Current Affairs Quiz 24th march 2023 Quiz

Exp. Bhupender Yadav chaired 1st General Body Meeting of NCSCM

Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav has chaired the 1st General Body Meeting of the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) in New Delhi.

He emphasized the Blue Economy which focuses on sustainable and climate-resilient coastal infrastructure and livelihoods of coastal communities.

The minister also directed the NCSCM to contribute to Mission Mishti (Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats and Tangible Income) for mangrove conservation with a focus on generating income for coastal communities.

NCSCM was established in February 2011, as a research institution to support the protection, conservation, restoration, management, and policy advice on coasts.

The vision of NCSCM is to promote sustainable coasts through increased partnerships, conservation practices, scientific research, and knowledge management for the benefit and well-being of current and future generations.

Recent Inauguration by Bhupendra Yadav

• Bhupender Yadav launched ‘Save Wetlands Campaign’ for conservation
• Bhupender Yadav has inaugurated the Regional Office of EPFO at Alwar, Rajasthan.
• Bhupender Yadav to lead Indian delegation at COP27 in Egypt
• Bhupender Yadav chaired the 189th meeting of ESIC

Exp. NTPC signed MoU with Indian Army for implementation of Green Hydrogen Projects

NTPC Renewable Energy Ltd has signed an MoU with Indian Army for setting up Green Hydrogen Projects in its establishments on Build, Own, and Operate (BOO) model.

Objective – To reduce complex logistics and dependence on fossil fuels and to accelerate decarbonization.

NTPC REL is a wholly-owned subsidiary of NTPC Limited and currently, it has a portfolio of 3.6 GW RE capacity under construction.

Recent MoUs

• NTPC Green Energy Limited (NGEL) signed Agreement with IOCL for setting up of renewable energy projects
• BPCL signed an MoU with Brazilian oil company Petrobras to diversify crude oil sourcing
• FuelBuddy partnered with IOCL for doorstep delivery of automotive lubricants
• BEL signed an MoU with US based Triton EV to manufacture hydrogen fuel cells
• NHPC signed an agreement with IIT Jammu to undertaking R&D activities
• IIT Madras researchers develop Ocean Wave Energy converter named Sindhuja-I

Exp. Himachal Pradesh signed MoU with French Agency to improve drinking water, sanitation

Himachal Pradesh has signed an MoU with the French Development Agency Agence Francaise de Development (AFD) for Rs 817.12 crore project.

The objective of the project is to develop better sewerage facilities in five towns of the state viz. Manali, Bilaspur, Palampur, Nahan and Karsog and to improve drinking water supply in Manali and Palampur towns.

Under the project, Rs 612 crore would be provided by AFD, whereas the State Government would provide Rs 204.85 crore.

Out of Rs 425.85 crore in the first phase, Rs 340 crore would be financed by AFD and in the second phase AFD would provide Rs. 272 crore out of a total project cost of Rs 371 crore.

The implementation period of the project was three years and Phase-II will begin after 18 months from the commencement of Phase-I.

Recent MoUs signed by State Government

• Kerala government signed MoU with UN Women to boost women-friendly activities in tourism
• Nagaland government partnered with Patanjali Foods for palm oil cultivation
• NTPC REL signs MoU with Tripura for collaboration in Renewable Energy
• REC signed MoU with UP govt for multiple projects worth Rs 98,853 crore
• Meghalaya signed MoU with Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for MSME borrowers
• Haryana government signed an MoU with Dubai for economic cooperation

Exp. Assam CM launched Mission Lifestyle for Environment

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has launched the Mission Lifestyle for Environment (LIFE) in the state.

It promotes an environmentally conscious lifestyle, focusing on utilization instead of wasteful consumption.

Under this initiative, week-long activities will be carried out across all districts, addressing seven identified categories including saving energy and water and reducing plastic and e-waste.

Over the last two years, the state government has cleared over six thousand acres of land by evicting encroachers, and this is a small step towards creating a healthy environment.

About Assam

• Capital – Dispur
• Chief Minister –Himanta Biswa Sarma
• Governor – Gulab Chand Kataria

Exp. PM Modi addressed ‘One World TB Summit’ at Varanasi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has addressed the ‘One World TB Summit’ at Rudrakash Convention Centre, at Varanasi.

The summit is being organized by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Stop TB Partnership.

In March 2018, during the End TB summit held in New Delhi, Prime Minister had called on India to achieve TB-related SDG targets by 2025, five years ahead of the stipulated time.

International delegates from over 30 countries are scheduled are present at the summit.

PM Modi in News

• PM Modi inaugurated new ITU Area Office and Innovation Center in New Delhi
• PM Modi unveiled Bharat 6G Vision Document & 6G Research and Development Test Bed and Call Before U dig App.
• PM Modi inaugurated the Global Millets Conference*
• PM Modi inaugurated longest railway platform in the world in Hubballi-Dharwad.
• PM Modi inaugurate the 3rd session of the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction on 10th March 2023 in New Delhi.

Exp. QS World University Rankings: IIT Bombay ranked first in country

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has been ranked 1st in India and 47th globally in engineering and technology by the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings for 2023.

The institute scored 80.4 out of 100.

The institute is ranked in 4 out of 5 broad subject areas, which include Engineering & Technology, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences & Management and Arts & Humanities.

The institute has been ranked (51-100) for Art and Design, 66th for Computer Science & Information Technology, 51-100 for Civil & Structural Engineering, 77th for Chemical Engineering, 54th for Electrical & Electronics Engineering, 68th for Mechanical, Aeronautical & Manufacturing Engineering, and 37th for Minerals & Mining.

Delhi University has the highest number of entries (27) among Indian universities, followed by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay (25), and IIT Kharagpur (23).

In the thirteenth edition of the QS World University Rankings by Subject, 66 universities from India have been ranked. Collectively, these universities have achieved 355 entries, which represents an 18.7% increase from the previous year’s 299 entries.

The universities were evaluated in five broad areas, including engineering and technology, arts and humanities, life sciences and medicine, natural science, and social sciences and management.

Engineering and Technology

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
2. Stanford University
3. University of Cambridge

Social Sciences and Management

1. Harvard University
2. University of Oxford
3. Stanford University

Arts and Humanities

1. Harvard University
2. University of Cambridge
3. University of Oxford

Life Sciences and Medicine

1. Harvard University
2. University of Oxford
3. Johns Hopkins University

Natural Sciences

1. Harvard University
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
3. University of Cambridge

Exp. 2nd Working Group Meeting of Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group to be held at Gandhinagar

The second Working Group Meeting of the Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group of G20 will be held at Gandhinagar on 27 – 29 March 2023.

The three-day meet will be inaugurated by India’s Sherpa to G-20 Amitabh Kant.

Representatives from more than 30 countries including China, Australia, Japan, Russia, and the United States and international organizations such as United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) will be participated in the meeting.

G20 in News (Note – All Meetings are Under the Presidency of G20 by India)

• G20 Business Summit 2023 – Kohima, Nagaland (5 April 2023)
• First Environment & Climate Sustainability Working Group (ESCWG) Meeting – Gandhinagar, Gujarat (27 – 29 March 2023)
• Civil 20 (C20) Inception Meeting – Nagpur, Maharashtra (20 – 22 March 2023)
• 2nd G20 Sustainable Financial Working Group (SFWG) Meeting – Udaipur in Rajasthan (21 -23 March 2023)
• 3rd Business 20 (B20) Meeting – Gangtok, Sikkim (16 March 2023)

Exp. RBI to set up Data Centre & Cybersecurity Training Institute in Bhubaneswar

RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das has laid the foundation stone for the establishment of a “Greenfield Data Centre’ and ‘Enterprise Computing & Cybersecurity Training Institute’ in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

The new Data Centre and the Enterprise Computing & Cybersecurity Training Institute spread over an area of 18.55 acres, when commissioned, will cater to the emerging requirements of the RBI and the financial sector.

It will cater to the emerging requirements of the RBI and the financial sector.

The Governor also highlighted the need for augmenting the existing computing infrastructure of the RBI supported by cutting-edge facilities for research and capacity building.

About Reserve Bank of India (RBI)

• Founded – 1 April 1935
• RBI Nationalized – 1 January 1949
• Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
• RBI set up – Hilton Young Commission
• 1st Governor – Sir Osborne Smith (Australia)
• 1st Indian Governor – CD Deshmukh
• 25th Governor – Shaktikanta Das
• RBI Deputy Governor (4) – 1. Tavarna Rabi Sankar

2. Mukesh Kumar Jain
3. Michael D Patra
4. M Rajeshwar Rao

Exp. Income tax dept launched mobile app ‘AIS for Taxpayer

The Income Tax Department has launched a Mobile app namely ‘AIS for Taxpayer’.

Objective – To facilitate taxpayers to view their information as available in the Annual Information Statement (AIS) or Taxpayer Information Summary (TIS).

The app has been developed aiming at providing a comprehensive view of the AIS/TIS to the taxpayer, displaying the information collected from various sources pertaining to the taxpayer.

In the app, taxpayers can view various information related to TDS, interest, share transactions, tax payments, Income Tax refunds, and GST Data among others.

It will also have the option and the facility to provide feedback.

Exp. Amazon Pay ties up with NPCI’s Bharat BillPay for loan repayments

Amazon Pay has collaborated with Bharat BillPay, the biller platform of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), to strengthen its loan repayment facility.

The loan repayment category is one of the top categories in terms of bill payment amongst other options such as electricity and municipal Tax.

The category facilitates loan repayment options for customers who avail of their loans through banks, microfinance institutions, and NBFCs.

Q.11. Who has been appointed as CEO of Starbucks?

स्टारबक्स के सीईओ के रूप में किसे नियुक्त किया गया है?

(a) Rajesh Verma / राजेश वर्मा

(b) Prasad K Panicker / प्रसाद के पणिक्कर

(c) Sanjay Khanna / संजय खन्ना

(d) R K Gupta / आर के गुप्ता

(e) Laxman Narasimhan / लक्ष्मण नरसिम्हन

Exp. Laxman Narasimhan assumed charge as new CEO of Starbucks

Indian-origin Laxman Narasimhan has assumed role of the CEO of Starbucks taking over from founder Howard Schultz.

Prior to his appointment, Narasimhan served as the chief executive of Reckitt, a company that owns brands such as Lysol, Durex, and Mucinex

Before this, Narasimhan held various leadership roles at PepsiCo.

Founded in 1971, Starbucks today has over 34,000 stores worldwide.

Recent Appointment

• MD & CEO CEAT - Arnab Banerjee
• MD & CEO of Invest India - Manmeet K Nanda
• CMD of Cotton Corporation of India - Lalit Kumar Gupta
• 'Order of Australia' for bolstering bilateral ties - Ratan Tata
• CMD of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) - G Krishnakumar
• CEO of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) - K Krithivasan

Exp. Sarabjot Singh won gold in 10m air pistol at ISSF World Cup

India’s pistol shooter, Sarabjot Singh has clinched the gold medal in the men’s 10m Air Pistol event at the ISSF Rifle and Pistol World Cup 2023 held in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.

While Varun Tomar secured bronze in the same event.

In the women’s 10m Air Pistol event, Li Xue from China won the gold and Germany’s Doreen Vennekamp settled for silver.

China’s Qian Wei completed the podium with a bronze medal finish.

Exp. Microsoft introduces ‘Bing Image Creator’ powered by OpenAI’s DALL-E

Microsoft has introduced a new feature ‘Bing Image Creator’ to the new Bing and Edge preview, which allows users to create an image simply by using their own words to describe the picture they want to see — powered by an advanced version of the Open AI’s DALL-E model.

Bing Image Creator integrated into Bing chat has started to roll out to Bing preview users, also it is available in Microsoft Edge from the Image Creator icon in the sidebar for both desktop and mobile users around the world in English.

It will soon integrate Image Creator into Edge from the new Bing button in chat mode in the preview version of Edge.

About Microsoft

• Founded – 1975
• Founders – Bill Gates and Paul Allen
• Headquarters – Washington DC
• Chairman – Satya Nadella
• CEO – Satya Nadella
• President – Brad Smith

Exp. 23 March – World Meteorological Day

World Meteorological Day is observed on March 23 every year to celebrate the formation of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

This day marks the significance of the interconnectedness between human behaviour and the Earth’s atmosphere.

Theme 2023 – The Future of Weather, Climate and Water across Generations.

This day has been celebrated since 1961 with different themes. It reflects the important contribution of the meteorological department to the safety and welfare of the countries.

The World Meteorological Organisation was established on March 23, 1950.  

Exp. 24 March – World Tuberculosis Day

World Tuberculosis Day is observed every year on 24 March.

Objective – To raise awareness about tuberculosis and encourage timely action to combat the global TB epidemic.

This is a highly infectious and potentially life-threatening disease.

Theme 2023 – Yes! We can end TB!

The first World TB Day was observed in 1982, 100 years after Dr. Robert Koch discovered the bacterium that causes TB. Since then, the day has become an important occasion to educate people about the symptoms, transmission, and prevention of TB.

About Tuberculosis (TB)

• It is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
• The bacteria generally attack the lungs, but TB bacteria can attack any part of the body, such as the kidneys, spine, and brain.
• Tuberculosis infections began increasing in 1985 because of the emergence of HIV.
• HIV weakens a person’s immune system, so it can’t fight the TB germs.

Symptoms of TB

• Cough for three or more weeks
• Coughing up bloody sputum
• Chest pain, pain with breathing and coughing
• Weight loss, Fatigue, Fever and Night sweats etc.