Current Affairs for Competitive Examinations: November 14, 2022
Good scores in government examinations are mostly dependent on current affairs, and because there is no curriculum, preparation is also extremely unorthodox. Embibe’s academics have developed the daily Current Affairs series to aid aspirants in their practice, which provides the most recent news of the day from across the globe.
Current Affairs: Environment and Ecology
Infrastructure Resilience Accelerator Fund
The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) recently announced the Infrastructure Resilience Accelerator Fund (IRAF), a CDRI Multi-Partner Trust Fund, at the India Pavilion, COP27, Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
Around $50 million in financial commitments have already been announced for IRAF over an initial duration of five years.
What Is Infrastructure Resilience Accelerator Fund?
IRAF, a multi-donor trust fund established with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), will support global action on disaster resilience of infrastructure systems, especially in developing countries and small island developing states (SIDS).
Significance:
Supported by India, the UK, Australia and the European Union, IRAF’s multi-pronged programme focus will offer customised technical assistance, capacity building, research, knowledge management, and advocacy across the infrastructure life cycle for countries at all stages of development.
IRAF will play a crucial role in equipping the coalition to deliver improved infrastructure governance, inclusive infrastructure services, diversified knowledge, and financing for resilient infrastructure globally.
One of the first initiatives to be supported by the IRAF is the Infrastructure for Resilient Island States (IRIS).
Fund:
The IRAF will be managed by the UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office, New York. It will be supported by the governments of India, the United Kingdom, Australia and the European Union.
Question:
The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) recently announced Infrastructure Resilience Accelerator Fund (IRAF) at COP27 will not be supported by which of the following?
A. India
B. United Kingdom
C. Australia
D. China
Answer: D
Current Affairs: Index and Rankings
QS Asia Universities Ranking 2023
In a big achievement, around 19 Indian universities featured in the top 200 list of QS Asia Universities Ranking 2023, released recently.
Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, has maintained its position as the country’s top university by ranking 40th in the QS Asia Universities Ranking.
About the Rankings:
The QS Asia University Rankings highlight the top universities in Asia each year.
The rankings are based on 11 indicators, including academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty/student ratio, and international research network.
Who Releases These Rankings?
The Q2 Asia Universities Ranking 2023 was released recently by Quacquarelli Symonds, the International Ranking agency.
List of Featured Universities:
In the top 10, five universities are from China. Peking University has secured the first position, followed by the National University of Singapore (NUS) Singapore in second place and Tsinghua University, China, in the third position.
This year the universities which have made it to rank in the top 200 QS Asia Universities Ranking include IIT Bombay (40th), IIT Delhi (46th), IISc Bangalore (52), IIT Madras (53), IIT Kharagpur (61), IIT Kanpur (66) University of Delhi (85), IIT Roorkee (114), JNU (119), IIT Guwahati (124), VIT Vellore (173), University of Calcutta (181), Jadavpur University (182), Anna University (185), Chandigarh University (185), IIT Indore (185), BITS Pilani (188), Jamia Millia Islamia (188), and Amity University Noida (200).
Chandigarh University Gharuan has secured 185th rank in Asia, 14th in India and 2nd amongst the private universities of India.
Fact:
This is the highest number of Indian universities ever, making it to the top 200 list in the QS Asia Universities Ranking. Moreover, eight Indian Universities in the top 200 of the QS Asia Ranking have improved their rankings compared to last year.
Question:
How many Indian universities featured in the top 200 list of recently released QS Asia Universities Ranking 2023?
A. 10
B. 19
C. 28
D. 47
Answer: B
Current Affairs: Person in News
Aruna Miller
Aruna Miller recently wrote history when she became the first Indian-American politician to win the campaign for lieutenant governor in Maryland, a state that borders the US capital.
Former Maryland House delegate Miller, 58, ran for lieutenant governor alongside Wes Moore, the incoming Democratic governor.
Who Is Aruna Miller?
The 58-year-old Democrat is said to have her roots in Hyderabad and immigrated to the United States from India when she was 7.
She graduated from the Missouri University of Science and Technology with a degree in civil engineering in 1989 and worked for 25 years at the local Department of Transportation in Montgomery County.
From 2010 to 2018, she represented District 15 in the Maryland House of Delegates.
She ran for Congress in 2018 in Maryland’s 6th Congressional District, finishing second in a crowded field of eight candidates.
What Does This Mean?
The Lieutenant Governor is one of the state’s senior-most officials, second only to the Governor. The L-G assumes the role of Governor if the latter is out of state or incapacitated.
The LG automatically assumes the top post if the Governor dies, resigns, or is removed from office.
Question:
Who is the first Indian American to recently win the Maryland Lieutenant Governor race?
A. Kamala Prasad Bisesar
B. Kamala Harris
C. Aruna Miller
D. Nancy Williams
Answer: C
Current Affairs: Days and Events
Kochi to Host the 18th International Telemedicine Conference
The 18th edition of the international telemedicine conference organised by the Telemedicine Society of India in association with its Kerala chapter will be held at Amrita Hospital in Kochi from November 10 to 12.
Theme:
The core theme of the conference titled ‘Telemedicon 2022’ is ‘Strengthening health systems through sustainable telemedicine and digital health’.
What Is a Telemedicine Conference?
Telemedicine 2022 is an annual global conference for healthcare professionals, providers, health insurance providers, online pharmacy chains, industrialists, academic scientists, research scholars and scientists, medical and engineering stakeholders from various fields of telemedicine, telehealth, e-health, m-health, and digital health across the world meet.
About the Conference-2022:
The conference is held in collaboration with government agencies, private organisations, and national and international professional societies.
Question:
The 18th edition of the international telemedicine conference was organised recently in which of the following cities?
A. Mumbai
B. Haridwar
C. Ahmedabad
D. Kochi
Answer: D
Current Affairs: International Event
India Hosted the 2nd BIMSTEC Agriculture Ministers Meeting
India recently hosted the Second Agriculture Ministerial-level meeting of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) under the chairmanship of the Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar.
Agriculture ministers of Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand participated in the meeting.
About the 2nd BIMSTEC Agriculture Ministerial Meeting:
The 2nd BIMSTEC Agriculture Ministerial Meeting adopted the ‘action plan’ for strengthening BIMSTEC Agricultural Cooperation (2023-2027).
An MoU between the BIMSTEC Secretariat and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has been signed, and approval has been given to bring Fisheries and Livestock sub-sectors under the Agricultural Working Group.
BIMSTEC member countries appreciated India’s efforts to strengthen cooperation in agricultural research and development and for awarding six scholarships each for postgraduate and PhD programmes in agriculture.
About BIMSTEC:
BIMSTEC was established in 1997.
It includes five south Asian countries – Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka and two southeast Asian countries – Myanmar and Thailand.
Question:
Which country’s agriculture minister did not participate in the 2nd BIMSTEC Agriculture Ministers’ meeting hosted by India recently?
A. Myanmar
B. Sri Lanka
C. Thailand
D. Philippines
Answer: D
Current Affairs: Defence and Social Welfare
Indian Army Launches Single-Window Facility for Welfare, Grievance Redressal of ‘Veer Naris’
The Indian Army has launched a single-window facility for welfare and grievance redressal of ‘Veer Naris’.
The widow of a member of the armed forces, who has laid down his life for the nation, whether in war or a military operation, is called a ‘Veer Nari’.
The project was inaugurated by the president of the Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA) recently on the premises of the Directorate of Indian Army Veterans (DIAV) in Delhi Cantonment.
Rationale:
The VSK is an exceptional initiative by the Indian Army towards extending genuine care and support to its widows or ‘Veer Naris’ and the next of kin.
Veerangana Sewa Kendra:
Veerangana Sewa Kendra (VSK) will be available as a service to the Indian Army Veterans Portal: www.indianarmyveterans.gov.in.
The system caters for registering grievances with tracking, monitoring and regular feedback to the applicant.
How Will This System Work?
“Veer naris / Next of Kin will have multiple means for approaching the VSK through telephone, SMS, WhatsApp, Post, e-mail and walk-ins to seek assistance.
Stakeholders can monitor the status of grievances through Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, and the applicant will receive regular status updates through SMS and e-mail.
Current Affairs: National
MoHUA Launches the Transport4All Challenge Stage-2 and Citizen Perception Survey-2022
Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, Mr Hardeep S Puri, inaugurated the Transport4All Challenge Stage-2 and Citizen Perception Survey 2022.
What Is Transport4All Challenge?
The Transport4All Challenge is a project of the Government of India’s Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs that aims to improve people’s mobility.
The Challenge focuses on digital innovation and asks cities, residents, and innovators to collaborate to build contextual digital solutions to improve formal and informal public transportation to serve all citizens’ mobility requirements better.
More than 130 cities signed up for Stage 1 of the Challenge, which launched on 15th April 2021.
A Transport4All Task Force (TTF) was founded by 100 cities, along with important government players and governments operating in the transportation sector, academic institutes, non-profit organisations, and IPT unions.
Stages of Transport4All Challenge Stage-2:
Stage I – Problem Identification: Cities, with the support of NGOs, identify key recurring problems that citizens and public transport operators face.
Stage II – Solution Generation: Startups develop prototypes of solutions to improve public transport with inputs from cities and NGOs.
Stage III Pilot Testing: Cities engage Startups for large-scale pilots and refine the solutions based on citizen feedback.
Urban Outcomes Framework 2022
In April 2022, the MoHUA introduced the Urban Outcomes Framework 2022 as an endeavour to conduct a transparent and comprehensive assessment of cities based on cross-city outcomes across various sectors.
In addition, the Framework includes the third round of the Ease of Living Index.
As a 360-degree evaluation, the Ease of Living Index seeks to rank cities in India based on their Quality of Life, Economic Ability, and Sustainability.
What Is a Citizen Perception Survey?
A Citizen Perception Survey is being undertaken as part of the Ease of Living Index (which carries 30% of the Ease of Living Index marks).
This is a critical component of the evaluation process since it will directly capture resident comments on the liveability of their community.
Question:
Citizen Perception Survey-2022 was conducted recently by which of the following ministries?
A. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
B. Ministry of Rural Development
C. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways of India
D. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
Answer: A
Current Affairs: Awards and Honours
India Agribusiness Awards 2022
National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), Hyderabad, a vibrant organisation under the Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, has been awarded the “India Agribusiness Awards 2022” for the best agribusiness award recently.
About the Award:
The award was given for supporting and playing a significant role in technology upgradation, species diversification in aquaculture, propagation of new and improved fish species, seaweed cultivation, ornamental fishes, training and capacity building on need-based projects.
It is being organised by the Indian Chamber of Food and Agriculture (ICFA), an Indian Government body on technical collaborations with numerous national or international industrial associations and related organisations.
India International Agro Trade and Technology Fair:
“AgroWorld 2022” – India International Agro Trade and Technology Fair – 2022 is being held from 9–11 November 2022 at Indian Agriculture Research Institute, Pusa Campus, New Delhi.
The India International Agro Trade and Technology Fair – 2022 was organised to commemorate the services and support extended to the fisheries sector by playing a crucial and exemplary role dedicated to the stakeholders.
The fair showcased the development and modernisations achieved by key stakeholders in major sectors like food, agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, and fisheries and its extended support in various need-based projects related to:
Technology upgradation
Species diversification in aquaculture
Dissemination of new and improved fish varieties
Promoting seaweed cultivation, ornamental fisheries, training and capacity building, etc.
Bringing significant increase in fish production and productivity
Improving the livelihoods of fishers
Promoting entrepreneurship opportunities in fisheries
Question:
India Agribusiness Awards 2022 was recently awarded to which of the following organisations/departments?
A. Department of Agricultural Research and Education
B. Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare
C. National Fisheries Development Board
D. Food Processing and Marketing Cooperation
Answer: C
Current Affairs: Economy and Environment
Sovereign Green Bonds
According to sources, the Finance Ministry has finalised the framework for issuing sovereign green bonds in line with global standards.
The government intends to mobilise ₹16,000 crores from the issuance of green bonds during the second half of the current financial year. It is a part of the borrowing programme for the second half of this fiscal.
What Are Green Bonds?
Green bonds are an instrument to raise money—at a lower cost than regular bonds—for environment-friendly projects.
The concept goes back only 15 years when a group of Swedish pension funds wanted to invest in green projects as climate worries grew.
As more countries and institutions hopped on, India was not left behind.
Holders of sovereign green bonds may also enjoy tax benefits.
Aside from sovereign green bonds, green bonds were first introduced in 2007.
About the Sovereign Green Bond Framework:
The Ministry of Finance has constituted a Green Finance Working Committee (GFWC), including members from relevant line ministries and chaired by the Chief Economic Advisor, to support the Ministry with the selection and evaluation of projects.
To support these projects, the government will issue bonds, whose proceeds will be deposited to the Consolidated Fund of India, from where it will be made available for eligible green projects.
Following the passage of the Finance Bill, the Ministry of Finance would notify the Reserve Bank of India of the amount of eligible green expenditures for which proceeds from green bonds can be used.
Questions:
Aside from sovereign green bonds, when were green bonds first introduced in India?
A. 2001
B. 2005
C. 2007
D. 2014
Answer: C
Current Affairs: Days and Events
World Usability Day 2022
Every year on the second Thursday of November, the world observes World Usability Day.
The date is also mentioned on the UN calendar.
The goal of this day is to bring together various communities that can work together to make the world a better place to live.
This day also focuses on the responsibility of every user to demand better quality products.
World Usability Day, which will fall on November 10 this year, is also known as ‘Make Things Easier’ day.
What is Usability?
“Usability” is a quality that evaluates how efficiently and effectively a person can use a product, as well as how satisfied he or she is with the process. It is defined by five quality components:
Learnability
Efficiency
Memorability
Errors
Customer satisfaction
World Usability Day 2022: Significance
The day aims to bring together communities of professional, industrial, educational, citizen, and government groups to work towards a common goal– making essential services and products easier to access and use.
The purpose of the day is to both celebrate and educate.
The objective is to celebrate the creation of usable products and educate the public about how usability affects our daily lives.
Its purpose is to improve the way our world works.
World Usability Day 2022: Theme
The theme of World Usability Day 2022 is “Our Health”.
The theme for this year is to evaluate systems that provide healthcare in all of its various forms, such as virtual/telehealth, electronic health records, healthcare products, and all digital health-related solutions.
This theme will assist us in exploring timely and critical issues such as continuity of care, access to treatment, telemedicine, mental health systems, exercise, nutrition, and many others.
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