Daily GK Update- 23rd Nov, 2023

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. PM Modi participated in 'Mirabai Janmotsav' in Mathura: Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the ‘Mirabai Janmotsav’ celebrations, being organised to mark the 525th birth anniversary of Sant Mirabai, in Mathura. During the festival, PM Modi will participate in cultural programmes and release a stamp and a coin in honour of Mirabai. The event would mark year-long programmes that are being planned in the memory of Mirabai.

 

2. Hornbill Festival Returns To Nagaland In December: One of the most anticipated festivals of the year, the Hornbill Festival, is gearing up for its annual return to Nagaland this December. The festival, scheduled from December 1 to December 10, celebrates the rich culture and heritage of Nagaland, drawing thousands of visitors each year who come to savour Nagaland’s cuisine, music, handicrafts, and much more. The event is organised by Nagaland’s Department of Tourism, Arts and Culture every year, and 2023 will mark the 23rd year of the festival. The festival gets its name from the Hornbill, a bird that features prominently in the folklore of the state’s tribes.

 

3. Sourav Ganguly as brand ambassador of West Bengal: Mamata Banerjee made a major announcement during the seventh edition of the Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) as she declared former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly as the brand ambassador for the state.

This comes after Ganguly had earlier been appointed as the brand ambassador for Tripura earlier in the year before his ties worsened with the BJP-led government.

 

4. Shaheedi Diwas Or Martyrdom Day Of ‘Guru Tegh Bahadur’: Guru Tegh Bahadur Singh, the 9th Guru of the Sikhs, martyrdom day is commemorated on November 24. He was Born on 21st April 1621, in Amritsar to Mata Nanaki and Guru Hargobind. November 24 is annually observed as a day of remembrance and reflection on the invaluable contribution of Guru Tegh Bahadur Singh to the Sikh faith and the broader tapestry of Indian history.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. CAG Girish Chandra Murmu elected vice-chair of UN external auditors’ panel: Comptroller and Auditor General of India, Girish Chandra Murmu, has been elected vice-chair of the UN Panel of External Auditors. This recognition underscores India’s commitment to the highest standards of external audit and its active participation in shaping the global audit landscape. Murmu participated in the sixty-third session of the Panel of External Auditors, held at the UN headquarters in New York from 20-21 November 2023.

 

2. Indian Mission to ASEAN Hosting ASEAN-India Millet Festival in Jakarta: The Indian Mission to ASEAN, along with the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, is hosting the ASEAN-India Millet Festival in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta from November 22-26, 2023, as part of the 'International Year of Millets 2023'. Addressing the inauguration, Jayant Khobragade, Indian Ambassador to ASEAN, highlighted the importance of the ASEAN-India Millet Festival and strengthening India-ASEAN relations.

 

3. ASEAN-India Millet Festival 2023 Kicks Off In South Jakarta, Indonesia: The Indian Mission to ASEAN in collaboration with Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare is organizing the ASEAN-India Millet Festival 2023, in Indonesia from 22nd November to 26th November 2023. The inaugural session of the festival took place in the Kota Kasablanka Mall, a prominent shopping destination in South Jakarta, Indonesia. A Millet-centric exhibition is being held as part of the festival featuring participation from Millet-based FPOs, start-ups and Indian chefs. Aligned with the International Year of Millets (IYM) celebrations, an aim of this festival is to raise awareness and create a market for millets and millets-based products among the ASEAN Member states i.e. Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

DEFENCE

 

1. Indian Armed Forces Contingent Heads for Joint Military Exercise AUSTRAHIND-23: An Indian Armed Forces contingent comprising 81 personnel has departed for Australia to participate in the second edition of the Joint Military Exercise AUSTRAHIND-23. The exercise is scheduled to take place in Perth, Australia, from November 22 to December 6. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) highlighted that the joint exercise aims to facilitate the exchange of ideas and the joint rehearsal of tactics, techniques, and procedures for tactical operations.

 

SPORTS

 

1. ICC Bans Transgender Players From International Women’s Cricket: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has recently implemented a ban on transgender cricketers from participating in international women’s cricket at the highest level. This decision has raised discussions around inclusivity, athlete rights and the impact of the ban on transgender individuals. The move is said to be in alignment with the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) guidelines, considering cricket’s inclusion in the 2008 Olympics.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Nippon Life AIF to raise Rs 1,000 cr for private credit: Nippon Life India Asset Management has joined the likes of Centrum and Avendus to capitalise on the demand for private credit amid the tightening of norms by regulated entities such as banks and mutual funds pulling out of promoter funding. Nippon Life India Alternative Investment Fund, which is set to raise ₹1,000 crore, has already deployed ₹100 crore in two strategic deals and aims to secure an additional ₹1,000 crore through a green shoe option.

 

2. RBI extends payments infrastructure scheme by 2 years till Dec 2025: RBI has extended the Payments Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) scheme by another two years till December 31, 2025. It will now include beneficiaries of the PM Vishwakarma scheme. “The decision to expand the targeted beneficiaries under the PIDF scheme will provide a fillip to the Reserve Bank’s efforts towards promoting digital transactions at the grassroots level. About – The PIDF Scheme was operationalised in January 2021 for three years to incentivise the deployment of payment acceptance infrastructure such as physical Point of Sale (PoS), Quick Response (QR) codes in tier-3 to tier-6 centres, the north-eastern states and Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. Beneficiaries of the PM SVANidhi Scheme in Tier-1 and 2 centres were later included in August 2021. As of August 2023, over 2.66 crore new touch-points have been deployed under the Scheme.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Irish author Paul Lynch wins 2023 Booker prize for his novel ‘Prophet Song’: Paul Lynch who is an Irish author won the 2023 Booker prize for his fifth novel ‘Prophet Song.’ Lynch the fifth Irish author to win the prize while the last Irish writer Anna Burns won the award in 2018. Booker Prize is awarded to the best novel of fiction written in English and published in UK and Ireland.