Daily Current Affairs 17 November 2019: We have collected the latest current affairs for 17 November 2019 that are important for all competitive exams like Bank, SSC, IBPS, SBI exams. The GK current affairs will help you score more in these competitive exams. Improve your general knowledge with our daily online current affairs. You can also read the daily current affairs on our mobile app.
Current Affairs 17 November 2019
Union Minister Harsh Vardhan launches SAANS campaign to curb pneumonia deaths in kids
- Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Harsh Vardhan has launched SAANS Campaign which stands for ‘Social Awareness and Action to Neutralise Pneumonia Successfully’.
- The aim of the campaign is to reduce child mortality due to pneumonia, which contributes to around 15% deaths annually of children under the age of five.
- The campaign was launched in Gandhinagar, Gujarat at the 6th National Summit on Good, Replicable Practices and Innovations.
- The HMIS data for 2018-19 ranked Madhya Pradesh on top in the number of child deaths due to pneumonia, followed by Gujarat on second.
Shri Amit Shah inaugurates the National Tribal Festival ‘Aadi Mahotsav’ in New Delhi
- Union Minister for Home Affairs, Shri Amit Shah has inaugurated the 15 day National Tribal Festival ‘Aadi Mahotsav’ in New Delhi on November 16, 2019.
- The theme of the event is: “A celebration of the spirit of tribal culture, craft, cuisine and commerce”.
- The aim of the event is to provide direct market access to the tribal master-craftsmen and women in large metros and state capitals.
1st National Agrochemicals Congress held in New Delhi
- The 1st National Agrochemicals Congress was held in New Delhi between November 13-16, 2019.
- The theme of the event was: Country’s Status on Various Fronts of Agrochemicals.
- The Congress is conducted in view of the role chemical pesticides still continue to play in pest management as more and more target-specific and environment-friendly products are being introduced. From now onwards, it will be conducted once in every three years.
International Conference on Yoga for Heart care held at Mysuru, Karnataka
- Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for AYUSH and Defence, Shri Shripad Yesso Naik inaugurated two days “International Conference on Yoga for Heart care” at Mysuru, Karnataka.
- The theme of the event was: ‘Yoga for Heart Care’.
- This conference is fifth in the series to commemorate the unanimous adoption of Resolution by the United Nations General Assembly during its 69th Session for observing 21st June as International Day of Yoga.
Mumbai tops Water Quality Report for State Capitals by BIS
- The Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Shri Ram Vilas Paswan has released the Water Quality Report for State Capitals & Delhi as analysed by Bureau of India Standards (BIS).
- Bureau of India Standards (BIS), on the basis of quality of piped drinking water being supplied in the country has ranked the States, Smart Cities and even Districts.
- Mumbai has topped the ranking, Hyderabad and Bhubaneshwar share the joint second spot while Ranchi is on the third. Delhi is ranked at 15th.
Vodafone Idea posts India’s biggest ever quarterly loss at Rs 50,921 crore
- Telecom firm Vodafone Idea has reported a record loss of Rs 50,921 crore for the July- September quarter 2019. This is the highest ever quarterly loss for any Indian company.
- The loss was reported as the company made a provision for the Supreme Court’s ruling on payment of average gross revenue (AGR) dues. Rs 30,774.5 crore was a one-time loss the company incurred due to the recent Supreme Court verdict.
- Reliance Communications posted a mega loss of Rs 30,142 crore, registering India’s second biggest quarterly loss after Vodafone Idea. The firm was mainly hit due to provisioning for liabilities after the Supreme Court ruling on the AGR issue. Anil Ambani has submitted his resignation as director of Reliance Communications, even as the firm continues to remain under CIRP (Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process). Four other directors, including Smt. Chhaya Virani, Ryna Karani, Manjari Kacker and Suresh Rangachar have also submitted their resignation
- Bharti Airtel posted a loss of Rs 23,044 crore for the quarter ended September 30, due to Rs 28,450 crore provisions towards adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues.
ICICI Bank launches ‘Maha Loan Dhamaka’ to provide on-the-spot loan approvals
- ICICI Bank has announced the launch of its own loan mela — ‘Maha Loan Dhamaka’ — to provide on-the-spot loan approvals.
- ICICI bank plans to organise 2,000 such ‘Maha Loan’ camps across the country in rural and semi-urban locations and on the company premises in the current fiscal.
- The first camp was inaugurated at Deesa in Banaskantha district, Gujarat. Recently, public sector banks held loan melas in over 400 districts in two phases in October to boost sagging credit growth due to the economic downturn.
India successfully Conducts first night trial of surface-to-surface medium-range missile Agni-II
- India on November 16 successfully conducted the first night trial of surface-to-surface medium-range nuclear-capable missile Agni-II from Dr Abdul Kalam Island off Odisha coast.
- The Agni-II is an intermediate-range two-stage ballistic missile (IRBM) which can carry a payload of 1000 kg over a distance of 2000 km.
- This is the first time that the sophisticated missile was test-fired at night.
- The test was carried out by the specially formed Strategic Forces Command (SFC) of the Army with logistic support from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
NCAER predicts India’s GDP growth at 4.9% in FY20
- The National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) has predicted India’s GDP growth rate for 2019-20 (FY20) at 4.9%.
- This comes a day after Moody’s cut its calendar year 2019 GDP forecast for India to 5.6 per cent from 6.2 per cent.
Bill Gates Surpasses Jeff Bezos as World’s Richest Person: Bloomberg
- Billionaire philanthropist and Microsoft Corp. co-founder, Bill Gates has surpassed Amazon chief executive officer Jeff Bezos to become the world’s richest person on Earth with a net worth of $110 billion, according to the latest Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
- Gates, 64, had briefly topped Bezos (55), whose net worth stands at $109 billion.
- Europe’s richest person, Bernard Arnault, is third with $102.7 billion.
- Reliance Industries Limited Chairman Mukesh Ambani is the richest Indian in the list positioned at 14th spot with net worth of $56.7 billion.
Former Sri Lankan Defence Chief, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Wins presidential poll
- The former wartime defence secretary of Sri Lanka, Gotabaya Rajapaksa has won the 2019 Presidential elections of the country.
- The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna party candidate, Rajapaksa, claimed victory over his rival Sajith Premadasa from United National Party.
- The 70-year-old Gotabaya Rajapaksha will be sworn in on November 18, 2019. He will succeed Maithripala Sirisena.
- The 2019 Sri Lankan presidential election was the 8th presidential election and this was the first Presidential election in Sri Lanka where no sitting president, prime minister or opposition leader was contesting.
India record best-ever medal haul at World Para Athletics Championships, wins 9 medal
- India has won 9 medals at the World Para Athletics Championship held in Dubai finishing in the 24th position. This is the best medal-winning haul by India.
- Out of these 9 medals, India won two gold, two silver and five bronze, securing 13 qualifying spots at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
- Until this edition, London 2017 had been India’s best ever show where the para athletes finished with five medals (one gold) in the joint 34th place.
- China topped the medals tally with 59 medals including 25 gold.
- Asian Para Games 2018 champion javelin thrower Sandeep Chaudhary stood out among the Indian performers by setting a new world record (F44) on the way to clinching the gold with a personal best 65.80m in men’s javelin F64 category
World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims 2019: November 17
- World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims – Third Sunday in November every year.
- 2019 World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims – November 17, 2019
- Purpose – to remember those killed and injured on the roads, together with their families, friends, and others affected.
- Theme 2019 – Life is not a car part
- The day was started by the British road crash victim charity, RoadPeace, in 1993 and was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2005.
International Students’ Day: November 17
- The International Students’ Day is celebrated on November 17 around the world, with special focus on ensuring education is available for all students.
- The date 17 November was chosen to be the International Students’ Day to commemorate the day in 1939, during World War II, when University of Prague was stormed by Nazis after demonstrations against the killing of Jan Opletal and the occupation of Czechoslovakia.
- Nine student leaders were subsequently killed, over 1200 students sent to concentration camps, and all Czech universities and colleges were closed.