Current Affairs Quiz - November, 2023

Notes:
The Jharkhand Cabinet, last week, approved the ‘Abua Awas Yojna’ (AAY), a housing scheme for the poor, which will provide eight lakhs pucca houses to the homeless in the state, and has a total budget of Rs 16,320 crore.
The scheme will be implemented in three phases, with a target of 2 lakh houses in the current financial year; 3.5 lakh houses in FY 2024-25 and 2.5 lakh houses in FY 2025-26.

Notes:
The Indian junior men’s hockey team defeated New Zealand 6-2 to enter the semifinals of the Sultan of Johor Cup. Indian player Amandeep Lakra hit a hat-trick.
The Sultan of Johor Cup is an annual, international under-21 men’s field hockey tournament held in Malaysia.

Notes:
Rashtriya Gokul Mission, India’s flagship program aimed at enhancing indigenous cattle breeds, was launched in 2014.
Instead of enhancing the quality of all indigenous breeds as originally intended, the scheme has predominantly promoted one specific indigenous variety, the Gir cow, nationwide. This trend, if left unaddressed, could pose a risk to the genetic purity of indigenous cattle breeds throughout the country.

Notes:
A research endeavor led by Japanese scientists and a team from the Japan Aerospace Space Agency (JAXA), has achieved the successful cultivation of mouse embryos aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
This significant experiment represents a pivotal stride in exploring the potential for human reproduction in the space environment.

Notes:
Actor Rajkummar Rao has been recognised as National Icon for voter awareness and education for the Election Commission of India (ECI).
The collaboration will encompass a range of activities, including promoting voter awareness in various TV talk shows and digital campaigns by the actor. Last month, the Commission recognised Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar as the National Icon. Earlier, during the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, M.S. Dhoni, Aamir Khan and Mary Kom had been the ECI National Icons.

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:
Larsen & Toubro (L&T)’s hydrocarbon business- L&T Energy Hydrocarbon – LTEH) secured an offshore project for a gas compression plant in the Middle East. The project is worth over Rs 15,000 crore.
Larsen & Toubro classifies projects worth over Rs 15,000 crore as “ultra-mega” projects.

Notes:
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has published its Annual Report on “Road Accidents in India-2022.”
A total of 4,61,312 road accidents occurred in 2022, which claimed 1,68,491 lives, while 4,43,366 people were injured. Tamil Nadu recorded the highest number of road accidents on National Highways in 2022, followed by Madhya Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of persons killed in road accidents.

Notes:
The Central Railway has successfully implemented the Block Proving by Axle Counter (BPAC) system in the Vasind-Asangaon section of Mumbai Division.
This BPAC system plays a crucial role in ensuring the highest level of safety for train operations.

Notes:
According to a report from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) titled ‘The Impact of Disaster on Agriculture and Food Security,’ there has been a significant increase in the frequency of extreme disaster events over the past five decades.
In the 1970s, the world experienced approximately 100 disaster events per year. However, in the last two decades, that number has risen to around 400 disasters annually on a global scale. This trend highlights the growing challenges and risks that disasters pose to agriculture and food security worldwide.