In recognition of the increasing impact television has on decision-making by bringing world attention to conflicts and threats to peace and security and its potential role in sharpening the focus on other major issues, including economic and social issues, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 21 November as World Television Day.
On 21 and 22 November 1996 the United Nations held the first World Television Forum, where leading media figures met under the auspices of the United Nations to discuss the growing significance of television in today's changing world and to consider how they might enhance their mutual cooperation.
In a major boost to India biodiversity conservation efforts, the National Biodiversity Authority has released Rs. 38.36 crore to the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department and Rs. 1.48 crore to the Andhra Pradesh State Biodiversity Board to protect and conserve the iconic Red Sanders.
So far, the NBA has released over Rs. 49 crore to forest departments of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha and to the Andhra Pradesh State Biodiversity Board for Red Sanders conservation, protection and research. In addition, Rs. 3 crore has been distributed to 198 farmers in Andhra Pradesh and Rs. 55 lakh to 18 farmers in Tamil Nadu.
Apart from this, the NBA has also approved a major initiative to raise one lakh Red Sanders saplings by the Andhra Pradesh Biodiversity Board at a cost of Rs. 2 crore. An initial amount had been released earlier, and the remaining Rs. 1.48 crore has now been transferred to the Andhra Pradesh Biodiversity Board.
In an effort to simplify the process of compulsory registration under the Steel Import Monitoring System for imports of small consignments pertaining to iron and steel items and other small importers as well as imports made under Advance Authorization, SEZ and EOU route for export purposes, a new acility of registration process ‘SARAL SIMS’ has been introduced.
Importers can now access the facility of SARAL SIMS. While generating SARAL SIMS registration, the importers have to declare only the total intended quantity of import in the portal. They will be issued a SARAL SIMS number, against which they can import any number of steel consignments for the year without requirement of consignment wise SIMS number.
If the importers exceeds the threshold of 1000 MT of actual imports under SARAL SIMS in a financial year, they will be required to generate regular SIMS registration for subsequent imports during the financial year. However once they migrate to regular SIMS, they will not be able to use SARAL SIMS facility for that financial year.
For the current financial year 2025-26, the threshold for SARAL SIMS for small imports is 500 MT for a period up to April 2026. From next financial year 2026-27, annual cap of 1000 MT will apply. The registration process under the regular SIMS has also been significantly simplified by reducing the number of fields to be furnished by importers from 56 to 20.
Importer will be required to file Annual Return by furnishing the details of actual import made against SARAL SIMS registrations generated in a particular financial year by 30th April of the next financial year. Importer can make import against the SARAL SIMS registration generated in a particular financial year up to 30th April of next financial year.
Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti launched the nationwide campaign, ‘Hamara Shauchalaya, Hamara Bhavishya’ on World Toilet Day 2025. Hamara Shauchalay, Hamara Bhavishya’ campaign reiterates the importance of toilets and ensuring their proper maintenance to provide safe sanitation to communities today and to prepare for a cleaner future.
Since the launch of Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) in 2014, India has made unprecedented progress towards ensuring access to sanitation in rural areas and making our villages Open Defecation Free (ODF), with more than 11 crore toilets being constructed till 2019. Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) Phase-II was launched in 2020.
The Regional Open Digital Health Summit 2025 (RODHS 2025) got underway in New Delhi on 19 November, bringing together senior government officials, international development organisations, and health technology innovators from across the South-east Asia Region.
Organised by the National e-Governance Division (NeGD) under the Ministry of Electronics & IT, National Health Authority (NHA), World Health Organization South-East Asia Regional Office, and UNICEF, the three-day summit will see participation of leaders from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal, the Maldives, and others to explore how Digital Public Infrastructure.
A Technical Agreement has been signed between Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and Directorate General of Armaments (DGA), France to deepen collaboration in defence research and development.
Under the agreement, the transfer of equipment, know-how and technologies will be available to both countries. Key areas of cooperation outlined in this agreement include Aeronautical platforms,Unmanned vehicles,Advanced Materials for defence applications, Cyber Security,Artificial Intelligence, Space, Navigation, Advanced Propulsion, Advanced Sensors, Quantum Technologies.
Government e-Marketplace (GeM), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance the empowerment and integration of women entrepreneurs from the informal sector into the country’s public procurement ecosystem.
Under the collaboration, UN Women will design training materials, recommend global best practices, share success stories and assist in developing validation criteria for women-led businesses. UN Women will also promote the Womaniya – #VocalForLocal Outlet Store, support onboarding of UN programme participants, encourage MSME Udyam Registration, mobilise women trainers.
GeM will conduct training programmes, sensitise government buyers and highlight the achievements of women entrepreneurs. GeM will also organise onboarding workshops, develop vernacular training materials and build partnerships for entrepreneurship and decent work opportunities.
Additionally, GeM will engage women trainers and align women entrepreneurs with Government Labs and R&D institutes to support product development, improvement and market readiness. GeM and UN Women will work toward promoting gender-responsive procurement, strengthening hyper-local market linkages and contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 5.
Nitish Kumar took oath as the Bihar Chief Minister for the record 10th time on November 20. The BJP elected Samrat Choudhury as its legislature party leader and Vijay Kumar Sinha as the deputy leader. They will now continue to be deputy chief ministers in the state.
Bihar is located in the eastern part of the country (between 83°-30' and 88°-00' longitude). It is an entirely landlocked state, although the outlet to the sea through the port of Kolkata is not too far away. Bihar lies mid-way between the humid West Bengal in the east and the sub-humid Uttar Pradesh in the west.
Marking a major milestone in water conservation and community-driven initiatives, 12 districts of Chhattisgarh have earned national recognition for their efforts. President Droupadi Murmu felicitated these districts during the 6th National Water Awards and Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari 1.0 Awards.
The districts include Raipur, Gariaband, Mahasamund, Rajnandgaon, Balodabazar–Bhatapara, Dhamtari, Balod, Balrampur, Bilaspur, Raigarh, Durg and Surajpur. Raipur district was honoured for its outstanding work under the Jal Sanchaay Janbhagidari Abhiyan (Water Conservation Public Participation Campaign).
Among municipal corporations across the country, Raipur Municipal Corporation secured the first position, while Raipur district ranked third in the Eastern Zone Category 01. Rajnandgaon district secured the first position in the National Water Awards under the East Zone and second place in the Public Participation Category 01, earning an incentive of Rs. 2 crore.
Mahasamund district took first place in Category 02 with 35,182 water structures built. Balodabazar–Bhatapara secured second place in the same category and received ₹1 crore for completing 30,927 structures. Balod district ranked first in Category 01 for best performing district and also received ₹2 crore in incentives, constructing 92,742 new water structures.
Bilaspur district secured first position in Category 03 and received Rs. 25 lakh for constructing 21,058 structures. Durg district ranked 16th in the category and received Rs. 25 lakh for completing 5,010 projects. Balrampur district was ranked sixth in Category 03, also receiving Rs. 25 lakh, having completed 8,644 water conservation projects.
Over the past few years, India’s NBFC industry has undergone a remarkable transformation driven by digital innovation, regulatory strengthening, and diversified credit expansion. As of 2025, the NBFC sector’s total assets stand at approximately Rs. 45 trillion, reflecting its deepening role in India’s financial architecture.
India’s Top 100 NBFCs Ranking 2025 has been compiled through a rigorous, data-backed evaluation, with Assets Under Management (AUM) serving as the primary ranking parameter. Each NBFC has been assessed using the most recent, audited financial disclosures available for FY24–FY25.
The first man to reach 20 Grand Slam singles titles, Roger Federer was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. The date for the official induction ceremony has been set for August 2026 in Newport, Rhode Island.
Federer, who clinched 103 tour-level titles during his illustrious career and retired in 2022, was the sole player to earn enough support in the player category for the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026. According to the procedure, players become eligible five years after retiring from the tour and must secure 75 per cent of the votes from a group that includes tennis media.
The Sentinel-6B satellite lifted off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in central California at 9:21 p.m.PST on Nov. 16.Copernicus Sentinel-6/Jason-CS is a collaboration between ESA, the European Union, EUMETSAT, NASA, and NOAA. French space agency CNES (Centre National d’Études Spatiales) contributed technical support
