Professional Documents
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August and September 2023 Current Affairs
August and September 2023 Current Affairs
Affairs
Edition - August
2023
Important
Current Affairs
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Monthly Current
Affairs
Edition - September
2023
Important
Current Affairs
1
Art and Culture
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● Remarkable architecture: They are renowned for their remarkable
architecture and showcase the sculptural and artistic achievements of the
Hoysala dynasty.
● Designated UNESCO site: The decision to include this site was made during
the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
● Use of soapstone: A malleable stone that is easy to carve due to which
intricate sculptures (animals, scenes of daily life, depictions from the epics
and the Puranas) were made on the temple walls.
● Platform: Generally built on stellate (star-shaped) platforms.
● Amalgamation of 3 distinctive styles: Dravidian, Vesara and the North Indian
Nagara style
● ‘Signed’ sculptures: The sculptors, masons leave behind their names, and
sometimes a few more details.
4. Shantiniketan
● Shantiniketan has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage list as
announced by UNESCO on September 18, 2023.
● This decision was made during the 45th session of the World Heritage
Committee held in Saudi Arabia.
● Shantiniketan
○ Establishment: 1901 by Maharshi Debendranath Tagore, the father of
Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.
○ Location: Birbhum district of West Bengal, India.
○ Original Theme: It was originally as a residential school and an art
centre.
○ Evolved into a ‘world university’: SInce 1921, it came to be known as
“Visva Bharati,” emphasizing the unity of humanity.
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● About: A national honour bestowed on performing artists as well as
teachers and scholars in the field of performing arts.
● Selection of recipients: By the Akademi’s General Council.
● Akademi’s General Council: Comprises distinguished musicians, dancers,
theatre artists and scholars in these disciplines and nominees of the
Government of India, state governments, and Union Territories.
● Prize money: Rs. 1,00,000/- (Rupees one lakh) besides Tamrapatra and
Angavastram.
● Aim: To honour Indian artists aged above 75 years who have not been
accorded any national honour in their career so far.
Sangeet Natak Akademi
● About: India's national academy of music, dance and drama.
● Institution: Created by a resolution of the Ministry of Education, with P.V.
Rajamannar as its first Chairman.
● Establishment: In 1953
● Aim: Preservation and promotion of the vast intangible heritage of India’s
diverse culture expressed in forms of music, dance and drama.
● Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Culture.
● Chairman: Appointed by the President of India for a term of five years.
● Funding: Fully funded by the Government for the implementation of its
schemes and programmes.
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Economy
9. M. Rajeshwar Rao
● M. Rajeshwar Rao has been reappointed as Deputy Governor of the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI). The reappointment is for a period of one year, starting
from the 9th of the next month or until further orders, whichever comes
earlier.
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● A safety net for depositors: The banks cannot use this amount for lending
or for any investment purposes.
Incremental Cash Reserve Ratio (ICRR)
● About: An additional cash balance which the RBI can ask banks to maintain
over and above the CRR - for a specific period.
● RBI Directives: Banks will have to maintain an I-CRR of 10% on the increase
in their net demand and time liabilities (NDTL) between May 19, 2023, and
July 28, 2023.
● NDTL: Total demand and time liabilities (deposits) of the public that are held
by the banks with other banks.
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● About: A massive voluntary effort for cleanliness in India, endorsed by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
● Aim: It encourages citizens to engage in one hour of “shramdaan” (voluntary
labour) for cleanliness at 10 am on October 1st as a tribute to Mahatma
Gandhi.
● Swachhata Pakhwada 2023: Theme - “Garbage Free India,” is organised
alongside this initiative.
● Significance: It implies Environmental Consciousness, Community
Engagement, Environmental Stewardship and Social Responsibility.
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○ 75 lakh free LPG connections to women from poor and needy families
to enable them to benefit from the Ujjwala scheme.
● Ujjawala 2.0:
○ The first refill and stove will also be provided free of cost to Ujjwala
beneficiaries.
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Important Days
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International Affairs
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23. 13th Indo-Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference
(IPACC) from 26 to 27 September 2023 at the
Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi
● Edition: 13th biennial IPACC and is being hosted by both the Indian Army
and the US Army Pacific.
● Hosts: General James C McConville, the Chief-of-Staff of the US Army, &
General Manoj Pande, the Chief of the Indian Army Staff.
● Key topics to be discussed: Role of military diplomacy in crisis mitigation,
enhancing collaboration and interoperability, and the importance of self-
reliance for modern armies.
● Indo-Pacific region: It encompasses 64 percent of the world’s population,
contributes 63 percent of the global GDP, and accounts for 46 percent of
world merchandise trade.
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26. Prime Minister Modi attended 20th ASEAN-
India Summit 2023 in Jakarta, Indonesia
● Theme: ‘ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth.’
● India presented a 12-point proposal for strengthening India-ASEAN
cooperation, covering various aspects, including connectivity, digital
transformation, trade, and addressing global challenges.
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
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27. Indian-origin Tharman Shanmugaratnam has
been elected President of Singapore
● Indian-origin Tharman Shanmugaratnam, a renowned economist and
former deputy prime minister of Singapore, has been elected as the next
president of Singapore.
● He is the third individual of Indian origin to assume this prestigious role in
the prosperous city-state, and his tenure will extend for the next six years.
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National Current Affairs
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30. PM Modi to Distribute 51,000 Appointment
Letters in Rozgar Mela
● The distribution of appointment letters will take place during a Rozgar Mela
(employment fair) held at 46 locations across the country.
● The Rozgar Mela is expected to play a pivotal role in creating more
employment opportunities and empowering youth to participate in
national development.
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● Aim: To conduct tactical drills that enhance interoperability for UN
peacekeeping operations.
● Exchange of views and best practices related to various combat skills,
including combat engineering, obstruction clearance, and warfare involving
mines and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).
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● Aim: To develop lighthouses as tourist attractions and boost local
economies.
● Activities: Dance performances, food stalls, music concerts, and discussions
on marine history.
36. SIMBEX
● An annual bilateral exercise between the Indian Navy and the Republic of
Singapore Navy.
● From September 21 to September 24, 2023.
● Aim: To enhance interoperability and mutual understanding between the
two navies.
● 2 phases:
○ Harbour Phase: This phase involves professional interactions, cross-
deck visits, Subject Matter Expert Exchanges, and sports fixtures.
○ Sea Phase: During this phase, various maritime operations are
conducted, including air defence exercises, gunnery firing, and anti-
submarine exercises.
● Indian Navy participants: Ranvijay, Kavaratti, and Sindhukesari, along with
Long- Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft P81.
● Longest-running naval exercise that the Indian Navy conducts with any
other country.
● Allows units from both navies to enhance their warfighting skills through
multidiscipline operations in the maritime domain.
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● Established in 1956 as an ‘Enforcement Unit’ under the Department of
Economic Affairs.
● Later, in 1957, this Unit was renamed as ‘Enforcement Directorate’.
● Under the administrative control of the Department of Revenue (under the
Ministry of Finance) for operational purposes.
● Responsible for enforcement of the Foreign Exchange Management Act,
1999 (FEMA), and certain provisions under the PMLA.
● Can attach the asset of the culprits found guilty of the violation of FEMA.
● Can undertake, search, seizure, arrest, prosecution action, and survey, etc.
against the offences committed under PMLA.
● Appointment of ED Director: By the central government on the
recommendation of a committee chaired by the Central Vigilance
Commissioner & members comprising Vigilance Commissioners, Home
Secretary, Secretary DOPT and Revenue Secretary.
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● Internationally Accepted OIML Certificate is recognized worldwide,
reducing redundancy and saving resources for manufacturers.
● This system ensures uniformity and trust in measurements on a global scale
and eliminates the need for repeated certifications.
● Indian manufacturers and their agents can obtain OIML Certificates for their
measuring instruments from the Indian OIML Issuing Authority, which is the
Legal Metrology Division under the Department of Consumer Affairs.
OIML
● Established in 1955.
● An international standard-setting body.
● Develops model regulations, standards, and related documents for use by
legal metrology authorities and industry.
● Plays a crucial role in harmonising national laws and regulations on the
performance of measuring instruments like clinical thermometers, alcohol
breath analysers, radar speed measuring instruments, ship tanks found at
ports, and petrol dispensing units.
● India became a member 1956.
● Headquarter: Paris
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● It aims to improve access to justice through technology.
● It will enable citizens, including those without access to technology, to
access judicial services through eSewa Kendras.
● To establish online and paperless courts to make the judicial system more
convenient, economical, and transparent for citizens.
● There will be the establishment of 4,400 eSewa Kendras at all Court
complexes to facilitate this initiative.
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● The symposium focused on discussing critical issues related to Farmers’
Rights, which are outlined in Article 9 of the International Treaty on Plant
Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.
● India is the first country globally to have incorporated Farmers’ Rights
within the framework of Plant Variety Registration, accomplished through
the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act of 2001.
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Polity
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● It aims to reserve one-third of the total number of seats for women in the
following legislative bodies:
○ Lok Sabha (the lower house of India’s parliament)
○ State Legislative Assemblies
○ Delhi Assembly
● Also known as Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, received approval from the
Rajya Sabha (the upper house of parliament) through a division of votes.
● In this division, 214 members voted in favor of the bill, and none voted
against it.
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52. ‘One-nation, one-election’
● Govt forms Ram Nath Kovind-headed committee to explore possibility Lok
Sabha and assembly elections simultaneously on 1 September 2023. The
committee’s purpose is to examine the feasibility of conducting Lok Sabha
(parliamentary) and assembly elections simultaneously across the country.
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Science and Technology
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55. India’s first green hydrogen fuel cell bus
● Launched in Delhi by Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister of Petroleum and
Natural Gas in Delhi on 25 September 2023.
● A total of 15 green hydrogen buses are planned to be operational by the end
of 2023 as part of the project.
● The hydrogen fuel-powered vehicle can be refilled in just a few minutes,
similar in speed to filling an internal combustion engine with fossil fuel.
● The project for green hydrogen fuel cell buses is a collaboration between
the Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) and Tata Motors.
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● K2-18 b is 8.6 times the mass of Earth and falls in size between Earth and
Neptune.
● The presence of methane and carbon dioxide, along with the absence of
ammonia, suggests the possibility of a water ocean beneath a hydrogen-
rich atmosphere on K2-18 b.
● The telescope also detected a possible molecule called dimethyl sulfide
(DMS), which on Earth is produced by life, particularly phytoplankton in
marine environments.
● NASA plans to conduct follow-up research using the telescope’s MIRI
spectrograph to further validate their findings and gain more insights into
K2- 18 b’s environmental conditions.
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SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon)
● About: A small-scale exploration of JAXA (Japan’s Space Agency) lander.
● Importance: The expertise gained in precision landing and other
technologies will be inherited by future missions such as the Martian Moon
eXploration (MMX) and lunar polar missions.
● Functions:
○ Pinpoint landings on the Moon’s surface with a landing accuracy of
less than 100 metres.
○ It employs ‘Vision based navigation’ technology for its higher landing
accuracy.
○ Reduction in the size and weight of equipment used in Moon
landings which will result in more frequent lunar and planetary
landings.
○ It employs small, lightweight and high performance chemical
propulsion systems and light-weight materials in designing systems
such as computers to save on the weight.
Importance of Pinpoint Landing
Benefits:
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● Base for future missions: Future solar science exploration will demand the
level of navigation accuracy that JAXA is seeking through the SLIM mission.
● Observation equipment: Planetary science exploration will additionally call
for highly capable equipment for observation.
● Downsizing the exploration system: It can reinforce the instruments to be
placed into a locale especially well-suited for its landing mission.
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Sports
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64. ISSF World Cup 2023
● Indian shooter Elavenil Valarivan secured the gold medal in the women’s 10-
metre air rifle event at the ISSF World Cup 2023 held in Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil, on September 18, 2023.
● Elavenil Valarivan narrowly defeated France’s Oceanne Muller.
● This victory marked Elavenil Valarivan’s second individual ISSF World Cup
medal.
● The Rio meet was the last rifle and pistol ISSF World Cup event of 2023.
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67. Coco Gauff won Women’s Singles title at the US
Open tennis tournament 2023
● Coco Gauff won her maiden Women’s Singles title at the US Open tennis
tournament. She defeated Aryna Sabalenka in the title match on 10
September 2023 in New York.
● Coco Gauff, age 19 years is the first American teenager to win the US Open
singles title in the 21st century.
● She is only the third American overall to achieve this feat in the history of
the tournament.
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● The Indian team consisted of Sharath Kamal, Harmeet Desai, and Sathiyan
Gnanasekaran.
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States
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● Sanchi Solar City is expected to annually reduce approximately 13,747
tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to more than 2 lakh adult
trees.
● It will also result in an annual saving of more than 7 crore rupees in energy-
related expenses for the government and citizens.
● Prime Minister has set a target to develop a solar city in every state of India
by 2070, aligning with the national goal for sustainable energy.
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Miscellaneous
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Art and Culture
1. 69th National Film Awards
● Best Feature Film: “Rocketry: The Nambi Effect” directed by R. Madhavan.
● Best Actor: Allu Arjun for “Pushpa: The Rise.”
● Best Actresses: Alia Bhatt for “Gangubai Kathiawadi” and Kriti Sanon for
“Mimi.”
● Best Supporting Actress: Pallavi Joshi for “Kashmir Files.”
● Best Supporting Actor: Pankaj Tripathi for “Mimi.”
● Best Popular Film: “RRR.”
● Best Film on National Integration: “The Kashmir Files” directed by Vivek
Agnihotri.
● Best Non-Feature Film: “Ek Tha Gaon” directed by Srishti Lakhera.
● Best Direction: Nikhil Mahajan for the Marathi film “Godavari.”
● Best Female Playback Singer: Shreya Ghoshal for “Mayava Chayava” from
“Iravin Nizhal.”
● Best Male Playback Singer: Kaala Bhairava for “Komuram Bheemudo”
from “RRR.”
● Best Lyrics: Chandrabose for the Telugu film “Konda Palam.”
● Best Choreography: Prem Rakshith for “RRR.”
● Best Music Direction: Devi Sri Prasad for “Pushpa: The Rise” and M.M.
Keeravaani for “RRR.”
● Best Hindi Film: “Sardar Udham Singh” directed by Shoojit Sircar.
● Other Awards for “Sardar Udham Singh”: Best Cinematography, Best
Production Design, Best Costume Design.
● Best Child Artist: Bhavin Rabari for the Gujarati film “Chhello Show.”
● Best Direction (Non-Feature Film): Bakul Matiyani for “Smile Please.”
● Total Submissions: 280 films from 28 languages were submitted for the
awards in the year 2021.
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3. Parsi New Year (Navroz - August 16, 2023)
● Celebrated by the Indian Parsi community in Gujarat and Maharashtra.
● Marks the start of a new year in the ‘Shahenshahi’ calendar.
● Involves wearing new clothes, decorating homes, visiting fire temples,
offering prayers, and enjoying traditional dishes.
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Economy
7. India as Largest Source of Human Hair:
● India is the largest source of raw material for Human Hair globally.
● In the last fiscal year, India exported Human Hair worth 169.23 million
dollars.
● PLEX Council collaborates with the industry for international trade shows.
● Partnership with the government to train exporters for high-value
products like wigs.
9. Income Tax
● 6.77 Crore Income Tax Returns filed for 2023-24, a 16% increase.
● Over 53 lakh first-time filers.
● Online filing usage: More than 46%.
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Environment
11. Wildfire in Greece:
● Largest in EU, 810 sq km affected.
● 20 casualties, ongoing efforts with EU aid.
● Attributed to climate change.
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Government Schemes
12. LPG Price Reduction:
● Reduced by Rs. 200 for all consumers.
● Ujjwala Beneficiaries: Rs. 400 reduction.
● Plan to provide 75 lakh new free LPG connections.
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Important Days
17. Partition Horrors Remembrance Day (August
14):
● Commemorates the violent partition of India in 1947.
● Approximately 15 million displaced, 2 million killed.
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International Affairs
20. BRICS Summit (Johannesburg, August 22-24,
2023):
● Theme: ‘BRICS and Africa: Partnership for Mutually Accelerated Growth,
Sustainable Development, and Inclusive Multilateralism.’
● India supports BRICS expansion.
● Six new members to join from January 1, 2024.
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26. Srettha Thavisin as Thailand’s New Prime
Minister:
● Wealthy property developer and political newcomer.
● Affiliated with Pheu Thai Party, supported student-led protests.
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31. Sachin Tendulkar as National Icon:
● Declared National Icon by Election Commission of India.
● Aims to raise voter awareness and promote participation.
● Three-year partnership with a Memorandum of Understanding.
● Collaboration aims to address urban and youth apathy towards voting.
● Tendulkar joins previous national icons: Pankaj Tripathi, MS Dhoni, Aamir
Khan, and Mary Kom.
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Science and Tech
32. BNCAP: Enhancing Car Safety in India:
● Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (BNCAP) launched on August
22, 2023.
● Ratings range from 1 to 5 stars, reflecting crash test performance.
● Aims to enhance car safety standards in India and empower consumers.
● Implementation starts from October 1, 2023, covering all new car models.
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● Connects Likaru to Fukche near the Line of Actual Control.
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43. Replacement of IPC, CrPC, and Evidence Act:
● Introduction of three new bills on August 11, 2023.
● Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nyay Prakriya Sanhita, and Bharatiya
Sakshya Sanhita.
● Aims to replace IPC, CrPC, and Evidence Act, respectively.
● Focus on introducing new offenses, simplifying criminal procedure, and
updating rules of evidence.
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● Located in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
● Includes facilities for multiple sports and aims to promote a sports culture
in the region.
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52. Russia’s Luna-25 Mission Failure (19 August
2023):
● Luna-25 lunar lander mission ends in failure, crashing into Moon’s south
pole.
● Launched from Vostochny Cosmodrome on 10 August 2023.
● Russia's first lunar mission in nearly five decades.
● Cause of the crash under investigation by Roscosmos.
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56. MATSYA6000: India’s Advanced Manned
Submersible (Deep Sea Mining and Exploration):
● MATSYA6000, a manned scientific submersible, capable of 60,000
meters depth.
● Designed for deep-sea mining and exploration with integrated mining
machine.
● Successful locomotion trial at Central India Ocean as part of Deep Ocean
Mission.
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Sports
60. FIFA Women’s World Cup:
● Champion: Spain
● Final Score: Spain 1-0 England
● Key Moment: Olga Carmona's stunning volley (29th minute)
● Notable: Spain joins Germany in winning both Men’s and Women’s World
Cups.
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65. Indian Men’s Cricket Team Squad for Asia
Cup 2023:
● Rohit Sharma to lead Indian Men’s Cricket Team in Asia Cup 2023. - Hardik
Pandya named Vice Captain. - Asia Cup 2023 to be held in Pakistan and
Sri Lanka from 30 August to 17 September 2023.
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● Debutants: 15 out of 28 athletes
● Youngest Athlete: Shaili Singh, former U20 silver medalist
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Miscellaneous
76. Miss Diva Universe 2023:
● Winner: Shweta Sharda - Representation: India in the 72nd Miss Universe
pageant
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