18 november 2021 current affairs

CURRENT AFFAIRS
18 NOVEMBER 2021
Dr. A. PRABAHARAN
www.indopraba.blogspot.com

UP’S FIRST ANTI-AIR POLLUTION TOWER
INAUGURATED IN NOIDA
• The anti-air pollution tower is located in a posh sector
16-A. The tower, to curb the problem of air pollution in
Delhi NCR, has come up with joint efforts of the
Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited and the Noida
Authority.
• The first anti-air-pollution tower in Uttar Pradesh was
inaugurated by the Union Heavy Industries Minister
Mahendra Nath Pandey.
• Minister Krishna Pal, Noida MLA Pankaj Singh, Noida
Authority CEO Ritu Maheshwari, and Gautam Buddh
Nagar MP Mahesh Sharma were also present at the
inauguration of the anti-air pollution tower in Noida.

HOT AIR BALLOON IN VARANASI
• The three-day hot air balloon festival kick-started in Varanasi, India
on November 17, 2021.
• The hot air balloon rides have been organised to promote tourism
in the city.
• The opening rides were made free for few children from an
orphanage along with COVID-19 warriors and locals.
• People can take the hot air balloon ride in Varanasi to catch an
aerial glimpse of the city on the banks of Ganga.
• Around 50 people took the hot air balloon ride on the first day of
the Varanasi balloon festival.
• All the hot air balloon tickets were sold out within three hours itself,
as per regional tourism officer Kirtiman Srivastava.
• While some of the balloons have the capacity of carrying five
passengers, others can carry up to eight passengers.

REZANG LA WAR MEMORIAL: DEFENCE MINISTER
RAJNATH SINGH TO INAUGURATE REVAMPED
MEMORIAL IN LADAKH TODAY
• The inauguration of revamped Rezang La War memorial in
Rezang La is seen as India’s show of strength in the area
which is very close to the territory of China. It is also visible
from the other side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
• • The Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be inaugurating
the war memorial on November 18.
• The Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat will also be
present.
• • The Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be visiting Leh on
November 18.
• • From there, the minister will visit Jhansi where PM Modi will
take part in the closing ceremony of the Rashtriya Raksha
Samarpan Parva on the 193rd anniversary of Rani Laxmibai of
Jhansi.
• • The major three-day event in Jhansi will involve the
defence forces as well as the defence equipment display
which will be held from November 17-19.

GURU NANAK JAYANTI 2021
• Guru Nanak Jayanti 2021, also known as Gurupurab, is
being celebrated on November 19, 2021 which will mark
the 552nd birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.
• Gurupurab is also known as Prakash Utsav. It is one of the
most significant occasions in the Sikh community
everywhere when Sikhs offer their tributes to Guru Nanak
Dev who was the founder of Sikhism (Sikh religion) and the
first of the ten Sikh gurus. Guru Nanak Jayanti is a
Gazetted holiday in India.
• Ahead of Gurupurab 2021, the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor
was also reopened on November 17, 2021. The visa-
free Kartarpur Sahib Corridor was shut in March 2021 amid
COVID-19.
• After the reopening of the visa-free corridor, a 28-member
Jatha (group) comprising the Panj Pyare (five beloveds of
Guru) visited the Gurudwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan. On
November 18, Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi along
with his group of ministers will also visit Gurudwara Darbar
Sahib via Kartarpur Corridor.

JAL SHAKTI MINISTRY LAUNCHES NEW CONTEST-
WATER HEROES
• Jal Shakti Ministry has launched a
new contest- "Water Heroes –
Share Your Stories" to strengthen
the water consciousness in the
nation.
• The Water Heroes contest will start
from December 1, 2021 and will go
on till November 30, 2022. Winners
will be chosen every month from
the received entries and they will
be awarded a cash prize of Rs
10000 each.

PAKISTAN PARLIAMENT PASSES BILL TO GRANT
KULBHUSHAN JADHAV RIGHT TO APPEAL AGAINST
CONVICTION
• The Pakistan Parliament, in a joint sitting on November 17,
2021, passed a bill that will give the Indian National
Kulbhushan Jadhav the right to appeal against his
conviction.
• The International Court of Justice (Review and Re-
consideration) Bill, 2020, was moved by Law Minister
Fargoh Nasim and was also passed with a majority vote.
• The Pakistan National Assembly on June 10, 2021, had
adopted a bill to give the right to appeal to Kulbhushan
Jadhav.
• Reportedly, the bill seeks to provide a further right of
review and reconsideration in giving effect to the
judgement of the International Court of Justice.
• The International Court of Justice (Review and Re-
consideration) Bill, 2020, was adopted by the Pakistan
National Assembly after the approval from the 21-member
standing committee.

INDIA RE-ELECTED TO UNESCO
EXECUTIVE BOARD TILL 2025
• India has been re-elected to the United
Nations' cultural and education
organisation (UNESCO) Executive
Board for a four-year term from 2021-
25. India was re-elected to the board
with 164 votes.
• Union External Affairs Minister Dr. S
Jaishankar applauded the good work of
MEA and India's permanent delegation
to UNESCO through a tweet.

DEFENCE MINISTER RAJNATH SINGH INAUGURATES
RASHTRA RAKSHA SAMARPAN PARV
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on November 17, 2021,
inaugurated the three-day ‘Rashtra Raksha Samarpan
Parv’ in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh.
• The Rashtra Raksha Samarpan Parv will be held from
November 17 to November 19, 2021, as a part of
the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations.
• PM Narendra Modi will also be launching several
initiatives of the Defence Ministry during a grand
ceremony at Jhansi Fort on November 19, which is the
birth anniversary of Rani Lakshmi Bai.
• She is revered as the epitome of courage and bravery
as well as a great national icon of Rashtra Raksha.

KANNADA ACTOR PUNEETH RAJKUMAR TO BE
HONOURED WITH PRESTIGIOUS KARNATAKA
RATNA AWARD POSTHUMOUSLY
• The Chief Minister of Karnataka Basavaraj
Bommai announced on November 16, 2021,
that Kannada film star Puneeth Rajkumar will be
conferred with the ‘Karnataka Ratna Award’
posthumously. Puneeth Rajkumar passed away on
October 29, 2021, due to cardiac arrest at the age of
46.
• Puneeth Rajkumar, considered the Kannada Cinema’s
reigning star, will be the 10th recipient of the state’s
highest civilian order.
• Puneeth was the youngest of 5 children of matinee idol
Dr. Rajkumar.
• The Chief Minister, while making the announcement
said, “After discussion with several people, I have
decided to confer Karnataka Ratna Award
posthumously to Puneeth Rajkumar. I’m making this
announcement today.”

LUNAR ECLIPSE NOVEMBER 2021
• The second and last lunar eclipse in 2021 will take
place on November 19, 2021 which will be visible
from extreme northeastern states such as Assam and
Arunachal Pradesh.
• The lunar eclipse on November 19 will be a partial
yet the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st century.
• The first and total lunar eclipse of 2021 dubbed as
the Super Blood Moon took place on May 26.
• The longest partial lunar eclipse on November 19 is
taking place after 580 years.
• Last, such a long lunar eclipse happened on
February 18, 1440. Next, such a lunar eclipse is
expected to occur on February 8, 2669.

TAMIL ACTOR-DIRECTOR RNR MANOHAR PASSES
AWAY
• Popular Tamil actor-director RNR Manohar passed
away on November 17, 2021. He was 61. He was
undergoing treatment for COVID-19 at a private hospital
in Chennai.
• He was under medical care for almost 20 days until he
breathed his last. He reportedly passed away after
suffering a heart attack.
• He is survived by his wife. His death has come as a shock
and many celebrities took to social media to express their
grief and pay their condolences.
• RNR Manohar had begun his career in films as an
assistant director in KS Ravi Kumar’s movie Band Master
and his acting career with the popular Malayalam director
IV Sasi’s Tamil movie ‘Kolangal’, in which he was also the
assistant director.

THE SYDNEY DIALOGUE: PRIME MINISTER MODI
DELIVERS KEYNOTE ADDRESS, OUTLINES INDIA’S
TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION
• Prime Minister Modi on November 18, 2021, delivered a
keynote address at The Sydney Dialogue.
• PM Modi spoke on the theme of India’s technology
evolution and revolution with the address being preceded
by the Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison.
• The Sydney Dialogue will witness a keynote address by the
former Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe.
• Australian Prime Minister in his address noted that
Australia-India shares and the relations will grow even
more with time.
• He added that both countries have been making great
progress in so many areas including science, space, and
digital technology.
• It is an honour for Australia that PM Modi is addressing
Sydney Dialogue.

UNION CABINET APPROVES SCHEME TO PROVIDE
4G MOBILE SERVICES IN OVER 7,000 VILLAGES
ACROSS 5 STATES
• The Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports
Anurag Thakur announced on November 17,
2021, that the Union Cabinet has decided to
provide 4G mobile services in over 7,000
villages across Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and Odisha.
• The Union Minister Anurag Thakur further
added that the expenditure on the project is
estimated to be Rs. 6,466 crores.
• With the latest approval by the Union Cabinet,
4G mobile services will be provided and people
will also be able to utilize the benefits of e-
governance.

RAKESH JHUNJHUNWALA’S AKASA AIR ORDERS
BOEING 737 MAX AT DUBAI AIR SHOW
• India’s newest airline Akasa Airline backed by
India’s billionaire Rakesh Jhunjhunwala placed a
huge order of 72 Boeing 737 Max planes at the
ongoing Dubai Air Show.
• In July 2021, Jhunjhunwala had announced his
plans to launch his own ultra-low-cost airline with
70 aircraft in the next 4 years. Akasa Air has
received the No Objection Certificate from the Civil
Aviation Ministry and the Directorate General of
Civil Aviation (DGCA) for the launch of the airline.

ISRO’S CHANDRAYAAN-2 ORBITER AVOIDS
COLLISION WITH NASA’S LUNAR ORBITER
• The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on November 15, 2021,
revealed that its Chandrayaan-2 orbiter made a collision avoidance
manoeuvre (CAM) in October 2021 with NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance
Orbiter (LRO).
• The Orbiters of both agencies experienced very close conjunction on
October 20, 2021, at 11:15am IST near the Lunar North Pole. ISRO’s
Chandrayaan-2 and NASA’s LRO orbit the Moon in a polar orbit and
therefore both the Orbiters came close to each other over the lunar
poles. Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter has been orbiting the Moon for the last
two years.
• This was the first time during the space exploration mission of ISRO’s
Chandrayaan-2 that such a manoeuvre was undertaken to avoid a
collision.
• Both the Orbiters were predicted to come very close to each other on
October 20, 2021, near the Lunar North Pole. Both agencies, ISRO and
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) had tracked that the radial
distance between the two Orbiters would be less than 100m and the
closest approach distance would only be 3-km on October 20, 2021.

DUARE RATION: WEST BENGAL LAUNCHES
RATION AT DOORSTEP SCHEME TO BENEFIT 10
CRORE PEOPLE
• The Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee
on November 16, 2021, inaugurated
the ‘DuareRation’ (ration at doorstep) scheme.
• It aims at benefitting around 10 crores of the people
of the state.
• The Chief Minister also said that the state
government has decided to enhance the
commission for ration dealers from Rs. 75 to Rs. 150
per quintal of food grains.
• Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, “This Duare
Ration Scheme will help 10 crore people of the state.
I will request all the ration dealers to make it a
success. From now on, over 10 crore people in the
state will getting their ration at the doorstep on a
fixed day of every month.”

18 november 2021 current affairs

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Similar to 18 november 2021 current affairs

Similar to 18 november 2021 current affairs (20)

More from Dr.A.Prabaharan Professor & Research Director, Public Action

More from Dr.A.Prabaharan Professor & Research Director, Public Action (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

18 november 2021 current affairs