Current Affairs Quiz 12th January 2024 Quiz

Exp. Maharashtra govt declares new Atpadi Conservation Reserve in Sangli district

The Government of Maharashtra has declared a new Conservation Reserve in the forest land of Sangli district namely ‘Atpadi Conservation Reserve’.

The newly formed Atpadi Conservation Reserve connects the Maini Conservation Area in the west with the Maldhok Bird Sanctuary in the northeast.

This will help in the protection of wildlife corridors and preserve the habitat of wolves, deer, foxes, civets and other mammals in the area

This newly declared Conservation Reserve hosts three types of forest cover, Semi-evergreen, moist deciduous and dry deciduous.

36 tree species, 116 herb species, 15 shrub species, 14 vine species and 1 parasitic plant are found in this area. The Atpadi Conservation Reserve will help preserve the habitat of wolves, jackals, deer, foxes, civets, rabbits and other mammals in the area.

About Maharashtra

• Capital – Mumbai
• Chief Minister – Eknath Sindhe
• Deputy Chief Minister – Devendra Fadnavis & Ajit Pawar
• Governor – Ramesh Bais

Exp. Chhattisgarh govt launches ‘Ramlala Darshan’ scheme

Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai has launched the “Ram Lala Darshan” (Ayodhya Dham) Yojana.

Under the scheme, 20,000 eligible residents of the State would be taken to the holy city for pilgrimage every year.

The Chhattisgarh Tourism Board will implement the scheme and the budget for it will be provided by the Tourism Department.

It added that those between the age of 18 and 75 years and found fit in the health examination by District Medical Board will be considered eligible for the trip under this scheme. In the first phase, however, this facility will be made available for people of age above 55 years.

From different points in Chhattisgarh, batches of pilgrims will be taken to the main destination of Ayodhya Dham in Uttar Pradesh in trains. The trip will also include a visit to Varanasi where they will go to Kashi Vishwanath Temple Corridor and witness the Ganga Aarti.

The distance to be covered under this trip to Ayodhya will be approximately 900 kilometres, for which an MoU will be signed between Chhattisgarh Tourism Board and Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation.

About Chhattisgarh

• Capital – Raipur
• Chief Minister – Vishnu Deo Sai (replace Bhupesh Baghel)
• Deputy CM – Arun Sao & Vijay Sharma
• Governor – Biswabhusan Harichandan
• Speaker of Chhattisgarh Assembly – Raman Singh

Exp. Nitin Gadkari inaugurates, lays foundation stones of 29 highway projects worth

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has inaugurated and laid foundation stones of 29 national highway projects worth Rs 4,000 crore in Punjab.

The projects included Ladhowal bypass in Ludhiana, six-lane flyover and two-lane road over bridge in Ludhiana, four laning of Jalandhar-Kapurthala section, and three bridges on the Jalandhar-Makhu Rsssoad.

Gadkari laid the foundation stones of several projects, including four laning of Hoshiarpur-Phagwara Road and four laning of Ferozepur bypass.

Five greenfield expressways and economic corridors are being built at a cost of Rs 1.20 lakh crore for better connectivity from Punjab to Delhi, Chandigarh, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Haryana.

Nitin Gadkari In News

• Nitin Gadkari inaugurates and lays foundation stone of 12 National Highway projects in Kerala
• Nitin Gadkari addresses 5th edition of India STEM Summit 2023 in New Delhi
• Nitin Gadkari launches India Jewellery Shopping Festival (IJSF) 2023
• Nitin Gadkari launches Bharat NCAP (New Car Assessment Programe)

Exp. PM Modi inaugurated & laid foundation stone of multiple development projects in Maharashtra

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth over 30,500 crore rupees in Maharashtra.

Modi has inaugurated Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewari – Nhava Sheva Atal Setu to improve ease of mobility by strengthening urban transport infrastructure. Atal Setu has been constructed at a total cost of more than 17,840 crore rupees.

It is about a 21.8 km long 6-lane bridge having about 16.5 km length over sea and about 5.5 km on the land. Prime Minister Modi had laid the foundation stone of the bridge in December 2016.

Modi also laid the foundation stone of the underground road tunnel connecting Eastern Freeway’s Orange Gate to Marine Drive. The 9.2 Km tunnel will be built at a cost of more than 8,700 crore rupees. It will be a significant infrastructure development in Mumbai which will reduce travel time between Orange Gate and Marine Drive.

Prime Minister also inaugurated Bharat Ratnam for Gems and Jewellery sector at Santacruz Electronic Export Processing Zone- Special Economic Zone, which is the first of its kind in India with the best available machines in the world including 3D Metal printing.

PM Modi in News

• PM inaugurates Kochi-Lakshadweep Islands Submarine Optical Fibre Connection
• PM Modi inaugurates new terminal building at Tiruchirappalli airport
• PM Modi attend DGP conference at Jaipur
• PM Modi inaugurates Kashi Tamil Sangamam 2.0 in Varanasi
• PM Modi inaugurates second Delhi-Varanasi Vande Bharat Express
• PM Modi inaugurated Surat Diamond Exchange in Gujara

Exp. Tamil Nadu launched special vehicle to restore coastal ecosystems

Tamil Nadu government has launched the Tamil Nadu Blue Carbon Agency to preserve and restore coastal ecosystems.

This part of the Tamil Nadu Coastal Mission was announced in the 2023-24 state budget, with a Rs 2000 crore cost backed by World Bank funding.

A special-purpose vehicle called the Tamil Nadu Blue Carbon Agency has been set up for preservation and restoration of coastal ecosystems, including mangroves, corals, seagrass, and salt marshes.

This is a significant move towards environmental conservation, focusing on protection and revitalisation of the state’s coastal ecology.

About Tamil Nadu

• Formation – 26 January 1950
• Capital – Chennai
• Chief Minister – M K Stalin
• Governor – R N Ravi

Exp. Global unemployment seen inching up to 5.2% in 2024: ILO

The International Labour Organization (ILO), a United Nations agency, has projected a modest rise in the global unemployment rate to 5.2% in 2024, citing an increase in joblessness across advanced economies.

According to the ILO’s 2024 World Employment and Social Outlook report, the anticipated rise would result in the global unemployment rate inching up from 5.1% recorded in 2023.

The report forecasts that the number of unemployed individuals globally will surge by two million, contributing to the uptick in the unemployment rate.

Despite a brief growth spurt as countries recovered from the pandemic, the ILO highlighted that aggregate labour productivity growth had swiftly returned to the sluggish pace observed over the previous decade.

Exp. Denmark introduced green fuels alliance in India.

Denmark has launched the Green Fuels Alliance India (GFAI) initiative to boost collaborative efforts between the two countries in the sustainable energy solutions sector and advance their joint global goal towards carbon neutrality.

The new alliance is a strategic initiative poised to play a pivotal role in advancing the green fuels sector, including green hydrogen, by fostering innovation, collaboration, and partnerships between Danish industries and their counterparts in India.

GFAI’s primary objective is to promote sustainable energy growth in India by establishing an ecosystem that encourages collaboration among businesses, government entities, research institutions, and financial stakeholders from both the Indian and Danish sectors.

The GFAI aligns with India’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2070 and Denmark’s by 2050.

About Denmark

• Capital- Copenhagen
• Currency- Danish krone
• Prime Minister – Mette Frederiksen

Exp. IIT Madras to open new campus at Kandy in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s Education minister Dr. Susil Premajayantha has said that a new campus of IIT Madras would be started in Kandy in Sri Lanka.

The proposal was part of the Budget 2024 presented by Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremasinghe in his capacity as Finance Minister.

Dr. Premajayantha added that a team of academics would be sent by his ministry to IIT Madras before the team from IIT would visit Sri Lanka for starting the Campus.

Earlier in December it was announced that IIT Delhi is scheduled to inaugurate a campus in Abu Dhabi, while IIT Madras has established a presence in Zanzibar, focusing on addressing the educational needs of African countries.

This initiative underscores the internationalization efforts within the Indian education sector.

IITs in News

• ArcelorMittal partners with IIT Madras to create Hyperloop facility in Tamil Nadu
• Reliance Jio joins hands with IIT Bombay to launch Bharat GPT
• IIT Guwahati collaborated with Assam govt’s Arohan Scheme over STEM
• Indian Navy signed MoU with IIT Kanpur to promote technology development
• Global cyber security company Kaspersky and IIT Delhi signed an agreement to jointly work on cybersecurity-related research and educational initiatives at the institute.

Exp. Credit bureau Experian appointed Manish Jain as MD for India

Experian, a leading global information services company, has appointed Manish Jain as its new Country Managing Director for Experian in India.

He will lead the company’s strategic initiatives, drive business growth, and cultivate strong partnerships with clients and stakeholders.

Manish Jain has more than two and a half decades of experience in financial services and technology.

Before joining Experian, Manish led transformative initiatives in global organizations, ensuring sustainable business expansion.

He served as the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Excelrate, and in this role, he advised organizations on their growth strategies and implemented large-scale plans in the banking industry for the faster realization of their revenue goals.

Recent Appointment

• Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution – Bharat Harbanslal Khera
• Additional Secretary as well as Mission Director for the Dept of Drinking Water and Sanitation’s Jal Jeevan Mission – Chandra Bhushan Kumar
• Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation – Puja Singh Mandol
• Additional Secretary of Home Ministry – Sanjeev Kumar Jindal
• Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Women and Child Development – Tripti Gurha

Exp. Rural Development Ministry signs pact with SBI to facilitate loans for SHGs

The Rural Development Ministry and the State Bank of India have signed an MoU to facilitate enterprise financing for rural self-help groups (SHG).

The MoU was signed by Additional Secretary Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission, Charanjit Singh and Chief General Manager, State Bank of India, Corporate office Mumbai, Shantanu Pendsey.

State Bank of India introduced a specialised financial product Svyam Siddha, exclusively tailored for SHG women entrepreneurs seeking loans up to Rs 5 lakhs.

This initiative is designed to alleviate the challenges associated with extensive documentation requirements for bank loan applications and reduce the turnaround time (TAT).

Recent MoUs Signed in Banking Sector

• REC Limited and Bank of Baroda join hands to finance Power, Infra, and Logistics Projects
• NABARD and ADB jointly launch climate action initiative in India with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
• SBI to sign $165 million LoC with World Bank for rooftop solar projects
• Karur Vysya Bank, HDFC Life enter into corporate agency tie-up
• Aditya Birla Sun Life collaborates with IDFC First Bank for financial solutions

Exp. Sheetal Devi, the world’s first armless woman archer won Arjuna Award

Sheetal Devi, the teenaged armless archer who has widely earned recognition for India through her performance in para-archery, was conferred with the Arjuna Award, one of the country’s top civilian honours by President Droupadi Murmu.

Arjuna Awardee Sheetal Devi is a para-archer from Jammu and Kashmir.

She emerged as the first armless woman to clinch a Para World Archery Championships medal in 2023. She defeated Singapore’s Alim Nur Syahidah 144-142 in the gold medal-deciding fixture.

Sheetal scripted history at the Para Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, China, by winning three medals – two gold and one silver.

Devi, notably, became the first Indian woman to win two gold medals in a single edition of the Asian Para Games in October 2023.

Exp. Swachh Survekshan Awards 2023: Indore, Surat ‘cleanest cities’ in India

Indore and Surat were declared the joint cleanest cities of India as part of the Swachh Survekshan Awards 2023 presented by President Draupadi Murmu in the category of more than one lakh population.

This was the seventh time that Indore won the accolade of the cleanest city in India

Saswad in Maharashtra got the cleanest city award for urban centres with less than 1 lakh population while Patan in Chattisgarh and Lonavla in Maharashtra were the second and third cleanest cities.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra got the first prize for cleanliness in the state category, Madhya Pradesh got second and Chhattisgarh got the award of third cleanest state. Varanasi and Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh clinched the top spots as the Cleanest Ganga Towns.

One lakh sites in 4,447 cities were accessed for this Swachh Survekshan and responses of twelve crore citizens were taken. He said, in 2014 only 15 to 16 percent of waste was scientifically processed and currently 76 percent of waste is being processed.

Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Vishnu Deo Sai said that since the inception of the Swachh Survekshan Award in 2017, the state has received 67 awards. He added that is a great moment for Chhattisgarh, to secure third position in the state category.

Exp. Adani Group Unveils India’s First Medium Altitude, Long Endurance Drone

Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar has flagged off the first indigenously manufactured “Drishti 10 Starliner” Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for the Navy.

Drishti 10 ‘Starliner’ is an advanced Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platform with 36 hours endurance, 450 kgs payload capacity, the only all-weather military platform with STANAG 4671 certification, and clear to fly in both segregated and unsegregated airspace.

The sophisticated, state-of-the-art UAV marks a significant step towards strategic autonomy and technological leadership in high-endurance, combat-proven, and indigenized advanced aerial systems.

The flag-off ceremony took place at Adani Aerospace Park in Hyderabad. Adani Defence and Aerospace is building capabilities to help achieve self-reliance in defence and security and also take a global leadership position in the sector.

Adani Defence and Aerospace has already established capabilities in a wide domain such as small arms, unmanned aerial vehicles, radars, defence electronics and avionics, tactical communication systems and electro-optical systems to support the Army and other paramilitary forces.

Exp. New Zealand appoints Adams as bowling coach

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has appointed former all-rounder Andre Adams as the bowling coach of the men’s team for the upcoming five-match T20I home series against Pakistan.

The 48-year-old will join head coach Gary Stead’s group, which also consists of Luke Ronchi as batting coach.

This appointment comes after Shane Jurgensen stepped down from his role following the 2023 ODI World Cup. Adams, who has previously played one Test, 42 ODIs, and four T20Is for New Zealand, brings a wealth of experience to the role.

Adams’ coaching career includes a successful stint with the Australia domestic side New South Wales, where he was instrumental in helping Mitchell Starc regain form in 2019. He also worked with the Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League (BBL) and with Auckland, contributing to the development of Lockie Ferguson’s career

Exp. 12 January – National Youth Day

Rashtriya Yuva Diwas, commonly known as National Youth Day, is observed on Swami Vivekananda’s birth anniversary.

This day serves to raise awareness and impart knowledge about the rights of individuals in India, emphasizing the importance of proper conduct within the nation.

The primary goal of this celebration is to inspire and motivate the youth, disseminating the ideals propagated by Swami Vivekananda to contribute towards creating a more promising future for the country.

In 1984, the Indian government initially announced the observance of Swami Vivekananda’s birthday, specifically on January 12, as National Youth Day.