Current Affairs Quiz - November, 2021

Notes:
Union Commerce and industry Ministry released the Logistics Ease Across Different States (LEADS) Report 2021.
Gujarat retained its top slot for the third consecutive year followed by Haryana and Punjab while Uttar Pradesh jumped seven slots from its previous 13th position. The index was launched in 2018 and it ranks 21 states on the basis of ease of logistics parameters such as infrastructure, services, and operating and regulatory environment.

Notes:
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen achieved a dominant win in the Mexico City Grand Prix to rise 19 points above Lewis Hamilton in the Formula One championship with four races remaining.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton was at the second place for Mercedes. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez who was third, became the first Mexican to stand on his home podium. Max Verstappen is a 24-year-old Belgian-Dutch racing driver.

Notes:
Originally discovered in 1833, the Leonids Meteor Shower is observed every November. The meteor began on November 6 this year and will continue until November 30 and can be witnessed through the naked eye. The peak activity is expected on November 17.
The Meteor Shower contains debris left behind by the 55P/Tempel-Tuttle comet that enter Earth’s atmosphere. These debris objects are called meteors and are seen as bright light streaks across the night sky.

Notes:
Zydus Cadila’s ZyCoV-D is the world’s first plasmid DNA vaccine. It is also the first Covid-19 vaccine that can be administered using a needle-free applicator.
The 3-dose shot was approved by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for emergency use in adults and children aged 12 years and above. The Government of India has placed an order with the company for one crore doses of its Covid-19 vaccine ‘ZyCoV-D’.

Notes:
The Mines ministry has notified the Minerals (Other than Atomic and Hydro Carbons Energy Mineral) Concession (Fourth Amendment) Rules, 2021
Under the new mechanism, 50 per cent of mineral produced from the captive mines can be sold. It also facilitates transfer of mines without any charges and partial surrender of a lease. Minimum area for grant of mining lease has been revised from 5 ha. (hectares) to 4 ha.

Notes:
Uttarakhand Foundation Day is observed annually on November 9 to celebrate the formation of the 27th state of India.
Uttarakhand was formed in the year 2000 after joining several districts from the North-western part of Uttar Pradesh and a portion of the Himalayan Mountain range. It was earlier known as Uttaranchal and was renamed Uttarakhand in the year 2007

Notes:
The National Achievement Survey (NAS) is conducted every three years. The survey was last conducted in 2017 and was scheduled to take place in 2020. Due to the Covid-19 situation, it was postponed until this year.
Around 3.8 million students from 1, 23,000 schools from across 36 states and UTs will participate in the National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2021. The survey assesses the competencies developed by the students at grades 3, 5 and 8. This is the first time that private schools are included in this NAS.

Notes:
The Union Cabinet approved the declaration of 15 November, the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda, as ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Divas’.
Week-long celebrations are planned from 15 to 22 November to commemorate the history of tribal people, culture and achievements. Birsa Munda, born in 1875, was an Indian freedom fighter and tribal folk hero from the Munda Tribe of the Chhota Nagpur Plateau area. He fought for the rights of the tribal people and also founded a new religion called Birsait.

Notes:
Vice Admiral R Hari Kumar would be succeeding Admiral Karambir Singh as the Chief of Naval Staff, since Admiral Karambir Singh is retiring from the Naval Services on 30th November 2021.
Presently, R Hari Kumar is the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Indian Navy’s Western Naval Command.

Notes:
The Sela Tunnel is the world’s longest bi-lane road tunnel being constructed by the Border Roads Organisation in Arunachal Pradesh, near the Indo-China border. The tunnel is being constructed at a height of 13,800ft above the MSL.
The tunnel would provide all weather connectivity to Tawang and enable better men and material movement to Line of Actual Control.