Current Affairs Quiz 27th February 2024 Quiz

Exp. India’s poverty level down to 5% of population: NITI Aayog

NITI Aayog CEO B V R Subrahmanyam has said that the latest consumer expenditure survey indicates that poverty has come down to five per cent in the country and people are becoming prosperous both in rural and urban areas.

Citing the survey data, the increase in consumption both in rural and urban areas is about 2.5 times

The National Sample Survey Office under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, released data on household consumption expenditure in 2022-23 which shows per capita monthly household expenditure more than doubled in 2022-23 as compared to 2011-12.

NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India)

• Founded – 1st January 2015
• Preceding – Planning Commission (15th March 1950)
• Headquarters – New Delhi
• Chairperson – Narendra Modi
• Vice Chairperson – Suman K Bery
• CEO – BVR Subrahmanyam
• NITI Aayog comes under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry

Exp. UAE removed from money laundering ‘grey list’

Global anti-money laundering watchdog the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) had removed the United Arab Emirates from its “grey list” of countries subject to increased monitoring.

While Kenya and Namibia were added.

A total of 21 nations are on the grey list.

In addition to the UAE, Barbados, Gibraltar and Uganda were removed from the grey list.

They’ve all taken substantial steps to improve the AML-CFT safety systems and address all items on their actions plans.

About Financial Action Task Force (FATF)

• Founded – 1989
• Headquarters – Paris, France
• Membership – 39
• President – T Raja Kumar (Singapore)

Exp. Anurag Thakur announced setting up Film Certification Facilitation Office in Chandigarh

Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Singh Thakur has announced the setting up of a regional facilitation office of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) in Chandigarh.

This move aims to support filmmakers in the region by making the process of obtaining film certification more convenient.

About Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC)

• The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) operates as a statutory body under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India.
• Its mandate involves overseeing the public screening of films in accordance with the Cinematograph Act 1952, which sets forth rigorous certification procedures for commercial films shown in public spaces.
• Films distributed in cinemas and on television must undergo board certification before public exhibition in India, often requiring editing to comply with regulatory standards.

Exp. 13th WTO Ministerial Conference held in Abu Dhabi

The 13th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) commenced in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Ambassador Athaliah Lesiba, Chairperson of the WTO General Council, delivered a report highlighting progress on implementing commitments from the previous conference, including strengthening trade reviews and advancing negotiations on fisheries subsidies and e-commerce.

Director-General Okonjo-Iweala emphasized open trade a nd collaborative efforts to navigate global uncertainties, highlighting UAE’s role in supporting developing nations.

Exp. India to be the third largest economy by 2027: Jefferies

Global investment advisory firm Jefferies has projected an optimistic outlook for the Indian economy and its equity markets.

The New York-headquartered firm said that in the last ten years, India has seen fundamental structural reforms that have created the framework for the country to realise its full potential.

India’s GDP will likely touch five trillion US dollars making it the third largest economy by 2027, overtaking Japan and Germany, maintaining the status of fastest-growing large economy.

The Global Firm in its report has observed that India’s market capitalization at 4.3 trillion US dollars ranks 5th in the world behind USA, China, Japan and Hong Kong.

Exp. Bihar, SIDBI to collaborate on enhancing startup ecosystem

The Bihar Startup Fund Trust (BSFT) has signed an MoU with Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) to boost the startup ecosystem in the eastern state.

The initiative is aimed at creating a conducive environment for startups and transforming Bihar into a startup hub.

The BSFT is the nodal agency constituted by the Industries Department for implementation of the Bihar Startup Policy.

Under the policy, the state government has set up the BSFT with an initial corpus of Rs 500 crore. Out of this, BSSFF has been established with an initial corpus of Rs 50 crore for scale-up funding support to startups.

About Bihar

• Capital – Patna
• Chief Minister – Nitish Kumar (9^th time)
• Deputy CM – Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha
• Governor – Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar

Exp. Sunil Sharma appointed as Director in Department of School Education & Literacy

Sunil Sharma (IRS) has been selected for the appointment as Director in the Department of School Education & Literacy under the Ministry of Education.

Sharma has been selected for the appointment under the Central Staffing Scheme (CSS) for a period of five years.

Sharma is an Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer of 2010 batch. He was recommended for the Central deputation by the Department of Revenue.

Recent Appointment

• CMD of IRCTC – Sanjay Kumar Jain
• President of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) – Ranjeet Kumar Agarwal (72nd)
• Vice President of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) – Charanjot Singh Nanda
• First Transwoman TTE of Southern Railway – Sindhu Ganapathy’s
• Department of Health & Family Welfare Secretary – Apurva Chandra

Exp. Nitin Jain appointed as Deputy Secretary in Ministry of Steel

Indian Revenue Service (IRS) Nitin Jain has been selected for the appointment as Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Steel.

He has been selected for the appointment under the Central Staffing Scheme for a period up to March 15, 2025.

Jain is an Indian Revenue Service (IRS) 2011 batch.

Recent Appointment

• CEO of Jindal Stainless Ltd – Tarun Khulbe
• CEO of PepsiCo India – Jagrut Kotecha (replace Ahmed El Sheikh)
• As a member of the UPSC – Sheel Vardhan Singh
• MD of Bangalore Metro – Maheshwar Rao
• MD of Experian India – Manish Jain

Exp. Sureshwar Bonal appointed as Director in Heavy Industries Ministry

Sureshwar Singh Bonal (CWES) has been selected for the appointment as Director in the Ministry of Heavy Industries.

Banal has been selected for appointment under the Central Staffing Scheme for five years.

Bonal is a Central Water Engineering Service (CWES) officer of 2004 batch.

He was recommended for the Central deputation by the Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation.

Recent Appointment

• Secretary in Ministry of Steel – Nitin Jain
• Director in Department of School Education & Literacy – Sunil Sharma
• Director of Citizen Registration (DCR) of J&K and Ladakh – Bhupinder Kumar
• Director in Skill Development Ministry – Tatung Padi
• Punjab ‘state icon’ for Lok Sabha polls – Shubman Gill (Campaign – Is Vaar 70 Paar)

Exp. Maryam Nawaz becomes first Woman CM of Punjab province

Senior PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz, the daughter of three-time former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, became the first-ever woman Chief Minister of a Punjab province in Pakistan.

Maryam, the 50-year-old senior vice president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, won the chief ministerial elections amidst a walkout by lawmakers of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party-backed Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).

In the recently concluded elections, PML-N won 137 seats in the Punjab Assembly while independents backed by former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) won 113 seats.

Exp. Indian Squash player Abhay Singh wins Goodfellow Classic squash

Indian Squash player Abhay Singh clinched the Goodfellow Classic PSA Challenger Tour Title in Toronto, Canada.

In the finals, he defeated Elliott Morris Devred of Wales by 3-0.

With this win, the Asian Games Gold medalist has won his eighth PSA World Tour title.

Exp. India bags nine gold medals at Archery Asia Cup 2024 in Baghdad

India finished the Archery Asia Cup 2024 with 14 medals, including nine gold, four silver and one bronze medal in Baghdad, Iraq.

In the women’s individual recurve category, three-time Olympian Deepika Kumari won the gold medal by defeating compatriot Simranjeet Kaur 6-2. Meanwhile, in an all-Indian final, Dhiraj Bommadevara beat Tarundeep Rai 7-3 to win the men’s recurve archery title.

India swept the top podiums in all the individual events, clinching top positions in both the men’s and women’s compound events.

Parneet Kaur defeated Iran’s Fatemeh Hemmati 138-135 for the women’s gold medal match while Prathamesh Jawkar beat teammate Kushal Dalal 146-144 for the men’s title.

Indian women’s recurve team comprising Simranjeet Kaur, Deepika Kumari and Bhajan Kaur defeated Uzbekistan 5-4 via shootout in a closely-fought final to clinch the gold.

Exp. 27 February – World NGO Day

World NGO Day is celebrated every year on 27 February.

The NGOs play a crucial role in addressing global challenges, advocating for human rights and fostering sustainable development.

It was officially proposed and recognised on April 17, 2010, by 12 countries of the Baltic Sea NGO Forum in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Theme 2024 – Building a Sustainable Future: The Role of NGOs in Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The member countries of the Baltic Sea NGO Forum were Belarus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Norway and Sweden.

The first global inaugural event of World NGO day was hosted by the Ministry for Foreign affairs of Finland on 27 February 2014 in Helsinki, Finland.

Exp. Filmmaker Kumar Shahani passes away

Kumar Shahani, the pole star of the parallel cinema movement in India, passed away in Kolkata at 83.

Always a critic’s choice, the influential filmmaker strived to capture the truth in every frame and his distinct portrayal of the changing human condition in Maya Darpan (1972), Tarang (1984) and Kasba (1990) has withstood the test of time.

Exp. Legendary Ghazal Singer Pankaj Udhas passes away

Veteran singer Pankaj Udhas passed away at the age of 72.

A singer with a euphonious voice, Pankaj made his entry into the film industry with the song “Munne Ki Amma Yeh To Bata” in Bhappi Sonie’s Tum Haseen Main Jawaan (1970), alongside Kishore Kumar.

His debut ghazal album Aahat, released in 1980, garnered significant attention, paving the way for numerous successful albums in the years to come.

The track “Chithi Aayi Hai” from Mahesh Bhatt’s Naam (1986), composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal, brought Pankaj Udhas widespread acclaim, solidifying his position as a Bollywood mainstay.

In 2006, the Indian government conferred the Padma Shri on Udhas.