Addapedia Odisha | Daily Current Affairs |16 November 2023

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Addapedia Odisha – Daily Current Affairs – 16 November 2023

National and International News
Bihar House passes Bill raising ceiling on caste quota to 65%	Context The Bihar Assembly unanimously passed a Bill to increase reservation for Backward Classes, Extremely Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes, and Scheduled Tribes from the existing 50% to 65%. Key points Together with the 10% Economically Backward Class (EWS) quota, the Bill will push reservation in Bihar to 75%, well past the 50% ceiling set by the Supreme Court. According to the Bihar Reservation Amendment Bill, quota for Extremely Backward Class (EBC) will be raised from the existing 18% to 25%; for Backward Class (BC) from 12% to 18%; for Scheduled Caste (SC) from 16% to 20%; and for Scheduled Tribe (ST), the quota will be doubled, from 1% to 2%. The existing 3% reservation for BC women has been scrapped. Bills providing for the same increase in reservation in educational institutions and government jobs, which were drafted based on the recent caste survey in the State, too were passed unanimously through voice vote in the State Assembly.
AI DeepFakes Laws in India about Deepfakes India’s IT Rules, 2021 require that all content reported to be fake or produced using deep fake be taken down by intermediary platforms within 36 hours. The IT ministry has also issued notices to social media platforms stating that impersonating online was illegal under Section 66D of the Information Technology Act of 2000.	Context The government instructed “social media intermediaries” to remove morphed videos or deep fakes from their platforms within 24 hours of a complaint being filed, in accordance with a requirement outlined in the IT Rules 2021. The instructions came as deep fake videos of actors Rashmika Mandanna and Katrina Kaif surfaced online within the span of one week. About Deepfakes Deep fakes have been around since 2017. It refers to videos, audios or images created using a form of artificial intelligence called deep learning. Researchers have observed a 230% increase in deepfake usage by cybercriminals and scammers. The technology involves modifying or creating images and videos using a machine learning technique called generative adversarial network (GAN). The AI-driven software detects and learns the subjects’ movements and facial expressions from the source material and then duplicates these in another video or image
168 villages along China border to get road connectivity in a year	Context Union Home Minister informed that 168 villages along the China border that do not have any connectivity would be connected by road and other forms of communication in the next one year This will be an important step towards border infrastructure.
U.S. approves first vaccine against chikungunya virus for those over 18	Context U.S. health authorities approved the world’s first vaccine for chikungunya, a virus spread by infected mosquitoes. Key points The vaccine was approved for people 18 and over who are at risk of exposure. It is developed by Europe’s Valneva which will be marketed under the name Ixchiq.
Chikungunya virus	It is a viral disease transmitted to humans through the bites of mosquitoes infected with the chikungunya virus. The word comes from the African Makonde language and means “bent over in pain.” It is most commonly transmitted by mosquitoes, Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti and Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus, which can also transmit dengue and Zika viruses. It was first described during an outbreak in southern Tanzania in 1952 and has now been identified in nearly 40 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas.
‘2+2’ ministerial dialogue	Context U.S. Secretary of Defence Lloyd J. Austin arrived in India for the ‘2+2’ ministerial dialogue The ‘2+2’ dialogue will enable a high-level review of progress being made in cross-cutting aspects of defence and security cooperation, technology value chain collaborations and people-to-people ties About The 2+2 meetings signify the participation of two high-level representatives, Ministers holding Foreign and Defence portfolios, from each of the two countries who aim to enhance the scope of dialogue between them.

Odisha Regional Specific News
BMC Releases Gambusia Fish In Four Major Drains To Combat Mosquito Menace In Odisha Capital	Context With mosquito breeding season on, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has released western Gambusia fish in at least four drains. This is to combat Dengue and Malaria menace and bring them under control. About Gambusia Fish It is also known as mosquito fish, and is widely used as a biological agent for controlling mosquito larvae. It is native to the waters of the south-eastern United States. It has been a part of mosquito-control strategies for over a century in various parts of the world, including India. A single full grown fish eats about 100 to 300 mosquito larvae per day. Also it has been part of various malaria control strategies in India since 1928, including the Urban Malaria Scheme. The International Union for Conservation of Nature declared Gambusia one of the 100 worst invasive alien species in the world.
Subhendra Mohan Srichandan Singh	Context Distinguished writer, critic and linguist Subhendra Mohan Srichandan Singh passed away About him He was Born on August 6, 1933 at Papsara village of Kishore Nagar block of Angul district He was conferred with the prestigious ‘Bal Sahitya Puraskar’ by the Sahitya Akademi for his contribution in the field of children’s literature. He was also honoured by the Odisha Sahitya Akademi in 2010 for his book ‘Tikipari.’ Singh, who worked for several years with the Board of Secondary Education, Odisha, authored a large number of books.
Odisha Signs Trade Agreement With Vinh Long Province Of Vietnam	Context Odisha government signed a trade agreement with Vinh Long province of Vietnam. The agreement has been signed between Odisha and Vinh Long for trade in 6 sectors of agriculture, industry, tourism, MSME, metals and minerals.
‘Ama Kuni Pilaa’ campaign	Context The Women and Child Development department launched the ‘Ama Kuni Pilaa’ campaign on the occasion of Children’s Day. This is to promote parent-led home-based learning among children below the age of three. Key points The department aims to institutionalise home-based learning among children through parent-led stimulation programmes for their brain development. It will be implemented through 75,000 Anganwadi workers in the state and the focus will be on men caregivers of a family. Did you know? ‘Nurturing Care Framework’ of WHO lays stress on five factors as far as children are concerned – good health, adequate nutrition, safety and security, responsive parenting and opportunities for early learning through brain stimulation.
Odisha boy to represent India at global Karting competition	Context Aditya Patnaik of Odisha’s Sambalpur district will represent India at the prestigious Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals that will be held in Bahrain Aditya was selected to represent the country at the global karting event after he emerged as champion in the senior max category with 408 points at the National Karting Championship 2023 that was held at the Meco Kartopia Circuit in Bengaluru.

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