Current Affairs: November 2022 | Current Affairs & General Knowledge - CLAT PDF Download

Sweden's Saab to Set Up Facility in India to Make M4 Rocket Launcher for Indian Army and Export

• Swedish defense firm Saab announced its plan to set up a manufacturing facility in India for the Carl-Gustaf M4 shoulder-fired weapon system under the NDA government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative to bolster indigenous defense manufacturing, a company official said. Production at the new facility is expected to begin in 2024, even though the firm is yet to reveal the location
• A new company, Saab FFV India, will make the latest rocket launchers in India for the Indian armed forces, along with components for users of the weapon system around the world, the company said. The facility will be the firm’s first manufacturing facility for the Carl-Gustaf M4 weapon system outside Sweden. Saab is currently in talks with the army to take the proposal forward. The Carl-Gustaf weapon system has been in service with the Indian Army since 1976, and its earlier M2 and M3 variants have been licensed-produced in India. 
• The company is looking at the 100% foreign direct investment (FDI) route to set up the new venture but will pursue the 74% FDI option with an Indian partner if the former doesn’t work out.

About Sweden: 

• Capital: Stockholm
•  Currency: Swedish krona 
• Prime Minister: Magdalena Andersson 

About Indian Army:

• Founded: 1 April 1895, India 
• Headquarters: New Delhi 
• Notable commanders: Field Marshal K. M. Cariappa, OBE; Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, MC; General K. S. Thimayya, DSO  

Telangana Govt Enhances ST Reservation from 6% to 10% With Immediate Effect

• The Telangana government issued an order to increase the reservation for the Scheduled Tribe communities from 6 percent to 10 percent. The order issued by the Tribal Welfare Department informed that the enhanced reservations would apply to educational institutions and to services under the state government with immediate effect.
• In 2017, the Telangana Assembly passed a bill enhancing the preservation of the ST population to 10 percent.
• The latest order has increased the reservation for various sections in the state up to 54 percent.
• Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has announced the increase of the ST Quota to 10 percent.
• The reservation report highlights the fact that the ST population has risen more compared to others since 1986 when 6 percent reservation was announced. 

About Telangana

• Founded: 2 June 2014
• Capital: Hyderabad
• Governor: Tamilisai Soundararajan
• Chief Minister: K. Chandrashekar Rao

Centre Extends AFSPA in Districts of Arunachal Pradesh & Nagaland for Six Months

• AFSPA in Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh: The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, or AFSPA, has been applied to 12 districts in Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh for an additional six months, according to the federal government. In order to aid the military forces in carrying out the anti-insurgency operations, it has also been expanded in some areas of five more districts of the two northeastern states. 
• The AFSPA will be extended for six months starting in nine districts of Nagaland: Dimapur, Nuland, Chumoukedima, Mon, Kiphire, Noklak, Phek, and Zunheboto.
• The AFSPA will be also extended for six months starting in 16 police station areas in four additional districts: Kohima, Mokokchung, Longleng, and Wokha. This was announced in a notification by the Home Ministry.

About Nagaland:

• Founded: 30 November 1963
• Capital: Kohima (Executive Branch)
• Chief Minister: Neiphiu Rio
• Governor: Prof Jagdish Mukhi

About Arunachal Pradesh:

• Capital: Itanagar (Executive Branch)
• Chief Minister: Pema Khandu
• Governor: B. D. Mishra.

Telangana Govt Introduces 'Aasara' Pension as a Social Safety Net to Poor

• The Telangana government has introduced ‘Aasara’ pensions as a part of the state’s welfare measures and social safety net strategy. The ‘Aasara’ pensions aim to secure life for all the poor. It is a welfare scheme for the older section of the state, widows, physically disabled, and beedi workers to avail pension facilities. Under the Asif Nagar Mandal jurisdiction 10,000 new Aasara pensions have been sanctioned.
• The Aasara pension scheme was launched on 8th November 2014 by the Government of Telangana.
• The scheme provides pensions to old people, windows, patients suffering from elephantiasis or AIDS, physically disabled persons, beedi workers, and single women
• On 7th March 2022, the Finance Minister of Telangana allocated Rs. 11,728 crores to the Aasara Pension scheme.

About Telangana:

• Founded: 2 June 2014
• Capital: Hyderabad
• Governor: Tamilisai Soundararajan
• Chief Minister: K. Chandrashekar Rao

The First Green Tech-Based Incubation Centre of India to Come Up at NIT Srinagar 

• At the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Srinagar, a technology company incubator centered on green technology (Green Technology incubation facility) called the “Greenovator Incubation Foundation” will soon open. The Department of Science and Technology (DST) is supporting a three-year initiative known as Inclusive TBI (i-TBI) for educational institutions, idea generators, innovators, and entrepreneurs to support innovative ideas, and startup initiatives, and promote self-employment and job creation through incubation. 
• All of the money required to establish the Green Technology incubation facility center will be provided by the Department of Science and Technology. Startups will have access to the co-working space, which includes conference spaces, a prototype lab, and other amenities.
• In addition to office space, financial support in the form of seed money would be provided on an individual basis with equity in accordance with DST criteria.
• Saad Parvez, the center’s CEO, described the forthcoming center as the first of its type in the area and claimed that it would foster ideas that would lead to entrepreneurship and self-employment.

Justice Dinesh Sharma to Head UAPA Tribunal Related to The Ban on PFI

• The government of India has appointed Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma of the Delhi High Court as the presiding officer of the tribunal for the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), related to the ban on the Popular Front of India (PFI) and its associates. Once an organization is banned under the provisions of UAPA, a tribunal is set up by the government to adjudicate whether there are sufficient grounds for the decision. 
• The office memorandum, issued by the Department of Justice in the Law Ministry on October 3, mentioned that Justice Sharma’s time as head of the UAPA tribunal will count as “actual service”. Chief Justice S.C. Sharma of the Delhi High Court appointed Justice Sharma to head the tribunal examining the ban.

Pakistan to Join Closing Ceremony of SCO Anti-Terror Exercise Hosted by India

• Pakistan has confirmed that it will attend the Shanghai cooperation organization’s anti-terror exercises in India. Pakistan, which is a part of SCO will take part in counter-terror drills in Haryana’s Manesar in October. These exercises will be conducted under the ambit of the SCO regional anti-terrorism structure (RATS).
• A three-member Pakistani delegation will take part in the meeting in Delhi. While the SCO as a grouping came into existence in 2001, India and Pakistan became members of it in 2017.
• India will be hosting the SCO RATS council meeting on October 14th this year in Delhi. New Delhi has also proposed holding an SCO joint anti-terrorist exercise (JATE) in Manesar this year. 
• 37th meeting of the Council of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO RATS) took place in Tashkent under the chairmanship of India. 

PM Modi Flags Off 4th Vande Bharat Express Train in Himachal's Una

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the fourth Vande Bharat Express Train of India. He also launched a slew of development projects in Himachal Pradesh. PM Modi flagged off the inaugural run of the new Vande Bharat Express Train from Amb Andaura to New Delhi. He also laid the foundation stone of Bulk Drug Park.
• In Chamba district, he laid the foundation stone of two hydropower projects and launched the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana-III in Himachal Pradesh.
• Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh Jai Ram Thakur highlighted the ninth visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Himachal Pradesh in five years.
• The Vande Bharat Express Train launched in Himachal Pradesh is much lighter and capable of reaching higher speeds in a shorter duration.

Punjab Govt. Announces Restoration of Old Pension Scheme

• The Punjab Government decided to restore the old pension scheme for its employees. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced that the government has decided to implement the old pension scheme as a Diwali gift for its employees. The decision was taken as an in-principle decision to the effect of the cabinet meeting. The decision aims to benefit lakhs of employees 
• Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that the employees will be given the option to join the old pension scheme.
• The government was considering restoring the scheme for government employees for a month.  
• Restoration of the old pension scheme was discontinued in 2004 and it has been one of the major demands of state government employees.

Odisha CM Launches First Common Agricultural Credit Portal for Farmers

• Odisha Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik has launched a common credit portal SAFAL’ (Simplified Application for Agricultural Loans) for the welfare of farmers. SAFAL is an abridged application for agricultural loans that will enable farmers and agri-entrepreneurs to access over 300 term loan products from more than 40 partner banks. It has also been integrated with Krushak Odisha and will have access to 70-plus model project reports. The application can revolutionize credit provisions for farmers and agri-entrepreneurs. 
• The application is a one-stop solution for farmers and agri-entrepreneurs to avail formal sector credit from public and private sector banks, Regional Rural Banks, State Cooperative Banks, and Small Finance Banks. 
• The portal will ease the loan application process benefiting both the farmers and banks significantly, the chief minister said. It will also reduce information asymmetry by sending farmers real-time notifications at every stage of their loan application. 

About Odisha

• Capital: Bhubaneswar
• Chief Minister: Naveen Patnaik
• Governor: Ganeshi Lal

Poland Chooses US To Build its First Nuclear Power Plant

• Poland has chosen the U.S. government and Westinghouse to build the central European country's first nuclear power plant, part of an effort to burn less coal and gain greater energy independence.
• Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said late Friday on Twitter that Poland would use the "reliable, safe technology" of the Westinghouse Electric Company for the plant in the Pomerania province near the Baltic Sea coast. The exact location remains to be identified.
• Protests by residents and environmentalists, the 1986 disaster at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine and budget shortages led to the scrapping of the project.
• Russia's invasion of Ukraine this year and its use of energy to put economic and political pressure on European nations have added urgency to Poland's search for alternative energy sources.

Indonesia Hands Over G20 Religion Forum Presidency to India in Bali

• Indonesia on Thursday handed over the Presidency of the R20 summit, the religious grouping of the Group of 20 Forum, to India which New Delhi will host in 2023.
• The handover ceremony was held for government and religious leaders from India which will host the G20 Religion Forum in 2023.
• R20 is part of a series of G20 events initiated under Indonesia’s G20 Presidency.  
• It is being held from November 2-3 this year in Bali, Indonesia to mobilize global leaders to help ensure that religion functions as an open and dynamic source of solutions, rather than problems, in the 21st century.
• India and Indonesia share two millennia of close cultural and commercial contact. The Hindu, Buddhist, and later Muslim faith traveled to Indonesia from the shores of India. The stories from the great epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata form sources of Indonesian folk art and dramas.

G7 ‘Global Shield’: Bangladesh Among First to Receive Climate Funding

• Pakistan, Ghana, and Bangladesh will be among the first recipients of funding from a G7 ‘Global Shield’ initiative to provide funding to countries suffering climate disasters, the program announced at the COP27 summit in Egypt. 
• The Global Shield(GS), coordinated by G7 president Germany, aims to provide rapid access for climate-vulnerable countries to insurance and disaster protection funding after floods or drought. It is being developed in collaboration with the ‘V20’ group of 58 climate-vulnerable economies. 
• Germany has contributed $175.17 million in funding to Global Shield while other countries including Denmark and Ireland have contributed a little over $41 million. 
• The GS will close urgent protection gaps in countries by designing, funding, and facilitating interventions 

New Zealand Supreme Court Rules Voting Age of 18 is Discriminatory

• New Zealand’s voting age has been ruled discriminatory by the country’s highest court. The case was brought by an advocacy group make it 16 in 2020, in a bid to lower the voting age from 18 to 16. 
• The Supreme Court found the current voting age of 18 was inconsistent with the country’s Bill of Rights, which gives people a right to be free from age discrimination when they turn 16. 
• The group argues there is no reason to stop 16-year-olds voting when they can drive, work full-time, and pay taxes. 
• Political parties in New Zealand have mixed views on the subject. The Green Party wants immediate action to lower the voting age to 16, but the largest opposition party, the National party, does not support the shift. 
• “Obviously, we’ve got to draw a line somewhere,” National party leader Christopher Luxon said. “We’re comfortable with the line being 18. Lots of different countries have different places where the line’s drawn and from our point of view, 18 is just fine.” 

Cuttack Bali Yatra Enters the Guinness Book of World Records

• Cuttack Baliyatra has made it into the Guinness World Record after achieving the feat of making 22,000 paper boats in 35 minutes. During the Baliyatra festival, more than 2,100 students from 22 schools made paper boats and created a world record at an event organized at Barabati Stadium by the district administration and Cuttack Municipal Corporation. 
• The world record was attempted to attain global recognition for Cuttack’s Baliyatra, the largest open-air trade fair in the state. 
• The headquarters of the Guinness World Records in London was contacted for an attempt to make 10,000 paper boats in just 15 minutes.
• The record book authorities had issued the protocol for organizing the event and the administration roped in around 3,000 students who have also imparted training on making paper boats. 

India's First Privately Built Rocket, Vikram-S, Launched by ISRO

• Vikram-S Rocket, India’s first privately developed rocket launched from the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) at the Sriharikota launchpad. The launch of Vikram-S Rocket by ISRO is a historic moment. 
• The Vikram-S Rocket is developed by Hyderabad-based start-up Skyroot Aerospace Private Limited, and it is a 6-meter gall and hits a peak altitude of 89.5 kilometers. After five minutes of launch, the Vikram-S Rocket splashed into the Bay of Bengal. The mission was titled Prarambh. 
• The Vikram-S Rocket is a single-stage solid fuelled, sub-orbital rocket developed over two years by incorporating advanced technologies that include carbon composite structures and 3D printer components. 
• The Vikram-S Rocket is equipped with a gross lift-off mass of 545kg, and a payload mass of 80kg. Vikram-S carried three customer payloads which will map the measurement and validation of certain flight parameters and payload integration processes. 
• The Skyroot firm was launched in June 2018 by two engineers Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka. The firm aims to open space for all, he is pushing the boundaries of today’s techno. It is working towards a future where space becomes a part of our lives and claims that such a transition will transform humankind like never before. 
• Initially, Skyroot built ticket components to send satellites into space. After the Indian government opened the sector to private firms, it promptly signed up with ISRO, which allows such players to use the agency’s launching facilities. The start-up formally entered the space and technology industry with an agreement with ISRO in September 2011.  

Surya Kumar Yadav Becomes 1st Indian Player to Score 1,000 T20I Runs in a Calendar Year 

• Star Indian batter Suryakumar Yadav has become the first Indian player to score 1,000 T20 International runs in a calendar year. The batter accomplished this feat in his side’s final Super 12 stage match against Zimbabwe in Melbourne cricket ground (MCG), Australia. In the match, Suryakumar put his perfect finishing touches to make sure India finished their innings on a high. He scored 61 not out of just 25 balls, consisting of six fours and four sixes. In 28 innings this year, Suryakumar has scored 1,026 runs at an average of 44.60.
• Suryakumar Yadav has now joined Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan on the elite list of batters who have scored more than 1000 T20I runs in a calendar year. Rizwan, who has 924 runs in 23 T20Is this year, scored a total of 1326 runs in 29 matches in 2021. Surya is only the second player in T20I history to have scored more than 1000 runs in one calendar year. Now he has a total of 1026 runs in 28 T20I matches this year.
• Surya made his T20I debut for India against England in March last year, and since then he has been on a roll. He has played a total of 39 T20I matches in total for India, in which he has scored 1270 runs.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Charlotte Edwards, and Abdul Qadir were inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame

• The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the latest legends who join the prestigious list of cricketing greats that make up the ICC Hall of Fame. Following a voting process that included existing Hall of Famers, media representatives plus senior executives from the Federation of International Cricketers (FICA) and the ICC, West Indies great Shivnarine Chanderpaul, England Women’s team legend Charlotte Edwards and Pakistan legend Abdul Qadir become inductees number 107, 108 and 109 respectively. 
• Shivnarine Chanderpaul is one of the most instantly recognizable figures in the history of West Indies cricket. With an unorthodox batting technique, he made his debut at 19 and quickly began to excel against opposition bowlers. 
• Over the course of a 20-year international career, Charlotte Edwards became one of the most significant players in the history of women’s cricket. Starting her international journey as a 16-year-old, she soon announced herself by striking a world-record unbeaten 173 against Ireland in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in Pune. 
• Qadir passed away in 2019 at the age of 63, but his influence on the game in Pakistan and the wider world is still felt strongly today. Often labeled the savior of leg-spin bowling during the 1970s and 80s, Qadir was renowned for outfoxing some of the greatest batters in the game with his dynamic action and majestic variation. 

Pakistan vs England, T20 World Cup Final 2022: ENG Crowned Champions, Beat PAK by Five Wickets 

• England has crowned the champions after they defeated Pakistan by 5 wickets in the final at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Australia. They are the first team to hold the ODI and T20 World Cups at the same time after their memorable win over New Zealand in the 2019 50-over final at Lord’s. England also emulated West Indies to become only the second team in the history of the competition to lift two titles in the T20 World Cup
• England was in the box seat after captain Jos Buttler won the toss and elected to field first, restricting Pakistan to just 8-137. Ben Stokes used all his experience to score 52 from 49 balls just when his team needed it most as England chased down Pakistan’s meager total of 137/8 with six deliveries remaining at the MCG.
• T20WC Men’s Player of the Tournament: Sam Curran (12 wickets in six matches). Sam Curran was adjudged the man of the match for his performance where he took three wickets for just 12 runs from his four overs in the game.

Switzerland Beat Australia to Win the First Billie Jean King Cup Title

• Switzerland won their first Billie Jean King Cup title on Sunday after Belinda Bencic beat Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic in straight sets in the second match of the finals to give them an unassailable 2-0 lead. 
• Jil Teichmann had earlier prevailed 6-3 4-6 6-3 over Storm Sanders in a thrilling contest to put Switzerland ahead before Olympic champion Bencic saw off Tomjlanovic 6-2 6-1 to clinch the best-of-three contest. 
• The teams also clashed in the semi-finals of last year's event in Prague, where Teichmann overcame Sanders and Bencic defeated Tomljanovic before Switzerland went on to finish runners-up to Russia.  Olympic champion Bencic, who had not dropped a set all week, was in complete control against Tomljanovic and delivered a commanding performance, swiftly wrapping up victory in an hour and 15 minutes. 
• In a brilliant battle between two left-handers, Teichmann dominated affairs in the first set but Sanders, struggling with a leg injury and needing courtside treatment, twice rallied from a breakdown in the second in a stirring revival.  

Mary Kom, PV Sindhu, Mirabai Chanu, and Gagan Narang were Elected to IOA Athletes Commission 

• Olympic medallists MC Mary Kom, PV Sindhu, Mirabai Chanu, and Gagan Narang were among 10 eminent sportspersons elected as members of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Athletes Commission. 
• All the 10 elected members of the apex body, five men and as many women won unopposed in the polls. Under the new constitution of the Indian Olympic Association which was adopted on November 10, the athlete's commission is to have equal representation of male and female members. 
• Winter Olympian Shiva Keshavan, table tennis player Sharath Kamal, women’s hockey captain Rani Rampal, fencer Bhavani Devi, rower Bajrang Lal and former shot putter Om Prakash Singh Kahana are the other six members of the elected panel. 
• All 10 members, out of which five are female, are Olympians. Keshavan is the only Winter Olympian. The immediate task of the Athletes Commission would be to identify eight Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOM) who would then be voting members of the IOA’s General Assembly. One of the criteria is that the sportsperson should have retired from the sport, and should have won a medal in the Olympics, Asian Games, or Commonwealth Games.

Max Verstappen Wins 2022 F1 Finale in Abu Dhabi

• Formula One (F1) world champion Max Verstappen of the Red Bull team won the season-ending F1 Abu Dhabi race in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The battle for second place remained a major story with Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez entering the race tied at 290 points, but it was Leclerc who came out on top with a second-place finish on the Yas Marina Circuit. 
• Max Verstappen was his record 15th title of the 2022 season. He also ended the 2022 season as the world F1 champion. He won his first F1 world championship title in 2021. He also holds the record for winning a maximum of 15 races in a single season.
• He broke the previous record of 13 race victories in a season jointly held by seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher (2004 season) and four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel (2013 season).  

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo Becomes the First Male Player to Score in 5 World Cups

• Cristiano Ronaldo creates history as he became the first male player to score in five World Cups in Portugal’s opening game in Qatar against Ghana. Cristiano Ronaldo scored in the 65th minute from the penalty spot to open the scoring at Doha’s stadium 974, which was also the 118th goal of his country. 
• The 37-year-old striker converted a penalty in the 65th minute to give Portugal a 1-0 lead.  He has now scored a goal in every World Cup since 2006 when he again converted a penalty against Iran in the group stage. 
• Ronaldo scored at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and another at the 2014 tournament in Brazil, and four in 2018 Russia.

Mahendra Kumar Sharma, The Pioneer of Indian Women’s Cricket, Passes Away 

• Mahendra Kumar Sharma, the man who pioneered women’s cricket in India through the registration of the Women’s Cricket Association of India (WCAI) in 1973, has passed away 
• He leaves behind a huge legacy in women’s cricket. In 1973, he registered WCAI under the Societies Act in Lucknow, which kickstarted the journey of women’s cricket in the country.
• WCAI was in existence for the next 32 years until BCCI took over the operation of women’s cricket in India in 2006.
• For the first five years of its existence, Sharma was the founding secretary of WCAI. He was in charge when India got to host its first-ever women’s cricket world cup in 1978. This was when the organization was largely dependent on donations from individuals and the government.
• WCAI also got to host the 1997 edition of the tournament, which was won by Australia.

Justice D.Y. Chandra Hud Sworn in as the 50th Chief Justice of India 

• Senior-most Supreme Court judge and Chief Justice of India-designate Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud is set to become the 50th head of the Indian judiciary when President Draupadi Murmu administers the oath of office to him at Rashtrapati Bhawan. 
• Justice Chandrachud, born on November 11, 1959, was elevated to the top court on May 13, 2016.
• He has been part of several Constitution benches and landmark verdicts of the top court including on matters relating to the Ayodhya land dispute, the right to privacy, and adultery. Justice Chandrachud was also part of the benches which delivered path-breaking judgments on decriminalizing same-sex relations after it partially struck down Section 377 of the IPC, the validity of the Aadhaar scheme, and the Sabarimala issue 
• Recently, he was among the two judges of the apex court Collegium which had objected to the method of “circulation” adopted for eliciting the views of its members on the appointment of judges to the top court.
• After completing his BA with Honours in Economics from St Stephen’s College, New Delhi, Justice Chandrachud did his LLB from Campus Law Centre, Delhi University, and obtained an LLM degree and a Doctorate in Juridical Sciences (SJD) from Harvard Law School, USA.