Current Affairs Quiz - November, 2023

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 and Switzerland launched the Indo-Swiss Innovation Platform. The platform’s launch included an Indo-Swiss Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Innovation Dialogue in Bengaluru. The platform began with a pilot project on antimicrobial resistance.
The platform’s launch was intended to deepen bilateral collaboration on innovation and make it more strategic. About 50 experts from Switzerland and India came together to discuss innovative ideas.

Notes:
The Maitree Super Thermal Power Project, funded through an Indian Concessional Financing Scheme loan of USD 1.6 billion, is a 1320 MW Super Thermal Power Plant (MSTPP) situated in Bangladesh.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, jointly inaugurated three development projects supported by India, including the Unit – II of the Maitree Super Thermal Power Plant.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced that District Central Co-operative Banks now have the authority to close their unremunerative branches without the necessity for prior permission from the central bank.
However, approval from the Registrar of Cooperative Societies in the respective state will still be required. The cooperative banks were brought under the regulatory framework of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in 2020.

Notes:
NASA conducted a sounding rocket mission known as the Integral Field Ultraviolet Spectroscope Experiment (INFUSE).
This mission was launched from the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico with the aim of studying a stellar event within the Cygnus Loop, a supernova remnant that occurred approximately 20,000 years ago.

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:
The Prime Minister of India officially opened World Food India 2023 at Bharat Mandapam in the national capital, New Delhi.
During the event, the PM disbursed seed capital assistance to over one lakh self-help groups (SHGs) and inaugurated a “food street”. The first edition of the event was held in 2017.

Notes:
The Union Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, flagged off the maiden domestic voyage of the first international cruise liner, ‘COSTA SERENA,’ in India, from Mumbai.
This initiative aligns with the ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ campaign, which encourages individuals to prioritize domestic tourism over international travel. The Italian vessel which covers international voyages is the first foreign cruise liner to enter India’s domestic cruise market.

Notes:
The Swiss National Bank, Switzerland’s central bank, has announced its plans to commence a pilot project next month, involving the use of central bank digital currency (CBDC) for financial institutions.
UBS and Zuercher Kantonal Bank are among the participants who have signed up for this initiative, which will utilize a real Swiss franc wholesale CBDC. Additionally, four other commercial Swiss banks will also be part of this pilot project.

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.