341 kms Purvanchal Expressway inaugurated - Key highlights : Current Affairs November 2021

Key Highlights : Purvanchal Expressway 

• The expressway was developed by “Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA). The construction began on october 2018 and inaugurated in november 17th 2021
• It connects Chand Saray village in Lucknow district with Haydaria village in Ghazipur district on NH-31

• It also comprises of a 3.2 km long airstrip near in Sultanpur district. Prime minister Narendra Modi landed on the expressway in C-130 Hercules to inaugaurate the expressway
• The road can serve as airstrip for all the fighter jets of India. The distance of China is approx 600 km from this place. This could play vital role in case of war
• The highway is 6-lane but can be converted to 8-lane
• This project was announced by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav in May 2015 as Lucknow-Azamgarh-Ballia Expressway

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First ever Pod retiring room opend at Mumbai Central station : Current Affairs November 2021

Highlights : First pod retiring room for passanger at Mumbai station 

• Indian Railways has opened the first Pod hotel for passengers at the Mumbai Central station
• Raosaheb Danve, Union minister of state for Railways inaugurated the pod hotel virtually

• Terrif charge - Rs 999 for 12 hours and Rs 1,999 for 24 hours to stay in this pod 
• Facilities to be provided by Railways are locker, TV, WiFi, CCTV security, key-card access to pod, reading lights, mirrors and air conditioning
• Total cost of this project is 230 crores
• The facility has been created on the first floor of the Mumbai railway station

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Pratham NGO grabs Indra Gandhi Peace Prize 2021 : Current Affairs Novemer 2021

Key Highlights : Indra Gandhi Peace Prize 2021 

Pratham NGO won Indra Gandhi Peace Prize 2021

Pratham NGO helps improve education level in India. With focus on high quality education at low cost, it tries to fill gap in education system. 

Milestones achieved by Pratham NGO

1. It was established in 1994, to educate slum children in Mumbai
2. Uses digital technology to to impart education
3. Health awareness campaigns and Covid-19 guidance to children

• Indra Gandhi Peace Award is conferred every year since 1968
• Monetary award of value 25 lakh and citation is given to winner
• Awards can be given to individual or any organization for promoting peace & development

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SIDBI partnered Google to support small-medium business : November 2021 Current Affairs

Key Highlights : SIDBI - Google Partnership to benefit SMBs in India - Current Affairs November 2021

• Google India Pvt Ltd & Small Industries Develeopment Bank of India collaborated to provide financial assistance to MSMEs upto Rs 1 crore at low interest rate. 
• Step has been taken due to impact on pandemic on small and medium businesses of the country. 
• $15 million will be given to the SMBs to help the businesses survive and run.
• Partnering with Google will mark the launch of a paperless journey of SIDBI to its customers, right from on-boarding to the disbursal stage and access of credit to SMBs
• Under this program, women enterpreneurs would be given additional subsidy in interset rate to run business 
• SIDBI was established on April 2, 1990 which is an apex regulatory body that license and regulate the ‘micro, small & medium enterprise and falls under ministry of finance.
• Headquarter - Lucknow

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Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor project : Key Points

Key Points : Uttar Pradesh Industrial Corridor Project - Current Affairs

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid down the foundation stone of UP defence industrial corridor at Jhansi while concluding three-day ‘Rashtra Raksha Samarpan Parv’ event on 19th november 2021. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated this event on November 17, 2021
• Out of two defense industrial corridor, one is situated in Tamil Nadu and other one in Uttar Pradesh
• A plant for propulsion system for Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (Bharat Dynamics Ltd) will be built at Jhansi
• The major cities of UP that will connected under this corridor are Agra, Jhansi, Lucknow, Aligarh, Chitrakoot, and Kanpur.
• The project will cost around 400 crores at Jhansi

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Global Methane Pledge : 130 countries pledged to cut Methane emission by 30% by 2030 | Current Affairs 2021 | November Month

Facts

• As per report published by IPCC, when global temprature rises by1 degree, half of it attributed by methane.
• Methane is major pollutant and has ability to rise global warming 80 times more than carbon dioxide
• Various sources of methane are combustion of oil & natural resources, agricultural activities, waste water treatment & mining activities

Key Highlights of Global Methen Pledge at COP 26

• Led by US and EU and complemented by 100+ nations to reduce the emission level of methane by these countries by 30% from existing levels (taking 2020 as reference)
• These 100 countries contribute to 2/3 of total methane emission
• India, Russia & China were not the part of pledge (These 3 countries are big emitters of methane) 
• International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) was also instituted at G-20 summit which is action focused initiative by UNEP to check methane emission

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India now ahead of China in financial inclusion metrices - Says RBI : Short Reports and stats | Current Affairs 2021|इकोनॉमी न्यूज़

Financial inclusion means businesses and individuals have access to useful, relevent and affordable financial products and services to meet their financial needs

Important highlights

• Mobile & Internet banking transaction in India increased from 183 per 1000 people to 13,615 per 1000 customer in 2020 as per RBI
• Number of bank branches in per 100000 people is higher than China, Germany and South Africa. In 2020, there were 14.7 branched per 1,00,000 people as compared to 13.6 branches per 1,00,000 people
• Banking corrospondents (Individuals engaged by bank to source financial offering to customer where banking services or barnches are not available) has incresed from 34,100+ in 2010 to 12,40,000+ by end of December 2020
• Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna (PMJDY) aims to provide financial inclusion across nation by ensuring people's access to financial services like deposit, remittances, insurance pension and other financial services in affordable manner
•  Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 15^thAugust 2014 announced PMJDY and was launced on 28th August 2014.
• Over 430 million accounts have been opend under PMJDY till 18th August 2021 making it  biggest financial inclusion initiative in the world

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