Current Affairs Quiz - November, 2023

Notes:
ITC Limited launched the ITCMAARS (Metamarket for Advanced Agriculture and Rural Services) app and “phygital” ecosystem in West Bengal.
The app and ecosystem aim to bring the benefits of digital technology to farmers in the state. ITCMAARS is a “phygital” ecosystem, which combines physical and digital interventions. The app and ecosystem offer farmers a range of agricultural solutions, including Advanced crop advisory services, Market access and financial services.

Notes:
In Jammu and Kashmir, the Saffron of the mountainous Kishtwar district, which is cultivated and harvested in the higher reaches, has been given the Geographical Indication (GI) tag by the Geographical Indications Registry.
The spice is grown in some parts of the Kishtwar region of Jammu, along with parts of Kashmir. The most expensive harvest of saffron, popularly known as Kumkum, is also a key cash crop in Kishtwar. Kishtwar’s saffron production area is called locally as Mandal.

Notes:
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the AIFF-FIFA Talent Academy in Bhubaneswar in the presence of Arsene Wenger, chief of global football development at FIFA.
A total of 50 talented football players, including 15 from Odisha, in the Under-14 category will be selected for the academy from across the country. The academy will be headed by a FIFA-appointed coach along with various coaches and staff from AIFF and the Odisha government.

Notes:
Falling recovery rates from 43% to 32% between March 2019 and September 2023, and an increase in the average resolution time from 324 to 653 days versus the stipulated 330 days have emerged as impediments to the success of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), according to a report by CRISIL Rating.
The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) was launched in 2016.

Notes:
North Korea has said it successfully launched a military spy satellite on its third attempt in six months.
The reconnaissance satellite Malligyong-1 was accurately put on its orbit, after it was launched from the Sohae Satellite Launching Station.

Notes:
The central government has issued a notification approving the proposal to merge the Noradehi Sanctuary with the Durgavati Sanctuary of the Damoh district, creating a vast tiger reserve spanning 2,300 square kilometres.
Damoh district in Madhya Pradesh is set to become home to the country’s largest tiger reserve.

Notes:
The UK confirmed first human case of a swine flu strain – influenza A(H1N2)v – similar to one that has been circulating in pigs. This strain is similar to the flu viruses currently found in pigs in the country.
The individual who tested positive for Influenza A(H1N2)v was experiencing respiratory symptoms and was tested. The person had a mild illness and has fully recovered. However, the source of their infection is still unknown and is currently under investigation.

Notes:
Butterfly migration from the Eastern Ghats and plains towards the Western Ghats, an annual phenomenon coinciding with the onset of the Northeast monsoon, was below par this year. Before the onset of the Northeast monsoon, butterflies from the subfamily Danainae, such as Blue Tiger, Dark Blue Tiger, Double-branded Crow, and Common Crow (Tigers and Crows) fly towards the west.
Observers noticed local movement of Common Albatross (Appias albina), a butterfly species from the family Pieridae, in large numbers from hills of Anaikatti and the Nilgiris towards Sirumugai forest range and Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve during the second week of November.

Notes:
The 28th European Union Film Festival (EUFF) of India is set to unfold in New Delhi from December 1 to 10. Celebrating cultural ties between India and the European Union, the festival will screen 28 films in 25 languages from 28 European countries.
18 of the films in this year’s selection are by women directors. The festival aims to highlight and celebrate women in cinema and ‘the art of storytelling from the woman’s perspective’. After its Delhi chapter, the festival will travel to Chennai.

Notes:
Every year, National Milk Day is celebrated on November 26, to create awareness of the importance of consumption of milk.
National Milk Day commemorates the birth anniversary of Dr. Verghese Kurien, the architect of India’s White Revolution.