Current Affairs Quiz 25th June 2024 Quiz

Exp. Indian Army opened Khalubar War Memorial to tourists in Ladakh

In Ladakh, as a tribute to the heroes of the Kargil War, the Indian Army has opened the Khalubar War Memorial to tourists.

This opening ceremony was part of the ‘Forever in Operations’ Division’s Pre-Kargil Vijay Diwas celebrations as this year, the country will celebrate the 25th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas on 26 July.

Located in the renowned Aryan Valley this memorial commemorates the bravery and sacrifices of soldiers who fought to reclaim the valley during the war.

Khalubar, a serene valley near the border, became a focal point during the Kargil War when enemy forces captured it. The area was recaptured by the valiant efforts of Indian soldiers, including Captain Manoj Pandey, whose heroic actions are now immortalized at the memorial.

Alongside the military, the local men and women played a pivotal role in the battle, cementing the valley’s historical and cultural significance.

Exp. Dr Radhakrishnan to head government committee on restructuring NTA

The Union Ministry of Education has set up seven members committee headed by the former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), K Radhakrishnan to review and suggest reform in the examination process.

The government has taken this step after the controversy over a paper leak at the undergraduate National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) exam 2024 and the postponement of NET-UGC exams.

The committee consists of seven eminent people. It will be headed by former ISRO chairman Koppillil Radhakrishnan.

The other members of the committee are Professor BJ Rao, Professor Ramamurthy K, Dr Randeep Guleria, Pankaj Bansal, Professor Aditya Mittal and Govind Jaiswal, Joint Secretary, Union Ministry of Education.

About the National Testing Agency

• The National Testing Agency was established as an autonomous body by the Indian government under the Union Ministry of Education in November 2017.
• The NTA conducts entrance examinations for admission/fellowship in the central government’s various higher educational institutions.
• Union Minister for Education: Dharmendra Pradhan

Recent Committees in News

• RBI set up a committee to Mitigate Payment Fraud; chaired by AP Hota
• SEBI sets up committee to review ownership, economic structure of clearing corporations; chaired by Usha Thorat
• Gender Sensitisation and Internal Complaints Committee – Justice Hima Kohli
• Equestrian Federation Of India’s Ad-Hoc Administrative Committee – chaired by Justice Najmi Waziri
• IOA forms three-member ad hoc committee to run affairs of suspended WFI; chaired by – Bhupinder Singh Bajwa

Exp. India’s first pilot project for Underground Coal Gasification in Jharkhand

The Ministry of Coal via Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) has initiated India’s first pilot project for Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) at the Kasta coal block in Jamtara District, Jharkhand.

This first ever groundbreaking initiative aims to revolutionize the coal industry by using in-situ coal gasification to convert it into valuable gases such as methane, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide.

These gases can be utilized to produce synthetic natural gas, chemical feedstocks for fuels, fertilizers, explosives, and other industrial applications.

About Jharkhand

• Capital – Ranchi
• Chief Minister – Champai Soren (replace Hemant Soren)
• Governor – P. Radhakrishnan

Exp.Mrinal Kr Das appointed as Director in Department of Consumer Affairs

Mrinal Kumar Das (IRS) has been appointed as the Director in the Department of Consumer Affairs under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.

Das has been selected for the appointment to the said post under the Central Staffing Scheme (CSS) for a period of five years from the date of taking over charge of the post or until further orders, whichever event takes place earlier.

Das is an Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer of 2007 batch. He was recommended for the Central deputation by the Department of Revenue.

Recent Appointment 

• Secretary of TRAI – Atul Kumar Chaudhary (replace V Raghunandan)
• Director (Enterprise) in BSNL -Sudhakararao Papa
• Chairman of Global Wind Energy Council India (GWEC India) – Girish Tanti
• President of the Asian Association of Hair Restoration Surgeons – Dr Kapil Dua
• Principal Secretary to PM – Dr PK Mishra (reappointment)
• National Security Advisor – Ajit Doval (reappointment)

Exp. ACE partners with Bank of Baroda for construction equipment financing

Action Construction Equipment Ltd. (ACE), a prominent player in India’s construction equipment manufacturing sector, has entered into a MoU with Bank of Baroda to facilitate financing solutions for construction equipment businesses.

Under this partnership, ACE customers across the country will have access to tailored financing options provided by Bank of Baroda.

This agreement aims to support construction equipment businesses, local entrepreneurs, and startups by offering seamless access to financing.

Recent MoUs Signed in Banking Sector

• IPPB partners with Ria Money Transfer to enhance doorstep financial services nationwide
• Namdev Finvest partnered with Bajaj Allianz General Insurance to offer comprehensive financial solutions, including insurance and NBFC services, to its customers.
• MEA signed MoU with SBI to enhance digital payment services for eMigrate portal users
• Kotak Life partners with Mahindra Finance to offer life insurance solutions
• SBI and Muthoot Microfin join forces to support women entrepreneurs
• Axis Bank partners with Bajaj Allianz for strategic bancassurance

Exp. Universal Sompo settles ₹8 crore claims under Ayushman Bharat in 4 months

Universal Sompo General Insurance Company has provided cashless claims approval of ₹8.03 crore for over 8,170 hospital admissions under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana in the Union Territory Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu.

The scheme has become operational since February 1 and the cashless approvals have been made over the past 142 days. This reflects the scheme’s efficiency and the substantial financial relief to families.

The administration of PMJAY is supported by PMJAY-ABHA digital platform, enhancing the efficiency, transparency and effectiveness of the scheme’s implementation.

Universal Sompo General Insurance Co is a joint venture of Indian Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Karnataka Bank, Dabur Investment Corporation and a leading general insurer from Japan, Sompo Japan Insurance Inc.

Exp. HDFC ERGO General Insurance elevates Anuj Tyagi as MD and CEO

Anuj Tyagi has been appointed as the new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of HDFC ERGO General Insurance.

Tyagi will succeed Ritesh Kumar effective July 1.

Tyagi has been with the company since 2008, holding various functions during his tenure. He was elevated as joint managing director in April 2023.

Recent Appointment in Banking & Insurance Sector

• CMD of New India Assurance Company – Girija Subramanian
• Non-executive Independent Director of Paytm – Neeraj Arora
• MD and CEO of Dhanlaxmi Bank – Ajith Kumar KK
• DG of ESIC – Kamal Kishore Soan
• MD & CEO of PNB MetLife India Insurance – Sameer Bansal (replace Ashish Srivastava)

Exp. ESAF SFB chief Paul Thomas elected Chairperson of Sa-Dhan

MD & CEO of ESAF Small Finance Bank, Paul Thomas has been elected as Chairperson of the board of Sa-Dhan, which is an association of microfinance and impact finance institutions.

Sayeed has been re-elected for the second term on the board of Sa-Dhan at the Association’s Annual General Body meeting.

Jaiswal, Salimath, A Ramesh Kumar, Chairman & MD of Laraksha Impact Finance, Nagendra Mali, MD of Navachetna Microfinance, and Ganesh Chandra Modak, MD of Grameen Shakti were elected as new members to the Board.

Exp. THDC wins PSU Leadership award for digital transformation excellence

THDC India Limited (THDC) has been conferred with the prestigious PSU Leadership & Excellence Award 2024 in the category of ‘Leadership in Digital Transformation.

The Union Minister of State (Ind. Charge) Science & Technology; Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, PP/DoPT, Atomic Energy, Space, Government of India Dr Jitendra Singh conferred the award in a glittering ceremony organised in  New Delhi.

MD of THDC – RK Vishnoi

Recent Award

• National award for APY implementation – Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank
• Nelson Mandela Lifetime Achievement Award – Vinod Ganatra
• V Shantaram, Lifetime Achievement Award 2024 – Subbiah Nallamuth
• Risk Manager of the Year Award by Central Banking, UK – RBI
• Databricks Retail and CPG Partner of the Year Award – Tredence (a global data science and AI solutions company)

Exp. ‘Golden Thread’ bags the prestigious Golden Conch award at 18th MIFF 2024

The Indian film ‘The Golden Thread’, directed by Nistha Jain bagged the coveted Golden Conch award for the Best Documentary at MIFF 2024.

The film is both an homage to and an observation of the how last vestiges of the Industrial Revolution were impacted by the forces of economic change.

The film, adjudged as the best documentary of the South Asia’s oldest and largest film festival for non-fiction, not only illustrates the relationship of man to machine but also questions how capitalism values man as equal only to his labor.

Earlier noted wildlife filmmaker Subbiah Nallamuthu was conferred with the 18th V. Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award at the inauguration of the 18th MIFF 2024.

The 18th biennial MIFF 2024 was organised by the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and executed by the National Film Development Corporation at Mumbai.

Award Winner at the 18th MIFF 2024

International Competition Award Section

Golden Conch Award for the Best Documentary

• Golden Thread documentary film directed by Nistha Jain.
• The award carries a cash prize of Rs 10 lakhs, a citation and a Golden Conch as a trophy.

Best International Short Fiction Film

• Sour Milk, directed by Vera Pirogova of Estonia.
• The award carries a Silver Conch as a trophy and a cash prize of Rs. 5 lakhs.

Best International Animation Film

• Zima’, directed by Tomek Popakul, Kasumi Ozeki of Poland.
• The award carries a Silver Conch as a trophy and a cash prize of Rs. 5 lakhs.

Pramod Pati Award For Most Innovative / Experimental Film (Director)

• ‘The Old Young Crow’, directed by Liam Lopinto of Japan.
• The award carries a cash prize of Rs. 1 lakh and a trophy.

Special Jury Mention

• ‘Lovely Jackson’, directed by Matt Waldeck of the United States of America.
• The winner gets a trophy and a cash prize of Rs one Lakh.

National Competition Awards Section

Best Indian Documentary Film (above 60 minutes)

• ‘6-A Akash Ganga’ directed by Nirmal Chander Dandriyal.
• The award carries a silver conch as a trophy and a cash prize of Rs 5 lakhs.

Best Indian Short Fiction Film (up to 30 minutes duration)

• ‘Salt’ directed by Barkha Prashant Naik.
• The award a silver conch as a trophy and a cash prize of Rs 3 lakhs.

Best Indian Animation Film

• ‘Nirjara’, directed by Gaurav Pati.
• The award consists of a silver conch trophy and a cash prize of Rs 3 lakhs.

Special Jury Mention

• ‘A Coconut Tree’ directed by Joshy Benedict.

Sponsored Awards Section

Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari Award for Best Debut Director

• Sreemoyee Singh
• The winner is given a trophy and prize money of Rs 1 lakh.

FIPRESCI International Critic Jury Award

• Sreemoyee Singh for her film ‘And, Towards Happy Alleys’.

IDPA Award for Best Student Film

• ‘Chanchisoa (Expectation)’ directed by Elvachisa Ch Sangma and Dipankar Das.
• The award winner gets a trophy and Rs one lakh as a cash prize.

Special Award Section

Best short film made on “India in Amrit Kaal” (up to 15 min.) 

• Life in Loom, directed by Edmond Ranson.
• The award winner gets prize money of Rs one lakh, a trophy and a certificate.

Technical Award Section

Best Cinematographer

• ‘Babin Dulal’ (Nepal) for the film ‘Dhorpatan: No Winter Holidays’ and Suraj Thakur (India)  for the film ‘Entangled.’
• The award carries a cash prize of Rs three lakhs, a trophy and a certificate.

Best Editor

• Vignesh Kumulai for the film ‘Karparaa’ and Irene Dhar Mallik for the film ‘From the Shadows.
• The award winner gets a prize money of Rs three lakhs, a trophy and a certificate.

Best Sound Designer

• Niraj Gera for the film ‘The Golden Thread’ and Abhijit Sarkar for the film ‘Dhara Ka Tem.’
• The award winner gets a prize money of Rs three lakhs, a trophy and a certificate.

Exp. Sreeja Akula creates history by winning WTT Contender singles title

Sreeja Akula of Hyderabad became the first Indian table tennis player to win a WTT (World Table Tennis) Contender Women’s single title.

Sreeja Akula won both the women’s singles and doubles titles at the WTT Contender Lagos 2024 event.

The USD 80,000 prize money WTT Contender Lagos 2024 was held at the Sir Molade Okoya Thomas Indoor Sports Hall in Lagos, Nigeria.

Sreeja Akula, defeated the 16-year-old Yijie Ding of China 4-1 (10-12,11-9,11-6,11-8,11-6) in the final of the WTT Contender Lagos 2024 to win her first WTT Contender title.

Women’s Singles 

• Winner – Sreeja Akula (India)
• Runner Up – Yijie Ding (China)

Men’s Singles 

• Winner – Dimitrij Ovtcharov (Germany)
• Runner up – Ricardo Walther (Germany)

Women Doubles 

• Winner – Sreejas Akula and Archana Kamath (India)
• Runner up – Yashaswini Ghorpade and Diya Chitale (India)

Men’s Doubles 

• Winner – Harmeet Desai and Manav Thakkar (India)
• Runner up – Olajide Omotayo and Azeez Solanke (Nigeria)

Exp. Maharashtra Governor releases book titled ‘Gateways to the Sea’

The Governor of Maharashtra Ramesh Bais released a book titled ‘Gateways to the Sea: Historic Ports and Docks of Mumbai Region’ at Raj Bhavan Mumbai.

The book has been published by the Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, GoI. It comprises of 18 articles by renowned authors, compiled by the Maritime Mumbai Museum Society (MMMS)

The publication of this book is an important milestone in creating awareness about the ancient ports stated above and it also covers the development of modern ports and docks of Mumbai including Mazagon Dock, Mumbai Port, Bombay Dock, Sassoon Dock and Ferry Wharf also known as Bhaucha Dhakka.

Recent Book

• The Adventures of Ed-a-Mamma: Ed Finds A Home – launched by Alia Bhatt
• India’s Trade Policy; The 1990’s and beyond – Arvind Panagariya
• An Anchored Vision – Karumuttu T Kanan
• India and The Indian Ocean World Trade and Politics – Ashin Das Gupta
• A Fly on the RBI Wall – Alpana Killawala
• The Scam That Shook a Nation: The Nagarwala Scandal – Prakash Patra and Rasheed Kidwai

Exp. UP to establish world’s first Asian King Vulture Conservation & Breeding Centre in Maharajganj

Uttar Pradesh government will establish the world’s first conservation and breeding centre for Asian king vultures or red-headed vultures in Maharajganj.

The facility will improve the population of critically endangered species listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s red list since 2007.

The centre is named Jatayu Conservation and Breeding Centre.

The centre aims to ensure the good health of growing vultures and provide them with a pair. Once a female lays an egg, the pair will be left free in their natural environment.

About Uttar Pradesh

• Capital – Lucknow
• Chief Minister – Yogi Adityanath
• Governor – Anandiben Patel

Exp. 24 June – International Day of Women in Diplomacy

International Day of Women in Diplomacy is celebrated on June 24 every year to highlight the contribution of women to diplomacy – those who are breaking barriers and doing commendable jobs in this field.

Theme 2024 – Women’s Leadership in Multilateral Diplomacy

This year, the event to mark the International Day of Women in Diplomacy at the United Nations Headquarters in New York brings together high-level government officials, diplomats, senior representatives of the UN system and other stakeholders.

The event aims to facilitate interactive discussions and exchanges on the contributions, challenges and opportunities for women in diplomacy to catalyse change and transformation in multilateral affairs, the UN website stated.

Exp. 25 June – International Day of the Seafarer

International Day of the Seafarer is celebrated every year on 25 June.

This special day was created by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to recognize the important role seafarers play in our daily lives and the global economy.

The Day of the Seafarer was established during an important meeting in Manila in 2010. At this meeting, countries agreed on new standards for training seafarers (called the STCW Convention).

The resolution that created this day encourages everyone involved in shipping – from governments to companies – to promote the Day of the Seafarer and find meaningful ways to celebrate it.