Current Affairs Quiz - November, 2023

Notes:
The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has made ‘penny drop’ verification mandatory for the withdrawal of funds by subscribers of the National Pension System (NPS), Atal Pension Yojana and NPS Lite as well as modifications in bank account details.
Under the process, Central Recordkeeping Agencies (CRA) check the active status of the savings bank account and match the name in the bank account number with the name in the PRAN or according to the documents submitted.

Notes:
The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has awarded two toll, operate, and transfer (TOT) bundles, namely 11 and 12, covering a total length of 400 km, for a total of Rs 6,584 crore.
The TOT model is designed to promote private sector involvement in the highway sector, with NHAI periodically awarding contracts for toll collection, operation, and maintenance of different National Highway segments under this arrangement.

Notes:
The Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Hemant Soren, inaugurated the longest bridge in the state over the Mayurakshi river in Dumka.
The bridge, which cost Rs 198 crore to build, is 2.34 km long and 16 meters wide. It will reduce the distance between various districts and improve connectivity. The river has its source on Trikut Hills in Jharkhand. It flows through Jharkhand and flows into the Hooghly River through two districts of West Bengal.

Notes:
The Indian government has received numerous expressions of interest for the strategic sale of Indian Medicines Pharmaceutical Corporation Limited (IMPCL).
IMPCL is currently under the administrative control of the Ministry of Ayush, and the government holds a 98.11% stake in the company. This move is part of the government’s efforts to divest its holdings in certain public sector enterprises.

Notes:
The Goa bench of the Bombay High Court issued a directive instructing the Goa government to formally declare a tiger reserve in the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS) and adjoining regions of the state within a three-month period.
Additionally, the court mandated the state to resolve the rights and claims of Scheduled Tribes and other forest inhabitants within a one-year timeframe.

Notes:
Recently, the DGCA has permitted scheduled commuter airlines to operate Single Engine Turbine (SET) planes at night.
The operations with Single Engine Turbine (SET) planes were introduced for Scheduled Commuter Airlines (SCAs) in 2018. Till now, such operations were restricted to day operations and Visual Flight Rules (VFR). This move will contribute to improving air connectivity to remote areas during nighttime.

Notes:
The Tamil Nadu government has issued an order to establish a fact-checking unit (FCU) as a measure to counter the dissemination of misinformation, hate speech, and fake news.
As per the Government Order, this unit will consist of 80 staff members and will have the primary objective of addressing misleading content across various media platforms, with a particular focus on addressing such issues on social media platforms.

Notes:
In 2021, climate adaptation funding from public multilateral entities (such as the World Bank) and bilateral sources (from developed to developing nations) experienced a 15% decrease, as revealed in the 2023 Adaptation Gap Report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
This decline occurred despite the commitments made at the 26th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. These commitments aimed to double the support for adaptation finance from 2019 levels, targeting an annual sum of approximately $40 billion by 2025.

Notes:
The World Meteorological Organization’s annual report on the State of Climate Services for this year centers its attention on the topic of health.
The report emphasizes the critical requirement for customized climate-related information and services to assist the healthcare sector in coping with increasingly severe weather conditions, deteriorating air quality, changing patterns of infectious diseases, and challenges related to food and water security.

Notes:
The Union Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, flagged off the maiden domestic voyage of the first international cruise liner, ‘COSTA SERENA,’ in India, from Mumbai.
This initiative aligns with the ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ campaign, which encourages individuals to prioritize domestic tourism over international travel. The Italian vessel which covers international voyages is the first foreign cruise liner to enter India’s domestic cruise market.