Current Affairs Quiz 14th and 15th October 2023 Quiz

Exp. Petroleum Minister inaugurates 26th Energy Technology Meeting in New Delhi

Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh has inaugurated the 26th Energy Technology Meet at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.

Objective – To provide a common forum for refiners and technology service providers for the exposition of recent advances.

India had exceeded its biofuel blending targets, which are an important component of the country’s green energy policy.

The aim of 20% biofuel blending, which was originally set for 2030, has been pushed back to 2025.

Exp. Udaipur set to become India’s first Wetland City

Udaipur, ‘City of Lakes’ known for its enchanting surroundings, lakes, forts, palaces, and historical significance, is in a race to earn the prestigious title of India’s first-ever wetland city.

The city, known for its numerous picturesque lakes, including Lake Pichola, Lake Fateh Sagar, Lake Doodh Talai, Lake Rang Sagar, and Lake Swaroop Sagar, serves as a major tourist attraction.

The Rajasthan government is actively working towards obtaining this recognition for Udaipur. The Environment and Forest Department has chosen Udaipur based on the criteria set by the Ramsar Convention for international significance.

Additionally, Udaipur is a participant in the central government’s National Lakes Conservation Plan, a program aimed at restoring these crucial water bodies. Currently, the city’s nomination is in the process of being submitted to the Ramsar Convention for approval.

Currently, there are 42 wetland cities worldwide. In India, both Udaipur and Bhopal are vying for the remarkable distinction of being recognized as India’s first wetland city.

About Rajasthan

• Capital – Jaipur
• Chief Minister – Ashok Gehlot
• Governor – Kalraj Mishra

Exp. Kerala’s first 3D-printed building to be inaugurated

Named Amaze-28, Kerala’s first building built using 3D printing technology has been inaugurated.

Inaugurated by revenue minister K Rajan. The building with a 380 sq ft one-room summer house is in Kerala State Nirmithi Kendra (Kesnik) campus at PTP Nagar of Thiruvananthapuram.

Designed as a demonstration project, Amaze-28 is a model that was completed in just 28 days. The project was completed by Kera State Nirmiti Kerndra with the support of Tvasta, a Chennai-based construction tech start-up launched by some IIT-Madras alumni.

3D printing is layer-by-layer printing. In 3D printing basically, there are 3 processing. First is data processing, second is material processing and 3rd is robotic printing.

In material processing what we do is when you have an object or structure, we convert that into a 3D model. The building was named ‘Amaze 28’ as it was constructed in a record 28 days.

About Kerala

• Capital – Thiruvananthapuram
• Chief Minister – Pinarayi Vijayan
• Governor – Arif Mohammad Khan

Exp. KVIC celebrates nationwide Khadi Mahotsav

The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) is celebrating a nationwide Khadi Mahotsav from the 2nd to the 31st of October.

This festival is dedicated to supporting the “Vocal for Local” initiative and the ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’.

KVIC Chairman – Manoj Kumar  

Exp. NTPC features in Forbes “World’s Best Employers 2023” List

India’s largest integrated energy conglomerate, NTPC Limited has been recognized as one of the “World’s Best Employers 2023” in the Forbes World’s Best Employers list 2023.

It ranked 261st out of top 700 companies in the World ranking and is the only Indian PSU to figure in the list.

This is a testimony that the people practices at NTPC are at par with the top companies in the world.

Every year Forbes publishes the World’s Best Employers List through independent market research to identify top 700 companies which offer exciting working and a positive environment, opportunities for training and career advancement, employee benefits, employee centric and workplace diversity.

Forbes partnered with market research firm Statista to create the seventh annual list of the World’s Best Employers this year.

This recognizes NTPC’s progressive and “People before PLF” approach, excellence in the development and management of its Human Resources through continuous process improvement, creating a caring, learning and engaging workplace, employee well-being and care and creating a meaningful, collaborative employee experience by putting the needs of employees first and adopting people practices aligned strategically to business needs.

Recent Awards

• Singapore Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellowship – Himanta Biswa Sarma
• Sangeet Natak Akademi Amrit Awards – 84 artists (70 men and 14 women)
• Ig Nobel prize 2023 – India, China, Malaysia, and the US researcher team
• Safety Innovation Award 2023′ in the ‘Construction’ category – RITES Limited
• Green Railway Certification by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) – Vijayawada Railway Station (Platinum rating)

Exp. ISRO in collaboration with VIBHA organizes exhibition Space on Wheels

Indian Space Research Organization in collaboration with Vijnana Bharati (VIBHA) is organizing an exhibition called “Space on Wheels” program in Arunachal Pradesh.

The programme features a mobile exhibition vehicle showcasing models of satellites, launching vehicles, and communication systems.

It aims to bring the wonders of space to the doorstep of students and enthusiasts across the region.

The primary objective of the “Space on Wheels” program is to provide valuable insights into ISRO’s activities and India’s space missions to school and college students. It also aims to sensitize the youth about the exciting and rewarding career opportunities in the field of space science.

About Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)

• Founded – 15 August 1969
• Headquarters – Bangalore, Karnataka
• Founder / 1st Chairman – Vikram Sarabhai
• 10th Chairman – S Somanath
• Aryabhata India’s first satellites Launched on 19 April 1975

Exp. Pankaj Bohra takes over as national president of IACC

Pankaj Bohra, a Chartered Accountant from Ahmedabad has become the first-ever person from Gujarat to assume the role of National President of the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC).

The IACC is a 55-year-old apex chamber of commerce and is engaged in promoting bilateral trade and investments between India and the USA

IACC with 14 offices in India and 27 partner organizations in the US.

Today bilateral trade between India and USA is experiencing rapid growth with USA emerging as the largest trading partner of India. The bonds between the two nations are stronger than ever and are ready to enter into a new orbit.

With a professional experience spanning over four decades, Bohra currently serves as the senior partner at Pankaj Bohra & Co., Chartered Accountants.

Recent Appointment

• Chairman of Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) – Navneet Munot (replace A Balasubramanian)
• Vice chairman of Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) – Anthony Heredia (replace Radhika Gupta)
• CEO of UIDAI – Amit Agrawal (reappointment for 1 year)
• DG of Border Roads Organization (BRO) – Raghu Srinivasan (28th) (replace Rajeev Chaudhry)
• Chairman of Press Trust of India Board – K.N. Shanth Kumar (replace Aveek Sarkar)

Exp. VJ Kurian appoints as chairman of South Indian Bank

VJ Kurian has been appointed as the non-executive part-time chairman of the South Indian Bank with effect from November 2 to March 22, 2026.

Kurian will succeed Salim Gangadharan, who will be retiring as non-executive part-time chairman of the bank on November 1 after the completion of his term.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), as the governing body overseeing the banking sector in India, has given its official approval for VJ Kurian’s appointment as the bank’s non-executive part-time chairman.

About South Indian Bank

• Founded – 1929
• Headquarters – Thrissur, Kerala
• MD & CEO – PR Seshadri
• Tagline – Experience Next Generation Banking.

Recent Appointment in Banking & Insurance Sector

• Chairman of SBI – Dinesh Kumar Khara (reappointment)
• Global CEO of PayU – Anirban Mukherjee (replace Laurent Le Moal)
• Executive Director of RBI – Muneesh Kapur
• CMD of General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC Re) – Ramaswamy N
• MD & CEO of South Indian Bank – PR Seshadri

Exp. Gold medalist Neeraj Chopra appointed Laureus Ambassador

India’s Neeraj Chopra, the reigning Olympic and world javelin champion, was named a Laureus ambassador.

The 25-year-old Chopra became the second Indian to be named Laureus ambassador after former cricketer Yuvraj Singh was honoured in 2017.

Laureus is a global sports-based charity that works to improve the lives of young people. The organization leverages its Sport for Good initiative, the World Sports Academy, the ambassador programme and the World Sports Awards to harness the inspirational influence of sports as a catalyst for positive change.

Cricketers Kapil Dev, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar are part of Laureus World Sports Academy, which under the chairmanship of former New Zealand rugby union captain Sean Fitzpatrick, performs the crucial role of voting for the winners of the Laureus Awards.

Last year, Neeraj Chopra, who won the Olympic gold medal in 2021 to become the first Indian track and field athlete to win an Olympic medal, was nominated for the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year award for 2022. However, the award went to British tennis sensation Emma Raducanu.

Chopra is only the third Indian – after wrestler Vinesh Phogat and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar – to be nominated for a Laureus award.

Recent Brand Ambassador

• Mahendra Singh Dhoni – Reliance Retail’s Jio Mart
• Katrina Kaif – Uniqlo India
• Hrithik Roshan – Exxon Mobilil
• Anushka Sharma – Women’s fashion brand ‘W’
• Mahendra Singh Dhoni – Swaraj Tractors

Exp. Douglas to be honored with Satyajit Ray Lifetime Film Award

Renowned Hollywood actor and producer Michael Douglas will be honoured with the prestigious Satyajit Ray Excellence in Film Lifetime Award at the 54th International Film Festival of India in Goa.

Douglas is known for his films like ‘Wall Street’, ‘Fatal Attraction’, ‘The China Syndrome’, ‘The American President’, ‘Basic Instinct’, and ‘Ant-Man’ among others.

Douglas will be presented with the award at the International Film Festival of India scheduled to be held in Panjim from November 20-28 this year

The 79-year-old actor has won two Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and the AFI Life Achievement Award.

His first TV break came with The Experiment, a CBS Playhouse special in 1969, and it was the only time he was billed as M.K. Douglas. His first notable role was in the television series The Streets of San Francisco, in which he co-starred with Karl Malden.

Other successful films he appeared in included Falling Down, The American President, The Ghost and the Darkness, The Game, A Perfect Murder, and many more.s

Recent Awards

• Best Asian TV Series at Busan International FF – Hansal Mehta’s newsroom drama series ‘Scoop’
• Spinoza Prize for Climate Change in Netherlands – Prof. Dr. Joyeeta Gupta
• Sastra Ramanujan Prize 2023 – Mathematician Ruixiang Zhang Berkeley (USA)
• Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2023 – Waheeda Rehman
• Great Place To Work Certified in India from Sept 2023 to Sept 2024 period – SBI General Insurance
• Best Trading Platform Global 2023 – Binomo Trading Paltform

Exp. Gill and Athapaththu named ICC Players of the Month for September

India’s talented young batter Shubman Gill won the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for September after run-scoring feats in his country’s trophy-winning Asia Cup campaign.

Gill claims his second Player of the Month prize for 2023 after overcoming compatriot Mohammed Siraj, and England’s Dawid Malan, both of whom displayed outstanding form in shorter formats of the international game ahead of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.

While Influential Sri Lanka skipper Chamari Athapaththu wins her first Women’s Player of the Month accolade after spearheading a historic T20I series win in England.

The Sri Lanka skipper led from the front to secure her side’s maiden series victory in any format on English soil in September, overcoming defeat in the first outing to secure a 2-1 win.

Exp. Ayush Shetty wins bronze medal at BWF World Junior Championships 2023

India’s Ayush Shetty has won a bronze medal at the BWF World Junior Championships held in Spokane, USA.

The 23rd edition of the BWF World Junior Championships was held in Spokane, United States of America (USA).

Indonesia’s Alvi Farhan won the BWF World Junior Championships gold medal.

Ayush Shetty won the bronze medal in the competition, losing to Alvi Farhan.

Another semi-finalist, France’s Alex Lanier, also won a bronze medal.

India has won 11 medals at the BWF World Junior Championships since 1992, including 1 gold, 4 silver and 6 bronze medals.

Saina Nehwal’s gold medal wins in 2008 remains India’s best achievement at the BWF World Junior Championships, and she also earned a silver medal in 2006. At the 2022 Championships in Spain, India’s Shankar Muthusamy Subramanian won the silver medal.

Exp. IOC suspends Russian Olympic Committee for ‘breach of charter’

After nearly 20 months of waging war in Ukraine, Russia was suspended by the International Olympic Council (IOC) for a land grab in sports administration.

The International Olympic Committee’s executive board imposed the suspension on the Russian Olympic Committee for a breach of the Olympic Charter — a book of rules and principles for international sports bodies — by incorporating sports councils in four regions in eastern Ukraine.

The suspension does not immediately affect any Russians who are returning to compete in international sports as neutral athletes, including in some qualifying events for next year’s Paris Olympics.

About Russia

• Capital – Moscow
• Currency – Rubel
• President – Vladimir Putin

Exp. 14 October 2023 – World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD)

World Migratory Bird Day is celebrated every year on the second Saturday in May and the second Saturday in October. This year 13 May and 14 October are celebrated as World Migratory Bird Day.

It’s a day that highlights the importance of migratory birds and their conservation efforts.

Theme 2023 – Water: Sustaining Bird Life

In 1993, the United States initiated the idea of a day dedicated to migratory birds. It was a joint effort by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.

Their aim was to encourage bird festivals and educational programs nationwide. Later, in 2016, the first global World Migratory Bird Day was celebrated, thanks to the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) and the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS).

Exp. 13 October – National Cinema Day

National Cinema Day 2023 is observed every year on 13 October.

National Cinema Day aims to celebrate the magic of the big screen and applaud the success of recent blockbusters.

One should know that on that date, movie tickets across India will be available at Rs 99 only, thus celebrating the successful box office runs this year.

It is also an initiative to motivate more people to watch movies in theatres. As per the details available from the Multiplex Association of India (MAI), more than 4,000 cinema halls have confirmed to participate in the event.