Current Affairs Quiz 13th and 14th January 2024 Quiz

Exp. Sarbananda Sonowal laid foundation stone of the Regional Research Institute for Homoeopathy at Guwahati

Union Ayush Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has laid the foundation stone of the permanent campus of the Regional Research Institute for Homoeopathy and Integrated Ayush Wellness Centre at Azara, Guwahati.

A total amount of Rs. 53.89 cr has been sanctioned for this project.

This Institute was established as a Clinical Research Unit of Homeopathy in 1984 in the rented building at Odalbakra, Guwahati. Presently it is situated at Bhetapara, Guwahati in old building of Central Ayurveda Research Institute.

The Institute is providing laboratory services at very nominal rates and successfully completed clinical trials on Skin disorders, Cholera /Gastroenteritis, chronic sinusitis & bronchitis, Influenza like illness, uterine fibroid, otitis media, Hypertension, vitiligo, psoriasis, migraine etc.

Sarbananda Sonowal in News

• Sarbananda Sonowal launches Port Health Organization under Sagar Setu
• Sarbananda Sonowal launches 3rd edition of Global India Maritime Summit
• Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurates DGNSS “SAGAR SAMPARK
• Sarbananda Sonowal launches ‘SAGAR SAMRIDDHI’
• Sarbananda Sonowal flags off India’s 1st International Cruise Vessel from Chennai to Sri Lanka

Exp. 2024 is ‘Year of Technology Absorption’ for Army

The year 2024 will be observed as the “Year of Technology Absorption” by the Indian Army.

This theme underscores our commitment to leverage technology as a catalyst for transformative change, as well as to utilise in-house expertise to innovate solutions to our operational and logistic requirements and give shape to these projects in collaboration with the domestic defence industry.

The Indian Army personnel are being trained to leverage technology and exploit the cyber domain effectively through institutionalised, procedural and technological measures.

Project SAMBHAV is an end-to-end, secure, network-agnostic mobile ecosystem to provide secure communication with instant connectivity on the move.

Operating on state-of-the-art contemporary 5G technology, it represents a significant leap forward in India’s defence capability.

A project that will not only set the stage for productive and fruitful employment of more than 62,000 Indian Army soldiers retiring every year but also empower the skilling & employment of our veterans.

Exp. Uttar Pradesh to welcome 5 new airports in expansion drive

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has announced the inauguration of five new airports in Uttar Pradesh.

New airports in Azamgarh, Aligarh, Moradabad, Chitrakoot, and Shravasti aim to improve air connectivity in the state, facilitating greater accessibility and economic development.

About Uttar Pradesh

• Capital – Lucknow
• Chief Minister – Yogi Adityanath
• Governor – Anandiben Patel

Exp. Greece drafts bill to legalize same-sex marriage

Greece will publish a bill shortly that will legalize same-sex marriage in a bid to eliminate discrimination based on sexual orientation, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said

Greece has implemented a series of reforms over the past decade to improve LGBT+ rights in the country where the Orthodox Church has long opposed equal rights for same-sex couples.

Mitsotakis, who is trying to break away from the traditional image of a conservative leader, has drafted a national strategy on LGBT+ rights that may win support from the left but create opposition in more conservative quarters.

In 2015, Greece recognised cohabitation agreements for same-sex couples providing them with some rights and benefits, but they are still not allowed to have or adopt children as a couple.

About Greece

• Capital – Athens
• Currency – Euro (€)
• Official languages – Greek, Modern Greek
• Prime Minister – Kyriakos Mitsotakis

Exp. Henley Passport Index 2024; India ranks 80th

The Henley Passport Index 2024 has been released to highlight the “power” of passports of 199 countries.

The index, which ranks countries based on the number of destinations that allow visa-free entry to their passport was topped by France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, and Spain.

Passports of all these countries have visa-free access to 194 destinations, three more than last year.

Japan and Singapore have continued to top the list for five years now.

South Korea, Sweden, and Finland rose one spot to take joint second place, with access to 193 countries.

Austria, Denmark, Ireland, and the Netherlands shared third place, allowing travel to 192 places.

The UK, Belgium, Luxemburg, Norway, and Portugal ranked fourth with access to 191 destinations.

Canada, Hungry, and the US at seventh position with access to 188 destinations.

India and Uzbekistan stand at the 80th rank in the list of most powerful passports with 62 destinations. Its passport has visa-free access to 62 nations, including Angola, Barbados, Bhutan, Bolivia, Djibouti, El Salvador, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mauritius, Nepal, Qatar and Zimbabwe.

In 2023, too, India’s passport was ranked at the 80th spot, up five places from 2022. However, the number of visa-free destinations has jumped from 57 to 62 this year.

Which are the least powerful passports in the world?

• The least powerful passport in the world is Afghanistan. It ranked at 104th spot with access to 28 countries. It is followed by Syria (103), Iraq (102), Pakistan (101) and Yemen (100).

Which passports have shown the most improvement in ranking?

• The United Arab Emirates was the fastest climber over the past decade, jumping to 11th place and offering access to 183 destinations without a visa. China, up two spots this year to 62nd place, has visa-free access to 85 destinations — almost twice as many as ten years ago.

Recent index

• Mercer’s Quality of Living City Index 2023 – Rank 1. Vienna (Austria), Rank 2. Zurich (Switzerland), Rank 3. Vancouver (Canada), Hyderabad (153rd), Pune (154th), Chennai (161st), Mumbai (164th), Kolkata (170th), New Delhi (172nd), Khartoum (Sudan) at the bottom-most position (241st spot).
• Climate Change Performance Index 2023 – India ranked 7th
• World Digital Competitiveness Ranking 2023 – India ranked 49th; topped by US
• Global Unicorn Rankings – Rank 1. USA, Rank 2. China, Rank 3. India
• Inclusiveness index by US varsity – India ranked 117th; topped by – New Zealand

Exp. Indian Bank launches ‘Indian Bank One Co-Branded Credit Card’

Indian Bank has launched an ‘Indian Bank One co-branded credit card’ with FPL Technologies.

Leveraging the Visa and RuPay platforms, these cards will be issued by Indian Bank and managed by FPL Technologies.

The Indian Bank One co-branded credit card boasts of international validity with a 1% forex fee and aims to offer a range of features tailored to the diverse needs of digitally savvy Indian consumers.

“By offering the card on not one but two networks, we aim to introduce a new paradigm in credit accessibility and usability,” said Anurag Sinha, Co-founder & CEO of FPL Technologies.

About Indian Bank

• Founded – 1907
• Headquarters – Chennai, Tamil Nadu
• MD & CEO – Shanti Lal Jain
• Tagline – Your Own Bank

Recent Facilities Launched in Banking & Insurance Sector

• IndusInd Bank lunched ‘Samman RuPay Credit Card’ exclusively for government employees.
• Canara Bank to launch Data Analytics center in Bengaluru from 1 April
• Bank of India introduced Super Special Fixed Deposit with intrest rate of 7.50% per annum
• IndusInd Bank has launched the ‘IndusInd Bank eSvarna’, India’s first Corporate Credit Card on RuPay network.
• Kotak Mahindra Life Insurance launched U.L.I.P (Term with Unit Linked Insurance Plan) Product

Exp. Bhutan’s Tshering Tobgay becomes PM for second time

Bhutanese voters have elected Tshering Tobgay to become Prime Minister for a second time after his party won nearly two-thirds of seats.

Tobgay, head of the liberal People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who served as prime minister of the Himalayan kingdom from 2013 to 2018, won 30 of 47 seats in Tuesday’s election, official figures showed.

Bhutan also lies sandwiched between the globe’s two most populous countries, China and India, who watched the vote with keen interest as they eye strategic contested border zones.

Bhutan is a landlocked mountain nation of about 800,000 people, similar in area to Switzerland.

Newly Appointed Prime Minister & President

• Prime Minister of France – Gabriel Attal (replace Elisabeth Borne)
• Prime Minister of Bangladesh – Sheikh Hasina (5^th term)
• President of Congo – Felix Tshisekedi (2nd term)
• President of Egypt – Abdel Fattah El-Sisi (3^rd term)

• Prime Minister of Poland – Donald Tusk

Exp. Maheshwar Rao appointed as MD of Bangalore Metro

The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has appointed Maheshwar Rao as the full-time managing director of Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL).

The appointment addresses the demand for a full-time MD, which has been persistent since the former MD, Anjum Parvez, assumed the additional chief secretary role in rural development last year.

Rao has served as the commissioner of industrial development and director of industries and commerce. He has also served as the deputy commissioner and district magistrate in Dakshina Kannada and Mandya districts.

BMRCL recently reached a new milestone when it recorded a whopping 2 crore ridership in December 2023—around 6.8 lakh passengers on an average daily—fetching a fare revenue of Rs 55 crore.

The boost in ridership came after BMRCL opened the missing link between Baiyappanahalli and KR Puram, which increased the ridership from 6.4 lakh in October to 6.6 lakh in November last year.

Bengaluru’s metro network spans 73.81 km with phase 1 connecting Kadugodi and Challaghatta (East-West corridor) with Silk Institute and Nagasandra (South-North corridor).

Recent Appointment

• MD of Experian India – Manish Jain
• 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. Vivek Murthy appoints as US Representative on WHO Board

President Joe Biden has reappointed Indian American Surgeon General Vivek Murthy to serve as Representative of the United States on the Executive Board of the World Health Organization.

The White House re-sent Murthy’s nomination as a representative to WHO as his confirmation has been pending in the Senate since October 2022. He will continue his duties as Surgeon General.

The first Surgeon General of Indian descent, Vivek Hallegere Murthy, was confirmed by the US Senate in March 2021 to serve as the 21st Surgeon General under Biden. He previously served as the 19th Surgeon General under President Barack Obama.

Recent Appointment in Foreign

• Secretary General of BIMSTEC – Indra Mani Pandey (replace Tenzin Lekphell, Bhutan)
• ‘Class C’ Director on Board of Directors of Federal Reserve Bank of New York – Rajiv Shah
• Executive Director of Asian Development Bank (ADB) – Vikas Sheel (for 3 years)
• Adviser to the Executive Director of ADB – Smita Sarangi
• Counsellor (Economic) in the Embassy of India in Beijing – Kalyan Revella (for 3 years)
• Ambassador/Permanent Representative (PR) in World Trade Organization (WTO) – Senthil Pandian

Exp. Sheel Vardhan Singh Assumes Role As UPSC Member

The Central government has appointed former Central Industrial Security Force Director General Sheel Vardhan Singh as a member of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

Singh is a 1986-batch IPS officer.

The President appointed Sheel Vardhan Singh as Member Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) under Article 316 (11) of the Constitution of India.

The term of his appointment will be regulated in accordance with the provisions of Article 316(2) of the Constitution of India, and the conditions of service will be governed by UPSC (Members) Regulations 1969 as amended from time to time.

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts civil services examination annually to select officers of IAS, Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS), among others.

The Commission is headed by a chairman and it can have a maximum of 10 members.

A UPSC member is appointed for a term of six years or until attaining 65 years of age.

About UPSC

• Establishment – 1 October 1926
• Headquarters – New Delhi
• Chairman – Manoj Soni
• UPSC is the central recruitment agency in India for Group ‘A’ officer posts under the Government of India.
• It is established as a constitutional body under Article 315 of the Indian Constitution.
• Chairman – Manoj Soni

Exp. Varanasi wins ‘Cleanest Ganga Towns’ Award

The spiritual city of Varanasi has secured the top spot in the Cleanest Ganga Town category of Swachh Survekshan 2023, surpassing Prayagraj.

Despite this achievement, Varanasi faced a setback, slipping to the 41st position from the 21st spot in the national ranking for cities with a population exceeding 10 lakh.

Last year witnessed an improvement for Varanasi, climbing nine positions to secure the 21st rank. In 2021, the city held the 30th position.

While Varanasi excelled as the ‘Best Ganga Town’ in Swachh Survekshan 2021, it relinquished the top spot to Hardwar in 2022.

In the latest survey, among Indian cities with a population exceeding 10 lakh, Noida secured the 14th position, Ghaziabad 38th, Aligarh 40th, Varanasi 41st, and Lucknow 44th.

This is a great achievement because a total of 13 cities in the country have received this national award out of which two are from UP.

The Swachh Survekshan, evolving since its initiation in 2016 with 73 major cities, now encompasses 4,477 cities in 2023. The recent ranking underscores the focus on addressing legacy dumpsites, effective plastic waste management, and the implementation of the principles of reduce, reuse, recycle.

Howrah, West Bengal, is ranked as the dirtiest city in India according to the annual cleanliness survey. The bottom spots were occupied by Shillong, Khagaria, and Sitamarhi.

Indore clinched the title of the cleanest city for the seventh time, followed by Surat, Navi Mumbai, Visakhapatnam, and Bhopal.

Exp. Indian Navy to host multi-national naval exercise MILAN in Feb

In a move to strengthen maritime cooperation and security in the Indian Ocean region, the Indian Navy will host the 12th edition of the multi-national exercise MILAN 24 in Visakhapatnam from February 19 to 27.

Earlier 11th edition of this exercise was held in Feb-Mar 22 in Visakhapatnam under the Eastern Naval Command with the theme ‘Camaraderie-Cohesion-Collaboration’.

MILAN is a biennial multi-national naval exercise that started in 1995 with participation of four foreign countries (Indonesia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand) in consonance with India’s ‘Look East policy’.

The MILAN Exercise flourished under the aegis of Andaman and Nicobar command till its 10th edition. Visakhapatnam is chosen as the preferred venue for future MILAN exercises.

MILAN 24 exercise would comprise two phases – ‘Harbour phase’ and ‘Sea phase’. The harbour phase, aims to promote cultural sharing amongst the participating Nations and the Sea phase includes ships with Maritime Patrol aircraft and submarines of Friendly Foreign Countries.

Recent Exercise

• 1st edition of Military Exercise ‘Desert Cyclone’ between India & UAE – Rajasthan
• 4th edition of Military Exercise VINBAX-2023 between India & Vietnam – Hanoi, Vietnam
• 14th edition of Exercise Vajra Prahar2023 between India & USA – Umroi, Meghalaya
• 9th edition of Mitra Shakti 2023 between India and Sri Lanka – Aundh, Pune
• 7th edition of ‘Exercise KAZIND-2023’ between India and Kazakhstan – Otar, Kazakhsta

Exp. 11 to 17 January – National Road Safety Week

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways provides a platform to celebrate National Road Safety Week every year.

This significant week is observed from January 11 to 17 to create awareness around road safety.

National Road Safety Week aims to educate the public about the perils of reckless or irresponsible driving.

The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways published its annual report for 2022-23 with Road Accident statistics. In the report, the total number of road accidents in the year 2021 totalled 4,12,432.