Current affairs 30 October 2023

Indian para-athletes create history with India's highest-ever Medal Tally.

• Medal Tally in the Para Asian Games 2023 with 111 medals, including 29 Gold medals 31 Silver medals and 51 bronze medals.
• India sent its largest contingent this year, consisting of 303 athletes (191 male & 112 female).
• Out of the 111 medals, female athletes have contributed 40 medals, i.e. 36% of the medal tally.
• Be it the Khelo India Scheme at the grassroots level or the Target Olympic Podium Scheme for elite athletes.

Kerala becomes the first State to have hallmarking centers.

• Kerala became the first state in India to have hallmarking centres in all 14 districts.
• Aim: It will make Kerala a hub of gold business and further strengthen its claim to being the most reliable market in the country to buy gold ornaments.
• There are about 12K gold merchants in the State with majority holding BIS registration.
• Gold merchants gave hallmarking and hallmarking unique identification numbers even for pieces with weight below two grams.

Union Minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti inaugurates SARAS Ajeevika Mela.

• Minister of State for Rural Development, Sadhvi Niranjan inaugurated the SARAS Ajeevika Mela showcasing the best of crafts by rural Self Help Group (SHG) Women at Gurugram.
• This is the second edition of Saras Ajeevika Mela.
• To empower at least two crores Lakhpati didis of Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana- National Rural Livelihoods Mission.
• The two-week-long Mela will witness over 800 SHG women from across the country showcasing their handicraft and handloom products.

US and South Korean militaries hold joint future combat drills.

• In Gangwon Province in South Korea, the US and South Korean militaries held joint future combat drill exercises.
• Aim: To beef up future combat capabilities, with the troops wearing multiple integrated laser engagement systems (MILES), which uses lasers to simulate actual battle.
• The South Korean army training was an attempt to modernize their military and improve their responses to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.

Manu Bhaker secures India's 11th Paris Olympics quota in Korea.

• In shooting, Manu Bhaker secured the 11th Paris Olympics quota place for India after finishing fifth in women’s 25-metre sports pistol at the Asian Championships in Changwon, Korea.
• Arjun Babuta in men’s 10 metre air rifle event and Sarabjot Singh in men’s 10 metre air pistol event have also secured Paris 2024 quotas.
• Manu is the second shooter after 10-metre air pistol marksman Sarabjot Singh to clinch an Olympic quota in the pistol events.