• Reliance Industries has appointed K V Kamath as the Independent Director of the company for a period of five years. The Board of Directors has, at its meeting held, based on the recommendation of the human resources, nomination and remuneration committee considered and recommended to the shareholders for approval the appointment of Shri K. V. Kamath.
• KV Kamath has also been appointed as an Independent Director and non-executive Chairman for Reliance Strategic Investment Limited (RSIL). RSIL will be renamed as Jio Financial Services Limited (“JFSL”) and the scheme of demerger approved by the board of directors for demerger of the financial services business.

About the K V Kamath:

• Currently the Chairman of the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID), Kamath has served as Chairman of Infosys.
• In 2015 he was appointed as the first President of the New Development Bank set up by the BRICS countries from where he retired in 2020.
• Under his leadership, ICICI Bank transformed itself into a diversified, technology-driven financial services group across banking, insurance and asset management in India, and a global presence.
• He retired as Managing Director and CEO in 2009 and continued as the Chairman of ICICI Bank till 2015.

• The Haryana Forest Department and US Agency for International Development (USAID) launched the “Trees Outside Forests in India (TOFI)” program in the state. The “Trees Outside Forests in India” program will enhance carbon sequestration, support local communities, and strengthen the climate resilience of agriculture.
• This initiative will bring farmers, companies, and other private institutions together to rapidly expand tree coverage outside of traditional forests in the state.

About Haryana Forest Department and USAID Launched TOFI Program.

• The Trees Outside Forests in India (TOFI) program will take Haryana’s State Action Plan on Climate Change forward and will build on Haryana’s progress and harness agroforestry to bolster the resilience of farming systems.
• The program will leverage India’s private sector to promote and scale tree-based enterprises and the sale of carbon credits, helping to create jobs and boost incomes.
• Haryana Chief Minister, Manohar Lal Khattar informed that the TOFI program will further spur agroforestry and plantation campaigns outside of forests and help raise the income of the farmers while enhancing the green cover in the state.
• It will also support India’s Roadmap toward Carbon Neutral Economy by 2070.
• The Trees Outside Forests in India program was launched in September by Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Secretary Leena Nandan and U.S. Chargé d’ Affaires Patricia Lacina.
• The program will allocate up to $25 million over five years in seven states including Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh.
• There will be implementation support from the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (ICRAF).

• India joined 10 other countries for a “search and rescue” exercise planned within the International Fleet Review (IFR) off the coast of Japan over the weekend.
• The IFR was conducted on November 6 and 7.
• Unusually, from the Indian perspective, the Pakistan navy was also part of the exercise at sea. Japan had invited Pakistan for the exercise.
• China abstained from the IFR in spite of an invitation from Japan.
• A day after skipping the IFR, China today joined the Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS) in Yokohama.
• India has the status of an ‘observer’ at the WPNS and Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar is participating. About 30 countries are part of the symposium.
• This was not for the first time that the India and Pakistan militaries were together for a multi-nation forum or exercise. In 2019, armies of the two countries participated in a multi-nation exercise in Russia under the umbrella of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
• Indian naval warships Shivalik and Kamorta were part of the IFR and will remain there for almost two more weeks for other engagements.
• The Japan Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) said 11 countries — Australia, Canada, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand and the US — participated in search and rescue exercise.
• The Indian naval ships were part of a group that included ships from Japan, Malaysia and Indonesia, indicating that Pakistan was in another group.
• The exercise encompassed fire-fighting and medical evacuation drills.
• Japanese PM Fumio Kishida inspected the fleets at the IFR on board JMSDF carrier JS Izumo. Japan hosted the IFR for the first time in 20 years to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) this year.

• Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain, the city of Mahakal will soon boast the world’s first Vedic clock which will be synced with the position of the Sun. This came after state higher education minister Mohan Yadav laid the foundation stone at the 300-year-old Jiwaji Observatory in Ujjain. The observatory was constructed by Maharaja Sawai Raja Jaisingh of Jaipur in 1719.
• The mega project is being taken up by the state government at an estimated cost of Rs 1.62 crore as the state government is working to restore the ancient glory of Ujjain. The minister said the (Vikramaditya) Vedic clock will be divided into 24 muhurats (hours).
• He said that there will be a dedicated mobile application for the readings of the Vedic Clock, and citizens will be able to use it on their smartphones, computers, televisions, and other devices. The Vedic Clock’s background graphics will depict Jyotirlingas, Navagrah, etc.

How does Vedic Clock works?

• This clock, in the place of 1 to 12, respectively – Brahma, Ashwinu, Triguna, Chaturveda, Panchapranaah, Shadrasaah, Saptarsayah, Ashtasiddhayah, Navadravyani, Dashadishah, Rudraah and Adityaah are written.
• Out of these, 12 Adityas, 11 Rudras, 8 Vasus and 2 Ashwini Kumars are counted among the famous 33 koti of god’s (deities) of Sanatan Dharma.

1. Brahma: Brahma is written in place of 1:00 o’clock, it means that Brahm is one and no one else – Ekobrahmdvityo nasti.
2. Ashwinu: Ashwinu is written in place of 2:00. Ashwini Kumar has two sons- Nasatya and Dastra. Nasatya represents sunrise and Drastya represents sunset.
3. Triguna: In place of 3:00 pm, it is written Triguna which means that there are three types of Gunas – Satoguna, Rajoguna and Tamoguna. Jiva and Prakriti are of three gunas.
4. Chaturveda: At the place of 4:00, Chaturveda is written, which means that there are four types of Vedas – Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda. Vedas are the scriptures of Hindus and no other scripture.
5. Panchaprana: At the place of 5 o’clock it is written Panchapranah, which means that there are five types of Prana – Apana, Samana, Prana, Udana and Vyana. There are mainly five types of prana in the body.
6. Shadrasa: At the place of 6:00, it is written Shadrsa: It means that there are 6 types of rasa – sweet, amal, salt, bitter, tikta and kasaya.
7. Saptarshayah: In the place of 7:00, it is written Saptarshaya: It means that there are 7 sages – Kashyapa, Atri, Bharadwaja, Vishwamitra, Gautam, Jamadagni and Vashistha. There have been different Sapta Rishis in each era.
8. Ashtasiddhaya: In place of 8:00, it is written Ashta Siddhi: It means that there are eight types of Siddhis – Anima, Mahima, Laghima, Garima, Prapti, Prakamya, Ishitva and Vashitva.
9. Navdravyani: Navdravyani is written at the place of 9:00, which means that there are 9 types of funds – Padma, Mahapadma, Neel, Shankha, Mukunda, Nanda, Makar, Kachhap, Kharva.
10. Tenth: Dashdishah is written in the place of 10:00 o’clock, which means that the directions are 10 – East, West, North, South, Ishaan, Southwest, Vayavya, Agneya, Akash, Patal.
11. Rudra: In the place of 11:00 o’clock Rudra is written, it means that there are 11 types of Rudra- Kapali, Pingal, Bhima, Virupaksha, Vilohit, Shasta, Ajapada, Ahirbudhnya, Shambhu, Chand and Bhava. This is the form of God Shiva.
12. Aditya: At the place of 12:00 it is written Aditya: meaning that there are 12 types of Suns – Anshuman, Aryaman, Indra, Tvashta, Dhatu, Parjanya, Pusha, Bhaga, Mitra, Varuna, Vivasvan (Sun) and Vishnu (Vaman). He is the son of sage Kashyapa and Atiti who are gods.

• The number of candidates facing criminal cases, fielded by political parties this time, has gone up from 18 to 23 per cent as compared to the 2017 elections.
• The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has released the data on the criminal record, assets, educational qualification and performance of 412 candidates, including the sitting MLAs, who are in the fray. As far as giving tickets to women is concerned, the figure stands at mere 5.8 per cent, which makes it 24 out of 412.
• “A total of 94 candidates in the fray have criminal cases against them with the highest number of 36 being from the Congress,” said Dr OP Bhraita, Director, State Resource Centre, ADR.
• A total of 12 candidates each from the BJP and AAP were facing criminal cases.
• Seven CPM candidates out of 11 were facing criminal charges. CPM MLA Rakesh Singha (Theog) faces the highest number of 30 cases, 20 cases by Kuldeep Singh Tanwar (CPM) from Kasumpti, 19 by AAP candidate Manish Thakur from Paonta Sahib, 11 cases by Vikramaditya Singh and eight by Kuldeep Rathore.
• In most cases, these cases pertain to dharnas and demonstrations.
• As far as the wealth of the candidates is concerned, 21 per cent (86) have assets more than Rs 5 crore while 55 per cent (226) are crorepatis. The richest candidate in the fray is Balbir Verma (Rs 128.45 crore), the BJP MLA from Chopal, followed by Shimla Rural MLA Vikramaditya Singh (Rs 101.39 crore) and then RS Bali, Congress candidate from Nagrota Bagwan with assets worth Rs 92.36 crore. While 90 per cent of the Congress candidates are crorepatis, the BJP nominees are a close second with 82 per cent.
• While 84 of the 412 candidates are graduates, 83 are postgraduates. There are 68 graduate with professional degrees while 11 hold a doctorate degree, 69 are matriculate, 66 are Class XII pass, 13 have cleared Class VIII and six have completed Class V.

• Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar stressed the need to march ahead in the interest of the nation with discipline and the ‘swadeshi’ spirit in life.
• He said an anti-corruption approach should become a part of the lifestyle to eradicate the menace.
• The Governor was presiding over an award ceremony during Vigilance Awareness Week being observed by the State Vigilance Bureau (SVB) and the Anti-Corruption Bureau.
• “We need to be aware of corruption and it should not be a part of etiquette. There is a need to put an end to wrong practices, for which we all should participate,” he added.
• Arlekar said corruption comes from human nature. “From the day we have separated religion from our public and personal life, we have started getting corrupted as we have misdefined religion,” he added.
• The Governor said religion was not restricted to the system of worship. It was a part of the way of life and conduct. “Dharma teaches us what to do and what not to do in life.”
• On the occasion, Arlekar also released the website of the State Vigilance Department.

• The Army has approved five Project Sanction Orders (PSOs) for development of niche technology by the Indian industry under Make-II route of defence procurement. The projects include High Frequency Man Packed Software Defined Radios (HFSDR), drone kill systems, Infantry Training Weapon Simulator (IWTS), Medium Range Precision Kill Systems (MRPKS) and 155mm Terminally Guided Munitions (TGM).
• Make II projects are essentially industry funded projects involving design, development and innovative solutions by Indian vendors for development of prototypes. An assurance of order is given after successful prototype development.
• The Army is already progressing 43 projects under the Make II procedure of capital acquisition. Seventeen out of 43 projects have been initiated through suo motu proposals received from the industry, which has generated enthusiasm and confidence in the Indian defence industry for participation in the “Make procedure”, it said in a statement.
• “The PSO for development of prototype of HFSDR under Make-II scheme has been issued to 14 Developing Agencies (DA). These radio sets will replace the existing HF radio sets in the inventory, which have limited data handling capability and obsolete technology,” Army said in a statement.

Drone kill systems

• Similarly, PSO given to 18 DAs for procurement of 35 sets of drone kill systems under the Make-II scheme, post successful development of prototype. The project is reserved for start-ups and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). Drone kill system is a hard kill anti-drone system against low Radio Cross Section drones.
• The IWTS is the first triservice Make-II project with the Army as the lead service, the statement said. The PSO has been issued to four DAs to develop the prototype for subsequent procurement of 125 systems. This is also reserved for MSMEs and start-ups.
• Similarly, PSO has been issued to six DAs for development of 155 mm TGMs while PSO has been issued to 15 DAs for developing a prototype of MRPKS.
• On the 155mm TGM, the Army said variants of the ammunition have been held in the inventory, sans the precision strike capability. The Indian Army therefore plans to procure approximately 2000 rounds of 155mm TGM against High Value Targets with assured precision and lethality for mission accomplishment and minimum collateral damage, it stated.
• On the MRPKS, the Army said post successful development of the prototype, it intends to procure 10 sets of them. The MRPKS, once launched can ‘loiter’ in the air for up to two hours and can acquire, designate and engage real-time high value targets up to 40 km, the statement said.
• On the progress on Make-II progress so far, the statement added that 22 out of 43 projects are now in prototype development stage, which is 66% of projects by cost, ₹18,000 crore out of ₹27,000 crore.

• China on November 4, 2022 outlined plans to further expand the global reach of its home-grown Beidou satellite navigation system, billed as its alternative to America’s Global Positioning System (GPS).
• A white paper released by the Chinese government said Beijing is “strengthening regional cooperation with organisations such as ASEAN, the African Union, the League of Arab States, and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States”.
• Beijing has, since 2020, also made an outreach to South Asia and is already working, or in discussion with, a number of countries in the region, including Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, over adopting the Beidou satellite (BDS) navigation system.
• “The Belt and Road (BRI) countries are our priority,” Ran Chengqi, Director of the China Satellite Navigation Office, said at launch of the white paper.
• Ran said the BDS, which now has a “constellation” of 30 satellites in orbit, began its international outreach once the set up was finished in 2018. It is now in use “in more than half of the world’s countries”. China is also helping several BRI partners, including Pakistan and Sri Lanka, launch communication satellites.
• “Saudi Arabia is using Beidou in surveying and mapping, positioning people and vehicle in the desert,” he said. “Tajikistan is using BDS to monitor dams and lakes with precision. Lebanon is using BDS at Beirut port for marine survey and construction. In Burkina Faso, it is being used for survey and construction of hospitals”.
• Pakistan and Russia are two significant Beidou hubs. Mr. Ran said China and Russia have signed a strategic framework on their two navigation systems, taking forward a 2015 deal on interoperability between Beidou and GLONASS
• Pakistan in 2014 became the first foreign country to set up a Beidou network. South Asia and Southeast Asia – both of which are key BRI regions – are a current focus of expanding Beidou’s presence.
• Beidou has set up a first of three Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) for its network in Thailand in 2013, to serve as a hub for ASEAN. China and Sri Lanka also agreed plans to set up 10 CORS,  according to reports in Chinese official media, which said “CORS in Thailand and Sri Lanka will extend the BDS coverage at least 3,000 km more towards Southeast Asia and South Asia.
• In 2020, Beijing reached out to Bangladesh and Nepal. That year, Bangladesh Post and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar told the official Xinhua news agency Dhaka “will consider cooperation with BDS”, while China has invited Nepal officials to Beijing for training on the Beidou system.
• Ran said the next focus was to improve Beidou’s capabilities, which have, in China, closed the gap with GPS in terms of accuracy, although its overseas services still lag behind.
• “We need more medium to high orbit satellites and to build a combined constellation of low, medium and high orbit satellites,” he said. “Now, most of the very good service can only be accessed in China. To expand this provision is our future direction”.
• Its application in China, he said, now included use in guiding drones, autonomous cars, in agriculture and forestry, as well as launching with Chinese mobile phone companies, using Chinese chips, satellite-powered messaging for smartphones that provides for connectivity in remote areas even in the absence of ground reception.

• Three memoranda of understanding were inked between businesses in Taiwan and India for cooperation in electronics manufacturing and green technologies.
• According to the report, all three agreements were signed at the 2022 India-Taiwan Industrial Collaboration Summit jointly held by Taiwan’s Chinese National Federation of Industries (CNFI) and India’s industry body Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry on Thursday. Out of them, one MOU was signed by Taiwanese memory chipmaker Adata Technology and the Electronic Industries Association of India (ELCINA).
• Another agreement was by Taiwanese precious metal recycling specialist UWin Nanotech. Co. and India’s Srikaarya Industries, the report said.
• The third was signed by the Taiwan Environmental Manufacturers Association, Taiwan’s China Productivity Center, Industrial Technology Research Institute, and Water Affairs Organization, and India’s International Centre for Clean Water and Steady-taps Consulting.
• The signing ceremony was witnessed by Taiwan’s Deputy Economics Minister Chen Chern-Chyi — who headed a Taiwanese delegation to India.
• Stating that Taiwanese companies have been eager to grow along with their foreign counterparts, the minister urged the Indian government to lend support to the Taiwanese companies that invest in India.
• In addition to the summit, Chen also attended a CEO roundtable forum where representatives of Taiwan’s government and industrial groups joined with Indian attendees to discuss a wide range of topics.
• Among the topics covered were electronics manufacturing, electric vehicles, batteries, and electronics/information and communications technology development, according to Taiwan’s representative office.

• The global mean temperature in 2022 is estimated to be 1.15 degree Celsius above the pre-industrial (1850-1900) average, likely making the eight years from 2015 the warmest on record, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), a UN agency, said in a report.
• The report titled “WMO Provisional State of the Global Climate 2022” released at the 27th Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC stated the rate of sea level rise had doubled since 1993 and had risen by nearly 10 mm since January 2020 to a new record high this year.
• The past two-and-a-half years account for 10 per cent of the overall rise in sea level since satellite measurements started nearly 30 years ago, the report stated.
• The figures used in the provisional 2022 report are till the end of September this year. The final version will be issued next April.