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SPOTLIGHT
Monthly Current Affairs

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RBI - NABARD - SEBI

SPOTLIGHT – DECEMBER
2022
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Contents
NATIONAL NEWS ......................................................................................................................................................... 2
STATE NEWS............................................................................................................................................................... 41
AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT..................................................................................................... 54
DEFENCE NEWS ........................................................................................................................................................ 57
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING ................................................................................................................ 60
INTERNATIONAL NEWS............................................................................................................................................ 67
REPORTS AND INDICES .......................................................................................................................................... 79
BANKING AND ECONOMY ....................................................................................................................................... 93
GDP FORECASTS .................................................................................................................................................... 125
APPOINTMENTS ....................................................................................................................................................... 126
IMPORTANT DAYS ................................................................................................................................................... 134
AWARDS ..................................................................................................................................................................... 143
SPORTS ...................................................................................................................................................................... 156
MISCELLANEOUS..................................................................................................................................................... 161
QUESTIONS ............................................................................................................................................................... 163
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NATIONAL NEWS
1. 15th edition of Kathakar was held in New Delhi to showcase amazing stories and music by
Indian and International storytellers, in their pristine physical form, from six countries along
with India.
• The six countries are the United Kingdom, Australia, Mongolia, Israel, Sierra Leonne and
South Korea.
2. Dhabari Quruvi has become the first Indian feature film in the history of Indian cinema to
have a star cast comprising only indigenous tribal people.
• This film has starred more than 60 people, belonging to Irula, Muduka, Kurumba and
Vaduka tribal communities of Attappadi, a scheduled tribe hamlet in the state of Kerala.
• It also holds the distinction of having been shot completely in the tribal language of Irula.
• Its world premiere was held in the Indian Panorama section at the 53rd International Film
Festival of India in Goa.
3. Space tech startup Agnikul has inaugurated India’s first-ever launchpad designed and
operated by a private player, situated at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, in
Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
• The facility, designed by Agnikul and executed with the support of ISRO and IN-SPACe,
has two sections - the Agnikul launchpad (ALP) and the Agnikul mission control center
(AMCC).
4. India will receive its first cargo from Indonesia's Tangguh liquefied natural gas (LNG)
plant at the Dahej terminal in Gujarat.
5. Researchers from IISER-Thiruvananthapuram and IIT-Indore have developed a new

artificial light-harvesting system that can efficiently capture light for power conversion by
mimicking photosynthesis, the process by which plants absorb sunlight and produce sugars.
• The research has been published in the prestigious 'Royal Chemical Society – Chemical
Science' journal.
• IISER - Indian Institute of Science Education and Research
• India aims to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2070 and to meet 50% of its electricity
needs from renewable sources such as solar power by 2030.
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6. NITI Aayog has released the “Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage Policy Framework
and its Deployment Mechanism in India” report.
• It explores the importance of Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS) in promoting
the sustainable development of India.
Knowledge Nuggets -
• Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) - It is the technology for
decarbonising carbon dioxide (CO2) from high polluting sectors such as steel, cement,
oil, gas, petrochemicals, chemicals and fertilisers.
• CCUS involves the capture of CO2 from large point sources, such as power generation or
industrial facilities that use either fossil fuels or biomass as fuel. The CO2 can also be
captured directly from the atmosphere.
7. The 7th edition of the Global Technology Summit was held in New Delhi in a hybrid format.
• The Summit is India’s annual flagship event on Geotechnology and is co-hosted by the
Ministry of External Affairs and Carnegie India.
• Theme - ‘Geopolitics of Technology’
8. Vayu-The Vital Life Force’ Conference was held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha to celebrate the
spirit of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav in the 75th year of Independence and channel dialogue on
the need for clean air in the country
• Objective: To build upon the multidimensional efforts taken by Governments to achieve air
quality targets as set in National Clean Air Program by uniting all the important
stakeholders.
• Organising Ministry: Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
• It focused on varied air quality issues ranging from scientific discussions on climate change
and pollution control, to enriching understanding on air quality from ancient scriptures/texts.
Knowledge Nuggets -
• National Clean Air Program (NCAP) was launched in 2019 for implementation till 2024
by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
• Objective - To improve air quality by reducing Particulate Matter (PM2.5 and PM10)
concentrations by 20-30%
• Target Year - 2024 (with 2017 as the base year for comparison)
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• Criteria - It is implemented in Non-Attainment Cities (NACs) wherein the National

Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) is exceeded for 5 consecutive years.
• Coverage - It covers 132 cities
o It includes 124 cities identified as NACs and 8 other million-plus cities of 15th
Finance Commission- Million Plus Cities Challenge Fund.
• It is envisaged as a long-term, time-bound, national-level strategy to deal with the air
pollution problem across the country in a comprehensive manner.
• Under it, city-specific action plans are prepared that include measures for
strengthening air quality monitoring networks, reducing vehicular and industrial
emissions, increasing public awareness, etc.
• PRANA portal (Portal for Regulation of Air Pollution in Non-attainment Cities): It
aids in reporting and monitoring of physical and financial progress of these action plans.
9. India has provided financial assistance of $100 million to the Maldives in the form of
budgetary support to tide over the difficult economic situation.
Knowledge Nuggets -
• Maldives capital – Malé; Currency – Rufiyaa
• President of Maldives - Ibrahim Mohamed Solih
• Parliament of Maldives - People's Majlis
• Maldives is a part of the SAARC group, which has Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan,
Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh.
• The Maldives consists of 1,192 coral islands grouped in a double chain of 26 atolls.
• It is the smallest country in Asia.
• Maldives is just 1.5 metres above the sea level, which means it can sink with the
slightest increase in the sea level.
• India has provided $500 million package to Maldives for the Greater Male Connectivity
Project (GMCP).
10. Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) has partnered with Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO) to work together “to trace India’s legacy in the field of science and
technology” and find out if India was a ‘Vishwa Guru’ in science in ancient times.
Knowledge Nuggets -
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• ISRO was established previously as the Indian National Committee for Space
Research (INCOSPAR), up by the Government of India in 1962, as envisioned by Dr
Vikram Sarabhai.
• ISRO was formed on 15 August 1969 and superseded INCOSPAR with an expanded role
to harness space technology.
• Department of Space was set up and ISRO was brought under DOS in 1972.
Department of Space is headed by the Prime Minister of India. At present, the Minister
of State of the Department of Space is Jitendra Singh.
• Current Chairman of ISRO – S Somnath
11. Registrar General of India has released the Special Bulletin in Maternal Mortality in India
2018-20.
• The Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) of India has declined from 130 per lakh live births in
2014-16 to 97 per lakh live births in 2018-20.
• India has witnessed a progressive reduction in MMR from 130 in 2014-2016, 122 in 2015-
17, 113 in 2016-18, 103 in 2017-19 and to 97 in 2018-20.
• With this, it has accomplished National Health Policy, 2017 target for MMR of less than
100/lakh live births.
• It is on the right track to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) - Target 3.1 of
MMR less than 70/ lakh live births by 2030.
• 8 States have achieved SDG Target 3.1 of MMR: Kerala (19), Maharashtra (33),
Telangana (43), Andhra Pradesh (45), Tamil Nadu (54), Jharkhand (56), Gujarat (57) and
Karnataka (69).
12. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is helping the people working in the
waste segregation industry in India to move into formal economy, by helping them access
government welfare programmes.
• As part of the initiative, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General Usha Rao-Monari
would distribute the ‘Jan Dhan’ account kits to waste segregation workers during her
first visit to the country, on December 1.
• The programme also ensures the well-being and financial inclusion of the `Safai Sathis’ or
waste-pickers, by linking them to the social protection schemes.
13. Ministry of Finance has amended the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.
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• The list has been amended in exercise of its powers under Section 66 of the PMLA, in the
public interest.
• The ministry has also added 15 bodies that are bound to share information with
Enforcement Directorate under PMLA.
• The agencies added to the list are the National Investigating Agency (NIA), Serious Fraud
Investigation Office (SFIO), State Police, Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT),
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), National Intelligence Grid, Central Vigilance Commission
(CVC), Defence Intelligence Agency, National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO),
Military Intelligence, and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau.
14. The Kirit Parikh committee has submitted its report on gas pricing.
• As per the report, India should have completely free and market-determined pricing of
natural gas extracted from legacy fields, which is over 70% of the total natural gas
produced in India.
• The panel also recommended to link the price of gas produced from legacy fields to
imported crude oil prices rather than benchmarking them to gas rates in global markets.
The arrived rates will be subject to a floor and ceiling.
15. India and South Korea have collaborated to approve the Economic Development
Cooperation Fund (EDCF) loan of Rs. 1,500 crores approx. to establish Intelligent
Transport System on Nagpur-Mumbai Super Communication Expressway project.
• Purpose - to enhance the efficiency in traffic management through establishment of the
Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) and traffic centre
• Republic of Korea was designated as India’s Official Development Assistance (ODA)
partner for development cooperation in October, 2016.
• The Economic Development Co-operation Fund (EDCF) was established in 1987 by the
Republic of Korea for providing aid to different countries.
16. Germany has unveiled a proposal to provide €1 billion (₹8440 crore) for energy transition
projects in India under a bilateral partnership for green and sustainable development.
• The two sides agreed on the funding for more than 20 development projects over the next
year in the fields of renewable energy, sustainable urban development in smart cities and
sustainable use of natural resources.
• The funding will include 10% grants and 90% in the form of lines of credit.
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17. Union Minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia launched Digi Yatra from the Indira
Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi for three airports in the country, namely New Delhi,
Varanasi and Bengaluru.
• Digi Yatra, in the first phase, will be launched at 7 airports.
• However, it has been initially launched at 3 airports i.e., Delhi, Bengaluru and Varanasi on
December 1, to be followed by 4 airports namely Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune, and
Vijayawada by March 2023.
• The service is presently being launched for domestic flight passengers only.
• The initiative aims to make travel paperless and hassle-free. The passenger’s ID and travel
credentials are stored in a secure wallet on the passenger’s smartphone itself.
• The uploaded data will utilise blockchain technology and all the data will be deleted from
the servers within 24 hours of use.
Knowledge Nuggets -
• ‘Digi Yatra’ is a policy released by the ministry of ‘Civil Aviation’ in June 2017.
• It is based on biometric digital processing at airports.
• It is on the line of ‘Digital India’ vision.
• The major purpose behind this scheme is to digitize nation or transform nation into
digitally empowered society.
• Digi Yatra Foundation – a joint venture company, formed in 2019 under Section 8 of the
Companies Act, 2013 – is implementing the initiative.
• The Foundation is owned by –
o Airport Authority of India – 26%
o Remaining 74% share is held by 5 shareholders –
o Bangalore International Airport Limited
o Delhi International Airport Limited
o GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited
o Mumbai International Airport Limited
o Cochin International Airport Limited
18. Supreme Court has floated the idea of launching a “Project GIB (Great Indian Bustard)” for
protecting this endangered bird.
• This large bird, found mainly in Rajasthan and Gujarat, has been categorised as critically
endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
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• According to the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), in Rajasthan, 18 GIBs die every year after
colliding with overhead power lines.
Knowledge Nuggets –
• Rajasthan State Bird - The Great Indian Bustard
• Rajasthan Total Districts - 33
• Rajasthan State Game - Basketball
• Rajasthan State Animal - Camel and Chinkara
• Rajasthan State Flower - Desert Teak Flower
• Rajasthan State Tree - Jand
• Rajasthan State Dance – Ghoomar
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19. IIT-Madras and the Deakin University in Australia have launched Australia-India Centre for
Energy (AICE) to achieve the 2030 SDGs.
• The Australia-India Centre for Energy (AICE) is a virtual centre that will promote
collaboration among universities, research institutes and industry from India and Australia in
the energy domain.
• It will be launched during the 3-day Energy Summit 2022, hosted by IIT Madras in
December 2022.
• Australia Capital – Canberra; Currency – Australian Dollar; National Language – English
• Australia PM – Anthony Albanese
• Australia’s population – 2.6 crore approx.
• Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the
mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller
islands.
Note: Commonwealth of Australia, including the Australian territorial claim in the Antarctic
• Australia is the largest country by area in Oceania and the world's sixth-largest country.
• Politically, Australia is a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy, comprising
six states and ten territories.
• Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Belize,
Grenada, Jamaica, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent
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and the Grenadines, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu are the Commonwealth Group of
Countries which accept England’s monarchy as the Head of the State.
• Important cities of Australia – Sydney (most populous city and financial centre),
Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide.
20. NITI Aayog's Atal Innovation Mission has launched a Community Innovator Fellowship
programme to help aspiring community innovators establish the knowledge and infrastructure
needed for their entrepreneurial journey.
• It will be a one-year Community Innovator Fellowship Program.
• Each fellow would work on their concept while staying at an Atal Community Innovation
Centre (ACIC) and learning about the SDGs, developing their entrepreneurial abilities, and
developing life skills.
• Eligibility criteria for this program –
o Candidates should be between the ages of 18 and 35.
o They must have a bachelor's, diploma, or degree in any field from an accredited
institution.
o Additionally, applicants must have intermediate English skills and their residence
address must be 30 kilometres or less from ACIC.
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o The Atal Community Innovation Centre is incubating 22 Community Innovator

fellows.
• Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog is Government of India’s flagship initiative to
promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in the country and was setup in
2016.
• It has launched various sub-programs, such as
o Atal Tinkering Labs - at school level
o Atal Incubation Centres - "An ecosystem of Startups and Entrepreneurs”
o Atal Community Innovation Centres - serving Unserved and Under-Served regions
of India
o Atal New India Challenges - Product and Service Innovations with National Impact
o ARISE ANIC challenges - to stimulate startup/ MSME industry innovation
o Mentor of Change (Mentorship and Partnerships - with Public, Private sector,
NGOs, Academia, Institutions)
21. IIT-Madras has developed and deployed Sindhuja-I, a system that could generate electricity
using energy from seawaves, about six kilometres from the coast of Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu.
• Sindhuja-I can currently produce 100 watts of energy. It will be scaled up to produce one
megawatt of energy in the next three years.
22. Central government has approved the Print and Digital Media Association (PADMA) as a
self-regulatory body for publishers of news and current affairs across the country.
• The organisation — with 47 digital news publishers on board — will look at grievances
related to digital media news content on their platforms.
• The organisation will be headed by former HC Judge Mool Chand Garg.
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23. Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare has launched a nationwide campaign for
promotion of Digital Life Certificate for Central Government pensioners.
• The objective of this nationwide campaign is to promote the use of Face Authentication
technology and Digital Life Certificate (DLC) to ensure transparency and ease of usage.
24. Ministry of Minority Affairs has announced that pre-matric scholarship to students of
minority communities studying in classes 1 to 8 is being discontinued, and only those in
Classes 9 and 10 will now be eligible for this scholarship from 2022-2023 onwards.
• A notice posted on the National Scholarship Portal stated that this is being done in line
with the pre-matric scholarship scheme of the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment
and Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
• The Ministry had allocated Rs 1,425 crore for pre-matric scholarships for 2022-23 to
minority students.
25. Intellectual Property charges have been increased under the Start-Ups Intellectual
Property Protection (SIPP) scheme.
• In addition to above scheme, IP filling by startups are also encouraged by providing with fee
rebates under respective IP legislations.
• Startups are provided 80% fee rebate in filing patent applications and 50% fee rebate in
filling trademark application. In addition, there are also provisions for fast-track examination
of patent applications.
• Government of India had launched a Scheme for facilitating Start-Ups Intellectual
Property Protection (SIPP) in 2016.
• The scheme facilitated startups in filing and processing of their patent, design or
trademark application through the assistance of IP Facilitators, whose fee was borne by
the Office of the Controller General of Patents Designs and Trademarks,
Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Government of India.
• After its successful implementation resulting in a significant increase in IP fillings by
Startups, the Scheme was extended for a period of three years till 31st March 2023.
26. Ministry of Civil Aviation has issued guidelines for the implementation of the Production
Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme to support the indigenous drone industry.
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• For the implementation of this scheme during 2022-23 to 2024-25, a corpus of Rs 120
crore has also been allocated.
27. Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA),
under the Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, will attend the ‘Millets-Smart
Nutritive Food’ Conclave in New Delhi.
• At the first-of-its-kind Millets Conclave, the government will release an e-catalogue on
30 potential importing countries and 21 millet-producing states of India.
• Also, a knowledge book on millets is prepared in association with ‘Yes Bank’.
• The Government has created the Nutri Cereals Export Promotion Forum to give promote
millets exports and production.
• 2023 – International Year of Millets
• India is one of the leading producers of millets in the world with an estimated share of
around 41% in the global production.
• As per FAO, world production of millets in the year 2020 was 30.464 million metric
tons (MMT) and India’s share was 12.49 MMT, which accounts to 41% of the total millet
production.
• India recorded 27% growth in millet production in 2021-22 as compared to millet
production in the previous year was 15.92 MMT.
• India’s top five millet producing states are Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka,
Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
• Share of export of millets is nearly 1% of the total millet production.
• It is estimated that the millets market is set to grow from its current market value of
more than USD 9 billion to over USD 12 billion by 2025.
• India’s major millet exporting countries are U.A.E, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Oman,
Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, U.K and U.S.A.
• The major millet importing countries in the world are Indonesia, Belgium, Japan,
Germany, Mexico, Italy, the U.S.A, United Kingdom, Brazil and Netherlands.
• The varieties of millets exported by India include Bajra, Ragi, Canary, Jawar, and
Buckwheat.
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28. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has launched the "Agriculture Investment
Portal" aka Krishi Nivesh Portal to facilitate investment in agriculture.
29. Swar Dharohar music, art, and literature festival was inaugurated by the Culture Ministry
under Kalanjali.
• Ministry of Culture organizes “Daakroom”, the letter writing carnival in association with
Department of Post.
• The one-of-a-kind letter writing event, supported by India Post, Ministry of Culture and
Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti, is aimed to give a digital detox.
30. 5th edition of the European Union-India Competition Week was inaugurated at the
Competition Commission of India (CCI) headquarters in New Delhi.
• In 2013, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) and European Commission had signed
an MoU for cooperation in the field of competition laws in 2013.
31. Supreme Court has exempted Maharashtra’s Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary (TWS)
from its June 3 order mandating the creation of a one-kilometre eco-sensitive zone (ESZ)
around all Protected Areas in India.
• Earlier, the Supreme Court had exempted the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and Thane
Creek Flamingo Sanctuary from the ESZ requirement.
32. The 12th World Hindi Conference is being organized by the Ministry of External Affairs, in
collaboration with the Government of Fiji from 15 to 17 February 2023 in Fiji.
• Theme of the Conference – "Hindi: From Traditional Knowledge to Artificial Intelligence"
• According to the United Nations report of 2020, Fiji had a population of more than 896,000
and out of which over 30% is of Indian-origin.
33. Central Govt has launched ₹2.44 lakh crore plan to generate 500 gigawatts (GW) of
renewable energy by 2030.
• India plans to have 500 GW of non-fossil-based power capacity by 2030 so that cleaner
fuels comprise 50% of the power mix.
• India currently has 409 GW installed capacity comprising 173 GW from non-fossil fuel
sources, which is about 42% of total installed electricity generating capacity.
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34. University Grants Commission has constituted an apex committee to prepare the roadmap
to introduce undergraduate and postgraduate courses in regional languages in disciplines
including commerce, humanities, and science across the country.
• The UGC has sought the translation of textbooks for undergraduate programmes in
languages such as Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Gujarati, Odia, Bengali,
Assamese, Punjabi, Hindi, and Urdu.
35. Central government has named 21 uninhabited islands in the union territory of Andaman &
Nicobar after recipients of Param Vir Chakra, the country’s highest wartime gallantry award.
• The first uninhabited island numbered ‘INAN370’ in North and Middle Andaman was named
after Major Somnath Sharma.
• Now ‘INAN370’ will be known as ‘Somnath Dweep’. He was the first recipient of the Param
Vir Chakra.
36. Public Health Foundation of India and University of Leicester, England have received a
grant of nearly £10 million from the National Institute for Health and Care Research, UK.
• Purpose – to help improve the health outcomes and re-orient health systems to effectively
address multiple long-term conditions (MLTCs) or multimorbidity in India and Nepal
• The Public Health Foundation of India and University of Leicester will collaborate with the
All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), Jodhpur, Health Related Information
Dissemination Amongst Youth (HRIDAY), Delhi, and Kathmandu Medical College (KMC),
Kathmandu.
37. SHE STEM, the annual event to honor women in the disciplines of science, technology,
engineering, mathematics, and sustainability, was successfully organized for the 3rd
consecutive year as part of the Sweden-India Nobel Memorial Week.
• Organizers – Swedish Embassy in India, in collaboration with the Atal Innovation Mission,
NITI Aayog, the Indian Government, and the German Centre of Innovation and Research,
New Delhi
38. NITI Aayog organized a national conclave on soil health management for sustainable
farming on the occasion of the World Soil Day (December 5, 2022).
• The conclave was co-hosted by NITI Aayog and GIZ, GmbH India on behalf of the German
Federal Ministry for Cooperation and Economic Development (BMZ).
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• Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development intends to provide

up to 300 million euros by 2025 for financial and technical cooperation for projects under
this initiative.
• NITI Aayog and the BMZ have also signed a Statement of Intent for collaborations, with
agro ecology being one of the priority areas.
• In May 2022, India and Germany signed a joint declaration for the establishment of the first-
ever bilateral lighthouse initiative on agro ecology and sustainable management of natural
resources.
39. Garuda Aerospace launched India's first e-learning platform for Drone Skilling and
Learning in Chennai to provide skilling and training to one lakh youth over the next two years.
• The virtual platform is called the Garuda Virtual Drone and Skilling University.
• "Operation 777" - Garuda Aerospace's Drone Yatra, which has the aim to "educate and
demonstrate the efficacy of drones for different agricultural uses across 777 districts of
India”, was flagged off.
• Garuda Aerospace Founder and CEO – Agnishwar Jayaprakash
40. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways will launch India's first-ever surety bonds
insurance product to boost liquidity in the infrastructure sector.
• Surety bonds refer to the performance or delivery obligation to complete the insured project.
• Bajaj Allianz launched India’s first-ever Surety Bond Insurance product for
infrastructure projects.
41. Sweden and Nepal are conducting research on Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan
Arogya Yojana.
42. Nagpur’s Economic Explosives Limited (EEL), a subsidiary of Solar Group, has developed
a rocket motor for PSLV, which was successfully tested by the Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO).
• This also marks the beginning of end-to-end production of the Polar Satellite Launch
Vehicles (PSLV) through a private sector industry.
• It was the first PSOM XL motor, which forms the PS0 stage of the PSLVE-XL.
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43. Central government has extended the 'Rooftop Solar Programme-Phase 2' till March 31,
2026.
• Now, the subsidy under the programme will be available until the target under the
programme is achieved.
• Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is implementing the Rooftop Solar Programme-
Phase 2 since 2019 to achieve 40,000 MW cumulative capacity from rooftop solar
projects by 2022 (now extended to 2026).
• Components of the scheme –
o Component A – Setting up of 4000 MW of grid connected rooftop plants in
residential sector with central financial assistance.
o Component B – Incentives to DISCOMs based on achievement of installing
rooftop capacity.
• Central financial assistance –
o For individual households CFA up to 40% of the benchmark cost is provided for
RTS projects up to 3 kW capacity
o Up to 20% of the benchmark cost is provided for RTS projects beyond 3 kW and
up to 10 kW
o For Group Housing Societies/Residential Welfare Associations, CFA is limited to
20% for RTS plants
• The total solar power installed capacity in the country as on 28.2.2022 was 50.78 GW
including 6.4 GW from rooftop solar.
• National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), an autonomous institute under the Ministry of
New and Renewable Energy, has estimated a potential of 43 GW for Grid Connected
RTS in the country.
44. Ministry of External Affairs, in partnership with the Indian Council of Cultural Relations
(ICCR) and the Government of Goa, is organizing the International Lusophone Festival.
• Lusophones are peoples that speak Portuguese as a native or as common second
language.
• Portuguese is an official language of Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, East Timor, Guinea
Bissau, Macau, Mozambique, Portugal, & São Tomé and Príncipe.
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• Goa was a colony of Portuguese until December 19, 1961. Even today, the elderly and
educated populations speak Portuguese.
45. Government of India has accorded 'In-Principle' approval for setting up of 21 Greenfield
Airports.
• Out of these, 9 Greenfield airports viz. Durgapur, Shirdi, Kannur, Pakyong, Kalaburagi,
Orvakal (Kurnool), Sindhudurg, Kushinagar and Donyi Polo, Itanagar have been
operationalized.
46. Central government has selected a total of 67 entries with an investment potential of Rs
42,500 crore under the production linked incentive (PLI) scheme for specialty steel.
• The Union Cabinet in July 2021 approved a Rs 6,322-crore PLI scheme to boost the
production of speciality steel in India.
47. Union Government has sought Parliament’s nod for additional spending of ₹4.36 trillion for
FY23, including over ₹1 trillion for fertilizer subsidy.
• The first batch of supplementary demands for grants tabled in Lok Sabha by the minister
of state for finance Pankaj Chaudhary also sought approval for additional expenditure of
₹80,348 crores towards food subsidy and additional allocation under the Pradhan Mantri
Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY).
• The supplementary demand is an additional grant required to meet the required
expenditure of the government over and above the amount for which the parliamentary nod
was taken earlier.
48. The University Grants Commission (UGC) announced that the Four-Year Under-Graduate
Programme (FYUP) will be adopted in higher education institutions from 2023-24
academic session.
• The FYUP will split the four-year UG degree into parts and provide different entry and exit
options to students.
49. The G20 Development Working Group (DWG) meeting will be held in Mumbai under Indian
presidency between December 13-16.
• The group will discuss developmental issues in developing countries, least developed
countries, and island countries.
pg. 18
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• 1st G20 Finance & Central Bank Deputies Meeting will be held in Bengaluru.
50. National Health Authority (NHA) has announced to set up a health exchange platform to
digitize and simplify the process of filing health insurance claims.
• Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) will be the first
insurance scheme in the world to implement this digital solution.
• The platform will be rolled out in Haryana, followed by a pan-India launch.
• NHA has recently signed an MoU with the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
to expand healthcare services to the transgender population.
51. Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare is organizing a two-days conclave commemorating
the “Universal Coverage Day (UHC) 2022” on 10th and 11th December 2022 at Varanasi,
Uttar Pradesh.
• December 12 - International Universal Health Coverage Day; Theme - Build the world we
want: A healthy future for all
• Jammu and Kashmir has been awarded 1st prize in the category for Ayushman Bharat
health account ID generation and 2nd prize in the category for Teleconsultation.
52. Indian Institute of Science (IISc) inaugurated India’s first 3D bioprinting Center of
Excellence (CoE) for providing researchers tools to advance discoveries in tissue
engineering, regenerative medicine and drug discovery.
• The Centre is established at the Centre for BioSystems Science and Engineering
(BSSE) at IISc.
• The CoE will help researchers to accelerate their work across critical applications.
53. ISRO has launched the test flight of hypersonic vehicles with headquarters of the
Integrated Defense Staff successfully.
• Any aircraft, missile, or spacecraft that can exceed Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound)
is considered a hypersonic vehicle.
• ISRO has also successfully tested the Hot Test of Scramjet Engine at ISRO’s Propulsion
Research Complex at Mahendragiri in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu.
• The scramjet is a more advanced version of the ramjet engine and can operate efficiently at
hypersonic speeds.
• India is the fourth country to demonstrate the flight testing of a Scramjet Engine.
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54. National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has launched GHAR – GO
Home and Re-Unite (Portal for Restoration and Repatriation of Child) to digitally monitor
and track the restoration and repatriation of children.
• The portal will allow digital tracking and monitoring of children who are in the Juvenile
Justice system and have to be repatriated to another country, state or district.
• It will help to digital transfer of cases of children to the concerned Juvenile Justice
Board/Child Welfare Committee of the State. It will help in the speedy repatriation of
children.
• National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) was established in March
2007 under the Commission for Protection of Child Rights Act of 2005.
• Chairperson - Priyank Kanoongo
55. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually participate in a programme commemorating Sri
Aurobindo’s 150th birth anniversary.
• Sri Aurobindo, born on 15th August 1872, was a visionary who made lasting contributions
to India’s freedom struggle. He died on 5 December 1950.
56. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will inaugurate the India Global Forum UAE 2022 in
Dubai.
57. Union Minister for Tourism, Culture, and Development of the North Eastern Region (DoNER)
Shri G Kishan Reddy has launched various projects under Swadesh Darshan scheme.
• The projects included renovation of various temples.
• The union minister also inaugurated Puducherry Shopping Festival 2022 logo.
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58. The cervical cancer vaccine named Cervavac, developed by Serum Institute of India, will
be rolled out by next year.
• This indigenously developed quadrivalent vaccine will be available at a cheaper price.
59. Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has launched the NPS
Prosperity Planner (NPP) to help individuals calculate their retirement income based on
annuity options and contributions to the National Pension System.
• The Facility is available for individuals through the three central recordkeeping agencies
(CRAs)—Protean (formerly NSDL), Fintech, and CAMS.
• PFRDA has appointed Suraj Bhan as the chairman of NPS Trust in November 2022.
60. Union Minister for Jal Shakti Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat inaugurated the 7th Edition of
the India Water Impact Summit (IWIS) at New Delhi.
• The theme of this year’s Summit is ‘Restoration and Conservation of Small Rivers in a
Large Basin’ with emphasis on the select aspects of ‘Mapping and Convergence of 5Ps’ -
People, Policy, Plan, Programme and Project.
• An online learning platform named PtB was launched in collaboration with Germany to
strengthen quality infrastructure water monitoring of the river Ganga.
• This will be done through the data collected in the river basin of Ganga to monitor water
quality based on recognized quality-assurance measures.
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61. India has offered to set up a permanent secretariat for the No Money for Terror Ministerial
Conference in the country.
• India hosted the third Ministerial Level Conference on Counter-Terrorism Financing last
month.
62. Central government has approved a revival package of Rs 1,64,000 crore for revival of
BSNL.
• BSNL is going to implement indigenously developed 4G and 5G technology.
• The reasons for losses of BSNL are high employee cost over the years, debt burden, stiff
competition in the market and lack of 4G services (except on a limited basis in certain
areas).
63. India has successfully conducted night trials of the nuclear-capable ballistic missile named
Agni V, capable of striking targets at ranges up to 5,000 km with a very high degree of
accuracy.
• The missile test firing was conducted from APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast.
64. Law Minister Kiren Rijiju informed the Rajya Sabha that states are empowered to enact
personal laws that decide issues such as succession, marriage and divorce, in their endeavour
to secure a uniform civil code (UCC).
• Article 44 of the Constitution provides that the State shall endeavour to secure for the
citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India.
65. Union Minister of Civil Aviation and Steel, Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia inaugurated a direct
flight between Mumbai and San Francisco.
• Air India will operate the non-stop flight on this route effective from 15th December 2022.
66. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has proposed the ‘Bharat Krishi Satellite
Programme’ for using satellites in agriculture.
• The satellites will be owned by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare and not
by ISRO. The ISRO will just provide the technical support.
• An ‘Earth Observation Council’ will be created for addressing the current deficiencies in
earth observation capabilities and data utilisation.
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67. Ministry of Heavy Industries has allocated Rs 1000 crores under the phase-II of FAME-
India Scheme for the development of charging infrastructure.
• The Ministry has sanctioned 2,877 electric vehicle charging stations in 68 cities across 25
states/UTs.
68. At the “India SatCom 2022” event in New Delhi, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of
India’s Chairman PD Vaghela has announced to conduct the world’s first auction of
satellite communication spectrum.
• The India SatCom 2022 event is the 8th edition of the international summit of the
Broadband India Forum.
Knowledge Nuggets -
• The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) was established under the Telecom
Regulatory Authority of India Act of 1997.
• HQ – New Delhi
69. WHO’s Global Centre for Traditional Medicines in Jamnagar, Gujarat is the first and only
global centre for traditional medicines and it will soon emerge as the Centre of Global
Wellness.
• AYUSH Minister Sabarnanda Sonowal made this announcement.
70. India and Finland have signed a joint declaration of Intent on migration and mobility to
arrive at a mutually beneficial arrangement on migration and mobility between the two
countries.
• This will facilitate mobility of students, academics, researchers, business people, and
professionals and to combat irregular migration.
• India has signed similar agreements with many countries.
Knowledge Nuggets -
• Finland Capital – Helsinki; Currency - Euro
• It is a Nordic country. It is also known as a Scandinavian country because of the
Scandinavian Mountains, which is spread across the Scandinavian Peninsula.
• Finland has the Gulf of Bothnia to the west, Baltic Sea in the South, and the Gulf of
Finland in the East.
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• Finland shares a very long land border with Russia. This year only, Finland and Sweden
have applied for membership of NATO.
• Diplomatic relations between Finland and India were established in 1949.
71. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has recently conducted the maiden blow-down
test of their all-new wind tunnel, installed at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC).
• The Trisonic Wind tunnel facilitates testing under three conditions - subsonic (below the
speed of the sound), at the speed of sound and supersonic (faster than the speed of
sound).
72. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) Startup Hub and Google have
announced to train 100 early to mid-stage homegrown startups under the Appscale
Academy program of 2023.
• At present, nearly 50% of startups in India come from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities in India.
• MeitY Startup Hub and Google furthermore will launch a multi-city roadshow aiming to
engage over 1,000 startups in cities such as Surat, Indore, Coimbatore, Gangtok, and
Jaipur.
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Knowledge Nuggets -
• Google launched the Appscale Academy program in October 2021 to train early to mid-
stage startups across India on building high-quality apps for the world.
• For this, Google has partnered with the Ministry of Electronics and IT’s Startup Hub.
• The Appscale Academy will help local startups across gaming, healthcare, financial
technology, education technology and social impact domains.
• 100 startups will be selected in the program every year.
• The program will have a special focus to the emerging startup ecosystem in Tier II and
Tier III cities of India.
73. Sri Lankans can now hold $10,000 worth of the Indian rupee in a physical form, though the
INR would not be legal tender in Sri Lanka after India approved a Sri Lankan request to
designate the INR as the foreign currency.
• Sri Lankan residents will now be able to convert the INR into another currency and to
enable this, Sri Lankan banks must sign an agreement with an Indian bank to open "INR
Nostro accounts" which means the accounts that banks hold in a foreign currency in
another bank.
• India has also allowed offshore banking units (OBU) of Lankan banks to accept savings,
time and demand deposits from non-residents.
74. Ministry of Tribal Affairs implemented a dedicated Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS)
“Scheme of Development of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups”.
• The scheme aims at planning for the socio-economic development of the PVTGs tribal
communities in a comprehensive manner while retaining their culture and heritage by
adopting a habitat development approach to fill in the critical gaps in development.
• The scheme aims to fill the gap in education, housing, livelihood, drinking water, agricultural
development, roads, health, installation of non-conventional sources of energy,
conservation of culture and traditional practices, etc.
• The projects/activities taken up under this scheme are demand-driven in nature.
75. Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) has signed a loan agreement with
SJVN Green Energy for financing over ₹4,000 crore for 1,000 MW solar power project at
Bikaner, Rajasthan.
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Knowledge Nuggets -
• Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA) is a Mini Ratna
(Category – I) Enterprise under the administrative control of Ministry of New and
Renewable Energy (MNRE).
• It was established as an NBFC in 1987 under the Companies Act of 1956. It is also
registered with RBI as an NBFC. It extends finance for new and renewable energy
projects.
• IREDA’s Motto is “Energy for Ever.”
• Chairman and MD of IREDA - Pradip Kumar Das
76. The Department of Commerce has expanded the scope of the Remission of Duties and
Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) scheme to include iron & steel, chemicals and
pharmaceuticals.
• The expanded list of items will be applicable for exports made from December 15.
• The outlay for the scheme is estimated to be Rs 1,000 crore. It is not specified whether the
outlay is for the current year or not.
Knowledge Nuggets -
• The scheme was notified on January 1, 2021, and replaced the controversial
Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) after a World Trade Organisation (WTO)
ruling said it violated the provisions of the global trade body by giving export subsidies for
a wide range of goods.
• Objectives of RoDTEP -
o To boost exports by reducing duties on exports & to provide easy refund of various
taxes to exporters.
o To provide the automatic refund route for Input tax credit (ITC).
o To help exporters in meeting international exports standards.
77. The 5th edition of Youth Co:Lab, Asia Pacific’s largest youth innovation movement, was
jointly launched by Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog and UNDP India.
• Youth Co: Lab is an initiative launched in 2019 by UNDP India in partnership with Atal
Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog.
• It aims to establish a common agenda for Asia-Pacific countries to invest in and empower
youth to accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
through leadership, social innovation, and entrepreneurship.
pg. 26
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• The Youth Co: Lab initiative, till date, has been implemented in 28 countries and
territories.
• The 5 focus thematic areas for Youth Co: lab 2022-23 are
o Digital and Financial Literacy for Youth
o Gender Equality and Women Economic Empowerment
o Developing FinTech Solutions focused on Biodiversity Conservation
o Promoting Biodiversity-friendly Lifestyles through Technological Solutions in Finance
o Accelerating Circular Economy through Upcycling Innovations
o Behavioural Nudges for LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment)
• Youth Co: Lab was launched in 2017 by UNDP and the Citi Foundation.
• It is a multi-dimensional and multi-level response to tackle the challenges young people
face by positioning youth at the forefront in finding solutions to global challenges tackling
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
78. The curtain raiser of India’s flagship energy event India Energy Week 2023 (IEW 2023) was
organised at Bengaluru, Karnataka.
• Tagline of the event: “Growth, Collaboration, Transition”
• It is being organised by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and supported by the
Indian Oil and Federation of Indian Petroleum Industry.
• It will be held from 6-8 February 2023 in Bengaluru during India’s G20 Presidency.
79. India has launched a ‘Group of Friends’ to promote accountability for crimes against
peacekeepers.
• India, Bangladesh, Egypt, France, Morocco and Nepal are co-chairs of the ‘Group of
Friends to Promote Accountability for Crimes Against Peacekeepers’ launched during
India’s current presidency of the UN Security Council.
80. Panini code — the 2500-year-old grammatical algorithm in Sanskrit — has been cracked by
Rishi Rajpopa, an Indian PhD student at the University of Cambridge.
• His thesis is titled as “In Panini, We Trust: Discovering the Algorithm for Rule Conflict
Resolution in the Astadhyayi”
• Panini is a famous Sanskrit scholar, philologist and grammarian.
pg. 27
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• He lived around the 5th century BCE in India and is considered the “first descriptive
linguist”. The western scholars consider him as the “father of linguists”.
• The most famous work of Panini is Astadhyayi book, which defines the ancient language of
Sanskrit.
81. President Droupadi Murmu is scheduled to launch an EV yatra portal and a mobile
application, developed by Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE).
• The mobile application helps to facilitate in-vehicle navigation to the nearest public EV
charger, and a website to disseminate information on various central and state-level
initiatives to promote e-mobility in the country.
• BEE has also developed a web-portal to enable charging point operators (CPOs) to register
their charging details securely into the National Online Database.
82. Lok Sabha has passed the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Third Amendment) Bill,
2022 to include the Hattee community in the Trans-Giri region of Sirmaur district in
Himachal Pradesh in the Scheduled Tribes list of the State.
83. Central Government has announced that all Child Care Institutions have to be compulsorily
registered with the district authorities and if they fail to do so then they will be asked to shut
down.
84. Union Cabinet has approved the National Geospatial Policy to boost entrepreneurship for
the socio-economic development of the country.
• Already, a National Geospatial Policy, 2021 is under implementation in India.
• Objective - It is a citizen-centric policy that liberalizes the geospatial sector and
democratizes the datasets generated by the use of public funds.
• It aims to develop the Geospatial Infrastructures and also seeks to strengthen the national
and sub-national arrangements for the generation and management of geospatial
information.
• As per the policy, the Geospatial sector in India is growing at 15% per annum, however, it
has a potential to grow at 25% p.a. and more. It can contribute to the economy to the tune
of Rs 1 lakh crore and employ nearly 10 lakh people by 2029-2030.
pg. 28
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• Government will constitute at the national level an authority named as the Geospatial Data
Promotion and Development Committee (GDPDC) who shall be the apex national
authority for formulating and implementing policies for promoting the geospatia
85. Union Health Minister, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya has inaugurated ICMR-NARFBR (National
Animal Resource Facility for Biomedical Research) at Genome Valley, Hyderabad.
• The facility will help in the study of animals in biomedical research for discovering causes,
diagnosis and treatment of zoonotic agents and diseases.
• Director General of ICMR and Secretary of the Department of Health Research - Dr
Rajiv Bahl
• Director of ICMR-NARFBR – Dr Ramchandra S.G.
86. Union Minister for Science & Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh, who is also the Vice President of
CSIR (Council of Scientific & Industrial Research), launched the "One Week, One Lab"
countrywide campaign from 6th January, 2023.
• Purpose – each and every lab of CSIR will display their innovations one by one every week
to the common citizens of India
• There are a total of 37 CSIR institutes/laboratories spread across the country.
• The campaign was launched during the 200th Governing Body Meeting of CSIR at the
Science Centre in New Delhi.
• A new tagline for CSIR has also been unveiled, which is “CSIR-The Innovation Engine of
India”.
• The implementation of paperless E-office across all labs with effect 01 April 2023 and E-
performance appraisal system for admin cadre staff for Reporting Year 2022-2023 was also
approved.
Knowledge Nuggets -
• CSIR was established on 26 September 1942 and was registered as a CSIR Society
under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
• It is an R&D organization under the Ministry of Science and Technology.
• Vision of CSIR@2030 - “Enhance quality of life of the citizens of India through innovative
Science and Technology, globally competitive R&D, by developing sustainable solutions
and capacity building to fulfil dream of Atmanirbhar Bharat”.
• Leadership of CSIR -
pg. 29
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o President – Prime Minister (ex-officio)

o Vice-President – Minister of Science and Technology (ex-officio)
o Director-General of CSIR and Secretary of Dept. Of Scientific and Industrial
Research – N. Kalaiselvi (1st woman)
87. Indian Railways received 800 proposals from startups to solve 11 problems under the
"Startups for Railways" initiative launched in June this year.
• In June 2022, the Minister of Railway Ashwini Vaishnaw launched Indian Railway
Innovation Policy — ‘StartUps for Railways’ in New Delhi to leverage innovative
technologies developed by Indian Startups, MSMEs, Innovators, Entrepreneurs to improve
operational efficiency and safety of Indian Railways.
• The policy aims to encourage young entrepreneurs to come up with ideas for improving
operational efficiency and safety.
• Portal for submission of solutions - www.innovation.indianrailways.gov.in
• Financial Grant – Rs 1.5 crores worth of grant will be given to the innovator on an equal
sharing basis
• The payment will be based on performance / achievement of milestones.
88. Aviation regulator Directorate General for Civil Aviation has introduced new features on its
e-governance platform (eGCA) for stakeholders.
• The eGCA, a single window e-governance platform, has been enhanced to further
improve the ease of doing business in the civil aviation ecosystem.
• Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has developed the system of eGCA.
89. Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog has opened applications for ‘ATL Marathon
2022-23’- a flagship innovation challenge under AIM’s Atal Tinkering Labs program.
• ATL Marathon is a national-level innovation challenge for young innovators across India
who can solve community problems of their choice, and develop innovative solutions in the
form of working prototypes or, minimum viable products (MVP).
• Theme of the ATL Marathon - “India’s G20 Presidency”
• Problem areas - Education, Health, Agriculture, Environment & Climate Sustainability,
Development, Digital Economy, Tourism, and Others (Identify your own problem and solve
it)
• Website for the Marathon - https://innovateindia.mygov.in/atl-marathon-2022/
pg. 30
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90. National Test House (NTH) will set up testing facilities for EV batteries and charging systems
at its Mumbai and Kolkata centres.
• NTH, set up in 1912, is one of the largest multidisciplinary testing labs of the central
government which caters to quality testing needs in different disciplines.
• NTH is registered in the Government e-Market (GeM) as a service provider in the category
"Testing and Calibration Service" to meet the testing needs of all government departments,
CABs, and PSUs, etc.
91. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has announced the integration of Government
e-Marketplace services (GeM) with Common Service Centres (CSC) and India Post.
• The Minister also launched the Government e-Marketplace Seller Samvaad Booklet.
The booklet is a compilation of testimonials from sellers and service providers based on
their experience on the GeM portal.
• GeM Seller Samvaad events were held in around 26 cities across the country in
collaboration with Press Information Bureau to facilitate an informal interaction of GeM
sellers and service providers with members of regional and local media to document their
journey in public procurement.
92. Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Fifth Amendment) Bill, 2022 has been passed by
Lok Sabha to include Dhanuhar, Dhanuwar, Kisan, Saunra, Saonra, and Binjhia
communities in the list of Scheduled Tribes in Chhattisgarh.
• The Bill includes Bhuinya, Bhuiyan, and Bhuyan communities as synonyms of the Bharia
Bhumia community. It also includes three Devanagari versions of the name of the Pando
community.
pg. 31
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93. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has flagged off the ground survey of Pey Jal
Survekshan.
• The Pey Jal Survekshan under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban
Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0 was launched by Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri
Hardeep Singh Puri.
• The scheme aims to assess the service level compliance of the city with respect to quality,
quantity, and coverage of water supply, sewerage and septage management, extent of
reuse & recycle of used water and conservation of water bodies in 500 (485 after merger)
AMRUT cities.
• Ministry has appointed a third-party agency, IPSOS to conduct the Survekshan.
94. Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas will organise a one of its kind musical event, Dance
to Decarbonise, at National Stadium in New Delhi.
• The event aims at showcasing India’s target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2070 vis-
a-vis the country's growing economy, rising energy requirements, and the implementation of
responsible energy sources over transformational energy systems for the future.
95. Commerce and industry Minister Piyush Goyal introduced the Jan Vishwas Bill in Lok Sabha,
which seeks to decriminalise minor offences by amending 183 provisions in 42 Acts with a
view to promote ease of business.
• The Bill was later referred to a 31-member joint committee of Parliament for scrutiny.
96. Union Steel Minister, Jyotiraditya Scindia, has launched India’s first Green Steel Brand
“KALYANI FeRRESTA” in New Delhi.
• This first-of-its-kind steel has been manufactured by a Pune-based Steel company,
Kalyani Group, by using renewable energy resources, leaving zero carbon footprints in the
environment.
97. India’s first infantry museum will be inaugurated in Mhow cantonment in Indore district of
Madhya Pradesh.
• There are 64 cantonment boards in India.
98. Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs has launched the Impact Leaders programme to
create Impact Leaders in the areas of Environmental-Social-Governance (ESG).
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• IICA is an autonomous institution under the aegis of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
• IICA has also formed a National Association of Impact Leaders which is a membership-
based association only for ESG professionals. The association will provide a platform for
further professional advancement and engagement to its members.
99. Ministry of Ayush is currently implementing a Central Sector Scheme titled

AYURSWASTHYA Yojana.
• Components of the scheme -
o AYUSH and Public Health: To promote AYUSH medication for community health
care.
o Up-gradation of facilities to Centre of Excellence: To provide financial assistance
to individual organizations/institutes to advance their R&D in AYUSH and establish
AYUSH medical health units in reputed AYUSH and Allopathic institutions both in
Government and Non-Government sector
▪ Financial support of Rs 10 crores per organization is given under this
component.
100. The tentative list of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites includes Sun temple, Modhera,
Gujarat; Vadnagar, Gujarat; and Rock-cut sculptures of Unakoti, Tripura.
101. 19th meeting of the Experts and Coordinators of the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization’s Interbank consortium (SCO-IBC) was held in New Delhi.
• During the meeting, it was decided to create a data bank of the various initiatives which
have been taken so.
• The bank will collect data on the work done towards the sustainable development goals,
and climate finance initiatives, besides sharing the best practices and experiences amongst
the member countries.
• India Infrastructure Finance Company Limited (IIFCL) is presiding over the Presidency
of the SCO Interbank Consortium (SCO IBC) during the period of October 26 to October
25 2023.
Knowledge Nuggets -
• The SCO IBC was established in 2005, under the decision made by the Council of
Heads of SCO Member States to create a mechanism to financially support and service
pg. 33
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investment projects in the SCO member countries’ economic area (Agreement on

Interbank Cooperation with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization).
• India Infrastructure Finance Cooperation Limited (IIFCL) was nominated by the
Ministry of Finance in 2017 to represent India at the SCO Interbank Consortium (SCO
IBC) and since then it has been participating in the forum.
102. Central Ayurveda Research Institute (CARI), New Delhi, and Central Ayurveda
Research Institute, Jhansi, have been accredited with NABH and NABL accreditations,
respectively.
• Both the CARIs come under the aegis of Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic
Sciences (CCRAS) of the Ministry of Ayush.
• Central Ayurveda Research Institute (CARI), New Delhi – provides OPD services in
ayurveda
• Central Ayurveda Research Institute, Jhansi – tests state-of-the-art Quality Control
Laboratories (Chemistry, Microbiology, Pharmacognosy), Ayurvedic Pharmacy, Central
Herbarium and Museum, and National Raw Drugs Repository (NRDR)
Knowledge Nuggets -
• National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH) is a
constituent board of Quality Council of India, set up to establish and operate accreditation
programme for healthcare organisations.
• National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) is an
accreditation body for testing laboratories, calibration laboratories, medical testing
laboratories, etc.
103. ISRO has announced to carry the scientific instruments of the USA on its forthcoming
Chandrayaan 3 mission.
• The Chandrayaan mission 2 also carried American scientific instruments.
• The Chandrayaan-3 mission is a continuation of Chandrayaan-2, which was launched in
July 2019. It will also be launched on the South Pole of moon.
104. Bengaluru-based Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research

(JNCASR), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology, has shown
for the first time infrared light emission and absorption with GaN nanostructures.
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• Gallium Nitride (GaN) is a very hard and mechanically stable wide band gap (WBG)
semiconductor, as it has a hexagonal crystal structure.
105. Central government will provide free foodgrains to about 81.35 crore beneficiaries under
the National Food Security Act (NFSA) for one year from January 1, 2023.
• The Centre will spend more than Rs 2 lakh crore in this period as food subsidy under
NFSA and other welfare schemes, to remove the financial burden of the poor and the
poorest of the poor.
• 5 kg food grains per person to Priority Households (PHH) beneficiaries and 35 kg per
household to Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) beneficiaries (poorest of the poor) will be
provided free of cost for the next 1 year.
106. India's first intranasal Covid vaccine iNCOVACC has been approved by the Ministry of
Health and Family Welfare as a booster or precautionary dose for those aged 18 years and
above.
• The vaccine will be added to the Co-Win app - a web platform for vaccination registration in
the country.
107. Atal Incubation Centre (AIC) at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) signed
agreements with MSMEs for the incubation of newer technologies into commercial products.
108. India and Bangladesh have decided to start talks for a free trade agreement (FTA) early.
109. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off West Bengal's first Vande Bharat Express on
the busy Howrah-New Jalpaiguri route.
• It will bring down travel time between Kolkata and Siliguri, the gateway to the Northeast
considerably.
110. “Lion@47: Vision for Amrutkal” has been prepared by the Ministry of Environment,
Forest and Climate Change for the conservation of the Asiatic Lion in Gujarat.
• The Project is being implemented in the Gir landscape in Gujarat which is the last home of
the Asiatic lion.
• Project Tiger is being implemented in tiger landscapes spread across the country in 53 tiger
reserves.
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Knowledge Nuggets -
• Already, the Project Lion is being implemented by the Gujarat govt and other
stakeholders like Central Zoo Authority.
• Financial assistance of Rs. 124.58 lakhs have been provided to State of Gujarat for
conservation of wildlife including Asiatic Lions under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme
(CSS)- ‘Development of Wildlife Habitats’ during the last three years.
111. A total of 10 captive-bred Asian Giant Tortoises (Manouria emys) have been released into
Ntangki National Park in Peren district, Nagaland, India to conserve one of the largest tortoise
species in mainland Asia.
• The Asian Giant Tortoise is listed as “critically endangered” on the International Union
for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species.
• The Nagaland Zoological Park in Dimapur has the highest number of Asian Giant
Tortoise, with 110 hatchlings and juveniles from 13 adults.
112. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs is organizing the Urban 20 (U20) event
during India’s G20 presidency from December 01, 2022 to November 30, 2023.
• Purpose - to provide a platform for cities from G20 countries to discuss important issues of
urban development, including climate change, social inclusion, sustainable mobility,
affordable housing, and financing of urban infrastructure
• Ahmedabad (a UNESCO World Heritage city) will host the U20 cycle.
113. Central Govt has mandated the digital attendance of workers employed under the
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGREGS) from
January 1, 2023.
114. Ministry of Mines has approved the purchase of two new surveyor ships, which will
replace the ageing RV Samudra Shaudhikama and RV Samudra Kaustabh and conduct
marine surveys for the Geological Survey of India (GSI).
• The RV Samudra Shaudhikama and RV Samudra Kaustabh were built in the Netherlands
and commissioned in 1984.
115. The bar-headed goose, considered one of the world’s highest-flying birds, recently visited
the Muttukadu backwaters in Tamil Nadu.
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116. Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comic (AVGC) Task Force has provided
recommendations for the growth and promotion of the AVGC sector.
• The AVGC Task Force was set up under the chairmanship of the Secretary of the
Information and Broadcasting Ministry (Apurva Chandra).
• Among the recommendations, the Task Force has called for a National AVGC-XR
(Extended Reality) Mission.
• Establish a National Centre of Excellence (COE) for the AVGC sector to become an
international reference point across Skilling, Education, Industry Development and
Research & Innovation for the AVGC sector.
• Four Sub-Task Forces were constituted for devising strategies of growth through targeted
interventions in their respective areas,
I) Industry & Policy headed by Shri Apurva Chandra, Secretary MOIB;
II) Education headed by Shri Anil Shahashrabudhe, then Chairperson AICTE;
III) Skilling headed by Shri Rajesh Aggarwal, then Secretary MoSDE, and;
IV) Gaming headed by Shri Vikram Sahay, JS MOIB. Their recommendations have
formed the basis of the consolidated report of the Task Force.
117. Project Vaani has been launched by the Indian Institute of Science-Bangalore, Google
and ARTPARK (AI and Robotics Technology Park).
• Purpose - to gather speech data from across India for the creation of an AI-based
language model that can understand diverse Indian languages and dialects
• Under Project Vaani, diverse languages used across India will be mapped by collecting
speech sets of around 1 million people from 773 districts over 3 years.
• The Project will cost Rs 30 to 40 million.
118. IIT-Guwahati and IIT-Bombay are collaborating with the European Universities for the
LOTUS Indo-European project.
• The LOTUS Indo-European project has been launched by Department of Science and
Technology and the European Commission for providing solutions for issues related to
the quality of water supplied across Indian households and elsewhere.
• Under the project, Universit Gustave Eiffel, IIT Guwahati, and the SME EGM, Sophia
Antipolis, France have developed the LOTUS water quality sensor.
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119. Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change has been implementing the
Assistance to Botanical Garden (ABG) Scheme since 1992 for ensuring the ex-situ
conservation of endemic and threatened species of plants in the network of Botanic
Garden.
• Botanical Survey of India is the implementing agency of the scheme.
• Rs 48.07 crores has been spent on this scheme, so far.
• Recently, the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India’s Report for 2020-21
highlighted the ineffectiveness of this scheme in the conservation of plants, due to delay in
fund release by the Ministry and lack of monitoring.
Knowledge Nuggets -
• Botanical Survey of India’s HQ – Kolkata
• Botanical Survey of India’s Director – Dr Ashiho Asosii Mao
120. According to a govt official, the Rs 200 per cooking gas cylinder subsidy for 12
cylinders per year under Ujjwala Scheme may be extended for another year in the upcoming
Budget 2023-24.
121. National Mission for Clean Ganga has approved 12 projects worth Rs 2700 crores for
developing sewerage infrastructure in the Ganga Basin.
• The Ganga Basin covers areas in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, with
a special focus on tributaries of Ganga.
Knowledge Nuggets -
• National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) was registered as a society in 2011 under the
Societies Registration Act 1860.
• It acted as an implementation arm of the National Ganga Council which was constituted
under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act (EPA),1986.
• Organizations for the effective implementation of the National Mission for Clean Ganga
(NMCG) -
o National Ganga Council is under chairmanship of Hon’ble Prime Minister of India.
o Empowered Task Force (ETF) on river Ganga under chairmanship of Hon’ble
Union Minister of Jal Shakti (Department of Water Resources, River Development
and Ganga Rejuvenation)
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122. Researchers at the IIT-Madras, Tel Aviv University and Columbia University are
studying a rare genetic brain disease called “GNB1 Encephalopathy” and trying to develop
a drug to treat it effectively.
• With less than 100 documented cases worldwide, GNB1 Encephalopathy is a kind of
neurological disorder which affects individuals in the foetus stage.
• A single nucleotide mutation in the GNB1 gene that makes one of the G-proteins, the “Gβ1
protein,” causes this disease.
• This mutation affects the patient since they are a foetus. Children born with GNB1 mutation
experience mental and physical developmental delay, epilepsy (abnormal brain activity),
movement problems.
• The research was supported by Indo-Israel Binational grant offered by Israel Science
Foundation (ISF) and India’s University Grants Commission (UGC).
123. IIT-Roorkee has developed the SwasthGarbh Mobile App for antenatal care and real-
time medical support for pregnant women.
• The free-of-cost application was developed in collaboration with the All-India Institute of
Medical Sciences (AIIMS), for women with poor access to healthcare services, especially
in rural areas.
124. Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution, Piyush Goyal, has
launched the Rights to Repair portal and the new premises of National Consumer Helpline
Centre.
• An MOU was also signed between the Ministry and IIT-BHU for undertaking the capacity
building programs of the consumer commissions.
125. India has handed over the Mangdechhu Hydroelectric Power Project (720 MW) to Druk
Green Power Corporation (DGPC) in Bhutan.
• With this project, India and Bhutan have successfully completed four mega hydroelectric
power projects. The commissioning of the project has increased Bhutan’s Electrical Power
Generation Capacity by 44%.
126. National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS), an autonomous society under
the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, will organize 2-days’ face-to-face capacity building programme
for Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) teachers.
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• Purpose - to implement Amazon Future Engineer Program in collaboration with the

Learning Links Foundation (LLF)
• Amazon Future Engineer is a comprehensive childhood-to-career program aimed at
increasing access to computer science education for children and young adults from
underserved and underrepresented communities.
• Amazon Future Engineer (AFE) Program is being launched in around 54 EMRSs across 6
States namely, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, and Telangana
in schools having access to digital infrastructure including a computer lab and stable active
internet connectivity.
127. The Department of Posts under Ministry of Communications has launched an ‘Online
request Transfer Portal’ for Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS).
• India has the largest network of Post Offices in the world consisting of more than 1.56
lac Post Offices across India, out of which more than 1,31,000 Branch Post Offices (BOs)
are in rural areas, where the Postal facilities are delivered by Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS).
128. The Ministry for Electronics & Information Technology (Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw) has
launched the "Stay Safe Online" campaign and the “G20 Digital Innovation Alliance”
(G20-DIA).
• The ‘Stay Safe Online Campaign’ aims to raise awareness among citizens to stay safe in
the online world due to the widespread use of social media platforms and the rapid adoption
of digital payments.
o The campaign will be carried out in English, Hindi and local languages to reach a
wider audience.
• G20 Digital Innovation Alliance aims to identify, recognize, and enable the adoption of
innovative and impactful digital technologies developed by start-ups, from G20 nations as
well as the invited non-member nations.
o Areas of Innovation - Agri-tech, Health-tech, Ed-tech, Fin-tech, Secured Digital
Infrastructure, and Circular Economy
129. Shri Hardeep S. Puri, Union Minister of Housing & Urban Affairs and Petroleum & Natural
Gas has launched ‘City Finance Rankings, 2022’ and ‘City Beauty Competition’ to take
India’s Urban Rejuvenation journey to next level.
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A) ‘City Finance Rankings’

• ‘City Finance Rankings’ aims to evaluate, recognize and reward Urban Local Bodies on the
basis of their strength across three financial parameters viz. resource mobilization,
expenditure performance and fiscal governance systems.
• The cities will be ranked at the national level on the basis of their scores under any one of the
following four population categories: (i) Above 4 million (ii) Between 1-4 million (iii) 100K to 1
million (iv) Less than 100,000.
• The top 3 cities in each population category will be recognized and rewarded at the national level
as well as within each state/state cluster.
B) ‘City Beauty Competition’
• The ‘City Beauty Competition’ aims to encourage and recognize the transformational efforts
made by cities and wards in India to create beautiful, innovative and inclusive public spaces.
• Wards and public places of cities would be judged against the five broad pillars (i) accessibility
(ii) amenities (iii) activities (iv) aesthetics and (v) ecology.
130. Indian Institute of Science (IISc) will be the secretariat for the Science 20 (S20), which is
one of the several groups of the G20.
• Theme of S20 - Disruptive Science for Innovative and Sustainable Development
STATE NEWS
1. Nirogi Haryana scheme has been launched to provide comprehensive free health check-
ups and required medical treatment to beneficiary families.
2. Meghalaya Mental Health & Social Care Policy has been launched for addressing the issues
of mental health and social care through collaborative engagement with communities.
• Meghalaya is the third state in the country to have a comprehensive policy on mental
health and social care, paying attention to these issues, especially among children,
adolescents and youth.
• Kerala and Karnataka are the other two states in the country to have such policies.
• In 2014, the Centre launched the first-ever National Mental Health Policy in an attempt to
provide universal psychiatry care.
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3. Assam government will soon introduce a scheme under which all female students pursuing
post-graduate courses in the state will be provided a yearly stipend of Rs 10,000 each.
4. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has launched One District One Sport
(ODOS) on the lines of the highly successful One District One Product (ODOP) scheme of the
government.
• Under the scheme, one sport will be identified in each of the 75 districts of UP and
necessary steps taken to find district-wise sport-specific talents and hone their skills.
• Firstly, the scheme would help in promoting sports culture and keeping the younger
generation healthy in the state and secondly, it will provide a platform for sportspersons to
nurture their talents and skills in order to take part in prestigious national and international
championships and win medals.
• ODOS sports and districts –
Wrestling – Varanasi, Athletics – Mainpuri, Hockey – Pratapgarh, Mau,
Gorakhpur, Chandauli, Firozabad, Jaunpur, Bhadohi, Bareilly, Lucknow, Rae Bareli,
Baghpat, Aajgarh, Deoria, Sambhal, Sitapur, Kasganj, Hardoi, Farrukhabad,
Maharajganj Unnao, Ayodhya, Kaushambi, Moradabad, Balrampur,
Etah, Amethi, Rampur, Etawah and Ghaziabad
Siddharthnagar,
Santakbirnagar, Chitrakoot,
Basti, Hamirpur, Hapur,
Meerut, Ghazipur, Shamli,
Ballia and Muzaffarnagar
Table Tennis – Agra, Kanpur Badminton – Aligarh and Weightlifting – Mirzapur and
Gautam Budh Nagar Bijnor
Boxing – Bulandshahr and Archery – Sonbhadra and Football – Hathras
Kushinagar Lalitpur
Swimming – Pilibhit Shooting – Banda Kabaddi – Kannauj
Lawn Tennis – Prayagraj - -
5. Tree Tag (Green startup in Kerala) has won Climathon-2022, a hackathon organized by the
Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) in Kochi, in the category of “Life on Land”.
• The hackathon was organized in collaboration with EY Global Delivery Services, UNDP,
Startup India, Global Shapers Kochi, NASSCOM and TiE Kerala.
pg. 42
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• The winners will receive a prize money of Rs 5 lakh.

• Climathon-2022 focussed on climate change with the theme of securing a sustainable and
climate-resilient future.
6. A first-of-its-kind Tribal Winter Festival was held in the Bandipora district of Jammu and
Kashmir.
7. 23rd Hornbill Festival 2022 has begun at Naga Heritage Village Kisama in Nagaland.
• Hornbill Festival of Nagaland is also popularly known as the ‘Festival of Festivals’.
• Hornbill is an Indian bird also known as the concave-casqued hornbill.
• G20 chief coordinator – Harsh Vardhan Shringla
8. West Bengal government has launched its ‘Graded Response Action Plan’ (GRAP) to
tackle the problem of air pollution in Kolkata and other non-attainment cities like Howrah,
Barrackpore, Durgapur, Haldia and Asansol.
• The GRAP (Graded Response Action Plan) is an emergency response action plan
invoked with a view to curb the further deterioration of adverse air quality scenarios. It is
also under implementation in Delhi and NCR.
• Air Quality Index:
9. President of India Droupadi Murmu launched “Open Loop Ticketing System” for the
Haryana State Transport Corporation on the occasion of Gita Mahotsav 2022 in
Kurukshetra.
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• Now, Haryana has become the first state to introduce the open-loop ticketing system for
roadways buses.
• Purpose - to help commuters to do away with buying physical tickets for roadways buses
• AU Small Finance Bank has partnered with the Haryana govt to operationalise this system
by providing National Common Mobility Card and other facilities.
10. Tamil Nadu Police Department has issued ‘Soulbound Tokens’ – Non-Fungible Tokens on
Blockchain platform – as rewards to its outstanding team members.
• The Idol Wing of the Tamil Nadu Police Department partnered with GuardianLink (a non-
fungible token (NFT) start-up which has offices in Singapore and Chennai) to issue
soulbound tokens to its outstanding team members.
• These virtual assets cannot be taken or given away.
11. Adani Group has bagged 259-hectare Dharavi Redevelopment Project with a ₹5,069 crores
bid.
12. Assam is celebrated the first-ever Silchar-Sylhet Festival to cherish the linguistic and
cultural ties between the Barak Valley region of Assam and the Sylhet segment of Bangladesh.
• Southern Assam’s Silchar town is hosting the two-day Silchar-Sylhet Festival that coincides
with the 75th year of India’s independence and the 50th anniversary of the liberation of
Bangladesh from Pakistan.
13. The 3rd edition of Odisha's flagship investment summit named “Make in Odisha Conclave
2022”.
• Altogether 741 proposals worth around Rs 10.5 lakh crore spanning across minerals,
metals, renewable and green energy, aerospace and defence sectors were received in the
past three days.
14. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has become the first state in India to set up a
separate Divyang department for the welfare of differently-abled people with a fund
allocation of Rs 1,143 crore.
• Maharashtra Foundation Day – May 1
pg. 44
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• Maharashtra State animal – Indian giant squirrel

• Maharashtra State bird – Yellow-footed green pigeon
• Maharashtra Butterfly – Blue Mormon
• Maharashtra flower – Pride of India/Jarul
• Maharashtra State tree – Mango Tree
15. Ladakh has approached the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS), a unit of Indian
Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for developing “Spatial Data Infrastructure geoportal
‘Geo-Ladakh’ for UT-Ladakh”.
• This portal will be used to find, access, distribute & contribute geospatial information and its
associated geographic services such as navigation, buffer, measurements analysis,
metadata catalogue, map catalogue and more.
16. The Telangana government has signed an MoU with Coinbase Inc to collaborate in building
a strong Web 3.0 community in the state.
• Amara Raja Batteries Limited (ARBL) has also signed an MOU with the Government of
Telangana for setting up of Lithium-ion Battery Gigafactory in Mahabubnagar district.
17. Uttarakhand has hired McKinsey, a global management consultancy, to achieve the target of
doubling its Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) in the next five years.
• The government has signed a two-year agreement with the company under Shashakt
(empowered) Uttarakhand mission.
• The company will work in areas like agriculture, horticulture, Urban (Brownfield and
greenfield cities), service sector, infra projects (core as well as social sectors) to accelerate
the income of the people and of the State.
• The State has the target of doubling GSDP from ₹2.73 lakh crore to ₹5.5 lakh crore by
achieving a CAGR of 15% in the next five years.
18. Kerala has announced to become a 100% renewable energy-based state by 2040 and net
carbon neutral by 2050.
• India Climate and Development Partners’ Meet was hosted by the Kerala government
and the World Bank.
• The Kerala State Action Plan on Climate Change 2023-2030 was released during the
meet.
pg. 45
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19. Assam Cabinet approved a bill to create a Safai Karamchari Commission.
20. West Bengal’s Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden – India’s largest
botanical garden – is currently under threat because of severe land erosion by Ganga river.
• It is situated in Shibpur, Howrah near Kolkata.
21. Kerala CM M.K. Stalin has inaugurated the Sanitation Workers’ Development Scheme to
protect the welfare of conservancy workers in the State.
22. Three medicinal plant species (Meizotropis pellita, Fritillaria cirrhosa, Dactylorhiza hatagirea)
found in the Himalayas have been added to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
• Meizotropis pellita: commonly known as Patwa; endemic to Uttarakhand; classified as
‘critically endangered’ due to limited area of occupancy (less than 10 sq. km)
• Fritillaria cirrhosa: commonly known as Himalayan fritillary; classified as ‘vulnerable’ by
IUCN
• Dactylorhiza hatagirea: commonly known as Salampanja; endemic to the Hindu Kush and
Himalayan ranges of Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan; classified as
‘endangered’ by IUCN
23. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has declared a seed farm, located in Aluva, as the
first carbon-neutral farm in the country.
• As many as 30% of greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture and this can be
prevented and climate change can be regulated through carbon-neutral agricultural
practices.
24. PM Narendra Modi has inaugurated the first phase of the greenfield international airport at
Mopa in North Goa.
25. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the 5th edition of Kochi-Muziris
Biennale, the country’s largest contemporary art exhibition.
• The art exhibition was organized on the theme of ‘In Our Veins Flow Ink and Fire’.
• The KMB was launched in 2012, and this year marks the 10th anniversary of the biennial
event.
pg. 46
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26. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 520-km-long phase-1 of the Nagpur-Mumbai
Samruddhi Mahamarg in Maharashtra.
• The stretch, which connects Nagpur and Shirdi, will be opened.
• The longest operational expressway in the country, Samruddhi Mahamarg is expected to
reduce travel time between Nagpur and Mumbai from 16 hours to eight hours.
• In total, PM launched 11 projects worth Rs 75,000 crores in Nagpur.

• The state-of-the-art facilities at AIIMS Nagpur was launched.
• Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana was launched in 2003.
• Components –
o Total 22 AIIMS to be created
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▪ AIIMS-Manethi (Haryana) has received the approval in 2019 and it became

the 23rd AIIMS of India. Right now, it is under-construction.
▪ AIIMS Manipur and AIIMS Karnataka have been proposed as the 24th and
25th AIIMS.
o Upgradation of Government Medical College (GMC)/ Institutions
27. Airbnb has signed an MOU with the Goa government to promote the state as one of the most
high-potential tourist destinations around the world.
28. Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated the All-India Institute of Ayurveda in
Dhargal, Goa.
• National Institute of Unani Medicine at Ghaziabad and National Institute of
Homeopathy in New Delhi were also inaugurated virtually.
• PM Narendra Modi has announced that India will have National Ayush Research
Consortium.
29. NTPC has established its new Devikot solar PV projects at Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. The solar
power projects will have a capacity of 150 MW and 90 MW.
30. Maharashtra government has set up a committee, headed by Mangal Prabhat Lodha, to
gather information on the interfaith and inter-caste marriage couples.
31. Kerala government has passed the Universities Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2022 to replace
the governor from the post of chancellor in the universities in the state.
• The government shall appoint an accommodation or a person of eminence from any field as
the chancellor of the universities.
• Chancellor will be appointed for a period of five years and the person appointed as chance
love shall be eligible for the appointment of one or more terms.
32. Karnataka government has formed a 5-member Cabinet Sub-committee, headed by JC

Madhuswamy (Law and Parliamentary affairs minister), to make recommendations on
providing internal reservation for scheduled caste.
• In the historic Indra Sawhney case (1992), the Supreme Court has provided the upper cap
of 50% reservation. Presently, the reservation in the state of Karnataka stands at 56%.
pg. 48
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• In 2012, the Justice AJ Sadashiva commission recommended the reclassification of SC.
33. Kozhikode, Kerala has applied for a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for its famous
Beypore Uru (boat).
• Beypore Uru is a wooden dhow (ship / sailing boat / sailing vessel) handcrafted by skilled
artisans and carpenters in Beypore, Kerala.
34. The 20th edition of the Chennai International Film Festival was inaugurated in the city.
• At the festival, 102 films from 51 countries will be screened.
35. Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA) and Indian Meteorological
Department (IMD) signed an MOU to "strengthen and densify the weather forecasting network
in the state."
• A committee has been formed to identify places for the installation of radars and other
weather forecasting equipment.
36. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has launched Orunodoi 2.0, one of the largest
DBT schemes in the country.
• Orunodoi 2.0 aims to empower women of economically vulnerable families, aged men,
specially-abled citizens and those belonging to the third gender with a minimum monthly
cash flow.
• The scheme commits a monthly transfer of Rs 1,250 to more than 27 lakh beneficiaries,
which is directly transferred to their bank accounts on the 10th day of every month for
procuring medicines, pulses, and sugar.
• This scheme will cost over Rs 4,000 crore to govt.
37. Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has inaugurated the Football Stadium at PA
Sangma Sports Complex in Tura.
pg. 49
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38. Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin has launched the “Friends of Library” scheme to
promote reading by delivering books to people who are unable to visit state-run libraries.
• Tamil Nadu has also launched a sanitary workers’ development scheme to focus on the
holistic development of sanitation workers and their family members with the help of urban
local bodies.
• Under the scheme, safety kits like gloves and boots will be distributed to 53,301 sanitary
workers in the state.
• The state launched a mobile application called SHWAS (Sanitation Workers Health
Welfare and Safety).
• Tamil Nadu is the 2nd state in India, after Odisha, to implement such a scheme and mobile
application for sanitation workers.
39. Telangana will disburse ₹7600 crore to farmers under its ‘Rythu Bandhu’ scheme.
• Rythu Bandhu scheme (aka Farmer's Investment Support Scheme) is a welfare program to
support farmer’s investment for two crops a year.
40. Uttar Pradesh has signed an agreement with the California-based "Austin University" to
build a $42 billion 'Smart City of Knowledge' in the state.
• To be built on 5,000 acres of land at a cost of USD 42 billion, the Knowledge City will
include the best universities of the world.
41. Meghalaya has ranked first in the country as far as the average monthly income per
agricultural household is concerned at Rs 29,348 per month.
• After Meghalaya, other North-Eastern states’ rank remains as such — Arunachal Pradesh
(Rs 19,225), Mizoram (Rs 17,964), Sikkim (Rs 12,447), Manipur (Rs 11,227), Assam (Rs
10,675), Tripura (Rs 9,918) and Nagaland (Rs 9,877).
• At an all-India level, Punjab’s average monthly income per agricultural household is
second-highest at Rs 26,701, which is then followed by Haryana (Rs 22,841), Arunachal
Pradesh (Rs 19,225), and Jammu & Kashmir (Rs 18,918).
42. J&K signed an MOU with the Ladakh administration for conferring professional status to
each other. This MOU will also allow “J&K Bank” to become the “preferred banker” of the
UT.
pg. 50
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• J&K has approved the Rehabilitation Policy for Children in Street Situation to safeguard
children from dangerous situations.
43. Kerala has launched its 1st smart mobile composting unit. The state will eliminate its waste
management issues by 2026.
44. Odisha has launched the ‘Drink from Tap’ project in 19 cities and towns of the state.
• In October 2020, the Odisha government launched the 'Sujal-Drink from Tap Mission' to
provide quality drinking water which would be suitable for consumption from the tap in Puri
and Bhuvneshwar.
45. Kerala Startup Mission has signed an MOU with HDFC Bank to engage more deeply with the
start-up community and to promote entrepreneurship in the state.
• The Bank will extend its full-suite of specialized services and facilities tailored for start-ups,
known as Smart-Up, to all the firms associated with KSUM.
46. Manipur CM N Biren Singh has upgraded the Inner Line Permit (ILP) System portal of the
state.
Knowledge Nuggets -
• Article 371 provides special status to some states in India -
o 371. Special provision with respect to the States of Maharashtra and
o Gujarat.
o 371A. Special provision with respect to the State of Nagaland.
o 371B. Special provision with respect to the State of Assam.
o 371C. Special provision with respect to the State of Manipur.
o 371D. Special provisions with respect to the State of Andhra Pradesh or
o the State of Telangana.
o 371E. Establishment of Central University in Andhra Pradesh.
o 371F. Special provisions with respect to the State of Sikkim.
o 371G. Special provision with respect to the State of Mizoram.
o 371H. Special provision with respect to the State of Arunachal Pradesh.
o 371-I. Special provision with respect to the State of Goa.
o 371J. Special provisions with respect to the State of Karnataka
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• States which require Inner Line Permit – Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland,
Manipur, and Lakshadweep
47. Uttarakhand Governor Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Gurmit Singh gave a nod to the State’s Freedom of
Religion (Amendment) Act for making unlawful conversions a cognizable and non-bailable
offence punishable with a prison term of up to 10 years.
• Uttarakhand will now be slapped with a fine of at least Rs 50,000.
48. Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Anurag Singh Thakur inaugurated the Sports
Science Centre in Udupi, Karnataka.
49. Maharashtra Women and Child Development department has launched ‘Balsnehi’ (child-
friendly) buses and vans under an initiative to rehabilitate street children.
• The project will be implemented in six districts where ‘flying squads’ will move around in
dedicated vehicles to help bring these street children into the mainstream of the society and
ensure their education.
• The project will be implemented in Mumbai city and its suburbs, Thane, Nashik, Pune and
Nagpur, over a period of six months.
50. Ladakh celebrated Losar Festival to mark the Ladakhi New Year. It will continue for nine
days from the new year.
51. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal reviewed the progress of the real-time source
apportionment project, which is being implemented by the Delhi Pollution Control
Committee, in collaboration with IIT-Kanpur, IIT-Delhi, and TERI.
• Under this project, a supersite with cutting-edge air analysers and a mobile air quality
monitoring system will be used to measure the concentration of various substances in the
air above Delhi.
52. Uttarakhand launched the “Climate Resilient Livelihood for Disaster Prone Region of
Uttarakhand”, in collaboration with SBI Foundation and HESCO’s Project.
• Purpose – to create livelihood options for people living in disaster-prone areas
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53. The 10th edition of the North East Festival was organized at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium,
Delhi from December 23- 26, 2022.
54. Tamil Nadu Forest Department and HCL Foundation (CSR arm of HCL Technologies) have
partnered to clean the debris in the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park in Tamil Nadu.
55. Odisha Cabinet has approved the provision of Rs 367.19 crores for five years from 2022-23
to 2026-27 for implementation of the State Scheme “Empowerment of Women in
Agriculture-Promotion of Entrepreneurship for Women SHG (WSHG)”.
• The scheme aims to double the mushroom production across the State through area
expansion involving women beneficiaries/WSHGs and to make the state self-sufficient in
the production of button mushroom and loose flowers.
• The state Cabinet has also approved the provision of over Rs 1100 crore for four years
from 2022-23 to 2025-26 for implementation of the State Scheme- “Development of
Potato, Vegetable and Spices” with the involvement of WSHGs and FPOs.
o Purpose - to provide financial assistance to the farmers for the cultivation of Potato,
Onions, Hybrid vegetables, and Spices in order to make the State self-sufficient in
the production of 5 vegetables (Potato, Onion, Tomato, Cauliflower & Cabbage)
along with an increase in area and production under spices
56. Tamil Nadu has launched India’s first Nilgiri Tahr project to conserve the State animal of
Tamil Nadu at a cost of ₹25.14 crore.
• The project aims for the conservation of Tamil Nadu’s State animal, expansion of its habitat
and to spread awareness among the public.
• The Nilgiri Tahr is the only mountain ungulate in Southern India among the 12 species
present in India.
57. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s constituency named Dharmadam has become
India’s first and only constituency to have a library in all the wards.
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• Kerala is perhaps the only state in India that has a library in every village.
58. Union Minister of Roads Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has inaugurated India’s
second longest cable-stayed eight-lane Zuari Bridge in Goa.
AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

1. International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) scientists, in
collaboration with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), have developed high-resolution
spatial maps of croplands.
• The maps will be used for insurance claims and agriculture policy decision-making on
targeting regenerative agriculture (RA).
• The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) is a non-
profit, non-political organization that conducts agricultural research for development in the
drylands of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
• Est. - 1972
• ICRISAT is headquartered in Hyderabad, Telangana State, in India, with two regional
hubs (Nairobi, Kenya and Bamako, Mali) and country offices in Niger, Nigeria, Zimbabwe,
Malawi, Ethiopia and Mozambique.
• ICRISAT envisions a prosperous, food-secure and resilient dryland tropics.
2. ICAR-Indian Agriculture Research Institute developed a drought-tolerant variety of

Chickpea named 'Pusa JG 16'.
• Collaborators - Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya (JNKVV) Jabalpur, Rajmata
Vijayaraje Scindia Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Gwalior and ICRISAT, Patancheru, Hyderabad
• The variety will enhance productivity in the drought-prone areas of Central Zone consisting
of Madhya Pradesh, Bundelkhand area of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Southern
Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Gujarat, where terminal drought is a major problem and
sometimes leads to 50-100% loss of yield.
3. Department of Industry Promotion and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry
has issued the GI tags to 9 new products, taking the number of GI-tagged products to 432.
pg. 54
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• The products include -
Knowledge Nuggets -
• GI tags are issued as per the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and
Protection) Act,1999. This tag is issued by the Geographical Indication Registry under the
Department of Industry Promotion and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and
Industry.
• The top 5 states holding the maximum number of GIs are Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttar
Pradesh, Karnataka, and Kerala.
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4. Dharti Agro Chemicals Pvt. Ltd. is the first in the world to introduce GMS-based Cowpea
Hybrids in the market and has released three hybrids in Cowpea – Bubbly, Sherly and
Poorvaja.
• Cowpea is easily affordable and provides rich source of protein and micronutrients.
• Being a leguminous crop, it fixes atmospheric nitrogen, is involved in carbon
sequestration and soil amelioration, thus reducing agriculture’s contribution towards
volumes of crop protection products, enhancing and sustaining soil health.
5. Union Cabinet approved minimum support prices (MSPs) for copra for 2023 season, fixing
it at Rs 10,860 per quintal for fair average quality of milling copra and at Rs 11,750 per
quintal for ball copra.
• The approval is based on recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs
and Prices.
6. Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued the Type Certification for the
Kisan drones made by Garuda Aerospace.
• DGCA has also authorised Garuda Aerospace as Remote Pilot Training Organisation
(RPTO) to train people to operate drones.
• Thus, it became the first company to get DGCA’s double certification for Kisan Drones.
7. Union Agriculture Ministry has formed an Advisory Group for streamlining the
development of the Bamboo sector.
• Functions of the committee - The members of the committee shall advise the Ministry of
Agriculture & Farmers Welfare on issues and technologies in propagation, plantation of
bamboo & intercropping, primary processing, product development, value addition, market
infrastructure and linkages, processing machineries, skill development etc.
• The Union Agriculture Secretary (Manoj Ahuja) will be the Chairperson and Mission
Director of National Bamboo Mission (Manoj Kumar) will be the Convener of the
Committee.
• The Advisory group includes academicians, researchers, innovators, progressive
entrepreneurs, designers, farmer leaders, marketing specialists and policy makers.
• The National Bamboo Mission (NBM) was launched during 2018-19 as a Centrally
Sponsored Scheme for the development of complete value chain of Bamboo sector.
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DEFENCE NEWS
1. The Annual Joint HADR (Human Assistance and Disaster Resilience) Exercise ‘Samanvay
2022’ was conducted by the Indian Air Force at the Air Force Station, Agra.
2. Indian Army has trained a kite named “Arjun” to prey on enemy drones. It was showcased
during the ongoing joint training exercise Yudh Abhyas of India and the US in Uttarakhand’s
Auli.
3. 12th Edition of Exercise Agni Warrior, a bilateral exercise between the Singapore & Indian
Army, was held at Field Firing Ranges, Maharashtra.
4. Indian Coast Guard has commissioned Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Mk-III squadron,
840 Sqn (CG), was commissioned by DG Shri VS Pathania at ICG Air Station, Chennai.
• The ALH Mk-III helicopters are indigenously manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics
Limited (HAL).
5. INS Kochi, Kavaratti and Sumedha arrived in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh to participate in the
maiden International Fleet Review (IFR) being conducted by the Bangladesh Navy.
• IFR-22 is conducted by Bangladesh to commemorate the Birth Centenary of the Father of
the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of
the Independence of Bangladesh.
• Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina was the Chief Guest at the IFR.
• INS Kochi is a part of the Indian Navy’s Western Fleet based at Mumbai, whilst INS
Kavaratti and INS Sumedha form part of the Eastern Fleet based at Visakhapatnam.
6. 7th edition of Exercise Sangam, a joint Naval Special Forces exercise between Indian
Navy MARCOs and US Navy SEALs, was organized in Goa.
• Exercise Sangam was first conducted in 1994.
• MARCOS are the marine commandos and United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL)
Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's primary special operations
force.
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7. 39th edition of India-Indonesia Coordinated Patrol (IND-INDO CORPAT) between the

Indian Navy and the Indonesian Navy is being conducted from 08 – 19 December 2022.
8. 6th edition of Indo - Kazakhstan joint army training exercise “KAZIND-22” is being
conducted at Umroi (Meghalaya) from 15 to 28 December 2022.
• The joint annual training exercise with the Kazakhstan Army was instituted in 2016 as
Exercise Prabal Dostyk, which was later upgraded to a company-level exercise and
renamed the Ex Kazind in 2018.
9. The 16th edition of the Indo-Nepal joint army training Exercise “SURYA KIRAN-XVI” was
held at Nepal Army Battle School, Saljhandi.
10. All 36 Rafale aircrafts have arrived in India from France.

• India and France had signed the inter-government agreement in 2016, under which Paris
agreed to provide 36 Rafale fighter jets at a cost of around Rs 60,000 crore to India.
• The first batch of five Rafale jets arrived on 29th July 2020.
11. Kalyani Rafael Advanced Systems Pvt Ltd (KRAS), which is a 51:49 joint venture between
Pune-based Kalyani Group and Israel’s Rafael group, has rolled out its 100th medium range
surface to air missile (MRSAM) kit for delivery to the Indian armed forces.
12. Indian Air Force (IAF) will conduct an exercise in the Eastern Sector of the country.
• As per sources, this will be a command-level exercise planned by the eastern command to
test the capabilities of IAF on the China front.
• Air bases in Assam's Tezpur, Chhabua, Jorhat and West Bengal's Hashimara are likely to
be activated in the exercise. Hasimara air base is home to the Rafale fighter jets.
13. Indian Naval Ship (INS) Mormugao, a P-15B stealth-guided missile destroyer, was
commissioned into the Indian Navy.
• This was the second ship to be inducted as a part of the four ‘Visakhapatnam’ class
destroyers.
• Indigenously designed by the Navy’s in-house organisation Warship Design Bureau and
constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in the country’s financial
capital Mumbai.
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14. INSV Tarini has set sail for an expedition to Cape Town, South Africa for participating in the
50th edition of Cape to Rio Race 2023 - ocean sailing race.
• This race will be flagged off from Cape Town, South Africa and will end at Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil.
15. Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders (MDL) delivered the fifth Scorpene Submarine 'Vagir' of
Project P-75 to the Indian Navy.
• The sixth Scorpene submarine - Vaghsheer was launched on 20 April 2022 and is
getting readied for trials.
16. ‘INS Arnala’, the first of the eight of the Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft
Project, being built by GRSE for the Indian Navy.
17. Innovations for Defence Excellence (IDEX) has signed its 150th contract with Pune-based
Altair Infrasec Pvt Ltd.
• Altair Infrasec Pvt Ltd. won Defence India Start-up Challenge (DISC 7) SPRINT
edition. Now, Altair will develop the ‘Expendable Mobile Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW)
Training Target (EMATT) capable of simulating the sound and movement of a submarine’.
Knowledge Nuggets -
• Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) is the flagship initiative of the Department of
Defence Production and it was rolled out to encourage start-ups and other such entities
engaged in defence innovation.
18. India and Japan will conduct their first-ever air exercise named “Veer Guardian” from
January 16 to 26, 2023.
• This 10-day exercise will be held between the Indian Air Force and the Japanese Air
Self-Defence Force (JASDF) at Japan’s Hyakuri air base and Iruma air base.
19. Ministry of Defence has announced to procure indigenous short-range ballistic surface-to-
surface (SRBM) missile named Pralay (developed by DRDO).
• The missile will be India’s first tactical quasi-ballistic missile.
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• Key Features of Pralay – It is a ballistic missile with a low trajectory. It can manoeuvre
(change its path) in flight. It has been designed to evade interceptor missile. High accuracy.
Capable of carrying 350-700 kg of deadly warheads.
o 'Pralay' ballistic missile is a canisterised tactical, surface-to-surface, and short-range
ballistic missile (SRBM) for battlefield use. It can hit targets from a distance of 150 to
500 km and is extremely difficult to intercept by enemy interceptor missiles
Knowledge Nuggets -
• The Pralay missile project was sanctioned in 2015 and is a derivative of the Prahaar
missile programme, which was first tested in 2011.
• Pralay is a short-range ballistic missile. Unlike intercontinental ballistic missiles that exit
the Earth’s atmosphere, short-range ballistic missiles stay within it.
• India is planning to create a Rocket Force, envisaged by Late CDS Bipin Rawat, which
will include the BrahMos as well as the Smerch and indigenous Pinaka multi-barrel
missile launchers, besides a few other systems that are being built.
20. Union Home Minister launched ‘Prahari’ app for Border Security Force (BSF) Jawans to
provide personal and service-related information, housing, Ayushman- Central Armed Police
Forces (CAPF) and leave related information to Jawans.
• The app will also connect the Jawans with the portal of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• BSF Motto - Duty until death
• BSF Est. - 1 December 1965
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
1. Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) and Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) signed an MOU to work together “to trace India’s legacy in the field of science and
technology” and find out if India was a ‘Vishwa Guru’.
• ICHR Chairman - Raghuvendra Tanwar
2. Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) signed an MOU with top six engineering institutes of
India for establishment of ‘BIS Standardization Chair Professor’ at these institutes.
pg. 60
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• Purpose – to introduce Indian standards as an integral part of the curriculum

• The MoU was signed with IIT-Indore, IIT- Patna, IIT- Madras, IIT- BHU, Malaviya National
Institute of Technology Jaipur, and National Institute of Technology Trichy.
3. The Comptroller & Auditor General of India and the Comptroller General of the Republic
of Chile have signed an MOU to strengthen institutional and professional capacities and
learn from each other’s best practices at the Chilean capital of Santiago.
• Chile Capital – Santiago; Currency – Chilean peso; National Language – Spanish
• Chile is located in South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the
closest to Antarctica.
• Chile is home to the world’s driest desert named Atacama.
• Article 148 of the Indian Constitution - There shall be a Comptroller and Auditor-
General of India who shall be appointed by the President by warrant under his hand and
seal and shall only be removed from office in like manner and on like grounds as a Judge
of the Supreme Court.
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4. India and Germany have signed an agreement on comprehensive migration and mobility.
5. ISRO’s Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center (In-Space) has signed
an MOU with Vyom Space Exploration and Services Pvt Ltd (based in Gurugram) for its
“human and cargo transportation capsule program".
6. ISRO has signed an MOU with Social Alpha, a multistage innovation curation and venture
development platform for science and technology start-ups, to launch SpaceTech Innovation
Network (SpIN).
• SpIN is India’s first dedicated platform for innovation, curation, and venture development
for the space startups.
• SpIN will primarily focus on three categories: Geospatial Technologies and Downstream
Applications; Enabling Technologies for Space & Mobility; and Aerospace Materials,
Sensors, and Avionics.
• SpIN has also launched its first innovation challenge. The selected start-ups and
innovators will be able to access both Social Alpha’s and ISRO’s infrastructure and
resources.
o Early-stage start-ups for developing solutions in areas of maritime and land
transportation, urbanisation, mapping, and surveying, disaster management, food
security, sustainable agriculture, environmental monitoring, and natural resources
management, among others are encouraged to apply.
7. SIDBI has signed an MOU with the Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority of
Saudi Arabia (Monsha’at) for exploring and collaborating on matters of common interest in
the development and boosting MSMEs in their respective countries.
• SIDBI will offer its expertise and experience to the newly launched SME Bank in Saudi
Arabia.
8. National Investment and Infrastructure Fund Ltd (NIIFL) has signed an MOU with the Tamil
Nadu Infrastructure Development Board (TNIDB) to help attract commercial capital into
infrastructure opportunities in the state, under the public private project (PPP) model.
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9. MTAR Technologies has signed an MOU with IN-SPACe India for design and development of
a two-stage to low-earth orbit all-liquid small satellite launch vehicle.
Knowledge Nuggets -
• Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) is a single-
window, independent, nodal agency which functions as an autonomous agency in
Department of Space (DOS).
• Chairman of IN-SPACe – Pawan Goenka
• Headquarters – Ahmedabad, Gujarat
10. All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) has signed an MOU with the University of Medical
Sciences, Cuba.
• The AIIA has also extended the agreement with Rosenberg European Academy of
Ayurveda (REAA), Germany, for five more years to take forward collaborative
programmes.
• The agreements were signed during the 9th World Ayurveda Congress (WAC) and
Arogya Expo in Goa.
• All India Institute of Ayurveda is an autonomous institution under the Ministry of
AYUSH. It is set up along the lines of AIIMS as an apex institution under the Ministry.
• AIIA will bring synergy between the traditional wisdom of Ayurveda and modern
diagnostic tools and technology.
• The AIIA was established in 2017 in Delhi.
11. The Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) has signed an MOU with Shiprocket
to support micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) exporters in India showcasing their
products on the Indian Business Portal (IBP).
12. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare and the Department of Space have signed an
MOU to develop a Krishi-Decision Support System (Krishi-DSS) using satellite data.
• Krishi-DSS is being developed on the lines of Gati Shakti, using RISAT-1A and VEDAS of
the Department of Space.
• RISAT-1A data will be extremely useful in developing decision support systems for
agriculture, bioresources, environment, water resources and disaster management.
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• The system will also integrate the MOSDAC and BHUVAN (Geo-platform) of ISRO and
systems of ICAR.
Knowledge Nuggets -
• RISAT-1A is India’s first Radar Imaging Satellite, which was launched on 14th February
2022. RISAT-1A is an all-weather satellite and can penetrate deep into vegetation. It can
take high-resolution geospatial images regardless of lighting conditions.
• The Meteorological & Oceanographic Satellite Data Archival Centre (MOSDAC) is a Data
Centre of the Space Applications Centre (SAC) and has a facility for satellite data
reception, processing, analysis and dissemination.
o MOSDAC is operationally supplying earth observation data from Indian
meteorology and oceanography satellites, to cater to national and international
research requirements.
• BHUVAN is a type of web portal used to find and access geographic information
(geospatial information) and associated geographic services (display, editing, analysis,
etc.) via the Internet.
13. Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council – Texprocil and the Cotton Corporation of
India (CCI) has signed an MoU for branding and traceability of Indian-grown Kasturi Cotton
during the two-day Textile Conclave in Varanasi, UP.
• The Textile Conclave coincided with the Kashi Tamil Samagam event in Varanasi.
• Union Minister for Textiles, Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public
Distribution, Piyush Goyal has entrusted Texprocil with the responsibility of being the
implementing agency for branding the premium Indian cotton Kasturi.
Knowledge Nuggets -
• Chairman of Texprocil - Sunil Patwari
• Cotton Corporation of India was established in 1970 under the Ministry of Textiles.
• CCI Chairman and Managing Director – Sh. Lalit Kumar Gupta
• CCI HQ – Mumbai
14. National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL) has signed
an MOU with NIT Manipur for bringing innovation in highway construction.
• In 2022-23, NHIDCL has signed MOUs with various prestigious institutes like IIT Roorkee,
IIT Kanpur, CSIR-CRRI, NSDC, IIT Patna, NIT Srinagar, NIT Agartala, NIT Silchar, NIT
pg. 64
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Uttarakhand, NIT Nagaland NIT Sikkim, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Mandi, IIT Bombay, IIT Guwahati
and NIT Jote, Arunachal Pradesh for innovation.
15. ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India has signed an MOU with the National Skill Development
Corporation (NSDC) to provide digital skill training to more than 1,600 young people across
the country.
Knowledge Nuggets -
• National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) is a not-for-profit public limited company
incorporated in 2008 under the Companies Act, 1956.
• The Government of India through Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship
(MSDE) holds 49% of the share capital of NSDC, while the private sector has the
balance 51% of the share capital.
16. Russia and India have signed an MOU to assist local entrepreneurs and enterprises to find
and promote investment projects on the territories of two countries.
• Signatories to the MOU –
o Party I - Minister of the Moscow City Government, Head of the Department for
External Economic and International Relations of Moscow (DEEIR), Chairman of the
Board of the Business Council for Cooperation with India (BCCI) and
o Party II - Indian Chambers of International Business (ICIB)
17. Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd has signed an MOU with the Controller General of
Defence Accounts, under the Ministry of Defence to allow itself to be a SPARSH (System
for Pension Administration (Raksha) service centre to provide data verification for
pensioners.
• This makes Equitas the first small finance bank inducted by the government for the
SPARSH programme.
18. Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) has signed an
MOU with Bangalore-based deep tech startup QNu Labs to develop indigenous Satellite
QKD (quantum key distribution) products.
19. US-based Cognizant has signed an MoU with Chennai-based drone startup, Garuda
Aerospace to fit advanced digital capabilities on its drones.
pg. 65
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• The partnership aims at bringing innovative solutions at scale for enterprises looking to
achieve greater agility, productivity, and high return on investment.
20. Tata Projects Ltd. has signed an MOU with the Council of Scientific and Industrial
Research—Indian Institute of Petroleum (CSIR-IIP) to jointly work towards clean energy
solutions.
21. NTPC Ltd. and GE Power India Limited have signed an MOU to demonstrate technologies to
reduce the carbon footprint of NTPC’s existing coal-fired power plants.
• GE Power will conduct the feasibility study for developing technologies to reduce NTPC’s
carbon footprint.
Knowledge Nuggets -
• NTPC is India’s largest power utility with an installed capacity of 70,824 MW (including
JVs).
• It plans to become a 130 GW company by 2032.
• Established in 1975, NTPC aims to be the world’s largest and best power major.
• It is a Maharatna company.
• NTPC CMD – Gurdeep Singh
22. Tata Steel and TuTr Hyperloop have signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) at IIT-
Madras to jointly work on development and deployment of Hyperloop technology at scale.
23. NTPC Limited has signed a non-binding MOU with Tecnimont Private Limited, Indian
subsidiary of Italy-based Maire Tecnimont Group.
• Purpose – to collaborate for green methanol production facility at an NTPC project in India
• The green methanol project involves capturing carbon from NTPC power plants and
converting it into a green fuel.
24. Ministry of Power has signed an MOU with Defence Research and Development
Organization (DRDO), Ministry of Defence for the implementation of Early Warning System
for Vulnerable Hydro Projects/Power Stations.
• Ministry of Power and DRDO will jointly work towards developing suitable mitigation
measures against avalanches, landslides, glaciers, glacial lakes and other geo-hazards.
pg. 66
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25. Indian Oil Corp. Ltd. has signed an MOU with the Central TB Division under the Union
Health Ministry and the states of Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to undertake intensified
tuberculosis (TB) elimination project, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
activities.
• Uttar Pradesh and Chhatisgarh share the highest burden of TB cases among large states in
India.
26. Atal Incubation Centre (AIC) at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) signed
agreements with MSMEs for incubation of newer technologies into commercial products.
• Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) is India’s premier nuclear research facility
headquartered in Trombay, Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• After the demise of Dr Homi Jehangir Bhabha in 1966, AEET was renamed Bhabha
Atomic Research Centre (BARC).
• Director of BARC - Ajit Kumar Mohanty
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
1. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) water-powered CubeSat spacecraft,
EQUilibriUm Lunar-Earth point 6U (EQUULEUS), was launched on its way by NASA's
Orion spacecraft.
• This is the world's first successful orbit control beyond low-Earth orbit using a water
propellant propulsion system.
• The EQUULEUS mission's primary goal is to demonstrate low-energy trajectory control
technologies for reaching deep space locations such as EML2 using less fuel.
2. A UNESCO’s taskforce has recommended that Australia's Great Barrier Reef should be
added to a list of "in danger" World Heritage sites.
• Baguette — the staple French bread — was included in the UNESCO’s list of intangible
cultural heritage (ICH).
• The baguette is a long and thin loaf made of flour, water, salt and yeast, and is consumed
as a staple in France. It is believed to be invented by August Zang, a baker and an
entrepreneur from Vienna in 1839.
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3. Israeli Navy conducted a successful test of a long-range interceptor missile against an

“advanced” cruise missile.
• The LRAD missile, part of the Barak MX defense system, is developed by the Israeli
Aerospace Industries and the Defense Ministry’s research and development division,
known by the Hebrew acronym MAFAT.
• The Sa’ar 6-class corvette INS Magen launched the missile after detecting a target that
resembled an advanced cruise missile.
4. India has assumed the presidency of UN Security Council for the month of December 2022.
• India was elected as the president in August 2021 also.
5. India will assume the chairmanship of the Wassenaar Arrangement, a multilateral

technology control agreement, on 1 January 2023, for a period of one year.
• The Wassenaar Arrangement came into being in 1996 and has 42 members. The WA
operates on a voluntary basis and decisions are made by consensus.
• The primary goal of the organisation is to restrict access to sensitive technologies for
terrorist outfits.
• The agreement is a multilateral export control regime, which, through regular information
exchange among members on transfers of conventional arms and dual-use goods and
technologies, seeks to promote transparency and greater responsibility in such transfers
and prevent destabilising accumulations.
• The US, the UK, Japan, South Korea, France, Germany and Australia are some key
members of the WA. Prominent non-members include China and Israel. India will take
over from Ireland.
6. Saudi Arabia has extended its term for a USD 3 billion deposit to support the Pakistan’s
cash-strapped economy.
• Saudi Arabia Capital – Riyadh; Currency - Saudi Riyal; National Language – Arabic
• The country is home to Mecca and Medina, the two holiest cities in Islam.
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7. 1st Sherpa Meeting of India’s G20 Presidency was held in Udaipur, Rajasthan.
• The Jal Sanjhi art form is an incredible 300-year-old Rajasthani rare art form where the
canvas is the surface of water. Mr. Rajesh Vaishnav, a Jal Sanjhi Artist, created a beautiful
piece of art for all the guests to view and appreciate.
• A sherpa is the personal representative of a head of state or head of government who
prepares an international summit, such as the annual G7 and G20 summits.
• G20 Establishment Year – 1999
• 2023 G20 Presidency – India (18th edition); Theme - “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” or
“One Earth One Family One Future”
• G20 members –
8. World Bank has approved USD 250 million financing to help Bangladesh strengthen
environment management and promote private sector participation in green investment.
• The country has launched the Bangladesh Environmental Sustainability and
Transformation (BEST) Project to tackle key pollution issues.
9. Isaac Herzog has become the first Israeli President to visit Bahrain.
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10. Invasive Group A Strep (iGAS)-caused bacterial infection has claimed the lives of at least 6
children in the United Kingdom.
• Some of the symptoms of GAS infections are sore throat, fever, chills and muscle aches.
11. US Air Force has unveiled its newest nuclear stealth bomber named as B-21 Raider
(world’s first sixth-generation aircraft).
• B-21 Raider has been developed by Northrop Grumman.
12. 17th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible
Cultural Heritage was hosted by the Kingdom of Morocco in Rabat.
• Botswana to host the 18th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the
Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
13. World Trade Organization’s Goods Trade Barometer has forecasted a slowdown in trade
growth in the last quarter of 2022 and in 2023 due to Russia-Ukraine war.
• The current value of the index is 96.2.
14. Japan has announced to develop Mitsubishi F-X fighter jet, its next-generation fighter jet, in
collaboration with the United Kingdom and Italy.
• The Mitsubishi F-X fighter jet will replace the aging fleet of F-2s that Japan previously
developed with the United States.
• These countries will also collaborate for developing the next-generation planes – the F-X
and Britain’s Tempest, a successor to the Eurofighter Typhoon – by 2035.
• Japan capital – Tokyo; currency – Yen; Japanese name of the country – Nippon; Popular
as – The Land of the Rising Sun
• Japanese Yen is a part of the Special Drawing Rights basket of International Monetary
Fund, along with US Dollar, Chinese Renminbi, British Pound Sterling, and Euro.
• Japan is an archipelago of 4000 small islands.
• Main islands of Japan are Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku, and Okinawa.
• Japan’s Hiroshima city is located on the Honshu island and Nagasaki is located on
Kyushu island.
• Kyoto City on Honshu island is the ‘Cultural Capital of Japan’.
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• Osaka city on Honshu island is called the ‘Manchester city of Japan’.

• Japan’s highest civilian honours (descending order) –
o Order of the Chrysanthemum
o Order of the Rising Sun
• Hiroshima Day – August 6 (Bomb name - little boy)

• Nagasaki Day – August 9 (Bomb name - fat man)
15. The first China-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit was held at the King Abdulaziz
International Conference Center in Riyadh.
16. The 17th Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting (APRM) of the International Labour Organization
was organized in Singapore.
• Singapore Declaration for Labour Protection was adopted at the meeting. It was a
tripartite declaration which aims to address the challenges with the participation of all
stakeholders (government, employers, and workers).
• The Declaration focuses on reducing inequalities. It has suggested ways to reduce
inequalities.
o Develop inclusive labour market programmes and policies.
o Implement collective and determined efforts to accelerate a smooth transition from
the informal to formal economy.
o Facilitate the transition to peace, security and decent work in situations of crisis.
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o Recognise the impact of climate change and develop national plans that help build
environmentally sustainable economies and societies.
o Frame policies to regulate labour migration to coordinate labour mobility and social
protection and harness opportunities arising from labour migration
17. Japan has launched its first lunar mission on the Falcon-9 rocket of SpaceX from Cape
Canaveral in the US state of Florida.
• The spacecraft has been developed by Tokyo-based startup ispace. It is expected to land
on moon’s surface in 2023.
• The ispace mission is the first of a program called Hakuto-R, which means “white rabbit” in
Japanese.
• UAE has also launched a rover, named Rashid, along with ispace’s mission. If it
successfully lands, it will be the Arab World’s First Moon Mission.
18. Kenya and South Africa have announced the Just Transition initiative to end plastic
pollution in a way that is as fair and inclusive as possible to everyone concerned.
• The Just Transition initiative aims to create decent work opportunities for waste-pickers and
other workers in the plastic value chain.
• The first Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) to phase out
plastic was held in Uruguay from November 28 to December 2, 2022.
• International Alliance of Waste Pickers is a networking process of that connects and
supports thousands of waste picker organisations in over 28 countries.
19. European Space Agency (ESA) has informed that an asteroid not larger than the Statue of
Liberty is travelling towards the Earth.
• The asteroid has been named 2015 RN35.
20. G7 countries have created an International Climate Club for countries that want to
cooperate in the fight against global warming.
• The climate club aims to support the rapid and ambitious implementation of the Paris
Agreement, which seeks to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees
Fahrenheit).
• G7 Presidency in 2022 – Germany
• G7 Presidency in 2023 – Japan
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Knowledge Nuggets -
• G 7 is an international informal finance group consisting 7 industrialized nations Canada,
France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
• G 7 was established in 1975 to facilitate economic cooperation among the world’s largest
industrial nations.
• Summits -
o 48th summit (2022) – Germany
o 49th summit (2023) – Japan
o 50th summit (2024) – Italy
21. G7 countries, along with Norway and Denmark, has approved $15.5 billion to Vietnam to
help the Southeast Asian nation move faster from coal power to renewable energy.
• Vietnam aims to reduce its emissions to “net zero” by 2050.
• Vietnam has initiated the Just Energy Transition Partnership to mobilise $15.5 billion of
public and private finance to support Vietnam to achieve its ambitious Net Zero 2050 goal.
22. In the United States, wildlife officials declared a Nevada wildflower endangered.
• The wildflower is the only place it’s known to exist.
23. European Union has given Bosnia a Candidate status.

Knowledge Nuggets -
• Bosnia and Herzegovina is a developing country, located on the Balkan peninsula in
Europe.
• Capital – Sarajevo; Currency - Bosnia-Herzegovina Convertible Marka; Official Language
– None
• The country has three ethnic groups, of which Bosniaks are the largest group of three,
the Serbs are the second-largest, and the Croats are the third-largest.
• In English, all natives of Bosnia and Herzegovina, regardless of ethnicity, are called
Bosnian.
• During WWI, Bosnia was a part of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. After WWII, it
became a part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. After the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1992,
Bosnia proclaimed independence.
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24. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has released the
Global Trade Update- December 2022.
• Global trade is set to reach almost US $32 trillion in 2022, but its growth has turned
negative during the second half of 2022.
Knowledge Nuggets -
• United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) was established in
1964 in Geneva, Switzerland.
• UNCTAD’s Secretary-general – Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica (first woman and
Central American).
25. NASA astronauts Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio successfully installed Roll-Out Solar
Array on the starboard truss structure of the space station.
26. The 54-member UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) adopted a resolution to
remove Iran from the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) for the remainder of its
four-year term ending in 2026.
Knowledge Nuggets -
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• The UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the principal global

intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and
the empowerment of women.
• The CSW was established by ECOSOC in 1946.
27. NASSCOM Foundation has launched the “Aspirational Districts Programme” for digitally
enabling and skilling more than 3.5 million lives by March 2024, thus empowering the
marginalized in remote and backward sectors of India.
• Under the programme, NASSCOM Foundation is tapping into more than 100 aspirational
districts out of which 55 districts have been identified as of now across 23 states.
28. According to a new study published in Nature Astronomy, two exoplanets - Kepler-138c and
Kepler-138d – have been found by NASA in Kepler 138, which is 218 light years away from
Earth in the constellation named Lyra.
• United States Air Force (USAF) has successfully tested its first prototype hypersonic
missile named AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon, or ARRW ("Arrow").
29. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket has launched the Swot (surface water and ocean topography)
satellite into orbit to provide information about the water bodies on Earth and help researchers
better understand climate breakdown.
• The satellite has been jointly launched by NASA and the French space agency CNES, in
partnership with the British and Canadian space agencies.
• It will make the world’s first-ever global survey of the Earth’s surface water.
30. Nigeria and Rwanda became the first African nations to sign the Artemis Accords during
the first-ever U.S.-Africa Space Forum.
• The Artemis Accords are a broad non-binding framework that lay out agreements for
responsible and peaceful international exploration of the moon.
• The Artemis Accords were launched jointly by NASA and the U.S. State Department along
with eight nations in 2020 for advancing bilateral and multilateral space cooperation
between signatories.
• Now, there are 23 signatories to the Accords, which sets of principles and best practices
for exploration.
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31. Romania, Hungary, Azerbaijan and Georgia signed an agreement on the Black Sea
submarine cable for the transport of electricity from the Caspian area to Romania.
32. Japan has unveiled a $320 billion plan for raising its military build-up – the largest since the
Second World War.
33. European Union members have agreed to implement a minimum tax rate of 15% on big
businesses in accordance with Pillar 2 of the OECD’s Global Tax Agreement framed by the
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) last year.
34. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz officially unveiled the country's first floating liquefied
natural gas (LNG) terminal.
35. UAE launched a biometric service at the Abu Dhabi airport under which no passport or
ticket will be required anymore and a passenger's face will be his boarding pass.
• That means passengers can use their faces to get a boarding pass at the airport.
• This advanced AI technology is designed by Abu Dhabi-based tech company, NEXT50.
36. Scientists working on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef have successfully trialled a new method
for freezing and storing coral larvae they say could eventually help rewild reefs threatened by
climate change.
• It is the world’s first with Great Barrier Reef coral.
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• Scientists used cryomesh to freeze coral larvae at the Australian Institute of Marine
Sciences (AIMS).
37. European Union has introduced the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), also
known as the carbon border tax, to add a pollution price on certain imports to the EU.
38. According to the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Science & Engineering Indicators
2022 report of the United States, India’s position globally has improved from the 7th position in
2010 to the 3rd position in 2020 in scientific publications.
• India now ranks 3rd in terms of the number of PhDs in science and engineering.
39. NASA has ended its InSight mission after more than four years of collecting information on
Mars.
• Launched in 2018, InSight was the first robotic probe that was specially designed to study
the interiors of Mars.
40. NASA has selected Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) of California, to provide
launch services for the Sentinel-6B mission.
• Sentinel-6B has been collecting long-term global sea level data since 1992.
• The mission is a partnership between NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the European Organization
for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites.
41. High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature and People has announced the formation of a
new permanent Secretariat to be co-hosted by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the
Global Environment Facility (GEF).
• This coalition is an intergovernmental group of 116 countries co-chaired by Costa Rica
and France and by the UK as Ocean co-chair.
• The coalition was officially launched at the One Planet Summit in Paris in 2021.
42. The Russian government is working towards supplying the third S-400 air defence systems
to India in time by January-February 2023.
• The first two squadrons have already been operationalised in the northern and eastern
sectors respectively.
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43. IIT-Kharagpur aims to become the world-wide benchmark in education excellence by

establishing IIT-Malaysia.
• It will be a major step for the institute to set its global footprint in the international
domain of Higher Education promoting Indian standards of education.
44. Serbia is terminating visa-free entry for Indians from January 1, 2023. From Jan 1, Indian
passport holders will no longer have the luxury of traveling to Serbia without a valid visa.
• Earlier, diplomatic and official Indian passport holders were allowed to visit the country for
90 days without any visa, while the duration was 30 days for ordinary passport holders.
45. Japan has adopted a plan to extend the operation of existing nuclear power reactors and
replace ageing facilities with new advanced ones.
46. According to the Centre for Economics and Business Research’s (CEBR) 14th World
Economic League Table (WELT 2023), India will become the third economic superpower
by 2037 and a $10-trillion economy by 2035.
• The annual rate of India’s GDP will be 6.4% over the next five years.
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• The annual rate of India's GDP growth will be 6.5% on average in the subsequent nine
years.
• This growth trajectory will push India’s ranking from fifth place on the World Economic
League Table in 2022 to third in the global rankings by 2037.
47. According to a new research study, the population of Antarctica’s Emperor Penguins may
go extinct by 2100, if immediate actions are not taken.
• The populations of up to 97% of land-based Antarctic species could decline by the end of
this century.
REPORTS AND INDICES

1. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has released the
“Review of Maritime Transport 2022” report.
• For 2022, UNCTAD projects maritime trade growth to slow down to 1.4%, and for the period
2023–2027 to expand at an annual average of 2.1%, a slower rate than the previous three-
decade average of 3.3%.
2. World Bank has released the “Migration and Development Brief 37”, in collaboration with
KNOMAD.
• Remittance flows to South Asia are expected to grow 3.5% to reach $163 billion in 2022,
benefiting from a heavy lift from India and Nepal.
• India’s remittances are anticipated to reach a milestone of $100 billion in 2022, in
comparison to $89.4 billion in 2021.
• India’s growth rate in remittances is 12% over 2021-22.
• A change in trend – These remittances are coming from high-skilled labours and from
high-income countries.
• US has replaced UAE as the main source of remittance for India in 2022, with 23%
remittance contribution.
• Mexico is the second topmost remittance recipient with a tally of $60 billion (which replaced
China in second position during 2021).
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3. World Bank has released the “Climate Investment Opportunities in India’s Cooling
Sector” report.
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• As per the report, shifting to a more energy-efficient pathway could lead to a substantial
reduction in expected CO2 levels over the next two decades.
• Over 160-200 million Indians could be exposed to lethal heat waves.
• It suggests a sustainable roadmap for cooling that has the potential to reduce 300 million
tons of carbon dioxide annually by 2040.
Knowledge Nuggets -
• In 2019, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has launched the India
Cooling Action Plan to address the cooling requirement across sectors and lists out
actions which can help reduce the cooling demand.
• Targets under the India Cooling Action –
(i) Reduce cooling demand across sectors by 20% to 25% by 2037-38
(ii) reduce refrigerant demand by 25% to 30% by 2037-38,
(iii) Reduce cooling energy requirements by 25% to 40% by 2037-38,
(iv) recognize “cooling and related areas” as a thrust area of research under national
S&T Programme,
(v) training and certification of 100,000 servicing sector technicians by 2022-23,
synergizing with Skill India Mission
4. World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has released its first State of Global Water
Resources report to assess the impact of climate change on the world’s water resources.
• The volume of water available in the Ganga river and the groundwater in the river-basin
have both seen a significant fall between 2002 and 2021.
• Apart from this, the report has presented general observations about the deterioration of the
freshwater resources of the world.
• WMO is dedicated to international cooperation and coordination on the state and
behaviour of the Earth’s atmosphere, its interaction with the land and oceans, the
weather and climate it produces, and the resulting distribution of water resources.
• Year of Establishment – 1950
• Headquarters – Geneva, Switzerland
• Secretary General – Gerhard Adrian
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• Member - 187 Member States and 6 Member Territories (divided into 6 regions – Africa,
Asia, South America, North America, Central America and the Caribbean, South-West
Pacific, Europe).
5. World Health Organization has released the first-ever “Global Report on Health Equity for
Persons with Disabilities”.
• December 3 – International Day of Persons with Disabilities; Theme - “Transformative
solutions for inclusive development: the role of innovation in fuelling an accessible and
equitable world”
• As per the report, an estimated 1.3 billion people – or 16% of global population worldwide –
experience a significant disability
• Due to systematic and persistent health inequalities, they are at higher risk of dying up to
20 years earlier than people without disabilities.
• The report recommends 40 steps the governments can implement to make healthcare
sector more inclusive.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations
that is concerned with international public health.
• WHO began when its Constitution came into force on 7 April 1948 – a date when we
celebrate every year as World Health Day.
6. International Labour Organization has released the “Global Wage Report 2022-23”.
• Subtitle - The impact of inflation and COVID-19 on wages and purchasing power
• The report estimates that global monthly wages fell in real terms to 0.9% in the first half of
2022.
• This is the first negative global wage growth recorded since the first edition of the Global
Wage Report in 2008.
• Among the G20 countries, which account for some 60% of the world’s wage employees,
real wages in the first half of 2022 are estimated to have declined to –2.2% in advanced
economies, while wage growth in emerging economies slowed but remained positive at
0.8%.
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• The average wages of advanced G20 countries is $4,000 per month and for emerging
G20 countries, it is $1,800 per month.
• 17th International Labour Organization Asia and the Pacific Regional Meeting was
recently organized in Singapore.
• The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency dealing with
labour problems, particularly international labour standards, social protection, and work
opportunities for all.
• India has ratified a total of 47 ILO Conventions.
• The recent conventions ratified by India are 138 and 182. These were ratified in 2017.
o Convention 138 – This convention specifies the minimum age for employing
individuals. Developing or Least Developed Countries where economy and
educational facilities are insufficiently developed may, specify a minimum age of
14 years. In India, this is the minimum employable age.
o Convention 182 – It prohibits worst forms of child labour.
7. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has released the “Turning the tide on
internal displacement: A development approach to solutions” report.
• According to the report, for the first time ever, more than 100 million people were forcibly
displaced in 2022, most of them within their own countries.
• At the end of 2021, there were over 59 million people forcibly displaced within their own
countries due to conflict, violence, disasters and climate change.
• According to the World Bank, climate change could force more than an estimated 216
million people to move within their own countries by 2050.
• UNDP is based on the merging of the United Nations Expanded Programme of Technical
Assistance, created in 1949, and the United Nations Special Fund, established in 1958.
• Afterwards, the UNDP was established in 1966 by the General Assembly of the United
Nations.
8. The Economist Intelligence Unit has released the Worldwide Cost of Living 2022 report.
pg. 83
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• Total – 172 cities

• Top 10 most expensive cities in 2022 –
1. New York and Singapore (tie)
3. Tel Aviv, Israel
4. Hong Kong and Los Angeles (tie)
6. Zurich, Switzerland
7. Geneva, Switzerland
8. San Francisco, California
9. Paris, France
10. Copenhagen, Denmark
• Economist Intelligence Unit was created in 1946.
• It helps businesses, financial firms and governments to understand how the world is
changing and how that creates opportunities to be seized and risks to be managed.
9. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has released the “The Future of Food and
Agriculture — Drivers and triggers for transformation”.
• If the necessary changes are not made in the agri-food system, the world will witness
persistent food insecurity, degradation of resources, and unsustainable economic growth in
the future.
• The report has suggested four different scenarios for agri-food systems, which are –
o ‘More of the same’ scenario – the continuation of the present scenario
o ‘Adjusted future’ scenario – some steps are taken to ensure sustainable agrifood
systems at a slow pace
o ‘Race to the bottom’ scenario – the world is in the worst version of itself
o ‘Trading off for sustainability’ – short-term GPD growth is sacrificed to make agri-
food, socioeconomic and environmental systems more inclusive, resilient and
sustainable
• The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is specialized agency of the United
Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. The goal is to achieve food
security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality
food to lead active, healthy lives.
pg. 84
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• Headquarters – Rome, Italy
FAO’s Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) –

• FAO’s Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) is an intergovernmental body, established
jointly by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the WHO in 1963,
within the framework of the Joint Food Standards Programme.
• The Secretariat of the CAC is hosted at FAO headquarters in Rome.
• It was established to protect the health of consumers and ensure fair practices in the
food trade.
• It meets in regular session once a year alternating between Geneva and Rome.
• Currently, it has 189 Codex Members.
10. 2022 New Energy Outlook report has been released by BloombergNEF to keep the
temperature increase to 1.77 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by 2050.
• The report has provided certain recommendations for limiting the temperature increase to
1.77 degrees Celsius –
o Emissions need to fall by 30% by 2030 and by 6% a year to 2040.
o Investments in the clean energy sector must triple to reach Net Zero by 2050.
o About 25% of total emissions can be reduced using low-carbon electricity in the
transport sector and industrial processes.
o The rest of the emissions can be reduced by hydrogen and carbon capture and
storage (CCS).
▪ CCS is the process of using technology to capture carbon emissions from
industrial processes or power generation, from where it is transported and
stored underground for posterity.
• BloombergNEF (BNEF) is a strategic research provider covering global commodity
markets and the disruptive technologies driving the transition to a low-carbon economy.
11. 14th World Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion was held in Adelaide,
Australia.
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• “Preventing injuries and violence: an overview” report was released by WHO during the
conference.
• Injuries and violence take the lives of some 12,000 people around the world each day.
• 3 of the top 5 causes of death among people aged 5–29 years are injury related, namely
road traffic injuries, homicide and suicide.
12. The 2nd edition of the “State of Finance for Nature” report has been released by the UN
Environment Program.
• The report has been released in collaboration with Economics of Land Degradation
initiative of Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development
(BMZ), the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and the
European Commission.
• As per the report, the current global investment in Nature-based Solutions is $154
billion per annum, which needs to be increased to $384 billion by 2025.
13. Passport Index 2022 has been published by Arton Capital.

• Top – UAE
• India – 87th rank (22 countries allow Indian passports visa-free entry)
14. Global Aviation Safety Ranking has been released by the International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO).
• Total – 187 countries
• India is ranked at the 48th position. Four years ago, India was ranked at 102nd rank.
• Singapore is at the top, followed by the UAE and South Korea at the second and third
positions, respectively.
15. Tribal Development Report 2022 was launched by the Bharat Rural Livelihood Foundation
(BRLF).
• The BRLF, which claims to be the first of its kind since 1947, was set up by the Union
Cabinet in 2013 as an independent society under the Union Ministry of Rural
Development to work for the society in partnership with central and state governments.
• As per the 2011 Census, India’s tribal communities form 8.6% of the country’s population.
• Central India is home to 80% of the tribal communities in the country.
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16. “Tuberculosis Research Funding Trends, 2005–2021” report has been published by the
Treatment Action Group (TAG) and the Stop TB Partnership.
• In 2021, the funding for TB research and development reached the $1 billion threshold
for the first time in history.
• The United Nations High-Level Meeting on TB in 2018 set the target of $2 billion per
annum for R&D.
17. International Energy Agency has released the “Renewables 2022: Analysis and forecast
to 2027” report.
Global Scenario –
• Over 2022-2027, renewables are seen growing by almost 2,400 GW, equal to the entire
installed power capacity of China at present.
• Renewables are set to account for over 90% of global electricity capacity expansion over
the forecast period.
• Renewables will become the largest source of global electricity generation by early
2025, surpassing coal. Its share in the total energy mix is set to increase to 38% by 2027.
• Electricity from wind and solar PV more than doubles in the next five years, providing
almost 20% of global power generation in 2027.
• Solar PV’s installed power capacity is set to surpass that of coal by 2027, becoming the
largest in the world.
• Global wind capacity will double almost, with offshore projects accounting for one-fifth of the
growth. Over 570 GW of new onshore wind capacity are forecast to become operational
over the 2022-27 period.
Country-Wise Data –
• China is forecast to install almost half of new global renewable power capacity over
2022-2027.
• In India, the new renewable energy installations are set to double over the forecast period,
led by solar PV to achieve the government’s ambitious target of 500 GW of non-fossil
capacity by 2030.
• Solar PV manufacturing investment in India and the United States is expected to reach
almost USD 25 billion over 2022-2027, a sevenfold increase compared with the last five
years.
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• India, the world's third-highest energy consumer, is expected to add 145 GW of renewable
energy capacity by 2027, with solar energy accounting for 75% of the addition.
• IEA was created in 1974.
• HQ - Paris, France
• Members - 31 member countries, 11 association countries, and 4 accession countries
18. World Bank has released the “International Debt Report 2022”, formerly International Debt
Statistics (IDS).
• The debt of low and middle-income countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa has increased
to a record high of $789 billion in 2021.
• This high level of debt is beyond the repayment capacity of the countries in this region.
19. The 5th edition of the WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System
(GLASS) has been released.
• It was first launched in 2015 to foster AMR surveillance and inform strategies to contain
AMR.
20. WHO has released the “World Malaria Report 2022”.

• Covid-19 has disrupted attempts to control malaria. It has caused 63,000 more deaths and
13 million more infections globally over the last two years.
• Globally, there were an estimated 247 million malaria cases in 2021 in 84 malaria
endemic countries (including the territory of French Guiana), an increase from 245 million in
2020.
• Belize and Cabo Verde reported zero malaria cases for the third consecutive year, with
Iran and Malaysia reporting zero indigenous cases for the fourth consecutive year.
• Five countries – Azerbaijan, Belize, Cabo Verde, Iran (Islamic Republic of) and Tajikistan
– have submitted an official request for malaria free certification.
• In 2021, with the ongoing increase in malaria cases, HBHI countries accounted for 68% of
all cases and 70% of deaths globally.
Knowledge Nuggets -
• In 2018, WHO launched the High Burden to High Impact countries to tackle the
problem of malaria in 11 countries.
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• These countries are Burkina, Cameroon, DRC, Ghana, Mali, India, Mozambique, Niger,
Nigeria, Uganda, and Tanzania.
• Approximately 70% of the world’s malaria burden is concentrated in just 11 countries.
• Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016–2030 (GTS) aims at reducing malaria
cases and deaths by at least 40% by 2020, at least 75% by 2025 and at least 90% by
2030.
21. According to The Wheebox India Skills 2023 Report, the employability of Indians has
increased.
• 50.3% of Indians were found to be employable as compared to the 46.2% last year.
• Parameters - Wheebox’s national employability test (for freshers) and India hiring intent
survey (for companies)
• Among cities, Mumbai has the highest overall employment percentage of candidates,
followed by Lucknow and Mangalore.
• The report found women to be more employable at 52.8%, as compared to men at 47.2%.
• Currently, the share of women in India’s workforce – at 33% – is much less than that of
males at 67%.
• On the other hand, countries in South America, Asia, and Africa have a women’s workforce
participation rate of 36%.
• Rajasthan has the most percentage of employable females at 53.5%, followed by Uttar
Pradesh at 46.5%.
22. World Bank has released the “Striving for Clean Air: Air Pollution and Public Health in
South Asia” report.
• South Asia is home to 9 of the world’s 10 cities with the worst air pollution, which
causes an estimated 2 million premature deaths across the region each year and incurs
significant economic costs.
23. Swedish think-tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) has released
the list of top 100 arms-producing companies.
• Two Indian defence PSUs, Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) at 42nd rank and Bharat
Electronics (BEL) at 63rd rank have figured in this list.
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• India has set an ambitious target of a $26 billion turnover in manufacturing of aerospace
and defence goods, with exports of $5 billion, by 2025.
• The USA has the maximum number of companies (at 40) in the top 100, which account for
$299 billion in arms’ sales in 2021.
• Top 3 Producers - Lockheed Martin ($60 billion arms sales in 2021), Raytheon ($42 billion)
and Boeing ($33 billion)
24. International Energy Agency has released the “Coal 2022: Analysis and forecast to 2025”
report.
• By 2025, India’s coal production would exceed 1 billion tonnes.
• Coal markets have been shaken severely in 2022, with traditional trade flows disrupted,
prices soaring and demand set to grow by 1.2%, reaching an all-time high and surpassing 8
billion tonnes for the first time.
25. The 11th Global Food Security Index has been released by the British weekly The
Economist.
• Parameters – Affordability, Availability, Quality and Safety, and Natural Resources and
Resilience
• India is ranked at the 68th position, along with Algeria with an overall score of 58.9. In
2021, India was ranked at 71st rank.
pg. 90
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• China’s position is 25th with a score of 74.2.

• A total of 113 countries have featured on this list.
26. Economic Advisory Council to Prime Minister (EAC-PM) released the Social Progress
Index (SPI) for states and districts of India.
• Developer - Institute for Competitiveness and Social Progress Imperative
• Parameters: It assesses states and districts across three critical dimensions of social
progress
o Basic Human Needs.
o Foundations of Wellbeing.
o Opportunity.
• Under each dimension there are four components (refer below image)
• It uses an extensive framework comprising 89 indicators at the state level and 49 at the
district level.
pg. 91
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• Its overall score is scaled from 0 (lowest) to 100 (highest) to provide social progress
performance of states and districts.
• Based on the SPI scores, states and districts are ranked under 6 tiers of social progress.
They are
o Tier 1: Very High Social Progress.
o Tier 2: High Social Progress.
o Tier 3: Upper Middle Social Progress.
o Tier 4: Lower Middle Social Progress.
o Tier 5: Low Social Progress.
o Tier 6: Very Low Social Progress.
• Best-performing states: Puducherry, Lakshadweep, and Goa.
• Top 3 best-performing districts: Aizawl (Mizoram), Solan (Himachal Pradesh), and
Shimla (Himachal Pradesh).
Knowledge Nuggets -
• This national level SPI dwells on India's performance based on the global SPI released
Social Progress Imperative since 2013.
• In 2022 global SPI, India was ranked 110th out of 169 countries with score 60.2/100 and
was placed in fourth tier of performance.
• India's aggregate SPI score of 60.2 in 2022 was slightly lower than the world average of
65.2.
27. UI GreenMetric World University Rankings 2022 has been released by The Universitas
Indonesia and the Manipal Academy of Higher Education in Manipal, Karnataka.
• Top rankers -
pg. 92
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28. World Bank has released the “2022 in Nine Charts” report to assess the year of 2022.
• Poverty -
o In 2022, 685 million people are living in extreme poverty. This makes 2022 the
second-worst year for poverty reduction in the past 20 years after the year 2020.
o Around 7% of the global population (574 million people) will live in extreme poverty
by 2030, which is far short of the global goal of 3% in 2030.
• Debt Crisis -
o Currently, 60% of the world’s poorest countries are either in debt distress or at risk of
it.
• Energy Crisis -
o At present, 733 million people do not have access to electricity. By 2030, over 670
million people will remain without access to electricity.
• Learning Poverty -
o Of every 100 children in low and middle-income countries, 60 are “learning deprived”
and 10 are deprived of schools.
BANKING AND ECONOMY

1. Britain's Rolls-Royce has successfully run an aircraft engine on hydrogen. It is the first
aircraft engine that was operated on hydrogen.
2. YES Bank has signed a share purchase agreement (SPA) with US-based JC Flowers Asset
Reconstruction Company (ARC) for purchasing a 9.9% stake in the ARC.
3. Life Insurance Corporation of India has reduced its holding in Bharat Bijlee from 6.695% to
4.54%.
• Bharat Bijlee is a public-listed electrical engineering company headquartered in
Mumbai. It was established in 1946.
4. Adani Enterprise’s wholly owned subsidiary Vishvapradhan Commercial Private Limited

(VCPL) has increased its shareholding in news broadcaster New Delhi Television Ltd (NDTV)
to over 29.18% stake.
pg. 93
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• The stake has been bought from the RRPR Holding (promoter of NDTV).
5. Kotak Mahindra Bank has partnered with actyv.ai to provide finance to dealers onboarded on
actyv.ai, an AI-powered enterprise SaaS (software as a service) platform.
• KMBL will provide short-term loan under the ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ category to businesses
so that they can buy technological solutions from actyv.ai.
6. State Bank of India (SBI) has approved raising ₹10,000 crore through infrastructure bonds
during the FY2023.
• The issue will also include a green shoe option of Rs 5,000 crores.
Knowledge Nuggets -
• Greenshoe option - A greenshoe option is a provision in an IPO underwriting agreement
that grants the underwriter the right to sell more shares than originally planned.
7. Star Health and Allied Insurance, a standalone health insurance company, has launched the
‘Star Out Patient Care Insurance Policy’ for providing complete health and wellness benefits
to customers at an affordable cost.
• Star Out Patient Care Insurance Policy is a standalone cover that provides access to
doctors, clinics and diagnostic centres all over India.
• The policy has four sum-insured options that customers can choose from - cover of
₹25,000, ₹50,000, ₹75,000 and ₹1 lakh for a policy term of one year.
8. Tamilnad Mercantile Bank has entered into bancassurance partnerships with

Cholamandalam MS General Insurance Company Ltd and Max Life Insurance Company
to provide general insurance products and life insurance schemes respectively to the
bank’s customers.
9. Sebi has restructured its advisory committees pertaining to foreign portfolio investors
(FPIs) and social stock exchange.
• Chair of FPI Advisory Committee (16 members) - Hasmukh Adhia (former finance
secretary)
• Chair of Social Stock Exchange (18 members) - R Balasubramaniam (chairman of
Grassroots Research and Advocacy Movement (GRAAM)
pg. 94
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• The idea of the Social Stock Exchange was first floated by Finance Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman in her Budget speech for the financial year 2019-20.
• In July 2022, SEBI introduced the social stock exchange framework.
• The SSE will be established as a separate segment of the BSE.
10. SEBI has formed a 20-member panel, chaired by former Shiavax Jal Vazifdar (Chief Justice
of Punjab and Haryana High Court), to review corporate takeover rules.
• The panel will have to advise the regulator on simplifying and strengthening the current
norms by adopting appropriate global practices.
11. According to a reply to the RTI query, most electoral bonds have been sold in Mumbai,
followed by Kolkata and Hyderabad, in terms of sheer numbers and value since the
introduction of the scheme 5 years ago.
• A total of over ₹10,700 crore worth of electoral bonds have been sold so far to political
parties.
12. Tata group announced the merger of Vistara with Air India. Now, the Singapore Airlines will
have a 25.1% stake in Air India.
• Tata group owns a 51% stake in Vistara and the rest is with Singapore Airlines (SIA).
13. TurtleFin, India’s leading insurtech platform, has partnered with YES BANK, to create a
comprehensive technology platform – EasyNsure.
• EasyNsure, is a first-of-its-kind proposition for Yes Bank that will bring multiple
insurance partners onto a common platform.
• It will provide a host of benefits such as - a seamless single-point online insurance service,
ability to compare and select a suitable insurance cover basis the customer’s need, as well
as a facility to compare costs for rationalizing purchase decisions, among others.
14. SBM Bank India and OPEN Financial Technologies Pvt Ltd has announced a strategic
partnership for launching Asia’s first end-to-end Embedded Finance platform- Zwitch.
• Purpose - to offer a no-code, low-code and full-stack API solution that enables fintechs to
build their own financial products using Zwitch’s technology stack
pg. 95
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• Furthermore, Zwitch is built and operated by Open- the world’s fastest-growing digital
banking enterprise that serves more than 3 million businesses and processes annual
transactions worth more than USD 30 billion.
15. SEBI has increased the investment limit of mutual funds (MFs) in debt instruments issued
by a single issuer to 12% of the net asset value from 10%.
• The single-issuer instruments will include money market securities and non-money market
securities re-rated investment grade or above by a credit rating agency.
16. Private sector lender Tamilnad Mercantile Bank (TMB) has been authorised by the Reserve
Bank of India to undertake government business on behalf of the RBI.
• TMB is one of the oldest private sector banks with a history of over 100 years, having
been established in 1921 as Nadar Bank.
17. Fino Payments Bank has partnered with citizen-centric and population-scale e-governance
solutions Protean eGov Technologies (formerly NSDL e-Governance Infrastructure Limited),
to expand permanent account number (PAN) card issuance services in rural areas.
• MD and CEO of Protean eGov Technologies - Suresh Sethi
• MD and CEO of Fino Payments Bank - Rishi Gupta
18. SEBI has reduced the timeline for listing of debt securities issued on a private placement
basis to three days.
• Currently, the timeline is four days (T+4) and the latest move aims to reduce the timeline to
T+3.
• The new guidelines would come into effect from January 1, 2023.
• Sebi has listed out the steps involved in pre-listing and post-listing along with relevant
timelines, both through Electronic Book Provider (EBP) platform and otherwise.
19. RBI has granted a conditional approval to The Carlyle Group and Verventa Holdings to
acquire 9.99% stake each in YES Bank.
20. IDFC Asset Management Company Limited (AMC), one of the top 10 AMCs in the country,
has received regulatory clearances from SEBI for its acquisition by consortium comprising
Bandhan Financial Holdings Limited, GIC, and ChrysCapital.
pg. 96
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• The IDFC AMC will be renamed as Bandhan Mutual Fund.

• BFHL will own approximately 60% and GIC and CC will own approximately 20% each in
IDFC AMC.
21. Tata Play (formerly Tata Sky) has become the first company to take the pre-filing route for
its initial public offering (IPO).
• The direct-to-home platform has pre-filed its draft red herring prospectus (DRHP)
confidentially with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi).
22. City Union Bank customers can pay their GST dues payable to the Government through their
bank account on the GST Portal.
23. BookMyForex.com, an online foreign exchange marketplace, has launched the Interbank
Rate Multi-Currency Forex Card – India's first zero markup travel card.
• The BookMyForex co-branded multi-currency card has been developed in association with
Yes Bank, M2P and is powered by Visa so it will work on all platforms where Visa is
accepted.
• BookMyForex.com is a Makemytrip Group Company.
24. IIFL Mutual Fund has launched India's first passive tax saver fund named IIFL ELSS Nifty
50 Tax Saver Index Fund.
• The fund is launched, almost six months after the Securities and Exchange Board of India
(Sebi), introduced the passive alternative in the Equity Linked Savings Scheme (ELSS)
space.
• Parijat Garg is the dedicated fund manager for this fund.
25. ICICI Bank has launched STACK for companies in real estate sector to offer solutions to
their banking requirements on one platform.
• The STACK, which is a combination of digital and physical solutions, enables participants of
the real estate sector namely builders, Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Alternate
Investment Funds (AIFs) to undertake banking transactions expeditiously.
• This initiative is an extension of the ‘ICICI STACK for Corporates’ which the Bank
launched last year to provide a customised set of banking solutions for corporates and their
entire ecosystem.
pg. 97
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26. Bank of Baroda has launched of a new product at its branch in GIFT City, i.e., Foreign
Currency Loan against INR Deposits of Indian Companies for their Overseas Subsidiaries/
Joint Ventures.
• It is the first bank to open this facility in the GIFT City.
• This facility will help corporates working overseas in increasing their foreign currency
reserves through the bank.
27. RBI and the Financial Services Agency (FSA), Japan has exchanged letters of
cooperation in the field of Central Counter Parties (CCPs) with the objective of improving
mutual cooperation.
28. RBI has allowed foreign branches/foreign subsidiaries of Indian banks and All India
Financial Institutions (AIFIs) to deal in financial products, including structured financial
products, that are not available or are not permitted by it in the domestic market without its
prior approval.
• The financial products dealt by the foreign branches and subsidiaries as well as IFSCs will
attract the prudential norms such as capital adequacy, exposure norms (including Large
Exposure Framework), periodical valuation, and all other applicable norms.
29. RBI has adopted the regulatory framework for Urban Co-operative Bank, recommended by
the NS Vishwanathan’s Expert Committee on UCBs.
• The four-tier structure of UCBs -
o Tier 1 - All unit UCBs and salary earners’ UCBs (irrespective of deposit size), and all
other UCBs having deposits up to ₹100 crore;
o Tier 2 - UCBs with deposits more than ₹100 crore and up to ₹1000 crore;
o Tier 3 - UCBs with deposits more than ₹1000 crore and up to ₹10,000 crore;
o Tier 4 - UCBs with deposits more than ₹10,000 crore.
• Specifically, a minimum net worth of ₹2 crore for Tier 1 UCBs operating in single district
and ₹5 crore for all other UCBs (of all tiers) has been stipulated.
• The minimum CRAR requirement for Tier 1 banks is retained at the present prescription
of 9% under current capital adequacy framework based on Basel I.
pg. 98
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• For Tier 2, Tier 3 and Tier 4 UCBs, while retaining the current capital adequacy framework,
it has been decided to revise the minimum CRAR to 12% so as to strengthen their capital
structure.
• As per the data reported by the banks as on March 31, 2021, most of UCBs have CRAR
more than 12% (1274 banks out of 1534).
• All the remaining banks will have to achieve a CRAR of 10% by the financial year ending
March 31, 2024, 11% by March 31, 2025; and 12% by March 31, 2026.
30. RBI has launched the pilot project for operationalising the Central Bank Digital Currency
(e₹-R) in retail mode, after its successful implementation at the wholesale level.
• In the first phase, the retail e-rupee pilot project has been launched in four cities of
Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru, and Bhubaneswar on December 1.
• Four banks are controlling the launch of the retail e-rupee – SBI, ICICI Bank, Yes Bank
and IDFC First Bank.
• Future launch - Ahmedabad, Gangtok, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Indore, Kochi, Lucknow,
Patna, and Shimla, in collaboration with Bank of Baroda, Union Bank of India, HDFC Bank,
and Kotak Mahindra Bank
• The e₹-R will be issued in the same denominators as paper currency and coins and
distributed via banks.
• The Reserve Bank of India was established on April 1, 1935 in accordance with the
provisions of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
• The Central Office of the RBI was initially established in Kolkata but was permanently
moved to Mumbai in 1937.
• Initially, it was privately owned but in 1949, the RBI was nationalised.
• The accounting year for the RBI was changed to April-March (earlier July-June) from
the financial year 2020-21 onwards.
• The Reserve Bank's affairs are governed by a central board of directors.
o Official Directors
▪ Full-time : Governor and not more than four Deputy Governors
o Non-Official Directors
▪ Nominated by Government: ten Directors from various fields and two
government Official
pg. 99
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▪ Others: four Directors - one each from four local boards

• Subsidiaries of RBI –
(i) Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation of India (DICGC),
(ii) Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private Limited (BRBNMPL),
(iii) Reserve Bank Information Technology Private Limited (ReBIT),
(iv) Indian Financial Technology and Allied Services (IFTAS),
(v) Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH)
• Institutes Funded by the Bank –
31. San Francisco-based OpenAI has launched ChatGPT chatbot for free public testing. A
chatbot is a software application designed to mimic human-like conversations based on user
prompts.
• The chatbot is based on GPT-3.5 – a deep-learning language model that produces human-
like text.
32. Bharti Airtel and Meta Platforms Inc. have announced to jointly invest in extending the
Facebook parent’s subsea cable infrastructure to India.
• Both organizations will also work to integrate WhatsApp as a communications platform
as a service (CPaaS).
• Airtel will partner with Meta and Saudi Telecom to extend 2Africa Pearls, the subsea cable
set up by Meta that connects Africa, Europe and Asia, to India.
• 2Africa is the world’s longest subsea cable system and is expected to provide faster
internet connectivity to almost 3 billion people globally.
pg. 100
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33. Central Government is planning to allow businesses to use their Permanent Account Number
(PAN) as a unique identifier for accessing the National Single Window System (NSWS) to
receive different clearances and approvals from central and state governments.
• The National Single Window System (NSWS) is being developed by the Department for
Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) as a one-stop shop for investors to
apply for various approvals from central and state governments.
34. Edelweiss Mutual Fund has announced the launch of the fourth tranche of BHARAT Bond
ETF - India’s first corporate bond ETF (exchange-traded fund).
• A central government initiative, Bharat Bond ETF invests only in ‘AAA’-rated bonds of
public sector companies.
• Edelweiss Asset Management is the fund manager of the scheme.
• This latest tranche of the ETF and BHARAT Bond Fund of Fund (FoF) series will mature
in April 2033.
• Through the launch of this new series, Edelweiss Mutual Fund proposes to raise an initial
amount of ₹1,000 crore with a green shoe option of another ₹4,000 crore.
• Bharat Bond ETF was launched in 2019.
• It is an open ended Target Maturity Exchange Traded Bond Fund that seeks to track
the returns provided by Nifty BHARAT Bond Index.
• A target maturity fund has a maturity date just like Fixed maturity plan. In these ETF’s the
underlying securities are held until the maturity of the Scheme.
• The Fund will have a defined maturity - April 2023 & April 2030 ( 3 years+ & 10 years+
respectively)
35. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) recently extended the deadline by two
years for existing third-party apps to comply with its market share guidelines for the UPI
network.
• The NPCI mandate requires payment apps to hold not more than 30% market share in
terms of payment volumes.
• The new deadline to comply with the rule is December 31, 2024.
36. State Bank of India (SBI), the country’s largest lender, has raised ₹10,000 crore through its
maiden infrastructure bond issuance at coupon rate of 7.51%.
pg. 101
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• It is the largest single infrastructure bond issued by any Bank in the country.
• The tenor of these bonds is 10 years.
37. Economic Advisory Council member Sanjeev Sanyal has mentioned that India is capable
of sustaining an economic growth of 9% for many years.
38. RBI has imposed a monetary penalty of ₹5 lakh on The Bharat Co-operative Bank Limited,
Bengaluru, Karnataka for non-adherence / violation of directions issued under Exposure
Norms and Statutory / Other Restrictions – UCBs.
39. Life Insurance Corporation has also started its services on WhatsApp and the registered
policyholders can avail the services for better communication with the insurance company.
• The official WhatsApp Number of LIC is 8976862090.
• Parliament of India passed the Life Insurance Corporation Act, 1956, and the Life
Insurance Corporation of India was created on 1st September, 1956.
• Life Insurance in its modern form came to India from England in the year 1818. Oriental
Life Insurance Company started by Europeans in Calcutta was the first life insurance
company on Indian Soil.
• LIC Chairperson - Mangalam Ramasubramanian Kumar
40. Goldsikka ATM – India's first Gold ATM and World's first real-time gold ATM – has been
launched in Begumpet, Hyderabad.
• The ATM allow people to withdraw gold coins just like cash from this gold ATM using their
debit or credit cards.
• Goldsikka Pvt Ltd, a gold distributor company, has installed this first gold ATM in
collaboration with M/s OpenCube Technologies Pvt Ltd.
41. Central Government will allow a consortium of foreign funds and investment firms to own
more than 51% in IDBI Bank.
• The current guidelines of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) restrict foreign ownership in new
private banks.
pg. 102
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42. Google's Jigsaw subsidiary is launching a new anti-misinformation project in India for
preventing misleading information that has been blamed for inciting violence.
43. RBI’s bi-monthly Monetary Policy Committee meeting -

• India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) – 6.8%
• Consumer Price Index (CPI) based inflation – 6.7% (same as its previous estimate)
o CPI moderated to 6.8 % (y-o-y) in October 2022 but it is still above the upper
tolerance band of the target.
• India’s foreign exchange reserves (FER) stands at $561.2 billion as on December 2,
2022.
44. Asian Development Bank (ADB) and ABIS Exports India Private Limited (ABIS) entered
into an agreement to subscribe to non-convertible debentures for $16 million.
• Purpose – to enhance food security in India by supporting the construction of a micro fish
feed plant and by training up to 6,000 farmers in climate-resilient fish farming practices as
well as financial literacy
45. Federal Bank has unveiled a new campaign named ‘Football Fiesta’, to promote the football
game.
46. Fintech player Spice Money has partnered with private sector lender Axis Bank to facilitate
opening of instant, zero balance savings or current accounts for rural citizens through its
Adhikari network.
pg. 103
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• Spice Money aims to bridge the rural-urban divide and bring financial inclusivity by
providing access to banking products to the last mile at their doorstep, thereby financially
empowering thousands of rural citizens living in the rural India.
47. ICICI Lombard and AU Small Finance Bank have signed a bancassurance agreement to
sell the insurance products to the bank’s customers.
48. Razorpay merchants can now begin accepting credit card payments on UPI, in partnership
with Axis Bank.
• At present, UPI enables customers to make transactions through their bank accounts.
• However, linking credit cards with UPI will ensure that customers will no longer have to
carry their credit cards with them at all times for payments.
49. Union Government has infused about ₹5,000 crore in SWAMIH Investment Fund I, taking the
total corpus of the fund to ₹15,530 crore.
• The Special Window for Completion of Construction of Affordable and Mid-Income
Housing Projects (SWAMIH I) was set up to provide priority debt financing to complete
stressed, brownfield and RERA-registered residential projects.
• The fund is sponsored by the finance ministry and managed by SBICAP Ventures, a unit
of State Bank of India.
• SWAMIH is a category II Alternative Investment Fund (AIF).
Knowledge Nuggets -
• Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) means any fund established or incorporated in India
which is a privately pooled investment vehicle which collects funds from sophisticated
investors, whether Indian or foreign, for investing in alternate investment instruments.
• AIFs are governed by the SEBI (Alternative Investment Funds) Regulations, 2012.
• There are three categories of AIFs in India –
o Category I AIF – Encouraged and incentivised by the govt
▪ Venture capital funds (Including Angel Funds)
▪ SME Funds
▪ Social Venture Funds
▪ Infrastructure funds
pg. 104
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o Category II AIF – AIFs which do not fall in Category I and III. These funds aim to
meet day-to-day operational requirements. Govt does not provide any concessions
in this category.
▪ Real Estate Funds
▪ Private Equity Funds
▪ Funds For Distressed Assets
o Category III AIF – AIFs which employ diverse or complex trading strategies fall in
this category. These funds can also invest in listed or unlisted derivatives.
▪ Hedge Funds
▪ PIPE Funds
50. Walmart and Flipkart partnered with the National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) to
accelerate capacity building for MSMEs across India.
• The partnership will help MSMEs unlock export potential and become part of retail supply
chains locally and globally.
• The partnership has been established under the Walmart Vriddhi Supplier Development
Programme. This program includes training, seminars and mentoring sessions conducted
regularly for MSMEs.
51. Ageas Federal Life Insurance (AFLI) has launched its new healthcare plan named Ageas
Federal Life Insurance Criti Care Plan, which covers the treatment of 30 critical illnesses
and major disorders.
• The policy provides coverage up to the age of 70 years.
52. Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed a $3 million project
readiness financing (PRF) facility to support preparatory activities for designing a project to
improve municipal infrastructure in priority areas of Agartala city, Tripura.
• ADB financing will support the Tripura government in holistic planning and development of
priority municipal infrastructure and help in the preparation of future investment-ready
projects.
53. Asian Development Bank (ADB) and IIFL Home Finance Ltd., India's fastest growing digital-
first home finance company, organised 'Kutumb' event in Delhi.
• Purpose – to discuss the scope around green affordable housing in India.
pg. 105
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• They launched 'Kutumb' with an event titled 'Green Affordable Housing Ecosystem' in Delhi.
• In February 2022, IIFL HFL signed a $68 million loan with ADB to improve financial access
to affordable green housing for the economically weaker sections and lower-income groups
in India.
54. National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) and GMR Airports Limited (GAL) will
invest in three of GMR airports, including the Greenfield ones at Mopa, Goa, and
Bhogapuram, Andhra Pradesh.
• The amount of investment and the name of the third airport have not been unveiled.
• The investment is expected to be around Rs 631 crore.
Knowledge Nuggets -
• National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) is India’s first infrastructure
specific investment fund or a sovereign wealth fund that was set up by the Government
of India in February 2015.
• It aims to increase investments in infrastructural projects, both greenfield and brownfield.
55. Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $780 million multi-tranche financing
facility to build new lines and improve the connectivity of the metro rail system in Chennai
with the city's existing bus and feeder services.
56. Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a $300 million loan to upgrade more than 300 km
of state highways and major district roads in Assam, including six road sections in the state’s
western, central, and southern regions.
• The project will strengthen the capacity of the Assam Public Works (Roads) Department in
managing road assets, integrating climate and disaster resilience in road projects, and
ensuring safeguards—such as environment, resettlement, and indigenous peoples
concerns—are considered.
57. IDFC FIRST Bank and NASSCOM Centre of Excellence (COE) have partnered to grow the
innovation ecosystem through an exclusive range of banking solutions.
• IDFC First Bank and NASSCOM COE have also signed an MOU to appoint IDFC First
Bank as the banking partner for startups.
58. RBI has decided to introduce the functionality of a single-block-and-multiple-debit in UPI.

pg. 106
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• It will ease the process of recurring payments.

• The single block multiple debit feature of the UPI will enable users to separate and block
funds in their accounts for specific purposes.
59. “Toolkit on Enabling Gender Responsive Urban Mobility and Public Spaces in India”
was launched at a session organized by the World Bank and the Chennai Urban
Metropolitan Transport Authority.
• The aim of the World Bank’s toolkit is to make urban mobility and design gender inclusive.
60. The RBI has signed a Currency Swap Agreement with the Maldives Monetary Authority
(MMA) to enable MMA to make withdrawals in multiple tranches up to a maximum of $200
million from the RBI.
• This agreement has been signed under the SAARC Currency Swap Framework.
• The RBI will continue to offer a swap arrangement within the overall corpus of USD 2
billion.
• The swap withdrawals can be made in US dollar, euro or Indian rupee. The framework
provides certain concessions for swap withdrawals in Indian rupee.
61. Jindal Steel and Power (JSPL) has acquired bankrupt Monnet Power for ₹410 crore.
62. StocX.in, an online unlisted securities portal, has launched India’s first private market index
known as StocX Private Market Index (SPMI).
• Until now, there was no way to track the price movements of privately traded securities (i.e.,
the stocks of companies that are not yet listed in the stock market). Thus, StocX.in aims to
provide the information about the prices of privately traded securities.
• StocX.in built the StocX Private Market Index using a methodology known as “Change
Percentage.“ The index is computed using 1000 as the base value as on 1 January 2022.
• The index will track prices of more than 30 companies actively traded in the unlisted
market and provide analysis and trends through data analytics.
63. B2B payments solutions provider PayMate has received ‘in-principle’ authorisation from the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate as a payment aggregator.
• As per a report, the Indian payment gateways market stood at $1.2 Bn in 2021 and is
expected to grow to $2.68 Bn by 2027.
pg. 107
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• Merchant aggregation also known as payment aggregation, is a business model where a
third-party payment provider signs up merchants directly under its own merchant
identification number (MID) to process transactions through a single master account.
• In 2020, RBI released the Guidelines for Regulation of Payment Aggregators and
Payment Gateways.
• Highlights of the guidelines –
64. HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company has partnered with NIIT, a global talent
development corporation, to create a large pool of IT professionals.
• Purpose - To create developers to unlock full potential of technology powered insurance
solutions
• The program will be delivered through live, instructor-led sessions and will also offer a
stipend to the participants.
• NIIT Ltd (National Institute of Information Technology) is an Indian multinational skills and
talent development corporation headquartered in Gurgaon, India.
• The company was set up in 1981 to help the IT industry overcome its human resource
challenges.
65. ASK Capital has received approval from the Central Bank of Ireland to launch an India-
based fund — ASK Indian Entrepreneur Fund — through the UCITS (Undertakings for
Collective Investment in Transferable Securities) route.
• ASK is the fourth asset or wealth management firm in India to receive approval for an
UCITS (Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities) fund.
• UCITS is a regulatory framework of the European Commission for management and sale of
mutual funds. This label serves as a stamp of quality and reliability for overseas investors.
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66. Paisabazaar and RBL Bank has launched a new co-created credit card ‘Duet’.
• The card offers two credit offerings–cashback on purchases made through the card and a
line-of-credit from RBL bank that enables instant transfer of money into the bank account.
• All online and offline purchases done through the card will earn the cardholder a flat 1%
cashback.
• There is no upper limit on the cashback earned but no cashback is offered on wallet
loading, EMI transactions, fuel purchase and rent payment done through the card. The card
carries no joining fee or annual fee.
67. Private sector IndusInd Bank have partnered with SV Credit Line (NBFC) for a co-lending
agreement for Rs 500 crore loan exclusively to women borrowers.
• The agreement will help rural women access to affordable loans.
• This NBFC only lends to women customers.
68. SEBI has revised rules related to foreign investment in alternative investment funds (AIFs).
• At present, SEBI rules allow AIFs to raise funds from any investor - whether Indian, foreign
or non-resident Indian - by way of issue of units.
• AIFs may accept commitments from a government or government-related investor that
does not meet the signatory condition, if the investor is a resident in the country as
approved by the Indian government.
• According to SEBI’s guidelines, the investor or its underlying investors contributing 25% or
more in the corpus of the investor, should not be mentioned in the sanctions list of the
United Nations Security Council.
• The investor must not be a resident of a country identified by the Financial Action Task
Force as a jurisdiction having anti-money laundering deficiencies.
• In case an investor who has been onboarded to the scheme of an AIF does not
subsequently meet these conditions, the manager of the AIF should not draw down any
further capital contribution from such an investor, until the said conditions are met.
69. Hurun Global 500 list has been released for the year 2022.
• India is ranked at the 5th position with 20 firms on the list. The most valuable companies in
India are Reliance Industry (1st), Tata Consultancy Services (2nd), and HDFC Bank (3rd).
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70. Asian Development Bank has approved a USD 250 million policy-based loan to India for
strengthening and modernising India’s logistics infrastructure, improve efficiency, and
lower costs.
71. According to Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal’s reply in the Parliament, the trade
deficit between India and China touched USD 51.5 billion during April-October 2022.
• Imports during the period stood at USD 60.3 billion, while exports aggregated at USD 8.8
billion.
72. RBI has shortlisted seven global consultancy firms to use artificial intelligence and
machine learning for supervisory functions.
• These firms are Accenture Solutions Private Limited; Boston Consulting Group (India) Pvt
Ltd; Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India LLP; Ernst and Young LLP; KPMG Assurance and
Consulting Services LLP; McKinsey and Company; and Pricewaterhouse Coopers Pvt Ltd.
73. Tamilnad Mercantile Bank and Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance have partnered to offer Bajaj
Allianz Life’s retail products to the new and existing customers of the bank.
74. PNB Housing Finance launched Roshni, a low-cost home loan programme, with a range of
Rs. 5 lakhs to Rs. 30 lakhs, for Tier I and II cities.
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75. Jaypee Group has signed a binding agreement to sell the group’s cement business to Dalmia
Cement (Bharat) Ltd at an enterprise value of Rs 5,666 crore.
76. HDFC Bank has launched the sixth annual grants program for social startups in
partnership with the ‘Startup India’ program of the government.
• The program is known as Parivartan SmartUp Grants.
• It aims to identify startups working in the social impact space and support them through
monetary grants.
• The grants have been offered under the aegis of Parivartan, the umbrella name for the
HDFC bank’s social initiatives.
• So far, the bank has disbursed over Rs 30 crore to more than 45 incubators which
supported over 165 start-ups.
77. GODI India, the first Indian company to get BIS certification to sell lithium-ion cells made with
homegrown technology, has started manufacturing India's first ever 5.2 Ah 21700 cylindrical
lithium-ion cells.
• The cells have an energy density of 275 Wh/kg based on silicon anode technology.
78. Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd has formed a joint venture company with Kyrgyzindustry - Open
Joint Stock Company to construct rail road and other infrastructure projects in Kyrgyz Republic.
• RVNL is a Category-I MiniRatna CPSE under the Ministry of Railways.
• Kyrgyzindustry-RVNL is a closed joint stock company.
79. Universal Sompo General Insurance has partnered with Zopper, an insurance
infrastructure API platform, to roll out a special integrated offering for customers.
• Through this partnership, customers will have access to buy insurance seamlessly along
with an option to purchase a protection plan.
80. Canara HSBC Life Insurance has launched the “Guaranteed Fortune Plan", a non-linked,
non-participating individual savings life insurance plan.
• It has two options – guaranteed savings option and guaranteed cash back option.
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81. Central government has received an amount of Rs 60.46 crore in tax from entities for
transactions in virtual digital assets (VDAs), including cryptocurrencies, since the introduction
of TDS Provisions in July 2022.
• The government imposed a 30% income tax plus surcharge and cess on transfer of
crypto assets like bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin with effect from April 1, 2022.
• In addition to this, a 1% tax deducted at source (PDS) was levied under section 194S of
the Income Tax, 1961 on crypto payments of over Rs.10,000 with effect from July 1, 2022.
82. According to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman, banks have written off bad loans worth
over ₹10 lakh crore during the last five financial years.
83. Redseer Strategy Consultants in their latest report stated that India currently has around 350
million online transacting users across e-commerce, shopping, travel and hospitality, and OTT
and the number is set to double by 2030.
• At 780 million, India is home to the second-largest Internet user base in the world, which
is more than 2 times of the US population.
• With the accelerated growth of Internet and smartphone adoption, India is expected to
surpass 1 billion Internet users by 2030.
• Gaming has almost 450 million users in 2022, and the market will see a 33% rise in paid
gamers by 2026.
84. Reliance Consumer Products — the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) arm and a fully
owned subsidiary of Reliance Retail Ventures (RRVL) — launched its consumer-packaged
goods brand – ‘Independence', in Gujarat.
85. Tamilnad Mercantile Bank has partnered with Kotak Mahindra General Insurance
company to sell its general insurance products to customers.
86. HDFC Bank has announced to acquire 7.75% stake in fintech startup Mintoak Innovations
for Rs 31.14 crore in cash.
87. Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has given partial relief to non-resident taxpayers by
exempting them from mandatory electronic filing of Form 10F until March 2023.
• Filing this form is required to claim the benefits of tax treaty.
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• The Form 10F is signed physically by non-resident taxpayers and furnished along with the
tax residency certificate to resident payers for the purpose of determining withholding tax
implications.
88. Maruti Suzuki India has showcased the Wagon R Flex Fuel prototype model in Delhi.
• It is India’s first mass-segment flex-fuel car, which is designed to run on any ethanol-
petrol blend between 20% ethanol and 85% petrol.
89. Microsoft has partnered with global communications company Viasat to deliver satellite
internet access to 10 million people across the world by 2025.
• Viasat is the first satellite partner to work with Microsoft's Airband Initiative.
• The companies will provide and pilot technologies including, satellites (both geostationary
orbit and low earth orbit) and fixed wireless.
• These companies will combine their expertise and assets to help enable telehealth,
distance learning and education, precision agriculture, clean power and other services to
reach new areas through the transformational provision of power and connectivity.
90. Indian Energy Exchange (IEX) became India’s first carbon-neutral power exchange.
• The IEX will use market-based tradable instruments to offset its carbon emissions.
• EKI Energy, India's leading pre-eminent global service provider in the sphere of Energy,
Carbon Credit & Quality Management, was the sustainability partner by providing
advisory & consultancy services in this climate action exercise.
91. Tata AIA Life Insurance has launched the Emerging Opportunities Fund.
• The new fund will invest in mid-cap companies and emerging market leaders with the
potential to generate significant future growth for its investors.
92. Reliance General Insurance Company Ltd. (RGICL) launched a premium health insurance
product – Reliance Health Infinity Policy that claims to offer limitless benefits.
• This first-of-its-kind policy comes loaded with high-sum insured up to ₹5 crore that includes
features like more Global cover, maternity cover, OPD cover, unlimited restoration of sum
insured, and 15 plus useful add-on benefits.
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93. SIDBI has partnered with M1xchange as the financier to bring liquidity to MSMEs at
competitive interest rates.
• M1xchange offers early liquidity to MSMEs within 24 hours through its online bidding
platform through end-to-end digital process.
• M1xchange is a Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDS).
Knowledge Nuggets -
• TReDS is regulated by RBI that enables discounting of bills of Micro, Small & Medium
Enterprises (MSMEs) resulting in improvement of cash flow and liquidity and overall
improvement in functioning of MSMEs.
• There are four TReDS platforms in India, which are Receivables Exchange of India Ltd.,
M1xchange, C2FO, and Invoicemart.
94. Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) signed an MOU with Energy Conservation
Mission of The Institution of Engineers (India) to propagate the importance of energy
conservation in Telangana.
• EESL and Energy Conservation Mission have partnered with the aim to conduct awareness
sessions on ‘Energy Conservation’ across 30 schools in the state.
95. Employees State Insurance Corporation has announced to invest up to 15% of its surplus
funds into equity through exchange traded funds.
• Labour minister Bhupender Yadav is the chairman of ESIC.
Knowledge Nuggets -
• ESIC is already implementing the Nirman Se Shakti initiative to modernise the
infrastructure of ESIC hospitals and dispensaries.
• ESIC and Employee Provident Fund Organization are the two important parts of Ministry
of Labour and Employment.
96. HDFC Securities has launched “Roots”, a dedicated platform providing comprehensive
investor education and market analysis.
• The site offers multiple forms of valuable information, including articles, bite-sized tips,
podcasts by experts, video tutorials and explainers, and live social media feed on the Indian
financial markets.
• The biggest USP of the platform is that it produces content which are being searched on
Google by current or prospective investors and traders.
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97. AU Small Finance Bank, India's leading small finance bank, has signed a bancassurance
agreement with HDFC Life Insurance to sell the insurance products to bank’s customers.
98. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed curbs on RazorPay and Cashfree Payments for
on-boarding new merchants till they get the final Payment Aggregator (PA) licence.
99. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has introduced performance
benchmarking and categorisation for the portfolio management services (PMS) industry.
• It will help investors assess and compare the performance of service providers. The move
will come into effect from April 1, 2023.
• SEBI directed portfolio managers to adopt an additional layer of broadly defined investment
strategies categorised as equity, debt, hybrid, and multi-asset.
• SEBI has laid out a framework for the orderly winding down of critical operations and
services of clearing corporations (CC).
• Under this framework, CCs will have to develop standard operating procedures (SOPs)
detailing about their essential services so as not to cause any disruption to the financial
system after the winding up of the corporation.
100. Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has increased its stake in Indian Railway
Catering and Tourism (IRCTC) to 7.2% approx.
101. Wipro has signed a multi-year partnership with fintech firm Finastra for the digital
transformation of corporate banks in the Middle East.
• Wipro, in partnership with Finastra, will help banks transform and digitize the entire financial
process in the region.
102. Google has partnered with DigiLocker, a government-authorized identification storage

system, to bring local storage of government-issued IDs on Android devices.
• This announcement was made at the Google for India conference.
• The partnership is part of Google’s artificial intelligence (AI) offerings that include on-device
processing of text and images to identify important documents and organise them in a
locally stored ‘Files’ folder.
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103. Indian Bank has launched a special retail term deposit product named “IND SHAKTI 555
DAYS" w.e.f., December 19, 2022.
• Interest rate - 7% for general and 7.15% for senior citizens
• Tenure - 555 days
• Amount - Rs 5000 to 2 Crore
104. DBS Bank India has partnered with Gofrugal Technologies Pvt. Ltd., a seller-centric
platform offering Omnichannel ERP solutions.
• The company empowers enterprise customers, including micro, small and medium
enterprises and retail merchants, to adopt Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC)
and enables them to expand their digital commerce footprint.
• Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), an initiative by the Government of India, is
a platform based on an open protocol that will enable local commerce across mobility,
grocery, food order and delivery, hotel booking and travel etc.
105. IDFC FIRST Bank announced ZERO Fee Banking on savings accounts and waived fees
on 25 commonly used banking services such as transaction charges, ATM transaction
charges,
106. The 48th edition of the GST Council was held virtually, under the chairpersonship of
Nirmala Sitharaman, the Union Finance Minister.
107. Jindal Steel and Power (JSPL) will spend Rs 7,930 crore under the production-linked
incentive (PLI) scheme for specialty steel to manufacture eight types of high-end alloy in the
country.
• The government has selected a total of 67 entities with an investment potential of Rs
42,500 crore under the scheme.
• The proposed investments are expected to generate 70,000 job opportunities and add 26
million tonnes of speciality steel capacity in India.
108. Bhutan has signed an agreement with PTC India to receive an electricity supply of 600
MW during the winter season.
• CMD of PTC India Ltd - Rajib K Mishra
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109. Wipro Consumer Care and Lighting announced a definitive agreement to buy Nirapara,
one of the largest-selling traditional food brand in Kerala.
110. SEBI has approved the amendment to its buyback regulations which allows the gradually
phase out of share buyback option through stock exchange route.
• Until then, a separate window will be created on the stock exchanges to conduct such
repurchases.
• At present, for share buyback, companies have both the options of stock exchange and
tender offer.
• Minimum utilisation of amount for buyback through stock exchange has been increased
to 75% from 50% currently.
111. Credit bureau TransUnion CIBIL, in collaboration with Online PSB Loans and SIDBI have
launched the FIT Rank – a comprehensive ranking model for MSMEs.
• The rankings will provide information on the probability of an MSME becoming a non-
performing asset (NPA) in the next 12 months.
• FIT Rank provides a ranking for the MSME, based on its financial, income, and trade data
on a scale of 1 to 10, FIT Rank 1 being for the least risky MSME and FIT Rank 10 being for
the most at-risk MSME.
• FIT Rank will also provide the details available with Goods and Services Tax (GST) filings.
• Using FIT rankings, SIDBI has launched a new Express loan Product for MSMEs to
provide them loans up to Rs 50 lakh for purchase of machinery and rooftop solar through
straight-through processes.
112. Maritime logistics arm of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Singapore-
based AG&P (Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific) have signed an agreement to use Liquefied Natural
Gas (LNG) carrier as a floating storage unit in India.
• The LNG carrier is owned by ADNOC Logistics & Services (ADNOC L&S).
113. Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd. (RRVL), a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Ltd., has signed
definitive agreements to acquire 100% equity stake in Metro Cash & Carry India Pvt Ltd. for
a total cash consideration of ₹2,850 crore.
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114. Private lender Bandhan Bank has signed an MOU with the Controller General of
Defence Accounts to extend banking facilities to servicemen.
• The service to the defence personnel will be provided under the System for Pension
Administration Raksha (SPARSH).
115. One97 Communications Limited (OCL) launched ‘Paytm Payment Protect’, a group
insurance plan, in association with HDFC ERGO General Insurance, to insure transactions
made through UPI across all apps and wallets.
• With this new insurance offering, which comes at a cost of as low as Rs 30 per annum,
users can now secure themselves against mobile fraudulent transactions up to Rs 10,000.
• Higher cover options for cover up to Rs 1 lakh per annum will soon be added to the
product.
116. Online home services platform Urban Company has signed an agreement with the
National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to provide training and digital certification
to "thousands" of freshers.
• The certificates will be QR coded and will be available on both NSDC's Skill India portal and
the Urban Company app.
117. RBL Bank, one of India's leading private sector banks, won IBSi Global FinTech
Innovation Awards 2022 in the Best CRM System Implementation and Most Impactful
Project categories along with BUSINESSNEXT.
118. Reliance Retail Ventures Limited (RRVL), a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Ltd, signed
definitive agreements to acquire a 100% equity stake in Metro Cash and Carry India Pvt
Ltd, which operates under the ‘Metro India' brand, for a cash consideration of Rs 2,850 crore.
119. RBI has granted in-principle authorisation to Worldline ePayments India Private Limited
to act as a payment aggregator under the provisions of Guidelines on Regulation of Payment
Aggregators and Payment Gateways dated March 17, 2020.
120. Karnataka Bank has gone live in the Indian Customs Electronic Gateway (ICEGATE),
the national portal of Indian Customs of Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs.
• The portal enables its customers to pay customs duty online.
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• This integration of KBL on ICEGATE portal will enable all the individual and corporate
customers to pay customs duty at their convenience, thus helping them in the smooth
conduct of their business.
121. International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) has come up with a
regulatory framework for Distribution of Capital Market Products and Services under IFSCA
(Capital Market Intermediaries) Regulations, 2021.
• Distributors may undertake distribution of:
o Capital Market Products – which include a wide bouquet of securities as covered
under Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956.
o Capital Market Services – which include portfolio management services and
investment advisory services.
• IFSCA registered / licensed entities, such as Banking Units, Finance Companies, Broker-
Dealers, Investment Bankers, Investment Advisers and Corporate Agents – may avail of the
simplified registration process and undertake distribution services from IFSC.
• IFSCA and the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) have signed an
MoU for mutual assistance and cooperation in the area of sustainable finance.
Knowledge Nuggets -
• The International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) has been established in
2020 under the International Financial Services Centres Authority Act, 2019.
• It is headquartered at GIFT City, Gandhinagar in Gujarat.
• IFSCA is the 5th financial regulator in India after RBI, SEBI, IRDAI, and PFRDA.
• As far as the All-India Financial Institutions are concerned, there are five AIFIs, which are
SIDBI, NHB, NABARD, EXIM, and National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and
Development (NBFID).
• Chair of IFSCA – Shri Injeti Srinivas
• The Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) is one of Asia’s leading not-
for-profit policy research institutions.
122. Indian Gas Exchange (IGX), promoted by the Indian Energy Exchange (IEX), has
launched GIXI – the first-ever, nationwide price index to track benchmark natural gas prices
for India.
• India has a target of achieving a 15% share of natural gas in India’s energy mix.
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• IGX Price Index has been developed with the purpose of deriving a single price for the
country in line with international benchmarks.
123. Reliance Jio has won the Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) order for providing SD-WAN
(Software Defined Wide Area Network) solution.
• Purpose - to power IOCL's retail automation and critical business processes, such as
payment processing, daily price updates, Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) software and
network monitoring with enterprise-grade connectivity, Quality of Service (QOS) and 24x7
support across 28 states and eight Union Territories
124. Tata Power has received a Rs 450 crore "sustainable trade finance facility" from MUFG
Bank of Japan to fund its solar projects in India.
• MUFG extended this financing to fund the procurement of TP Kirnali Limited (TPKL)’s two
solar power projects – a 100 MW project in Parthur, Maharashtra and a 120MW project in
Mesanka, Gujarat.
Knowledge Nuggets -
• Tata Power is committed to becoming carbon net zero before 2045.
• MUFG has announced to achieve net zero emissions in its finance portfolio by 2050 and
its own operations by 2030.
125. National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) received in-principle approval from SEBI to set
up a Social Stock Exchange (SSE) as a separate segment of the NSE.
• In October 2022, Bombay Stock Exchange got the approval from SEBI to set up a Social
Stock Exchange (SSE) as a separate segment of the NSE.
• The SSE will issue ‘zero coupon, zero principle’ securities.
• The minimum issue size is Rs 1 crore and the minimum application size is Rs 2 lakh.
126. Bharti Airtel and Apollo Hospitals conducted India's first 5G-driven, artificial
intelligence (AI)-guided colonoscopy trials in collaboration with technology companies
HealthNet Global, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Avesha.
• The AI-guided colonoscopy procedure helped in image processing in real-time.
127. International Finance Corporation, a part of the World Bank Group, has extended a $400
million loan to HDFC Bank to boost green housing in the affordable segment.
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• 75% of this funding will be used for extending loans for green affordable housing
portfolio.
128. Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the revision of
pension of Armed Forces Pensioners/family pensioners under the One Rank One
Pension (OROP) from July 1, 2019.
• Pension of the past pensioners would be re-fixed on the basis of average of minimum and
maximum pension of Defence Forces retirees of calendar year 2018 in the same rank with
the same length of service.
• Arrears will be paid in four half-yearly instalments.
129. Adani Group will control around 65% of NDTV as founders Radhika and Prannoy Roy
have sold their stake.
• Radhika and Prannoy Roy will sell a 27.26% stake of their remaining 32.26% shareholding
in NDTV to an entity owned by Adani, giving it 64.71% of NDTV.
130. Tata Steel has been certified as ‘Great Place to Work’ by Great Place to Work Institute
for 2023 for the sixth consecutive year.
131. Infibeam Avenues Ltd., the country’s first listed payments infrastructure firm, has received
Perpetual Licence from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for its bill payments business,
BillAvenue.
• The licence will allow BillAvenue to function as a Bharat Bill Payment Operating Unit
(BBPOU) under Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS).
• As a BBPOU, BillAvenue operates as both biller and customer operating unit onboarding
billers and agent institutions to service customers.
132. Bajaj Allianz General Insurance, one of the leading private general insurers of India, has
launched its unique health insurance rider ‘Respect Senior Care Rider’.
• The company offers a comprehensive network of services and professionals who
collaborate with one another to ensure that senior citizen will always receive the highest
possible level of care.
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133. In May 2022, HCL Corporation and World Economic Forum launched a $15 million
Aquaprenuer- Global Fresh Water Innovation Challenge initiative.
• HCL Corporation partnered with UpLink, the open innovation platform of the World
Economic Forum, to announce the five-year-long Aquapreneur Innovation Initiative.
• HCL Corporation has committed $15 million over a period of five years to support this
initiative.
• This year, the initiative is witnessing massive interest of startups from regions like India and
the rest of Asia, South America and Africa.
• UpLink, an innovation platform led by the WEF, helps link startups solving global challenges
to investor ecosystems.
134. SEBI has expanded two of its committees--High Powered Steering Committee on Cyber
Security (HPSC-CS) and Information Systems Security Committee (ISSC)-- to strengthen
cyber security frameworks and cyber resilience requirements.
• High Powered Steering Committee on Cyber Security –
o Total members – 8 (earlier 6)
o Chair - Navin Kumar Singh (DG at National Critical Information Infrastructure
Protection Centre (NCIIPC)
o New members - G Padmanabhan (ex-executive director in RBI), and Sushil Kumar
Nehra (Additional Director, Cyber Security Division, MeitY)
• Information Systems Security Committee (ISSC) –
o Total members – 7 (earlier 6)
o Chair - Prof Krishnamurthy
135. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) has been appointed as
the nodal ministry for online gaming.
• The department of sports under the ministry of youth affairs and sports has been notified as
the nodal ministry for “eSports as part of multi-sports events”.
136. Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a USD 125 million loan with the Government of
India to develop climate-resilient sewage collection and treatment and drainage and water
supply systems in three cities in the state of Tamil Nadu.
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• This is the third and the last tranche of the USD 500 million multi-tranche financing
facility (MFF), approved by ADB in 2018, to build priority water supply, sewerage and
drainage infrastructure in strategic industrial corridors across ten cities in the state.
• This tranche covers three loans covers Coimbatore, Madurai, and Thoothukudi.
137. The Internet and Mobile Association of India has been selected to form a Self-
Regulatory Organisation for online gaming.
• Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) has become the nodal
ministry to govern online gaming industry.
• Currently estimated at $2.2 billion, India's online real-money gaming market is expected
to reach a value of $7 billion by FY26, according to the All-India Gaming Federation
(AIGF).
• The market's current compound annual growth rate (CAGR) is about 27%, making it the
fastest-growing segment in the $24-billion media & entertainment space.
• IAMAI President – Subho Roy
• Established in 2004, the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) is a not-for-
profit industry body and the country's only organization representing the digital services
industry.
• Its mandate is to expand and enhance the online and mobile value-added services
sectors.
138. Max Healthcare has entered into a partnership with genomics biotech firm Anuva to
conduct genomic-based research on various communicable and non-communicable diseases
in India.
• Purpose - to identify insights for precision medicine application across diseases including
breast cancer, lung cancer, diabetes, cardiac disease, kidney disease, drug resistant
tuberculosis, and others
• Anuva CEO - Jonathan Picker
139. Asian Development Bank (ADB) has ranked WAPCOS as the top consulting services
firm in the water and other infrastructure sectors, with the highest sanctioned financed
amount, in its Annual Procurement Report 2022.
• WAPCOS is a Government of India Enterprise under the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
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• WAPCOS was founded in 1969 for utilizing India's knowledge and expertise in the field of
water resources by sharing and exporting technology to friendly developing nations.
• Water and Power Development Consultancy Services (India) Limited was renamed
"Water and Power Consultancy Services (India) Limited" in 1979.
• WAPCOS has successfully completed or is currently completing consulting projects in
more than 51 countries across Asia, Africa, the CIS, the Pacific Islands, and South
America.
140. Hyderabad-based drone manufacturer Marut Drones has received the type certification
approvals from the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for their Drone AG 365 which
is an extensively tested and robustly designed multi-utility agricultural drone.
• Having been awarded a type certificate for AG 365 model, the drone is now eligible for Rs
10 lakh unsecured loans from the Agri Infrastructure Fund at a minimal 5-6% interest.
• Further, a 50-100% subsidy can be availed from the Government of India.
141. Niva Bupa (formerly Max Bupa Health Insurance) and Swara Fincare (NBFC) have
partnered to launch Niva Bupa Xpress Health - Serious Illness Plan benefit to deepen
health insurance in rural areas.
• As part of the plan, the insurer will cover up to 3 EMIs (equated monthly instalments) in a
policy year of the respective customer in case of hospitalisation for 5 days or more.
142. IRDAI has made the KYC (Know Your Customer) rules mandatory for all the insurance
policy buyers – health, general, and life – w.e.f., January 1, 2023.
• At present, KYC documents are only required when making a claim worth over Rs 1 lakh.
143. Ministry of Corporate Affairs has permitted companies to hold their annual general
meetings and extra ordinary general meetings through video conferencing until September
30, 2023.
• It has been decided to allow the companies whose AGMs are due in the year 2023, to
conduct their AGMs on or before 30th September, 2023 by video conferencing or other
audio-visual means.
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GDP FORECASTS
1. Fitch has forecasted a 7% GDP growth rate for India for 2022-23, 6.2% in 2023-24 and 6.9%
in 2024-25.
2. World Bank has forecasted a 6.9% GDP growth rate for India for 2022-23 in its India
Development Update.
3. S&P has forecasted a 7% GDP growth rate for India in 2022 and 6% in 2023.
4. Nomura has forecasted India's GDP growth rate at 5.1% for 2023-24.
• Nomura expects India's headline retail inflation to ease from 6.8% in 2022-23 to 5% in
2023-24 and 4.9% in 2024-25.
• Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation forecast was 6.7% for FY23.
5. Asian Development Bank (ADB) has forecasted a 7% GDP growth rate for 2022-23.
• For 2023-24, the GDP growth has been kept unchanged at 7.2%.
• Inflation in India is still expected to rise to 6.7% in 2022-23.
6. Fitch Ratings affirmed India's sovereign credit rating at 'BBB-' with stable outlook.
• FY23 fiscal deficit target - 6.6% of GDP
• FY24 fiscal deficit target - 6% of GDP
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• India's deficit will gradually decline to 9.2% of GDP in FY24 and 8.7% in FY25 on the
back of continued declines in central government deficits.
7. NITI Aayog has forecasted an over 7% growth rate for India in FY23.
• RBI has forecasted a 6.8% growth rate for FY23.
8. International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected India to grow by 6.8% in 2022-23, in its
World Economic Outlook 2022.
• India’s GDP Growth Rate for 2023-24 – 6.1%
• Global GDP Growth for 2022-23 – 3.2%
• Global GDP Growth for 2023-24 – 2.7%
9. US President Joe Biden has nominated Indian-American lawyer diplomat Richard Verma,
also a former US ambassador to India.
10. According to the Chief Economic Adviser to the Govt of India, Dr V. Anantha Nageswaran,
Indian economy is likely to grow 6.5% to 7% in 2023-24.
APPOINTMENTS
1. Sundararaman Ramamurthy has been appointed as MD and CEO of the Bombay Stock
Exchange.
Knowledge Nuggets -
• BSE, the first-ever stock exchange in Asia established in 1875 and was the first in the
country to be granted permanent recognition under the Securities Contract Regulation
Act 1956.
• BSE has launched India INX, India's 1st international exchange, located at GIFT CITY
IFSC in Ahmedabad.
• Indian Clearing Corporation Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of BSE, acts as the
central counterparty to all trades executed on the BSE trading platform and provides full
novation, guaranteeing the settlement of all bonafide trades executed.
• BSE has also launched BSE Sammaan, the CSR exchange, is a 1st of its kind initiative
which aims to connect corporate with verified NGOs.
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2. Former Health Secretary Preeti Sudan has been appointed as a member of Union Public
Service Commission (UPSC).
Knowledge Nuggets -
• UPSC was established in 1926.
• Chairman - Dr Manoj Soni
3. Prasanth Kumar, the chief executive officer (CEO) for South Asia of GroupM Media (India)
Pvt Ltd, has been elected the president of the Advertising Agencies Association of India
(AAAI) for 2022-23.
4. Rajeeva Laxman Karandikar has been appointed as the chairperson of the National
Statistical Commission.
• The National Statistical Commission (NSC) was constituted under the Ministry of
Statistics and Program Implementation with effect from 2006 on the recommendations
of the Rangarajan Commission.
• Purpose - to evolve policies, priorities and standards in statistical matters
• The NSC has four Members besides a Chairperson, each having specialization and
experience in specified statistical fields.
5. Centre has appointed N Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Sons, as the chair of B20 India
to lead the business agenda during India's G20 Presidency.
• The B20 is the business platform of G20 countries.
• The Confederation of Indian Industry has been chosen as the secretariate of B20 in
2023.
• The theme of B20 in 2023 – R.A.I.S.E. (Responsible, Accelerated, Innovative,
Sustainable, and Equitable Businesses)
6. Arun Kumar Singh, former chairman of oil refining and marketing company BPCL, was
appointed chairman and managing director of ONGC (Maharatna PSU).
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7. Shri K.V. Suresh Kumar, Distinguished Scientist of Department of Atomic Energy, has
assumed charge as Chairman and Managing Director of Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut
Nigam Limited (BHAVINI) for a period of 3 years.
• Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (BHAVINI) is a wholly-owned Enterprise of
Government of India under the administrative control of the Department of Atomic Energy
incorporated in 2003 as Public Limited Company under the Companies Act, 1956.
8. Meghna Ahlawat was elected president of the Table Tennis Federation of India.
9. Uttarakhand government has named Prasoon Joshi, the CEO and CCO of McCann
Worldgroup India, the state’s brand ambassador.
• Joshi was awarded the Uttarakhand Gaurav Samman to honour him for his contributions
to art, literature, culture and advertising.
• The Uttarakhand Gaurav Samman, apart from the Uttarakhand Ratna, is one of the state’s
two highest civilian awards given for achievements in various fields.
10. Dina Boluarte has been elected as the first female President of Peru.
• Peru Capital – Lima; Currency – Peruvian sol; Official Language – Spanish (along with
other Peruvian languages)
• It is among the eight countries which occupy Amazon rainforests.
• Amazon rainforest countries – Brazil, Bolivia, Columbia, Ecuador, French Guinea (not
a country but a territory), Guyana, Suriname, Peru and Venezuela
• It is among seven countries which occupy the Andes Mountain range - Venezuela,
Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina
• Nazca Lines (a UNESCO World Heritage site) is a geoglyph etched into the Nazca
Desert in southern Peru.
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11. Indian-origin Sushmita Shukla, a veteran of the insurance industry, has been appointed as the
First Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at the Federal Reserve Bank of New
York.
12. Bangladesh’s PM Sheikh Hasina has been named ‘global ambassador for diabetes’ by the
International Diabetes Federation at the World Diabetes Congress 2022 in Portugal.
• The International Diabetes Federation is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.
• International Diabetes Federation (IDF) is an umbrella organization of over 230 national
diabetes associations in more than 160 countries and territories.
• November 14 – World Diabetes Day
13. Bhupendra Patel (from BJP) has been appointed as the 18th Chief Minister of Gujarat.
• Gujarat Governor – Acharya Devvrat
14. Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (from Congress) has been appointed as the 15th Chief Minister of
Himachal Pradesh.
• Governor – Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar
15. Prasar Bharati Additional Director General Sunil has been unanimously elected as the Vice
President of the Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) for a 3-year term.
• Malaysia-headquartered ABU (Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union) is a non-profit, professional
association of broadcasting organizations of the Asia and Pacific region.
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16. World Health Organization (WHO) has appointed Dr Jeremy Farrar as its new chief
scientist.
17. Indian-origin Leo Varadkar has been elected as the Prime Minister of Ireland for a 2nd term.
Knowledge Nuggets -
• Ireland Capital – Dublin; Currency – Irish Pound; Official languages – Irish and English
• Geographically, the country is located on the British Isles.
• Ireland is divided into two countries, which are Republic of Ireland and Norther Ireland
(part of United Kingdom).
18. Shri Shaji K V has been appointed as the Chairman of NABARD.
19. American executive Cindy Hook has been appointed as the inaugural CEO of the organising
committee for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Brisbane, Australia.
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20. Rajeev Kumar Vishnoi has taken additional charge of the post of Chairman and Managing
Director of NHPC Limited.
21. Mette Frederiksen has been re-elected as the Prime Minister of Denmark.
22. Sonakshi Sinha has been named as PETA Person of The Year 2022 after featuring in a
campaign against the use of animal leather.
23. Renowned athlete PT Usha became the first nominated MP in Rajya Sabha to be
nominated to the panel of Vice Chairpersons.
• The vice-chairpersons will conduct the proceedings of the House when Chairman and
Deputy Chairman are not available.
24. Senior nuclear scientist Dinesh Kumar Shukla has been appointed as the chairperson of the
Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) for a period of 3 years.
• The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board was constituted in 1983 by the President of India by
exercising the powers conferred by the Atomic Energy Act of 1962.
25. Puma, the manufacturer and designer of causal and athletic footwear, has roped in Bollywood
actor and entrepreneur Anushka Sharma as its brand ambassador.
26. Central Govt has appointed Justice Hemant Gupta as the Chairperson of the New Delhi
International Arbitration Centre.
• Set up in 2019, the NDIAC has been declared to be an institution of national importance
and is mandated to be a seven-member body that is headed by a former Judge of the
Supreme Court or a High Court or an eminent person.
• Recently, the Union Minister for Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju introduced a Bill to rename the
New Delhi International Arbitration Centre as the India International Arbitration Centre.
27. SBI Funds Management Limited (SBIFML), a joint venture between State Bank of India and
Amundi, Europe's largest asset manager, has appointed Mr. Shamsher Singh as the MD &
CEO of SBI Funds Management Limited.
28. Sitiveni ‘Rambo’ Rabuka has been appointed as the new Prime Minister of Fiji.
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Knowledge Nuggets -
• Fiji Capital – Suva; Currency – Dollar; Official Languages – English, Fiji Hindi, and Fijian
• The Republic of Fiji is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South
Pacific Ocean.
• Fiji is a part of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC), which includes
India and 14 Pacific Island Nations (including Fiji).
29. PN Vasudevan will continue to be the MD & CEO of Equitas Small Finance Bank.
30. Former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Mysore K.S. Rangappa has been elected as a
fellow of The World Academy of Science (TWAS) for the advancement of science in
developing countries.
• The fellowship comes into effect from January 1, 2023.
Knowledge Nuggets -
• TWAS is the programme unit of UNESCO with its headquarters in Trieste, Italy.
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• TWAS was founded in 1983 by a distinguished group of scientists from the developing
world. It has 1,296 elected fellows representing more than 100 countries and 11 of them
are Nobel laureates.
• TWAS has the objective of encouraging scientific research in solving major challenges
facing developing countries.
31. Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ has been elected as the Prime Minister of Nepal.
32. Santosh Kumar Yadav has been appointed as the Chairman of the National Highways
Authority of India (NHAI).
Knowledge Nuggets -
• The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) was constituted by an Act of Parliament,
the National Highways Authority of India Act, 1988.
• Chairperson - Alka Upadhyaya
33. Anil Kumar Lahoti has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the
Railway Board.
34. Senior bureaucrats Santosh Kumar Yadav has been appointed as the chairman of National
Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
• Subhasish Panda, a 1997-batch IAS officer of the Himachal Pradesh cadre, has been
appointed as Delhi Development Authority (DDA) vice chairman.
35. Ganji Kamala V Rao has been named the CEO of the Food Safety and Standards Authority
of India (FSSAI).
36. Reserve Bank of India has approved the re-appointment of Baskar Babu Ramachandran
as the MD & CEO of Suryoday Small Finance Bank for three years effective January 23,
2023.
37. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Abdullah Abdul Samad
Dashti of Kuwait as United Nations Coordinator for the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
• The Black Sea Grain Initiative was launched by Ukraine, Türkiye, the Russian
Federation and the United Nations in July 2022 to enable the resumption of exports from
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Ukraine of grain, foodstuffs, and fertilizer, including ammonia, through a safe maritime
humanitarian corridor.
38. Benjamin Netanyahu was sworn-in as Israel’s prime minister for a sixth time. He is the 25th
PM of Israel.
• Capital: Jerusalem
• Currency: Israeli shekel
• Parliament: Knesset
• President: Isaac Herzog
IMPORTANT DAYS
1. November 27 – National Organ Donation Day (13th edition)
• August 13 – World Organ Donation Day
2. November 28 to December 2 - Aviation Safety Awareness Week (by Airports Authority of

India)
• Airports Authority of India (AAI) is a Miniratna category-I company.
• It was established in 1995 for creating, upgrading, maintaining and managing civil
aviation infrastructure both on the ground and in air space in the country.
• It came into existence through the Airports Authority of India Act of 1994.
• Chairman – Sanjeev Kumar
3. November 28 – Red Planets Day (NASA launched the Mariner 4 space probe on Mars in
1964)
4. November 29 - International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People

• The 2022 International Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East was organized by
the UN in Geneva, Switzerland.
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• Palestine Capital – Jerusalem* (claimed by Israel as well) and Ramallah (administrative

centre)
• Palestine Currency – Pound
• Israel was created in 1948 from Palestine.
• Location -
• The Dead Sea, also known by other names, is a saltwater lake bordered by Jordan to the
east and Israel and the West Bank to the west. It is the deepest hypersaline lake in the
world.
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• Dead Sea is the lowest waterbody on Earth, with the lowest elevation on land. The
Dead Sea’s water is about 10 times saltier than normal ocean water.
• The water of the Dead Sea is full of salt, which makes it much denser and heavier than
freshwater. If you swim in it, you float very easily.
5. November 29 – International Jaguar Day (by National Zoological Park)
6. November 30 – Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare
7. December 1 – World Aids Day; Theme - Equalize

• Red Ribbon is used for creating awareness about AIDS.
• According to the National AIDS Control Organization’s (NACO) data, India’s annual rate
of HIV infection has declined by 46% between 2010 and 2021 against a global average
of 32%.
• AIDS-related mortalities have also declined by 76% against the global average of 52%
during the period.
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• The central government’s HIV and AIDS for Establishment Policy, 2022 aims to
safeguard the dignity of people infected with and affected by HIV and AIDS in various
institutions and organizations.
Knowledge Nuggets -
• AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) is a chronic, potentially life-threatening
condition caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
• Ways of transmission – mother-to-child (during pregnancy), blood transmission, sexual
contact, and infected syringes
• India has launched the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) in 1992.
• Phases of the Program-
o Phase 1 – Launched in 1992
o Phase 2 - 1999
o Phase 3 - 2007
o Phase 4 - 2012 (extension for the period 2017-20)
o Phase 5 - 2021-2026
• Phase 5 –
o Target – The NACP Phase-V aims to reduce annual new HIV infections and AIDS-
related mortalities by 80% by 2025-26 from the baseline value of 2010.
o Specific targets –
i. 95% of people who are most at risk of acquiring HIV infection use
comprehensive prevention
ii. 95% of HIV positive know their status, 95% of those who know their status
are on treatment and 95% of those who are on treatment have suppressed
viral load
iii. 95% of pregnant and breastfeeding women living with HIV have suppressed
viral load towards attainment of elimination of vertical transmission of HIV
iv. Less than 10% of people living with HIV and key populations experience
stigma and discrimination
o Total outlay - Rs 15471.94 crore
o It is a Central Sector Scheme.
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• Awareness Ribbons -
• Global AIDS Strategy 2021-2026 — End Inequalities. End AIDS has been released by
UNAIDS.
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8. December 2 -
• International Day for the Abolition of Slavery
• National Pollution Prevention Day (38th anniversary of 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy)
• World Computer Literacy Day
9. December 4 - Indian Navy Day (The day commemorates the commencement of Operation
Trident against Pakistan during the Indo-Pak War in 1971.)
• International Day of Banks
• International Cheetah Day
10. December 5 - Parakram Diwas (51st anniversary of India's victory in the Longewala battle
during the 1971 war)
• The celebrations will take place at the Sagat Singh Stadium, Jodhpur, Rajasthan.
• International Volunteer Day; Theme - Solidarity through volunteering
• World Soil Day; Theme - "Soils, where food begins"
• Food and Agriculture Organization has released the “Global Status of Black Soils”
report.
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• Status of Black Soil – Black soils are quickly losing their Soil Organic Carbon (SOC)
sequestration capacity. They have lost 20 to 50% of their original SOC stock, with the
carbon being released into the atmosphere mostly as carbon dioxide.
• Importance of Black Soil –
o Black soil has the capability to remove carbon from the atmosphere and lock it up in
the soil organic matter (called carbon sequestration).
o Black soils have the potential to provide 10% of the total Soil Organic Carbon (SOC)
sequestration globally if they receive proper attention.
o Black soils were home to 2.86% of the global population and had 17.36% of
cropland, 8.05% of global SOC stock and 30.06% SOC stock of global cropland.
• On this day, the King Bhumibol World Soil Award 2022 has been won by the Institute of
Geology, National Autonomous University of Mexico.
• Dr Ashok Kumar Patra has been awarded the Glinka World Soil Prize 2022.
11. December 6 - Mahaparinirvan Diwas (67th death anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar)
12. December 7 –
• International Civil Aviation Day; Theme - Advancing Innovation for Global Aviation
Development
• Armed Forces Flag Day
• Pingali (or Pinglay) Venkayya designed the flag of India.
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13. December 8 –
• SAARC Charter Day (38th edition)
• Indian Navy’s 55th Submarine Day
14. December 9 –
• International Anti-Corruption Day; Theme - UNCAC at 20: Uniting the World against
Corruption
• International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide
and of the Prevention of this Crime
o The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide
(Genocide Convention) was signed on December 9, 1948 in Paris as an instrument
of international law that codified the crime of genocide, for the first time.
15. December 10 – UN Human Rights Day; Theme - Dignity, Freedom, and Justice for All
• UNESCO runs ‘Orange the World Campaign’ from November 25 (International Day for the
Elimination of Violence against Women) to December 10.
16. December 11 –
• UNICEF (United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund) Day (established on
Dec 11, 1946)
• International Mountain Day; Theme – Women Move Mountains
17. December 12 – International Day of Neutrality
18. December 14 – National Energy Conservation Day
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19. December 16 – Vijay Diwas (to honour the victory of Indian armed forces over Pakistan in the
1971 war)
20. December 17 - International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers
21. December 18 –
• Minorities Rights Day in India to create awareness about rights of religious minorities in
India
• International Migrants Day
• World Arabic Language Day; Theme - The Contribution of the Arabic Language to Human
Civilization and Culture
Knowledge Nuggets -
• UN has six official languages, which were adopted on the following days.
o Arabic Language Day (18 December)
o Chinese Language Day (20 April)
o English Language Day (23 April)
o French Language Day (20 March)
o Russian Language Day (6 June)
o Spanish Language Day (23 April)
22. December 20 - International Human Solidarity Day
23. December 23 - National Farmer's Day
24. December 19-25 - 2nd Sushasan Saptah (Good Governance Week)
25. December 22 – National Mathematics Day (birthday of Srinivasan Ramanujan on Dec 22,
1887)
26. December 24 – National Consumer Day
27. December 25 – Good Governance Day (birth anniversary of Atal Bihari Vajpayee)
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28. December 26 – Veer Bal Diwas (to commemorate the martyrdom of two younger sons of Guru
Gobind Singh - Sahibzadas Baba Zorawar Singh Ji and Baba Fateh Singh Ji)
• December 23 – Shaheedi Diwas (to commemorate the martyrdom of two elder sons of
Guru Gobind Singh – Baba Ajit Singh ji and Baba Jujhar Singh Ji)
29. December 27 - International Day of Epidemic Preparedness
AWARDS
1. Sangeet Natak Akademi has announced one-time Sangeet Natak Akademi Amrit Award
under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM) commemorating 75 years of India’s independence for
86 artists.
• These include artists who are above the age of 75 years and haven’t been accorded any
national honour in their career so far, from the field of the Performing Arts of India.
• The artists are given Rs 1 lakh as prize money, along with Tamrapatra and Angavastram.
2. Forbes has launched its annual list of India’s 100 richest billionaires and according to the
list,
• According to the list, the combined wealth of India’s 100 richest grew by $25 billion to touch
$800 billion.
• Rank 1 – Gautam Adani ($150 billion net worth)
• Rank 2 – Mukesh Ambani ($88 billion net worth)
• Rank 3 – Radhakrishna Damani ($27.6 billion net worth)
3. Wildlife Trust of India has selected Kerala’s Man-Animal Conflict Team (an 8-member
team) for its award for bringing down the incidents of man-animal conflict in the region.
• An eight-member team from Chinnakkanal that comes under the Munnar forest division.
4. 41st India International Trade Fair 2022 was held at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.
Category Winners
Outstanding Contribution towards the Public Pavilion of the Ministry of Health and Family
Communication and Outreach Welfare on the theme of Heal in India, Heal by
India
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Gold medal in Foreign Sector Afghanistan’s Pavilion

States and UTs – Gold Medal Kerala’s Pavilion
Govt Departments – Gold Medal IT Board and Central Board of Direct Taxes
5. The Manthan platform has won NSEIT Best Tech Initiative of the Year Award at the Dun &
Bradstreet Business Excellence Awards 2022.
• Purpose - for building the technology infrastructure to promote collaboration between
industry and the scientific research at scale
• Manthan Platform was launched in 2022 to facilitate R&D/innovation, share challenges
focused on emerging technologies, other scientific interventions, as well as those with a
social impact.
• Implementing Agency: Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government
of India.
• It promotes collaboration at scale between industry and scientific research and
development ecosystem to help meet India’s national targets and Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs).
• NSEIT Limited is a global technology enterprise focused on delivering excellence in
complex digital environment, primarily in banking, insurance, and capital market
ecosystem.
• It is a 100% subsidiary of National Stock Exchange of India.
• Its key service pillars are Application Modernization, Business Transformation, Data
Analytics, Infrastructure & Cloud Services, Cybersecurity, EdTech, and online
examinations solutions
6. “The Chipko Movement: A People's History” book has won the Kamaladevi
Chattopadhyay NIF Book Prize 2022.
• Author – Shekhar Pathak
• Since 2018, the New India Foundation has been awarding the annual Kamaladevi
Chattopadhyay NIF Book Prize for the best non-fiction book on modern / contemporary
India published in the previous year.
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• This prize is named to honour the legacy of Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, an Indian social
reformer and freedom activist.
• Prize Money - Rs 15 lakhs
7. Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai has received the Padma Bhushan – India’s third-
highest civilian award – for 2022 in Trade and Industry category.
• The Padma Awards for 2022 have been announced in January 2022. This is the list of
awardees - https://www.thehindu.com/news/resources/full-list-of-padma-awards-
2022/article38325003.ece
8. President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu, presented the National Awards for the
Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities for the year 2021 and 2022 in New Delhi.
• National Awards for 2021 were given to 25 Individuals, Institutions and Organizations.
• National Awards for 2022 were given to 29 Individuals, Institutions and Organisations.
• Categories of the awards –
o Sarvshresth Divyangjan,
o Shresth Divyangjan,
o Shresth Divyang Bal and Balika,
o Sarvshrestha Vyakti (working towards the empowerment of Divyangjan)
o Sarvshrestha Rehabilitation Professional worker
9. 16th edition of Forbes Asia’s Heroes of Philanthropy list –

• Top – Gautam Adani (donation of $7.7 billion)
• HCL Technologies’ Shiv Nadar and Happiest Minds Technologies' Ashok Soota are other
Indians on the list.
10. Badminton World Federation has announced the Player of the Year 2022 awards.
Category Winner
Male Player of the Year Viktor Axelsen (Denmark)
Female Player of the Year Yamaguchi Akane (Japan)
Male Para Badminton Player of the Year Kajiwara Daiki (Japan)
Female Para Badminton Player of the Year Manisha Ramadass (India)
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11. Volodymyr Zelensky has been named as Times’ Person of the Year 2022.
12. Forbes’ annual list of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women has been released.
• Rank 1 – Ursula von der Leyen (Germany)
• India –
o Nirmala Sitharaman (rank 36)
o Roshni Nadar Malhotra (rank 53)
o Madhabi Puri Buch (rank 54)
o Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (rank 77)
o Falguni Nadar (rank 89)
13. Central India’s first agritech startup, Farmkart’s founder and CEO Atul Patidar has won the
prestigious ‘Pride of Central India 2022’ award for transforming the lives of lakhs of rural
farmers in the region.
• Union Minister of Civil Aviation of India Jyotiraditya Scindia handed over the award.
14. Canara Bank has won the "Banker's Bank of the Year Award 2022" for the Indian segment
of the Global Banking Summit.
• The bank has been adjudged as the ‘Best Bank in India for 2022’.
15. Earthshot Prizes 2022 has been announced. The Earthshot Prize was launched in 2020 by
Prince William and David Attenborough.
Category Winner Country
Protect and Restore Nature Kheyti India
Clean Our Air Mukuru Clean Stoves Kenya
Revive Our Oceans Indigenous Women of the Australia
Great Barrier Reef
Build A Waste Free World NOTPLA United Kingdom
Fix Our Climate 44.01 Oman
16. Swayam Shikshan Prayog, Maharashtra-based organisation has been awarded the Local
Adaptation Champions Awards.
• The awards are organised by the Global Centre on Adaptation (GCA) at the ongoing
COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.
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• SSP worked for developing the Women-led Climate Resilient Farming (WCRF) model.
17. Melbourne-based Veena Nair has won the 2022 Prime Minister's Prize for Excellence in
Science Teaching in secondary schools.
18. South Korea’s Mina Sue Choi was crowned Miss Earth 2022.
• Miss Fire 2022 is Andrea Aguilera of Columbia, Miss Water 2022 is Nadeen Ayoub of
Palestine, and Miss Air 2022 is Sheridan Mortlock of Australia.
19. World Athlete of the Year 2022 (Female) - Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (American)
• World Athlete of the Year 2022 (Male) - Armand Duplantis (American-Swedish)
• The awards are given by World Athletics (based in Stockholm).
20. Priyanka Chopra Jonas has featured on the BBC 100 Women 2022.
• Sirisha Bandla (Aeronautical engineer), Sneha Jawale (Social worker), and Geetanjali
Shree (author) are other Indian women on this list.
21. Three Indian-origin women – Neelima Kadiyala, Dr Ana Baburamani and Dr Indrani
Mukherjee – have been recognized as Superstars of STEM by Australia, along with other 57
scientists, technologists, engineers, and mathematicians.
• Australia's Superstars of STEM is an initiative that aims to smash society's gender
assumptions about scientists and increase the public visibility of females and non-binary
people.
• These three women are working in Australia.
22. Quaide Milleth Educational and Social Trust will present the Quaide Milleth Award for
Probity in Political / Public Life 2022 to Dravidar Kazhagam president K. Veeramani and The
Wire (India) Media.
• The award, named after Quaide Milleth Mohamed Ismail Sahib, is given annually to
veterans in political and public life with a deep commitment to constitutional values,
secularism, pluralism, inclusivism and concern for marginalised people.
23. Sony Entertainment Television has become the official satellite partner of the Dadasaheb
Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2023.
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24. Meghalaya govt has won the Best Practice in Advocacy, Communication and Social
Mobilisation in Tuberculosis control award at the National Workshop on ACSM to end TB
in New Delhi, India.
• A National Strategic Plan for TB Elimination (2017-25) was launched to achieve the
target of eliminating TB by 2025.
• The TB Mukt Bharat campaign, or ‘Jan Andolan’, was launched to build greater
awareness, remove the stigma, and generate demand for services across the state.
25. Former vice president Venkaiah Naidu has been conferred with the 25th Sri
Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi National Eminence Award (SIES).
Categories Winners
Public Leadership Arif Mohammed (Kerala’s Governor)
Community Leadership Ratan Tata
Science and Technology Dr Marthanda Varma Sankaran Valianathan
(Cardiologist)
Science and Technology Ajay Kumar Sood (scientific advisor to the
central government)
Spiritual Leadership Vishakha Hari (Harikatha artiste)
• Jagadguru Shri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Mahaswamigal (born Swaminathan
Sharma; 20 May 1894 – 8 January 1994) also known as the Sage of Kanchi or
Mahaperiyavar.
• He was the 68th Jagadguru Shankaracharya of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham. He was a
spiritual leader.
26. World Gastroenterology Organisation (WGO) has presented the 2022 Masters of the WGO
award to Chennai-based gastroenterologist K. R. Palaniswamy for his contributions to the
field of gastroenterology.
• Prof. Palaniswamy received the award at the World Congress of Gastroenterology being
held in Dubai.
Knowledge Nuggets -
pg. 148
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• World Gastroenterology Organisation was established in 1958 in USA.

• It is a global federation of 119 Member Societies representing over 60,000 individual
health care professionals.
27. Asian Academy Creative Awards 2022 have been announced.

• Indian winners -
Category Winners
Best Current Affairs Programme or Series Ganga River From the Skies
National Geographic India
Best Factual Presenter Esha Paul - Inside the Opioid Crisis Gripping
This Himalayan State
Vice Media Asia Pacific, Vice World News
Best Infotainment Programme My Daughter Joined A Cult
Discovery Communications India
Best Lifestyle Programme Say Yes To The Dress India
Discovery Communications India
Best Cinematography Shreya Dube - Thar
Anil Kapoor Film Company / Netflix
Best Direction (Fiction) Basil Joseph - Minnal Murali
Weekend Blockbusters/ Netflix
Best Single Drama/Telemovie/ Anthology Qatil Haseenaon Ke Naam (Ode to Femme
Episode Fatales)
Zee Zindagi / Zee5 / Zee Entertainment
28. Women’s Tennis Association has announced its Awards for 2022.
• WTA Player of the Year: Iga Swiatek (Poland)
• WTA Newcomer of the Year: Qinwen Zheng (Chinese)
• Women’s Tennis Association HQ - St. Petersburg, Florida, United States
29. Jindal Steel and Power (JSP) has been honoured with FICCI CSR Special Commendation
Award for its efforts to counter the COVID-19 pandemic.
pg. 149
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• JSP launched a special initiative, ‘Mission Zero Hunger’ in three states, Odisha,
Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand, to feed truck drivers, stranded migrant labourers, and the
poor.
• This initiative was later extended to Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra, delivering more
than 2 million meals.
• NTPC Ltd. has been conferred with the prestigious FICCI Special Jury Commendation
Awards in the category- Environmental Sustainability for the project - Revival & Operation
of Municipal Solid Waste plant at Karsada, Varanasi.
30. SpiceJet has won the 'Safety Performer of the Year' award at the annual GMR Delhi
Airport Awards for being the top performer among the self-handling airlines, besides for "its
success in reducing ground safety violations".
31. According to the ‘Sixth Bloomberg 50’ report, businessman and philanthropist Gautam
Adani has topped the list of people whose wealth witnessed the maximum rise globally in
2022.
• He has become the world’s third-richest person behind Bernard Arnault and Elon Musk.
32. London-based Association of Tennis Professionals (men’s tennis organization) has

announced ATP Awards 2022.
Category Winner
Fans’ Favourite Award (Singles) Rafael Nadal
Coach of the Year Juan Carlos Ferrero
ATP Masters 1000 Tournament of the Year BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells)
33. NMDC won the coveted IEI (Institution of Engineers, India) Industry Excellence Award
2022.
Knowledge Nuggets -
• Institution of Engineers (India) [IEI] is the largest multi-disciplinary professional body of
engineers, established in 1920 with its headquarters located in Kolkata.
• The purpose is to promote the general advancement of engineering amongst its
members and persons attached to the Institution.
• President of IEI – Narendra Singh
pg. 150
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34. Sargam Koushal (from Jammu) has been crowned as Mrs World 2022 in the USA.
• She brought this accolade to India after 21 years. Aditi Govitrikar became the first Indian
woman to win the honour for India in 2001.
35. Namami Gange initiative has been recognised by the United Nations as one of the Top 10
World Restoration Flagships to revive the natural world.
• Director General, Namami Gange, G Asok Kumar, received the award in the 15th
Conference of Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) in Montreal,
Canada.
• The Namami Gange initiative is committed to reviving the Ganga River, and was started in
2014.
• 2021 to 2030 - United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
• Other winners -
1. Trinational Atlantic 2. Abu Dhabi Marine 3. Great Green Wall
Forest Pact (Brazil, Restoration (UAE) (African Union)
Paraguay and
Argentina)
4. Multi-Country Mountain 5. Small Island 6. Altyn Dala
Initiative (Serbia, Developing States Conservation Initiative
Kyrgyzstan, Uganda Restoration Drive (Kazakhstan)
and Rwanda) (Vanuatu, St Lucia and
Comoros)
7. Central American Dry 8. Building with Nature 9. Shan-Shui Initiative
Corridor (Costa Rica, El (Indonesia) (China)
Salvador, Guatemala,
Honduras, Nicaragua
and Panama)
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• At the COP-15, Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), having 4

goals and 23 targets, was adopted.
o The Framework aims to address the loss of biodiversity and restore natural
ecosystems by 2030.
o 188 countries, 95% of which are parties to the CBD, have approved the Framework,
in addition to the USA and the Vatican City.
Major Targets of the Framework -
• Conservation of at least 30% of the world’s land, water, coastal, and marine areas
• Restoration of at least 30% of degraded terrestrial, inland water, coastal, and marine
ecosystems
• Phasing out subsidies that harm biodiversity by at least USD 500 billion per year and
scaling up incentives for conservation and sustainable use
• Mobilize by 2030 at least $200 billion per year in domestic and international biodiversity-
related funding from all sources – public and private
• Increasing international financial flows to developing countries to at least USD 20 billion
per year by 2025 and at least USD 30 billion per year by 2030.
36. Union Ministry of Power has announced the National Energy Conservation Awards –
2022.
• Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Ltd (KREDL) has won the first prize in the
State Designated Agency (SDA Group-1) sector.
37. Sethrichem Sangtam, who runs an NGO that works with farmers in eastern Nagaland, has
won the first Rohini Nayyar Prize for Outstanding Contribution to Rural Development.
• It carries a Rs 10 lakh prize.
• The Nayyar Foundation for Social and Economic Purpose, a foundation set up by her
family, will give away the annual prize to those under 40 for their contribution to rural
development.
38. Indian scientist at IIT-Madras, Prof. Thalappil Pradeep, received VinFuture special prize in
Hanoi for creating a low-cost filtration system to remove arsenic and other heavy metals
from groundwater.
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39. 'Naatu Naatu' from the blockbuster Telugu film ‘RRR’ has been shortlisted for the 2023 Oscar
Awards in the 'Best Original Song' category.
• Gujarati film 'Chhello Show' was shortlisted in the 'Best International Feature Film'
category.
40. Indian female wrestler Antim Panghal has been nominated for the honour of United World
Wrestling Rising Star of the Year.
41. Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has become the only Indian to be named in the
Empire magazine's '50 Greatest Actors of All Time’.
42. 7th edition of Digital India Awards-2022 has been awarded by the Ministry of Housing and
Urban Affairs.
• These are conducted by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) under the Ministry of
Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY).
Category Winner (Platinum icon)
Digital Empower of Citizens National Agriculture Market (NAM)
Digital Initiatives at Grassroot Level e-Vivechna app of Madhya Pradesh
Digital Initiatives for Ease of Doing Business Mine Mitra at Uttar Pradesh
Data Sharing and Use for Socio-Economic Smart Cities Mission, Ministry of Housing and
Development Urban Affairs
Public Digital Platforms Duare Sarkar (West Bengal)
Central Ministries Indian Customs Electronic Data Interchange
Gagetway (ICEGATE) Portal
Gold – eShram
Digital Initiatives in collaboration with Startups Digital Workforce Management System of
Kerala
Best Web and Mobile Initiatives complying with Bilaspur District Website (Chhattisgarh)
GIGW & Accessibility Guidelines
43. Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has won the prestigious GRIHA Exemplary
Performance Award 2022, a top national level Green Building Award.
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• GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment) is a national rating system for
green buildings in India.
• UIDAI has also won the Data Security Council of India’s Excellence Award 2022 in the
“Best Security Practices in Government Sector” category.
44. The 'Ekalabya Puraskar' for the year 2022 was presented to cyclist Swasti Singh.
• Indian Metals Public Charitable Trust (IMPaCT) has instituted the Ekalabya Puraskar to
encourage young sports talents.
45. Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize 2021-22 has been jointly won by Sudeep Sen and
Shobhana Kumar.
• Sen won this award for his genre and form bender ‘Anthropocene: Climate Change,
Contagion, Consolation’.
• Kumar won the award for her haibun collection ‘A Sky Full of Bucket Lists’.
46. Indian scientist, Prof. Thalappil Pradeep (IIT-Madras) received VinFuture special prize in
Hanoi for innovating a low-cost filtration system to remove arsenic and other heavy metals
from groundwater.
47. The American magazine Forbes released the list of the top 25 female athletes.
• PV Sindhu, at 12th rank, is the only shuttler (badminton player) and Indian on the list.
• Naomi Osaka (tennis player from Japan) is at 1st rank.
48. IIT-Madras has won the Wharton-QS Reimagine Education Awards, referred to as 'the
Oscars of Education'.
• The BS in Data Science and Applications won Silver in the 'Best Online Program'
category, while NPTEL (National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning), a
joint initiative of IITs and IISc, won the Gold in the 'Lifelong Learning category.'
49. Australia's men's Test Player of the Year award will be named in honour of Shane Warne.
50. 9th Atal Samman Samaroh was organized in New Delhi to honour personalities who played
an important role in various fields like political, religious, social, educational, film etc., on the
birth anniversary of former Prime Minister of the country Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
pg. 154
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• Prabhu Chandra Mishra has received the Atal Samman Award for his work in the field of
science and research.
51. Vishal Mittal has won the Prestigious Ambassadors of Change Award by Australia’s
University’s Equity and Participation Team for his work as a student mentor.
• Vishal Mittal is an Indian student studying at the University of Canberra in Australia.
52. The prestigious European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) Young Investigator
Network has chosen Indian scientist Dr Mahima Swamy recognising her as one of the most
revered experts at the University of Dundee's School of Life Sciences.
• She is a specialist in Immunology.
53. Rajasthan government’s Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) has won
the ‘Effective Government Communication Award’ for rolling out key state e-governance
programmes, through digital mode, for the general public and the beneficiaries.
• The state department had launched “Sujus” app to show the articles, events, press notes
etc. on the mobile.
54. ACC has won the National Award for Safety Excellence (2021-22) at the 10th Global
Safety Summit (GSS) in the Large Enterprise-Cement Manufacturing sector.
• The award was instituted by the Fire and Safety Forum and United Nations Global
Compact Network India.
• GSS is India's First International Certification and Assessment Body, developing the
certification guidelines as per the American National Standard Institute, United States of
America.
55. Four veteran diplomats and a US lawmaker have been honoured with 2022 annual ‘Diwali-
Power of One’ award for their efforts in working towards a peaceful and secure world.
• The award, which is also known as the ‘Oscars of Diplomacy’, is presented to former top
diplomats of the United Nations or a member state for their effort to help form a more
perfect, peaceful and secure world for all.
• The award was established in 2017 by Diwali Foundation USA Inc. to promote a peaceful
and consensus-based process to achieve societal ‘Good’.
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SPORTS
1. Magnus Carlsen has won the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour 2022 held at San
Fransisco, USA.
2. Indian boxer Urvashi Singh has won the WBC International Super Bantamweight title as
well as the WBC Asia Silver crown in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
3. Saurashtra cricket team has won the 2022-23 Vijay Hazare Trophy by defeating
Maharashtra.
4. Indian shuttler Unnati Hooda created history at the Badminton Asia Junior Championships
2022 by becoming the first Indian to enter the Under-17 singles final.
5. In Shooting, Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh won the 10 metre air pistol mixed team title
at the 65th National Shooting Championship Competitions at the MP Shooting Academy
range in Bhopal.
6. The Trophy Tour of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 was officially launched in
Bhubaneswar.
7. Six Indian para-shuttlers have won gold medals at Peru Para Badminton International in
Lima.
8. Three female umpires — Vrinda Rathi, Janani Narayan, and Gayathri Venugopalan — are set
to break the record by officiating in the Ranji Trophy.
• This is the first time women are officiating men’s cricket.
9. Aditya Mittal (aged 16) has become India's 77th chess Grandmaster during an ongoing
Ellobregat Open tournament in Spain.
10. Former world champion Mirabai Chanu has won a silver medal in the women’s 49kg division
at the World Weightlifting Championships 2022 in Bogota, Colombia.
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11. Reigning world champion Rudrankksh Patil defeated world No. 1 Danilo Sollazzo of Italy in
the men’s 10m air rifle final to win the gold medal at the ISSF President’s Cup 2022 in
Cairo, Egypt.
• Anjum Moudgil has won the silver award in Women’s 50m rifle in 3 positions.
12. Arjun Erigaisi has won the Tata Steel Chess India 2022 Blitz by defeating American GM
Hikaru Nakamura.
• Vaishali Rameshbabu has won the women’s blitz title.
13. Indian shuttler Anish Thoppani clinched a silver medal in the under-15 category at the
Badminton Asia Junior Championships in Nonthaburi, Thailand.
14. Ashleigh Barty, the winner of the Australian Open women’s singles title in January, has been
conferred with The Don Award, Australia’s most prestigious annual sports award.
• The award is named after the country’s legendary cricketer Don Bradman.
15. Denmark-based Viktor Axelsen (Men’s badminton world No 1) has won men’s singles at the
BWF World Tour Finals in Bangkok, Thailand.
• Akane Yamaguchi of Japan won the women’s singles.
16. Akhil Rabindra won the Drivers’ Championship in the inaugural Indian Racing League at
the Hyderabad Street Circuit.
17. Indian batter Ishan Kishan has become the fastest double centurion in one-day
international.
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18. The legendary former athlete PT Usha has been formally elected as the first woman
president of Indian Olympic Association (IOA).
• The 58-year-old Usha is a multiple Asian Games gold medallist and a fourth-place finisher
in the 1984 Olympics 400m hurdles final.
19. Tokyo Olympian Manu Bhaker clinched a gold in the 10m pistol junior event at the ongoing
65th National Shooting Championship being held in Bhopal.
20. International Master Harshavardhan won gold medal at the Asian Junior Chess held in the
Philippines.
• Rakshitta Ravi has won a silver in Classical and a Bronze in Blitz event.
21. R. Praggnanandhaa has won the $10,000 Julius Baer Challenger Championship in Tel
Aviv.
22. Rafael Nadal was crowned the ITF world champion for the fifth time.
• Top-ranked Iga Swiatek won the ITF’s women’s award.
• In the men’s doubles category, American Rajeev Ram and Briton Joe Salisbury won the
award for the first time.
23. Kabaddi World Cup will be held in the West Midlands region of the United Kingdom in
2025.
• The Kabaddi World Cup 2025 will be hosted out of Asia for the first time announced by
the World Kabbadi Federation (WKF).
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24. Tata Steel Ltd has signed an MOU with Hockey India to become an Official Partner of the
FIH Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup 2023.
• FIH Men’s World Cup 2023 will take place from January 13 – 29, 2023 in Bhubaneswar
and Rourkela in Odisha.
25. India has won the inaugural FIH Women's Hockey Nations Cup by defeating Spain held in
Spain.
• By virtue of winning the Nations Cup, the Indian team has been promoted to the 2023-24
FIH Hockey Women's Pro League, a key event ahead of next year's Asian Games and
2024 Paris Olympics.
26. Argentina won the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Doha, Qatar by defeating France at Lusail
Stadium.
• Slogan of FIFA 2022 – Now is All
• Mascot of FIFA 2022 – La'eeb
• Official match ball – Al Rihla (meaning ‘The Journey’) designed by Adidas
• Trophy of FIFA 2022 – Jules Rimet Trophy (unveiled by Deepika Padukone)
• Awards of FIFA World Cup 2022 –

Category Winner
Golden Ball Lionel Messi (Argentine)
Golden Boot Kylian Mbappe (France); 8 goals
FIFA Young Player Award Enzo Fernandez (Argentine)
• FIFA World Cup 2026 will be held in Canada, Mexico, and the USA.
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27. Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra was the most written-about track and field athlete in
2022.
• He has displaced Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt from the top of the list after years.
28. Union Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports Shri Anurag Thakur has launched the Trophy
Tour of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar – Rourkela.
• In this tour, the coveted trophy will travel across 13 states and one Union Territory before
returning to Odisha on 25 December.
• The World Cup will be organized from 13-19 January 2023.
29. India defeated Bangladesh to win its third consecutive T20 World Cup for the Blind by 120
runs.
• Venue – India
30. Indian doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty reached a career-best world
No. 5.
• HS Prannoy regained his place in the top 10 in men's singles in the BWF world rankings.
31. United World Wrestling has announced that the Asian Wrestling Championships 2023 will
take place between March 28 to April 2nd, 2023 in New Delhi.
• The Championship will feature men's freestyle, women's freestyle, and men's Greco-
Roman divisions.
32. Tata Motors will be the title sponsor of the Maharashtra Open, better known as Tata Open
Maharashtra, which is South Asia's only ATP 250 tournament.
• It will begin on 31 December in Pune.
33. FIFA World Rankings December 2022 -

• Top ranking countries – Brazil (1st) and Argentina (2nd)
34. Mirabai Chanu won the silver medal in 49 kg category at the 2022 IWF World Weightlifting
Championship at Bogota, Columbia.
• Hidilyn Diaz from Philippines won 3 gold medals in 55 kg category.
pg. 160
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35. Hockey India has announced the 18-member team to represent India at the prestigious FIH
Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup 2023 to be held in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela from
January 13 to 29.
• Ace drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh has been named the captain of the squad with Amit
Rohidas as the Vice-Captain.
36. Sam Curran becomes the most expensive player in IPL history in the Rs 18.50 crore deal.
37. Geto Sora (badminton player from Arunachal Pradesh) has won the Top Arena Junior
International Badminton Championship title in the Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
38. Lovlina Borgohain and Nikhat Zareen won the gold medals at Women’s National Boxing
Championship 2022 in Bhopal.
• The Railways team topped the medals tally with 10 medals – five golds, three silvers and
two bronze.
• Madhya Pradesh, with one gold, two silver and five bronze stood second, while Haryana
with two gold and two bronze claimed the third position. Shane Warne
39. 2022 FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Championship Rapid Open was held at Almaty,
Kazakhstan.
• Magnus Carlsen (Norway) and Tan Zhongyi (China) have won gold in Open and
Women’s championships.
• Savitha Shri B from India has won the Bronze Medal in women’s championship.
• Koneru Humpy has won the silver medal.
MISCELLANEOUS
1. Merriam-Webster, America's oldest dictionary publisher, has just chosen "gaslighting" as its
word of the year for 2022.
• Gaslighting means manipulating (someone) by psychological means into doubting their own
sanity.
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2. Mauna Loa, the world's largest active volcano located in Hawaii island of the US, has
erupted for the first time in 38 years.
3. Industrialist and Toyota Kirloskar Motor vice-chairman Vikram Kirloskar has passed away.
4. Semeru Volcano has erupted in Java Island, Indonesia.

• Indonesia Capital – Jakarta; Currency - Indonesian Rupiah; Official language –
Indonesian
• Indonesia is a member of ASEAN.
• Indonesia is the world's largest archipelagic state.
• Indonesia is the country with largest Muslim population (12.7% of the world's Muslims
reside here), followed by Pakistan (11.1%), India (10.9%) and Bangladesh (9.2%).
• Indonesia is a presidential republic with an elected legislature.
• Ramayana and Mahabharata are the mythological epics of this country.
• Main islands of Indonesia – Sumatra, Java, Borneo, and New Guinea
5. A new tropical cyclone is likely to form over the Bay of Bengal and is going to impact Tamil
Nadu, Puducherry, and Andhra Pradesh.
• The cyclonic storm will be named 'Cyclone Mandous', the name which is given by the
United Arab Emirates which means a treasure box in the Arabic language.
6. ‘Goblin Mode’ is the word of the year of Oxford Dictionaries.
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7. “Sultan: A Memoir” is the autobiography of Pakistani cricketer Wasim Akram, written in

collaboration with Gideon Haigh.
8. “Fit @ Any Age: A Practitioner’s Guide” has been authored by Air Marshal P V Iyer.
9. Kenneth Powell, popularly known as "the Gentleman Sprinter", was an Indian track and field
athlete from the state of Karnataka. He has passed away.
10. Julia Bell Reichert (American Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker, activist, and
feminist) has passed away.
11. Padma Shri awardee & Veteran Lavani Singer Sulochana Chavan passed away.
12. “Bravehearts of Bharat: Vignettes from Indian History” book has been authored by
historian Vikram Sampath.
13. Gamaka exponent Padma Shri awardee H R Keshava Murthy passed away.
Knowledge Nuggets -
• Gamaka (also spelled gamakam) refer to ornamentation that is used in the performance
of North and South Indian classical music.
14. “Forks in the Road: My Days at RBI and Beyond” book has been authored by C.
Rangarajan (former Governor of RBI).
15. Pelé, Brazilian professional footballer and former Minister of Sports in Brazil, has passed away.
QUESTIONS
Q.1) Which edition of the Kathakar was held in [c] 18th
New Delhi to showcase amazing stories and [d] 20th
music by Indian and International storytellers, in [e] 33rd
their pristine physical form, from six countries
along with India? Q.2) Which is the first Indian feature film in the
[a] 23rd history of Indian cinema to have a star cast
[b] 15th comprising only indigenous tribal people?
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[a] Yakari
[b] Tiver of Death Q.8) What is the age limit for becoming eligible for
[c] Valhalla Rising the maiden Sangeet Natak Akademi Amrit
[d] Dhabari Quruvi Award?
[e] Xingu [a] 40 years
[b] 35 years
Q.3) Recently, the International Crops Research [c] 60 years
Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) [d] 75 years
scientists, in collaboration with the Asian [e] 25 years
Development Bank (ADB), have developed high-
resolution spatial maps of croplands. Where is the Q.9) Which word is chosen as the word of the
headquarters of the ICRISAT located? year for 2022 by Merriam-Webster?
[a] Hyderabad [a] Oeuvre
[b] Pune [b] Gaslighting
[c] Surat [c] Fecund
[d] Vadodara [d] Rue
[e] Chandigarh [e] Veering
Q.4) Which company has successfully run the Q.10) Which company has launched India’s first-
world’s first aircraft engine on hydrogen? ever launchpad designed and operated by a
[a] Rolls-Royce private player?
[b] General Electric [a] Bellatrix Aerospace
[c] Pratt & Whitney [b] Agnikul Cosmos
[d] GE Honda Aero Engines [c] Dhruva Space
[e] Engine Alliance. [d] Pixxel
[e] Skyroot Aerospace
Q.5) Who has been appointed as MD and CEO of
the Bombay Stock Exchange? Q.11) Which of the following is a state bird of
[a] Rajesh Kumar Kanaujia Rajasthan?
[b] T.N. Krishnan [a] Great Indian Bustard
[c] Sumita Dawra [b] Indian Peafowl
[d] Sundararaman Ramamurthy [c] Grey junglefowl
[e] Shashank Priya [d] Rose-ringed parakeet
[e] Columbidae
Q.6) Who is the chairperson of the Airports
Authority of India? Q.12) Which institute is collaborating with the
[a] Anil Agrawal Deakin University in Australia to launch the
[b] Rajeev Singh Thakur Australia-India Centre for Energy (AICE)?
[c] Sanjeev Kumar [a] IIT-Ropar
[d] Anurag Jain [b] IIT-Madras
[e] Samkit Shah [c] IIT-Delhi
[d] IIT-Roorkee
Q.7) Where was the 2022 International Media [e] IIT-Kharagpur
Seminar on Peace in the Middle East organized?
[a] Geneva Q.13) Recently, NITI Aayog's Atal Innovation
[b] Berlin Mission has launched a Community Innovator
[c] Lausanne Fellowship programme to help aspiring
[d] Vienna community innovators establish the knowledge
[e] Budapest and infrastructure needed for their entrepreneurial
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journey. What is the tenure of this fellowship Piyush Goyal, will attend the ‘Millets-Smart
program? Nutritive Food’ Conclave in New Delhi. At the
[a] 4 years conclave, a knowledge book on millets is
[b] 6 months launched in collaboration with the ______?
[c] 2 years [a] Yes Bank
[d] 1 year [b] ICICI Bank
[e] 1.5 years [c] Kotak Mahindra Bank
[d] Bank of Baroda
Q.14) Which institute has developed and [e] State Bank of India
deployed Sindhuja-I – Ocean Wave Energy
Converter? Q.19) Which has become the first state in India to
[a] INCOIS set up a separate Divyang department for the
[b] NIT-Trichy welfare of differently-abled people?
[c] IIT-Madras [a] Madhya Pradesh
[d] NIOS [b] Uttar Pradesh
[e] NIT- Surathkal [c] Tamil Nadu
[d] Maharashtra
Q.15) Recently, Central government has [e] Uttarakhand
approved the Print and Digital Media Association
(PADMA) as a self-regulatory body for publishers Q.20) Which state has recently launched the
of news and current affairs across the country. “Open Loop Ticketing System”?
Who heads this organization? [a] Haryana
[a] Krishnendra Pratap Singh [b] Madhya Pradesh
[b] Mool Chand Garg [c] Gujarat
[c] Giridhar Aramane [d] Maharashtra
[d] Mahesh Kumar Sharma [e] Telangana
[e] Muthuthevar Kannan
Q.21) Where is the Tungareshwar Wildlife
Q.16) Which state’s police has issued ‘Soulbound Sanctuary located?
Tokens’ – Non-Fungible Tokens on the [a] Assam
Blockchain platform – as rewards to its [b] Arunachal Pradesh
outstanding team members? [c] Maharashtra
[a] Maharashtra [d] Kerala
[b] Tamil Nadu [e] Karnataka
[c] Karnataka
[d] Kerala Q.22) Which country will host the 12th World
[e] West Bengal Hindi Conference?
[a] Fiji
Q.17) What is the corpus of the PLI Scheme for [b] Peru
Drone for 2022-23 to 2024-25? [c] Trinidad and Tobago
[a] Rs 120 crore [d] Cuba
[b] Rs 500 crore [e] Chile
[c] Rs 1200 crore
[d] Rs 1500 crore Q.23) Which of the following institutions has
[e] Rs 800 crore partnered with the University of Leicester,
England for a grant of nearly £10 million from the
Q.18) Agricultural and Processed Food Products National Institute for Health and Care Research,
Export Development Authority (APEDA), under UK?
the Union Commerce and Industry Minister
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[a] Ramalingaswami Centre for Social Q.28) Which country is stricken by the Invasive
determinants of Health Group A Strep (iGAS)-caused bacterial infection
[b] South Asia Centre for Disability Inclusive recently?
Development and Research [a] United Kingdom
[c] Centre for Environmental Health [b] Zimbabwe
[d] Centre for Digital Health [c] Belarus
[e] Public Health Foundation of India [d] Columbia
[e] Argentine
Q.24) With which country does India collaborate
to organize SHE STEM – an annual event to Q.29) Which country owns the B-21 Raider
honor women in the disciplines of science, (world’s first sixth-generation aircraft)?
technology, engineering, mathematics, and [a] Israel
sustainability? [b] Russia
[a] Germany [c] China
[b] Netherlands [d] France
[c] Sweden [e] USA
[d] Denmark
[e] Poland Q.30) Which country will host the 18th session of
Intergovernmental Committee for the
Q.25) With which country has NITI Aayog Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage?
collaborated to organize the national conclave on [a] Guinea
soil health management for sustainable farming [b] Botswana
on the occasion of the World Soil Day? [c] Zimbabwe
[a] United Kingdom [d] Morocco
[b] Germany [e] Zambia
[c] Australia
[d] New Zealand Q.31) Which organization has launched India's
[e] Austria first e-learning platform for Drone Skilling and
Learning?
Q.26) Which institute is developing the “Spatial [a] Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
Data Infrastructure geoportal ‘Geo-Ladakh’ for [b] Garuda Aerospace
UT-Ladakh”? [c] Antrix Corporation
[a] National Atmospheric Research Laboratory [d] Larsen & Toubro
[b] Aryabhatta Research Institute of [e] Bellatrix Aerospace
Observational-Sciences
[c] Indian Institute of Remote Sensing Q.32) Which company has been hired by
[d] National Center for Earth Science Studies Uttarakhand for achieving the target of doubling
[e] Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology its Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) in the
next five years?
Q.27) With which organization has Telangana [a] KPMG
govt signed an MOU to collaborate in building a [b] McKinsey
strong Web 3.0 community in the state? [c] Boston Consulting Group
[a] Gemini [d] Bain & Company
[b] ShapeShift [e] Elixirr
[c] Blockstream
[d] Coinbase Inc Q.33) Which Indian state has announced to
[e] Uniswap become a 100% renewable energy-based state
by 2040 and net carbon neutral by 2050?
[a] Kerala
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[b] Uttarakhand [b] ₹12.455 crore

[c] Tamil Nadu [c] ₹16,879 crore
[d] Karnataka [d] ₹15,530 crore
[e] Uttar Pradesh [e] ₹25,200 crore
Q.34) Which state is creating a Safai Karamchari Q.39) How many critical illnesses and major
Commission? disorders are covered in the Ageas Federal Life
[a] Arunachal Pradesh Insurance Criti Care Plan?
[b] Meghalaya [a] 40
[c] Tripura [b] 20
[d] Assam [c] 45
[e] Sikkim [d] 15
[e] 30
Q.35) With which company has ISRO signed an
MOU to launch SpaceTech Innovation Network Q.40) Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the
(SpIN)? Government of India signed a $3 million project
[a] Infraspeak readiness financing (PRF) facility to support
[b] Zypp preparatory activities for designing a project to
[c] Nodle.io improve municipal infrastructure in priority areas
[d] Social Alpha of _____ city?
[e] Smarten Spaces [a] Itanagar
[b] Gangtok
Q.36) With which country’s Small and Medium [c] Aizawl
Enterprises General Authority has SIDBI signed [d] Agartala
an MOU for exploring and collaborating on [e] Shillong
matters of common interest in the development
and boosting MSMEs in their respective Q.41) In which city will the G20 Development
countries? Working Group (DWG) meeting 2023 be
[a] Malaysia organized?
[b] Saudi Arabia [a] Mumbai
[c] Sri Lanka [b] Bangalore
[d] UAE [c] Lucknow
[e] Bahrain [d] Vijayanagar
[e] Guwahati
Q.37) Recently, “Tuberculosis Research Funding
Trends, 2005–2021” report has been published Q.42) In which state will the health exchange
by the Treatment Action Group (TAG) and the platform be launched in its initial phase?
Stop TB Partnership. As per this report, the [a] Madhya Pradesh
funding for TB research and development [b] Haryana
reached a record _____ in 2021? [c] Assam
[a] $100 million [d] Tamil Nadu
[b] $10 billion [e] Telangana
[c] $10 million
[d] $1 billion Q.43) When is the International Universal Health
[e] $110 million Coverage Day organized?
[a] November 28
Q.38) What is the total corpus of SWAMIH [b] December 12
Investment Fund I? [c] January 23
[a] ₹10,000 crore [d] April 7
pg. 4
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[e] May 17 [e] 7th
Q.44) Which institute has established India’s first Q.49) How much amount has been sanctioned by
3D bioprinting Center of Excellence (CoE)? the Asian Development Bank to India for
[a] National Institute of Research in Tribal Health strengthening and modernising India’s logistics
[b] Bhopal Memorial Hospital & Research Center infrastructure, improve efficiency, and lower
[c] Centre for Ageing & Mental Health costs?
[d] Indian Institute of Science [a] $250 million
[e] National AIDS Research Institute [b] $300 million
[c] $180 million
Q.45) National Commission for Protection of Child [d] $150 million
Rights (NCPCR) has launched GHAR – GO [e] $100 million
Home and Re-Unite (Portal for Restoration and
Repatriation of Child) to digitally monitor and track Q.50) How many global consultancy firms have
the restoration and repatriation of children. The been chosen by RBI to use artificial intelligence
National Commission for Protection of Child and machine learning for supervisory functions?
Rights (NCPCR) was established in March 2007 [a] Seven
under the Commission for Protection of Child [b] Eight
Rights Act of 2005. Who is the current [c] Nine
chairperson of NCPCR? [d] Ten
[a] Mayank Tewari [e] Five
[b] Priyank Kanoongo
[c] Vinod G. Khandare Q.51) Which company has developed the cervical
[d] Dipti Mohil Chawla cancer vaccine named Cervavac?
[e] Pankaj Agarwal [a] Biosilt Pharmaceutical India
[b] Serum Institute of India
Q.46) What is the location of the first carbon- [c] Bioquest Pharmaceuticals
neutral farm in the country? [d] Bharat Biotech
[a] Madurai [e] Novartis India Limited
[b] Aluva
[c] Coimbatore Q.52) Recently, the Pension Fund Regulatory and
[d] Mysuru Development Authority (PFRDA) has launched
[e] Puducherry the NPS Prosperity Planner (NPP) to help
individuals calculate their retirement income
Q.47) Which edition of the Asia-Pacific Regional based on annuity options and contributions to the
Meeting (APRM) of the International Labour National Pension System. The Facility is available
Organization was organized in Singapore? for individuals through the three central
[a] 23rd recordkeeping agencies (CRAs)—Protean
[b] 20th (formerly NSDL), Fintech, and CAMS. In
[c] 17th November, the chairman of the NPS Trust was
[d] 16th appointed. Identify the person.
[e] 13th [a] Prabhat Kumar Tripathi
[b] Amarendra Tiwari
Q.48) What is India’s rank in the Hurun Global [c] Giridhar Aramane
500 list of 2022? [d] Suraj Bhan
[a] 5th [e] S.B. Naithani
[b] 19th
[c] 10th Q.53) Who has been appointed as the Chairman
[d] 3rd of NABARD?
pg. 5
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[a] Radha Sridharan Q.58) Recently, Kerala has applied for the
[b] Mahesh Kumar Sharma geographical tag for its ___ product?
[c] Muthuthevar Kannan [a] Beypore Uru
[d] Shaji K V [b] Changalikodan
[e] Dipti Mohil Chawla [c] Chendamangalam saree
[d] Screw pine craft of Kerala
Q.54) Which Indian state has recently signed an [e] Vazhakulam pineapple
MOU with the Airbnb to promote the state as one
of the most high-potential tourist destinations Q.59) Which of the following exercises will take
around the world? place at Umroi (Meghalaya) from 15 to 28
[a] Sikkim December 2022?
[b] Kerala [a] Shakti Exercise
[c] Gujarat [b] Garuda Shakti
[d] Goa [c] Nomadic Elephant
[e] Telangana [d] KAZIND-22
[e] Yudh Abhyas
Q.55) Which PSU has established its new Devikot
solar PV projects at Jaisalmer, Rajasthan? Q.60) Recently, MTAR Technologies has signed
[a] NEEPCO an MOU with IN-SPACe India for design and
[b] REC development of a two-stage to low-earth orbit all-
[c] NHPC liquid small satellite launch vehicle. Indian
[d] CIL National Space Promotion and Authorization
[e] NTPC Centre (IN-SPACe) is a single-window,
independent, nodal agency which functions as an
Q.56) Which state has set up a committee under autonomous agency in Department of Space
the chairmanship of Mangal Prabhat Lodha to (DOS). The organization is headquartered in
gather information on the interfaith and inter-caste Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Recently, the organization’s
marriage couples? chairman was appointed. Identify the name of the
[a] Andhra Pradesh person.
[b] Maharashtra [a] Krishnendra Pratap Singh
[c] Karnataka [b] Prabhat Kumar Tripathi
[d] Odisha [c] Dharmendra Kumar Singh
[e] Assam [d] Rasika Chaube
[e] Pawan Goenka
Q.57) Kerala government has recently passed the
Universities Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2022 to Q.61) Which country has offered to set up a
replace the governor from the post of chancellor permanent secretariat for the No Money for Terror
in the universities in the state. The government Ministerial Conference in the country?
shall appoint an accommodation or a person of [a] India
eminence from any field as the chancellor of the [b] Denmark
universities. What shall be the tenure of the [c] Finland
Chancellor? [d] Netherland
[a] 5 years [e] Iceland
[b] 2 years
[c] 6 years Q.62) How much is the amount of the revival
[d] 8 years package of BSNL?
[e] 4 years [a] Rs 1.90 lakh crore
[b] Rs 6.4 lakh crore
[c] Rs 2 lakh crore
pg. 6
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[d] Rs 1.64 lakh crore [e] Japan

[e] Rs 4 lakh crore
Q.68) Recently, a group of nine countries have
Q.63) Recently, India has successfully conducted approved $15.5 billion to Vietnam to help the
night trials of the nuclear-capable ballistic missile Southeast Asian nation move faster from coal
named Agni V. What is the maximum range of power to renewable energy. The group includes
this missile? the countries of the Group of Seven (G7), along
[a] 2,500 km with ____ and ____?
[b] 5,000 km [a] Philippines and Japan
[c] 3,000 km [b] Sweden and United Kingdom
[d] 4,800 km [c] United States of America and France
[e] 1,500 km [d] Norway and Denmark
[e] Germany and Denmark
Q.64) Union Minister of Civil Aviation and Steel,
Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia recently inaugurated Q.69) Which organization has released the
a direct flight between Mumbai and San “Striving for Clean Air: Air Pollution and Public
Francisco. Which airline has been given Health in South Asia” report?
permission to operate flights on this route as of [a] World Bank
December 2022? [b] Asian Development Bank
[a] Spice Jet [c] World Health Organization
[b] Go First [d] UN Environment Program
[c] Indigo [e] International Monetary Fund
[d] Vistara
[e] Air India Q.70) Which company has been honoured with
FICCI CSR Special Commendation Award for its
Q.65) Which state signed an MOU with Indian efforts to counter the COVID-19 pandemic?
Meteorological Department (IMD) in December [a] SBI Foundation
2022 to "strengthen and densify the weather [b] Tata Trusts
forecasting network in the state"? [c] Reliance Industries
[a] Uttarakhand [d] ITC Limited
[b] Assam [e] Jindal Steel and Power
[c] West Bengal
[d] Maharashtra Q.71) Where is the “India SatCom 2022” event
[e] Odisha held?
[a] Bengaluru
Q.66) Which state does the GI-tagged Gamosa [b] New Delhi
belong to? [c] Ahmedabad
[a] Assam [d] Mysore
[b] Nagaland [e] Chandigarh
[c] Sikkim
[d] Meghalaya Q.72) Recently, India and Finland signed a joint
[e] Kerala declaration of Intent on migration and mobility to
arrive at a mutually beneficial arrangement on
Q.67) What is the venue of the SURYA KIRAN- migration and mobility between the two countries.
XVI? Which of the following sea surrounds the Nordic
[a] Sri Lanka country in the South?
[b] Nepal [a] Marmara Sea
[c] Malaysia [b] Aegean Sea
[d] Indonesia [c] Adriatic Sea
pg. 7
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[d] Baltic Sea [a] Meghalaya

[e] North Sea [b] Odisha
[c] Telangana
Q.73) Ministry of Electronics and Information [d] Tamil Nadu
Technology (MeitY) Startup Hub and Google [e] Assam
have announced training 100 early to mid-stage
homegrown startups under the Appscale Q.77) Which institute of ICAR has developed a
Academy program of 2023. When was the drought-tolerant variety of Chickpea named 'Pusa
initiative launched? JG 16'?
[a] 2023 [a] ICAR-Central Island Agricultural Research
[b] 2021 Institute
[c] 2019 [b] ICAR-Indian Agriculture Research Institute
[d] 2022 [c] ICAR-Central Institute for Arid Horticulture
[e] 2020 [d] ICAR-Central Institute of Agricultural
Engineering
Q.74) Indian Renewable Energy Development [e] ICAR-Central Plantation Crops Research
Agency (IREDA) has signed a loan agreement Institute
with SJVN Green Energy for financing over
₹4,000 crores for the 1,000 MW solar power Q.78) Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare
project at Bikaner, Rajasthan. Indian Renewable and the Department of Space have signed an
Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA) is MOU to develop a Krishi-Decision Support
a Mini Ratna (Category – I) Enterprise under the System (Krishi-DSS) using satellite data. This
administrative control of Ministry of New and system is going to use the RISAT-1A (India’s first
Renewable Energy (MNRE). It was established as Radar Imaging Satellite) satellite data. When was
an NBFC which extends finance for new and this satellite launched?
renewable energy projects. Who is the current [a] August 2021
chair of this organization? [b] February 2022
[a] Pradip Kumar Das [c] October 2019
[b] C.L. Guleria [d] March 2018
[c] Dinesh Menon [e] August 2018
[d] Anshul Mishra
[e] Siddharth Jhawar Q.79) Who is the current CMD of Cotton
Corporation of India (CCI)?
Q.75) The 5th edition of Youth Co:Lab, Asia [a] Lalit Kumar Gupta
Pacific’s largest youth innovation movement, was [b] Prabhat Kumar Tripathi
jointly launched by Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), [c] Sushil R. Gaikwad
NITI Aayog and UNDP India. This initiative was [d] Krishnendra Pratap Singh
launched in 2019 in India. When was this initiative [e] Promila Chugh
curated?
[a] 2017 Q.80) Which has become the first small finance
[b] 2008 bank to be appointed as a SPARSH (System for
[c] 2010 Pension Administration (Raksha) service centre?
[d] 2019 [a] AU Small Finance Bank
[e] 2015 [b] Equitas Small Finance Bank
[c] Ujjavan Small Finance Bank
Q.76) Which state has launched the “Friends of [d] Utkarsh Small Finance Bank
Library” scheme to promote reading by delivering [e] ESAF Small Finance Bank
books to people who are unable to visit state-run
libraries?
pg. 8
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Q.81) Which country has launched a ‘Group of [a] 40

Friends’ to promote accountability for crimes [b] 37
against peacekeepers? [c] 53
[a] USA [d] 70
[b] South Africa [e] 89
[c] Brazil
[d] India Q.86) Which company is the first in the world to
[e] China introduce GMS-based Cowpea Hybrids in the
market and has released three hybrids in Cowpea
Q.82) Who has cracked the Panini code in his – Bubbly, Sherly and Poorvaja?
thesis? [a] Dharti Agro Chemicals
[a] Presanna K. Sharma [b] Apna Godam
[b] Rishi Rajpopa [c] Ninjacart
[c] Udai Singh Kumawat [d] Fasal
[d] Manish Mani Tiwari [e] KhetiGaadi
[e] Dinesh Menon
Q.87) What is the rank of India in the 11th Global
Q.83) Recently, the Constitution (Scheduled Food Security Index?
Tribes) Order (Third Amendment) Bill, 2022 has [a] 78th
been passed by Lok Sabha to include the Hattee [b] 68th
community. Which state does the community [c] 95th
belong to? [d] 56th
[a] Uttarakhand [e] 43rd
[b] Arunachal Pradesh
[c] West Bengal Q.88) How much stake does the Life Insurance
[d] Himachal Pradesh Corporation own in Indian Railway Catering and
[e] Gujarat Tourism (IRCTC)?
[a] 6.8%
Q.84) Recently, Union Health Minister, Dr [b] 7.2%
Mansukh Mandaviya has inaugurated ICMR- [c] 16.9%
NARFBR (National Animal Resource Facility for [d] 10.5%
Biomedical Research) at Genome Valley, [e] 4.3%
Hyderabad. Who has been appointed as the
Director of ICMR-NARFBR? Q.89) What is the interest rate offered to general
[a] Ramchandra S.G. public in the “IND SHAKTI 555 DAYS"?
[b] Rajinder Prashad [a] 6.5%
[c] Hasmukh Adhia [b] 7%
[d] Udai Singh Kumawat [c] 6.9%
[e] Manish Mani Tiwari [d] 7.5%
[e] 7.2%
Q.85) Union Minister for Science & Technology,
Dr Jitendra Singh, who is also the Vice President Q.90) Who has been elected as the Prime
of CSIR (Council of Scientific & Industrial Minister of Ireland for a 2nd term?
Research), launched the "One Week, One Lab" [a] Leo Varadkar
countrywide campaign from the 6th January, [b] John Boozman
2023. Under the campaign, each and every lab of [c] Dianne Feinstein
CSIR will display their innovations one by one [d] Alex Padilla
every week to the common citizens of India. How [e] Michael Bennet
many CSIR institutions/laboratories exist in India?
pg. 9
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Q.91) Indian Railways received 800 proposals [e] West Bengal

from startups to solve 11 problems under the
"Startups for Railways" initiative. The Minister of Q.95) Which company has been appointed to
Railway Ashwini Vaishnaw launched Indian conduct the Pey Jal Survekshan 2022-23?
Railway Innovation Policy — ‘StartUps for [a] Infosys
Railways’ in New Delhi to leverage innovative [b] IPSOS
technologies developed by Indian Startups, [c] Yardi System
MSMEs, Innovators, Entrepreneurs to improve [d] Appen
operational efficiency and safety of Indian [e] Worley
Railways. When was this initiative launched?
[a] 2022 Q.96) Which company has developed India’s first
[b] 2019 Green Steel Brand “KALYANI FeRRESTA”?
[c] 2016 [a] Hindustan Unilever
[d] 2017 [b] Infosys Ltd
[e] 2015 [c] Tata Consultancy Services
[d] Bharti Airtel
Q.92) Aviation regulator Directorate General for [e] Kalyani Group
Civil Aviation has introduced new features on its
e-governance platform (eGCA) for stakeholders. Q.97) Which state has signed an agreement with
Which company has developed the system of the California-based "Austin University" to build a
eGCA? $42 billion 'Smart City of Knowledge' in the state?
[a] ArcelorMittal [a] Tamil Nadu
[b] Tata Consultancy Services [b] Kerala
[c] HCL Technologies [c] Uttar Pradesh
[d] Tech Mahindra Limited [d] Assam
[e] Larsen and Toubro [e] Arunachal Pradesh
Q.93) National Test House (NTH) will set up Q.98) Meghalaya has ranked first in the country
testing facilities for EV batteries and charging as far as the average monthly income per
systems at its Mumbai and Kolkata centres. NTH agricultural household. How much is the amount
is one of the largest multidisciplinary testing labs of average monthly income per agricultural
of the central government which caters to quality household?
testing needs in different disciplines. When was [a] Rs 67,899 per month
this organization set up? [b] Rs 14,877 per month
[a] 1988 [c] Rs 29,348 per month
[b] 1997 [d] Rs 10,900 per month
[c] 2016 [e] Rs 16,432 per month
[d] 1912
[e] 1956 Q.99) Which countries became the first African
nations to sign the Artemis Accords during the
Q.94) Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Fifth first-ever U.S.-Africa Space Forum?
Amendment) Bill, 2022 has been passed by Lok [a] Nigeria and Rwanda
Sabha to include Dhanuhar, Dhanuwar, Kisan, [b] Tanzania and South Africa
Saunra, Saonra, and Binjhia communities. Which [c] Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya
states do these communities belong to? [d] Ethiopia and Zimbabwe
[a] Chhattisgarh [e] Morocco and Senegal
[b] Madhya Pradesh
[c] Tamil Nadu Q.100) Which district has topped in the Social
[d] Assam Progress Index (SPI) 2022?
pg. 10
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[a] Ananthapuramu [e] 2013

[b] Chittoor
[c] Aizawl Q.105) With which bank has Kerala Startup
[d] Khonsa Mission signed an MOU to engage more deeply
[e] Namsai with the start-up community and to promote
entrepreneurship in the state?
Q.101) Where is India’s first infantry museum [a] HDFC Bank
established? [b] Bank of India
[a] Almora cantonment [c] CSB
[b] Mhow cantonment [d] Karnataka Bank
[c] Danapur cantonment [e] Bank of Maharashtra
[d] Fatehgarh cantonment
[e] Mathura cantonment Q.106) Recently, NASA has dismantled its Mars
InSight mission – the first robotic probe that was
Q.102) Which organization has launched the specially designed to study the interiors of Mars.
Impact Leaders programme to create Impact When was this mission launched?
Leaders in the areas of Environmental-Social- [a] 2019
Governance (ESG)? [b] 2018
[a] Indian Institute of Banking and Finance [c] 2015
[b] Indian Institute of Science [d] 2012
[c] Indian Institute of Geomagnetism [e] 2014
[d] Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs
[e] Indian Institute of Astrophysics Q.107) Which of the following online home
services platforms has signed an agreement with
Q.103) How many components are being the National Skill Development Corporation
established under the AYURSWASTHYA (NSDC) to provide training and digital certification
Yojana? to "thousands" of freshers?
[a] Two [a] Zimmber
[b] Four [b] Thumbtack
[c] Eight [c] Timesaverz
[d] Five [d] Urban Company
[e] Three [e] Handyman
Q.104) Recently, 19th meeting of the Experts and Q.108) Which bank won IBSi Global FinTech
Coordinators of the Shanghai Cooperation Innovation Awards 2022 in the Best CRM System
Organization’s Interbank consortium (SCO-IBC) Implementation and Most Impactful Project
was held in New Delhi. The SCO IBC was categories along with BUSINESSNEXT?
established in 2005, under the decision made by [a] Bank of India
the Council of Heads of SCO Member States to [b] Bank of Baroda
create a mechanism to financially support and [c] RBL Bank
service investment projects in the SCO member [d] Central Bank of India
countries’ economic area (Agreement on [e] HDFC Bank
Interbank Cooperation with the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization). When did India join Q.109) Which bank has gone live in the Indian
the SCO IBC? Customs Electronic Gateway (ICEGATE), the
[a] 2019 national portal of Indian Customs of Central
[b] 2008 Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, in
[c] 2015 December 2022?
[d] 2017 [a] State Bank of India
pg. 11
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[b] Karnataka Bank

[c] Bank of Maharashtra Q.115) How much is the MSP for ball copra in
[d] Axis Bank 2023 season?
[e] ICICI Bank [a] Rs 10,500 per quintal
[b] Rs 8,298 per quintal
Q.110) Who has been appointed as the [c] Rs 11,750 per quintal
Chairperson of the New Delhi International [d] Rs 15,566 per quintal
Arbitration Centre? [e] Rs 20,800 per quintal
[a] Justice Krishnendra Pratap Singh
[b] Justice Vinod G. Khandare Q.116) With which country has India started its
[c] Justice Ajay Kumar new Veer Guardian exercise?
[d] Justice Hemant Gupta [a] Japan
[e] Justice Naveen Kumar Jain [b] Australia
[c] USA
Q.111) Which state govt is implementing Project [d] France
Lion in collaboration with Central Zoo Authority? [e] Denmark
[a] Gujarat
[b] Maharashtra Q.117) Recently, NTPC Ltd. and GE Power India
[c] Tamil Nadu Limited signed an MOU to demonstrate
[d] Telangana technologies to reduce the carbon footprint of
[e] Kerala NTPC’s existing coal-fired power plants. NTPC is
India’s largest power utility with an installed
Q.112) Recently, a total of 10 captive-bred Asian capacity of 70,824 MW (including JVs). Who is
Giant Tortoises (Manouria emys) have been the Chairman and Managing Director of NTPC?
released into Ntangki National Park. Where is the [a] Krishnendra Pratap Singh
Park located? [b] Gurdeep Singh
[a] Nagaland [c] Prabhat Kumar Tripathi
[b] Tripura [d] Giridhar Aramane
[c] Assam [e] Radha Sridharan
[d] Meghalaya
[e] Arunachal Pradesh Q.118) When was the High Ambition Coalition
(HAC) for Nature and People created?
Q.113) Which ministry is organizing the Urban 20 [a] 2014
(U20) event during India’s G20 presidency from [b] 2018
December 01, 2022 to November 30, 2023? [c] 2021
[a] Ministry of Commerce and Industry [d] 2020
[b] Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs [e] 2015
[c] Ministry of Finance
[d] Ministry of AYUSH Q.119) Which IIT will establish IIT-Malaysia?
[e] Ministry of Civil Aviation [a] IIT-Delhi
[b] IIT-Kharagpur
Q.114) Which article of the Indian Constitution [c] IIT-Roorkee
gives special statuses to states other than Jammu [d] IIT-Bombay
and Kashmir? [e] IIT-Madras
[a] Article 371
[b] Article 365 Q.120) National Stock Exchange of India (NSE)
[c] Article 357 received in-principle approval from SEBI to set up
[d] Article 329 a Social Stock Exchange (SSE) as a separate
[e] Article 380 segment of the NSE. In October 2022, Bombay
pg. 12
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Stock Exchange got the approval from SEBI to [d] 6.9%

set up a Social Stock Exchange (SSE) as a [e] 7.2%
separate segment of the NSE. The SSE will issue
‘zero coupon, zero principle’ securities. What is Q.125) Which country is terminating visa-free
the minimum issue size of securities on this entry for Indians from January 1, 2023?
exchange? [a] Romania
[a] Rs 1 crore [b] Greece
[b] Rs 7 crore [c] Croatia
[c] Rs 3 crore [d] Serbia
[d] Rs 2.5 crore [e] Bulgaria
[e] Rs 5 crore
Q.126) Which company has been certified as
Q.121) Recently, Ministry of Mines has approved ‘Great Place to Work’ by Great Place to Work
the purchase of two new surveyor ships, which Institute for 2023 for the sixth consecutive year?
will replace the ageing RV Samudra [a] Reliance Industries Ltd
Shaudhikama and RV Samudra Kaustabh and [b] Tata Steel
conduct marine surveys for the Geological Survey [c] Tata Consultancy Services
of India (GSI). From which country were RV [d] Hindustan Unilever Ltd
Samudra Shaudhikama and RV Samudra [e] State Bank of India
Kaustabh procured?
[a] Germany Q.127) Which company launched a unique health
[b] Denmark insurance rider ‘Respect Senior Care Rider’?
[c] Netherlands [a] Bajaj Allianz General Insurance
[d] Finland [b] Niva Bupa Health Insurance Co Ltd.
[e] United Kingdom [c] Go Digit General Insurance
[d] Acko General Insurance
Q.122) Which IITs have collaborated with Delhi [e] Manipal Cigna Health Insurance Company
govt for the real-time source apportionment
project? Q.128) How much is the outlay of HCL’s
[a] IIT-Kanpur Aquaprenuer- Global Fresh Water Innovation
[b] IIT-Delhi Challenge initiative?
[c] IIT-Kharagpur [a] $15 million
[d] Both A and B [b] $8 million
[e] Both B and C [c] $10 million
[d] $20 million
Q.123) What is the name of India’s first tactical [e] $25 million
quasi-ballistic missile?
[a] Pralay Q.129) Who has been appointed as the Chairman
[b] Himank of the National Highways Authority of India
[c] Prahar (NHAI)?
[d] Artha [a] Dinesh Menon
[e] Shwas [b] Anshul Mishra
[c] Gajender Sharma
Q.124) What will be the growth rate of India over [d] Santosh Kumar Yadav
the next five years, according to the Centre for [e] Rajinder Prashad
Economics and Business Research (CEBR)?
[a] 6.2% Q.130) Who has been appointed as the Chief
[b] 6.4% Executive Officer and Chairman of the Railway
[c] 6.8% Board?
pg. 13
[Type here]
[a] Sansar Chand Birdi [d] ITC Limited

[b] Anil Kumar Lahoti [e] Grasim Industries
[c] Rashmi Verma
[d] Udai Singh Kumawat Q.136) Who heads SEBI’s High Powered
[e] Aarti Saxsena Steering Committee on Cyber Security?
[a] Manish Mani Tiwari
Q.131) Which IIT has launched the LOTUS Indo- [b] Simanchala Dash
European project? [c] Shambhu Kumar
[a] IIT-Guwahati [d] Navin Kumar Singh
[b] IIT-Bombay [e] Ambrish Kumar Sharma
[c] IIT-Kanpur
[d] Both A and B Q.137) What is the total strength of SEBI’s
[e] Both B and C Information Systems Security Committee (ISSC)?
[a] 7
Q.132) When was the Assistance to Botanical [b] 10
Garden (ABG) Scheme? [c] 15
[a] 2003 [d] 6
[b] 1992 [e] 8
[c] 1998
[d] 2015 Q.138) Who has been appointed as the chairman
[e] 2017 of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)?
[a] Siddharth Jhawar
Q.133) The National Mission for Clean Ganga [b] Gajender Sharma
has approved 12 projects worth Rs 2700 crores [c] Rajinder Prashad
for developing sewerage infrastructure in the [d] Rashmi Verma
Ganga Basin. When was the National Mission for [e] Santosh Kumar Yadav
Clean Ganga (NMCG) registered as a society?
[a] 2011 Q.139) Who has been named the CEO of the
[b] 2015 Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
[c] 2019 (FSSAI)?
[d] 2015 [a] Presanna K. Sharma
[e] 2016 [b] Ganji Kamala V Rao
[c] Manish Mani Tiwari
Q.134) Which of the following universities has [d] Ramesh Chander
collaborated with India for the “GNB1 [e] Mandeep Kaur
Encephalopathy” disease?
[a] Tel Aviv University Q.140) When is the International Day of Epidemic
[b] Columbia University Preparedness observed?
[c] Massachusetts Institute of Technology [a] December 11
[d] Both A and B [b] December 15
[e] Both B and C [c] December 27
[d] December 18
Q.135) With which company has TuTr Hyperloop [e] December 10
signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) at
IIT-Madras to jointly work on development and Q.141) Where has India developed Mangdechhu
deployment of Hyperloop technology at scale? Hydroelectric Power Project?
[a] Wipro Limited [a] Bhutan
[b] Godrej Consumer Products [b] Nepal
[c] Tata Steel [c] Afghanistan
pg. 14
[Type here]
[d] Mongolia [c] IIT-Bombay

[e] Kyrgyzstan [d] IISc-Bangalore
[e] IIT-Delhi
Q.142) National Education Society for Tribal
Students (NESTS), an autonomous society under Q.146) Which state is pioneering India’s first
the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, will implement Nilgiri Tahr project?
Amazon Future Engineer Program. Amazon [a] Kerala
Future Engineer is a comprehensive childhood-to- [b] Karnataka
career program aimed at increasing access to [c] Tamil Nadu
computer science education for children and [d] Maharashtra
young adults from underserved and [e] Goa
underrepresented communities. In how many
states is the project under implementation in Q.147) Which of the following is India’s first and
India? only constituency to have a library in all the
[a] Six wards?
[b] Ten [a] Poonch
[c] Three [b] Dharmadam
[d] Ten [c] Mansa
[e] Five [d] Gaurela
[e] Kangra
Q.143) Recently, the Ministry for Electronics &
Information Technology (Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw) Q.148) Where is the Zuari Bridge located?
has launched the "Stay Safe Online" campaign [a] Tamil Nadu
and the “G20 Digital Innovation Alliance” (G20- [b] Kerala
DIA). The G20 Digital Innovation Alliance aims to [c] Karnataka
identify, recognize, and enable the adoption of [d] Goa
innovative and impactful digital technologies [e] Maharashtra
developed by start-ups, from G20 nations as well
as the invited non-member nations. On how many Q.149) Recently, the Union Agriculture Ministry
areas is the Alliance focused? has formed an Advisory Group for streamlining
[a] Six the development of the Bamboo sector. Who is
[b] Four the Convenor of this committee?
[c] Three [a] Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad
[d] Eight [b] Pankaj Chaowdhary
[e] Ten [c] Manoj Kumar
[d] Ajay Seth
Q.144) Which of the following is not a category of [e] Prerna Kumar
City Finance Rankings, 2022?
[a] Resource Mobilization Q.150) Who is President of Internet and Mobile
[b] Fiscal Governance Systems Association of India?
[c] Expenditure Performance [a] Sukant Vatsa
[d] Overall Expenditure [b] Subho Roy
[e] All of the Above [c] L. Murugan
[d] Ritika Singh Verma
Q.145) Which Institute will be the secretariat for [e] Kedar Burande
the Science 20 (S20), which is one of the several
groups of the G20? Q.151) Where was the ‘Vayu-The Vital Life Force’
[a] IIT-Bhopal Conference organized?
[b] NIT-Trichy [a] Mumbai
pg. 15
[Type here]
[b] Bhubaneswar Nagpur-Mumbai Super Communication

[c] Kolkata Expressway project?
[d] Jaipur [a] France
[e] Jaisalmer [b] United Kingdom
[c] Germany
Q.152) Recently, the Meghalaya Mental Health & [d] Japan
Social Care Policy has been launched for [e] Republic of Korea
addressing the issues of mental health and social
care through collaborative engagement with Q.157) Recently, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister
communities. How many states have launched Yogi Adityanath launched One District One Sport
such policies for mental health policies (including (ODOS) on the lines of the highly successful One
Meghalaya)? District One Product (ODOP) scheme of the
[a] Five government. How many districts are present in
[b] Ten the state?
[c] Three [a] 75
[d] Eight [b] 60
[e] Four [c] 82
[d] 55
Q.153) Which space agency has launched the [e] 70
EQUilibriUm Lunar-Earth point 6U (EQUULEUS)
on NASA's Orion spacecraft? Q.158) Which startup has won the Climathon-
[a] European Space Agency 2022 hackathon organized by Kerala?
[b] Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency [a] Ather Energy
[c] Roscosmos [b] BluSmart
[d] Australian Space Agency [c] Just Organik
[e] Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy [d] Nexus Power
[e] Tree Tag
Q.154) With which organization has YES BANK
partnered to create a comprehensive technology Q.159) Which of the following states/UTs
platform – EasyNsure? organized the first-of-its-kind Tribal Winter
[a] Playtonia Festival?
[b] VTION [a] Assan
[c] IBSFintech [b] J&K
[d] itzcash [c] Nagaland
[e] TurtleFin [d] Arunachal Pradesh
[e] West Bengal
Q.155) Which organization has launched Asia’s
first end-to-end Embedded Finance platform- Q.160) According to the World Bank’s latest
Zwitch, in collaboration with SBM Bank India? “Migration and Development Brief 37” report,
[a] OPEN Financial Technologies India’s remittances are anticipated to reach a
[b] Visual Website Optimiser milestone of $100 billion in 2022. What would be
[c] CloudCherry the growth rate of remittances in the South Asian
[d] Facilio Inc region in 2022?
[e] Hippo Video [a] 4.7%
[b] 3.5%
Q.156) Which country is providing Rs. 1,500 [c] 6.5%
crores loan to India from its Economic [d] 5.2%
Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) for [e] 6.6%
installing the Intelligent Transport System on
pg. 16
[Type here]
Q.161) Which of the following organizations has [c] Bhuvneshwar and Puri
developed the first PSOM XL motor for the Polar [d] Kochi and Vizhinjam
Satellite Launch Vehicles (PSLV)? [e] Thanjavur and Ennore
[a] Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited
[b] Economic Explosives Limited Q.167) Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha
[c] Troop Comforts Limited Yojana was launched in 2003. The scheme aims
[d] India Optel Limited to arrest the healthcare infrastructure gap
[e] Gliders India Limited between different areas of the country. It has two
components, which are, developing new and
Q.162) What is the target under the 'Rooftop reshaping the existing AIIMS hospitals and
Solar Programme-Phase 2'? upgrading Government Medical College (GMC)/
[a] 10,000 MW by 2024 Institutions. In 2019, AIIMS-Manethi received the
[b] 75,000 MW by 2028 approval from the Central govt and it became the
[c] 30,000 MW by 2022 23rd AIIMS hospital of India. Right now, it is
[d] 40,000 MW by 2026 under-construction. In which state is this hospital
[e] 100,000 MW by 2029 being developed?
[a] Madhya Pradesh
Q.163) Where is the International Lusophone [b] Jharkhand
Festival organized? [c] Uttar Pradesh
[a] India [d] Haryana
[b] Brazil [e] Rajasthan
[c] Portugal
[d] Guinea Q.168) Which edition of the Kochi-Muziris
[e] Indonesia Biennale, the country’s largest contemporary art
exhibition, was organized recently?
Q.164) Where is the Acharya Jagadish Chandra [a] 5th
Bose Indian Botanic Garden located? [b] 10th
[a] Kanpur [c] 8th
[b] Kozhikode [d] 7th
[c] Howrah [e] 4th
[d] Meerut
[e] Rajkot Q.169) Where has the PM Narendra Modi
inaugurated the latest All-India Institute of
Q.165) Recently, three medicinal plant species Ayurveda?
(Meizotropis pellita, Fritillaria cirrhosa, [a] Dhargal, Goa
Dactylorhiza hatagirea) found in the Himalayas [b] Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu
have been added to the IUCN Red List of [c] Silvassa, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman &
Threatened Species. It is commonly known as Diu
Patwa. This plant is endemic to which state? [d] Jalandhar, Punjab
[a] Maharashtra [e] Vadodara, Gujarat
[b] Assam
[c] Sikkim Q.170) Which edition of the India-Indonesia
[d] Himachal Pradesh Coordinated Patrol (IND-INDO CORPAT)
[e] Uttarakhand between the Indian Navy and the Indonesian
Navy is being conducted from 08 – 19 December
Q.166) Which two places will be connected by the 2022/
Samruddhi Mahamarg? [a] 65th
[a] Nagpur and Mumbai [b] 39th
[b] Gwalior and Bhopal [c] 48th
pg. 17
[Type here]
[d] 14th [e] 12th
1 B 51 B 101 B 151 B
2 D 52 D 102 D 152 C
3 A 53 D 103 A 153 B
4 A 54 D 104 D 154 E
5 D 55 E 105 A 155 A
6 C 56 B 106 B 156 E
7 A 57 A 107 D 157 A
8 D 58 A 108 C 158 E
9 B 59 D 109 B 159 B
10 B 60 E 110 D 160 B
11 A 61 A 111 A 161 B
12 B 62 D 112 A 162 D
13 D 63 B 113 B 163 A
14 C 64 E 114 A 164 C
15 B 65 A 115 C 165 E
16 B 66 A 116 A 166 A
17 A 67 B 117 B 167 D
18 A 68 D 118 C 168 A
19 D 69 A 119 B 169 A
20 A 70 E 120 A 170 B
21 C 71 B 121 C
22 A 72 D 122 D
23 E 73 B 123 A
24 C 74 A 124 B
25 B 75 A 125 D
26 C 76 D 126 B
27 D 77 B 127 A
28 A 78 B 128 A
29 E 79 A 129 D
30 B 80 B 130 B
31 B 81 D 131 D
32 B 82 B 132 B
pg. 18
[Type here]
33 A 83 D 133 A
34 D 84 A 134 D
35 D 85 B 135 C
36 B 86 A 136 D
37 D 87 B 137 A
38 D 88 B 138 E
39 E 89 B 139 B
40 D 90 A 140 C
41 A 91 A 141 A
42 B 92 B 142 A
43 B 93 D 143 A
44 D 94 A 144 D
45 B 95 B 145 D
46 B 96 E 146 C
47 C 97 C 147 B
48 A 98 C 148 D
49 A 99 A 149 C
50 A 100 C 150 B
pg. 1
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pg. 2
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pg. 5

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SPOTLIGHT

Monthly Current Affairs

RBI - NABARD - SEBI

5. Researchers from IISER-Thiruvananthapuram and IIT-Indore have developed a new

• Criteria - It is implemented in Non-Attainment Cities (NACs) wherein the National

o The Atal Community Innovation Centre is incubating 22 Community Innovator

• Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development intends to provide

o President – Prime Minister (ex-officio)

99. Ministry of Ayush is currently implementing a Central Sector Scheme titled

investment projects in the SCO member countries’ economic area (Agreement on

104. Bengaluru-based Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research

• Purpose - to implement Amazon Future Engineer Program in collaboration with the

A) ‘City Finance Rankings’

• The winners will receive a prize money of Rs 5 lakh.

• Maharashtra State animal – Indian giant squirrel

19. Assam Cabinet approved a bill to create a Safai Karamchari Commission.

• In total, PM launched 11 projects worth Rs 75,000 crores in Nagpur.

▪ AIIMS-Manethi (Haryana) has received the approval in 2019 and it became

32. Karnataka government has formed a 5-member Cabinet Sub-committee, headed by JC

• In 2012, the Justice AJ Sadashiva commission recommended the reclassification of SC.

AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

2. ICAR-Indian Agriculture Research Institute developed a drought-tolerant variety of

• The products include -

7. 39th edition of India-Indonesia Coordinated Patrol (IND-INDO CORPAT) between the

10. All 36 Rafale aircrafts have arrived in India from France.

• Purpose – to introduce Indian standards as an integral part of the curriculum

3. Israeli Navy conducted a successful test of a long-range interceptor missile against an

5. India will assume the chairmanship of the Wassenaar Arrangement, a multilateral

• Osaka city on Honshu island is called the ‘Manchester city of Japan’.

• Hiroshima Day – August 6 (Bomb name - little boy)

23. European Union has given Bosnia a Candidate status.

• The UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the principal global

43. IIT-Kharagpur aims to become the world-wide benchmark in education excellence by

REPORTS AND INDICES

• Total – 172 cities

• Year of Establishment – 1945

FAO’s Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) –

13. Passport Index 2022 has been published by Arton Capital.

20. WHO has released the “World Malaria Report 2022”.

• China’s position is 25th with a score of 74.2.

BANKING AND ECONOMY

4. Adani Enterprise’s wholly owned subsidiary Vishvapradhan Commercial Private Limited

8. Tamilnad Mercantile Bank has entered into bancassurance partnerships with

• The IDFC AMC will be renamed as Bandhan Mutual Fund.

▪ Others: four Directors - one each from four local boards

43. RBI’s bi-monthly Monetary Policy Committee meeting -

58. RBI has decided to introduce the functionality of a single-block-and-multiple-debit in UPI.

• It will ease the process of recurring payments.

102. Google has partnered with DigiLocker, a government-authorized identification storage

18. Shri Shaji K V has been appointed as the Chairman of NABARD.

2. November 28 to December 2 - Aviation Safety Awareness Week (by Airports Authority of

4. November 29 - International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People

• Palestine Capital – Jerusalem* (claimed by Israel as well) and Ramallah (administrative

5. November 29 – International Jaguar Day (by National Zoological Park)

6. November 30 – Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare

7. December 1 – World Aids Day; Theme - Equalize

11. December 6 - Mahaparinirvan Diwas (67th death anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar)

17. December 12 – International Day of Neutrality

18. December 14 – National Energy Conservation Day

20. December 17 - International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers

22. December 20 - International Human Solidarity Day

23. December 23 - National Farmer's Day