Points To Remember

• Who has been appointed the Chairperson of the CCIP?                                                                                                                                                             –Ashok Kumar Gupta
  Ashok Kumar Gupta, a former IAS officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre was on November 9, 2018 appointed the chairperson of the Competition Commission of India after the Appointment Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by PM Narendra Modi gave its nod to his appointment. Mr. Gupta succeeded the acting chairperson Sudhir Mital on this post. He will hold the top CCI post till October 25, 2022—the date when he attains the age of 65. CCI is a quasi-judicial statutory body established under the Competition Act, 2002 to keep a tab on unfair business practices and protect the interests of consumers.

• Who has been appointed the full-time Director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED)?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 –Sanjay Kumar Mishra

Sanjay Kumar Mishra, a 1984-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer of the Income Tax Cadre, was appointed as the full-time Director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on November 17, 2018 after the Appointment Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by PM Narendra Modi approved his name for the top ED post for a two year-term. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Mishra was principal special director in ED and was entrusted with additional charge of ED chief for three months in October, 2018. He succeeded Karnal Singh on this post.

• ISRO successfully launched GSAT-29 satellite on board its GSLV-MKIII-D2 rocket. GSAT-29 is a
  –Communication satellite

ISRO successfully placed its latest communication satellite GSAT-29 into orbit onboard its heavy-lift rocket GSLV-MKIII-D2 (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle) on November 14, 2018 from Sriharikota. The  3,423 kg GSAT-29 carried ‘Ka’ and ‘Ku’ band high throughput transponders which will provide communication services to remote places in Jammu and Kashmir and the North-Eastern region of India. The successful launch of GSAT-29 also signifies the completion of the experimental phase of GSLV Mark III rocket as it would be used for ISRO’s ambitious Chandrayaan-2 mission and India’s manned space mission in future. ISRO also raised the orbit of GSAT-29 to provide faster communication connectivity to remote areas. GSAT-29 is the 33rd communication satellite built by ISRO.

• Which Indian shuttler retained his Men’s Singles Crown in Syed Modi International Badminton Championship – 2018?                                                                                                                                                                                 – Sameer Verma

Defending Champion Sameer Verma of India prevailed over China’s Lu Guangzu 16-21, 21-19, 21-14 in the final on November 25, 2018 in Lucknow to retain his Syed Modi International Badminton Men’s Singles Crown, 2018. Sameer was the only Indian player who tasted success in Syed Modi Championship this year among many Indian finalists. India’s Saina Nehwal finished runner-up in the Women’s Singles event of Syed Modi as young Chinese Han Yue won the title. Sameer defeated Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo of Indonesia in the semifinal to secure his seat in the final.

• Salome Zurabishvili has been elected the first woman President of                                                                                                                                                          –Georgia

Salome Zurabishvili emerged the winner in Georgia’s presidential poll on November 29, 2018, becoming the first woman President of Georgia. Ex-diplomat Zurabishvili was the presidential candidate of the ruling Georgian Dream Party. She secured about 59·52 percent votes to beat her rival Grigol Vashadze in the poll.

• Which country retained its top spot on the Global Talent ranking for 2018 by IMD Business School, Switzerland?                                                                                                                                                                                                                -Switzerland

Switzerland retained its top spot for fifth successive year on the Global Talent ranking for 2018 released by IMD Business School, Switzerland in November, 2018. Denmark and Norway secured second and third positions respectively on the list. ‘Investment and Development’, ‘Appeal and Readiness’ were the main factors to prepare the list which covers 63 countries of the world. Venezuela finished last on 63rd spot on the list. Singapore was the highest country among Asian countries with 13th rank. India suffered two spot loss this year in comparison to its 2017 edition performance. This year India was ranked on 53rd position.

• Maldives became the 22nd member of                                                                                                                                                       -Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA)

Maldives joined the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) as its 22nd member after its membership in the IORA, an inter-governmental organization was approved at the 18th meeting of the IORA council of Ministers in Durban, South Africa on November 2, 2018. Maldives had applied to become an IORA member in 2017 and finally, it got it with great support from India. IORA was established in 1997 to strengthen regional
cooperation and sustainable development within the Indian Ocean region.

• Where was the inaugural Sustainable Blue Economy Conference organized?                                                                                                                                            -Nairobi

The inaugural Sustainable Blue Economy Conference was organized from November 26 to 28, 2018 in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. It was hosted by Kenya along with Japan and Canada as co-hosts. More than 1700 delegates from 183 countries including heads of states, ministers, scientists etc. participated in the event. ‘The Blue Economy and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’ was the theme of the event. Union Cabinet Minister Nitin Gadkari represented India in the Conference. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta in his address stressed a solid blue economy for inclusive growth, climate resilience and food security. Blue economy is
chiefly based on coastal and oceanic resources.

• Who has been appointed the Chairperson of AERB?                                                                                                                                                         -Nageshwara Rao Guntur

Noted scientist Nageshwara Rao Guntur was on November 26, 2018, appointed as the chairperson of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) by the Union Government for a three-year term. Prior to his appointment as AERB chief, he was the chairman, Project Design Safety Committee, Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor. AERB was established is November 1983 to carry out certain regulatory and safety functions in the
nuclear and radiation fields in India.