Current Affairs Quiz 21st August 2024 Quiz

Exp. Rajnath Singh inaugurates new maritime rescue coordination centre in Chennai

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has inaugurated a new Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) of the Coast Guard in Chennai.

At the event, he also inaugurated two new Coast Guard units – the Regional Marine Pollution Response Centre (RMPRC) in Chennai and a Coast Guard Air Enclave in Puducherry – through video-conferencing.

The new MRCC would facilitate enhanced coordination for the rescue of mariners and fishermen in distress at sea. It has been installed with the latest equipment for distress monitoring through terrestrial and satellite systems and has advanced.

The Coast Guard Air Enclave in Puducherry would be equipped with Chetak and Advanced Light Helicopter Squadrons. Both these helicopters are indigenously built and can carry out maritime patrol, search and rescue and other such missions from the land and Coast Guard ships patrolling at sea.

Exp. RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das ranked top central banker globally for the second consecutive year

Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das has been rated “A+” for the second consecutive year in the Global Finance Central Banker Report Cards 2024.

The Central Banker Report Cards, published annually by Global Finance since 1994, grade the central bank governors of nearly 100 key countries, territories, and districts, as well as the European Union, the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, the Bank of Central African States and the Central Bank of West African States.

Grades are based on an “A+” to “F” scale for success in areas such as inflation control, economic growth goals, currency stability and interest rate management.

“A” represents an excellent performance, down through “F” for outright failure.

The Central Bankers earning an A+ grade in the Global Finance Central Banker Report Cards 2024, along with Shaktikanta Das, are Denmark’s Christian Kettel Thomsen and Switzerland’s Thomas Jordan.

Recent Award

• Hilal-e-Imtiaz Award (Pakistan 2ndhighest civilian award) – Arshad Nadeem
• Grand Collar of Order of Timor Leste (Highest Civilian Award of Timor Leste) – President Droupadi Murmu
• Companion of the Order of Fiji (highest honour of Fiji) – President Droupadi Murmu
• V Venkayya Epigraphy Award 2024 – V. Vedachalam
• Global Water Tech Award for environmental initiatives – Delhi Metro Rail Corporation
• Customised Gold Coins by Paris’ Grevin Museum – Shah Rukh Khan

Exp. Satya Prakash Sangwan named chef de mission for Paris Paralympics

Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) vice president Satya Prakash Sangwan has been appointed as the chef de mission of the Indian contingent at the upcoming Paris Paralympics.

As the CDM, he will lead India’s largest-ever contingent of 84 para-athletes competing across 12 sports disciplines.

Satya Prakash Sangwan has been an integral part of the Paralympic Committee of India for over a decade. His dedication and leadership have always been an inspiration to our athletes.

Exp. LIC sells stake in Hindustan Copper for Rs 447 crore

Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has sold a 2.09 per cent stake in state-owned Hindustan Copper for Rs 447 crore through an open market transaction.

The insurance behemoth has sold a total of 2,01,62,682 shares, or 2.085 per cent stake, in Hindustan Copper, according to a regulatory filing.

With this, LIC’s stake in the state-owned company has reduced to 6.09 per cent from 8.17 per cent.

Hindustan Copper Ltd (HCL) is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Mines. It is the only company in the country engaged in mining of copper ore and owns all the operating mining lease of Copper ore and also the only integrated producer of refined copper (vertically integrated company).

Exp. NCLT approves Slice merger with North East Small Finance Bank

Consumer payments and lending company Slice has received approval from the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for its merger with North East Small Finance Bank (NESFB).

The NCLT Guwahati bench has sanctioned the scheme of arrangement and amalgamation involving Garagepreneurs Internet Pvt Ltd, Quadrillion Finance Pvt Ltd, Intergalactory Foundry Pvt Ltd, RGVN (North East) Microfinance Ltd, and North East Small Finance Bank.

The approval paves way for the official merger, combining slice’s digital prowess with NESFB’s grassroots banking expertise to deliver a superior financial experience to Indian consumers.

The merger will enable the combined entity to leverage advanced technology and deep community understanding, fostering financial inclusion across the nation.

Exp. IndusInd Bank gets RBI nod to set up mutual fund asset management business

IndusInd Bank has received the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) nod to set up a mutual fund asset management business. It will be a wholly-owned subsidiary, the bank said in its filing to the exchanges.

RBI has also allowed the private sector lender to infuse equity capital in the asset management subsidiary.

Following the accord from the RBI, the wholly owned subsidiary of the IndusInd Bank would soon move the capital market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) with an application to launch the mutual funds business.

IndusInd Bank

• Founded – 1994
• Founder – S.P. Hinduja
• Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra,
• MD & CEO – Sumant Kathpalia
• Tagline – We Make You Feel Richer

Exp. M Suresh becomes interim AAI Chairman

M Suresh, Member, Air Navigation Services, Airports Authority of India (AAI) has been entrusted with additional charge as Chairman of AAI.

This is subsequent to relieving Sanjeev Kumar of his duties as AAI Chairman, says a Government Order.

Hailing from Tenkasi district in Tamil Nadu, Suresh will hold the post for three months or until a regular incumbent joins or until further orders.

Recent Appointment

• Head coach of junior men’s hockey team -PR Sreejesh
• Secretary of Ministry of Steel – Sandeep Poundrik
• CMD of NHPC Ltd – Raj Kumar Chaudhary
• Additional secretary in PMO – Amit Singh Negi
• Director in Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) under Ministry of Corporate Affairs – Samir Ashwin Vakil

Exp. ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 moved to UAE from Bangladesh

The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 venue has been shifted to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from Bangladesh.

The tournament will take place across the two venues in the UAE – Dubai and Sharjah – from October 3 to October 20 with no changes in dates of the scheduled matches.

The ninth edition of the cricket tournament was supposed to be hosted by Bangladesh but was moved out due to the political unrest in the country.

The BCB, however, will retain the hosting rights and stage the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 alongside the Emirates Cricket Board. Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe had also placed offers to take over as hosts.

The Australian women’s cricket team will enter the competition as three-time defending champions. Australia have won the title six times in the last seven editions.

England, champions of the inaugural edition in 2009, and West Indies, champions in 2016, are the only other teams to have won the Women’s T20 World Cup titles.

Upcoming ICC Events 

• ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 – India and Sri Lanka
• ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2028 – Australia and New Zealand
• ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2030 – England, Ireland and Scotland
• ICC Men’s World Cup 2027 – South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia
• ICC Men’s World Cup 2031– India and Bangladesh
• ICC Champions Trophy 2025 – Pakistan
• ICC Champions Trophy 2029 – India

Exp. Amul ranked as world’s strongest food brand

Indian brand “Amul” has been ranked as the “strongest food brand in the world” as per the latest Food & Drink 2024 report.

Amul has already been ranked number one dairy brand in the world. However, being ranked as the number one strongest food brand is a big recognition. Last year, Amul held the second position in this category.

The annual report on the most valuable and strongest food, dairy & non-alcoholic drinks brands has been published by Brand Finance, world’s leading brand consultancy.

As per the report, the brand value of Amul rose 11 percent to $3.3 billion, with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 91.0 out of 100 and an AAA+ rating. Amul’s brand strength is attributed to its strong performance in familiarity, consideration, and recommendation metric.

As per the report, Amul retains its status as the strongest dairy brand ranked, with an improved Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 91 out of 100.  

Exp. Germany Captain Ilkay Gundogan announces International Retirement from Footbal

Germany captain Ilkay Gundogan announced his retirement from international football after leading his country at Euro 2024.

Gundogan, who turns 34 in October, was in the Germany team that reached the Euro 2024 quarter-finals before losing to eventual champions Spain after extra time

Gundogan made his debut for Germany against Belgium in October 2011 but missed their 2014 World Cup triumph with a back injury. He was also ruled out of Euro 2016 due to a dislocated kneecap.

Recently Retired Players

• Andy Murray (UK) – International Tennis
• PR Sreejesh (India) – International Hockey
• James Anderson (England) – International Test Cricket
• Dinesh Karthik (India, RCB) – IPL

• Toni Kroos (Germany) – International Football ⚽
• Sunil Chhetri (India) – International Football ⚽
• Colin Munro (New Zealand) – International Cricket  

Exp. South Korea, US kick off annual drills over North’s military, cyber threats

South Korea and the United States kicked off annual summertime military exercises on Monday, seeking to boost their joint readiness to fend off North Korea’s weapons and cyber threats.

The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, set to end on August 29, come as North Korea races to advance its nuclear and missile programmes and tries to launch reconnaissance satellites.

The drills will reflect “realistic threats” across all domains, including the North’s missile threats but also GPS jamming, cyberattacks and other lessons learned from recent incidents.

About 19,000 South Korean troops will take part, similar to last year, with 48 rounds of combined field training, including field manoeuvre, live fire and amphibious exercises to be held.

Recent Exercise

• Exercise Udara Shakti 2024 between Indian Air Force and Malaysia Air Force – Kuantan, Malaysia
• Ex Pitch Black 2024 between India and Australia – Darwin, Australia
• 28th edition of Malabar Exercise between India, USA, Japan, Australia – Bay of Bengal (October 2024)
• 16th edition of Joint Military Exercise Nomadic Elephant between India and Mongolia – Umroi, Meghalaya

• 13^th edition of Joint military Exercise MAITREE between India and Thailand – Fort Vachiraprakan in Tak Province of Thailand.

• 29^th edition of RIMPAC Naval Exercise – Hawaii, Pearl Harbour USA (INS Shivalik Participated)

Exp. 21 August – International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism

The International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism is observed every year on 21 August.

Objective – To honour and support the victims and survivors of terrorist acts while promoting the protection of their human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The International Day was established through UN General Assembly Resolution 72/165 in 2017. This resolution set August 21st as the annual date for commemoration.

In April 2020, UN Secretary-General António Guterres published a report titled “Progress of the UN system to support Member States in assisting victims of terrorism” (A/74/790). This report emphasized the need for enhanced international cooperation in assisting terrorism victims.

Exp. Former Army Chief General S. Padmanabhan passes away

Former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General S. Padmanabhan passed away at the age of 89.

Born at Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala on December 5, 1940, General Padmanabhan was commissioned into the Regiment of Artillery after graduating from the Indian Military Academy on December 13, 1959.

He commanded an Independent Light Battery from August 1975 to July 1976 and later on commanded the Gazala Mountain Regiment from September 1977 to March 1980.

Exp. Former CSIR Chief Girish Sahni passes away

Former Director-General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Girish Sahni passed away at the age of 68.

Born on March 2, 1956, Sahni was an alumnus of Panjab University (PU) where he completed his graduation and post-graduation in microbiology (1973-78) and went on to pursue his PhD at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore.

His post-PhD career included notable positions at the University of California, Santa Barbara; Rockefeller University, New York, and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York.

Under his leadership, his team developed technology for India’s first indigenous clot buster drug, natural streptokinase. The worth of this technology was over $160 million. Furthermore, they were responsible for the groundbreaking development of fourth-generation “anti-thrombotic” clot busters, the first of their kind in the world.

Exp. Pakistan conducts successful training launch of Shaheen-II Ballistic Missile

The Pakistani military has conducted the successful training launch of its surface-to-surface ballistic missile Shaheen-II.

The training launch was aimed at training of troops, validating various technical parameters and performance evaluation of different sub-systems incorporated for improved accuracy and enhanced survivability.

In May, Pakistan conducted a successful training launch of the Fateh-II Guided Rocket System having a range of 400 kilometres.

Exp. 19 August – World Humanitarian Day

World Humanitarian Day is observed every year on August 19 to honour humanitarian workers who risk their lives to provide aid and assistance to people in need.

The day also aims to encourage global action to support those affected by crises, such as natural disasters, conflicts and other emergencies.

Theme 2024 – Act For Humanity

World Humanitarian Day traces its origins to a tragic event. On August 19, 2003, a bomb attack on the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq, resulted in the deaths of 22 humanitarian aid workers.

Among the victims was Sergio Vieira de Mello, the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq.