Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2023

Notes:
Rajasthan government has issued an order to conduct a caste survey in the state. It will become the second state in India to carry out such a survey, after Bihar.
Bihar had previously unveiled the results of its caste survey on Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary, revealing that Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs) constituted 63 percent of the state’s total population.

Notes:
Virgin Galactic recently launched the first Pakistani woman into space on its fourth commercial spaceflight, Galactic 04.
The mission took off from Spaceport America in New Mexico. The previous three commercial spaceflights launched in June, August, and September.

Notes:
American gymnast Simone Biles won her 21st world title with all-around gold at the World Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp, Belgium.
Biles is now the world’s most decorated gymnast ever with 34 medals across world championships and Olympics.  She took a two-year break to take care of her mental health.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to keep key interest rates, projected economic growth, and inflation rates unchanged.
The RBI’s monetary policy committee (MPC) unanimously decided to keep the policy repo rate unchanged at 6.5%. This is the fourth straight time the RBI has maintained the status quo.  The RBI last raised the benchmark repo rate to 6.5% on February 8, 2023. RBI has also decided to extend the payments infrastructure development fund (PIDF) scheme by two years till December 31, 2025.

Notes:
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is set to replace all Russian-origin MiG-21 squadrons with the LCA Mark 1A by 2025.
This was announced by Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari ahead of the upcoming Air Force Day celebration. The Indian Air Force celebrated its 91st anniversary on October 8 with the theme-“IAF-airpower beyond boundaries”.

Notes:
An Australian woman has become the first documented individual globally to survive an infection typically responsible for the fatal “blackleg” ailment in cattle and sheep.
Blackleg in cattle bears a resemblance to gas gangrene syndrome in humans, leading to the death of all tissue surrounding the infection and significant gas accumulation.

Notes:
Rajasthan’s first heritage train named the ‘Valley Queen Heritage train’ was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
This heritage train provides a nostalgic experience by replicating the design of a steam engine that’s been around for 150 years. The Valley Queen Heritage Train is the sixth of its kind in India.

Notes:
Telangana hosts a biennial festival known as the Sammakka Saralamma Jatara, which is renowned as one of the world’s largest gatherings of tribal people.
This event commemorates the 13th-century resistance by a mother-daughter duo against the local rulers who had imposed taxes on the Koya people. The Jatara, or pilgrimage features rituals conducted by Koya priests in adherence to their customs and traditions.

Notes:
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) introduced Card-on-File Tokenisation (CoFT) in September 2021 and began implementation from October 1, 2022. Tokenisation refers to replacement of actual card details with an alternate code called the token.
At present, Card-on-File (CoF) token can only be created through merchant’s application or webpage. RBI has now proposed to introduce CoF token creation facilities directly at the issuer bank level.

Notes:
The Phlegraean Fields, referred to as Campi Flegrei in Italian, is a densely populated region that spans approximately 130 square kilometers to the west of Naples.
The Italian government has recently approved an emergency plan amid rising earthquake activity within the vicinity of Phlegraean Fields.