Current Affairs Quiz 22nd and 23rd April 2023 Quiz

Exp. NMC approves Nagaland to set up its first medical college

The National Medical Commission (NMC) approved the setting up of the Nagaland Institute of Medical Sciences and Research which will become the first medical college in the northeastern state of Nagaland.

The first medical college will be set up in the northeastern state since it got statehood 60 years ago in 1963.

The academic session of the medical college will start from 2023-24.

The medical college will have a capacity of 100 seats for MBBS students and 85 seats will be reserved for Nagaland-origin students, while the remaining 15 seats will be open for applicants from other states.

About Nagaland

• Formation – 1 December 1963
• Capital- Kohima
• Chief Minister- Neiphiu Rio
• Governor- La. Ganesan

Exp. Kerala launches One Panchayat, One Playground project

The Kerala government has launched a project for reviving the sports culture in the State by opening quality playgrounds in every panchayat of the southern state.

The ‘One Panchayat, One Playground’ project was inaugurated by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at Kallikkad here where he said that a good sports culture was essential for building a healthy and happy society.

The playgrounds would serve as a hub of local gatherings and social interactions. The project will address the lack of quality playgrounds in around 450 local bodies in the State.

Each playground would cost around Rs one crore, half of which would be footed by the Sports department and the rest would be raised from the MLA and local body funds, through CSR, public private partnerships, etc.

About Kerala

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

Exp. Haryana CM launches 3 online services

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has launched three online services to digitally empower people.

The newly launched online services are: Pro-active Divyang Pension Service, ‘Tau se Poochho’ WhatsApp chatbot and online booking of government rest houses.

The Pro-active Divyang Pension Service for the physically challenged is committed to delivering all services for them at their doorsteps.

Haryana Parivar Pehchan Authority has created a WhatsApp Chatbot called ‘Tau Se Poochho’ along with a web-based chatbot solution.  The bilingual chatbot is integrated is designed to give quick responses to the queries raised by the citizens.

And launched a portal for room booking at PWD (B&R) rest houses, now all rest houses can be booked online by government officials as well as private people.

About Haryana

• Capital – Chandigarh
• Chief Minister – Manohar Lal Khattar
• Governor – Bandaru Dattatreya

Exp. PFC sanctions Rs 633 crore loan to Gensol Engg for purchase of Electric Vehicles

Gensol Engineering Ltd (GEL) has been sanctioned a loan worth Rs 633 crore by Power Finance Corporation Ltd (PFC), a Maharatna company for the purchase of 5,000 passenger electric vehicles (EVs) and 1,000 cargo EVs.

PFC is a leading NBFC in the Indian power sector. The purchased passenger EVs will be leased to Blusmart Mobility Pvt. Ltd (BMPL) to expand its fleet of ride-hailing cabs.

The first tranche of the loan has already been disbursed, and the first lot of EV cabs have hit the Delhi roads.

5000 Passenger E4W (Electric Four-Wheelers) funded by PFC are being deployed in Delhi and will result in CO2 emission reduction.

With a view to accelerate India’s net-zero target, PFC is exploring opportunities in debt financing of EVs (OEMs and Fleet Acquisition), battery OEMs and EV charging infrastructure, apart from large-scale renewable energy financing.

Exp. IIT Madras to set up its first international campus in Tanzania

The first Indian Institute of Technology to be set up in Africa will come up in October in Tanzania.

IIT Madras will set up its first international campus in Zanzibar, Tanzania, with plans to start the classes by October 2023.

In February 2023, a team of five professors from IIT Madras visited Tanzania and held discussions with various officials on starting the campus.

This information was shared by IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti at IIT Madras’ 64th Institute Day.

About Tanzania

• Capital- Dodoma
• Currency- Tanzanian Shilling
• Official languages- Swahili, English
• Continent – Africa

Exp. Maharashtra launched Salokha Yojana

The Maharashtra government launched a ‘Salokha Yojana’ in the state.

This scheme provides an opportunity for farmers to exchange their agricultural land in lieu of a nominal registration fee of Rs 1,000 and a stamp duty of Rs 1,000.

The aim of the scheme is to resolve disputes between farmers regarding land ownership and possession, promote harmony in society and increase peace and harmony among them.

The scheme will be valid for the next two years.

About Maharashtra

• Capital – Mumbai
• Chief Minister – Eknath Sindhe
• Governor – Ramesh Bais

Exp. AIIB to open its first overseas office in Abu Dhabi

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have signed a host member agreement to officially open the bank’s first overseas office, an Interim Operational Hub (the Hub), in Abu Dhabi.

The new foreign office in Abu Dhabi will support the AIIB’s development agenda by funding sustainable economic development projects, primarily in areas where it is most needed.

The AIIB is a multilateral development bank that prioritizes financing infrastructure projects focused on sustainability.

About United Arab Emirates (UAE)

• Capital – Abu Dhabi
• Currency – Dirham
• President – Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
• Prime Minister – Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum

Exp. Royal Sundaram launches add-on covers for vehicle insurance policies

Royal Sundaram General Insurance Co. Ltd has introduced three add-on covers for its vehicle insurance policies – Smart Save, Roadside assistance, and Return-to-invoice.

It has announced a ‘Smart Save’ add-on cover for private cars. This comes at a zero cost and will help the customer to get an upfront discount in Own Damage (OD) insurance premium, for repairing their vehicles at Royal Sundaram’s identified repair shops and garages in the event of a claim.

It has also introduced two add-on covers for two-wheeler policies. The add-on ‘Roadside Assistance’ will cover 11 emergency services, which can rescue an immobilized two-wheeler. The services can be requested for electrical, mechanical, or accidental breakdown.

Return to Invoice’ add-on cover comes with two plans which will seek to protect the two-wheeler insurance customers to get their invoice value of the vehicle in case of a total loss, including theft of the vehicle. As per the plan chosen, road tax, registration charges, and insurance costs are also covered by the customer.

Exp. Rohit Sharma Announced as JioCinema’s brand ambassador

JioCinema, owned by billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Viacom18, has signed up Rohit Sharma, captain of the men’s cricket India, as its brand ambassador.

The cricketer will build on the OTT platform’s vision of making sports viewing synonymous with digital.

As part of this collaboration, Rohit will be working with the JioCinema team to promote their digital-first approach towards sports viewing.

Recent Brand Ambassador

• 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
• Yastika Bhatia & Renuka Singh Thakur – Hyundai Motor India Ltd

Exp. Kaizad Bharucha appointed as deputy MD of HDFC Bank

Reserve Bank of India has approved the appointment of Kaizad Bharucha as Deputy Managing Director and Bhavesh Zaveri as Executive Director of the bank for three years.

This appointment reinforces Bharucha’s position as number two in the bank after Sashidhar Jagdishan, who was appointed CEO in October 2020.

The bank’s board recommended Jagdishan for another three-year term last month.

Recent Appointment in Banking Sector

• Interim MD and CEO of Karnataka Bank – Sekhar Rao
• Chief Investment Officer of LIC – Ratnakar Patnaik
• Chief Risk Officer of LIC – PC Paikray
• MD & CEO of AU Small Finance Bank – Sanjay Agarwal
• MD of Hitachi Payment Services – Sumil Vikamsey

About HDFC Bank

• Founded – August 1994
• Founder – Hasmukhbhai Parekh
• Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
• MD & CEO – Sashidhar Jagdishan
• Chairman – Atanu Chakraborty
• Tagline – We understand your world

Exp. Arun Sinha appointed as new chairman of NTRO

Arun Sinha has been appointed as the new chairman of the National Technical Research Organization (NTRO) by the Government of India.

Sinha is a 1984 batch IPS officer of Kerala cadre. He was the acting chairman of NTRO before becoming the chairman.

NTRO is a technical intelligence agency based in India. It works under the National Security Advisor in the Prime Minister’s Office and was established in 2004.

The agency follows the same “norms of conduct” as other intelligence agencies in India such as the Intelligence Bureau and the Research and Analysis Wing.

About National Technical Research Organization (NTRO)

• Formed -2004
• Headquarters – New Delhi
• Agency Executive – Anil Dhasmana
• Parent Agency – Cabinet Secretariat

Recent Appointment

• CEO & MD of Tata Electronics – Randhir Thakur
• MD & CEO of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) – K Krithivasan
• President of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) – Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo
• President of Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) – Aleksander Ceferin
• CEO of Welspun New Energy – Kapil Maheshwari

Exp. Deepika Misra becomes 1st woman IAF officer to get Gallantry Award

Wing Commander Deepika Misra has become the first woman officer in the Indian Air Force to be presented a gallantry award.

Wing Commander Mishra, a Rajasthan-based helicopter pilot, has been awarded the Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry) for “extraordinary courage” displayed during a flood relief operation in Madhya Pradesh.

IAF chief Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari presented the Yudh Seva Medal and other awards to several officers and air warriors at an Investiture Ceremony held at the Air Force Auditorium in Subroto Park here.

While two IAF officers were awarded Yudh Seva Medal, 13 officers, and air warriors received Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry), 13 officers Vayu Sena Medal and 30 Vishisht Seva Medal.

A total of 58 persons, 57 from the IAF and one from the Army received the awards.

Recent Awards

• Germany’s highest Order of Merit – Angela Merkel
• Prestigious Santokbaa Humanitarian Award – Sonam Wangchuk
• Best Implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) – Karnataka
• Malcolm Adiseshiah Award 2023 – Utsa Patnaik
• Pravasi Bharatiya Samman – Raj Subramaniam

Exp. Shanti Lakra selected as finalist for Global Nursing Award 2023

Shanti Lakra, a nurse from India, has been selected as a finalist for the Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award 2023.

The winner of the award will receive a cash prize of $25,000 and will be announced in May 2023.

The award recognizes and honors exceptional nurses from around the world who have made significant contributions to patient care.

Lakra works as a nurse in a hospital in Port Blair.

Recent Awards

• Business Leader of the Decade – Kumar Mangalam Birla
• Maratha Udyog Ratna 2023 Award – Nilesh Sambare
• Young Urologist of the Year Award by the American Urological Association (AUA) – Indian-American Dr. Nitya Abraham
• Poland’s highest honour ‘Order of the White Eagle’ – Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky
• ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ by University of Texas – Naveen Jindal

Q.14. Which of the following has won the GREEN4SEA Tanker Operator award for its ‘leadership role in global tanker management’?

निम्नलिखित में से किसने ‘वैश्विक टैंकर प्रबंधन में नेतृत्व की भूमिका‘ के लिए GREEN4SEA टैंकर ऑपरेटर पुरस्कार जीता है?

(a) Adani Group / अदानी ग्रुप

(b) Tata Group / टाटा ग्रुप

(c) Reliance Industries Limited / रिलायंस इंडस्ट्रीज लिमिटेड

(d) Mahindra Group / महिंद्रा समूह

(e) Synergy Group / सिनर्जी ग्रुप

Exp. Synergy Group wins prestigious Tanker Operator Award

Exp. 22 April – Earth Day

Earth Day is observed every year on April 22.

Objective – To raise awareness of the rapidly-rising levels of pollution, climate change, and other circumstances.

Theme 2023 – Invest in our Planet

Senator Gaylord Nelson established Earth Day in the 1970s to promote ecology and increase public awareness of issues pertaining to the environment.