Current Affairs Quiz 14th August 2023 Quiz

Exp. Centre approves establishment of new spaceport in Tamil Nadu

The Centre has approved the establishment of a new spaceport in Kulasekarapattinam, Tamil Nadu for carrying out the launches of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicles (SSLV) developed by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).

The Indian Space Policy 2023 has the provision for the utilization of a spaceport for carrying out launch activities by Non-Government Entities (NGEs), subject to technical feasibility and range safety constraints.

The Policy opens up the sector for enhanced participation of NGEs across the entire value chain of the space economy, while clearly delineating the roles of various stakeholders like IN-SPACe, ISRO, New Space India Limited and Department of Space.

The Government has set up the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) as a single-window agency for promotion and authorization of space activities.

The budget allocations for IN-SPACe are 2023-24 ₹95 crore; 2022-23 ₹33 crore and 2021-22 ₹10 crore.

About Tamil Nadu

• Capital – Chennai
• Chief Minister – M K Stalin
• Governor – R N Ravi

Exp. ISB signed MoU with Goa government for knowledge partnership

The Indian School of Business (ISB’s) Bharti Institute of Public Policy signed an MoU with the Goa government to commence a knowledge partnership with a focus on evidence-based policy formulation and its impact in the State.

According to the MoU, Bharti Institute will facilitate furthering the State government’s objectives to improve the social and economic prosperity indicators through evidence-based public policy interventions, capacity-building workshops, and citizen-centric governance-based initiatives as a knowledge partner.

It will collaborate with the Goa Institute of Public Administration and Rural Development (GIPARD) to conduct workshops for officials of State services.

About Goa

• Formation – 30 May 1987
• Capital – Panaji
• Chief Minister – Pramod Sawant
• Go
• vernor – S. Sreedharan Pillai

Recent MoUs signed by State Government

• Karnataka govt, Foxconn sign Letter of Intent with Rs 5000 cr investment
• Punjab govt signs MoU with BCEIP to launch online course ‘English for Work
• Himachal Pradesh signs MoU with Oil India Ltd for Green Hydrogen
• Maharashtra govt signs MoU with Bajaj Finserv to invest Rs 5000 cr

• Tata Group signs deal with Gujarat govt for EV battery plant in Sanand, Gujarat

Exp. Dharmendra Pradhan launches DBT in National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme

Union Minister for Education, Dharmendra Pradhan has launched the Direct Benefit Transfer in National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme in New Delhi.

The Scheme marks a stride towards transparency and efficiency as the skilled workforce is paramount, to encompass policy evolution

Objective – To focus on the vision of making skilling an apprenticeship aspirational as well as encouraging earning while learning as envisioned in the National Education Policy.

The Minister also dispersed around 15 crores Rupees to One lakh apprentice and focused over the vision of making skilling an apprenticeship aspirational as well as encouraging earning while learning as envisioned in National Education Policy.

The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship said that more than 25 Lakh apprentices have been engaged since the inception of the Scheme in 2016, whereas around 3 lakh Apprentices have completed training in 2023.

Exp. MP Cabinet approves Rs 6000 for farmers under Kisan Kalyan Yojana

Madhya Pradesh Cabinet has approved the disbursement of 6,000 rupees to eligible farmers under the Chief Minister’s Kisan Kalyan Yojana for the financial year 2023-2024.

The decision was taken in a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Bhopal.

The Cabinet also decided to give the benefit of the seventh pay scale to Gram Panchayat Secretaries. An additional expenditure of 178.88 crore rupees on it will be met from minor mineral heads.

The council of ministers further approved the construction of 53 CM Rise Schools and 19 Kanya Shiksha Parisar with a total cost of over 2,491 crore rupees.

About Madhya Pradesh

• Capital – Bhopal
• Chief Minister – Shivraj Singh Chauhan
• Governor – Mangubhai C. Patel

Exp. Odisha Govt to open ‘CSP Plus’ banking outlet in 4373-gram panchayats

The Odisha Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik gave nod to open CSP Plus banking outlets in 4,373 unbanked gram panchayats (GPs) at a cost of Rs 500 crore.

The CSP (customer service point) Plus banking outlets will be opened in coordination with six public sector banks (PSBs).

Six PSBs — State Bank of India (SBI), Punjab National Bank (PNB), UCO Bank, Union Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, and Bank of India will help in opening the facilities in 4,373 unbanked gram panchayats.

The cabinet also approved an additional budget of Rs 2,687 crore for a special programme for developing and creating awareness for millets in four years from 2023-24 to 2026-27.

About Odisha

• Capital – Bhubaneswar
• Chief Minister – Naveen Patnaik
• Governor – Ganeshi Lal

Exp. Arunachal Pradesh govt inks MoA with 3 Central govt PSUs

Arunachal Pradesh government allotted 12 hydropower projects to three Central Government PSUs by signing a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with them at State Banquet Hall in Itanagar.

The projects will be implemented by NHPC Ltd., SJVN Ltd., and NEEPCO Ltd.

The total operational capacity of these 12 projects will be to the tune of 11,517 MW.

These projects were initially allotted to independent power developers but remained stalled due to various reasons. To unlock this potential, the Central and the State Governments made joint and concerted efforts over the last two years.

About Arunachal Pradesh

• Capital – Itanagar
• Chief Minister – Pema Khandu
• Governor – LG (Retd) Kaiwalya Trivikram Parnaik

Exp. Global Maritime India Summit 2023 to be held in New Delhi.

Global Maritime India Summit (GMIS), 2023 is slated for October 17 to October 19 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.

The meeting, with participation from more than 40 countries, including 21 Ambassadors, High Commissioners, Deputy High Commissioners, Trade Commissioners, and 23 other diplomats, underscored the global interest in the upcoming GMIS 2023.

GMIS 2023 is a premier maritime sector focussed event to bring together pivotal figures from the industry to explore opportunities, understand challenges, and stimulate investment within India’s maritime sector.  

Exp. UP government to build country’s largest IT Hub in Lucknow

The Uttar Pradesh government will set up the country’s largest IT hub in Lucknow.

The IT hub will be located on 40 acres of land in the Nadarganj Industrial Area of Amausi on Kanpur Road.

The hub will be divided into three parts: IT Park, Business Park, and International Incubation Facility Center.

The IT Park will be constructed on 11.47 acres.

About Uttar Pradesh

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

Exp. Amit Shah inaugurates development works worth Rs 1052 cr in Gujarat

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has inaugurated various development works worth Rs 1052 crore in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

The development works were done jointly by the Government of India and the Government of Gujarat.

Amit Shah laid the foundation stone for the widening of 4 lane road from Randheja to Balwa in his Lok Sabha constituency.

Recent Inauguration by Amit Shah

• Amit Shah lays foundation stone for IFFCO Nano Urea Plant
• Amit Shah laid foundation stone of 108 feet tall statue of Lord Shri Ram in Kurnool
• Amit Shah inaugurated the newly established Aviation Security Control Centre (ASCC) at CISF Campus Mahipalpur in New Delhi.
• Amit Shah inaugurated mega conclave “Strengthening PACS through FPOs
• Amit Shah approved the release of Rs 6,194.40 crore to 19 states under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).

Exp. Tata AIA introduces Industry-FirstPremium payment through WhatsApp

To reinforce its value of ‘Consumer Obsession‘, Tata AIA Life Insurance (Tata AIA) has introduced digital payments via WhatsApp and Unified Payment Interfaces.

This industry-first feature provides an instant premium payment facility through WhatsApp and UPI-enabled payment options.

The newly added payment option is first-of-its-kind in the insurance industry. The agile, seamless process allows consumers to pay premiums digitally and receive a quick premium payment confirmation and acknowledgment.

In addition to being easy to use for both tech and non-tech-savvy consumers, it also offers a hassle-free premium payment experience.

WhatsApp and UPI have become household messaging and payment facilities, respectively, in India. The country has close to 500 million WhatsApp users today and more than 300 million UPI users.

This clearly indicates the penetration of these new-age platforms. By introducing premium payment through these platforms, Tata AIA is ensuring that it provides its consumers with the ease and convenience of doing a transaction through their preferred modes.

Recent Facilities Launched in Banks & Insurance Sector

• Airtel Payments Bank launched India’s 1st Eco-Friendly Debit Card
• AU Small Finance Bank to provide 24×7 video banking service
• Postal Life Insurance Launches Direct Incentive Disbursement (DID) for sales staff
• Federal Bank launches NR savings accounts named “NRE Eve+” for NRI women
• HDFC Bank launches co-branded credit card with Swiggy

Exp. Wholesale inflation stays in negative for fourth month at -1.36% in July

The wholesale price-based inflation remained in the negative territory for the fourth straight month in July at (-)1.36 percent on easing prices of fuel, even though food articles turned costlier.

The wholesale price index-based inflation saw a 1.36% contraction in July, according to data released by the Commerce and industry ministry.

The wholesale price index (WPI) based inflation rate has been in the negative since April and was (-)4.12 percent in June. In July last year, it was 14.07 percent.

Inflation in food articles skyrocketed 14.25 per cent in July against 1.32 per cent in June.

The RBI last week kept interest rates unchanged at 6.5 per cent for the third straight meeting but signalled tighter policy if food prices drive inflation higher.

Recent WPI-based Wholesale inflation in India

• January 2023 – 4.73%
• February 2023 – 3.85%
• March 2023 – 1.38%
• April 2023 – (-)0.92%
• May 2023 – (-) 3.48%
• June 2023 – (-) 4.12%
• July 2023 – (-) 1.36%

Exp. NAFIS gets Gold Award for fool-proof fingerprint identification system

National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS) Team won Gold Award under Excellence in Government Process Reengineering for Digital Transformation Category-1 by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Complaints in Aug 2023.

The award for its excellence in delivering e-governance is a recognition of the dedication the entire NAFIS team has put into creating a fool-proof fingerprint identification system, in pursuit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji’s vision of a secure India.

Ministry of Home Affairs communiqué said that NAFIS has created a central database of fingerprints of criminals, which can be accessed by users from all States, Union Territories, and Central Agencies.

This has resulted in a qualitative improvement in the efficiency and effectiveness of the criminal detection and investigation process.

About NAFIS

• NAFIS helps in the quick and easy disposal of cases with the help of a centralized fingerprint database.
• It assigns a unique 10-digit National Fingerprint Number (NFN) to each person arrested for a crime.

Exp. 14 August – Partition Horrors Remembrance Day

Partition Horrors Remembrance Day’ or ‘Vibhajan Vibhishika Smriti Diwas’ is observed on August 14 to remember all those who lost their lives due to partition.

This day was announced by the Prime Minister in 2021 to remember all those who lost their lives due to the partition of the nation and were uprooted from their origins.

The partition caused one of the largest migrations in human history, affecting about 20 million people. Millions of families had to abandon their ancestral villages/towns/cities and were forced to start anew as refugees.

Exp. 13 August – World Organ Donation Day

World Organ Donation Day is observed every year on 13 August.

Objective – To raise awareness about the importance of and help people understand organ donation.

Theme 2023 – Donate Organs, Save Lives

Organ donation is quite similar to giving someone another chance at life. The first ever successful living donor organ transplant was performed in 1954 in the US. A man named, Ronald Lee Herrick donated his kidney to his identical brother, Richard Lee Herrick.

The doctor who performed this surgery was named Joseph Murray. He won the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 1990 for successfully carrying out this kidney transplant.

It is an annual event that provides a special opportunity to celebrate and thank the donors who save some valuable lives during need.

Exp. Renowned Nuclear physicist Bikash Sinha passed away

Renowned nuclear physicist Bikash Sinha passed away at the age of 78.

He was the recipient of Padma Shri in 2001 and Padma Bhusan in 2010 for his contribution to science & technology.

In 1987 he was appointed the director of the Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre. He held the concurrent charge as director of the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics till 2009.

The SN Bose Birth Centenary Award of the Indian Science Congress Association in 1994, he was conferred by the West Bengal government the state’s highest award ‘Bangabibhushan’ in 2022 and also the ‘Rabindra Smriti Puraskar’ in the same year.