Current Affairs Quiz - November, 2023

Notes:
Rashtriya Gokul Mission, India’s flagship program aimed at enhancing indigenous cattle breeds, was launched in 2014.
Instead of enhancing the quality of all indigenous breeds as originally intended, the scheme has predominantly promoted one specific indigenous variety, the Gir cow, nationwide. This trend, if left unaddressed, could pose a risk to the genetic purity of indigenous cattle breeds throughout the country.

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:
Recently, the Israeli military announced that it had intercepted a missile fired from the Red Sea region, amidst escalating tensions in the Middle East due to Israel’s conflict with Hamas in Gaza with the help of ‘Arrow’ aerial defence system.
This announcement came after Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels fired drones towards Israel in retaliation for its war against Hamas.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India announced the launch of ‘Inflation Expectations Survey of Households’ and ‘Consumer Confidence Survey’ which will provide key inputs for the bi-monthly monetary policy scheduled in December 2023.
The surveys are conducted across 19 cities, including Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, and Delhi.

Notes:
India and Sri Lanka have resumed negotiations for the Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ECTA) after a five-year hiatus.
The 12th round of negotiations took place in Sri Lanka recently, signalling renewed efforts to advance economic and technological cooperation between the two countries.

Notes:
Astronomers used NASA’s retired Kepler space telescope data to find an intriguing seven-planet system, Kepler-385, where all planets are bigger than Earth but smaller than Neptune.
Such planets are uncommon in the universe, and Kepler-385 is one of the few systems known to have more than six confirmed planets or planet candidates.

Notes:
Kerala bagged the prestigious Global Responsible Tourism Award 2023, for its sustainable and women-inclusive initiatives successfully promoted by the state’s Responsible Tourism Mission
The Global Responsible Tourism Awards, which cater to Africa, India and Latin America regions, were given in six categories including Tackling Plastic Waste; Meaningful Connections; Local Sourcing – Craft and Food; Addressing Climate Change; Diversity and Inclusion and Nature-Positive Tourism.

Notes:
Moroccan archaeologists recently unearthed a Roman-era site in Rabat, Morocco that dates back to the second century. The site includes a port district, a bath, and a cemetery. The site’s proximity to water made it a key trading hub for the import of Italian marble and export of African ivory.
The archaeologists also discovered a statue of a woman, possibly a deity or empress, draped in cloth. Morocco was conquered by the Romans, but they left little or no evidence of their reign. The Arabs and Islam had a significant impact on the region.

Notes:
The Finance Ministry released ₹10,000 crore in urgent assistance for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).
The funds were released to meet unexpected increased expenditure under the rural job guarantee scheme. The funds will be available until the first batch of supplementary demands for grants is approved by parliament at its next session. The unusual move came after 95% of the FY24 budgetary outlay of ₹60,000 crore for the MGNREGS was exhausted well before the commencement of the winter session of parliament.

Notes:
IIT Madras (IIT-M) formally inaugurated its Zanzibar (Africa) campus. Zanzibar is an island off the Eastern coast of Africa and belongs to Tanzania.
The island has been a key port in the trading routes between the West and the East for centuries. Preeti Aghalayam is the Dean of the School of Engineering and Science and Director-in-charge, Zanzibar Campus, IIT Madras.