Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2023

Notes:
Drugmaker Cipla has launched drone-based deliveries of its critical medicines for hospitals in Himachal Pradesh, in partnership with Skye Air Mobility.
The medicines included cardiac, respiratory, and other essential chronic therapies. The use of drones will support on-time delivery of the company’s medicines to chemists and clinics in remote areas, while minimising risks including temperature-linked issues affecting cold chain products.

Notes:
Recently, the Uttarakhand government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in London with the ropeway construction company Poma Group.
The state secured investments valued at Rs 2,000 crore as part of its upcoming Global Investors Summit scheduled for December. Poma Group is associated with the state in projects including their current involvement in providing technical support for the Dehradun-Mussoorie ropeway and Yamunotri ropeway projects.

Notes:
Kongthong, a village situated in the East Khasi Hills of Meghalaya, recently bagged the award at the National Tourism Awards 2023.
These awards were conferred by the Union Tourism Ministry. Meghalaya implements the Homestay Scheme, providing a subsidy of up to 7 lakh rupees per homestay. About 300 homestays were sanctioned in the last year.

Notes:
Due to record-breaking rainfall in Himachal Pradesh, the state is witnessing a surge in ‘chiggers’, a vector for Orientia tsutsugamushi, the pathogen responsible for causing scrub typhus.
The state has recorded over 1,000 cases of the disease in 2023, twice the number recorded last year. Fifteen people have died due to scrub typhus in the state so far.

Notes:
Researchers at the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) conducted an experiment with antimatter, demonstrating that it responds to gravity by falling, consistent with the behavior of ordinary matter, aligning with Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity.
Despite the expected equal production of matter and antimatter during the Big Bang, very little antimatter exists, and the two are incompatible, leading to annihilation upon contact.

Notes:
The Ministry of Home Affairs has opened two more border tourist destinations ‘Marsemik La and Sko valley’ for tourists visiting Ladakh.
The previously restricted areas were close to the strategic Chang Chenmo sector north of Pangong lake in Ladakh. Tourists are allowed to trek through this high-altitude valley.

Notes:
From October 1, online gaming companies will charge 28% GST on full value of bets, while offshore platforms would also be required to have GST registration to operate in India.
The notification was released by the Union Finance Ministry though many states are yet to pass amendments in their respective state GST Laws.

Notes:
On the occasion of 154th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on October 2, several leaders paid tribute to the father of nation at the Rajghat.
A Prayer meet was organised at Hriday Kunj, Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti.

Notes:
The Nobel Prize in Physics for 2023 has been awarded to Ferenc Krausz, Pierre Agostini, and Anne L’Huillier for their groundbreaking experiments that have led to the creation of attosecond pulses of light.
These pulses have opened new avenues for studying the behavior of electrons within atoms and molecules, revolutionizing the field of electrodynamics in matter.

Notes:
The Union Ministry of Education (MoE) has unveiled draft guidelines called Understand, Motivate, Manage, Empathise, Empower, Develop (UMMEED).
They are designed to prevent student suicides by recommending the formation of wellness teams, training for teachers and families, and prompt responses to students displaying warning signs.