- National:
- The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has launched the ISRO Robotics Challenge 2024 (IRoC-U 2024). The objective of this challenge is to provide development opportunities in space robotics to the participating entities and to leverage the creative thinking among the youth of our Nation for ISRO interplanetary missions.
- According to a report by the World Health Organization and US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 11 lakh children in India missed their crucial first dose of measles vaccine in 2022.
- The Telangana government-led incubator for startups. T-Hub has recently launched two new initiatives, T-Bridge and T-Scale, to mark its eighth foundation day on November 16, 2023.
- The Indian Patent Office has indeed granted a record number of 41,010 patents till November 15 of this fiscal year. This is the highest number of patents granted in a year so far, marking a significant milestone in India’s journey towards an innovation-driven knowledge economy.
- The legal controversy surrounding the Governor’s powers in Tamil Nadu has been a topic of serious concern. The Supreme Court expressed its worry over the delay by Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi in giving assent to bills passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly.
- The Punjab and Haryana High Court has indeed quashed Haryana’s law that mandated a 75% reservation for local residents in private sector jobs. The court declared the Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Act, 2020 null and void.
- A recent report has identified four gas power plants that directly contradict the United States’ directive on ending international financing for new fossil fuel projects by Multinational Development Banks. These plants are estimated to emit a combined total of over 6,000,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e).
- The Indian government has granted approvals to 27 firms including Dell, Foxconn, HP and Lenovo under the new IT hardware scheme, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on 18th November. Earlier in November, ET reported that government aims to have around 30 applicants to qualify for Rs 17,000-crore production linked incentive (PLI) scheme for IT hardware.
- International:
- The 2nd India-Australia 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue was indeed scheduled to be held on November 20 in New Delhi. This dialogue is a diplomatic summit that has been held every year since 2018 initially between India and the United States to discuss and work on common issues of concern to improve and strengthen relations.
- The State of the Cryosphere 2023 report, published by the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative (ICCI), presents a comprehensive update on the condition of Earth’s frozen regions.
- Banking:
- The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has enforced biometric Aadhaar authentication for GST registration in Andhra Pradesh. This was announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved the acquisition of Reliance Capital by the Hinduja Group entity, IndusInd International Holdings Ltd (IIHL). This approval came on Friday, November 17, 2023. Reliance Capital is the third large non-banking financial company (NBFC) against which RBI had initiated bankruptcy proceedings under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC). The other two were Srei Group NBFC and Dewan Housing Finance Corporation (DHFL.
- Economy:
- The Indian personal computer market, which includes desktops, notebooks, and workstations, recorded its highest ever shipments at 4.5 million devices in the third quarter of 2023. This marked a 14% increase year-on-year.
- Bihar Governor Rajendra Arlekar approved the ‘Bihar Reservation Amendment Bill’ on November 17, 2023. The bill raises the reservation quota for backward, extremely backward classes, scheduled castes, and scheduled tribes from 50% to 65%.
- According to the data compiled by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the daily wages of male agricultural workers in rural areas in Madhya Pradesh are indeed the lowest in the country. The national average for the year ended March 2023 was Rs 345.7, while in Madhya Pradesh, it was significantly lower at just Rs 229.2
- Mous:
- The Traditional and Complementary Medicine ‘Project Collaboration Agreement’ is a significant agreement signed between the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India on 18th November 2023. This agreement aims to advance traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine.
- Sports:
- Australia won their sixth ODI World Cup title on Sunday, 19 November 2023 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. In this final match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, Australia beat India by 6 wickets.
- Appointments & Resignation:
- OpenAI has indeed announced the termination of CEO Sam Altman. Sam Altman was fired from his position as the CEO of OpenAI on November 17, 2023. The decision was made after a board review determined that he was not consistently candid in his communications.
- Alok Sharma, a 1991 batch IPS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, has been appointed as the Director of the Special Protection Group (SPG) on 17th November 2023.
- Javier Milei, a controversial economist and political outsider, won the presidential election in Argentina on 19 November 2023, defeating the incumbent Alberto Fernández and the conservative Patricia Bullrich in a runoff.
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved the appointment of Isha Ambani, Anshuman Thakur, and Hitesh Sethia as directors of Jio Financial Services. This approval is valid for six months from November 15, 2023
- Awards & Honors:
- Deepti Babuta is the first woman to win the Dhahan Prize on 16th November 2023 for Punjabi Literature, which is the largest international literary award for fiction books in Punjabi language. She received the award for her short story collection, ‘Bhukh Eon Sah Laindi Hai’ (‘Hunger Breathes Like This’),
- Books:
- Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu released a book titled “Snakes of Himachal Pradesh” on Friday, November 18, 2023. The book was compiled and edited by the principals of the State Institute of Health and Family Welfare, Omesh Kumar Bharti and DD Bisht.
- Important days:
- World Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Awareness Week is a global campaign that takes place annually from November 18 to 24. The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness and understanding of antimicrobial resistance, which occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial agents.The theme for the World AMR Awareness Week 2023 is "Preventing Antimicrobial Resistance Together"
- World Children’s Day is celebrated annually on 20 November. This day was first established in 1954 as Universal Children’s Day to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children’s welfare. The theme for World Children’s Day in 2023 is "For Every Child, Every Right".
- World Toilet Day 2023 was observed on 19th November. The theme for this year was 'Accelerating Change’. This annual United Nations Observance encourages action to tackle the global sanitation crisis.
- Obituaries:
- Former Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), S. Venkitaramanan, passed away on November 18, 2023, in Chennai. He was 92 years old. He served as Governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI, and Finance Secretary, Indian Administrative Service (IAS).
- Eminent art historian and Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awardee Brijinder Nath Goswamy, fondly known as BNG in art circles, passed away in Chandigarh on Friday morning at the age of 90 due to prolonged illness. He was an Indian art critic and historian.
- Dame Antonia Susan Byatt, known as A.S. Byatt, a renowned British novelist, critic, and poet, has passed away at the age of 87. She was celebrated for her 1990 novel “Possession”, which won the Booker Prize.
Questions:
Q.1 Who has been appointed as the new Director of the Special Protection Group (SPG)?a. Arun Kumar Sinha
b. Alok Sharma
c. Rakesh Asthana
d. None of the above
Q.2 What is the name of the prize that Deepti Babuta won for Punjabi Literature?
a. Dhahan Prize
b. Sahitya Akademi Award
c. Jnanpith Award
d. Saraswati Samman
