Current Affairs Quiz - November, 2023

Notes:
The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has made ‘penny drop’ verification mandatory for the withdrawal of funds by subscribers of the National Pension System (NPS), Atal Pension Yojana and NPS Lite as well as modifications in bank account details.
Under the process, Central Recordkeeping Agencies (CRA) check the active status of the savings bank account and match the name in the bank account number with the name in the PRAN or according to the documents submitted.

Notes:
The first district-level study on hypertension in India has identified disparities in healthcare, emphasizing the need for a more targeted approach to address this condition.
It estimated that at least 4.6 million deaths in India can be prevented by 2040 if half of those with the condition manage to keep their blood pressure under control. According to a recent WHO report, 188.3 million people in India suffer from hypertension but only 37% get diagnosed, only 30% start treatment, and only 15% manage to keep their blood pressure under control.

Notes:
India’s first-ever Lavender Farm is coming up at Challa village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district. It is spread over two hectares of land owned by the Department of Agriculture Production and Farmers Welfare.
A native of Europe, lavender was introduced by the Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM) in the temperate regions of the Jammu division under the CSIR-Aroma Mission in 2018, and Doda became the birthplace of India’s purple revolution.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for Amrit Vatika and Amrit Mahotsav Memorial and launched the Mera Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat) platform, designed for the country’s youth.
It was launched at an event marking the culmination of the “Meri Maati Mera Desh” campaign’s Amrit Kalash Yatra at Kartavya Path in New Delhi.

Notes:
A vision document aimed at making India a developed country is in its final stages and a draft is expected to be ready by December, as per NITI Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam.
NITI Aayog was tasked with the consolidation of the ten sectoral thematic visions in July this year including infrastructure, welfare, commerce and industry, technology, and governance. NITI Aayog has also forecasted that India’s economy will be worth 30 trillion in 2047, with a per capita GDP of 17,590.

Notes:
The Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Hemant Soren, inaugurated the longest bridge in the state over the Mayurakshi river in Dumka.
The bridge, which cost Rs 198 crore to build, is 2.34 km long and 16 meters wide. It will reduce the distance between various districts and improve connectivity. The river has its source on Trikut Hills in Jharkhand. It flows through Jharkhand and flows into the Hooghly River through two districts of West Bengal.

Notes:
The Goa bench of the Bombay High Court issued a directive instructing the Goa government to formally declare a tiger reserve in the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS) and adjoining regions of the state within a three-month period.
Additionally, the court mandated the state to resolve the rights and claims of Scheduled Tribes and other forest inhabitants within a one-year timeframe.

Notes:
The Global Solar Facility under the International Solar Alliance is poised to secure a capital infusion of 35 million, with the Government of India contemplating an investment of 25 million as its capital contribution.
The primary goal of the Global Solar Facility (GSF) is to stimulate solar investments in underprivileged areas and regions throughout Africa, thereby facilitating the release of commercial capital for these initiatives.

Notes:
The next AI Safety Summit is expected to be hosted by South Korea in mid-2024, followed by France around late-2024.
The UK, which hosts this year’s summit announced the news at the opening of the inaugural summit at Bletchley Park in central England.

Notes:
Two Indian cities, Gwalior and Kozhikode, have recently become part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.
Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior made the cut in the ‘Music’ category, while Kerala’s Kozhikode has earned its place in the list in the ‘Literature’ category. Globally, 55 cities joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network on World Cities Day, which was observed on October 31.