NATIONAL NEWS

CM Khattar Launches two Healthcare Initiatives

· Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar launched two healthcare initiatives - an expanded Ayushman Bharat-Chirayu Haryana Yojana and a cashless health facility for government employees, pensioners, and accredited journalists.

· The initiative was launched by CM Khattar in a function held in Chandigarh on the occasion of Haryana Diwas.

· The chief minister also distributed the Ayushman Bharat-Chirayu Haryana scheme cards to eligible families.

· The Ayushman Bharat -Chirayu Haryana Yojana was launched by CM Khattar on 21 November 2022. It was basically an extension of the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat scheme.

· A cashless health facility for government employees, pensioners, and accredited journalists was launched.

· The Haryana government will offer cash health facilities for  treatment of 1340 identified diseases in select 569 empanelled hospitals in the state.

Election Commission Designed Software ‘ENCORE’

· The Election Commission of India has developed in-house software called ENCORE for effective candidate and election management.

· The full form of ENCORE is Enabling Communications on Real-time Environment. There are three types of ENCORE Application.

· ENCORE Counting Application- The ENCORE counting application is a comprehensive platform that helps returning officers to digitize the votes they receive, tabulate the round-wise data, and produce various statutory reports for counting.

· ENCORE Scrutiny Application- The ENCORE Scrutiny Application is a tool that enables Returning Officers to scrutinize the nominations submitted by candidates online. Once the nominations are verified, their status is marked as either Accepted, Rejected, or Withdrawn.

· ENCORE Nodal App- The ENCORE Nodal App requires various departments to issue a 'no objection' certificate before granting permission for political rallies, road shows, and meetings.

 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

India Sri Lanka Business Summit 2023

· Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is on a three-day visit to Sri Lanka from 01 November to 03 November 2023.

· She also attended several events in the country and presided over the signing of agreements between the two countries to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

· Nirmala Sitharaman gave the keynote address at the India-Sri Lanka Business Summit held at Hotel Taj Samudra in Colombo on 02 November 2023.

· The theme of the India Sri Lanka Business Summit was 'Enhancing Connectivity: Partnering for Prosperity',

· The Business summit was jointly organised by the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), the Indo-Lanka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.

· Nirmal Sitharaman also participated in the 12th round of the Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement, known as ETCA, meeting between the two countries in Colombo.

 

BANKING

SBI Trincomalee Branch in Sri Lanka

· Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Inaugurated the Trincomalee branch of the State Bank of India (SBI) in eastern Sri Lanka on 02 November 2023.

· The ceremony was attended by the Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Gopal Baglay, Dinesh Khara, Chairman SBI and Senthil Thondaman, the Governor of Eastern Province.

· The SBI is the largest Indian commercial bank, which has been operational in Sri Lanka since 1864. Before the opening of the Trincomalee branch, SBI had five branches in the country.

· The total number of branches of SBI in Sri Lanka is 7.

· During the recent economic crisis in Sri Lanka, the government of India provided $1 billion in assistance to Sri Lanka through SBI.

 

SPORTS

Asian Shooting Championships 2023

· India's star shooter Aishwarya Pratap Singh Tomar has won the gold medal in the men's 50 meter rifle 3P event at the Asian Shooting Championships 2023.

· The mixed trap team of Aishwarya Pratap Singh Tomar and Manisha Keer and Prithviraj Tondiman also won the gold medal.

· Asian Shooting Championship 2023 is being organized in Changwon, Republic of Korea.

· The 2023 Asian Shooting Championships were the 15th Asian Shooting Championships and took place from 22 October to 2 November 2023.

· The Asian Shooting Championships in 2023 hold immense significance as they serve as a qualifying event for the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics.

FIFA Men's World Cup 2034

· International Football Federation (FIFA) President Gianni Infantino has confirmed that Gulf country Saudi Arabia will host the FIFA World Cup 2034.

· Earlier, Australia refused the bid for the 2034 FIFA Men's Football World Cup.

· The FIFA World Cup 2026 will be organized in Morocco (Africa) and 2030 will be organized in Portugal and Spain (Europe).

 

AWARDS & PRIZES

Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav Awards

· Shri Narendra Modi provided the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav Awards to the top three performing States or Union Territories, and  Ministries or Departments.

· Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat, and Haryana are the top three performing states or union territories, with Rajasthan coming in third place.

· The top three performing ministries are the Ministry of External Affairs, the Ministry of Defence, and the Ministry of Railways and the Ministry of Education, which are tied for third place.

· Jammu & Kashmir takes the lead in celebrating the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' and the 'Meri Mati Mera Desh' programmes.

· The Prime Minister presented the Best Performing State and UT award to Jammu Kashmir Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta at the concluding ceremony of 'Meri Maati Mere Desh' at Kartavya Path in New Delhi.

Kerala Jyothi Award

· T Padmanabhan, a renowned writer, has been honored with the Kerala Jyothi Award for his remarkable work in the field of literature.

· Retired Justice M Fathima Beevi has been recognized for her contributions to social service and civil service.

· Nataraja Krishnamoorthy, also known as Surya Krishnamoorthy, was recognized for his contributions to the arts field and was awarded the Kerala Prabha Award.

· Additionally, several individuals were selected for the Kerala Shree Award in different categories, including Punaloor Somarajan for social service, Dr V P Gangadharan for healthcare, Ravi D C for industry and commerce, retired civil service officer K M Chandrasekhar for civil service, and musician Pandit Ramesh Narayan for the arts.

· The Kerala Jyothi Award, the highest civilian honour  instituted by the state government, was first awarded to writer M T Vasudevan Nair.

British Academy Book Prize for the year 2023

· Nandini Das's debut book, Courting India: England, Mughal India and the Origins of Empire won the 2023 British Academy Book Prize for Global Cultural Understanding.

· The British Academy Book Prize for Global Cultural Understanding, previously known as the Nayef Al-Rodhan Prize, was established in 2013.

· Its mission is to recognize and celebrate exceptional works of non-fiction that exemplify academic rigor and originality while also contributing to the public’s understanding of diverse world cultures and their interactions.

· Nandini Das, a 49-year-old academic and Professor in the English faculty at the University of Oxford, has ventured to offer a fresh perspective on the beginnings of the British Empire.

 

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

CEO and MD of Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited

· Tata Power has appointed Deepesh Nanda as president of renewables and CEO and MD of Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited (TPREL), a subsidiary of Tata Power.

· His appointment is effective from 01 November 2023.

· Nanda will be responsible for driving the growth and profitability of Tata Power's renewable energy portfolio, which encompasses solar, wind, hybrid, and B2C green energy solutions.

· He will also lead innovation and digital transformation initiatives in the renewable energy sector.

 

DEFENCE

Exercise KAZIND-2023

· Indian Army and Indian Air Force contingent departed for Kazakhstan to participate in the 7th edition of Joint Military 'Exercise KAZIND-2023'.

· The exercise will occur in Otar, Kazakhstan from 30 October to 11 November, 2023.

· The exercise between India and Kazakhstan began as "Exercise PRABAL DOSTYK" in 2016.

· In this edition, both sides will practice counter-terrorism operations in a sub-conventional environment under a United Nations mandate.

 

MISCELLANEOUS

Collins Dictionary Named ‘AI’ as Word of the Year 2023

· ‘AI’ has been named the Collins Word of the Year for 2023.

· The dictionary defines AI as the "modelling of human mental functions by computer programs."

· Considered to be the next great technological revolution, AI has seen rapid development and has been much talked about in 2023.