CURRENT AFFAIRS 8th November 2021National News

1. Power Minister R K Singh addresses 47th Raising Day of NTPC

● Power Minister R K Singh has said that NTPC is a specialcompany and it is the largest provider of energy to thecountry, the most important input for growth.

● Addressing the 47th Raising Day of NTPC in New Delhitoday, Mr Singh outlined the Company’s achievements,expertise, future goals and also discussed NTPC’s role inleading India’s energy transition.

● He appreciated NTPC for passing on approximately 4500crore rupees to states in the last financial year byoptimizing energy charges.

● On the occasion, the Minister presented the Swarn ShaktiAwards to NTPC plants in the areas of Productivity, Safety,Protection and Improvement of Environment, Rajbhasha,Best Health Facilities, CSR and Community Developmentand Project Management Awards.

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2. Union Power Minister inaugurates diversion of Marusudar Riverat Pakal Dul HE Project (1000 MW) in J&K

● Union Power Minister R K Singh virtually inaugurated thediversion of the Marusudar River of Pakal Dul HydroElectric Project in Kishtwar, J&K. Pakal Dul HE Project(1,000 MW) is being constructed by Chenab Valley PowerProjects Pvt Limited (CVPPPL) and Jammu and KashmirState Power Development Corporation.

● Marusudar river or Maru Sudar river is the largest rivertributary of the Chenab River, beginning at the Nunkunglacier of the Warwan Valley and joining the Chenab atBhandarkoot in the Kishtwar district.

● As of 2021, 1000MW Pakal Dul Dam the 800MW BursarHydroelectric Project are under construction on this river.

● Pakal Dul HE Project is a 1000 MW project. It is beingconstructed by Chenab Valley Power Projects [P] Ltd.

● It is a joint venture company of JKSPDC (Govt of J&K) andNHPC Ltd (Govt of India Enterprise).

● Pakal Dul H.E. Project will help in fulfilling the target of 450GW Renewable energy by 2030.

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3. Country's first rooftop drive-in theatre to open in Mumbai

● The first open-air rooftop drive-in movie theatre in Indiahas been inaugurated at Jio World Drive mall of RelianceIndustries in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

● The drive-in theatre will be operated and managed by themultiplex chain PVR Ltd.

● The theatre has been launched in partnership with theReliance Retail and multiplex chain PVR. The facility canaccommodate around 290 cars.

● The first movie screened at the theatre was AkshayKumar’s Sooryavanshi.PLU

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4. PM Modi unveils statue of Adi Shankaracharya at Kedarnath

● PM inaugurated the reconstructed Shri AdiShankaracharya Samadhi (final resting place) at thepremises of the Kedarnath Temple in Rudraprayag districtof Uttarakhand and unveiled the statue of Shri AdiShankaracharya at the Samadhi.

● The Samadhi was damaged in the 2013 Kedarnath flood.● Adi Shankaracharya was an Indian philosopher and

theologian[4] whose works had a strong impact on thedoctrine of Advaita Vedanta.

● He founded four mathas ("monasteries"), which arebelieved to have helped in the historical development,revival and propagation of Advaita Vedanta

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5. Diwali Day Act introduced in US Congress to declare festival asfederal holiday

● In the United States, the first-ever 3-day 'All AmericanDiwali' Celebrations started with a fireworks display overthe Hudson River in New York City yesterday.

● The fireworks display was organised to encourage IndianAmericans to engage their neighbours, coworkers, andfriends from all walks of life in meaningful conversationsabout the festival.

● The US Embassy in India is also lit up with lights anddiyas on the occasion of Diwali.

● "The Deepavali Day Act" was introduced in the House ofRepresentatives by the New York Congresswoman CarolynB Maloney to make Diwali a national holiday in the UnitedStates.

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6. Puneeth Rajkumar honoured posthumously with BasavashreeAward 2021

● Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar will be posthumouslyconferred the Basavashree award 2021 by the Bruhanmutt.Murugha Mutt seer Dr Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru.

● The award honours people for services to society in theirrespective fields by following the principles of LordBasaveshwar.

● It is presented by Chitradurga Bruhanmutt since 1997. Theaward includes Rs 5 lakh cash and a memento.

● PT Usha (2009), Malala Yousufzai (2014), P Sainath (2016),Dr K Kasturirangan (2020) are some to win the award inrecent times.

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International News7. Britain approves Merck's COVID-19 pill first of its Kind.

● Britain’s health regulators have approved the world’s firstpill to treat cases of symptomatic COVID-19.

● Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency(MHRA) said, the antiviral molnupiravir has been found tobe safe and effective at reducing the risk of hospitalisationand death in people with mild to moderate COVID-19, whoare at increased risk of developing the disease.

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8. Yahoo Inc. stops its services in China w.e.f November 01

● Yahoo Inc. has announced that the company has stoppedproviding service in mainland China with effect fromNovember 01, 2021 due to the increasingly challengingbusiness and legal environment in the country.

● With this Yahoo has ended its 22-year presence in theChinese market.

● This means that services like Yahoo Weather, YahooFinance, and other websites run by Yahoo such asAOL.com, TechCrunch and Engadget will not be accessiblefrom within China.

● Earlier, US tech platform LinkedIn also annoced the closureof its localized social media network in China on October14. PLU

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Awards9. South African author Damon Galgut bags Booker Prize 2021 for

his novel 'The Promise'

● South African author Damon Galgut has won the 2021Booker Prize for Fiction for his novel The Promise.

● 57-year-old Galgut, has won the award in his thirdappearance on the shortlist after making the cut in 2003and 2010.

● He follows in the footsteps of other South African winnersNadine Gordimer and JM Coetzee, and is the first winnerfrom the country since 1999.

● The Promise is set in Pretoria, where the author grew up,and takes place against the backdrop of South Africa’stransition out of apartheid.

● It tells the story of the declining Swart family, who arewhite farmers, through four funerals.PLU

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Books and Authors10. A book titled ‘Not Just Cricket: A Reporters Journey’ by

Pradeep Magazine.

● Eminent journalist Pradeep Magazine’s memoir is a storyof lived, real experiences, of joy, sorrow, fear, loss andhope, and about how an uprooted identity shapes one’sattitude towards society and the nation.

● From the Kashmir of the 1950s to terror-stricken Punjab,from the Mandir–Masjid divide and the impact of Mandalpolitics to the tragic consequences of the Kashmirsituation—Magazine paints a fascinating portrait of modernIndia.

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Important Days11. International Day of Radiology: 08 November

● World Radiography Day is celebrated every year onNovember 8 to commemorate the discovery of X-radiation,or X-rays.

● It was on this day in 1895 that German scientist WilhelmConrad Rontgen, completed the discovery of X-radiation,X-rays. In 1901, he became the first recipient of the NobelPrize in Physics for this achievement.

● Rontgen was a German mechanical engineer and physicist.At age three his family moved to Holland.

● In 1865, he was expelled from high school when one of histeachers intercepted a caricature of one of the teachers,which was drawn by someone else.

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12. National Cancer Awareness Day: 7th November

● November 7 is observed as the National Cancer AwarenessDay to raise awareness about the second leading cause ofdeath globally, Cancer.

● The date was announced for this occasion in September2014 by Dr. Harsh Vardhan, who was the Minister of Healthback then.

● This particular date was selected as it is the Birthanniversary of Madame Curie, a prominent scientistremembered for her efforts and contribution in the battleagainst cancer.

● She is revered for her discovery of radium and polonium.● World Cancer Day: 4 Feb

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Banking News13. Bandhan Bank named Zubeen Garg as brand ambassador for

Assam

● To mark the commencement of this association, Zubeenhas released his new music video which showcasesdiverse elements of Assamese culture and heritage.

● The song and video have been produced courtesy ofBandhan Bank.

● Titled ‘Axom Amaar Mone Praane,” the song is amelodious blend of the different kinds of folk music nativeto Assam.

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Obituary News14. Renowned Cricket Coach and Dronacharya Awardee Tarak

Sinha Passes Away Aged 71

● Dronacharya Awardee and renowned cricket coach TarakSinha breathed his last on Saturay in New Delhi aged 71.

● He was battling lung cancer for a while, and recently, hehad a multi-organ failure.

● The revered coach has trained players across generationsand has produced cricketers like, Surender Khanna,Randhir Singh, Raman Lamba, Manoj Prabhakar, AjaySharma, K.P. Bhaskar, Atul Wassan, Ashish Nehra, SanjeevSharma, Aakash Chopra, Shikhar Dhawan, Anjum Chopraand Rishabh Pant.

● Affectionately known as ‘Ustaad ji’, he used to traincricketers at The Sonnet Club which acted as Delhi’ssupply line.

By Sameer Singhal

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