Current Affairs Quiz 17th May 2023 Quiz

Exp. Agriculture Minister launches Biological Control Lab in Hyderabad

Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar has inaugurated the Integrated Biological Control Laboratory at the National Institute of Plant Health Management (NIPHM) Hyderabad, Telangana.

The Lab will have an Insect Museum, weed museum and Natural Farming Cell.

The primary focus of the laboratory is on the use of biological control methods.

These methods involve the use of natural agents such as beneficial insects, predators and parastes for the management of pests and diseases in agricultural crops.

By reducing reliance on chemical pesticides, this approach supports ecosystem balance and sustainable agriculture.

NIPHM promotes sustainable agricultural practices such as Agro Ecosystem Analysis for pest management.

Recent Inauguration by Narendra Singh Tomar

• Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurates Summit on Farm Machinery Technology

• Narendra Singh Tomar launched the first of its kind ‘Millets Experience Centre (MEC)’ at Dilli Haat in New Delhi.
• Narendra Singh Tomar introduced a new platform called ‘DigiClaim’ on the national crop insurance portal.

• Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurated a 5-day cultural program”AgriUnifest” in Bengaluru.
• Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurated the National Workshop on Bamboo Sector Development in New Delhi.

Exp. Google invests $1 million to IIT-Madras Al research centre

US technology giant Google announced an investment of $1 million in the form of grants to the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras).

Google has been announced as the inaugural ‘platinum consortium’ member of the IIT Madras newly formed Centre for Responsible Artificial Intelligence (CeRAI).

CeRAI’s major goal will be to create high-quality research outputs such as research publications in high-impact journals or conferences, white papers, and patents, among other things.

It will aim to provide technical resources in the domain of Responsible AI, such as curated datasets (universal and India-specific), software, toolkits, and so on.

Exp. NSE launches WTI crude oil and natural gas futures contracts

The National Stock Exchange (NSE) has launched the rupee-denominated NYMEX WTI Crude Oil and Natural Gas futures in its commodity derivatives segment.

It will provide effective trading and hedging opportunities to market participants, with the availability of key energy products on a single trading platform.

The contracts will provide effective trading and hedging opportunities to market participants, with the availability of key energy products on a single trading platform.

About National Stock Exchange of India (NSE)

• NSE is the largest financial market in India.
• NSE is the first dematerialized electronic exchange in the country.
• Founded – 1992
• Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Managing Director & CEO – Ashish Kumar Chauhan

Exp. PayNearby launches ‘PayNearby Mall’ for small businesses and consumers

A branchless banking and digital network in India, PayNearby has launched a new meta-commerce platform called PayNearby Mall.

With this initiative, the company aims to upgrade every retailer, in its active network, to benefit from the ongoing e-commerce acceleration.

This platform is designed to enable easy access to goods and services and will be integrated with the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) platform.

Aim – To upgrade every retailer in its million+ active network and help them meet the demand of their customers

About PayNearby Mall

• PayNearby Mall is envisioned as a meta-commerce platform that will empower every retailer and seller, from big merchants and e-commerce platforms to local sellers and small businesses (through ONDC) meet the unmet demand of their customers, both locally and across a wider market PAN India.
• It will help retailers expand their market, run a more profitable business with no additional working capital requirement and use technology to make all forms of services available at the last mile.
• Founde and MD & CEO of PayNearby- Anand Kumar Bajaj

Exp. IRDAI constitutes Expert committee for matters related to mental health

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has recently constituted a five-member expert committee comprising medical experts and insurers to advise on matters related to mental health and insurance.

Pratima Murthy, director of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), has been made the chairperson of the committee.

The panel has been constituted for 2 years to advise on matters related to mental health and insurance.

The committee will provide advice and input on existing insurance coverage and what is offered for mental illnesses.

Recent Committee

• NGT constitutes committee to investigate disappearance of 1095 ponds – Headed by Adarsh Kumar Goel.
• MeitY constituted task force with the aim to make India ‘product developer and manufacturing nation’; Chaired by – Bhuvnesh Kumar
• SC formed five-member expert committee to look into Hindenburg report – Headed by Abhay Manohar Sapre
• Sports Ministry forms oversight committee to probe allegations in WFI – M C Mary Kom
• Government formed Committee to protect Ladakh culture, language & employment – MoS for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai
• CJI constituted committee to conduct accessibility audit of SC premises – SC Judge S Ravindra Bhat.

Exp. NPCI introduces CVV-less payments for tokenized cards

RuPay has introduced the CVV (Card Verification Value) free payment experience for its debit, credit and prepaid cardholders who have tokenized their cards on the merchant application or webpage.

This new CVV less experience ensures that the cardholder will not have to reach out to their wallet or remember any card details, if they have saved (tokenized) their card on the e-commerce merchant which supports this feature.

They will just have to enter the OTP or their device will auto-populate the OTP during the domestic e-commerce transaction and the payment will be done.

Tokenization is a simple technology to secure card transactions without sharing clear or real card details with the merchants.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had made it mandatory for all credit and debit card data used in online, point-of-sale, and in-app transactions to be replaced with unique tokens. This added layer of security by way of tokenization is expected to enhance users’ digital payment experience.

National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) was incorporated in 2008 as an umbrella organization for operating retail payments and settlement systems in India.

Exp. Sonal Srivastava appointed as new CFO of Vedanta

Sonal Shrivastava has been appointed as new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Vedanta Limited, effect from 1 June, 2023.

Sonal Srivastava had served as the Chief Financial Officer for Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa operations at Holcim Group.

Shrivastava has more than 26 years of financial leadership experience across sectors.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from BIT, Sindri and a master’s degree in business administration from the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies.

About Vedanta Limited

• Established – 25 June 1965
• Headquarters – Mumbai
• Founder – Dwarka Prasad Agarwal
• CEO – Sunil Duggal
• Chairman of Vedanta – Anil Agarwal
• It is an Indian multinational mining company.
• Operating in the States – Goa, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Odisha.

Recent Appointment

• Director Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) – Praveen Sood (replace Subodh Jaiswal)
• Interim CEO & MD of Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) – Rajiv Dhar
• MD of Puma India – Karthik Balagopalan
• Chairman of Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port – Rathendra Raman
• Chairman and MD of Larsen & Toubro – SN Subrahmanyan (effect from 1 Oct 23)

Exp. Ashutosh Dixit appointed as Vice Chief of the Air Staff

Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit took over as the Deputy Chief of the Air Staff.

Ashutosh Dixit, an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, was Commissioned in the fighter stream on December 6 in 1986.

He is a graduate of the Staff Course, Bangladesh and National Defence College, New Delhi.

Dixit is a qualified flying instructor as well as an experimental test pilot, with over 3,300 hours of flying experience on fighter, trainer and transport aircraft.

He participated in Operation Safed Sagar and Rakshak.

Recent Appointment in Defence Sector

• Director Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) – Praveen Sood (replace Subodh Jaiswal)
• Military Advisor to National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) – Sandeep Singh
• Director General Naval Operations (DGNO) – Vice Admiral Atul Anand
• Vice Chief of Naval Staff – Vice Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh
• Director general of SSB – Rashmi Shukla

Exp. Ravneet Kaur appointed as Chairperson of CCI

The government has appointed Ravneet Kaur as the Chairperson of the Competition Commission of India (CCI).

There has been no full-time Chairperson for the competition regulator since Ashok Kumar Gupta demitted office in October 2022.

CCI Member Sangeeta Verma has been acting as the Chairperson since October last year.

The appointment of Ravneet Kaur, a 1988 Punjab cadre IAS officer, will be for a period of five years from the date of assuming charge or till the date of attaining the age of 65 years or until further orders, whichever is the earliest.

About Competition Commission of India (CCI)

• CCI was set up under the Competition Act, 2002.
• It comes under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
• It promotes healthy market competition and prevents activities that have an adverse effect on competition in India.
• CCI also approves merger and acquisitions of companies in India so that the two merging entities do not dominate the market unfairly.
• Headquarter – New Delhi
• Chairperson – Ravneet Kaur

Recent Appointment

• MD of Accenture India – Ajay Vij
• Administrator of the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) – P Krishna Bhat
• President of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) – Mark Nicholas
• Chairman and Managing Director of Coal India (CIL) – Polavarapu Mallikharjuna Prasad
• CEO of Qantas Airline – Vanessa Hudson

Exp. Duroflex announces Virat Kohli as new brand ambassador

A mattress and sleep products maker, Duroflex Private Limited has signed cricketer Virat Kohli as its brand ambassador.

Kohli will appeal to a wider audience, inspiring individuals to prioritize their sleep for a healthier tomorrow. Its campaign is titled ‘Great Sleep Great Health’.

He will promote the importance of good sleep for better health.

In 2023, Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh became the most valued celebrity for endorsements in 2022, replacing Indian batter Virat Kohli.

Recent Brand Ambassador

• Alia Bhatt – Gucci’s First Indian Global Ambassador
• Ayushmann Khurrana – Wakefit (Manufacturer of mattresses)
• Rishabh Pant – Star Sports Believe Ambassadors
• Rohit Sharma – JioCinema
• Virat Kohli – Brand influencer of HSBC India
• Ranveer Singh – Star Sports
• Virat Kohli – Luxor Writing Instruments Private Limited
• Shreya Ghodawat – India’s ambassador of ‘She Changes Climate’
• Sachin Tendulkar – Savlon Swasth India
• Ayushmann Khurrana UNICEF’s National Ambassador for Child Rights

Exp. Manoj Soni takes oath as UPSC chairman

Eminent educationist Manoj Soni has taken oath as the chairman of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

Soni, who joined the Commission as a member on June 28, 2017, has been performing the duties of the UPSC chairman since April 5, 2022.

He was administered the oath of office and secrecy as chairman, UPSC by Smita Nagaraj, senior most member in the Commission.

Prior to his appointment in the UPSC, Soni has served three terms as Vice-Chancellor.

These include two consecutive terms from August 1, 2009 to July 31, 2015 as VC of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University (BAOU), Gujarat; and one term as VC of The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda from April 2005 to April 2008.

The Commission is headed by a chairman and it can have a maximum of 10 members. There is still a vacancy of five members in the UPSC.

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

About Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)

• Founded – 1 October 1926
• Headquarters – New Delhi
• Chairman – Manoj Soni
• It was established on the recommendation of the ‘Lee Commission’.
• First chairperson of the UPSC – Sir Ross Barker
• First women chairperson of the UPSC -Pose Milen Bethew
• UPSC is the central recruiting agency in India.
• Article 315 to 323 of the Indian constitution deals with the UPSC.
• The chairman and the members of the UPSC and joint state commission are appointed and removed by the President.

Recent Appointment

• Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission – Dr. Ajit Kumar Mohanty
• CEO of Vodafone – Margherita Della Valle
• Chief Operating Officer of SpiceJet – Arun Kashyap
• President of Indian Cycling Federation – Pankaj Singh
• Nasscom Chairperson For 2023-24 – Anant Maheshwari

Exp. Barcelona wins La Liga for 1st time since 2019

Barcelona has won its first Spanish league title after the departure of Lionel Messi with a 4-2 victory against Espanyol

Robert Lewandowski scored twice to lead the Catalan club to its first league title since 2019.

The title was secured with four rounds remaining and two years after Lionel Messi left amid the club’s financial struggles.

Alejandro Balde and Jules Koundé also scored for Barcelona, which now has 27 league titles, eight fewer than Real Madrid.

Exp. 16 May – National Dengue Day

National Dengue Day is celebrated every year on 16 May.

Objective – To create awareness and promote measures to prevent the disease

Theme 2023 – Fight Dengue, Save Live

What is Dengue?

• Dengue fever is a viral disease which spreads through the bite of an infected mosquito. It is caused by the dengue virus (DENV).
• Dengue is caused by four distinct viruses and is spread by the female Aedes mosquitoes, which also transmit yellow fever, Zika viruses, and chikungunya.
• It is transmitted by the bite of the female Aedes aegypti mosquito which is infected with any one of the four dengue viruses.
• This mosquito bites during day hours. Infected person develops symptoms 3-14 days after the bite.
• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention around 4 billion people, about half of the world’s population, live in regions where dengue is endemic.

Exp. 16 May – International Day of Light

The International Day of Light is celebrated every year on May 16.

Objective – To highlight the importance of light and its role in science, culture, art, education, and sustainable development.

The day also celebrates the role light plays in fields as diverse as medicine, communications, and energy.

The International Day of Light marks the anniversary of the first successful operation of the laser by Theodore Maiman, renowned physicist and engineer, in 1960.

The International Day of Light was first proclaimed at the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in November 2017.

The day is recognised to strengthen scientific cooperation as well as harness its potential to foster peace and sustainable development around the world.

Exp. 17 May – World Telecommunication and Information Society Day

World Telecommunication Day, or as it is now known, World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, is celebrated on May 17 by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

The day highlights the impact of the Internet and other communication tools on society.

Theme 2023 – Empowering the least developed countries through information and communication technologies

On May 17, 1969, World Telecommunications Day was first observed to mark the founding of the ITU, originally called the International Telegraph Union.

The ITU was established by the signing of the very first international telegraph Convention, on May 17, 1865, in Paris. It changed its name to International Telecommunication Union in 1932 and eventually became a specialized agency of the United Nations in 1947.