- National:
- The 54th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) was held in Goa and kicked off with a star-studded opening ceremony. The festival was inaugurated by the Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting (I&B), Youth Affairs and Sports, Anurag Singh Thakur. The festival lasted for nine days and showcased more than 270 films at four venues.
- President Droupadi Murmu conferred the President’s Colour to the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) in Pune on December 1, 2023. This prestigious event took place in the platinum jubilee year of the AFMC.
- The Hump WWII Museum was inaugurated by Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu and US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti on November 29, 2023. This is the second museum in Asia dedicated to the fallen airmen of the Allied forces during World War II. The museum is located at Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh.
- The ‘Jal Itihas Utsav’ was organized by the Ministry of Jal Shakti at Shamsi Talab, Jahaz Mahal in Mehrauli, Delhi on 1st December 2023. The event was organized by the National Water Mission, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.
- Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw inaugurated the new factory of Dixon Technology in Noida on November 30, 2023. This new manufacturing facility is expected to create five thousand jobs. The production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme of the government has led to the creation of 5 lakh incremental jobs in the mobile phone industry across the country.
- The Indian government has authorized the export of specified quantities of wheat, wheat flour, and broken rice to five countries, including Bhutan, Mali, and Indonesia. The permission covers shipments through the National Cooperative Exports Limited (NCEL).
- The Amplifi 2.0 portal has indeed been launched by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The portal aims to provide raw data from Indian cities on a single platform for academics, researchers, and stakeholders, to support data-driven policymaking.
- The Supreme Court asked Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi to resolve the impasse over the non-grant of assent to Bills on December 1, 2023. The court has fixed December 11 as the date to hear the plea.
- International:
- The US is planning to impose visa bans on Israeli extremist settlers involved in violence against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank. This decision was conveyed by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
- As per the publication, nearly 98,000 adolescent girls aged 10-19 were infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in 2022 – or 1,900 new infections every week, it shows a significant testing and medication access gaps persist among children and adolescents.
- The World Malaria Report 2023 has revealed. The world is in danger of losing the fight against malaria, as cases of the disease rose by around 5 million year-on-year in 2022, exceeding global targets to contain it. India was accountable for a staggering 66% of malaria cases within the South-East Asia region in 2022.
- Banking:
- Radhakishan Damani, the founder of DMart, has topped the IDFC FIRST Private Hurun India’s Top 200 Self-made Entrepreneurs of the Millennia 2023 list. This list is a compilation of the 200 most valuable companies in India that were founded after the year 2000.
- The Federal Bank and NCDEX e-Markets Limited (NeML) announced their collaboration to streamline e-procurement and e-auction systems on November 30, 2023. This alliance is expected to facilitate an advanced e-procurement solution, streamlining processes for Central and State government organisations.
- Economy:
- The purchasing managers index (PMI) for manufacturing rose to 56 in November, up from 55.5 in October, though it remained below 57.5 reported in September, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. During October, manufacturing activity recorded the slowest rate of expansion since February. The 50-mark separates expansion from contraction.
- Defence:
- The Indian government has approved the procurement of 97 Tejas jets and 156 Prachand choppers. This is a significant boost for the country’s defense sector and indigenous defense production.
- Mous:
- The partnership between Tata Advanced Systems and Satellogic was announced on November 29, 2023. The announcement was made in New York, NY, USA, and Mumbai, India. The objective of the partnership between Tata Advanced Systems and Satellogic is to establish and develop local space technology capabilities in India.
- Govt. schemes:
- The Centre’s Guidelines to Combat Dark Patterns in Online Platforms are a set of draft rules proposed by the Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India, to prevent and regulate the deceptive practices used by online platforms to mislead or manipulate users into taking actions they did not intend or want to do.
- Important Days:
- The Border Security Force (BSF) of India celebrated its 59th Raising Day on December 1, 2023. The BSF is one of the five Central Armed Police Forces of the Union of India, and it was raised in the wake of the 1965 War on December 1, 1965.
- World Computer Literacy Day is celebrated every year on 2nd December. which is the date that was chosen by the Indian computer company NIIT, which launched this initiative in 2001. The theme of World Computer Literacy Day 2021 is “A bridge over the digital divide.”
- Appointments:
- India has been re-elected to the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) Council for the 2024-2025 biennium with the highest-ever votes in its favor at the 33rd assembly of IMO. India was elected as “the largest interest in international seaborne trade”.
- On 29th November 2023 Squadron Leader Manisha Padhi was appointed as India's first woman Aide-De-Camp (ADC). The Governor of Mizoram appointed her, Dr. Hari Babu Kambhampati.
- Bhopal, on Nov 30, 2023- Veera Rana, a 1988 batch IAS officer, took additional charge of Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh. Rana became the second woman chief secretary of Madhya Pradesh, after Nirmala Buch. Buch, who died on July 10 this year, served in the post from September 1991 to January 1993.
- Kanchan Devi was appointed as the Director General of the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) on December 1, 2023. She is the first woman officer to hold this post.
- Obituaries:
- On 1st December 2023 Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman to serve on the highest court, has passed away at the age of 93.
- The iconic actor and musician R Subbalakshmi, aged 87, passed away. She was known for her significant impact on Malayalam cinema and television, and distinguished herself with outstanding portrayals in grandmother roles.
Questions:
Q.1 Who launched the Amplifi 2.0 portal?a. Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
b. Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
c. Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
d. Union Ministry of Human Resource Development
Q.2 Who is the new Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh?
a. Iqbal Singh Bains
b. Sanjay Rana
c. Veera Rana
d. None of the above
