The Daily Briefs are a comprehensive update of current affairs for the day. To know more about them, read this. If you’d like to receive updates for current affairs every day, you’ll need to subscribe by entering your email address at the right side of this page. The previous Briefs can be accessed at the archives here. Also, check out our mock tests!
- The Home Ministry has extended the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in three districts of Arunachal Pradesh as underground factions of Nagaland continue to indulge in illegal activities in these districts. The AFSPA was enacted in 1958 to confer special powers on the armed forces in disturbed areas providing army officers and jawans legal immunity for their actions in disturbed areas.
- India launched its first eco-friendly liquefied natural gas (LNG)-driven bus in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. This form of fuel is considered to be cleaner and safer as it emits 50% less carbon for mass transportation.
- Kamala Harris, Attorney General of California, became the first Indian-American to win the US Senate (upper chamber) seat from the state by defeating Loretta Sanchez.
- The Government of Chhattisgarh has launched Lakshya Bhagirathi campaign to complete the irrigation projects that could not be completed over the last three decades.
- Health and Family Welfare Ministry has launched the Healthy India Initiative magazine and No More Tension mobile application to promote health and to strengthen the health communications programme. The former will be a quarterly magazine and will cater to providing health related information and healthy living while the latter will help users to manage stress.
- The HRD Ministry has launched the Smart India Hackathon 2017 which will be the world’s largest digital national building initiative. It aims at finding digital solutions by harnessing creativity and technical expertise of over 30 lakh students from technology institutes in remotest parts of India.
- The World Science Day for Peace and Development was observed on 10th November to raise awareness of benefits of science in our daily life. The theme for 2016 was “Celebrating Science Centres and Science Museums”.
- The Union Government has launched the Pradhan Mantri Yuva Yojana (PMYY) to scale up an entrepreneurship ecosystem for youngsters. The scheme will span over five years (2016-17 to 2020-21) and will cost around 500 crore rupees.
- Ishaat Hussain has been appointed as the Chairman of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) by Tata Sons Ltd. He will succeed Cyrus Mistry who was recently ousted by the board of Tata Sons Ltd. Hussain is the Chairman of Voltas and Tata Sky.
- A protocol amending the Double Taxation Avoidance Convention (DTAC) signed between India and Japan came into force on 29th October 2016 after the procedural requirements were completed. The protocol aims to promote transparency and cooperation between the two countries. The existing DTAC was signed in 1989.
- Pramila Jayapal became the first Indian-American woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representative after winning the Senate seat from the Washington state. She is a member of the Democratic party.
- The 1st International Agro-biodiversity Congress was held in New Delhi from 6th November to 9th November. The Delhi Declaration on Agro-biodiversity Management was adopted and this event also saw the participation of around 900 participants from 60 countries.
- Global Rajasthan Agritech Meet (GRAM), a three-day international event, began in Jaipur on 9th November with the focus on doubling the income of farmers through suitable technologies and agricultural activities. The international partners of the meet were Australia, Netherland and Israel.
- The Government of India has announced that cash deposits of over 2.5 lakh rupees threshold under the 50-day window could attract a tax plus a 200 percent penalty in case of income mismatch. This step has been taken to prevent people from converting their black money into white. The Union Ministry will get reports of all cash deposited above the threshold of 2.5 lakh rupees in every account during the period of 10th November 2016 to 30th December 2016.
Thanks