Current Affairs Quiz 13th September 2023 Quiz

Exp. ICG participates in 19th Heads of Asian Coast Guard Agencies Meeting

Indian Coast Guard participated in the 19th Heads of Asian Coast Guard Agencies Meeting (HACGAM) in Istanbul, Türkiye.

A four-member ICG delegation led by DG Rakesh Pal, Director General of Indian Coast Guard took part in the annual event of the independent forum with 23 members of Coast Guard Agencies and 02 associate members in the form of ReCAAP and UNODC.

During the three-day High-Level Meeting, in which heads of Coast Guards of all member nations participated, a series of vital issues including maritime law enforcement, safety and security of life at sea, marine environment protection, illicit trafficking of drugs, weapons, and humans at sea etc were discussed, and avenues for further cooperation were explored through the framing of agenda.

The last edition of the HACGAM was held in New Delhi in 2022.

About Turkey

• Capital- Ankara
• Currency- Turkish lira
• Official language- Turkish
• President – Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Exp. Tamil Nadu govt. launched Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai Thittam scheme

Tamil Nadu government has launched social welfare scheme “Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai Thittam”.

Under the scheme, Tamil Nadu government will provide monthly assistance of Rs 1,000 to more than 1.06 crore female family heads through Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai Thittam.

Beneficiaries will receive financial assistance through direct bank transfers and will be provided with ATM cards for easy access.

The government emphasizes on effective implementation and will use SMS notifications to communicate with beneficiaries.

About Tamil Nadu

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

Exp. Union Minister Harsh Shanghvi grants Indian citizenship to 108 Pakistani migrants in Ahmedabad

Union Minister Harsh Shanghvi provided citizenship to 108 migrants from Pakistan in Ahmedabad.

The right to grant Indian citizenship to minority communities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan came through gazette notifications issued in 2016 and 2018.

The district collectors of Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, and Kutch in Gujarat are empowered to follow the process under the Citizenship Act for granting Indian citizenship.

Ahmedabad District Collectorate has already granted Indian citizenship to about 1,149 Pakistani Hindu immigrants.

Exp. G20 leaders endorse Goa Roadmap and ‘Travel for LIFE’ program

The G20 Leaders’ Summit held in Delhi culminated in a resounding endorsement of the ‘Goa Roadmap’ and the ‘Travel for LiFE’ program, propelling India to the forefront of sustainable tourism initiatives.

The ‘Goa Roadmap,’ a flagship initiative of India’s G20 Tourism Track, serves as a groundbreaking blueprint for global sustainable tourism.

Aligned with the theme of India’s G20 Presidency, it underscores the role of tourism in society, the economy, and environmental stewardship.

The roadmap addresses five interconnected priorities identified by the G20 Tourism Working Group: Green Tourism, Digitalization, Skills, Tourism MSMEs, and Destination Management.

It offers a comprehensive strategy for nations to align their tourism policies with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030.

This initiative will serve as a global repository, showcasing best practices and case studies of sustainable tourism practices and policies from G20 nations, aiding nations and industry stakeholders in their journey towards achieving the SDGs through tourism.

The Ministry of Tourism plans to foster the implementation of the ‘Goa Roadmap’ through education and awareness campaigns.

Exp. US & Vietnam sign deal on semiconductor supply chains

The United States and Vietnam have signed a deal on semiconductor supply chains to expand the capacity of the semiconductor ecosystem in Hanoi, in support of the US industry.

The newly-signed Memorandum of Cooperation on Semiconductor Supply Chains, Workforce and Ecosystem Development will formalize this bilateral partnership to expand the capacity of the semiconductor ecosystem in Vietnam, in support of US industry.

The US and Vietnam also launched of comprehensive workforce development initiatives in Vietnam that jointly develop hands-on teaching labs and training courses for semiconductor assembly, testing, and packaging.

The US government will provide initial seed funding of 2 million US Dollars to launch the initiatives, in conjunction with future support from the Government of Vietnam and the private sector.  

Exp. India and Saudi Arabia sign Agreement on Cooperation in Energy Sector

India and Saudi Arabia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the field of energy.

The MoU is expected to result in enhanced ties between India and Saudi Arabia in renewable energy, energy efficiency, hydrogen, electricity and grid interconnections, petroleum, natural gas, strategic petroleum reserves, and energy security.

It also seeks to encourage bilateral investment in the fields of renewable energy, electricity, hydrogen and storage and oil & gas, as well as create an enabling environment for circular economy and technologies to reduce the effects of climate change through carbon capture, utilization, and storage.

India has targeted to achieve 5 million tonnes (MT) of green hydrogen capacity annually, along with an additional 125 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030 under the National Green Hydrogen Mission announced in August 2021 as part of the national effort to diversify its energy basket.

The country also announced the formation of the Global Biofuels Alliance for enhanced recycling of agriculture and forest residue, Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), cow dung, etc., for conversion to biofuels such as ethanol and ammonia.

About Saudi Arabia

• Capital- Riyadh
• Currency- Saudi riyal
• Prime minister- Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud

Recently India signed MoUs with others countries

• India and New Zealand signs a MoU to boost cooperation in civil aviation
• India signs MoU with Trinidad and Tobago on sharing INDIA STACK
• India and Laos sign MOUs for five quick impact projects in education, health, water facility, and IT.
• India & Argentina signs MoU for bilateral exchange of young researchers
• India & Sri Lanka sign MoU on cooperation in field of renewable energy

Exp. RBI approves the reappointment of Sandeep Bakshi as MD & CEO of ICICI Bank

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approved the reappointment of Sandeep Bakshi as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (MD and CEO) of ICICI Bank.

The reappointment tenure will be effective till October 3, 2026, the private sector lender notified the exchanges.

Bakhshi was appointed as the head of ICICI Bank in October 2018, taking over from Chanda Kochhar in a period of uncertainty for the bank, as Kochhar stepped down in the face of inquiries over conflict of interest in some lending operations of the bank.

Bakshi has a tenure of 36 years in ICICI Group and has held various important positions.

About Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India (ICICI) Bank

• Founded – 1994
• Headquarters – Mumbai
• MD & CEO – Sandeep Bakhshi
• Tagline – Hum Hai Na Khayal Apka

Recent Appointment in Banking & Insurance Sector

• Managing Director of SBI – Vinay M. Tonse (recommended)
• Interim MD & CEO of Kotak Mahindra Bank – Dipak Gupta (replace Uday Kotak)
• Chairman of Finance Industry Development Council (FIDC) – Umesh Revankar
• SEBI whole-time members – Kamlesh Varshneym & Amarjeet Singh (SK Mohanty & Ananta Barua)
• MD and CEO of South Indian Bank – PR Seshadri (effect from 1 October 2023

Exp. Tata Steel approves TV Narendran’s reappointment as MD & CEO

Tata Steel Limited shareholders have approved the reappointment of TV Narendran as the global Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the next five years.

Narendran got 99.47% of the total shareholders’ votes in his favor during the meeting to approve the decision to re-appoint him for the next five years.

Narendran will also continue holding the positions of Chairman at Tata Steel Europe, the Supervisory Board of Tata Steel Nederland BV, Tata Steel Long Products Limited, and Neelachal Ispat Nigam Limited.

Recent Appointment

• Chief Operations Manager of Central Railway – Shyam Sunder Gupta (replace Mukul Jain)
• Secretary of the Department of Telecommunications – Neeraj Mittal (replace K Rajaraman)
• Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology – S Krishnan (replace Alkesh Kumar Sharma)
• Secretary in the Ministry of Mines – VL Kantha Rao
• Secretary in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs – Umang Narula

Exp. Najma Akhtar honored with lifetime achievement award in academia

Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) Vice Chancellor, Professor Najma Akhtar was presented ‘The Lifetime Achievement Award-Academia.

The award was presented to her by Dr. Raghunath Anant Mashelkar (Padma Vibhushan) at the Grand Conference and award function titled “Making India Employable” was organized by TeamLease EdTech.

Akhtar was selected for the award by a jury panel comprising of educationists and industry experts. She has been awarded for her “great efforts to connect education to employment”.

Recent Awards

• Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year 2023 – Manoj Bubna
• Dr V G Patel Memorial Award 2023 – Satyajit Majumdar
• Mrs Universe India 2023 – Madhuri Patle
• Miss Earth India 2023 – Priyan Sain
• Miss International India 2023 – Praveena Aanjna

Exp. Army doctor awarded Dr AM Gokhale award for ophthalmology in Pune

Renowned ophthalmologist Brig Sanjay Kumar Mishra of Indian Army’s Research and Referral Hospital was conferred with the prestigious “Dr AM Gokhale Award” in Pune.

Dr AM Gokhale was a renowned teacher of Ophthalmology and his students progressed to become the doyens of Ophthalmology in the country.

Brig Mishra is one of the highest decorated officers of Indian Armed Forces Medical Services.

Sanjay Kumar Mishra has performed surgeries on two serving Presidents of India.

Recent Awards

• Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award for 2022 – 12 scientists selected
• Leading Fintech Personality of the Year Award by Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC) – Adeeb Ahamed
• M S Swaminathan Award – P V Satyanaryana
• National Diabetologist of the Year Award – Dr Navneet Agrawa l
• Top central banker globally by US-based Global Finance magazine – Shaktikanta Das (rated A+)

Exp. Prathamesh Jawkar wins silver in men’s Archery World Cup

Indian archer Prathamesh Jawkar won silver in the Archery World Cup Final 2023 in Hermosillo, Mexico.

World No. 14 Jawkar was facing a major challenge against the 10th-ranked Mathias Fullerton of Denmark in the gold medal clash.

Sara Lopez of Colombia won her eighth world title in the women’s compound event.

Dafne Quintero of the host nation clinched the bronze medal by defeating Cho Su A of the Republic of Korea.

Exp. Germany beat Serbia to win Basketball World Cup for first time

Germany won their first-ever men’s FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 title by beating Serbia in Manila.

The 19th edition of FIBA’s flagship event, co-hosted by the Philippines, Indonesia, and Japan.

Germany became the first team to win a FIBA World Cup crown in their final debut since Spain in 2006.

Serbia absorbed another heartbreak after losing to the United States 129-92 in the 2014 final in Madrid, Spain, through they finished better than their quarterfinal exit in 2019.

Earlier, Canada bagged their first World Cup 2022 podium finish at the expense of the short-handed United States.

Exp. Virat Kohli becomes fastest to reach 13000 ODI runs

Virat Kohli has become the fastest to complete 13000 ODI runs during the Asia Cup Super 4 contest against Pakistan.

Kohli achieved the monumental feat when he completed his 47th ODI century — overall 77th — propelling.

Kohli became the second Indian to achieve this after Sachin Tendulkar.

Kohli became the fifth player to complete 13,000 ODI runs as he reached the milestone in 267 innings.

While Tendulkar reached the 13000-run landmark in 321 innings.

Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Sanath Jayasuriya and Mahela Jayawardene are the others before him to reach the milestone. He became the quickest batter to reach this milestone, Ponting (341) and Sangakkara (363) took over 300 innings too while Jayasuriya reached the mark in 416 innings.

Exp. Rohit Sharma completes 10,000 ODI runs

India captain Rohit Sharma has become the sixth batter from his country and 15th overall to complete 10,000 ODI runs.

Rohit achieved the feat during India’s Asia Cup Super4 contest against Sri Lanka here.

Rohit Sharma has crossed the landmark after reaching 23 with a six during his 241st innings in the format.

36-year-old Sharma became the sixth Indian batter to cross the landmark and the second-quickest overall after Virat Kohli in terms of innings played.

He is also the third Indian opener to reach the milestone after Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly.

Exp. Dennis Austin, co-creator of Microsoft PowerPoint, dies at 76

One of the co-creators of Microsoft PowerPoint, Dennis Austin died at the age of 76.

Dennis Austin, along with Robert Gaskins, developed PowerPoint and introduced it in 1987.

Austin and Gaskins were both part of the software company Forethought, which was later acquired by Microsoft for $14 million shortly after the launch of PowerPoint, which was originally named Presenter.

Initially, PowerPoint was available exclusively for the Macintosh platform.