Current Affairs Quiz 13th and 14th February 2024 Quiz

Exp. IREDA and IIT Bhubaneswar sign MoU for Clean Energy Innovation

The Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bhubaneswar have signed an MoU.

The partnership between IREDA and IIT Bhubaneswar will facilitate joint research ventures and technology exchange, and offer comprehensive support to budding start-ups.

Additionally, it will encompass capacity-building initiatives such as training programs, seminars, and workshops to enhance the skills of IREDA personnel.

IREDA, a distinguished Mini Ratna (Category – I) enterprise under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, has consistently engaged in collaborative efforts to bolster the renewable energy landscape in the nation

In a notable move in September 2023, IREDA entered into an MoU with the Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) to spearhead co-lending and loan syndication endeavors for a diverse array of Renewable Energy projects nationwide.

It also inked MoUs with the Union Bank of India (UBI) and the Bank of Baroda (BoB) to foster co-lending and loan syndication initiatives for a broad spectrum of renewable energy projects.

IITs in News

• IIT Kanpur develops India’s first hypervelocity expansion tunnel test facility
• IIT Madras to open new campus at Kandy in Sri Lanka
• 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

Exp. PM inaugurates projects worth Rs 7300 crores in Madhya Pradesh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched multiple development projects worth about 7,300 crore rupees in Jhabua, the tribal-dominated district of Madhya Pradesh.

The Prime Minister also disbursed monthly installments of Aahar Anudan under Aahar Anudan Yojna to about two lakh women beneficiaries.

Modi distributed 1 lakh 75 thousand records of rights to beneficiaries of the SVAMITVA Scheme.

The Prime Minister also transferred around 55 crore rupees for 559 villages under the Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana.

The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of ‘CM Rise School’ in Jhabua.

Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of the drinking water supply scheme for more than one thousand villages of Dhar and Ratlam districts; and 14 urban water supply schemes under AMRUT 2.0 and Nal Jal Yojna for 50 Gram Panchayats of Jhabua.

He laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the redevelopment of Ratlam railway station and Meghnagar railway station, doubling of Indore-Dewas-Ujjain C cabin railway line; Itarsi-North-South grade separator with yard remodeling; and third line connecting Barkhera-Budni-Itarsi.

About Madhya Pradesh

• Capital – Bhopal
• Chief Minister – Dr Mohan Yadav (replace Shivraj Singh Chauhan)
• Deputy CM – Jagdish Devda & Rajendra Shukla
• Speaker of Madhya Pradesh Assembly – Narendra Singh Tomar
• Governor – Mangubhai C. Patel

PM Modi in News

• PM Narendra Modi Unveils Projects Worth ₹1330 crore In Goa
• PM Modi inaugurated CLEA-CASGC 2024 Conference in New Delhi
• PM Modi Unveils Infrastructure Boost in Bulandshahr, UP
• PM Modi inaugurates Diamond Jubilee celebrations of Supreme Court
• PM Modi released commemorative postage stamps, book on Ram Temple

Exp. Defence Minister unveils statue of Gen Bipin Rawat in Dehradun

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami have unveiled a life-size statue of General Bipin Rawat, the nation’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), at TonsBridge School in Dehradun.

The objective is to take the stories of valour of the armed forces to school students and instill patriotism and dedication in them.

Unfortunately, Gen Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat, and 12 other military personnel lost their lives in a helicopter crash near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu on December 8, 2021.

Exp. Ashok Leyland invests ₹537 cr. in UK subsidiary

Ashok Leyland has made an additional investment of ₹537 crore in its U.K. subsidiary Optare PLC.

The investment is primarily to meet the capital expenditure, R&D and operational requirements of Optare PLC and Switch Mobility, both in the UK and India.

Consequent to the allotment, the shareholding of ALL in Optare has increased to 92.59% from 92.19% with Hinduja Automotive Ltd., the promoter, holding 6.90%.

Optare, which is into the manufacture and sales of commercial vehicles, had reported a consolidated revenue of ₹230 crore for FY23

Earlier, ALL had announced that it would invest ₹1,200 crore in its electric vehicle arm Switch Mobility as equity through its holding company Optare PLC, in one or more tranches. On December 5, ALL had invested ₹663 crore.

Exp. India’s Retail inflation is at 3-mth low to 5.1% in January

India’s retail inflation eased to a three-month low of 5.1% in January from 5.7% a month earlier, with food price rise cooling a bit to 8.3% compared with 9.5% in December 2023.

The number has remained within the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) tolerance band of 2-6 per cent.

Inflation rate in rural and urban areas stood at 5.34 per cent, 4.92 per cent, down from 5.93 per cent and 5.46 per cent seen in the same month a year ago.

The sharp moderation in inflation can be attributed to cooling of food prices. The food inflation for January stood at 8.30 per cent versus 9.53 per cent recorded in December.

The vegetable inflation eased marginally to 27.03 per cent from 27.64 per cent in December. In addition, the fuel and light inflation contracted (-)0.60 per cent as against (-)0.99 per cent contraction in the month before.

Exp. Sundaram AMC appoints Radhakrishnan as CEO

Sundaram Asset Management has appointed Anand Radhakrishnan as CEO.

Anand was earlier a part of the company for eight years from 1996 to 2004.

He previously served as Managing Director & CIO (Equity) at Franklin Templeton India

Incumbent MD Sunil Subramaniam will retire in June after leading the organization for 19 years. Radhakrishnan will take over as MD in July.

Recent Appointment in Banking & Insurance Sector

• Non-executive Chairman of NPCI Board – Ajay Kumar Choudhary (replace Biswamohan Mahapatra)
• MD & CEO of Tata AIA Life Insurance – Venkatachalam H (replace Naveen Tahilyani)
• Consumer lending and mortgages head of Bandhan Bank – Santosh Nair (replace Shantanu Sengupta)
• Non-executive chairman of AU Small Finance Bank – HR Khan (replace Raj Verma)
• Executive Director of Bank of Baroda – Sanjay Vinayak Mudaliar

Exp. RBI increases ceiling on fees payable to non-executive directors of banks to Rs 30 lakh per year

The RBI has increased the ceiling on fees payable to non-executive directors of banks to 30 lakh rupees per year from the existing level of 20 Lakh rupees.

The revision comes two years after RBI came out with new guidelines for directors as a part of corporate governance, where it capped the remuneration for non-executive directors, excluding the chair of the board.

It revised the celling in recognition of the vital role of the non-executive operation of bank boards and their various committees.

RBI said the banks are required to have suitable criteria for granting fixed remuneration to its NEDs, with the approval of their boards.

The instructions on review of fixed remuneration granted to NEDs would be applicable to all the private sector banks including small finance banks (SFBs) and payment banks (PBs) as also the wholly owned subsidiaries of foreign banks.

Exp. India launches UPI payment services in Sri Lanka, Mauritius

India has launched its Unified Payment Interface (UPI) services in Sri Lanka and Mauritius.

RuPay card services were also introduced in Mauritius as part of this strategic initiative.

The UPI services, crafted by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), represent an instant real-time payment system designed to facilitate inter-bank transactions through mobile phones.

On the other hand, RuPay is a globally recognized card payment network originating from India, with widespread acceptance at various points of sale, ATMs, and online platforms.

The extension of RuPay services will also enable Mauritian banks to issue RuPay cards and use them for settlements in both India and Mauritius.

Earlier in the month, UPI services were enabled at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. Indian visitors can use their UPI-enabled application to make a payment by scanning a QR code on the Eiffel Tower website.

In February 2023, a link between UPI and PayNow was introduced by India and Singapore. Through virtual payment addresses, mobile numbers can now be used to transmit money from Singapore to India.

Exp. Paytm E-commerce rebrands to Pai Platforms

Paytm E-commerce has rebranded itself as Pai Platforms, marking a shift in its corporate identity.

The move comes alongside the acquisition of Bitsila, a prominent seller platform operating within the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).

This strategic shift underscores Pai Platforms’ ambition to assert its presence and gain a larger foothold in the fiercely competitive landscape of online retail.

Pai Platforms’ acquisition of Bitsila underscores its commitment to strengthening its commerce capabilities within the ONDC network.

Bitsila, established in 2020, has ascended to become one of the top three seller platforms on ONDC, facilitating transactions for esteemed brands such as McDonald’s and BigBasket.

Exp. Katrina Kaif Joins CSK as Brand Ambassador for IPL 2024

Chennai Super Kings have appointed Katrina Kaif as their brand ambassador for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.

The five-time champions have also changed their jersey logo before the new season.

The famous Bollywood actress, who is married to Vicky Kaushal, is also the brand ambassador of Etihad Airways. CSK recently signed a sponsorship deal with Etihad Airways and brought Katrina on board.

Recent Brand Ambassador

• Fit India Movement – IRS Officer Narendra Kumar Yadav
• Hrithik Roshan – 3rd RuPay Prime Volleyball League
• Katie Moon – 19th edition of the Tata Mumbai Marathon ambassador
• Rishabh Pant – Iodex Ultra Gel+
• Deepika Padukone – Bisleri (Campign Name – #DrinkItUp)

Exp. Southern Railway appoints first Transwoman TTE

Sindhu Ganapathy’s appointment as the first transwoman Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) of Southern Railway marks a significant milestone in the journey towards inclusivity and acceptance in the Indian workforce.

At the age of 37, Ms. Ganapathy has not only broken barriers but also set a precedent for the transgender community’s representation in prestigious government positions.

Ganapathy’s career with the Railways began in 2003 when she joined as an Assistant.

Statements

(i) PAR stands for Precision Approach Radar. (Incorrect)

(ii)  IUHDSS stands for Integrated Underwater Harbour Defence and Surveillance System. (Correct)

(iii) PAR will be helpful in safely landing the aircraft in low visibility conditions like heavy rain and fog. (Incorrect)

(iv) IUHDSS is capable of detecting, identifying and tracking surface and underwater targets in the vicinity of Naval Dockyards. (Incorrect)

Exp. Navy Chief Inaugurates New Defence System ‘Precision Approach Radar’

Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral R. Hari Kumar has inaugurated a Precision Approach Radar (PAR) at INS Utkrosh in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which will enable “highly accurate horizontal and vertical guidance to land an aircraft safely in low visibility conditions, such as heavy rain and fog”.

He also inaugurated the IUHDSS (Integrated Underwater Harbour Defence and Surveillance System) at Naval Jetty, Port Blair.

About PAR

• The Precision Approach Radar is manufactured by a Chennai company.
• PAR will be helpful in safely landing the aircraft in low visibility conditions like heavy rain and fog.
• The PAR will provide highly accurate horizontal and vertical guidance even in low visibility.

 About IUHDSS

• The IUHDSS is capable of detecting, identifying and tracking surface and underwater targets in the vicinity of Naval Dockyards.
• This system significantly enhances the security of Port Blair harbour, safeguarding it against potential maritime threats and ensuring the safety of vital naval assets.

Exp. ISRO Chairman S Somanath awarded KPP Nambiar Award

Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Chairman, S Somanath has been awarded KPP Nambiar Award for 2024 by Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Kerala Section.

The award is named after KPP Nambiar, doyen of electronics industry and founder-chair of IEEE Kerala Section.

Somanath was chosen for the pivotal role he played in steering Chandrayaan-3, ISRO’s lunar exploration programme, the award committee observed.

He also served various VSSC and ISRO missions, including as Project Manager, Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and Project Director, Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV Mk – III).

Recent Awards

• WHO Nelson Mandela Award for health promotion – National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS)
• A Plaque at Jungfrau’s Ice Palace by Swiss tourism – Neeraj Chopra
• Lakshminarayana International Award – Pyarelal Sharma (For My Name Is Lakhan)
• Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award – Stunning Sleepy Polar Bear (Ice Bed) clicked by Nima Sarikhani.
• Lifetime Achievement award by Sports Journalists Federation of India & Delhi Sports Journalists Association – PT Usha

Exp. 13 February – World Radio Day

World Radio Day is observed every year on 13 February.

Objective – To raise awareness among the people and the media about the importance of radio, and to encourage access to information through radio.

Theme 2024 – Radio: A Century informing, entertaining, and educating

The day was proclaimed by the member states of UNESCO in 2011 and subsequently adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012 as an International Day.

Exp. 12 February 2024 – International Epilepsy Day

International Epilepsy Day has been observed on the second Monday of February every year since 2015.

In 2024, the world will observe the International Epilepsy Day on February 12.

The day provides a platform to educate and create awareness among people.

What is Epilepsy?

• According to WHO, epilepsy is a chronic noncommunicable disease of the brain affecting close to 50 million people across the world. There are recurrent seizures, which are brief episodes of involuntary movement in part or entire body of an Epilepsy patient.
• Epilepsy is sometimes accompanied by loss of consciousness and control of bladder function.

Exp. India’s oldest Test cricketer Dattajirao Gaekwad dies

India’s oldest Test cricketer and former captain Dattajirao Gaekwad passed away.

Gaekwad, who was the father of former India opener and national coach Aunshuman Gaekwad, was 95.

He played 11 Tests for India between 1952 and 1961, captaining the national team in 1959 when it toured England.

The right-hander made his debut against England at Leeds in 1952 and his final international game was against Pakistan in Chennai in 1961.

In the Ranji Trophy, Gaekwad represented Baroda from 1947 to 1961. He scored 3,139 runs at an average of 47.56, including 14 hundreds.

His highest was a 249 not out against Maharashtra in the 1959-60 season.

He became India’s oldest living Test cricketer in 2016 after the death of former batter Deepak Shodhan at the age of 87 in Ahmedabad.

Exp. World Marathon Record Holder Kelvin Kiptum Dies in Road Accident

The men’s marathon world record holder, Kenya’s Kelvin Kiptum, 24, has died in a road accident in his home country.

He was killed alongside his coach, Rwanda’s Gervais Hakizimana, in a car on a road in western Kenya.

Kiptum broke the men’s marathon record in Chicago on 8 October 2023, with a time of two hours and 35 seconds.

The Kenyan slashed 34 seconds off two-time Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge’s previous world record from Berlin in 2022 to become the first man to run the marathon under two hours and one minute.