Current Affairs Quiz - November, 2023

Notes:
Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, inaugurated the Vidhya Samiksha Kendra (VSK) in Shimla.
This data repository will consolidate information from all Ministry of Education (MoE) initiatives. The VSK aims to monitor real-time status, including projects and activities under Samagra Shiksha, oversee enrolled students’ progress, track learning outcomes, identify dropouts, assess support required by teachers and schools, and monitor field-level academic and non-academic activities.

Notes:
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a USD 500 million loan to enhance the quality and affordability of tertiary health care and medical education in Maharashtra.
The programme will initiate pivotal policy reforms to bolster tertiary healthcare services and expand medical education, particularly in underserved regions.

Notes:
Indian firm Merlinhawk Aerospace signed a joint venture agreement with Italy’s Vega Composites to establish a manufacturing and design facility in the Tamil Nadu defence corridor.
The strategic joint venture is aimed at tapping the growing market of India while developing design expertise and transferring manufacturing knowhow to India.

Notes:
The ‘Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics 2023’ report was released by the Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying during National Milk Day event.
It is based on the Animal Integrated Sample Survey (March 2022 to February 2023). Production of milk, egg and meat has significantly increased in 2022-23 over the past five years, though wool output during the same period has witnessed a negative growth.

Notes:
Ingenuity, nicknamed Ginny, is a small autonomous helicopter presently operating on the planet Mars. It is part of NASA’s Mars 2020 mission.
The Ingenuity helicopter has recently set records for airspeed and flight endurance on the Red Planet. Simultaneously, groundbreaking rotor tests on Earth at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory unveiled advancements for potential use in future Mars helicopters.

Notes:
A salmonella outbreak linked to cantaloupes and pre-cut fruit products has caused at least two fatalities and severe illness in dozens of individuals, in the United States.
The outbreak has expanded to 32 states and Canada, with new cases emerging in 17 additional states. Consuming food contaminated with salmonella can lead to food poisoning within 12 to 72 hours, resulting in symptoms including diarrhoea, fever, and abdominal cramps.

Notes:
Max Verstappen’s outstanding season ended with a victory at the Abu Dhabi, earning the Formula One champion a record-extending 19th victory of the campaign and 54th overall to move into third on the all-time list.
Verstappen finished ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Mercedes driver George Russell, and also collected a bonus point for the fastest lap. His 54th career win moved him one ahead of Sebastian Vettel, with only Michael Schumacher (91) and Lewis Hamilton (103) left ahead of him.

Notes:
Star Indian shuttlers Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty went down fighting to Chinese duo Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang in the men’s doubles final of the China Masters.
The champion Indian duo lost the first game 19-21, won the second game 21-18 with a great rally, and made another attempt at a comeback after being down 1-8 before losing the title decider 19-21.

Notes:
Tennis player Ramkumar Ramanathan, a member of the Indian Davis Cup team, clinches Grand Double Title.
Tamil Nadu star Ramkumar, ranked 642 on the ATP ranking list, recorded a 6-0, 6-4 victory against the 874th ranked National Champion Vishwakarma, in the all-Indian men’s singles finals of the MSLTA $25000 Men’s ITF Tennis Championship 2023.

Notes:
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led Cabinet passed a resolution seeking the grant of special category status (SCS) to Bihar.
The demand comes in the backdrop of the findings from the “Bihar Caste-based Survey, 2022”, which revealed that nearly one-third of Bihar’s population continues to live in poverty. Special category status is a classification granted by the Centre to assist the development of States that face geographical or socio-economic disadvantages. The SCS was introduced in 1969 on the recommendation of the fifth Finance Commission (FC).