1) National Education Day: 11th November
•The National Education Day is celebrated on 11 November on the birth anniversary of Independent India’s first Education Minister, freedom fighter, scholar and eminent educationist Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. He was a freedom fighter, scholar and the first Education Minister of independent India. The Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) on September 11, 2008, announced, “The Ministry has decided to commemorate the birthday of this great son of India by recalling his contribution to the cause of education in India.” Abul Kalam Ghulam Muhiyuddin served as the first education minister of independent India from 1947 to 1958.
2) 5th edition of GES 2019 to be held in Bengaluru
•The 5th edition of Global Exhibition on Services, GES 2019 is being held from November 26 to 28 at Bengaluru, Karnataka. The Global Exhibition on Services is an annual event which aims to engage industry and governments across the world and to promote greater exchange of trade in services between India and the rest of the world. India is looking to attract investments and partnerships in strategic areas like aviation and space programme, infrastructure, and telecom projects.
3) World Science Day for Peace and Development: 10 November
•World Science Day for Peace and Development is celebrated every year on 10 November. The theme for 2019 is “Open science, leaving no one behind”. The day highlights the significant role of science in society and the need to engage the wider public in debates on emerging scientific issues. It also underlines the importance and relevance of science in our daily lives. The day was proclaimed by UNESCO in 2001.
4) Indian Oil to set up 2G ethanol plant in Panipat
•The Ministry of Environment has granted clearance to the Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) to set up a ₹ 766-crore 2G ethanol plant in Haryana’s Panipat district. The Ethanol produced in the plant will be exclusively used to blend transportation fuels. The project also aims at doubling farmers income.
5) Defence innovations conference to showcase accomplishments of iDEX
•The defence ministry is organising Def-Connect in New Delhi to showcase the accomplishments of the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) initiative. The conference aims to bring together all stakeholders of the iDEX ecosystem, Ministry of defence, iDEX selected startups, Partner Incubators, Defence Innovation Organisation, Nodal agencies (Indian Army, Navy, Airforce), Defence Research and Development Organisation and Defence Public Sector Undertakings and Indian Ordnance Factories. The launch of iDEX Portal and launch of Defence India Startup Challenge (DISC)-III are some of the major activities planned during this day-long event.
6) CJI Ranjan Gogoi releases Assamese version of book ‘Courts of India: Past to Present’
•Chief Justice of India Justice Ranjan Gogoi released the Assamese version of the book ‘Courts of India: Past to Present’ in Guwahati, Assam. The book has been published by the Publication division. The various chapters of the book narrate the historical events of the court.
7) Sanskrit Bharati Vishwa Sammelan begins in New Delhi
•Sanskrit Bharati Vishwa Sammelan, a mega event for discussing ideas, theories and research findings in the ancient Sanskrit language, begins in New Delhi. Thousands of Sanskrit lovers from 17 countries are attending Sanskrit Bharati Vishwa Sammelan.
•An exhibition ‘Sanskriti Pradarshini’ has also been put up displaying manus, models and charts that establish different phases of the development of Sanskrit as a popular language, not only in India but also across the globe.
8) Banks cannot charge on NEFT transactions from January 2020
•As per the report titled “Furthering Digital Payments” released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), With a view to promoting digital transactions on the 3 anniversary of demonetisation, the Reserve Bank has moved a proposal in this regard. From January 2020, banks can no longer charge savings bank account holders for online transactions in the NEFT system. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has now mandated banks to do this. RBI stated that it is doing this to promote digital payments.
9) Anjani Kumar appointed as next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Mali
•The Ministry of external affairs (MEA) announced Anjani Kumar was the next ambassador of India to the Republic of Mali. He is an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Officer of batch 2003. He will replace Pradeep Kumar Gupta.
10) Karnataka Gramin Bank initiates ‘mobile ATMs’ in rural areas
•The Karnataka Gramin Bank (KGB) has launched ‘mobile ATMs’ in Kalaburagi, among several other districts in the Karnataka. The special vehicle includes an ATM and a screen to show videos of different banking schemes. The mobile ATMs will go to the doorsteps of the farmers and make them aware of the banking schemes and digital operating systems. A bank official would be present in the van, who will provide information regarding the digital operating systems and schemes.
11) Tata Literature Live! to honour Shanta Gokhale with Lifetime Achievement award
•The Tata Literature Live! Lifetime Achievement Award for 2019 was conferred on writer, translator and film critic Shanta Gokhale. She, born in 1939 in the town of Dahanu in Maharashtra, recently published her memoir One Foot on the Ground: A Life Told Through the Body. She received the Sangeet Natak Academy Award in 2015. Poet K Satchidanandan was named the Tata Literature Live! Poet Laureate for 2019.
12) Justice Sanjay Karol sworn in as Chief Justice of Patna High Court
•Justice Sanjay Karol was sworn in as the Chief Justice of Patna High Court. Bihar Governor Phagu Chauhan administered the oath of office to Justice Karol at the Raj Bhavan. He was earlier posted as Chief Justice of Tripura before this appointment.
