CURRENT AFFAIRS OF 23rd AUGUST, 2023

CURRENT AFFAIRS OF 23^rd AUGUST, 2023

1. United Nations’ International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition is annually observed on 23 August to remind people of the tragedy of the transatlantic slave trade during colonial rule and to raise awareness about the abolition of slave trading and related practices. The theme of 2023 is “Fighting slavery’s legacy of racism through transformative education”.  
2. At an occasion held at the Raj Bhavan, President Droupadi Murmu launched the ‘My Bengal, Addiction-Free Bengal’ campaign, a vital undertaking organised by the Brahma Kumaris, aimed at tackling the prevalent issue of drug usage among the youth.
3. The Matti banana variety native to Kanniyakumari district has been granted a Geographical Indication (GI) tag. These bananas thrive uniquely in the district’s climate and soil, resulting in a larger-than-human finger-sized fruit with a sweet aroma and honey-like taste.
4. Justice Prakash Shrivastava, former Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court, on 23 August 2023, took charge as Chairperson of the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
5. The Reserve Bank of India has unveiled a groundbreaking centralized web platform is named the UDGAM (Unclaimed Deposits-Gateway to Access Information) portal which is designed to simplify the process of locating unclaimed deposits across various banks.
6. Anahat Singh secured the gold medal in the U-17 category of the prestigious Asian Junior Squash Individual Championships.
7. NTPC Limited, a Maharatna Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) under the Ministry of Power, has begun the trial of India’s first hydrogen bus in Leh, Ladakh.
8. The ‘Graphene-Aurora Program’ was launched by the MeitY Secretary Alkesh Kumar Sharma in Kochi, Kerala on 14 August, 2023.
9. India won 14 medals (4 Gold, 3 Silver and 7 Bronze) in the World Under-20 Wrestling Championships 2023 Held in Amman, Jordan.
10. Five youths from India have been named among 17 teen environmental activists from across the globe to receive the 2023 International Young Eco-Hero Award who have taken initiatives to tackle the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. The young eco-warriors are Eiha Dixit, Manya Harsha, Nirvaan Somany, Mannat Kaur and Karnav Rastogi.
11. Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports organized Youth 20 Summit-2023 from 17 to 20 August, 2023 in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
12. Odisha Government will open ‘CSP Plus’ banking outlet in 4,373 unbanked gram panchayats to provide banking services.
13. Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and Nirmala Sitharaman, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Corporate Affairs launched two books namely ‘Kuwi Primer’ and ‘Desia Primer’ in Kuwi and Desia languages in Bhubaneswar, Odisha to simplify primary education for tribal children in Odisha.
14. Chishty Foundation from Ajmer Sharif will participate in the upcoming COP28 Global Summit set to be held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
15. As a part of the Independence Day celebrations at Red Fort, around 1,800 people from different vocations, with their spouses, have been invited from across the country as Special Guests to witness the Prime Minister’s speech.
16. Adobe co-founder Dr. John Warnock passed away on 19 August 2023, at the age of 82.