime exercise between Indian, Mozambique and Tanzanian navies commenced at Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania on 27 October 2022.

• Indian Navy is represented by guided missile frigate, INS Tarkash and MARCOS.
• The exercise aims at capability development to address common threats through training and sharing of best practices, enhancing interoperability, and strengthening maritime cooperation.
• The exercises are scheduled over a three-day period from 27 to 29 October 2022 ,which includes harbour and sea phases.

Indian Air Force (IAF) and French Air and Space Force (FASF) are participating in a bilateral exercise from 26 October to 12 November 2022 at Air Force Station Jodhpur, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

• This is the seventh edition of the Garuda air exercises jointly carried out by India and France as part of the growing strategic cooperation between the two countries.
• The exercise will boost military-to-military ties between the two countries. In this exercise, FASF will participate with four Rafale fighter aircraft, one A-330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft and a contingent of 220 personnel.
• The IAF is participating with Su-30 MKI, Rafale, LCA Tejas and Jaguar fighter aircraft, as well as the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) and Mi-17 helicopters.

The Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education today released the Performance Grading Index (PGI) for States/UTs for 2020-21, a unique index for evidence based comprehensive analysis of school education system across State/UTs.

• The Indian Education System is one of the largest in the world with about 14.9 lakh schools, 95 lakh teachers, and nearly 26.5 crore students from varied socio-economic backgrounds.
• DoSE&L devised PGI for States/UTs to provide insights and data driven mechanism on the performance and achievements of on the success of school education across all States/UTs.
• The prime objective of PGI is to promote evidence-based policy making and highlight course correction to ensure quality education for all. So far, DoSE&L has released PGI report for the year 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20.

Sharjah International Book Fair opens to the public on 02-11-2022 under the theme Spread the Word. The event is running until November 13 at Expo Centre Sharjah with 2,213 publishers involved from 95 countries. The 41st annual event was inaugurated by Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah.

• It’s running until November 13 at Expo Centre Sharjah with 2,213 publishers involved from 95 countries.
• The opening of the 41st SIBF marks the beginning of a celebration of 12 days of cultural activities and is an opportunity for children, youth and families across the UAE to enrich their learning in arts and sciences.

India’s first floating financial literacy camp was organized recently by India Post Payments Bank (IPPB).

• India’s First Floating Financial Literacy Camp was conducted as part of the launch of the initiative called “Niveshak Didi” in Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar.
• It was conducted among local residents around the famous Dal Lake in Srinagar.
• Niveshak Didi held the financial literacy session in local Kashmiri language from Shikara – a unique wooden boat found on Dal Lake and other waterbodies in Srinagar.
• Its main goal is to promote financial empowerment to the last mile.

A single income tax return (ITR) form was proposed for all taxpayers. The draft of the proposed form was unveiled recently by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to receive public inputs until December 15.

• The proposed form will be customized for taxpayers based on the questions answered by them.
• This will reduce the time taken file the income tax returns.
• It will be beneficial especially for individuals and non-business type tax payers.

SEWA founder, women's rights activist Ela Bhatt passes away

• Renowned women empowerment activist, Gandhian and the founder of the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) Elaben Bhatt passed away on November 2, 2022, following a brief illness. She was 89 years old.

• Elaben founded SEWA which is one of the biggest women’s cooperatives and national trade unions registered in 1972 which was born out of a textile trade union.

• Notably, SEWA has a membership base of over 2.1 million poor, self-employed women workers from the informal sectors across 18 states and units abroad.

• Elaben Bhatt, who was also a qualified lawyer, had served as a Chairperson of the Sabarmati Ashram Preservation and Memorial Trust.

The First World Tsunami Awareness Day will be celebrated on November 5, 2016. To commemorate the occasion, an event will be organised with Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Champions at the Asian Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) 2016.

• The Conference is being organised from November 3-5, 2016 at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi by the Government of India in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR).
• The observance of the day would help to spread awareness among people across the world in matters related to the dangers of tsunami and shall stress on the importance of early warning systems in order to mitigate damage from the often devastating natural hazard.
• It also aims at reviving traditional knowledge about tsunamis

November 3 is the first ‘International Day for Biosphere Reserves’, to be celebrated beginning in 2022.

• The World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR) was formed in 1971, as a backbone for biodiversity conservation, ecosystem restoration, and living in harmony with nature.
• There are now 738 properties in 134 countries, including 12 in India, four in Sri Lanka, and three in the Maldives.

The World Network Of Biosphere Reserves(WNBR): Worldwide Distribution of Biosphere Reserves

• There are 738 biosphere reserves in 134 countries, including 22 transboundary sites.
• They are distributed as follows:
• 90 sites in 33 countries in Africa
• 36 sites in 14 countries in the Arab States
• 172 sites in 24 countries in Asia and the Pacific
• 308 sites in 41 countries in Europe and North America
• 132 sites in 22 countries Latin America and the Caribbean.

Zojila Day was commemorated at Zojila War Memorial near Drass on November 1 to celebrate the gallant action by Indian troops in ‘Operation Bison’ in 1948 which was launched on the icy heights of Zojila pass, the gateway to Ladakh.

• The day was marked with a solemn wreath laying by Commander Dras Warriors of the Leh-based Fire and Fury Corps to pay homage to the soldiers who died liberating the Zojila Pass from Pakistani intruders.
• The Zojila Day epitomises the indomitable spirit of bravery of the Indian Army. The battle was also historic for the reason that tanks were used for the first time at such heights.

The Central Vigilance Commission has decided that this year Vigilance Awareness Week would be observed from 31st October, 2022 to 06th November, 2022.

• The theme for this years Vigilance Awareness Week is  "Corruption free India for a developed nation".
• The observance of the Vigilance Awareness Week would commence with the integrity pledge by public servants in the Ministries/Departments/Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs)/Public Sector Banks (PSBs) and all other Organisations on 31 October, 2022 at 11.00 a.m. 
• All Organisations have also been advised to conduct activities relevant to the theme both within and outside their respective organizations, and to conduct outreach activities for public/citizens as indicated below 

• All across the world, World Vegan Day is celebrated a day after Halloween. Halloween falls on October 31, and a day after is celebrated as World Vegan Day to advocate the benefits of avoiding and banning the exploitation of animals, extending our love and care to other species and the natural environment.
•  In 1994, the then Chair of The Vegan Society in the United Kingdom Louise Wallis announced World Vegan Day to be celebrated every year.

Every year, October 31 is marked as National Unity Day or Rashtriya Ekta Diwas in India to observe Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's birth anniversary. 

• It was introduced by the Government of India in 2014. 
• The day is celebrated to mark the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel who had a major role in the political integration of India. 
• The celebration of the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel makes everyone aware of the ideas of strength and diversity of religions, languages, cultures, and traditions of our nation.

World Cities Day is observed on October 31 to promote international cooperation in the promotion of global urbanization and address related challenges.

• Each year, World Cities Day is hosted by different cities across the world. The 2022 edition was hosted by Shanghai in China.
• The theme for World Cities Day has been the same since the inception. It is “Better City, Better Life”. 
• On December 27, 2013, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution to create the World Cities Day. It came as the result of the 2nd United Nations Conference on Human Settlements, which was held in 1976. The inaugural edition of the World Cities Day was observed on October 31, 2014.

Rashtriya Ekta Diwas is observed in India every year on October 31 to mark the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel who played a major role in the political integration of India. Rashtriya Ekta Diwas was introduced by the Government of India in 2014.

• Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel is endeared as Sardar.
• He was an Indian statesman, who served as the first Deputy Prime Minister of India during 1947-1950.
• He was an Indian barrister and served as a senior leader of the Indian National Congress (INC).

World Thrift Day is celebrated every year on 31st October worldwide to promote savings and financial security of individual and nation as a whole.
World thrift day was established to inform people all around the world about the idea of saving their money in a bank rather than keeping it under their mattress or at home.

• In India due to death of late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on the same day in 1984 this day is being celebrated on 30th October.
• The first International Thrift Congress which was held in Milan, Italy in 1924 had declared October 31 as the World Thrift day.
• The aim of celebrating this day is to change our behaviour towards the saving and constantly reminds us the importance of wealth.

On 30th October its 113th Birth anniversary of Indian nuclear physicist Homi Jehangir Bhabha who is also known as the father of the Indian nuclear program.  His contributions to the field of science continue to inspire generations of young minds in the country. 

• Homi Bhabha was the founding director of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) and Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).
• Bhabha was awarded the Adams Prize, a Padma Bhushan, and the Fellow of the Royal Society for his discoveries pertaining to the nuclear program.
• Based on his paper, a phenomenon named Bhabha Scattering to explain electron-positron scattering was named after him.

October 2022 witnessed the second highest collection of GST since the inception of the tax regime.

• The GST collection for October 2022 was Rs 1.52 lakh crore – the second highest collection since the launch of the GST.
• During the month of October, Rs. 26,039 crore was collected as central GST and Rs 33,396 crore as state GST. For integrated GST, Rs 81,778 crore was collected. This includes Rs 37,297 crore on imports.
• The cess of Rs 10,505 crore collected during October is the second highest in record. This includes Rs 825 crore collected on import of goods.
• The total revenue the central and state governments obtained after regular and adhoc settlements in October is Rs 74,665 crore for CGST and Rs 77,279 crore for the SGST.

The Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched the biggest ever coal mine auction on November 3, 2022.

• In the sixth round of commercial coal auctions, Union Coal Ministry has put up 141 mines for auction in 11 states, with a cumulative peak rate (PRC) of 305 million tonnes.
• 71 of these are new coal mines, 61 are rollovers from the previous tranches and 8 have earlier received single bids and are the second attempt of the 5th round of commercial coal auctions.
• These coal mines are situated in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Bihar. The states with the highest number of blocks is Madhya Pradesh (30), Chattisgarh (28) and Odisha (27).

Dr. Srivari Chandrasekhar, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, inaugurated the 1st ASEAN-India Start-up Festival (AISF) on 27th October 2022 in Bogor, Indonesia.

• The National COSTI Chairperson of Indonesia and the Chairman National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Indonesia, were also present at the inauguration of the festival.
• The festival is part of the over-all ASEAN-India Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation program between the ASEAN Committee on Science, Technology, and Innovation (COSTI) and the Department of Science and Technology (Govt of India).
• It is supported under the ASEAN-India Science and Technology Development Fund (AISTDF) of Govt of India which is jointly contributed by Department of Science and Technology and Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

India Chem 2022 is set to be organized from November 2 to 3 this year. India Chem is the flagship event of the Indian Government’s Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals. It is the largest event focusing on Indian chemicals and petrochemical industry. It is one of the largest composite events of the industry in the Asia-Pacific Region.

• The 12th edition of the India Chem 2022 will be jointly organized by the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI).
• It will be organized in Pragati Maidan in New Delhi based on the theme “Vision 2030: Chemicals and Petrochemicals Build India”.
• An international conference and exhibition will be organized as part of this event. The exhibition will showcase the Indian Government’s policies targeting the sustainable growth of the chemicals and petrochemical industry.

Malabar Gold and Diamonds has become the first jeweller in India to import gold under the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between India and the UAE.

• Availing one per cent duty reduction under the bilateral trade agreement, the Kozhikode-headquartered jewellery retail chain with a robust presence in India and in West Asia has set the ball rolling by importing 25 kg gold through ICICI Bank.
• The import makes the jewellery retail chain the first beneficiary of the partnership agreement both in jewellery exports and imports.

Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) posted the proceedings of its second quarter earnings call on the metaverse. The announcement made Reliance the first Indian firm to use the medium to engage with its stakeholders.

• The metaverse earnings call, which can be accessed through any device (even a smartphone), was produced in partnership with GMetri -- a no-code metaverse creation platform, reported PTI citing sources.
• The RIL metaverse also has a special section comprising quotations from Chairman and Managing Director, Mukesh Ambani.
• The metaverse is a virtual space that is built with the idea to immerse users within the online experience, mainly via virtual reality and augmented reality (VR, AR) while enabling them to interact with each other virtually.

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) a 'Maharatna' and a Fortune Global 500 Company has once again achieved the No.1 rank in Indian oil and gas sector for its sustainability performance in the 2022 edition of the S&P Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA) rankings.

• This is the 3rd consecutive year that BPCL is at the top of the DJSI Indices in India having achieved a score of 65 percentage points, against an industry average score of 31 .
• This benchmarking is a complete assessment of economic, environmental and social criteria with a strong focus on long-term shareholder value.

The UN’s nuclear watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recently initiated investigations on Russia’s allegations accusing Ukraine of producing dirty bombs.

• Dirty bomb is a conventional explosive device laced with toxic materials. Unlike a nuclear weapon, it does not cause atomic explosion.
• The Russian government accused Ukraine of planning to use dirty bomb in the Ukrainian military theatre and shifting the blame on Russia to trigger powerful anti-Russian sentiments across the world.
• The nuclear watchdog commenced inspections in Ukraine as part of the “independent verification” of Russia’s claims. It is set to complete verification activities in two locations in Ukraine.

The UN’s nuclear watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recently initiated investigations on Russia’s allegations accusing Ukraine of producing dirty bombs.

• Dirty bomb is a conventional explosive device laced with toxic materials. Unlike a nuclear weapon, it does not cause atomic explosion.
• The Russian government accused Ukraine of planning to use dirty bomb in the Ukrainian military theatre and shifting the blame on Russia to trigger powerful anti-Russian sentiments across the world.
• The nuclear watchdog commenced inspections in Ukraine as part of the “independent verification” of Russia’s claims. It is set to complete verification activities in two locations in Ukraine.

Russia recently pulled out of the Black Sea Grain Deal, which was launched to mitigate food inflation caused by conflict in Ukraine.

• The Black Sea Grain Initiative was an agreement between Russia and Ukraine with Turkey and the United Nations. It sought to create a safe passage of food grains exported from Ukraine, which is currently in war with Russia.
• Under this agreement, export of grain, food and fertilizers will be allowed to resume from Ukraine via a “safe maritime humanitarian corridor” from three key Ukrainian ports i.e., Chornomorsk, Odesa, and Yuzhny/Pivdennyi.
• A Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) having representatives from signatories of the Black Sea Grain Initiative was set up to implement this deal.

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has been elected as new President of Brazil, but with incumbent Jair Bolsonaro still not conceding defeat there were concerns the far-right contender might challenge the result.

• According to the country’s election authority, Lula secured 50.8 percent of the vote compared with 49.2 percent for Bolsonaro 
• Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has secured 50.83% of the votes.
• Incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro received 49.17% votes.
• Bolsonaro had taken part in re-election under the conservative Liberal Party.

Samsung Electronics Co. officially appointed Lee Jae-yong as its executive chairman, formalizing the all-encompassing leadership role he has long played at South Korea’s largest business conglomerate.

• The 54-year-old Mr. Lee—who goes by Jay Y. Lee in the West—had previously held the title of Samsung Electronics vice chairman.
• He takes over a position previously held by his father, Lee Kun-hee, who died two years ago after being incapacitated by a 2014 heart attack.
• Samsung Electronics’ board said, it had recommended giving Mr. Lee the executive chairman title in light of the uncertain global business environment and need for stronger accountability.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that India will contribute $500,000 to the United Nations Trust Fund for Counter Terrorism this year to aid capacity-building support to member states in combating terrorism.

• He made this announcement during his keynote address at the plenary session of the UNSC's special meeting of the Counter Terrorism Committee (CTC ) on 'countering the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes' in New Delhi today.
• India will be making a voluntary contribution of half a million dollars to the UN Trust Fund for Counter Terrorism this year to augment the efforts of Office of Counter-Terrorism in providing capacity-building support to member states in preventing and countering the threat of terrorism.

On November 1, 2022, the Climate Policy Factbook was released by BloombergNEF and Bloomberg Philanthropies.

• The G20 countries continued to provide substantial financial aid for fossil fuel production and consumption in 2021.
• In 2021, the financial aid provided for the fossil fuel reached the highest level since 2014, threatening the Paris Agreement’s commitment to limit greenhouse gas emissions.
• Nearly 700 billion USD worth of subsidies were provided by the G20 members for coal, oil, gas and fossil-fuel industries in 2021.
• This has increased investments in emission-intensive equipment and infrastructure and promoted the inefficient fossil fuel consumption and production.

An image of coronal holes was shared by NASA recently. Coronal holes are regions on the Sun’s surface where the fast solar winds are spurted out into the outer space. Since they have little solar material, they have lower temperature.

• Therefore, they appear much darker than their surrounding regions. In these dark regions, magnetic field is open to interplanetary space, sending solar material in a high-speed stream of solar winds.
• The cause of the coronal holes is unknown. They can last between several weeks to months. This common phenomenon occurs throughout the solar cycle that lasts for over 11 years. Coronal holes can last longer during the solar minimum – a period when the Sun’s activity is significantly low.

For the first time in the history of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), two women officers reached the rank of Inspector General (IG).

• Two women officers who were recently promoted to the rank of Inspector General are IG Seema Dhundiya and IG Annie Abraham.
• While IG Seema Dhundiya will head the Bihar Sector of CRPF, IG Annie Abraham will head the Rapid Action Force (RAF).
• In 1986, the CRPF became the first Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) to induct women in combat.
• Both Seema Dhundia and Annie Abraham were in the first batch of women officers who were inducted into CRPF in 1987. They had illustrious careers over the years.

As part of implementing the government’s policy of ‘land for all, document for all land, all services are smart’, the State government is all set to kickstart the digital resurvey of lands from November 1.

• Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the State-level digital resurvey at Tagore Theatre in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday.
• Revenue Minister K. Rajan said the digital resurvey exercise would be completed in four years, for which a sum of ?856.42 crore had been earmarked.
• The Revenue department had taken steps to recruit 4,700 contract employees including 1,500 surveyors and 3,200 helpers to execute the resurvey.

India has edged past China and Vietnam to be ranked as the country with the cheapest manufacturing cost, as per a list compiled by US News and World Report.

On 4th November, National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) vibrantly celebrated Ganga Utsav as an ode to the river’s significance to the people of India.

• The event witnessed the coming together of art and culture and people from different walks of life to honour the river’s sanctity. 
• This year, the event was more special as it was dedicated to Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav which celebrates 75 years of independent India.
• As a part of this initiative, the Ganga Basin states will observe up to 75 special events to promote the local culture, raise awareness about the conservation and protection of the river, and generate employment opportunities.
• This was also the central theme of the day-long event hosted in the capital.

At least 141 people have died after a British-era bridge in Gujarat's Morbi collapsed last evening. Some 177 people have been saved and teams are searching for several others who are still missing.

• Around 500 people, including women and children, were on the suspension bridge when the cables supporting it snapped, sending people crashing into the river below. The bridge could take the weight of only about 125 people, according to officials.
• Many were performing Chhath puja rituals on the 150-year-old bridge located 300 km from Vadodara. 
• People fell on top of each other after the bridge snapped. Videos showed many desperately clinging to the remains of the bridge while some were seen swimming to safety.

VR Krishna Gupta named as Chairman of BPCL: State-run Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) on Tuesday said its Director (Finance) Vetsa Rama Krishna Gupta has taken up the additional charge of Chairman and Managing Director.

• Gupta’s elevation comes after Arun Kumar Singh superannuated as CMD.
• According to Bharat Petroleum’s official statement, Gupta has an illustrious career spanning over 24 years at the company, in various Finance roles, V R K Gupta is Director (Finance) in the company and holds the additional charge of Director (HR).

Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) on 2 November, 2022 announced the appointment of Vishal Kapoor as its chief executive officer (CEO).

Important facts

• Kapoor took charge after completing his tenure as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Power.

• As Joint Secretary, he led various government interventions, schemes and reforms in the distribution sector.

• He also led cyber security and IT initiatives in the power sector.

• He worked with Indian Railways in the design, operation and maintenance of rolling stock of Indian Railways.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made a stunning come back to power as his Likud party and its far-right and religious allies emerged victorious in the elections.

• According to final results released, the coalition has won 64 of 120 Parliament seats in the country’s fifth election in less than four years.
• Mr. Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party won 32 seats with his right-wing religious and nationalist bloctogether winning 64 seats in the 120-seat parliament, or Knesset.
• 73-year-old Benjamin Netanyahu is the longest-serving Prime Minister, having been elected for five times over the course of 15 years.

Shyam Saran Negi (1 July 1917 – 5 November 2022) was an Indian school teacher in Kalpa, Himachal Pradesh, who cast the first vote in the 1951 general election in India — the nation's first election since the end of the British Rule in 1947.

• Shyam Saran Negi became the most famous person in Himachal Pradesh after the Election Commission of India tracked him in 2012 and announced that he was Independent India’s first voter.
• Just about to touch a century at that point, Negi revelled in his newfound fame and enthusiastically joined the band baaja as he cast his vote in every election.
• Just two days before his death, Negi cast his vote from his residence for the Himachal assembly elections on 02-22-2022. 

Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer Dr. Rajesh Ranjan has been appointed as the next Indian Ambassador to the West African nation of Cote d'Ivoire.

• He is expected to take up the assignment shortly.
• Dr Rajesh Ranjan joined the Indian Foreign Service in December 2001.
• He has served in the Indian Embassy in Moscow as Second/Third Secretary dealing with Political and Commercial issues (August 2003-July 2004).

Jamshed J Irani, the former Tata Steel managing director who was called the Steel Man of India, passed away on Monday evening (01-11-2022 ) at Jamshedpur. He was 86.

• Irani was associated with Tata Steel for over four decades, starting out as an assistant to the director in-charge of R&D. In 2001, he retired as managing director, capping off an illustrious career.
• He continued to serve on the steelmaker's board of directors for a decade after that.

Eminent artist from Assam, Neel Pawan Baruah passed away on Friday at the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) following a prolonged illness.

• Baruah was born in 1936 in the Jorhat district to his father Binanda Chandra Baruah and mother Labanya Prabha Baruah.
• He had created a unique style by sketching art on match and cigarette boxes, displayed at various exhibitions.
• In 2021, the Assam government conferred him with Assam Saurav Award, the state’s second-highest award. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 1, 2022, declared Mangarh Dham as a National Monument in the Banswara District of Rajasthan.

• Prime Minister said that India’s past, present, and future are not complete without the tribal community.
• Prime Minister Modi also paid tribute to  Bhil Freedom fighter Shri Govind Guru in the Banswara district of Rajasthan.
• While addressing the ‘Mangarh Dham Ki Gaurav Gatha’, Prime Minister said that Mangarh Dham is a symbol of the tenacity and sacrifices of the tribals and added that this is the common heritage of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh.

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on 2 November approved naming of greenfield airport at Hollongi, Itanagar, as ‘Donyi Polo Airport.

• A resolution was passed by the state government of Arunachal Pradesh to name this airport 'Donny Polo Airport, Itanagar'.

• The 'Doni Polo' reflects the people's respect for the Sun (Doni) and the Moon (Polo), symbols of the state's traditions and rich cultural heritage.

• The Government of India had given 'in-principle' approval for the development of Hollongi Greenfield Airport in January 2019.

• The project is being developed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in collaboration with the Central Government and the State Government of Arunachal Pradesh at a cost of Rs 646 crore.

• Hollongi Airport is the third airport in the state and the only airport in the capital city after Pasighat and Tezu airports.

• Doni Polo Airport in Itanagar is the 16th airport in Northeast India.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will launch the nation`s first digital rupee pilot project for the wholesale segment.

• RBI in a statement said it will soon start pilot launches of Digital Rupee (ea,) for specific use cases.
• Accordingly, the first pilot in the Digital Rupee - Wholesale segment (ea,-W) shall commence on November 1, 2022.
• Retail segment (ea,-R) is planned for launch within a month in select locations in closed user groups comprising customers and merchants. 
• RBI has selected nine banks for participation in the digital rupee`s wholesale pilot project.

An indigenous technology developed at IIT Madras can now produce new-generation super-abrasive tools for advanced grinding applications to meet high productivity and energy-efficient material removal requirements.

• A research team led by Amitava Ghosh at IIT Madras used advanced chemical bonding technology with an application-specific novel formulation of filler material and controlled spacing of grits on the tools by an indigenously developed semi-automatic grit-printing device.
• The team has recommended application-specific-advanced coatings to develop new-generation super abrasive tools.
• The novel formulation offers an excellent blend of strength, wear resistance, and wetting characteristics (ability to spread well in a liquid state with low contact angle on solid super abrasives during brazing).

A group of American scientists have discovered the biggest asteroid named 2022 AP7and warned that the giant asteroid could potentially cross paths with Earth.

• The celestial body is 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles) wide, the team revealed, adding that its potential impact would be felt across multiple continents.
• The ‘planet killer’ asteroid was hiding somewhere between Earth and Venus, making it difficult to detect.
• Astronomers have to look in the Sun’s direction to study this area, and state-of-the-art orbital telescopes like James Webb or Hubble cannot be used in such studies since the Sun’s glare would burn their sensitive optics.

India Space Congress 2022 (ISC 2022) was organized from October 26 to 28 this year in New Delhi.

• India Space Congress is an international congress that brings together government, industrial experts, policymakers, thought leaders, legal professionals and academia in the space sector to discuss ways to ensure effective management of space exploration and also explore new disruptive space-based services and applications and viable business models. It also focuses on space situational awareness and cyber security.
• India Space Congress (ISC 2022) was organized by SatCom Industry Association (SIAIndia) with assistance from Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Ministry of Defence, NITI Aayog, In-Space, NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL) and the Department of Telecommunication.
• The theme for the event is ‘Leveraging Space to Power Next-Gen Communication & Businesses’.

Yotta Infrastructure has unveiled North India’s first hyperscale data center, Yotta D1, in a grand inauguration ceremony at its Greater Noida Data Center Park.

• Hon’ble Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath and Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Electronics & IT and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship – inaugurated Yotta D1 in the presence of leading IT leaders and government officials.
• The first of 6 data center buildings in the Greater Noida data center park, Yotta D1, has been set up with an investment of around Rs. 1,500 crores and has been built and made operational in a record time of 20 months.
• Once fully operational, Yotta D1 will see an additional investment of Rs. 5,000 crores in IT equipment.

Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced that a dedicated cyber intelligence unit will be set up in the state to curb cyber and financial crime.

• Cyber intelligence unit will be created using advanced technology and with a view that cybercrime may pose an increasing challenge in the coming times.
• He said this single platform will ensure a speedy response to any cyber or financial crime as it will unite banks, financial institutions, social media organisations, regulated institutions, cyber police and experts.

The University Grants Commission has written to vice-chancellors and principals of all universities and colleges in this regard following recommendations of a committee constituted last year by the education ministry to promote Indian languages.

• All higher education institutions in India must observe a ‘Bharatiya Bhasha Divas’ on December 11 every year to create “language harmony” and develop a conducive environment for learning Indian languages.
• The committee has proposed to observe December 11 as ‘Bharatiya Bhasha Diwas’ or ‘Bharatiya Bhasha Utsav’ on the birth anniversary of poet Subramania Bharati, a pioneer of modern Tamil poetry who penned songs to kindle patriotism during the Independence movement.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched the 'Ladli Laxmi 2.0' financial assistance scheme to encourage girls to pursue higher education and make them independent.

• Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched the state government's flagship 'Ladli Laxmi 2.0' financial assistance scheme to encourage girls to pursue higher education and make them independent.
• Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched the 'Ladli Laxmi' scheme in 2007 after he became the Chief Minister for the first time in 2005.
• The scheme provides monetary benefits to eligible girl children to ensure they get a good education and change the perspective of society towards the birth of the girl's child.

Virat Kohli has hit the form and is scoring fifties in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup. After playing a match-winning knock of 82 not out again Pakistan, he amassed an unbeaten 62 against the Netherlands.

• After failing in a game with South Africa in Perth, the 33-year-old came back to his back and registered a crucial fifty against Bangladesh at the Adelaide Oval.
• He amassed 64 off 44 balls, laced with 8 fours and a six. India finished on 184/6 in 20 overs.
• He took his time before playing shots all around the wicket. Kohli is the first player in the history of the T20 World Cup to score 3 or more fifty-plus knocks on three occasions.

Indian pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty bagged the biggest title of their career, claiming the French Open Super 750 crown with a straight-game decimation of Chinese Taipei’s Lu Ching Yao and Yang Po Han in the men’s doubles final in Paris.

• The world number 8 pair, defeated Lu and Yang, ranked 25th, 21-13, 21-19. They became the first Indian men’s doubles pair to win the French Open title.
• With this, Satwik and Chirag’s also won their first-ever super 750 and second BWF World Tour title this year. This was their fourth BWF World Tour title, but the previous three were lower-tier tournaments.
• Their first, the Hyderabad Open 2018, was a Super 100 tournament while the Thailand Open 2019 and India Open 2022 were both Super 500 events.

India defeated Australia to win Sultan of Johor Cup 2022 in shootout 5-4 after a 1-1 draw .

• This is the third time India has won the Sultan of Johor Cup.
• India scored the first goal with Sudeep Chirmako’s field goal in the 14th minute. However, Australia came back in the second quarter as Jack Holland equalised with India.
• In the shootout, both teams ended with 3-3 scoreline, forcing the match into sudden death.

Maharashtra-based weightlifter Akanksha Vyavahare created three new national records in the 40kg weight category at the Khelo India National Ranking Women’s Weightlifting tournament here.

• The weightlifter, who was also a part of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme, created records in Snatch, Clean and Jerk, and Total on Friday.
• Akanksha bettered her existing Snatch national record, by lifting 60kg. She recorded 71kg in the Clean & Jerk, and on the process, registering a total lift of 131kg.

Defending champions Spain won the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup with a 1-0 victory over first-time finalists Colombia whose campaign ended in a heartbreak after an own goal in the summit clash .

Uttrakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami inaugurated the ‘Lakhpati Didi’ fair at the survey of India Maidan, Hathbarkala in Dehradun. The fair is part of an initiative undertaken by the BJP government to empower women in the state.

• The Rural Development department of the Uttrakhand government has made preparations to make 1.25 lakh women from self-help groups ‘Lakhpati’ by 2025.
• Under the ‘Lakhpati Didi’ scheme women belonging to self-help groups (SHGs) will be encouraged to take up micro-enterprises with skill development.
• The government will tie up e-commerce platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, and Government e-Marketplace so that the SHG products get national and international markets.

The Union Ministry of Electronics and IT recently approved the greenfield Electronic Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) at Pune.

• Electronic Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) is a manufacturing cluster designed and developed to provide the necessary facilities and amenities for manufacturing electronic products like mobile phones, cables, etc.
• The greenfield EMC project in Maharashtra is to be established at a cost of Rs.492.85 crore in Ranjangaon, near Pune.  This is to be the state’s first EMC project. It is expected to bring in over Rs 2,000 crore in investments.
• The Central Government’s approval was given to Maharashtra’s State Industrial Agency and Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation. Of the total cost, Rs 207.98 crore will be from the Central Government and the remaining Rs 284.87 crore will be funded by the MIDC and the State Industrial Agency.

The Ministry of Textiles on Wednesday cleared 20 strategic research projects worth Rs. 74 crores in the areas of agrotextiles , speciality fibre, smart textiles, activewear textiles, strategic application, protective gear and apparel, sports textiles.

• As per the ministry, these strategic research projects fall under the flagship programme ‘National Technical Textiles Mission.’
• Among the 20 research projects, five were of speciality fibres, six of agro-textiles, two from smart textiles, two of protective gear and apparel, two from geotextiles, one of activewear apparel, one from strategic application area, one from sports textiles were cleared.

Fisheries Minister Tage Taki announced that a fish museum, the first of its kind in the Northeast, would soon be built in Arunachal Pradesh. 

• The fish museum will be part of India’s first-ever ‘Integrated Aqua Park’ which has been approved by the central government.
• The park will be set up at Tarin (Ziro) in the Lower Subansiri district.
• Tage Taki, while informing about Northeast’s first fish museum also said that three years ago Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced one Integrated Aqua Park for each state and Union Territory under Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana for bringing the blue revolution.

The Ranipur Tiger Reserve in Uttar Pradesh has become the 53rd tiger reserve of India, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav .

• The Ranipur Tiger Reserve in the Chitrakoot district of UP is the fourth in the state after Dudhwa, Pilibhit and Amangarh.
• It is spread over 529.36 sq km (core area 230.32 sq km & buffer area 299.05 sq km).
• The  new tiger reserve will strengthen our tiger conservation efforts.

Kerala Day or Kerala Piravi is celebrated to commemorate the birth of Kerala as an independent State in the Republic of India on November 1, 1956.

History

Prior to this unification, Kerala was divided into three independent provinces of Malabar, Cochin, and Travancore. Malabar Presidency constituted the northernmost territories of Kerala that included Thalassery, Kannur, and Kasaragod. The princely State of Cochin occupied the middle section, and the sovereign State of Travancore administered the southern region. After the Independence of India, there arose a strong need to carve new states on a linguistic basis. Thus, a few years after Independence, Kerala was reorganized as one such independent State.

Kerala Piravi Day commemorates this momentous union that led to the formation of modern-day Kerala as we know it.

Invest Karnataka 2022 summit was virtually inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently. The Invest Karnataka 2022 summit is a global investment summit that is organized in Bengaluru to attract foreign investments and create a development plan for the next decade.

• The three-day summit commenced on November 2 this year. During the event, the state will be able to showcase its cultural and investment prospects to countries across the globe.
• It is held based on the theme “Build for the World”.
• This theme reflects Karnataka Government’s aim to reap the benefit of the global supply chain.

RBI Revokes Authorisation Certificate of Chennai-Based GI Technology : Due to issues with the company’s governance, the Reserve Bank has revoked the certificate of authorization of Chennai-based GI Technology Private Limited. The company is in business of issuance and operation of prepaid payment instruments.

• Governance concerns and non-compliance with regulatory requirements” are the reasons for revocation of Certificate of Authorisation (CoA), the central bank said in a statement.
• GI Technology cannot transact the business of issuing and operating prepaid payment instruments following the cancellation of the CoA.

Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) is currently planning to recommend environmental release of a genetically modified (GM) herbicide tolerant cotton of German multinational company Bayer AG.

• It had earlier approved the environmental clearance of Delhi University’s transgenic hybrid mustard DMH-11 along with its parental lines.
• Bollgard II Roundup Ready Flex (BG-II RRF) is a transgenic cotton having three alien genes.
• Two of the alien genes – cry1Ac and cry2Ab – were isolated from a soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis. These genes have proteins that are harmful for American bollworm, spotted bollworm and tobacco caterpillar insect pests.