Current Affairs Quiz 23rd June 2023 Quiz

Exp. Jharkhand government launches panchayat-level medicine scheme

Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren has launched the state government’s ambitious panchayat-level drugs shop scheme, aimed at making essential medicines available in remote areas.

Hemant Soren inaugurated the scheme in Chatra district by handing over licences to three persons for operating the medicine shops in panchayats.

A total of 15 people have been selected for licences in the district so far. Essential medicines will be now be available here, so that villagers living in remote areas do not have to run from pillar to post for medicines

The CM also laid foundation of 177 projects worth around Rs 364 crore for Chatra district. He inaugurated 42 projects to the tune of nearly Rs 14.6 crore on the occasion.

The programs like ‘Sarkar Aapke Dwar’ will be restarted to establish a “real connection with people

About Jharkhand

• Capital – Ranchi
• Chief Minister – Hemant Soren
• Governor – P. Radhakrishnan

Exp. Tamil Nadu police launches new scheme for Women Traveling Alone at Night

The Tamil Nadu Police has launched a helpline number for women travelling alone at night between 10 pm and 6 am.

If they feel unsafe travelling alone, they can dial the number, and a police patrol vehicle will be made available.

The facility has been launched by the police to ensure women’s safety in the state, and it can be availed free of cost.

Women in need of a conveyance at night can call the police helpline numbers 1091, 112, 044-23452365 and 044-28447701.

The police patrol vehicles will pick her up from the location, and drop her to the destination. The service is available for women on all days.

About Tamil Nadu

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

Exp. Surat sets Guinness World Record for largest gathering on Yoga Day

The Yoga Day event organised in Surat city of Gujarat has set a new Guinness World Record for the largest gathering for a yoga session at one place with 1.53 lakh people joining the program.

The previous world record was set in 2018 in Kota city of Rajasthan when 1,00,984 people participated in a Yoga Day session in one place.

The participants were given wristbands with QR codes for accurate counting. The QR code data confirmed the participation of 1.53 lakh people surpassing the previous record.

Nearly 2.20 lakh people registered themselves through an online link created for this purpose.

Exp. UNDP partners with DAY-NULM towards empowering women entrepreneurs

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) joined hands to empower women and provide them with better career opportunities in the realm of entrepreneurship.

The partnership will provide support for women looking to start and expanding their own enterprises, particularly in sectors such as care economy, digital economy, electric mobility, waste management, food packaging and more.

Focused on fostering entrepreneurship development and accelerating enterprise growth, the three-year project, extendable beyond 2025, will cover eight cities in the initial phase.

Women entrepreneurship is a proven strategy for poverty alleviation, financial independence, and reshaping gender norms. Today, women account for only 15 percent of the total entrepreneurs in India.

Drawing on its extensive experience in linking over 200,000 women to improved employment opportunities, UNDP will provide national-level capacity-building support to DAY-NULM.

As part of the partnership, UNDP and DAY-NULM will engage in on-ground mobilization activities, which involve identifying areas of urban poverty and potential entrepreneurs, as well as facilitating access to Business Development Services.

Exp. UK’s Lloyds Banking Group to set up tech center in Hyderabad

The UK-based Lloyds Banking Group has decided to invest in a new technology centre in Hyderabad.

The Lloyds Technology Centre is a part of the group’s £3 billion strategic investment over the next three years to transform its digital offering.

The group, with over 20 million digitally active users will initially employ around 600 highly skilled specialists in technology, data, and cyber security roles.

Lloyds Technology Centre will not provide any banking services but will focus on using technology and digital, data and analytics capabilities to drive innovation and end-to-end product delivery and is a step forward in the group’s approach to international resourcing.

About United Kingdom (UK)

• Capital – London
• Currency – Pound sterling
• Prime Minister – Rishi Sunak

Exp. Axis Bank launches ‘One-View’ feature

Axis Bank has launched the ‘one-view’ feature on its mobile application which enables account management across multiple bank accounts, including non-Axis accounts.

The feature has been launched using the open banking principle leveraging the account aggregator (AA) ecosystem—an industry-first initiative.

AA or data aggregator platforms provide secure sharing of information while maintaining customer consent and data privacy.

Customers can link their non-Axis Bank accounts and get a comprehensive view of their balance, transactions and statements on a real-time basis, thus simplifying the process of managing finances and providing access to multiple bank accounts on one platform.

The feature will eliminate the need for multiple mobile banking applications and also allow customers to download and e-mail transaction details from their linked accounts.

About Axis Bank

• Founded – 1993
• Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Chairman – Rakesh Makhija
• MD & CEO – Amitabh Chaudhary
• Tagline – Badhti Ka naam Zindagi

Recent Facilities Launched in Banks & Insurance Sector

• Paytm introduces UPI SDK for seamless online merchant payments
• Kotak Mahindra Bank launches ‘ActivMoney’, auto sweep account
• Indian Overseas Bank Introduces “MY ACCOUNT MY NAME”
• South Indian Bank launches digital platform for hassle-free account opening
• Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank (KVGB) launched a new deposit scheme ‘Vikas Ashadeep 400 days’.

Exp. Fitch raises India’s GDP forecast to 6.3% from 6% for FY24

Ratings agency Fitch has raised India’s GDP forecast for the financial year 2023-24 to 6.3 percent from 6 percent.

The revision is based on a stronger first-quarter performance and positive momentum in the near term.

In FY23, the growth forecast compares with a 7.2% GDP expansion. The economy had a growth of 9.1% in FY22.

The growth forecast compares with 7.2 percent GDP expansion in FY23. In the previous fiscal year (FY22), the economy had grown 9.1 percent.

Updated GDP List

• World Bank – 6.3% (FY24), 6.4% (FY25), 6.5% (FY26)
• MOODY’S. – 5.5% (FY23)
• S&P – 7% (FY24), 6.3% (FY25)
• IMF – 5.9% (FY24), 6.8% (FY25)
• ADB – 6.4% (FY24), 6.7% (FY25)
• RBI – 6.8% (FY23)
• India Ratings – 6.9% (FY23)
• FITCH RATING – 6.3%

Exp. Airtel Payments Bank ties up with Care for health insurance

Airtel Payments Bank has partnered with Care Health Insurance to offer health insurance products to its customer via the Airtel Thanks app.

Under partnership, Airtel Payments Bank will be able to provide their customers with Care Health Insurance products along with the comprehensive and customized Health Insurance offering – Group care 360° through the banking section of the Airtel Thanks App.

With this product, Airtel Payments Bank’s customers can avail of comprehensive coverage for the entire family with a wide range of sum-insured options, ranging from ₹50,000 to ₹5 lakh.

Additionally, it covers a host of other benefits including coverage for pre-existing ailments & daycare treatment.

This health cover would financially secure the policyholder against possible unforeseen medical exigencies of the future by enabling access to quality healthcare.

Recent MoU in Banking Sector

• IndusInd Bank collaborates with Wise to offer low-cost & fast inward remittance to India
• SIDBI signs MoU with HDFC Bank to offer financial solutions to MSMEs
• Wipro launched innovation experience for financial services with Microsoft
• Yes Securities partners with WatchYourHealth to provide investment solutions to healthcare professional
• Equitas SFB partnered with IBM for digital banking platform
• HDFC Bank partners Manipal Global to build up a talent pipeline

Exp. Eddie Wu appoints as new CEO of Alibaba

Eddie Wu has been appointed as the new CEO of Alibaba Group while Joseph Tsai as Executive Chairman.

Eddie Wu is one of the co-founders of Alibaba and currently serves as the chairman of Taobao and Tmall Group.

This leadership change is the second major change for Alibaba in recent years after Jack Ma stepped down in 2019.

About Alibaba

• Founded – 4 April 1999
• Headquarters – Hangzhou, China
• Founders – Jack Ma, Joseph C. Tsai, Zhang Ying, Jianhang Jin

Exp. Petteri Orpo elected as new PM of Finland

Petteri Orpo, the leader of the conservative party in Finland, has been elected as the country’s prime minister by the parliament.

Orpo will replace Sanna Marin of the Social Democrats, who finished third in the polls.

Orpo’s election was supported by 107 members of parliament, while 81 opposed and 11 abstained.

About Finland

• Capital- Helsinki
• Currency- Euro
• Prime Minister- Sanna Marin

Newly Appointed Prime Minister & President

• President of Latvia – Edgars Rinkevics
• President of Turkey – Recep Tayyip Erdogan (re-elected)
• President of Nigeria -Bola Ahmed Tinubu
• President of Paraguay – Santiago Peña
• President of Bangladesh – Mohammed Shahabuddin Chuppu (22nd)
• Deputy prime minister of UK – Oliver Dowden

Exp. Mahendra Lodha appointed interim MD & CEO of PFS

Mahendra Lodha has been appointed as interim MD & CEO of PTC India Financial Services Ltd (PFS).

The move comes after the the current MD & CEO Pawan Singh has been sent on leave.

The PFS is an Indian non-banking financial institution promoted by PTC India (PTC) to make principal investments across the energy value chain.

Recent Appointment

• Chairman of GIFT City – Hasmukh Adhia (replace Sudhir Mankad)
• CEO of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) – Amit Agrawal
• First Muslim woman federal judge in US history – Nusrat Chowdhary
• Chief of Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) – Ravi Sinha (replace Samant Kumar Goel)
• MD of of Indraprastha Gas Ltd (IGL) – Kamal Kishore Chatiwal (replace Sanjay Kumar)

Exp. WHO DG Tedros Ghebreyesus awarded Olympic Order by IOC

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) awarded the Olympic Order to Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO).

The award was given to Dr. Tedros for his efforts in holding the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Olympic Order was presented to Dr Tedros, for his support of the cooperation agreement between the IOC and the WHO signed in 2020, by International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach at the Olympic House here.

About International Olympic Committee (IOC)

• Founded – 23 June 1894
• Founders – Pierre de Coubertin and D. Bikélas
• Headquarters – Lausanne, Switzerland
• President – Thomas Bach
• Director General – Christophe De Kepper

Recent Awards

• First Prof. Kothapalli Jayashankar Award – Acharya Gopi
• German Peace Prize 2023 – Salman Rushdie
• 45th European Essay Prize – Arundhati Roy (for ‘Azadi’ Essay)
• ‘Athi Uttam’ by the NABET – GSITI Hyderabad
• Elizabeth Longford Prize 2023 – Ramachandra Guha (for Rebels Against the Raj)

Exp. 23 June – United Nations Public Service Day

United Nations Public Service Day is observed every year on 23 June.

Commemorated on June 23, this special occasion aims to shine a spotlight on the vital role played by public servants.

It also seeks to honor the commendable work of these dedicated individuals and inspire the younger generation to embark on meaningful careers within the public sector.

On December 20, 2002, the General Assembly of the United Nations officially designated June 23 as Public Service Day through the adoption of resolution 57/277.

In order to enhance the recognition of this important day and highlight the significance of public service, the United Nations launched the UN Public Service Awards (UNPSA) program in 2003.

In 2016, the program underwent a review to align its objectives with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Exp. 23 June – International Olympic Day

World Olympic Day or International Olympic Day is celebrated all around the world on June 23.

The day is celebrated to commemorate the founding of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and promote the values of the Olympic Movement.

This day is marked by sports activities such as runs, exhibitions, music, and educational seminars involving athletes from all nations.

In 1948, World Olympic Day was established to commemorate 23 June 1894, when the modern Olympic Games were born at the Sorbonne in Paris.

The IOC encourages National Olympic Committees (NOCs) around the world to organize events and activities to promote sports and Olympic values on this day.

About International Olympic Committee (IOC)

• Founded – 23 June 1894
• Founders – Pierre de Coubertin and D. Bikélas
• Headquarters – Lausanne, Switzerland
• President – Thomas Bach
• Director General – Christophe De Kepper

Exp. 23 June – International Widows Day

International Widows Day is celebrated every year on 23 June.

Objective – To raise awareness about the plight of widows worldwide and to advocate for their rights and well-being.

The day serves as a reminder of the challenges faced by widows and the need to address their unique social, economic and legal issues.

International Widows Day was first recognised and established by the United Nations on June 23, 2011.

The day was officially recognized through a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly, acknowledging the hardships faced by widows globally and the need to address their rights and welfare.