Current Affairs Quiz 22nd to 25th October 2022 : Daily GK Update

Exp. Tamil Nadu government constituted panel for conservation of vultures

Tamil Nadu government has constituted a 10-member state-level committee for the conservation of vultures, an endangered species.

The “Vulture Conservation Committee”, headed by the principal chief conservator of forests and chief wildlife warden, will monitor, conserve, and recover vulture sites; map vulture populations; and create safe zones for them.

The tenure of the committee is two years.

The committee will prepare and implement the “Tamil Nadu Action Plan for Vulture Conservation (TNAPVC)” and chalk out and implement a regulatory mechanism to ban drugs toxic to vultures.

The vulture population in India has been declining for years now. Certain veterinary drugs, used on cattle, are toxic to them.

About Tamil Nadu

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

Exp. Karnataka cabinet increased reservation for SC, ST community

The Karnataka Cabinet has decided to promulgate an ordinance increasing the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST) reservation in the State.

The Karnataka cabinet has approved an ordinance for increasing the reservation for SC community from 15% to 17% and for ST community from 3% to 7%.

It will, however, take the reservation tally in Karnataka to 56%, above the 50% cap fixed by the Supreme Court.

So the government would recommend bringing the quota hike under the 9th Schedule of the Constitution to give it legal Protection.

About Karnataka

• Capital – Bengaluru
• Chief Minister –Basavaraj Bommai
• Governor – Thawar Chand Gehlot

Exp. PM Modi launched new strategic air base in Gujarat’s Deesa

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid the foundation stone for a new air base at Deesa in Banaskantha district of north Gujarat near the India-Pakistan border.

The air base, after its completion, will reduce the long pending strategic gap of 355 Kms between the Air Force station in Bhuj and Uttarlai.

Deesa is a greenfield air base spread over an area of 4,519 acres being developed in the Banaskantha region.

Indian Air Force (IAF) officials informed that the land was acquired back in 1983. The campus presently has a minimal infrastructure, including 20 watch towers and 22 km boundary wall.

The approval to construct a full-fledged air base was given by Centre in 2020. The development of the airbase will be done in two phases at an approximate cost of Rs 980 crore.

In Phase 1, the main runway, parallel taxi track, loop taxi track and fighter sqn dispersal area will be built in addition to roads and drainage systems. In phase 2, construction of balanced technical infrastructure and domestic accommodation is planned.

Recent Inauguration by PM Modi

• PM Modi inaugurated AIIMS in Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh
• PM Modi inaugurated 4th Vande Bharat Express in Himachal Pradesh
• PM Modi inaugurated Shri Mahakal Lok complex in Ujjain
• PM Modi lays foundation stone of two hydropower projects in Chamba, Himachal Pradesh
• PM Modi inaugurated PM Kisan Samman Sammelan 2022 in New Delhi
• PM Modi dedicated 75 Digital Banking Units to the nation
• PM Modi launched Mission LIFE movement at Kevadiya

About Gujarat

• Capital- Gandhinagar
• Chief Minister- Bhupendra Rajnikant Patel
• Governor- Acharya Devvrat

Exp. Japan seeks GI tag for Nihonshu

The Embassy of Japan, New Delhi, has filed an application seeking GI tag for nihonshu, an alcoholic beverage.

It is learnt that this is the first time a product from Japan has filed for a tag at the GI Registry in Chennai.

Nihonshu is regarded as a special beverage made from fermenting rice. People traditionally drink nihonshu on special occasions, such as festivals, weddings or funerals, but it is also consumed on a daily basis. Thus, it is an integral part of the lifestyle and culture in Japan.

The government has recently awarded the Geographical Indication (GI) tag to Mithila Makhana.

About Japan

• Capital – Tokyo
• Currency – Yen
• Prime Minister – Fumio Kishida

Recent GI Tag

• Karuppur Kalamkari Painting – Tamil Nadu
• Kandangi Saree – Tamil Nadu
• Narasingapettai Nagaswaram – Tamil Nadu
• Kanniyakumari Clove – Tamil Nadu
• Wada Kolam Rice – Maharashtra
• Alibagh White Onion – Maharashtra
• Kangra Tea – Himachal Pradesh
• Sirarakhong Chilly – Manipur
• Tamenglong Orange – Manipur
• Gulabi Minakshi – Uttar Pradesh
• Judima Rice – Assam
• Superfood Ant Chatney Kai Chutney – Odisha
• Bardhaman – West Bengal
• Sojat Mehndi – Rajasthan
• Naga Cucumber – Nagaland
• Kashmiri Saffron – Jammu and Kashmir
• Khola Chili – Goa
• Mithila Makhana – Bihar

Exp. PM Modi laid foundation stone over Rs 3,400 crore in Uttarakhand

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated connectivity projects worth 3,400 crores in Mana village of Chamoli district of Uttarakhand.

He also laid the foundation stone of two ropeway projects  Gaurikund to Kedarnath and Govindghat to Hemkund Sahib and road widening projects worth around Rs 1000 crore.

These projects will boost connectivity and religious tourism in the Garhwal region.

About Uttarakhand

• Capital – Dehradun (Winter), Gairsain (Summer)
• Chief Minister – Pushkar Singh Dhami
• Governor – Gurmit Singh

Exp. CCI imposed Rs 1,338 crore penalty on Google for unfair practices

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has imposed a penalty of ₹1,337.76 crore on Alphabet’s Google for anti-competitive practices related to Android mobile devices.

Besides, the fair trade regulator has directed the internet major to cease and desist from unfair business practices.

Android is an open-source, mobile operating system installed by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) of smartphones and tablets.

Google has perpetuated its dominant position in the online search market resulting in the denial of market access for competing search apps.

Recently, CCI had imposed a fine of Rs 390 cr on MakeMyTrip, Goibibo and OYO.

Exp. BEL signed an MoU with Triton EV to manufacture hydrogen fuel cells

Navratna defence PSU Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) has signed an MoU with US-based Triton Electric Vehicle (TEV) for manufacturing Hydrogen fuel cells with technology transfer from the latter to meet the requirements of the Indian market and mutually agreed export markets.

Objective – To tap the demand for clean energy solutions for various applications, including for e- Mobility.

TEV has set up its R&D centre and manufacturing facility in India. It has recently forayed into Hydrogen-run vehicles and started the journey of manufacturing Hydrogen-run two-wheelers, three-wheelers and buses.

About Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL)

• Founded -1954
• Headquarters – Bengaluru
• CMD – Dinesh Kumar Batra

Recent MoUs

• NHPC signed an agreement with IIT Jammu to undertaking R&D activities
• Bharti Airtel and Nokia have joined hands to bring India’s first 5G enabled immersive experience to visitors at the Indian Mobile Congress (IMC) 2022.
• NTPC signed an MoU with GE Gas Power for hydrogen co-firing in gas turbines
• BHEL signed MoUs with Coal India Limited (CIL) and NLC India Limited (NLCIL) for setting up Coal Gasification based plants.
• Coal India Limited (CIL) signed an MoU with Rajasthan Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (RVUNL) for setting up 1190 MW solar power plant in the Bikaner district of Rajasthan.

Exp. Ministry of Education to organize ‘Kashi Tamil Sangamam’ programme

Ministry of Education will organize ‘Kashi Tamil Sangamam’, a month-long programme, from the 16 Nov 2022 in Varanasi.

Objective -To rediscover the centuries-old bond of knowledge & ancient civilizational linkage between Varanasi & Tamil Nadu.

Over 2400 Tamil people from diverse sections of society will visit Kashi to get familiarized with the ancient knowledge shared by these two cities.

The programme will be organized under the framework of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ envisaged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

IIT-Madras and Banaras Hindu University will be the hosting partners of this mega event.

Exp. Union MoS SP Singh Baghel lays foundation stone of Water Supply Scheme in J&K’s Kupwara

Union Minister of State for Law and Justice Prof. SP Singh Baghel has laid the foundation stone of the Water Supply Scheme (WSS) in Kupwara.

It is coming up at the cost of Rs 799.60 lakh.

He also inaugurated New Type Primary Health Centre (NTPHC) at Gugloosa Trehgam which was completed at a cost of Rs 187.50 lakh.

Exp. Shiv Nadar most generous person in India: Hurun report

HCL founder Shiv Nadar has named as the most generous person in the country with an annual donation of Rs 1,161 crore, according to EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2022

Nadar, 77, has reclaimed the ‘India’s most generous’ title with a donation of Rs 3 crore per day.

Wipro’s Azim Premji, 77, slipped to the second position with an annual donation of Rs 484 crore after ruling at the top position for the last two consecutive years.

India’s richest man Gautam Adani, 60, ranked seventh with a donation of Rs 190 crore.

In India a total of 15 individuals made an annual donation of over Rs 100 crore, 20 donated over Rs 50 crore and 43 over Rs 20 crore.

With a donation of Rs 120 crore, Rohini Nilekani is the most generous woman philanthropist in the country.

A M Naik, 80, group chairman of Larsen and Toubro, who donated Rs 142 crore, is the country’s most generous professional manager.

Nithin Kamath and Nikhil Kamath of Zerodha increased their donation by 300 percent to Rs 100 crore.

Infosys’s Nandan Nilekani, Kris Gopalakrishnan, and S D Shibulal donated Rs 159 crore, Rs 90 crore and Rs 35 crore, ranking 9th, 16th and 28th.

Exp. First conference on Akash Tatva to be held in November

The first conference on Akash Tatva – Akash for Life, will be held from November 5th to 7th, 2022 in Dehradun, Uttrakhand.

The main aim of the conclave is to expose the youth of India to the wisdom of ancient science along with modern scientific advancements.

35 eminent speakers will share their thoughts on various dimensions of Akash Tattva during the Dehradun Conclave.

ISRO and all major scientific ministries and departments are joining hands with Vijnana Bharati to organize this National conference.

The campaign ‘Sumangalam’ is being organized across the country for finding solutions to environmental problems like global warming and climate With an Indian perspective.

About Uttarakhand

• Capital – Dehradun (Winter), Gairsain (Summer)
• Chief Minister – Pushkar Singh Dhami
• Governor – Gurmit Singh

Exp. India’s first ‘Migration Monitoring System’ inaugurated in Mumbai

India’s first ‘Migration Monitoring System’ has been inaugurated in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

The system is aimed at providing updated information on migrant pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children instantly on a single system.

The system, developed by the Department of Women and Child Development was inaugurated in Mumbai by Maharashtra Women and Child Development Minister Mangalprabhat Lodha.

About Migration Monitoring System

• The website-based Migration Tracking System (MTS) will track the movements of vulnerable seasonal migrant beneficiaries through individual unique identification numbers.
• The first-of-its-kind system will make available the information of seasonal migrant women and children immediately.

Exp. Odisha’s Jeypore Airport gets license from DGCA

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has granted an aerodrome licence to Odisha’s Jeypore airport.

The airport will now be able to handle scheduled commercial flights under the government’s regional connectivity scheme UDAN, or Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik.

The airstrip at Jeypore had become functional in 1962 at the time of the inception of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) at Sunabeda.

As of August 2022, Odisha has just one airport under UDAN – the Jharsuguda airport. Recently, the civil aviation ministry has been exploring more airstrips in Odisha for promoting wildlife and tourism in the state.

Under UDAN, 68 underserved/unserved destinations which include 58 Airports, eight heliports, and two water aerodromes have been connected.

About Odisha

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

Exp. Trees beyond forests programme launched in Assam

The Assam government and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) have launched the “trees outside forests in India (TOFI)” programme.

It aims to bring farmers, companies, and private institutions together to expand the tree coverage outside of traditional forests in the State.

Assam is one of seven States where the US will allocate up to $25 million under the TOFI programme.

The other States are Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh.

The objective is to increase the tree coverage outside traditional forests by 2.8 million hectares, contributing to India’s nationally determined contribution target of creating an additional “carbon sink” of 2.5-3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2030.

About Assam

• Capital – Dispur
• Chief Minister –Himanta Biswa Sarma
• Governor – Prof Jagdish Mukhi

Exp. Interpol launched first global police metaverse at Delhi conference

The Interpol has launched the first-ever metaverse specifically designed for law enforcement agencies worldwide during its 90th General Assembly in Delhi.

It allows the users to take a virtual tour of Interpol’s headquarters in France’s Lyon, interact with officers & take training courses in forensic investigation.

The World Economic Forum has partnered with Interpol, Meta, Microsoft and others in an initiative to define and govern the metaverse, has warned that social engineering scams, violent extremism and misinformation could be particular challenges.

The metaverse has the potential to transform every aspect of our daily lives with enormous implications for law enforcement.

About International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL)

• Founded- 7 September 1923, Vienna, Austria
• Headquarters- Lyon, France
• President- Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi

Exp. Diwali to be a public school holiday in New York City from 2023

Diwali will be a public school holiday in New York City from 2023, announced the city’s mayor, Eric Adams.

For this, legislators swapped out Anniversary Day, traditionally celebrated on the first Thursday in June, for Diwali in the public school calendar.

The time has come to recognize over 200,000 New Yorkers of the Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, and Jain faiths who celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Lights.

There are around 200,000 people of the Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, and Jain faiths in New York City, who celebrate Diwali.

Exp. 14th Tribal Youth Exchange Programme held in New Delhi

Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports in collaboration with Ministry of Home Affairs has organized 14th Tribal Youth Exchange Programme in New Delhi.

Objective- To sensitize tribal youth to rich cultural heritage of the country and to enable them to appreciate the concept of unity in diversity.

220 selected youth in the age group of 18 to 22 years participated in the programme.

Exp. Indian origin Rishi Sunak elected as new PM of UK

Indian-origin Rishi Sunak (42) has become the prime minister of the United Kingdom.

He has replaced former PM Liz Truss, who had resigned from the post just after 44 days.

He also the youngest PM of the UK in modern history at the age of 42 years.

While, William Pitt the Youngest PM of the UK, who become the PM at the age of 24 in 1801. He was born in UK’s Southampton area to an Indian family.

He became a Member of Parliament in 201 5 after he got elected from Richmond, Yorkshire.

Newly Appointed Prime Minister & President

• Prime Minister of Sweden – Ulf Kristersson
• President of Iraq – Abdul Latif Rashid
• President of Austria – Alexander Van der Bellen (2^nd term)
• Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia – Mohammed bin Salman
• First woman Prime Minister of Italy- Giorgia Meloni
• president of Angola – Joao Lourenco (2nd term)

• Prime Minister of Serbia – Ana Brnabic
• New president of Kenya – William Ruto
• Colombia’s first leftist President – Gustavo Petro
• New PM of Kuwait – Sheikh Mohammad Sabah Al Salem
• New PM of Sri Lanka – Dinesh Gunawardena
• New President of Sri Lanka – Ranil Wickremesinghe
• New President of Colombia – Gustavo Petro
• New President of South Korea – Yoon Suk Yeol
• New Prime Minister of Pakistan – Shehbaz Sharif
• New Prime Minister of France – Elisabeth Borne
• 1st Woman President of Hungary – Katalin Novak
• 1st Woman President of Tanzania – Samia Suluhu Hassan
• 1st Woman President of Honduras ­Xiomara Castro
• Hong Kong’s Next Leader -John Lee
• Re-Elected as President of Serbia – Aleksandar Vučić
• Hungary’s New Prime Minister ­- Viktor Orban
• New Prime Minister of Kazakhstan ­- Alikhan Smailov
• New President of Albania – Bajram Begaj
• New Prime Minister of Israel – Yair Lapid

Exp. Puneeth Rajkumar to be posthumously given Karnataka Ratna award

Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai has announced that the prestigious Karnataka Ratna award will be presented posthumously to actor Puneeth Rajkumar on 1 November.

In Nov 2021, days after Rajkumar passed away, the state government had named the actor for the award for his contribution towards the art of cinema in the state.

The Karnataka Ratna was last awarded to Dr Virendra Heggade for social service in 2009.

Puneeth’s late father Rajkumar is among the first recipients of Karnataka Ratna award in 1992, along with poet Kuvempu.

Recent Awards

• Men’s nBallon d’Or 2022 – Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema
• Women’s Ballon d’Or 2022 – Barcelona’s Alexia Putellas
• Sir Syed Excellence Award 2022 – American historian Barbara Metcalf
• Booker Prize 2022 – Sri Lanka’s Shehan Karunatilaka (Seven Moons of Maali Almeida)
• World Green City award 2022 – Hyderabad
• FIH Goalkeeper of the Year awards 2021-22 – women’s – Savita Punia & men’s – PR Sreejesh

Exp. IIT Madras won National Intellectual Property award for 2021 & 2022

Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has been conferred the ‘National Intellectual Property Awards 2021 and 2022’ by the Government of India for being the top Indian Academic Institution for patents filing, grants and commercialization.

The award is given out by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.

This annual award recognizes individuals & institutions for their IP creations that contribute to strengthen the country’s IP ecosystem & encourage creativity & innovation.

Recent Awards

• 32nd Bihari Puraskar – Madhav Hada
• SASTRA Ramanujan Prize 2022 – Yunqing Tang
• Lifetime Achievement Award by US President – Dr. Vivek Lall
• Changemaker’ award at UN SDG Action Awards – Srishti Bakshi
• Best adventure tourism destination award – Uttarakhand
• Lata Mangeshkar Award 2021 – Kumar Sanu
• Lata Mangeshkar Award 2020 – Anand-Milind
• Lata Mangeshkar Award 2019 – Shailendra Singh
• 52nd Dadasaheb Phalke Award – Asha Parekh

Exp. IAF-HAL concluded Rs 6,800 crore contract for 70 HTT-40 trainer aircraft

The Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) have concluded Rs 6,800 crore contract for 70 HTT-40 indigenous Basic Trainer Aircraft (BTA).

In all, 451 MoU, Transfer of Technology (ToT) agreements and product launches took place.

Of the 451, there were 345 MoUs, 42 major announcements, 46 product launches, and 18 ToTs.

In February 2021, at Aero India, HAL received the Request for Proposal from the IAF for HTT-40 for 70 aircraft with an additional clause for 38 more. Production will take place at HAL’s two manufacturing units in Bengaluru and Nasik.