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1. Cuba’s former president and leader of the Communist revolution Fidel Castro passed away due to old age. He was 90. He was commander in chief of the 1959 Cuban revolution 1959 and had successfully built a communist state on the doorstep of the United States during Cold War. He had ruled Cuba as a one-party state for almost half a century (from 1976 to 2008) before handing over the powers to his brother Raul Castro in 2008 due to ill health. About Fidel Castro He was born as Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz on August 13, 1926 in Birán, Holguin Province, Cuba. In 1953, he was imprisoned after leading an unsuccessful rising against Batista’s regime. However was released in 1955 from prison under an amnesty deal. He was in office from 1976 to 2008. He world’s third longest-serving head of state, after Britain’s Queen Elizabeth and the King of Thailand.

2. The Samvidhan Diwas or the Constitution Day of India is being observed on 26th November to spread awareness of Indian Constitution. On this day in 1949, constitution of India was adopted and came into force on January 26, 1950 marking the beginning of a new era in the history of free India. The Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MSJE) is the nodal Ministry for the celebration of Constitution Day. This year it is second edition of the Constitution Day. On this occasion Prime Minister Narendra has released two books on Constitution ‘Making of Constitution’ and ‘New Version of Constitution of India‘.

3. Indian Navy’s seventh landing craft utility (LCU) L-57 was launched by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE) in Kolkata, West Bengal. LCU L-57 is the largest ship of this kind built anywhere in the world. It is the seventh vessel in the series of eight LCU Ships being designed and built by GRSE for the Indian Navy.

4. The Union Government has constituted a new committee to form a strategy to expedite the process of transforming India into a cashless economy. The committee will be headed by Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant. It has been tasked with identifying various bottlenecks affecting access of digital payments. Terms of Reference of Committee Identify and operationalise in the earliest possible time frame user-friendly digital payment options in all sectors of the economy. Identify various digital payment systems appropriate to different sectors of the economy and coordinate efforts to make them accessible. Engage regularly with Central ministries, state governments, regulators, local bodies, district administration, trade and industry associations to promote adoption of digital payment systems. Estimate costs involved in various digital payments options and oversee implementation of measures to make such transactions between citizens and government cheaper than cash transactions. Implement an action plan on advocacy, awareness and hand-holding efforts among public-, micro-enterprises and other stakeholders. Background The committee was set up following a directive from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to back up the demonetisation move. The Union Government is working towards moving all government transactions to the cashless mode, through a new single window e-payment system that businesses or individuals can use to make payments to any central or state department.

5. Indian Railways will soon introduce Tri-Netra (terrain imaging for diesel drivers infrared, enhanced optical and radar assisted) system on its trains to reduce train accidents. Tri-Netra is an advance system is made up of a high-resolution optical video camera, high-sensitivity infrared video camera and a radar-based terrain mapping system. These three components will act as three eyes (Tri-Netra) of the Locomotive Pilot. The requirement for this advance system gained more pace after 14 bogies of the Patna-bound Indore-Rajendra Nagar Express went off the tracks near Kanpur Dehat on 20 November 2016. It was one of the worst railway accidents in recent times in which over 146 passengers and 200 people were injured. How it works? The Tri-Netra system uses infrared and radar technology to collect signals up to a distance of 2-3 km and displays the information on a screen fitted inside the locomotive. In case of any physical obstruction on railway tracks ahead it will alert the drivers and thus give ample time for the driver to apply the brakes to prevent train accidents. It will be very useful during fog, heavy rain and nights, when drivers have to constantly look outside the locomotive to judge the condition. Key Facts Tri-Netra will help reduce train accidents by keeping a record of the track maintenance and will also provide better visibility during foggy days. The system provides a locomotive pilot a clear view of up to one kilometre on a straight track, even during inclement weather. This will also help in maintaining high speed in poor visibility and avoid delay in arrivals. The new technology has been used on a trial basis and has shown good results.

6. Upma Chowdhary was appointed as new Director of Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) at Mussoorie. She will be the 23rd director and first woman director of LBSNAA. She will replace Rajeev Kapoor. Upma Chowdhary is a 1983 batch IAS officer of Himachal cadre. Currently, she is posted as Additional Chief Secretary in Himachal Pradesh. During her 33 years’ service as an IAS officer, she had served in several positions in the state and at the centre.

7. Eminent Journalist and intellectual Dileep Padgaonkar passed away in Pune, Maharashtra after brief illness. He was 72. Mr. Padgaonkar along with Prof. Radha Kumar and Information Commissioner Prof. M M Ansari were part of the three-member interlocutors team chosen by the Union Government in 2010 to design a road map for peace in strife-torn Jammu and Kashmir.

8. Russian aircraft designer and co-creator of the MiG-29 fighter jet Ivan Mikoyan passed away. He was 89. He had the majority of his career as a leading engineer at the ‘MiG’ Aircraft Corporation’s design bureau, which was founded by his uncle Artyom Mikoyan.

9. India hosted the 13th edition of the World Robot Olympiad on the sidelines of trade fair in New Delhi. This is for first time India hosted World Robot Olympiad. It has been organised by National Council of Science Museums (NCSM), Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the India STEM Foundation (ISF).

10. The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (IDEVAW) is observed every year across the world on 25 November. Observance of this day seeks to raise awareness about violence against women and girls, end the violence against the women. It also seeks to show that prevention is possible against violence of women. 2016 Theme: “Orange the World – raise funds to end violence against women”. The orange colour in the theme symbolizes a better future to women and girls all over the globe without the pervasive human rights violation which affects 1 in 3 women and girls all over the globe.

11. India has been ranked 138th in the 2016 ICT Development Index out of a total of 175 countries. In 2015, India ranked 135th position. The index was released as part of the annual Measuring the Information Society Report for 2016 of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). What is ICT Development Index (IDI)? The ICT Development Index (IDI) rankings compare the state of ICT development across countries. It is published annually by the UN ITU. The IDI is based on 11 ICT indicators, grouped in three sub-indices: access, use and skills. It is standard tool that governments, operators, researchers, development agencies and others can use to measure the digital divide and compare ICT performance within and across countries.

12. The Union Government has imposed safeguard duty on import of certain steel products to protect domestic manufacturers from cheap in-bound shipments. It was imposed by the Revenue Department on steel products like hot rolled flat sheets and plates of alloy (excluding hot rolled flat products in coil form) or non-alloy steel. Key Facts The effective duty rate will be calculated after deducting value of goods and the anti-dumping duty payable when import price is below $504 per tonne. The duty arrived at would be 10% in the first year and will gradually reduce to 8% by 2018 and 6% by 2019.

13. Colombian Government has signed revised peace agreement with the country’s largest rebel movement, Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The revised document was signed between President Juan Manual Santos and FARC leader Rodrigo Londono in Bogota, capital city of Colombia. This is the second attempt undertaken by Colombian Government to end Latin America’s longest-running conflict (civil war) which has killed 220000 people. The previous deal singed September 2016 was rejected narrowly by the Colombian people in a popular vote held in October 2016. The revised agreement will be submitted to Colombian Congress for approval, rather than put to a popular vote. It would not form a part of the Colombia’s constitution.

14. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board (IBBI) of India has notified two regulations in exercise of its powers conferred under section 240 of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 seeks to ensure time-bound settlement of insolvency, faster turnaround of businesses and create a unified database of serial defaulters. These two regulations are IBBI (Model Bye-Laws and Governing Board of Insolvency Professional Agencies) Regulations, 2016; IBBI (Insolvency Professional Agencies) Regulations, 2016. Key Facts The two regulations provide (i) eligibility norms to be a Professional Member of an Insolvency Professional Agency (IPA) and (ii) norms to get registered with IBBI as an Insolvency Professional Agency. It allows company registered under Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013 having a minimum net worth of Rs. 10 crore to be eligible for an IPA. The IPA should have over half of its Directors as independent directors and not more than one-fourth of the Directors can be insolvency professionals. It shall have Monitoring Committee, Membership Committee(s), Disciplinary Committee(s) and Grievance Redressal Committee(s) for the purposes of regulation and oversight of professional members.

15. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved opening of one Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) in each of the 62 uncovered districts. These JNVs will provide good quality modern education to the talented children prominently from rural areas. Nearly 35,000 students will be benefitted from these JNVs.Background There are 598 sanctioned JNVs in 576 districts spread across 35 States/UTs as on date. Out of these, 591 are functional. Each JNV has classes from VI to XII with a sanctioned strength of 80 students per class and total strength of 560 students. One third of the total seats are reserved for girls. Admissions to JNVs in class VI are done through an entrance examination. At least 75% of the seats in a district are filled by candidates selected from rural areas of the district. The reservation of seats in favour of children belonging to SC/ST is provided in proportion to their population in the concerned district. However this reservation is subject to the condition that it is not less than the national reservation percentage (15% for SC and 7.5% for ST).

16. The potential hydro power projects in the Himalayan region face increased flood risks from the formation of new lakes and the expansion of existing ones due to melting glaciers. It was revealed by study conducted by Swiss researchers on the impact of climate change in the Himalayas. The study made analysis of Himalayan glaciers and their possible future impact on livelihoods in States adjoining the region. It found that the global warming could cause Himalayan glaciers to melt rapidly increasing the flow of water. According to the study 441 hydro-power projects spanning India, Nepal, Pakistan and China are on possible Glacier Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF) tracks. It means that these projects could be gorged with extra water from melting glaciers. These 441 projects accounts 66% of constructed and potential hydro power projects, Thus, almost a third of these hydro-power projects could experience GLOF discharges well above what these dams account for. If the hydro-power projects are situated close to these glaciers, they would have to account for higher water flows. The fear of floods can be mitigate by taking in to consideration extra need of design or safety features in these projects. What is Indian Scenario? In this study, 129 hydro projects from India were analysed. In the Parvati Valley catchment area, 12 lakes in 1989 had increased to 77 lakes in 2014 and in the Beas basin, six lakes (in 1989) had increased to 33 (in 2011). Most of the lakes were in Himachal Pradesh are relatively small or with a capacity less than of a million cubic metres, and only a few of them had a capacity larger than 10 million cubic metres of water.

17. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has liberalised norms for angel investors to invest in early-stage entities. In this regard, SEBI in its meeting decided to amend the SEBI (Alternative Investment Funds) Regulations, 2012. This decision was taken based on the recommendations received from the NR Narayana Murthy Alternative Investment Policy Advisory Committee. Decisions taken by SEBI Increased the upper limit for number of angel investors in a scheme from 49 to 200. What is an Angel Investor? Angel investors invest in small startups or entrepreneurs. These investors are often among an entrepreneur’s family and friends. The capital provided by angel investors to these startups may be a one-time investment to help them to propel their business or it may ongoing injection of money to support and carry starup through its difficult early stages.

18. Airtel Payments Bank Limited or Airtel Bank became the first payments bank in the country to launch live banking services in Rajasthan. The pilot phase of the Airtel bank launched in Rajasthan aims at testing systems and processes ahead of a full scale pan Indian launch. Key Facts Airtel Payments Bank is a subsidiary of Bharti Airtel Limited. Mahindra Bank holds 19.9% stake in it. Airtel retail outlets across Rajasthan will act as banking points. They offer a range of basic, convenient banking services as per Payments Bank guidelines issued by RBI. Customers can open bank accounts by using Aadhaar based e-KYC. Airtel subscriber’s mobile number will function as a bank account number. The bank will accept deposits not exceeding Rs 1 lakh. It cannot perform lending activities, except while giving loans to its employees on approval of the board. It intends to give an interest rate of 7.25% per annum on deposits in savings accounts. It will be offering customers the convenience of cashless purchase of goods/services using their bank accounts/wallets, contributing to of financial inclusion and banking for all. Though payment banks are allowed to issue debit card facility, but Airtel Payments Bank will be not offering this facility right now. Background In August 2015, RBI had had given in-principle approval to 11 applicants to set up payments bank by February 2017. So far, out of these 11 applicants, Tech Mahindra Ltd, Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Co, and billionaire Dilip Shanghvi have opted out.

19. US President-elect Donald Trump has named Indian-American Governor of South Carolina State, Nikki Haley (44) for the high-profile post of US ambassador to the United Nations. With this, she becomes the first Indian-American to be appointed to a Cabinet-level post in any US administration. She is also first female appointment to a Cabinet-level post and overall sixth appointment of the President-elect Donald Trump led administration.

20. The Union Government has allowed National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) to disburse Rs 21,000 crore to help cash-starved farmers to sow Rabi crops. The money will be disbursed by NABARD to District Central Cooperative Banks (DCCBs) which will enable them to pass on grant funds to the primary agriculture cooperatives. The farm cooperatives will further pass it to farmers for meeting crop loan requirements in Rabi season. Besides, banks also have been asked to ensure regional rural banks (RRBs) and district cooperative banks have required cash available to satisfy the sowing needs of farmers. Background The Union Government’s demonetisation move which has swept away 86% of currency in circulation, has badly hit farmers leaving them without cash just ahead of the Rabi sowing season. Due to restrictions placed on bank withdrawals after demonetisation announcement has badly hit the farmers ahead as they are left with very little cash to buy seeds and fertilisers. It is estimated that more than 40% of small and marginal farmers take crop loans from cooperative institutions. District Central Cooperative Banks (DCCBs) receive their cash from currency chests of banks and state cooperatives. Thus, disbursement of funds from NABARD will help in the smooth flow of credit for farmers to enable them to undertake Rabi requirements. About National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) NABARD is an apex development bank in India. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) holds the majority stake in it. Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra. Established: 1982 on the recommendations of Shivaraman Committee to implement the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development Act, 1981. It has been entrusted with matters concerning policy, planning and operations in the field of credit for agriculture and other economic activities in rural areas in India. It is active in developing financial inclusion policy and is a member of the Alliance for Financial Inclusion. Mandate: (i) Facilitate credit flow for promotion and development of agriculture, small-scale industries, cottage and village industries, handicrafts and other rural crafts. (ii) Support all other allied economic activities in rural areas, promote integrated and sustainable rural development and secure prosperity of rural areas.

21. The Union Government has appointed Yudhvir Singh Malik as the Chairman of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). He will succeed outgoing chairman Raghav Chandra who has been moved as secretary to the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes. Malik is 1983 batch IAS officer of Haryana cadre. Prior to this appointment he was posted as special secretary in NITI Aayog.

22. Indian journalist Malini Subramaniam was conferred with the 2016 International Press Freedom Award. She has been honored for her reporting from the Naxal-infested Bastar area and for the commitment to a free press.

23. ndhra Pradesh Government has launched the ‘Smart Water Distribution Monitoring’ web interface. The monitoring portal is a part of ourvmc.org from where it can be accessed.

24. Acclaimed high energy particle physicist and an institution builder of Indian science Prof. M G K Menon passed away. He was 88. He was Scientist, Science & Technology policy-maker, scholar, parliamentarian, Cabinet Minister. He has been described as one of India’s most eminent “statesmen of science” About M.G.K. Menon Mambillikalathil Govind Kumar Menon was born on 28 August 1928 in Mangalore, Karnataka. He was famously known as MGK or Goku. He was awarded a Ph.D. at a relatively young age of 25 by University of Bristol, UK in 1953. He had joined TIFR (Tata Institute of Fundamental Research) in 1955 at invitation of Homi Bhabha. In 1966, he was appointed Director of TIFR after death of Homi Bhabha.

25. The Reserve bank of India (RBI) has increased the per month limit of Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs) to Rs. 20,000 from Rs. 10,000 and to Rs. 50,000 for merchant bank. This decision was taken due to sudden increase in demand for digital wallets (especially mobile wallets) after Government announced demonetisation of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 notes. Key Facts The prepaid PPIs could be also issued to merchants if they provided a self-declaration in respect of their status and bank account and also to be kept on record by the issuer. Funds transfer from such PPIs will be permitted only to the merchant’s own linked bank account and upto an amount of Rs. 50,000 per month, without any limit per transaction. Thus, this decision will boost mobile wallet transactions following the withdrawal of high-value notes. The measures will be applicable till December 30, 2016. What are Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs)? PPIs are methods that facilitate purchase of goods and services against the value stored on such instruments. The value stored on such instruments represents the value paid for by the holder, by debit, by cash to a bank account or by credit card. These prepaid instruments can be issued as online wallets, mobile accounts, mobile wallets, smart cards, magnetic stripe cards, internet accounts, paper vouchers and any such instruments used to access the prepaid amount.

26. China has agreed to import rice, non-basmati and basmati varieties from 17 registered mills in India. These mills are in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. It is considered as a major breakthrough in India’s efforts to ensure market access for Indian products (especially rice) in China as it is the world’s largest rice importer.

27. The indigenously built nuclear capable Agni-I ballistic missile was successfully test-fired from a test range off Odisha coast, as part of a user trial by India Army. It was test-fired from a mobile launcher from the launch pad-4 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Abdul Kalam Island (Wheeler Island). The last trial of Agni-I was conducted successfully in March 2016 from the same base.

28. António Costa (54), the Indian origin Prime Minister of Portugal will be the chief guest at the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention. The PBD Convention is scheduled to be held from January 7 to 9, 2017 in Bengaluru, Karnataka. Mr. Costa will participate in the inaugural session of the PBD Convention on January 8 and address the delegates. Besides, Surinam Vice president Michael Ashwin Satyandre Adhin will be the Special Guest at the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) to be held in Bengaluru on January 7, 2017.

29. India and Switzerland have signed a Joint Declaration for implementation of Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) in respect of accounts of Indians held abroad. Under the pact, both countries will start collecting data in accordance with the global standards in 2018 and exchange it from 2019 onwards. Thus, it will help India to get access details of bank accounts held by Indians in Switzerland for 2018 and subsequent years on an automatic basis from September 2019. It is considered as a big step towards fighting black money stashed by Indians overseas. The pact is based on the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement on the Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information (MCAA) also known as Common Reporting Standards (CRS) on AEOI. Background Switzerland always had been at the centre of the debate on black money allegedly stashed by Indians abroad. It used to be known for very strong secrecy walls around its banking practices till a few years ago. However, after huge global pressure had forced Switzerland to sign MCAA on AEOI and do away with its tough secrecy clauses in its local laws given to the banks. What is the Multilateral Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information (MCAA)? MCAA is multilateral convention on administrative assistance in taxation matters developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). It was signed by 53 jurisdictions in July 2015 based on Article 6 of the Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters. India had joined it in June 2015. It sets up a system wherein bulk taxpayer information will be periodically be sent by source country of income to the country of residence of the taxpayer. This agreement obliges signatories to exchange a wide range of financial information among themselves periodically and automatically. Its main aim is to prevent international tax evasion and avoidance and help member countries to curb tax evasion and deal with the problem of black money.

30. As per a report on global wealth published by Credit Suisse, the total quantum of wealth in India is rising but disparity between rich and poor is also rising. The report says that the uneven growth has left 96% of the adult population in India at the base of the wealth pyramid with wealth below $10,000. However, a small fraction of the adult population (0.3%) has net worth of more than $100,000. Key Highlights from report Indian Scenario: The wealth in India is mostly dominated by property and other real estate. It makes up 86% of its estimated household assets. The wealth in India in local currency terms increased 5.1% in 2016 but due to adverse currency exchange movements. India’s household wealth fell by 0.8% to $3 trillion in dollar terms. The annual growth of wealth per adult in rupees has averaged 6% between 2000 and 2016. The number of millionaires remained flat at 1.78 lakh with $973 billion in wealth. Among these, ultra high-networth individuals increased by 5.2% to 2,260, including 1,040 with more than $100 million. The number of millionaires in India is projected to increase by 9.5% in the next five years to 2.8 lakh in 2021. Meanwhile, the personal debts are estimated to be 9% of gross assets in India which is much lower than in most developed countries. Global Scenario: Overall growth in wealth remained limited in 2016. It is continuing the trend that had emerged in 2013 and is contrasting sharply with the double-digit growth rates witnessed before the global financial crisis of 2008. The total global wealth in 2016 edged up by 1.4% or $3.5 trillion to a total of $256 trillion, a rise in line with the increase in the world’s adult population.

31. Pankaj Patel was elected as the President of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) for the year 2017. He will take over after incumbent Ambuja Neotia Group Chairman Harshavardhan Neotia completes his term in December 2016.

32. Legendary vocalist, playback singer and composer Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna passed away due to age-related geriatric problems in Chennai. He was 86. He was considered as doyen of classical music. During his long musical career he had excelled as a prominent Carnatic vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, playback singer, composer and actor.

33. Ace Indian Golfrer Gaganjeet Bhullar has won the US $ 300,000 BANK BRI-JCB Indonesia Open for the second time in his career. He won the title after closing with a four-under-par 68.

34. The Union Finance Ministry has constituted a committee comprising Additional Secretaries, Joint Secretaries and Directors to know status of implementation of demonetisation drive. The committee was formed after the Union Government took decision to scrap 500 and 1000 rupees currency notes on 9th November 2016. Terms of references of committee Visit the States and union territories and submit its report by 25th November 2016. Each of the officers will visit different areas of the State and UTs separately with special focus on the rural areas. Submit a report on the general outlook and challenges arising out of implementation of the scheme. Check currency availability across the States/UTs in the network of bank branches, ATMs and post offices. Check facilities at bank branches and post offices for deposit, withdrawal and exchange of currency. Check the impact of the demonetization on various segments including households, wage earners, agriculturists, traders, transportation, industries, informal sectors and small business.

35. Captain Radhika Menon was awarded with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea. With this, she became the first woman in the world to receive the Award. She was presented with this award for saving lives of seven fishermen from sinking fishing boat in Bay of Bengal. Besides, B M Das operator and diver of a rescue helicopter at Indian Coast Guard air station Daman was also presented with this award. He was bestowed with this award for rescuing all 14 crew members of the merchant ship Coastal Pride, which capsized and eventually sank.

36. India became an associate member of the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN), the world’s largest nuclear and particle physics laboratory. In this regard, an agreement was signed by Dr. Sekhar Basu, Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and CERN Director General Dr. Fabiola Gianotti in Mumbai, Maharashtra. India will formally become member of CERN around January 2017 after depositing an instrument of ratification. Significance As an associate member, India can take part in meetings of the CERN Council and its committees (Scientific Policy Committee and Finance Committee). However India will not have voting rights on decisions of the council. It will open up new avenues for Indian scientists to engage with their counterparts in front line research in physics and engineering It will help to boost India’s science credentials and give access to high end scientific technology. It will also make Indian scientists eligible for staff appointments in CERN. Besides, Indian industry will be entitled to bid for CERN contracts. Thus, it will open up opportunities for industrial collaboration in areas of advanced technology. India will also has to contribute a certain amount of money for research activities including annual contribution of 11.5 million swiss frank to CERN. Background In September 2016, CERN Council adopted a resolution upgrading India’s position as associate member from earlier ‘observer’ status (since 2004). Prior to it, in 2015 the Union Cabinet had given its nod to the proposal for India’s officially entry to CERN. Earlier because of the observer status India was allowed to attend council meetings and to receive council documents but was not allowed to take part in the decision-making procedures of the organisation. About European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) CERN as an organisation is world’s largest nuclear and particle physics laboratory. It is situated in North West suburbs of Geneva on France-Swiss Border. It was established in 1954. Members: It has 22 member states, four associate member states (including India and Pakistan) and three International Organisations have observer status. Functions: The laboratory helps scientists and engineers probing fundamental structure of Universe using the most sophisticated scientific instruments and advanced computing systems Provide the necessary infrastructure needed for high-energy physics research including particle accelerators. Achievements: CERN operates the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) which is the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator. It is associated with the discovery of the Higgs Boson which is popularly known as the God particle. Indian scientists had active in construction of the LHC in the areas of design, development and supply of hardware accelerator components, software development and deployment in the machine. They also had played significant role in the CMS (Compact Muon Experiment), one of the two large experiments that led to discovery of God particle.

36. INS Chennai, a Kolkata-class stealth Guided missile destroyer ship was commissioned into Indian Navy’s combat fleet by Defence minister Manohar Parrikar in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is the largest-ever warship to be built in India. It is third and last Kolkata-class guided missile destroyers built under Project 15A. Thus, its induction also marks the end of the Project 15A.

37. India’s longest expressway connecting Agra and Lucknow was inaugurated by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav at Bangarmau in Unnao district of UP. It has been built by the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) in a record time of 23 months. Key Facts The Agra-Lucknow Expressway is six-lane greenfield expressway having total length of 302-km. It has a design speed of up to 120 kms per hour. It starts from Agra and passes through Firozabad, Mainpuri, Etawah, Auraiya, Kannauj, Hardoi, Unnao, Kanpur to reach Lucknow. It passes through four National Highways, two state highways and five rivers such as Ganga, Yamuna, Sai, Isan, and Kalyani. The expressway will help cut down the time between Agra and Lucknow to just 3.5 hours, from the current 7 hours. Moreover, it is expected to reduce the road travel time between Delhi and Lucknow to anywhere between 5 to 6 hours. The expressway has 2 km dedicated stretch built for fighter jets to land and take-off in times of “war-like emergencies”. The six-lane expressway also can be expanded to 8-lane It also has State-of-the-art Advance Traffic management System for safe & secure transit and reducing road accidents and helping even at the time of fog. The entire Expressway is lined with metal beam crash barrier on both sides and wire fencing for safe & secure transit. Note During the inauguration ceremony, six fighter jets (Three Mirage 2000s and three Sukhois) of the Indian Air Force (IAF) touched down on a stretch of the expressway in simulated landings. This was the first time that IAF fighterjets took part in the inauguration of an expressway as part of Union Government’s plan to increasingly use highways as landing and take-off strips. In May 2015 an IAF Mirage 2000 had landed on the Yamuna Expressway in Uttar Pradesh making it India’s first road runway.

38. India was placed at the 20th rank among the 58 countries on the 2017 Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI). The index was released by Germanwatch, an independent German NGO and Climate Action Network Europe. What is CCPI? The CCPI is an instrument designed to enhance transparency in international climate politics. It is list of countries doing the most to combat climate change. It aims to put social and political pressure on those countries which have, up until now, failed to take ambitious action on climate protection. The index evaluates and compares the climate protection performance of 58 countries on the basis of standardised criteria. These 58 countries together are responsible for about 90% of global energy-related CO2 emissions. Key Highlights of 2017 CCPI First three spots in the list of 2017 CCPI rankings were left vacant. France was placed at 4th place, thus leads list for the first time. It was followed by Sweden (5th) and UK (6th). The index underlines that countries like India are making “great efforts” in the fields of renewables and energy efficiency. It emphasised that developing countries should choose a “cleverer and cleaner” development path and not ape industrialised nations. Emerging economies of G20 like India (20), Argentina (36) and Brazil (40) have improved their ranking. India’s scores have improved slightly interms of renewables and energy efficiency. Canada (55), Australia (57) and Japan (60) are in the bottom group countries and have been rated very poor the list. The 2015 Paris Agreement has helped in encouraging the trends in switching towards the renewable energy, but the revolution in switching is very slow at the global level. Many countries still lack in ambition in switching towards the renewable energy. World’s two largest emitters are USA and China were ranked 43rd and 48th respectively.

39. The twin trial of surface-to-surface nuclear capable Prithvi-II missile was successfully conducted by the India Army from a test range at Chandipur in Odisha During the test, two Prithvi-II missiles in salvo mode were successfully test-fired in quick succession from mobile launcher from launch complex-3 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR). Earlier, similar twin trial was conducted by Indian Army in October 2009 from the same base where both tests were successful.

40. India has been elected as the vice chair for 2018 and chair for 2019 of the Kimberly Process Certificate Scheme (KPCS). The decision in the regard was taken at the recently held KP Plenary meeting in Dubai. It was announced by the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC). About Kimberly Process Certificate Scheme (KPCS) KPCS is a joint initiative of the governments, industry and civil societies to prevent the entry of conflict diamonds from the mainstream rough diamond market. It was established in 2003 through a United Nations General Assembly Resolution. India is founder member of the scheme. In India, the scheme is administered through the Department of Commerce under the aegis of the Union Commerce and Industry Ministry. What are Conflict diamonds? Conflict diamonds or blood diamonds are the rough diamonds used by rebel movements in the third world countries especially in Africa to finance (civil) wars with an aim to topple legitimate governments. The KPCS completely bans import and export of rough diamonds without certification. Note: GJEPC is an organisation for the promotion of gem and jewellery industry in India. It has been established by the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

41. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awas Yojana (PMAY-G), flagship housing for all scheme in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. Under PMAY-G Government aims to provide affordable, environmentally safe and secure pucca house to every rural household living below the poverty line by 2022. Features of Scheme PMAY-G is part Union Government’s flagship ‘Housing for All’ scheme and has replaced previous rural housing scheme Indira Awas Yojana The beneficiaries for this scheme will be selected through a completely transparent process using the Socio Economic Census 2011 data and validating it through the Gram Sabha. It uses ICT and space technology to further confirm correct selection of beneficiaries and progress of work. Under it, financial assistance will be provided for construction of dwelling units and upgradations of existing unserviceable kutcha houses. The entire payments will be done through transparent IT/DBT mode with Aadhaar linked Bank accounts with consent, to ensure complete transparency and accountability. The unit cost for houses has been increased with convergence of a minimum support of nearly Rs. 1.5 lakh to Rs. 1.6 lakh to a household is available. If the beneficiary desires, then there is also a provision of Bank loan upto Rs. 70,000. PMAY-G will be also serve as a major step forward in bringing together Skill India, Make In India, IT/DBT Aadhaar platform, Digital India and Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana. The scheme allows over 200 different housing designs across country based on a detailed study of housing typologies, households’ requirements and environmental hazards. It will provide skilling for 5 lakh Rural Masons by 2019 and envisages large scale use of local materials. Houses built under the scheme will have cooking space, electricity provision, LPG, toilet and bathing area, drinking water etc through convergence.

42. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has proposed the opening of Islamic window in conventional banks for gradual introduction of Sharia-compliant or interest-free banking in the country. In this regard, RBI has also prepared a technical analysis report and submitted to the Union Finance Ministry for its consideration. What is the issue? Islamic or Sharia banking is a finance system based on the principles of not charging interest. The charging of interest is prohibited under Islam. However, in recent times both the Union Government and the RBI have been exploring the possibility of introduction of Islamic banking for a while to ensure financial inclusion of those sections of society that have remain excluded due to religious reasons. How RBI going to implement it? Initially, RBI is planning to introduce a few simple products similar to conventional banking products through the Islamic window. But it will be after necessary notification issued by the Union Government. In later stage, full-fledged Islamic banking with profit-loss sharing complex products may be considered on the basis of experience gained in course of time. What are difficulties in implementing Islamic window in conventional banks? Indian banks have no experience in the Islamic or Sharia banking. There are also lots of complexities of Islamic finance. There are also various regulatory and supervisory challenges involved in the matter.

43. Thailand’s Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn was presented with the first ‘World Sanskrit Award’ for her exemplary contribution for the promotion of the language for the year 2015. Besides, American linguist and Indologist Prof. George Cardona was also presented with this award for the year 2016. They were bestowed with the award by Vice President Hamid Ansari at a function held in New Delhi.

44. As many as 16 of 22 public sector banks skipped paying dividends to Government in fiscal 2015-16 due to issue of mounting bad loans. It has led to a 67% decline in government receipts to Rs. 1,444.6 crore. Only six PSBs have declared dividends, though at a lower rate for the fiscal ended March 2016. PSBs which skipped dividend payments included Allahabad Bank, Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, Central Bank of India, Canara Bank, Corporation Bank, Punjab National Bank, Dena Bank and Syndicate Bank. During 2015-16, the highest dividend was paid by State Bank of India (SBI) to the government at Rs. 1,214.6 crore, 22% lower than in the previous fiscal. Under the existing guidelines Profit-making PSBs have to pay a minimum dividend of 20% of their equity or 20% of their post-tax profit, whichever is higher. The Union Government which is the majority shareholder in all the PSBs has witnessed a 67% decline in dividend receipts from PSU banks at Rs. 1,444.6 crore. What is the issue? Balance sheets of most of the PSBs have been under stress due to the clean-up exercise targeted at non-performing assets (NPAs). Banks have been given time till March 2017 to clean up their balance sheet. Due to heavy provisioning for bad loans, many banks posted losses in last quarter of the previous fiscal. In 2014-15, the Gross NPAs of the PSU banks had surged from 5.43% (Rs 2.67 lakh crore) to 9.32% (Rs 4.76 lakh crore) in 2015-16 of the total advances.

45. China has launched world’s longest super-secure quantum communication line connecting Hefei, capital of Anhui province to Shanghai, the country’s financial hub. The super-secure quantum communication line is 712-km in length. It boasts of ultra-high security making it impossible to wiretap, intercept or crack the information transmitted through them. Key Facts The 712-km line is part of a 2,000-km Beijing-Shanghai quantum communication. It has 11 stations and it took three years of construction. In one of its first test communication, it had transmitted a secure video conference between the two cities. The Beijing-Shanghai quantum communication line is expected to be completed at the end of the year 2016. It will be backbone highly secured communication network to be used in the fields of finance, electronics and government affairs. World’s first quantum satellite Earlier in August 2016, China had successfully launched the world’s first quantum satellite. It was nicknamed as Micius after a 5th century BC Chinese philosopher and scientist. The Micius quantum satellite will be connected with the Beijing-Shanghai quantum communication line through the line’s station in Beijing. It will enable the space-to-Earth highly secure hack-proof quantum communication network. What is Quantum communication? Quantum communication uses subatomic particles to securely communicate between two points. These subatomic particles are mainly quantum entanglement of photons. It ensures that nobody taps into the line as a photon can be neither separated nor duplicated. Thus tapping the network will inevitably corrupt the signal. It has the ability to inform the two communicating users of the presence of any third party trying to eavesdrop. At the same time, the information being intercepted will self-destruct.

46. The 47th edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) began in Goa. It is one of Asia’s oldest and India’s biggest film festival. It was inaugurated by Veteran filmmaker Ramesh Sippy in the presence of Union Information and Broadcasting Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu. Key Facts This year over 300 films including 4 premieres, 6 international premieres, 26 Asian premieres 104 Indian premieres and Oscar-winning entries from nearly 90 countries will be screened. South Korea is the focus country of IFFI 2016. Polish film “After-Image” of filmmaker Andrzej Wajda’s is the opening film of the festival. The South Korean film “Age of Shadows” of Kim Jee Woon will be the festival’s closing film. This film also South Korea’s official entry for the Oscar awards. In addition, 20 award winning short films based on ‘Swachh Bharat’ theme as a part of Swachh Bharat campaign will be showcased in the festival. The Centenary Award for Indian Film Personality of the Year was bestowed upon Veteran singer SP Balasubrahmanyam. Besides, prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at IFFI 2016 was bestowed upon legendary South Korean film director and writer Im Kwon Taek. About International Film Festival of India (IFFI) IFFI was founded in 1952 and is annually held in Goa. It is the biggest state-backed film festival and conducted jointly by Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Directorate of Film Festivals and Government of Goa. It aims at providing a common platform for the cinemas of the world to project the excellence of the film art. It also seeks to contribute to create awareness for understanding and appreciation of film cultures of different nations in the context of their social and cultural ethos and promote friendship and cooperation among people of the world.

47. Union textile Minister Smriti Irani launched a scheme of ‘Pehchan’ identity cards to artisans in Ahmedabad. She also inaugurated thematic handicrafts exhibition. The upgraded ‘pehchan’ cards were distributed to artisans from five clusters of Gujarat namely Jamnagar, Naroda, Surendranagar, Amreli and Kalol. Besides, minister also announced that to give tool kits and safety equipment women and BPL artisans for metal craft for free of cost in a bid to encourage women. What is Pehchan cards scheme? Pehchan cards scheme was launched as part of the Pehchan’ initiative of Union Textile ministry to register and provide Identity (ID) cards to handicraft artisans and link them to a national database. It is a new upgraded ID card for artisans that will be linked with their Aadhar numbers and bank accounts so that they can receive direct cash transfer benefit.

48. India’s ace shuttler and Olympic silver medalist PV Sindhu has won the $700,000 2016 China Open Super Series title in women’s category. It was her maiden Super Series Premier title and first post 2016 Rio Olympics title. In the summit clash held in Fuzhao, Sindhu (World No 11) defeated China’s Sun Yu (World No 9) by 21-11, 17-21, 21-11 score.

49. Kenya’s Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge has won the men’s race in Delhi Half Marathon. Ethiopia’s Worknesh Degefa won the women’s title. It was ninth edition of Delhi Half Marathon. Over 34 thousand participants from across the world had participated in it. 13 Rio Olympians took part in the elite race category. The marathon also had featured some of the biggest track and field and distance runners, with a total of 25 men and 18 women athletes from country.

50. The NASA has successfully launched highly advanced geostationary weather satellite Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R (GOES-R). It was launched on board of Atlas 5 rocket which had lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The satellite will boost the US’s weather observation capabilities, leading to more accurate and timely forecasts, watches and warnings. Key Facts GOES-R is the first of four new advanced weather satellites of the GOES-R program managed by US’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It will become operational within a year after undergoing a testing and validation of its six new instruments, including the first operational lightning mapper in geostationary orbit. The satellite’s primary instrument Advanced Baseline Imager, will provide images of Earth’s weather, oceans and environment with 16 different spectral bands. GOES-R is also first satellite to carry a lightning mapper instrument to geostationary orbit. It will photograph lightning activity throughout Western Hemisphere about 200 times every second. It will monitor the sun and relay crucial information to forecasters so they can issue space weather alerts and warnings. In all, data from GOES-R will result in 34 new or improved meteorological, solar and space weather products. It also will be part of the Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking (SARSAT) System, an international satellite-based search and rescue network operated by NOAA.

51. The Income Tax department is planning to implement the first phase of ‘Project Insight’ from May 2017 to monitor high value transactions, with a view to curbing the circulation of black money. This project has been initiated for data mining, collection, collation and processing of such information for effective risk management with a view to widening and deepening tax base. Key Facts ‘Project Insight’ is an integrated platform that will utilize vast amount of information easily available on social media to conduct raids online rather than traditional way of conducting random searches, known as tax raids. It will use data mining, big data and analytics to scoop out tax evaders from social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The Permanent Account Number (PAN) will be the unique identifier is used by the Income Tax department to link and analyse various transactions relating to the tax payers. This will enhance the department’s ability to monitor the flow of funds and will provide an audit trail of high value transactions and curb circulation of black money The ‘Project Insight’ will be implemented in phased manner during the period 2016-2018. For its implementation, the IT department has signed a contract with L&T Infotech Ltd. It will also be leveraged for implementation of Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act Inter Governmental Agreement (FATCA IGA) and Common Reporting Standard (CRS). Significance of ‘Project Insight’ It will help in catching tax evaders in a non-intrusive manner using technology and without traditional intrusive methods like search and seizure. The integrated platform will play a key role in widening of tax base and data mining to track tax evaders. The reporting compliance management system of project will ensure that third party reporting by entities like banks and other financial institutions is timely and accurate. It will also set up a streamlined data exchange mechanism for other government departments.

52. The World Toilet Day is observed every year across the world on 19 November to raise awareness and inspire action to tackle the global sanitation crisis. Significance of Day: It seeks to draw attention of people around the world to raise global awareness of the daily struggle for proper sanitation which in fact is a human right along with clean water. 2016 Theme: “Toilets and jobs”. It focuses on how sanitation or the lack of it, can impact on livelihoods. It also highlights the importance of crucial role played by Toilets in creating a strong economy, as well as improving health and protecting people’s safety and dignity, particularly women’s and girls’. The observance of this day is coordinated by United Nations-Water in collaboration with Governments of member countries and relevant stakeholders. India related Facts In India, the observance of the day highlights the importance of Swacch Bharat Mission which to make India clean and open defecation free (ODF) by 2019. So far under Swacch Bharat Mission-Gramin 2.7 crore toilets are built, 1.2 lakhs villages are declared ODF, 60 districts declared ODF, 3 states (Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh and Kerala) are declared ODF. About World Toilet Day WTD was instituted by World Toilet Organisation in 2001. United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) had given it official recognition in July 2013 in its 67th session under the global campaign of Sanitation for All resolution. Observance of this day now has become an important platform to demand action from governments. It seeks brings together different groups, such as media, the private sector, development organisations and civil society in a global movement to advocate for safe toilets.

53. The COP22 to the UNFCC, 12th session of COP of Parties to Kyoto Protocol (CMP 12), and first session of COP of Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA 1) were held in Marrakech, Morocco. Nearly 200 nations attending the COP22 to the UNFCC have adopted Marrakech Action Proclamation for Our Climate and Sustainable Development. The 11-day meeting concluded with all participating member nations collectively reaffirming their commitment to climate action under Paris Agreement adopted in November 2015. Key Features of Proclamation It is urgent duty of countries to respond global warming which is warming the climate at an alarming and unprecedented rate. It is necessary for rapid entry into force of the Paris Agreement with its ambitious goals, its inclusive nature and its reflection of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities. Countries affirm their commitment to full implementation of the Paris Agreement which also reflects respective capabilities in light of different national circumstances of countries. The nations demanded solidarity with those countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. It highlighted the need to support efforts aimed at enhancing their adaptive capacity, to strengthen resilience and to reduce vulnerability of most vulnerable countries. The countries called for an increase in the volume, flow and access to finance for climate projects, alongside improved capacity and technology. Developed Country Parties, reaffirm our $100 billion mobilisation goal. The nations, who are parties to Kyoto Protocol (which does not include the US) should ratify of the Doha Amendment, with its focus on pre-2020 action. Called for urgently raising ambition and strengthening cooperation among the countries to close the gap between current emissions trajectories. Strengthen and support efforts to eradicate poverty, ensure food security and to take stringent action to deal with climate change challenges in agriculture. Significance The adaptation of Marrakech Action Proclamation sends out a strong signal to the world on climate action and shift towards a new era of implementation and action on climate and sustainable development. India has welcomed Marrakesh Action Proclamation as most of its demands including the issue of providing finance to developing nations to tackle climate change has been incorporated. Doha Amendments to the Kyoto Protocol Doha Amendments to the Kyoto Protocol was made at Doha climate conference in 2012. It was made for extending the obligation of the developed countries under Kyoto Protocol to make targeted cuts in their greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions by 2020. The Kyoto Protocol adopted in 1997 had initially assigned GHGs emission cut targets to the developed countries only till 2012. Why Doha Amendments are important? Developing countries are putting pressure on developed countries not to ignore their commitments under Kyoto Protocol which ends in 2020 and after which Paris Agreement come into existence. Unlike the Kyoto Protocol, Paris Agreement is not legally-binding and it does not assign any emission cut targets on any country. Under Paris Agreement, every country decides for itself the actions that it wants to take to fight climate change.

54. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) signed three Bilateral Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs) with the Competent Authority of United Kingdom (UK) to reduce tax litigation. Earlier both countries had exchanged mutual agreements amongst them under the Mutual Agreement Procedure (MAP) Article of the India-UK Double Taxation Avoidance Convention (DTAC). With this, CBDT so far has entered into 111 APAs. These three APAs cover international transactions in the nature of payment of intra-group service charges and pertain to the telecom industry. They also have a roll-back provision. What is Advance Pricing Agreement (APA) Programme? The APA Programme was introduced by Finance Act, 2012 with a view to provide a predictable and non-adversarial tax regime and to reduce litigation in Indian transfer pricing arena. Rollback of APAs was announced in the Budget in July 2014. An APA is usually signed between taxpayer and central tax authority on an appropriating transfer pricing methodology for determining the value of assets and taxes on intra-group overseas transactions. An APA can be entered into for a maximum of 5 years at a time. It seeks to introduce certainty in tax law by reducing compliance costs and make tax regime investment friendly. It provides certainty to taxpayers regarding transfer pricing that aim to avoid disputes between taxpayer and tax regulator. What are benefits of APAs? Boost to economy and ease of doing business. Provide alternative path to the investors with rollback provision to reduce litigation Strengthen Government’s mission of fostering a non-adversarial tax regime.

55. India and Cyprus have inked a revised Agreement for Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Fiscal evasion (DTAA) with respect to taxes on income, along with its Protocol. It will replace the existing DTAA that was signed by two countries in June 1994. The provisions of new DTAA will enter into force after completion of necessary internal procedures in both countries.

56. The Qaumi Ekta Week (National Integration Week) will be observed all over the country from 19th to 25th November, 2016. The week long programmes under it with a view to foster and reinforce the spirit of Communal Harmony, National Integration and pride in vibrant, composite culture and nationhood. Purpose of the observation Highlight the inherent strength and resilience of the India and to withstand actual and potential threats to the eclectic and secular fabric of our country. It also seeks to Provide an opportunity to reaffirm age old traditions and faith in the values of tolerance, co-existence and brotherhood in a multi-cultural and multi-religious society.