National News

MGNREGS

• The number of active workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) has dipped by 7.5%, according to a data analysis for the period April to September 2023 by LibTech India, a consortium of academics and activists.

About Scheme

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

India-Sri Lanka

• According to acting Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka Satyanjal Pandey, India will provide additional funding of LKR 23 million (around ₹58,75,900) for the training of Sri Lankan Armed Forces.

Sri Lanka

Starlink Internet

• Starlink satellite service would support Internet access for “internationally recognised aid organisations in Gaza,” which have faced a telecommunications blackout. Starlink is a network of satellites in low Earth orbit that can provide Internet to remote locations, or areas with communications disabled.

 ECONOMY & BANKING

Armenia & UPI

• Armenia has launched a dialogue with India to connect its national retail payment infrastructure company with UPI and set the foundation for collaboration.

UPI

APEC summit 2023

• Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit will be held in San Francisco in November 2023.

APEC

Defence NEWS

 25T Bollard Pull (BP) Tug

• 25T Bollard Pull (BP) Tug, ‘Mahabali’ was launched by Cmde Sunil Kaushik  M/s Shoft Shipyard Pvt Ltd, Bharuch, Gujarat. This Tug is proud flag bearer of “Make in India” initiative of Ministry of Defence.

 Milipol India 2023

• Indo-Pacific's premier international event for homeland security ‘Milipol India 2023’was organized in Delhi.

 Appointments

Anant Nath

• Anant Nath, editor of The Caravan, has been elected as the president of the Editors Guild of India.

Editors Guild of India

Environment + Science & Technology

First Joint Meet of Science & Technology Clusters

• First joint Science and Technology (S&T) Clusters’ Meet was organised by the Jodhpur City Knowledge and Innovation Foundation (JCKIF) and hosted by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jodhpur.

 Cloud seeding

• IITM Pune carried out experiment named Cloud Aerosol Interaction and Precipitation Enhancement Experiment (CAIPEEX phase-4) of cloud seeding by using Calcium chloride flare in Solapur city of Maharashtra, which falls on the leeward side of the Western Ghats and hence gets low rainfall.

IMPORTANT DAY

International Internet Day

• It is observed every year on 29 October to commemorate the anniversary of the first message that was sent between two computers on 29th October 1969 through ARPANET, the predecessor of the Internet.

 SPORTS

 National Games 2023

• Punjab defeated Tamil Nadu and won the men’s basketball title in the National Games 2023 in Margao.
• Women’s basketball title was won by Kerala by defeating Karnataka.

28th Asian Mountain Bike championship

• China made a clean sweep of medals in both the elite men and women categories in the Cross Country Olympic (XCO) races of the 28th Asian Mountain Bike championship held in Thiruvananthapuram.

 15th Asian shooting championship

• The duo of Darshna Rathore and Anant Jeet Singh Natuka won the mixed skeet gold in the 15th Asian shooting championship in Changwon, Korea.

4th Asian Para Games 2023

• With 111 medals, India has recorded best-ever performance and secured 5th position in medal tally in 4th Asian Para Games held in Hangzhou, China.

Asian Paralympic Committee