Current Affairs Quiz - November, 2023

Notes:
The Vigilance Awareness Week, 2023 is being observed by the Central Vigilance Commission and all institutions across the country from 30th October till 5th November. This year the theme is – Say no to corruption, commit to the Nation.
Every year Vigilance Awareness Week is observed as an outreach measure to create greater awareness about the importance of integrity and ethics in public life.

Notes:
A record drought hitting the Amazon rainforest has revealed petroglyphs carved by humans up to 2,000 years ago that are now partly submerged in one of the largest rivers in the region.
The pre-Columbian engravings were found at a point in the Brazilian city of Manaus, where the Negro River’s dark waters meet the Amazon River. The images carved into the rocks depict humans, animals and geometric shapes, such as squares and circles.

Notes:
Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata were ranked the 4th, 7th, and 10th most polluted cities in the world, according to IQAir. Mumbai’s air quality has been unhealthy for more than three consecutive days.
Based on the 2022 annual average PM2.5 concentration, India was 8th among the world’s top 10 most polluted countries. Internationally, in the IQAir survey, Lahore and Beijing were among the top five most polluted cities.

Notes:
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin launched ‘Meendum Manjappai’ scheme to reduce the use of plastic bags, replacing them with cloth bags in 2021.
Recently, the Tamil Nadu state environment department has opened a ‘Meendum Manjappai’ kiosk worth 25 lakh at Besant Nagar beach, Chennai, to create awareness on plastic pollution and to enforce the ban on single-use plastic. It has a cloth bag vending slot and a plastic bottle-crushing machine.

Notes:
According to official data, 70% of rural households in India have been provided tap water connections under the Jal Jeevan Mission.
This means that 13,47,50,894 households out of the 19,24,26,914 rural households in the country have been provided tap water connections. The Jal Jeevan Mission is an initiative of the Government of India under the Ministry of Jal Shakti. The main objective of the project is to provide functional tap connections to each household.

Notes:
Bipolar disorder, formerly called manic depression, is a mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings.
Researchers at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom have achieved significant advancements in enhancing the diagnosis of bipolar disorder. They have created a straightforward blood test that, when used in conjunction with an online psychiatric assessment, provides a more precise means of diagnosing this mental health condition.

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.

Notes:
Information Commissioner Heeralal Samariya was sworn in as the Chief Information Commissioner.
President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office to him at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Mr. Samariya was currently serving as the Information Commissioner in the Central Information Commission.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced an extension of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) free ration scheme for another five years.
The PMGKAY was introduced in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic to provide 5 kg free foodgrains to eligible ration card holders under the National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA).

Notes:
Following a request from the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued blocking orders against 22 allegedly illegal betting apps and websites including Mahadev Book and Reddyannaprestopro apps.
The ED has been investigating the promoters of the Mahadev online betting app under a money-laundering case and has conducted raids on its premises in Chhattisgarh.