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 Jharkhand Cabinet, last week, approved the ‘Abua Awas Yojna’ (AAY), a housing scheme for the poor, which will provide eight lakhs pucca houses to the homeless in the state, and has a total budget of Rs 16,320 crore.
The scheme will be implemented in three phases, with a target of 2 lakh houses in the current financial year; 3.5 lakh houses in FY 2024-25 and 2.5 lakh houses in FY 2025-26.

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 Environmental Investigation Agency is an international NGO founded in 1984 in the United Kingdom.
‘Parts of tigers, leopards, pangolins & rhinos being used in 88 Chinese medicines’ A probe by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has found that body parts of leopards and pangolins, which are highly trafficked and endangered mammals, are used in at least 88 traditional Chinese medicines.

Notes:
Larsen & Toubro (L&T)’s hydrocarbon business- L&T Energy Hydrocarbon – LTEH) secured an offshore project for a gas compression plant in the Middle East. The project is worth over Rs 15,000 crore.
Larsen & Toubro classifies projects worth over Rs 15,000 crore as “ultra-mega” projects.

Notes:
India, along with 27 other countries and the European Union have signed world’s first agreement on artificial intelligence (AI) safety at a meeting in the United Kingdom.
The agreement pledges to work together to assess the risks associated with artificial intelligence. It was signed during two-day ‘AI Safety Summit 2023’ at United Kingdom’s World War II code-breaking centre in Bletchley Park. In a statement, the UK government said, the agreement will be known as the Bletchley Declaration.

Notes:
Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a joint venture involving Public Sector Undertakings under the Ministry of Power, has introduced two pioneering programs: the National Efficient Cooking Programme (NECP) and the Energy Efficient Fans Programme (EEFP).
These initiatives seek to transform cooking methods in India and underscore the significance of energy-efficient fans. As part of these programs, EESL aims to promote and implement energy-efficient technologies and practices across the country.

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:
The Jharkhand state Cabinet has given its approval for the implementation of the Mukhya Mantri Ujjwal Jharkhand Yojana, with a budget allocation of Rs 1,485.39 crore.
This scheme aims to provide electricity to rural hamlets and households that currently lack access to electricity, as well as to cover the remaining unserved urban areas.

Notes:
In the year 2022 at the 41st Session of UNESCO’s general Conference, it was decided that November 3 would be celebrated worldwide as the International Day for Biosphere Reserves.
Biosphere Reserves are protected areas, meant for the conservation of plants and animals. Human beings also depend on these protected areas for their livelihood activities. There are 738 biosphere reserves in 134 countries and there are 18 notified biosphere reserves in India.