1 Coal India Limited honoured with Green World Awards 2024 in London
Coal India Limited (CIL), a body of the Ministry of Coal, has been conferred with the prestigious Green World Environment Award and the prestigious title of Green World Ambassador in the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) category . The Ministry of Coal plays a leading role in laying down policies and guidelines regarding mining of coal and other minerals in the larger interest of the country. This prestigious international award has been given to CIL for its commendable work in the field of CSR i.e. Thalassemia Bal Seva Yojana , under which more than 600 thalassemia patients were given a new lease of life by providing permanent treatment through stem cell transplantation , also known as Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT). CIL became the first public sector undertaking to launch a CSR project for the treatment of thalassemia through BMT operations across the country in 2017. Under this scheme, CIL provides financial assistance up to Rs 10 lakh for BMT. So far, 17 leading hospitals across the country have partnered for this Thalassemia Bal Seva Yojana.
2 The world’s fifth and the country’s first night safari is being prepared in Lucknow
Nature lovers will soon be able to enjoy night safari in Uttar Pradesh . In fact, UP CM Yogi Adityanath has decided that in December 2026, Uttar Pradesh will gift the first night safari to the country. This night safari being developed in the capital Lucknow will be a new exciting center for nature lovers of the country and the world. This will be the fifth night safari in the world. CM Yogi reviewed the plan of the proposed Kukrail Night Safari Park and Wildlife Center (Zoo) in a high-level meeting.
3 Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah inaugurated the ’27th Bengaluru Tech Summit’
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inaugurated the ‘ 27th Bengaluru Tech Summit’ in Bengaluru on November 19. This is Asia’s largest technical conference . During this, he announced the establishment of three global innovation centers in Bengaluru, Mysuru and Belgaum . At the inauguration ceremony, Siddaramaiah also announced the setting up of an electronics cluster near Mysuru for the global semiconductor industry. During this, Microsoft, Intel, Accenture, IBM and BFSI consortium companies signed MoUs with the state government to train 1 lakh youth.
4 Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the 50th All India Police Science Conference
Amit Shah inaugurated the 50th All India Police Science Conference in Gandhinagar , Gujarat on November 19. The event is jointly organized by the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) and the National Defence Power University . After this, the Home Minister inaugurated the cattle feed plant of Sabar Dairy in Sabarkantha district, which has a production capacity of 800 metric tonnes . This plant is expected to benefit the cattle farmers of Aravalli and Sabarkantha districts on a large scale. It has been constructed at a cost of Rs 210 crore.
5 Air Expo 2024 opens in Abu Dhabi
Air Expo 2024 kicked off in Abu Dhabi . The event will run from 19 to 21 November . Professionals from the aviation industry will attend the three-day event. The expo was inaugurated by UAE Minister Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan . This year’s expo focuses on sustainable solutions for the aviation industry. It reflects the UAE’s commitment to environmental protection in the region. Cutting-edge technology has been showcased to reduce carbon emissions from the industry. Along with the Dubai Airshow, Abu Dhabi Air Expo 2024 is emerging as an important platform to foster international partnerships and advance sustainable aviation technology.
6 Finance Ministry makes annual dividend of 30% of net profit or 4% of net worth mandatory for Central Government enterprises
The Finance Ministry has made it mandatory for Central Government enterprises to pay a minimum of 30 percent of their net profit or 4 percent of the total value as annual dividend . The Department of Investment and Public Asset Management-DIPAM has issued revised guidelines in this regard. According to this, now the Central enterprises will have the option to buy back their shares. However, for this it will be necessary that the market value of their shares is less than the book value for six consecutive months. It will also be necessary that the net worth of these enterprises is at least Rs 3 thousand crores and they have cash and bank deposits of more than Rs 1.5 thousand crores. These companies will be able to issue bonus shares, provided their reserve and surplus amount is 20 times more than the paid-up share capital. The new guidelines will also apply to those subsidiaries in which the holding company has more than 51 percent stake. These guidelines will not apply to government banks, government insurance companies and body corporates .
7 World Toilet Day 2024: Central Government launches nationwide campaign ‘Our Toilet Our Respect’
India’s Jal Shakti Ministry on Tuesday launched a 3-week nationwide campaign titled ‘ Hamara Shauchalay Hamara Samman ‘ (HSHS) on World Toilet Day 2024. The campaign will culminate on Human Rights Day on December 10. The campaign will emphasize the important relationship between sanitation, human rights and social dignity. The campaign aims to improve sanitation infrastructure, change people’s behavior and strengthen a sense of community pride by improving the functionality and aesthetics of toilets across the country. Promoting efforts to continue to be Open Defecation Free (ODF) emphasizes that sanitation is not just a one-time achievement, but a continuous journey towards building a healthier and more dignified India. In line with the campaign’s tagline “ Toilet Sanwaare, Jeevan Nikhaare ”, the initiative underscores the importance of toilets as the foundation of dignity, equality and public health, with a strong focus on vulnerable groups, especially women and girls.
8 NABH, a constituent of Quality Council of India (QCI) signs MoU with Research Society for the Study of Diabetes in India (RSSDI) to enhance quality of diabetes care
National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) , a constituent body of Quality Council of India (QCI), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Research Society for the Study of Diabetes in India (RSSDI). The collaboration aims to advance the quality and sustainability of diabetes care in India through improved clinical and digital health standards . RSSDI is India’s largest professional physician body representing over 12,000 diabetes care provider physicians across the country. The MoU aims to leverage NABH’s distinctive capabilities and RSSDI’s expertise in developing best practice and clinical guidelines for diabetes management and research to advance national quality certification and accreditation programs. The accredited diabetes clinics will maintain high standards of healthcare for the treatment of diabetes, including education, research, and guideline-directed care programs.
9 International Men’s Day
International Men’s Day is celebrated every year on November 19 across the world . Its purpose is to highlight men’s health, well-being and their positive contribution to society. There are many special reasons behind celebrating this day, including raising the voice of men, highlighting the challenges they face, and promoting gender equality. In India, this tradition has started since 2007, and this year’s theme is Men’s Health Champions , which aims to improve men’s health.
10 Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali actress ‘Uma Dasgupta’ passed away
On November 18, actress Uma Dasgupta died at the age of 84. She was battling cancer for a long time. The film Pather Panchali was released in theaters in 1955. This movie was made under the direction of the legendary artist of the cinema world, Satyajit Ray. Uma Dasgupta played the character of Durga Roy in this movie. Uma Dasgupta’s Pather Panchali film was based on the Pather Panchali novel written in 1929 by the legendary Bengal writer Bibhutibhushan Bandhopadhyay . This film of Uma won many international film awards including the National Film Award .