• National

The second edition of ‘INSPIRE 2018’ held in New Delhi

• The second edition of INSPIRE was inaugurated in New Delhi. It was inaugurated by Shri R K Singh, Union Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy.
• INSPIRE stands for – International Symposium to Promote Innovation & Research in Energy Efficiency.
• It was jointly organized by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) and the World Bank.
• The three-day symposium will focus on enhancing grid management, e-Mobility, financial instruments and technologies for energy efficiency in India.

• National

Singapore FinTech Festival begins today

• The Singapore FinTech Festival, one of the biggest of its kind in the world began today.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will deliver the keynote address in the Fintech Conference, which is a part of the fest, on 14th Nov 2018.
• Mr Modi is the first head of a country who has been invited to give the keynote address, which is generally addressed by heads of world financial or technical institutes.
• Prime Minister will also launch a global platform which will connect fintech companies with the world’s banks.

• Economy and Business

TN gets SEBI nod for State Shelter Fund launch

• Tamil Nadu has received the nod from the market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to launch its State Shelter Fund for attracting investments in the affordable housing segment.
• Deputy Chief Minister of the State O Panneerselvam said that the – Tamil Nadu government established the Tamil Nadu Infrastructure Fund which is the category-I Alternative Investment Fund.
• The Deputy Chief Minister said,”The fund is a social impact fund to provide investors with profit besides getting social and environmental benefits.”

• Important Days

World Pneumonia Day observed today

• World Pneumonia Day is observed every year on November 12 to raise awareness about pneumonia, the world’s leading infectious killer of children under the age of 5.
• This year is the 10th year of World Pneumonia Day and the theme is “Stop Pneumonia: 10 Years of Progress and the path forward”.
• World Pneumonia Day was established in 2009 and seeks to spread awareness of the diseases as a public health issue.
• The day also aims to generate action, including continued donor investment, to combat pneumonia and other common, deadly childhood diseases.

• Science and Tech

Isro set to launch a satellite for J&K and northeast on November 14

• Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) is gearing up for the launch of a communication satellite on November 14 that is specifically meant for Jammu and Kashmir and north-eastern
• Isro chairman K Sivan said, “Isro will launch Gsat-29 from Sriharikota on November 14.
• It is an advanced high throughput communication satellite which will have two Ku and Ka operational payloads.
• The payloads are meant to provide communication services to J&K and north-eastern regions under the ‘Digital India’ programme.
• The high-speed bandwidth will help bridge the digital divide in the hinterland.”

• Science and Tech

Scientists discovered two planets

• Astronomers have discovered two new rogue planets that do not have stars to orbit.
• Researchers found the planets in the regions called the Galactic bulge and disk.
• As planets don’t orbit stars and are ‘free-floating,’ it’s difficult to determine the size.
• One planet could be similar in size to Earth, while another one may be similar to Jupiter.

• Obituaries

Economist, TN Srinivasan passes away

• Eminent economist TN Srinivasan passed away in Chennai. He was 85 years old.
• He was awarded the Padma Bhushan for his contribution to development economics.
• He was also the chairman of the department of economics, a special adviser to the Development Research Center at the World Bank from 1977 to 1980.
• He wrote his doctoral thesis on the choice of techniques and earned his Ph.D. in Economics (1962) from Yale University.
• In fact, he came back to India from the US to work in the New Delhi-based Indian Statistical Institute in 1962.
• He also worked in the Planning Commission when the economy was still closed.

• States

Delhi’s air quality in severe category

• Delhi’s air quality continues to be in a severe category.
• An Air Quality Index between 401 and 500 is considered as severe.
• There are 6 AQI categories, namely Good, Satisfactory, Moderately polluted, Poor, Very Poor, and Severe.
• The AQI is an index for reporting daily air quality.
• AQI focuses on particulate matter, ground-level ozone, Sulphur Dioxide, Nitrogen Dioxide and Carbon Monoxide.

• Miscellaneous

Cyclone Gaja to cross Tamil Nadu & Andhra

• A deep depression in the Bay of Bengal has intensified into a cyclonic storm named Cyclone Gaza.
• It is likely to cross the north Tamil Nadu and south Andhra Pradesh coast on 15 November 2018.
• It is moving at a speed of 12 kmph is likely to intensify into a ‘severe cyclonic storm’.
• The coastal areas of north Tamil Nadu would experience moderate rainfall and heavy rainfall.

• Agreements

ADB grants EESL $13 million to promote efficient energy usage in the country

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said it would provide USD 13 million loans to EESL to promote efficient energy usage in India.
• ADB and the Energy Efficiency Services (EESL) signed a USD 13 million grant, to be provided by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), for the additional financing of an ongoing ADB-supported project that is promoting end-use energy efficiency.
• “The ADB funding is helping EESL finance energy service utilities for installing established energy-efficient technologies such as light-emitting diode (LED) street-lights with municipalities while exploring newer technologies and their self-sustaining business models.