23rd November, 2023

1. Ex- Indian Cricketer and BCCI Chairman Sourav Ganguly was declared the Brand Ambassador of Bengal by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the BGBS (Bengal Global Business Summit) 2023. Till now, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan was the Brand Ambassador of Bengal.

• Amazon India has signed an MoU with the Bengal Government to promote e-commerce export from the state by setting up dedicated e-commerce export hubs. This investment is in line with India’s newly developed foreign trade policy that aims to achieve $200 Billion of e-commerce export by 2030.

• Soft drink Giant Coca Cola is partnering with the famous Drajeeling Makaibari Tea estate to bring ready-to-drink iced green tea under the name “Honest Tea” in order to strengthen its position in the healthy beverage category. Makaibari Tea, of the estate under Luxmi Tea, is  very famous for being loved in the royal houses of Japan and England and all over the world.

• Sam Altman, who was ousted from the tech firm OpenAI and rumoured to be joining Microsoft, has now been reappointed as the Chief Executive Officer of OpenAI. Previously he has been the CEO of OpenAI – the developer of ChatGPT—since 2019 when the company was founded.
• Famous Indian Billiards player Pankaj Advani has won 26^th IBSF World Billiads Championship defeating his compatriot Sourav Kothari in Doha.
• Padmashree and Padma Bhusan Awrdee Dr.S.S. Badrinath , the founder of Sankar Netralaya passed away recently in Chennai.
• Indian Women’s Hockey team captain and goal keeper Savita Punia has been nominated for the third consecutive time for the FIH Women Goalkeeper of the year award at this year’s FIH Hockey Stars awards. Savita Punia has previously won the FIH Goalkeeper of the Year Awards in 2021 &2022.
• World Champion Formula One Racer Max Verstappen (Red Bull) has claimed the 18^th win of his record breaking season, with victory in the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
• The U19 World Cup 2024 is all set to take place in South Africa. Earlier it was to take place in Sri Lanka. But as ICC has imposed ban on SLCB with immediate effect , alleging excessive government interference in Sports, the venue has been changed.
• ICC is to implement a STOP CLOCK SYSTEM effective on a trial basis in ODIs and T20Is on a trial basis from Dec, 2024 to April, 2024. This system aims to enhance over rates, with a penalty of five runs imposed if the bowling team fails to start the next over within 60 seconds after the previous one, occurring  for the third time in an innings.
• Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel declared the “Ghol” fish as state fish of Gujarat duringbthe two days Global Fisheries Conference India 2023, Ahmedabad.
• Saffron of Kishtwar district of Jammu & Kashmir receives GI Tag from the Geographical Indiacation Registry. Mostly known as “Kumkum”, this saffron is the main cash crop of the district. GI tag is given to a unique product of a place recognizing its speciality and enhancing its popularity which in turn boosts the local export. GI tags are valid for 10 years after which it has to be renewed.
• Bihar Government  has raised the reservation quota of the state from 50% to 65% in matters of public employment and admission to educational institutions after Governor Rajendra Arlekar  endorsed the bicameral state legislature’s ‘Bihar Reservation Amendment Bill’.
• President Draupadi Murmu has launched the National Education Cmpaign titled “New Education for New India” in Sambalpur, Odisha.
• The UP Govt. has launched the “Every Right for Every Child” campaign to ensure equal opportunities for students.
• Delhi Airport launches Sunflower Programme for Invisible Disabilities.
• The Second Edition of Ganga Pustak Parikrama, launched by the National Book Trust (NBT) under its Gyan Ganga Initiative will conclude in Gangasagar, West Bengal on Jan 11, 2024. It had started on Nov 7 from Gangotri, Uttarakhand.
• A Two day international event  ‘SAMBHAV 2023’ by Divyang (Physically and Mentally Challanged) artists has been organised by A.L.P.A.N.A (Association for Learning Performing Arts & Normative Association Society).
• External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar represented India at the BRICS’ “Extraordinary Joint Meeting on the Middle East situation IN Gaza” virtual summit hosted by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. UN Secretary General Antonio Gueterres also joined the meeting. In the last BRICS meeting in August, it resulted in the expansion of the group – welcoming Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the UAE – who are all set to join BRICS January 2024 onwards.
• Sheynnis Palacios from Nicaragua has been crowned Miss Universe 2023, being the first beauty pageant from her country. The event was organised in El Salvadore.
• Comedian and Actor Vir Das won International Emmy Awards 2023 for his Netflix comedy special ‘Virdas: Landing’.
• Producer Ekta Kapoor became the First Indian Woman Film Maker to win the International Emmy Directorate Award.

CURRENT AFFAIRS                     24^TH NOVEMBER

• Lachit Divas is celebrated on 24^th November every year on the occasion of the birth anniversary of legendary commander of Ahom Kingdom (present day Assam), Lachit Borpukhan. He is known for his leadership in the Battle of Saraighat in 1671. The Battle of Saraighat was a naval battle fought in 1671 between the Mughal Empire (led by the Kachwaha raja, Ram Singh I), and the Ahom Kingdom (led by Lachit Borphukan) on the Brahmaputra river at Saraighat, now in Guwahati, Assam.

• CAG Girish Chandra Murmu Appoointed as the Vice-Chairman of the United Nations Auditor Panel for 2024. The election of Girish Chandra Murmu signifies global faith on the transparency of high standard external audit and on India’s active role in shaping the Global audit landscape.
  • Earlier Girish Chandra Murmu has also been the External Auditor of WHO( World Health Organisation).
  • Girish Chandra Murmu has also been the first lieutenant governor of the UT of J&K.
  • Article 148 and 149 of our Constitution broadly deals with the Appoinment, oath, duties and powers of The Comproller and Auditor General of India.
• Justice Fathima Beevi, the first woman judge of the Supreme Court (1989-1992) and former governor of  Tamil Nadu passed away.

• IIT Ropar discovers rare earth material Tantalum in the sands of Sutlej River, in Punjab. Tantalum (Atomic number 73) is highly ductile (i.e. it can be stretched, pulled or drawn into long thin wire without breaking) and it is almost completely immune to chemical attack below 150 degree Celcius, with a very high melting point. That signifies the discovery of Tantalum in India could add to India’s aspirations of becoming a semiconductor hub and doubling its export.

•   The Indian Navy, in association with DRDO, successfully undertook Guided Flight Trials of the first indigenously developed Naval Anti-Ship Missile Short Range (NASM-SR) from a Sea King 42B Helicopter. This missile, having a range of 60 km and speed of Mach 0.8, is capable of carrying an warhead of 100 kg and sinking patrol boats and damaging larger warships. Also the new MH-60R multi-role helicopter will also replace the Sea King 42B Helicopters of the Navy.
• Afghanistan embassy announces permanent closure of its diplomatic mission in New Delhi. It is in line with the gradual evacuation of the embassy and the development of Taliban Govt. in the country.
• The Food and Drug Administration of the United Stated has approved World’d first vaccine for Chikungunia named ‘Ixchiq’. It is developed by a European company named Valneva. Chikungunia is an Aedes aegypti mosquito borne RNA viral disease which causes fever and severe jointb pain for long durations.
• An India-bound cargo ship, Galaxy Leader, was hijacked in the southern Red Sea by Yemen’s Houthi Rebels. Houthi Rebels who control Northern Yemen and its Red Sea cost, said the vessel was Israeli, although Israel have denied that.
• The Indian Mission to ASEAN in collaboration with MoA&FW is organizing the ASEAN-India Millet festival 2023 in Jakarta, Indonesia. 2023 was designated International Year for Millets by the UN.
• Central Council for Research in Ayurveda Sciences (CCRAS) and Ministry of AYUSH launched the AGNI – Ayurveda Gyan Naipunya Initiative in New Delhi to promote research among physicians for pragmatic Ayurveda practices through scientific validation and evidence based appraisal.
• Cyclone ‘Michaung’ is to hit Bay of Bengal as a fouth storm this year. The name Michaung was suggested by Myanmar.
• The Famous Hornbill festival of Nagaland is to start from December 1 at the Naga Heritage Village at Kisama in Kohima.

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