Current affairs notes on November 24-30

 1.NITI Aayog has released a review report on Poshan Abhiyaan. The programme seeks to improve nutritional outcomes for children, pregnant women and lactating mothers. Launched in 2018 with specific targets to be achieved by 2022. The target of the mission is to bring down stunting among children in the age group 0-6 years from 38.4% to 25% by 2022.

2. China sold negative-yield debt for the first time. These are debt instruments that offer to pay the investor a maturity amount lower than the purchase price of the bond. Can be issued by central banks or governments.Here, investors pay interest to the borrower to keep their money with them.

3. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued an order under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act blocking access to 43 mobile apps.Section 69A of the IT Act, empowers the Central Government to order that access to certain websites and computer resources be blocked in the interest of the defense of the country, its sovereignty and integrity, the security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States, public order or for preventing incitement to the commission of an offence.

4. The Uttar Pradesh government has extended the Essential Services Maintenance Act in the State, banning strikes in all departments and corporations under it for a period of another six months. It was established to ensure the delivery of certain services, which if obstructed would affect the normal life of the people.These include services like public transport (bus services), health services (doctors and hospitals).

5. Mega Food Park inaugurated in Punjab. Ministry of Food Processing Industries is implementing Mega Food Park Scheme in the country since 2008.It aims at providing a mechanism to link agricultural production to the market by bringing together farmers, processors and retailers.

6. France is keen on joining the India-Australia bilateral naval exercise AUSINDEX. AUSINDEX (Australia India Exercise) is a bilateral maritime exercise between Indian Navy and Royal Australian Navy.

7. Constitution day which is also known as the Samvidhan Divas is celebrated every year on November 26 to mark the day on which the Constitution of India was adopted. While the adoption of the Constitution took place on November 26, 1949, it came into effect on January 26, 1950.

8. PM recently again pitched for ‘One Nation, One Election’, saying it is the need of the country as elections taking place every few months hamper development works. It refers to holding elections to Lok Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies, Panchayats and Urban local bodies simultaneously, once in five year.

9. 3rd Global Renewable Energy Investment Meeting and Expo (RE-Invest 2020) was inaugurated recently.The summit is organised by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. The theme for 2020 is ‘Innovations for Sustainable Energy Transition’. India’s renewable power capacity is the 4th largest in the world and is growing at the fastest speed among all major countries.

10. India’s first Member of Parliament to have been disqualified from the Lok Sabha has now been disqualified as an MLA in Mizoram.Its a part of Anti defection law, The Tenth Schedule (Anti defection law) was inserted in the Constitution in 1985 by the 52nd Amendment Act. It lays down the process by which legislators may be disqualified on grounds of defection by the Presiding Officer of a legislature based on a petition by any other member of the House. The law applies to both Parliament and state assemblies. Decisions under the Tenth Schedule should be made by the President/ Governor on the binding advice of the Election Commission.

11. Vietnam has invited India for ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM Plus) being hosted by Vietnam in December 2020. The ADMM-Plus is a platform for ASEAN and its eight Dialogue Partners to strengthen security and defence cooperation for peace, stability, and development in the region.

12. The Union Government’s fiscal deficit further widened to ₹9.53 lakh crore, or close to 120% of the annual budget estimate, at the end of October of the current fiscal. Fiscal deficit,It is the difference between the Revenue Receipts plus Non-debt Capital Receipts (NDCR) and the total expenditure. In other words, fiscal deficit is “reflective of the total borrowing requirements of Government”. If the fiscal deficit ratio is too high, it implies that there is a lesser amount of money left in the market for private entrepreneurs and businesses to borrow.

13. National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), The government had set up the ₹40,000 crore NIIF in 2015 as an investment vehicle for funding commercially viable greenfield, brownfield and stalled infrastructure projects. The Indian government is investing 49% and the rest of the corpus is to be raised from third-party investors such as sovereign wealth funds, insurance and pension funds, endowments, etc.

14. Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR) in Uttar Pradesh has bagged the first international award, TX2, among the 13 tiger ranging countries for having doubled the number of tigers in less than the stipulated time. TX2, It is the global award which was set up in 2010 in St. Petersburg, Russia by international organizations working for tiger conservation like WWF, UNDP, IUCN, Global Tiger Fund (GTF), CATS and The Lion’s Share.

15. India set to build Shahtoot Dam in Afghanistan, provide drinking water for 2 million residents of Kabul. The dam would come upon the Maidan river tributary of Kabul river.