Current Affairs Quiz 23rd October 2024 Quiz

Exp. Assam government launches SWIFT project with ADB support

Assam government has launched the Sustainable Wetland and Integrated Fisheries Transformation (SWIFT) project to revitalise 129 Beels and boost Indigenous fish production.

The state government’s SWIFT project is funded and supported by the Asian Development Bank(ADB).

The total outlay for the project is Rs 800 crore. It aims to revitalise 129 Beels of the state.

The project aims to restore nearly 4,000 hectares of beel areas.

It will help with flood control, groundwater replenishment, and river flow regulation in the state.

The SWIFT project is expected to increase fish production by 1,200 kg per hectare annually in the state.

What is a Beel?

• Beel are floodplain wetlands and cover around one lakh hectares of land in Assam.
• Floodplain wetlands are low-lying areas bordering large rivers that are inundated during the monsoon season due to overflow from the main river channel. They are part of the Ganga and Brahmaputra River systems in the country.
• Assam has the maximum number of water areas under floodplain wetlands in the country. The floodplain wetlands are mainly associated with the Brahmaputra and Barak rivers in the state.

Exp. PFRDA appoints Chitra Jayasimha as NPS Trust Board’s Chairperson

Pension regulator PFRDA has appointed Chitra Jayasimha as the Chairperson of the Board of National Pension System (NPS) Trust .

She has been serving the NPS Trust Board as a Trustee since December 2020.

Jayasimha has been appointed as Chairperson of NPS Trust in the place of erstwhile Chairman Venkata Rao Yadagani. Yadagani was designated to the position of NPS Trust Chairman on December 12,2023.

About NPS Trust

• The NPS Trust is administered by a Board of Trustees. They are entrusted with the task to ensure that the NPS Trust works in the best interest of National Pension System (NPS) subscribers.
• NPS is a market-linked, voluntary, portable and flexible scheme that helps people save for retirement.

Recent Appointment

• Secretary of the Ministry of Coal – Vikram Dev Dutt
• Chairperson of National Commission for Women – Vijaya Rahatkar
• (9th; replace Rekha Shrama)
• Member of the National Commission for Women – Dr Archana Majumdar
• President of Indian Chamber of Commerce – Abhyuday Jindal (replace Ameya Prabhu)
• Director of Cricket at JSW Sports – Saurav Ganguly

Exp. Adani Group Donates ₹ 100 Crore For Skills University In Telangana

The Adani Foundation, which is the corporate social responsibility arm of the Adani Group, has donated ₹ 100 crore to the Telangana government for the establishment of a university that will help young people develop industry-specific skills.

The Young India Skills University (YISU) has been established in Hyderabad under the Young India Skills University, Telangana (Public-Private Partnership) Act, 2024, to bridge the gap between industry requirements and academic offerings.

Exp. WHO certifies Egypt as malaria-free

Egypt was officially declared ‘malaria-free’ by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The country became the second country in the world, following Cabo Verde, to be officially declared malaria-free this year. It is also the fifth African nation to receive malaria-free certification from the WHO.

Egypt is the third country within the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region to receive malaria-free certification, achieving this milestone in the region after 14 years. Morocco was declared malaria-free in 2010, following the United Arab Emirates, which received the certification in 2007.

With this announcement, a total of 44 countries and one territory have been certified as malaria-free by the WHO.

About Egypt

• Capital- Cairo
• Currency- Egyptian pound
• Continent – Africa, Asia
• President – Abdel Fattah El-Sisi

Exp. NCRTC organises 1st Namo Bharat Diwas in New Delhi

The Namo Bharat Diwas was observed in New Delhi on 21 October 2024 to mark the anniversary of the operation of the Namo Bharat Trains.

On 20 October 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 17-kilometer section between Sahibabad and Duhai Depot section of the country’s first  Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS).

The first Regional Rapid Transit System of the country is the 82 km long Delhi-Ghaziabad -Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System, being implemented and operated by the  National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC).

The high-speed self-propelled trains running on the Regional Rapid Transit System are referred to as the Namo Bharat trains.

Exp. Kerala launched Citizen Sentinel app to keep tabs on traffic rule violations

Kerala ‘s Minister for Transport K.B. Ganesh Kumar has launched Citizen Sentinel, an app using which members of the public can upload photographs and videos of traffic rule violations in the NextGen Parivahan app.

Photos and videos of up to 8 MB of any rule violation can be uploaded in the app, following which Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) officials will verify them. Subsequently, e-challans would be sent to the vehicle owner.

The app was developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and is part of the 100-day action plan of the Government of Kerala. The app is ready for use, while challans to violators will be sent shortly.

About Kerala

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

Exp. Neowise Unveils India’s First AI-Driven Debt Collection SaaS Tools

Neowise, India’s fastest-growing debt recovery solutions provider, has launched the country’s first generative AI-powered debt collection tools.

With the debut of NeoBot, a voice-based debt collection assistant, and NeoSight, an AI call analytics tool, Neowise aims to revolutionise the debt recovery landscape.

These tools were developed in collaboration with Bangalore-based generative AI startup, Sarvam AI.

These AI-driven solutions tend to improve debt recovery efficiency by 15% and reduce operational costs by 33%.

Early trials with three lenders have shown promising results, and Neowise plans to scale these tools to more than 150 lenders across India.

Exp. DoPPW to conduct Nationwide Digital Life Certificate Campaign 3.0 from 1st to 30th November, 2024

The Centre will conduct a month-long campaign from November 1 to promote submission of digital life certificates (DLCs) by pensioners.

Pensioners have to submit a life certificate every year in the month of November for continuation of pension.

The Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare (DoPPW) will be conducting the third nation-wide digital life certificate campaign which will be held in 800 cities/districts across India from November 1-30.

This year the focus will be on promoting face authentication technology.  The Campaign will be held in collaboration with Pension Disbursing Banks, India Post Payments Bank, Pensioners’ Welfare Associations, CGDA, DoT, Railways, UIDAI & MeitY to touch all the pensioners in the remotest corners of the country.

MeitY and UIDAI will provide full technical support during this Campaign. Face Auth has been made more seamless and convenient for the elderly Pensioners.

DD, AIR, and PIB teams are fully geared up to provide full support to this campaign for Audio, Visual, and Print publicity.

This will be the largest ever digital empowerment campaign and seeks to achieve maximum outreach to all the categories of the Pensioners.

Exp. India and Oman Conduct Joint Naval Drill ‘Naseem Al Bahr’ coast off Goa

INS Trikand and Dornier Maritime Patrol Aircraft participated in the Indo-Oman bilateral naval exercise Naseem-Al-Bahr with the Royal Navy of Oman Vessel Al Seeb off Goa.

The exercise was conducted in two phases: with harbour phase followed by the sea phase.

As part of harbour activities, personnel from both Navies engaged in professional interactions, including Subject Matter Expert Exchanges and planning conferences.

The exercise helped strengthen interoperability and enhanced understanding of each other’s best practices.

Recent Exercise

• Army’s Sudarshan Chakra Corps of Southern Command is conducting ‘Exercise SWAVLAMBAN SHAKTI’ at Babina Field Firing Ranges near Jhansi.
• Exercise Malabar 2024 between India, Australia, Japan, and USA – Visakhapatnam
• 8th edition of Exercise KAZIND 2024 between India -Kazakhstan military in Auli, Uttrakhand.
• 7th edition of Exercise Eastern Bridge between Indian Air Force and Royal Oman Air Force – Air Force Base Masirah, Oman.
• 5th edition of Exercise Al NAJAH between Indian Army and Royal Army of Oman – Rabkoot Training Area in Salalah, Oman.
• Exercise Ulchi Freedom Shield between South Korea and USA
• Exercise Udara Shakti 2024 between Indian Air Force and Malaysia Air Force – Kuantan, Malaysia

Exp. Rajasthan government set up Rajasthan Economic Revival Task Force

Rajasthan government has constituted a high-powered Rajasthan Economic Revival Task Force for the holistic economic development of the state.

The task force has been set up by the state government in pursuance to the announcement made by the State Finance Minister Diya Kumari in her 2024-25 budget speech.

CM Bhajan Lal Sharma will be the Chairman of the Task Force and the Deputy Chief Minister and the Minister of Finance and Tourism , Diya Kumari will be the Deputy Chairman of the Task Force.

The Task force will identify key economic sectors, including policy formulation and implementation, skill development and education, infrastructure development, promotion of innovation and technology, promotion of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) and startups, tourism and cultural heritage, promotion of green growth.

The task force will be in existence till 31st March 2028.

About Rajasthan

• Capital – Jaipur
• Chief Minister – Bhajan Lal Sharma (replace Ashok Gehlot)
• Deputy Chief Minister – Diya Kumari and Premchand Bairwa
• Speaker of Rajasthan Assembly – Vasudev Devnani
• Governor – Haribhau Bagade

Exp. 23 October – Mole Day

Mole Day is celebrated on October 23 each year, from 6:02 a.m. to 6:02 p.m. This date and time are significant because 6.02 x 10²³ is Avogadro’s number, a fundamental constant in chemistry.

Theme 2024 – EncantMole

Mole Day was first celebrated on October 23, 1980, by a group of chemistry teachers in an effort to inspire students and foster a love for chemistry.