Daily Current Affairs and GK | 28 November 2023

Topic: National News

1. Hamfest 2023 was inaugurated by Union Minister Devusinh Chauhan at Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

• This two-day national conference started on November 25, 2023.
• HamFest India- 2023 aims to unite amateur radio enthusiasts from across the globe for networking, knowledge sharing and advancement in the field.
• More than 1000 Amateur Radio (HAM) participated in HamFest India- 2023. Hames are used when all communication fails.
• HamFest India- 2023 brings together a diverse community of Amateur Radio operators showcasing the latest innovations, communication technologies, and technological advancements.
• With over 10 technical workshops and 5 stalls highlighting designs and innovations, the event provides a comprehensive platform for enthusiasts to explore and connect with the possibilities.
• The Hamfest India event holds an important place in the history of amateur radio in India, which began in the year 1991.
• The event has been instrumental in providing a platform for amateur radio enthusiasts to unite, network, share knowledge, and stay updated about the latest developments in the field.

Topic: Sports

2. Aditi Ashok won the Ladies European Tour season-ending event in Marseille, Spain.

• Aditi Ashok recorded a thrilling two-shot victory over Dutchwoman Anne Van Dam at the Andalusia Costa del Sol Open on November 26.
• Aditi Ashok won her second Ladies European Tour tournament of the 2023 season.
• Aditi made a great start to her season on the LET by winning the Magical Kenya Ladies Open in February by nine shots.
• This is the biggest win for the Bengaluru golfer, who won €97,500 in prize money at the event.

Topic: Defence

3. 9th National Level Pollution Response Exercise (NATPOLREX-IX) was conducted by the Indian Coast Guard.

• Indian Coast Guard conducted the 9th National Level Pollution Response Exercise (NATPOLREX-IX) on 25 Nov 2023 near Vadinar, Gujarat.
• Various ministries and departments of central and coastal state governments, ports, oil handling agencies, and other stakeholders participated in the exercise.
• The main objective of this exercise is to test the level of preparedness and coordination between various resource agencies against marine oil spill incidents.
• Pollution Response Vessels (PRVs), Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs), Advanced Light Helicopter Mk-III, and Dornier Aircraft participated in the exercise.
• Major ports have also deployed their maritime assets to showcase synergized efforts in combating marine pollution.
• The Indian Coast Guard is the Central Coordinating Authority for any response to Oil spills in Indian waters.
• Indian Coast Guard got the responsibility for protecting the marine environment in the maritime zones of India on 07 Mar 1986.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: State News/ Uttar Pradesh

4. Union Minister Hardeep Singh inaugurated Varanasi's Second Floating CNG Station.

• Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri, inaugurated Varanasi's Second Floating Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Station at Ravidas Ghat.
• This has been developed by the GAIL (India) Limited. It is a significant step for promoting cleaner and more sustainable energy solutions.
• Another, floating CNG station in Varanasi is located at Namo Ghat.
• The new CNG engines will bring more fuel efficiency and reduce pollutants in the Ganga and its surroundings.
• GAIL's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative has facilitated the conversion of 735 boats to CNG.
• Globally, the new CNG Mobile Refueling Unit (MRU) at Ravidas Ghat is the first of its kind. It has a capacity of catering to 300 to 400 boats daily.
• Rs 350 crore has been invested by GAIL in creating City Gas Distribution (CGD) infrastructure in Varanasi.

Topic: Reports and Indices/Ranking

5. Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics 2023 has been released by the Union Minister Shri Parshottam Rupala.

• The Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics 2023 (milk, egg, meat and wool production 2022-23) is based on the Animal Integrated Sample Survey (March 2022-February 2023).
• It has been released on the National Milk Day event at Guwahati.
• The key points of the Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics 2023 are as follows:
• The total Milk production is estimated at 230.58 million tonnes during 2022-23. It registered a growth of 22.81% over the past 5 years.
• The highest milk producing State during 2022-23 was Uttar Pradesh with a share of 15.72 % of total milk production. It is followed by Rajasthan (14.44 %), Madhya Pradesh (8.73 %), Gujarat (7.49 %), and Andhra Pradesh (6.70 %).
• The total Egg production is estimated as 138.38 billion nos during 2022-23. It registered a growth of 33.31% over the past five years.
• Andhra Pradesh with a share of 20.13 % of total Egg production is the highest egg producer. It is followed by Tamil Nadu (15.58 %), Telangana (12.77 %), West Bengal (9.94%) and Karnataka (6.51 %).
• The total Meat production in the country is estimated at 9.77 million tonnes during 2022-23. Uttar Pradesh with a 12.20 % share in total production is the highest meat producer.
• The total Wool production is estimated at 33.61 million kg during 2022-23. Rajasthan with a share of 47.98% is the highest wool producer.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Art and Culture

6. Asia’s largest open-air annual trade fair Bali Jatra started in Cuttack.

• The annual trade fair the Bali Jatra to celebrate the glorious ancient maritime legacy of Odisha was inaugurated on the bank of the Mahanadi River in Cuttack.
• This year the festival started on the occasion of Kartika Purnima. It will continue till 4 December.
• Cultural troupes from Odisha and other states performed at this fair.
• About two thousand stalls displaying various handicrafts, household goods, and foods have been installed.
• It is considered to be one of Asia's largest open trade fairs.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Space and IT

7. James Webb Space Telescope captured a detailed view of ‘Teenage galaxies’.

• The James Webb Space Telescope captured one of the most detailed images of "teenage galaxies”.
• It will help scientists in understanding how galaxies have formed and evolve.
• “Teenage galaxies” were formed two to three billion years after the Big Bang. These are hot and glow with light.
• This new research will help astronomers to understand how different galaxies go through different paths.
• Scientists have pointed the James Webb Space Telescope to 33 ancient galaxies whose light travelled more than 10 billion years to reach us.
• Scientists working on the CECILIA project to observe spectra from these distant galaxies.

Topic: Indian Economy

8. S&P Global Ratings has raised India's GDP growth forecast for FY2024.

• S&P Global Ratings said India's economy will grow at a faster pace than previously estimated in fiscal 2024.
• The rating agency revised its gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast for fiscal year 2024 to 6.4% from 6% earlier.
• However, the Agency has reduced the growth forecast for fiscal year 2025 to 6.4% from 6.9% earlier.
• S&P's FY25 GDP growth forecast is lower than RBI's estimate of 6.6%.
• S&P believes it will take some time for India's interest rate cycle to turn around as headline inflation still remains above the RBI's target of 4%.
• The consumer price index (CPI)–or retail inflation–declined to 4.9% in October after touching a high of 7.4% in July.

Topic: National News

9. “Guide on Gender-Inclusive Communication” launched on 28 November 2023 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

• It was launched by the Union Minister for Women and Child Development and Minority Affairs, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani.
• The launch of the “Guide on Gender-Inclusive Communication” is a collaborative effort by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD), the National Gender and Child Centre (NGCC), Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA).
• It has also been supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and UN Women.
• In line with the Government's aim to further strengthen 'Nari Shakti', the Ministry of Women and Child Development continues to lead initiatives to promote gender equality and empowerment in the country.
• It reflects the dedication of the Ministry of Women and Child Development to build a society where women become equal partners in contributing to the development of the nation.

Topic: Important Days

10. Red Planet Day 2023: 28 November

• Every year on November 28, Red Planet Day is observed.
• It is observed to mark the launch of Mariner 4, the first aircraft to land on Mars in 1964.
• The Mariner 4 spacecraft was designed to collect data enabling planetary exploration and scientific observation of Mars.
• Scientists say that Mars, also known as the Red Planet, is a cold and sandy desert. It is smaller than Earth but has an almost Earth-like climate.
• It is the fourth planet from the Sun. Mars is approximately 227,936,637 kilometres (141 million miles) from Earth.
• Mars is known as the Red Planet because its surface is covered with red soil, rock, and dust made of iron oxide.

Topic: Sports

11. Hardik Pandya left the Gujarat Titans and returned to the Mumbai Indians.

• Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya moved from Gujarat Titans (GT) to his former franchise Mumbai Indians (MI) following the trade between the two franchises.
• The all-rounder spent two crucial years with GT and led them to the finals in the IPL.
• In GT's maiden season in 2022, Hardik ensured a great start, with the team winning the coveted trophy.
• In 2023, they finished runners-up in their second season after a last-ball defeat in a thrilling final.
• In 31 matches for GT, Pandya scored 833 runs at an average of 37.86 and a strike rate of over 133, with six half-centuries and a best score of 87*.
• He also took 11 wickets for the team with a best performance of 3/17.
• Pandya has won five IPL trophies, four of them with MI (2015, 2017, 2019, 2020) and GT (2022).
• After Hardik Pandya, Shubman Gill will be the new captain of the Gujarat Titans.

Topic: State News/ Madhya Pradesh

12. India's largest tiger reserve will be set up in Damoh, Madhya Pradesh.

• Madhya Pradesh's Damoh district is going to be home to the country's largest tiger reserve in a significant development.
• The central government has issued a notification approving the proposal to merge the Noradehi sanctuary with the Durgavati sanctuary in the Damoh district.
• It will be created as a massive tiger reserve spread over 2,300 square kilometers.
• The reserve will be centered around the Jabera area of Damoh district and is expected to boost tourism and development in the area.
• The new tiger sanctuary will provide a safe haven for the area's tiger population, which currently stands at 16.
• The forest department is currently working on setting up a tiger reserve within the next two to three months.

Topic: Biotechnology and Diseases

13. Generic drugs for four rare diseases have been launched.

• These generic drugs will help in reducing the prices of rare diseases up to 100 times their current market value.
• Generic drugs will support the treatment of four diseases: Tyrosinemia-Type 1, Gaucher's Disease, Wilson’s Disease, and the Dravet-Lennox Gastaut Syndrome.
• The cost of these drugs will decrease between 60 and 100 times of their current market value.
• The government is also trying to available more generic drugs available for rare diseases including Phenylketonuria and Hyperammonemia in the next few months.
• A rare disease is a health condition of particularly low prevalence that affects a small number of people.
• India has around 8.4 crore to 10 crore of rare diseases patients. Nearly 80% per cent of these diseases are genetic in nature.
• Thirteen rare diseases have been prioritized by the government.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

14. Ministry of Steel presented the National Metallurgist Award 2022.

• The National Metallurgist Award (NMA) 2022 is presented to recognize the excellence and contribution of Metallurgists in the Iron & Steel Sector.
• It has been presented to five distinguished metallurgists in four categories. The list is given below:
  • Dr Kamachi Mudali Uthandi - Lifetime Achievement Award
  • Dr Debashish Bhattacharjee - National Metallurgist Award
  • Dr Rameshwar Sah - R&D in the Iron & Steel Sector
  • Dr Niloy Kundu - Young Metallurgist (Environment) Award
  • Agilan Muthumanickam - Award Young Metallurgist (Metal Science) Award.
• The National Metallurgist Award is presented to recognize outstanding contributions in the metallurgical field, covering Operations, Research & Development, Waste Management and Energy Conservation.
• The National Metallurgist Award recognizes the outstanding contribution of metallurgists working in the Iron and Steel sector.
• It is presented in the fields of manufacturing, research, design, education, waste management, energy conservation, etc.