Current Affairs Weekly PDF

Current Affairs Weekly PDF – November Second Week (9-16)

INDIAN AFFAIRS
• Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi MoU between India and Philippines on
agriculture and related fields.
• Cabinet has approved agreement between India and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)
of China for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to taxes on
income.
• Cabinet approves amending DTAA with Kyrgyzstan.
• Cabinet approves Joint Interpretative Declaration between India and Colombia.
• Cabinet approves continuation and Restructuring of National Rural Drinking Water Programme.
• Airports Authority of India (AAI) Chairman, Guruprasad Mohapatra has stated that, Central Government is
working on adopting the ‘Land Pooling’ methodology as an alternative mechanism for development and
expansion of airports.
• Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cleared a proposal for creation of a National
Testing Agency (NTA) which will conduct various entrance examinations.
• The labour commission of Karnataka has certified the formation of the Karnataka State IT/ITES Employees
Union (KITU) under the Trade Union Act, 1926, and Karnataka Trade Unions Regulations, 1958.
• The Biaras Small Hydropower Project (SHP) of 1.5 Mw was commissioned on 4th November 2017. This is
the first project to be commissioned under the Prime Minister’s Ladakh Renewable Energy Initiative
(LREI). The plant will power the Drass town in Kargil.
• Union minister Nitin Gadkari announced World Bank-supported Rs 6,000 crore scheme to improve the
irrigation facilities and water accessibility capacity in several states.
• On November 9, 2017, Telangana Chief Minister, K Chandrasekhar Rao declared Urdu as the state’s second
official language.
• On 9th November 2017, Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister, Radha Mohan Singh inaugurated
the three-day Organic World Congress – 2017 at India Expo Centre in Greater Noida.
• The Nordic-Baltic embassies are set to host the first ever youth film festival of the European nations at India
Habitat Centre in New Delhi from 13 – 18 November 2017.
• ‘Bandhan Express’ a passenger train between Kolkata and Bangladesh’s southwestern industrial city of
Khulna was inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta
Banerjee and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
• On November 8, 2017, Delhi Government signed a twin city agreement with the Seoul (South Korea)
Metropolitan Government with an objective to strengthen cooperation between two cities in the fields of smart
city, e-governance, climate change and transportation.
• 23rd meeting of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council headed by Union Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley
was held in Guwahati, Assam on November 10, 2017. GST rate on 177 items has been reduced from 28% to
18%. Now only 50 items, mostly demerit, sin and luxury goods will attract 28% GST rate.
• Telangana State Assembly has passed three key bills including Telangana Prevention of Dangerous Activities
of Bootleggers, Dacoits, Drug Offenders, Goondas, Immoral traffic offenders and Land grabbers
(Amendment) Bill, 2017.
• On 10th November 2017, the second meeting of the Economic Advisory Council to Prime Minister Narendra
Modi (EAC-PM) was held in New Delhi.The meeting was chaired by Bibek Debroy.
• As Delhi’s air is turning toxic over recent weeks and reaching crisis levels, the Centre stepped in and decided
to set up a 7-member-committee of secretaries from the Centre, Delhi Government and experts to
continuously monitor and implement a Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) that would include control of
road and construction of dust garbage burning, control of power plants and industrial emissions, entry of
vehicles and several other related factors.

1|Page
Follow Us - FB.com/AffairsCloudOfficialPage Copyright 2017 @ AffairsCloud.Com
 Current Affairs Weekly PDF

• Haryana has emerged as the first state in India to treat Hepatitis-C patients through oral medicine. This
announcement was made by Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij, during a training workshop organised by the
health department.
• On November 8, 2017, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh chaired the second meeting of Island
Development Agency (IDA) in New Delhi.The meeting was attended byGovernor of Andaman & Nicobar
Islands, Admiral D.K. Joshi, who is also the Vice Chairman of IDA.
• According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, Varanasi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) at 4pm on
10th November 2017 was at 491 at Ardhali Bazar monitoring station, making it the most polluted city of
India.
• In a bid to tighten the existing coastal security mechanism, Odisha and its neighbouring state West
Bengal will soon organize a joint security exercise named as ‘Sagar Kavach’along the 630 km long coastline.
• As a part of the ongoing Indo-Bangladesh defense cooperation, an army training capsule on counter-
insurgency operations will be conducted in Patna’s Danapur Cantonment from November 13, 2017 to
December 10, 2017. This training capsule will be first of its kind being organised for the Bangladesh Army at
Danapur Cantonment.
• Punjab State Government has announced that the first Military Literature Festival would be held
in Chandigarh from 7th – 9th December, 2017.
• Gurugram to have North India’s biggest butterfly park. On November 11, 2017, Haryana State Forests
Minister Rao Narbir Singh, laid the foundation stone for a Butterfly Conservatory Park in Gurugram.
• Turner International India, the parent entity of Cartoon Network brand has announced that it has entered into a
brand partnership with a Gujarat-based private firm to set up India’s first cartoon network theme amusement
park in Surat.
• Ex-servicemen Welfare Board officials said that, Sainik Sankshema Sabha will be organised in all districts
in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
• Northeast is set to get India’s first-ever “Air Dispensary” based in a helicopter and the Union Ministry of
Development of Northeast (DONER) has already contributed Rs. 25 crore as part of the initial funding.
• Rail Land Development Authority has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with government
owned infrastructure firm NBCC to redevelop 10 railway stations across India with airport-like amenities by
year 2020 at an estimated cost of Rs 5000 crore.
• Delhi Cabinet approved to set up Delhi Village Development Board (DVDB) for civic works in rural and
urban villages of Delhi.
• The National Green Tribunal (NGT) directed that, only 50,000 pilgrims will be allowed to visit the Vaishno
Devi shrine in Jammu to avoid any unwanted incidents.
• National Achievement Survey (NAS), the largest ever assessment survey on national level was conducted
by National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) across India on November 13, 2017 to
ascertain learning level of students. This survey has been amongst the largest national level surveys in the
world.
• Bihar State Government gave approval for setting up a ‘State Ayush Society’ with an aim to promote the
usage of alternative medicine in the state.Approval for setting up a ‘State Ayush Society’ was given at a State
cabinet meeting chaired by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
• Railways plans to equip all trains with Bio-Toilets by December 2018
• Karnataka State Government unveiled an ambitious project to install Wi-Fi facility in all gram
panchayats across the state.
• National Green Tribunal (NGT) rapped the Amarnath Shrine Board for not providing proper infrastructure
facilities to pilgrims travelling to Amarnath Shrine.
• Nagaland became the first among the North Eastern states to launch Point of Sale (PoS) for electricity bill
payment.
• Union Minister of Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi inaugurated the fourth edition of ‘Hunar Haat’ at
Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. Hunar (skill) Haat’ is a platform created by the Minority Affairs Ministry to offer
employment and market opportunities to artisans and craftsmen from minority communities.

PLACES IN NEWS
• The Nordic-Baltic embassies are set to host the first ever youth film festival of the European nations at India
Habitat Centre in New Delhi from 13 – 18 November 2017.
• After the great success of the first two editions, the third edition of the Russian film festival titled‘Russian
Film Days’ is now open for cinema lovers in NewDelhi until Sunday 12th Nov 2017.
2|Page
Follow Us - FB.com/AffairsCloudOfficialPage Copyright 2017 @ AffairsCloud.Com
 Current Affairs Weekly PDF

• Punjab State Government has announced that the first Military Literature Festivalwould be held
in Chandigarh from 7th – 9th December, 2017.
• Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) is to set up a Centre of Excellence in Kochi, Kerala.This centre will
facilitate the exchange of research findings and studies in the field of fisheries and ocean studies among IORA
member countries.
• The Geographical Indications (GI) Registry announced that, West Bengal has been awarded the Geographical
Indications (GI) status for ‘Rosogolla’.
• Araku Valley of Andhra Pradesh is hosting the first edition of its Hot Air Balloon Festival.The Hot Air
Balloon Festival is organised by SkyWaltz and supported by Andhra Pradesh tourism.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
• On November 10, 2017, India got re-elected as a member of the Executive Board of the UN Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The executive board is the top decision- making body of
UNESCO.India was re-elected to executive Board during 39th session of the general conference of UNESCO
in Paris, France.
• On 9-11th November 2017, the International AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and
Homoeopathy) Conference and Exhibition 2017 is held in Dubai.
• Chennai has been included in United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO’s)
Creative Cities Network for its rich musical tradition. Chennai is the third Indian city to be included in
UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network. Jaipur and Varanasi have already featured in the network for their
contributions to music and folk arts.
• On 9th November 2017, Unity Technologies, said that, India is now ranked third in global gaming installs,
surpassing Brazil and Russia.
• International Energy Agency (IEA) Ministerial meeting was held in Paris, France on 7th and 8th November,
2017.
• The American Congress has authorised up to $700 million in Coalition Support Fund (CSF) to reimburse
Pakistan for activities carried out in support of US operations in Afghanistan.
• On 10th November 2017, the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Pakistan Rangers decided to conduct
Commandant-level talks along the International Border (IB) to resolve local issues.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Banos,
Philippines and inaugurated ‘Shri Narendra Modi Resilient Rice Field Laboratory’ named after him.
• Nepal has cancelled the Budhi Gandaki hydropower project with the Chinese firm due to irregularities and
lack of transparency. The project was granted to the Gezhouba Water & Power (Group) Co Ltd
(CGGC) company one and half year ago by the the Nepal government, headed by Former Prime Minsiter
Pushpa Kamal Dahal.
• United Nations announced that, Syria has officially signed the Paris Agreement on climate change.Syria has
become the 169th of 196 countries that are members of the UN climate convention to take the legal step of
ratification.
• The US Consulate General, Kolkata launched ‘Youth for Business-Y4BIZ’, a support programme for young
entrepreneurs in the eastern region of India.

RANKINGS & REPORTS

• Unity Technologies, said that, India is now ranked third in global gaming installs, surpassing Brazil and
Russia.
• The Economic Research Department of State Bank of India (SBI) has released a report on oil price
hike and how unlikely it is to impact the Current account deficit (CAD) and how inflation could stretch fiscal. The
report is authored by Dr. Soumya Kanti Ghosh, Group Chief Economic Adviser of SBI. The report depicts oil
price hike and its impact on the Current account deficit (CAD) and inflation.

3|Page
Follow Us - FB.com/AffairsCloudOfficialPage Copyright 2017 @ AffairsCloud.Com
 Current Affairs Weekly PDF

• According to a report based on a survey by Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), published on November 7,
2017, India’s Silicon Valley – Bengaluru has been adjudged as the best city among 45 cities for the
confidence of its businesses in their ability to go digital
• On 7th November 2017, a report published by Euromonitor International, said that, Hong Kong remains the
world’s most visited city by international travelers.
• India has ranked as sixth most vulnerable country in the world on Global Climate Risk Index
(CRI) 2018 released by Germanwatch (an independent Berlin-based development and environmental
organization. Haiti tops the list.
• Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports (Independent Charge), Col. Rajyavardhan
Rathore released the ‘India Youth Development Index and Report 2017’ in New Delhi.
• For constructing Youth Development Index for the year 2017, the latest definition of youth (15-29 years) as
used in India’s National Youth Policy – 2014 and World Youth Development Report of Commonwealth has
been taken into consideration.
• As per a report by global consultancy and research firm, Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA), India will
be world’s third largest aviation market for departures by 2019.Currently, India is the fourth largest
aviation market in the world with 131 million passengers per annum (for the year 2016).US is the largest
aviation market with 815 million passengers, followed by China(490 million passengers) and Japan(141
million passengers).
• Uttar Pradesh has topped in opening new Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) accounts after
demonetisation (post November 8, 2017).Bihar, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal cumulatively
added another 2.2 crore new PMJDY accounts in the last one year.
• As per a survey released by online streaming platform Netflix, binge watching in public is on the rise among
Indian population. Indians have been adjudged as the second-highest public bingers in the world, just behind
Mexico. ‘Binge’ means excessive indulgence in an activity.Prevalence of binge watching in public is highest
in Mexico (89%) followed by India (88%).
• As per ‘India State-level Disease Burden Initiative Report’, child and maternal malnutrition was responsible
for 15 per cent of the total disease burden in 2016 across India. The report was released by Vice President M.
Venkaiah Naidu on November 14, 2017.As per the report, prevalence of child and maternal malnutrition is
higher in ‘Empowered Action Group’ States and Assam.
• According to the 5th biennial Hotelivate State Ranking Survey for Tourism, Delhi is the top tourist destination
of India. This survey was conducted by hospitality consulting firm, Hotelivate in association with World
Travel & Tourism Council-India Initiative (WTTC-II).
• India has ranked 14th out of 56 nations and European Union on Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI)
2018 released by environmental organisation Germanwatch. This marks an improvement from its 20th rank
in CCPI 2017. China, which is one of the highest GHG emitting country, ranks 41st.

SUMMITS & CONFERENCES

• 31tst ASEAN Summit and Related Summits were held in Manila, Philippines from 10th – 14th November,
2017.Philippines President Rodrigo Roa Duterte chaired the plenary session of the 31st ASEAN Summit.
‘Partnering for Change, Engaging the World’, has been the theme of Philippines’ Chairmanship of ASEAN in
2017.
• Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister, Radha Mohan Singh inaugurated the three-day Organic
World Congress – 2017 at India Expo Centre in Greater Noida.
• International Energy Agency (IEA) Ministerial meeting was held in Paris, Franceon 7th and 8th November, 2017.
• The second meeting of the Economic Advisory Council to Prime Minister Narendra Modi (EAC-PM) was held
in New Delhi.
• On November 9, 2017, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Kiren Rijijuinaugurated ‘India Disaster
Response Summit’ in New Delhi. During the Summit, Facebook introduced a Disaster Information Volunteers
(DIV) programme.
• Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting was held on 10th and
11th November, 2017 in Da Nang, Vietnam. Theme of this meeting was ‘Creating New Dynamism, Fostering
a Shared Future’.
• For the first time, Mumbai is to host the 34th annual conference of the Asian Bankers Association (ABA) on
16th and 17th November 2017. The Asian Bankers Association (ABA) summit will be hosted by State Bank.
The theme for this year’s summit is ‘Asia’s turn to transform’.
• On 13th November 2017, the United Nations is set to open its first official talks on the use of autonomous
4|Page
Follow Us - FB.com/AffairsCloudOfficialPage Copyright 2017 @ AffairsCloud.Com
 Current Affairs Weekly PDF

weapons, including killer robots, at the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) for 5 days,
in Geneva.The meeting is chaired by Indian ambassador on disarmament, Amandeep Gill.
• Asia Pacific Computer Emergency Response Team (APCERT) Conference held in New Delhi.The conference
theme is “Building Trust in the Digital Economy”.
• President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the 37th India International Trade Fair (IITF) – 2017, at Pragati
Maidan, in New Delhi.The theme for ITTF 2017 is “Startup India: Stand Up India”. Jharkhand is the partner
state for the fair and Vietnam is the partner country.
• Traditional International ‘Lavi fair’ was held from 11th -14th November, 2017 in Rampur, Himachal
Pradesh.The fair was inaugurated by Himachal Pradesh Governor, Acharya Dev Vrat. The governor also
inaugurated the ‘Kinnauri market’ and exhibition put up by various Government departments.
• 4th India-Canada Annual Ministerial Dialogue (AMD) begun in New Delhi on November 14, 2017. Canadian
delegation was led by the Canadian International Trade Minister, François-Philippe Champagne,
whereas Union Commerce and Industry Minister, Suresh Prabhu led the Indian side.
• A Curtain Raiser Event for the Founding Ceremony of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) was held
at Bonn, Germany on November 13, 2017.
• 10th South Asia Economic Summit (SAES) begun in Kathmandu, Nepal on November 14, 2017.
Theme of this summit: “Deepening Economic Integration for Inclusive and Sustainable Development in South
Asia”.
• India’s 1st Tribal Entrepreneurship Summit was held in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh on November 14,
2017.The Summit was organised by NITI Aayog in association with Government of United States of
America.
• Four-daylong symposium to discuss ways to promote the economic and food value of buffalo, organised
by Agriculture and Forestry University at Chitawan, Nepal begun on November 15, 2017. The
symposium “Increase in buffalo production for food and economic growth” is being held in Nepal for the first
time.
• UN Peacekeeping Defence Ministerial Conference 2017 was held in Vancouver, Canada on 14th &
15th November, 2017. This conference was the largest gathering of Defence ministers of countries who
support UN Peacekeeping operations.
• Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the three-day Andhra Pradesh AgTech Summit
2017 in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
• 12th North East Business Summit inaugurated in New Delhi
On 16th November 2017, 12th North East Business Summit, a two day event, was inaugurated in New
Delhi.The Summit is being organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC). Manipur is the state
partner for this event.
• Plenary session of 4th Global Conference on Sustained Eradication of Child Labour was held in Buenos Aires,
Argentina on November 15, 2017.This Conference was jointly organised by Government of Argentina and
International Labour Organization (ILO).

BANKING & FINANCE

• International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), an international financial institution and a
specialised agency of the United Nations has approved a USD 30 million soft loans for fourth phase of the
North Eastern Region Community Resource Management Project (NERCORMP).
• On 9th November 2017, the government raised the maximum amount that a central government employee can
borrow from the government to Rs 25 lakh for new construction/purchase of new house/flat. Also, the rate of
Interest on HBA will be only 8.50% at simple interest.
• On November 9, 2017, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued a notification outlining norms for outsourcing of
functions/services by Non-Bank Financial Institution (NBFCs). As per the new norms, NBFCs cannot
outsource core management functions like internal audit, management of investment portfolio, strategic and
compliance functions for know your customer (KYC) norms and sanction of loans.
• Federal Bank gets RBI nod to open offices in Kuwait, Singapore
• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has asked banks to provide doorstep banking facilities to senior citizens of more
than 70 years of age and differently-abled persons including the visually-impaired.

5|Page
Follow Us - FB.com/AffairsCloudOfficialPage Copyright 2017 @ AffairsCloud.Com
 Current Affairs Weekly PDF

• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has simplified the Foreign Exchange Management regulations pertaining
to Transfer or Issue of Security by a Person Resident outside India.This has been done by putting all the 93
amendments to Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) under one notification.
• American Digital payments company PayPal has launched its domestic operations in India and will now
provide digital payment solutions for merchants and customers in India.
• India’s securities market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has penalised 22 entities
which includes Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani’s Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) that was found to be
involved in manipulative trading through a listed firm called Sarang Chemicals. Mr. Rupani’s firm has been
asked to pay a Rs 15 lakh fine within 45 days.
• The Economic Research Department of State Bank of India (SBI) has released a report on oil price
hike and how unlikely it is to impact the Current account deficit (CAD) and how inflation could stretch fiscal.
The report is authored by Dr. Soumya Kanti Ghosh, Group Chief Economic Adviser of SBI.
• The US has announced a grant of nearly USD 500,000 for organisations which can come up with ideas and
projects to promote religious freedom in India and Sri Lanka.
• IDFC Bank entered into a strategic partnership with digital payments solution company MobiKwik to launch
a co-branded virtual Visa prepaid card for customers of MobiKwik.
• Private sector life insurance company PNB MetLife has entered into a tie-up with Bank of Bahrain and
Kuwait (BBK) to sell retail and group insurance products to BBK’s customers in India.
• Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDA) has announced that linking of Aadhaar
number to insurance policies is now a mandatory requirement under Prevention of Money-laundering
(Maintenance of Records) Second Amendment Rules, 2017.
• United Arab Emirates (UAE’s) second largest bank, Emirates NBD has started operations in India by opening
a branch in Mumbai.The Mumbai branch is Emirates NBD’s fifth international branch outside of its UAE.
• Air India has received a loan worth of Rs 1,500 crore from Bank of India to meet urgent working capital
needs.
• United Arab Emirates (UAE’s) second largest bank, Emirates NBD has started operations in India by opening
a branch in Mumbai.
• As per a recent report by Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BofA-ML), by 2028, India is likely to overtake
Japan as world’s third largest economy, in terms of nominal gross domestic product (GDP).
• On November 13, 2017, Government of India launched New Fund Offer (NFO) for BHARAT-22 Exchange
Traded Fund (ETF), through which it is targeting to raise initial amount of about Rs. 8000 crore as a part of
disinvestment programme for the current fiscal.
• On 14th November 2017, the Japanese embassy said that, Japan will simplify its visa rules for Indians from
January 2018 and issue multiple-entry visa for short-term stays.Multiple entry visas with
a validity of maximum five years and stay of maximum 90 days will be issued to applicants who have travel
records to Japan twice or more in the last one year.
• On 15th November 2017, Marketplace Tech Infra Services, an arm of the premier exchange BSE (Bombay
Stock Exchange), launched BEST (BSE Electronic Smart Trader). BEST (BSE Electronic Smart Trader) is an
advanced hosted trading solution built on Thomson Reuters Omnesys NEST platform.
• BSE Institute Limited (BIL), a wholly owned subsidiary of BSE Limited has signed an Memorandum of
Understanding with DLT Labs to set up the India’s first state-of-the-art Block Chain Lab in Mumbai.

BUSINESS
• Ratings firm CRISIL(Credit Rating Information Services of India Limited) and Small Industries Development
Bank of India (SIDBI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to launch CriSidEx, a sentiment
Index for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME).
• A report by non-governmental environmental organisation Greenpeace has stated that, China will either shut
down or reduce operations at several steel plants for the next 5 months to reduce pollution in Beijing.
• Adani Power has announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary Adani Power (Jharkhand) has inked long-term
pact with Bangladesh Power Development Board to supply electricity from its upcoming 1,600 MW plant at
Godda in Jharkhand.
• On November 8, 2017, Indian government doubled the import duty on wheat to 20 per cent to restrict cheap
shipments and thereby provide price support to farmers in the ongoing Rabi season.
• On 9th November 2017, Haryana Agriculture University (HAU), Hisar, and the Netherlands government
decided to jointly work on a project to tackle issues like crop residue management.
• Sixth China-India Forum meet was held in Bengaluru on November 10, 2017. This event was jointly hosted
6|Page
Follow Us - FB.com/AffairsCloudOfficialPage Copyright 2017 @ AffairsCloud.Com
 Current Affairs Weekly PDF

by the Government of China, Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC),
China-India Friendship Association (CIFA), and Podar Enterprise.
• The International Solar Alliance (ISA) has announced a target to support setting up 1000GW of solar energy
capacity by 2030 across its member countries.The 1000 GW solar energy capacity target by 2030 has been set
by the ISA. It willbe met through projects that ISA will support under its various work programmes.
• Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari announced that, Maharashtra governemnt
would raise a Rs 25,000 crore project on 800 acres at Heti (Kundi) village in Vidarbha, Maharshtra.

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

• Transport for London has been given the 2017 ‘Bad Grammar Award’ by The Idler Academy in Britain.
• Indian women’s cricket team captain Mithali Raj bagged the Indian Sportswoman of the Year (Team
Sports) award at the Indian Sports Honours (ISH) 2017 event held in Mumbai.Also, Mithali-led Indian
woman’s cricket team, which ended as runners-up in the ICC world Cup 2017, won the Team of the Year
award.
• On 15th November 2017, Google paid its tributes to Cornelia Sorabji, India’s first woman lawyer, through a
doodle on the occasion of her 151st birth anniversary.
• On 14th November 2017, Indonesia’s Kevin Lilliana was crowned Miss International 2017 by the Philippines’
Kylie Verzosa at the Tokyo Dome City Hall in Japan.
• On 15th November 2017, Forbes said that, India’s Ambani family has topped the Forbes list of Asia’s Richest
Families for the first time with a net worth of$44.8 billion, up $19 billion from the previous year.
• On 14th November 2017, the Andhra Pradesh government announced Nandi Awards of the year 2014, 2015
and 2016. Baahubali won fourteen awards and Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth were the winners of NTR
honour.
• The Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation (APMDC) bagged the ADI PEC (Abu Dhabi Intl
Petroleum Exhibition and Conference) Excellency in Energy Awards 2017 as runner-up, in Abu Dhabi.
On 10th November 2017, Neelachal Ispat Nigam Limited (NINL) received the prestigious “Kalinga Safety
Award” in the 8th Odisha State Safety Conclave. The Odisha-based NINL got the award in gold category for
best safety performer of the year 2016.
• On 7th November 2017, organizers announced that, Natalie Portman has been awarded Israel’s 2018 Genesis
Prize in recognition of her commitment to social causes and deep connection to her Jewish and Israeli roots.
• Eminent classical singer late Girija Devi will be honoured with the prestigious Sumitra Charat Ram Award for
Lifetime Achievement on 17th November 2017 in New Delhi.
• On 9th November 2017, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was named as the
recipient of the Mother Teresa Memorial Award for Social Justice, 2017 as an acknowledgement of its
exceptional work worldwide.
• On 9th November 2017, the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) hosted the National
Entrepreneurship Awards 2017 marking the completion of three years of its inception. Best State Engaging
Apprentices awarded to – Haryana.
• India’s gymnastic star Dipa Karmakar, who finished fourth in the final round of the women’s vault event at
the Rio Olympics Games in Brazil last year,was conferred a D.Litt. degree by the National Institute of
Technology (NIT), Agartala.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS

Appointee Designation- Organization
Ravi Bangar Ambassador of India to Ecuador
Debjani Ghosh first woman to be President of NASSCOM in 2018
Gautam Gambhir Govt nominee in DDCA managing committee
RedBus co founder Phanindra Sama Chief Innovation Officer of Telengana.
Tulsi Gabbard Chairperson of World Hindu Congress 2018
Union minister Alphons elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan

7|Page
Follow Us - FB.com/AffairsCloudOfficialPage Copyright 2017 @ AffairsCloud.Com
 Current Affairs Weekly PDF

Ravinder Singh First Sikh mayor of US city

Indian Origin Priti Patel (resigns) British Minister
Hyderabad Police Commissioner M. Mahender Director General of Police (DGP) of Telangana
Reddy
Bhaskar Ganguly AIFF ombudsman by Supreme Court
RBI Governor Urjit Patel BIS Advisory Board
Surendra Kumar Sinha (resigns) Bangladesh Chief Justice
Vijay Prasad Dimri President of 36th International Geological Congress
Slovenia’s President Borut Pahor Wins Second Term in Runoff Election
Ganga Kumari First transgender to be appointed in Rajasthan Police
S Ravi Chairman of Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE)
ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS
• Hindustan Copper Limited (HCL) has received approval from its board of directors to form a joint venture
company with Mineral Exploration Corporation Ltd (MECL) and NALCO Ltd.The three entities will now
form a Joint Venture (JV) in the name of Khanij Bidesh India Ltd (KABIL).

SCHEMES
• Indian Railways will start ‘Project Saksham’, India’s largest time-bound ‘upskilling’ exercise, to upgrade the
skill sets of its 13 lakh employees. ‘Sakham’ is a Hindi word which translates as ‘capable’ in English.‘Project
Saksham’ will begin in January 2018 and will continue till September 2018.
• On November 15, 2017, President Ram Nath Kovind launched various schemes and laid the foundation stones
of infrastructure projects in Jharkhand. These schemes and projects are to be carried out at an expenditure
of Rs 3455 crore. It is to be noted that November 15, 2017 was 17th Statehood Day of Jharkhand.

COMMITTEE
• Environment ministry forms 7-member panel under CK Mishra for air pollution in Delhi
• A panel led by India’s consumer affairs ministry under Avinash K Srivastava has decided to import the onions
through a government agency to increase the availability of the same, in the market on moderate prices.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

• India’s second Technology and Innovation Support Center (TISC) will be set up at the Centre for Intellectual
Property Rights (CIPR) in Anna University, Chennai.
• On 9th November 2017, Uber unveiled a partnership with NASA (National Aeronautics and Space
Administration) to develop flying taxis priced competitively with standard Uber journeys. Uber has also
announced that, Los Angeles will join two other previously revealed “UberAIR” pilot schemes in Dallas Fort-
Worth, Texas, and Dubai.
• On 10th November 2017, Google Arts and Culture unveiled its first lab experiment in India at an exhibition at
the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS), Mumbai. As a part of first Google Arts &
Culture Lab experiment in India, Google has collaborated with Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu
Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) and the British Museum in London to unveil Future Relics.
• China claims to be the first country to make contact with alien life using its radio dish named Five hundred
metre Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST), which is believed to detect alien signals coming from other
galaxies.
• Central Government launched phase 2 of BharatNet project to connect 1.5 lakh gram panchayats with high-
speed broadband by March 2019.
• A flexible new material has been developed by researchers from Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for
Materials Science and Technology, which generates electricity when stressed.
• On 13th November 2017, Australian scientists launched a dinner table app named ‘VegEze’ in an effort to
tackle aversion towards consuming vegetables. VegEze app has been developed by the Commonwealth
Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). It aims to encourage Australians to add extra
vegetables to their daily diets.

8|Page
Follow Us - FB.com/AffairsCloudOfficialPage Copyright 2017 @ AffairsCloud.Com
 Current Affairs Weekly PDF

• Director of National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) Satheesh C Shenoi said that, scientists from
NIOT will build India’s first offshore desalination plant about 40km from the Chennai coast. This desalination
plant is estimated to cost Rs. 2,000 crore. It will be designed and built by NIOT scientists off the shores of
Ennore. The capacity of the plant will be 10 million litres of water per day.
• India’s first wave-powered navigational buoy, developed by the National Institute of Ocean Technology
(NIOT), to guide ships in and out of ports was launched in Chennai.
• The Space Kingdom of Asgardia (virtual nation) launched its first satellite ‘Asgardia-1’ into space from
NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
• China has launched the world’s first all-electric ship, which can travel up to 80 km with 2000-tonnes cargo
after a two-hour charge.
• Power Minister R K Singh launched a National Power Portal (NPP), a centralised platform for collation and
dissemination of Indian power sector information.The NPP would be a single point interface for all power
sector apps launched previously by the power ministry. The portal may be accessed at http://npp.gov.in.
• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved “Abilify MyCite” the first drug in the United States
with a digital ingestion tracking system, to ensure that patients with mental illness take the medicine
prescribed for them.
• For the first time, astronomers have spotted close encounter between two hyper-luminous
galaxies, collectively known as ADFS-27, bright and massive galaxies in the early universe. Astronomers
captured these two interacting galaxies, collectively known as ADFS-27, as they began the gradual process of
merging into a single, massive elliptical galaxy.
• R.K. Singh, Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy, launched the Pradhan Mantri
Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana – ‘Saubhagya’ Web Portal.The Saubhagya portal can be accessed
at http://saubhagya.gov.in. This is a platform for monitoring household electrification progress.

DEFENCE
• As a part of the ongoing Indo-Bangladesh defense cooperation, an army training capsule on counter-
insurgency operations will be conducted in Patna’s Danapur Cantonment from November 13, 2017 to
December 10, 2017. This training capsule will be first of its kind being organised for the Bangladesh Army at
Danapur Cantonment.
• Indian armed forces released ‘Joint Training Doctrine Indian Armed Forces – 2017’, aimed at ensuring
integration amongst the three defence services and optimum utilisation of resources.

ENVIRONMENT
• A new species of wild banana named ‘Musa paramjitiana’ has been discovered in Andaman and Nicobar
islands.
• A study led by researchers at the University of Maryland in the US suggests that India is becoming, if it isnot
already, the world’s top sulphur dioxide emitter.The study says that, India’s emissions of the air pollutant
sulphur dioxide increased by 50 % since 2007, while China’s fell by 75 %.
• Union Petroleum Ministry announced that Bharat Stage VI (BS-VI) fuel will be introduced in Delhi from
April 1, 2018, much ahead of the earlier deadline of 2020.

SPORTS
• Saina Nehwal and HS Prannoy won titles in Senior National Badminton Championship 2017, in Nagpur.
Also, Ashwini Ponnappa won two titles – mixed doubles with Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and women’s doubles
with N Sikki Reddy.
• Mahendra Singh Dhoni inaugurated his first global cricket academy in the United Arab Emirates. The facility
named the MS Dhoni Cricket Academy (MSDCA) will have coaches from India to train the wards.

9|Page
Follow Us - FB.com/AffairsCloudOfficialPage Copyright 2017 @ AffairsCloud.Com
 Current Affairs Weekly PDF

• Teddy Riner won his tenth World title in the 2017 Judo World Championships Open in Marrakesh and
remains undefeated emperor in judo. French heavyweight judo champion Teddy Riner won his 10th world
title with victory at the open-weight world championships in Marrakech.
• Indian cueist Pankaj Advani has won his 17th world title at the IBSF World Billiards Championship 2017 in
Doha, Qatar. Pankaj Advani beat Mike Russell of England and won his 17th world title at the IBSF World
Billiards Championship 2017.
• Spain’s Marc Marquez won his sixth world championship and fourth in the premier MotoGP category with
third place at the season-ending Valencia Grand Prix.
• Tennis player Rafael Nadal was presented the ATP World Number 1 award on court, at the ATP World Tour
Finals at the O2 Arena, in London.
• Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel won the Brazilian Grand Prix, a Formula One championship race, in Sao Paulo,
Brazil.
• Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.
• Italy failed to qualify for the Football World Cup 2018 for the first time since 1958 at San Siro, Italy.
• Aditi Ashok has qualified for the CME Group Tour Championship on the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf
Association), becoming the first from India to play in the prestigious meet.
• On 15th November 2017, France was announced as the surprise host of the 2023 Rugby World Cup.Ireland got
eight votes in the first round, compared to 18 for France and 13 for South Africa. In the second round, France
won by 24 votes to 15.

OBITUARY
• Noted author and Padma Shri awardee Manu Sharma died in Varanasi.
• Karin Dor, who played the red-haired villainess Helga Brandt in the 1967 James died in a nursing home in
Munich.
• Veteran journalist Virendra Sanghi passes away in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
• Former Test cricketer Milkha Singh passes away
• Veteran Cyclist Ashok Khale Passes Awa in Bombay Hospital during treatment, in Mumbai.
• Nepal’s three-time Prime Minister Kirti Nidhi Bista passed away at Gyaneswor, in Kathmandu, Nepal
• Former MP Abdul Mannan Hossain passed away in Kolkata.
• Veteran Hindustani vocalist Jagdish Mohan passes away
• On 15th November 2017, retired Supreme Court judge V. Khalid died in Kannur.
• Eminent Hindi poet and Jnanpith awardee Kunwar Narayan passed away at his home in New Delhi.

IMPORTANT DAYS
• On 10th November 2017, World science day for peace and development was celebrated all over the
world. The theme for World Science Day for peace and development 2017 is ‘Science for
GlobalUnderstanding’.
• The Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) will celebrate the Child Rights Week ‘Hausla 2017’
from 16th to 20th November, 2017.
• On 9th November 2017, Uttarakhand celebrated its 17th formation day. Uttarakhand was formed on
9th November 2000 as the 27th state. It was separated from Uttar Pradesh.
• On 9th November 2017, Legal Service Day was observed all over India. This day was first coined by the
Supreme Court in the year 1995.
• On 11th November 2017, National Education Day was observed all over India. National Education Day is
celebrated on 11 November every year to mark the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the first
education minister of independent India.
• On 12th November 2017, Public Service Broadcasting Day was observed all over India. In the memory of the
first and only address by Mahatma Gandhi on All India Radio (AIR) on November 12 in 1947.
• On 12th November 2017, World Pneumonia Day was observed all over the world. World Pneumonia Day
was first observed in 2009 when over 100 organisations joined to form the Global Coalition against Child
Pneumonia.
• On 13th November 2017, World Kindness Day was celebrated in various parts of the world.It was introduced
in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement a coalition of nations’ kindness NGOs.

10 | P a g e
Follow Us - FB.com/AffairsCloudOfficialPage Copyright 2017 @ AffairsCloud.Com
 Current Affairs Weekly PDF

• On 14th November 2017, World Diabetes Day was observed all over the world. The theme of World Diabetes
Day 2017 is ‘Women and diabetes – our right to a healthy future’.
• On 14th November 2017, Children’s Day was celebrated all over India. It is celebrated on 14 November every
year on the birth anniversary of the first Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru also called ‘Chacha Nehru’.
• On 16th November 2017, World Philosophy Day was celebrated all over the world. World Philosophy Day
was introduced in 2002 by UNESCO (the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).
• On 16th November 2017, International Day for Endurance or Tolerance was observed all over the world.
• On 16th November 2017, National Press Day was observed in India. This was the day on which the Press
Council of India started functioning in 1966.

11 | P a g e
Follow Us - FB.com/AffairsCloudOfficialPage Copyright 2017 @ AffairsCloud.Com