Current Affairs Quiz 28th and 29th October 2023 Quiz

Exp. PM Modi inaugurated 7th Edition of Indian Mobile Congress

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the 7th Edition of the Indian Mobile Congress 2023 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.

He will award 100 5G Use Case Labs to educational institutions across the country. These labs are being developed under the 100 5G labs initiative.

The 100 5G labs initiative, is an endeavour to realize the opportunities associated with 5G technology by encouraging the development of 5G applications that cater, both to India’s unique needs as well as the global demands.

It will foster innovation across various socioeconomic sectors like education, agriculture, health, power, and transportation. The initiative is also a pivotal step for building a 6G-ready academic and start-up ecosystem in the country.

PM Modi in News

• PM Modi chairs meeting of 43rd edition of PRAGATI
• PM Modi launched Bengaluru Metro’s Purple Line operations
• PM Modi launched 511 Pramod Mahajan Grameen Kaushalya Vikas Kendras in Maharashtra
• PM Modi released a new Garba song titled “Maadi”.
• PM inaugurated 3rd edition of Global Maritime India Summit 2023

Exp. Airbus tie-up with IIT Kanpur to promote aerospace education

The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK) and Airbus signed an MoU to facilitate increased collaboration in developing education programmes with a focus on research to foster talent development in the Indian aerospace sector.

Under the collaboration, both entities will promote research in advanced technologies and develop programmes and activities to enhance technical capabilities for aerospace students in India.

Both organizations will also explore collaboration opportunities with global institutes where students will get to work on projects relevant to the sector.

IIT Kanpur has been relentlessly pursuing its vision to support innovation, research, and entrepreneurial activities in technology-based fields, and Aerospace is one of the key thrust areas in this endeavor.

This MoU will harness Airbus’ expertise and IIT Kanpur’s capabilities in education, research and training to nurture the next generation of technology leaders and will unlock the potential of the fast-evolving aerospace landscape in the country.

IITs in News

• IIT Guwahati signed MoU with the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) to build capacity/skills in international affairs and foreign policy
• IIT Guwahati researchers develop Al-based model for knee X-ray
• University of Jaffna & IIT Madras sign MoU for promote research initiatives
• IIT Kanpur successfully conducts test flight for cloud seeding
• YES Bank collaborates with IIT Kanpur to offer support to Incubated Startups

Exp. 124 PM Shri schools dedicated to Haryana

Union Minister for Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Shri Dharmendra Pradhan along with Chief Minister of Haryana Shri Manohar Lal Khattar have dedicated 124 PM-Shri schools to Haryana.

These schools will have ICT labs and Smart Classrooms also.

Ministers also launched the Accreditation of the Schools app and Mobile Application (NIPUN). Books and Learning Materials for Balvatika-3rd were also unveiled during the occasion.

PM-Shri Schools will be a symbol of excellence with 21st-century modern education based on skill-based, people-life-culture and mother tongue.

The launch of PM Shri School will increase the potential of school education in Haryana and the children of Haryana will benefit for the initiative.

About Haryana

• Capital – Chandigarh
• Chief Minister – Manohar Lal Khattar
• Governor – Bandaru Dattatreya

Exp. Kerala to set up ₹200 crore Graphene production facility in public-private partnership

The Kerala Government has decided to set up a pilot production facility of Graphene. The production facility will cost ₹200 crores.

Graphene is called a wonder material for its extraordinary electrical and electronic properties, in the state.

The facility is designed to operate on a public-private partnership model and will require an estimated investment of ₹237 crore. The Kerala Digital University will be the implementing agency, while the Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (KINFRA) has been assigned the role of a special-purpose vehicle for infrastructure development.

About Kerala

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

Exp. Chanakya Defence Dialogue 2023 to hold discussion on security challenges

Chanakya Defence Dialogue 2023’ is being organized by the Indian Army in partnership with Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS).

The first edition of Chanakya Defence Dialogue will be held on 3rd & 4th November 2023 in Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi. This is the first event of its kind being organized by the Indian Army.

This Dialogue will carry out a comprehensive analysis of security challenges in South Asia and the Indo-Pacific. It will focus on crafting a roadmap for collaborative security measures in the region to fortify India’s position as a ready, resurgent, and relevant stakeholder among the nations of this region.

Indian Army has been closely working with 340 indigenous defence industries towards the fructification of 230 contracts by the year 2025. The COAS also mentioned that Indian Army has identified 45 niche technologies in the field of military applications.  

Exp.Zerodha Fund House launches its Maiden Mutual Fund Schemes

Zerodha Fund House has launched its maiden funds – Zerodha Nifty LargeMidcap 250 Index Fund and Zerodha ELSS Tax Saver Nifty LargeMidcap 250 Index Fund, open-ended, passive, index equity mutual fund schemes.

The NFO opened on 20th October 2023 and will remain open till 3rd November 2023.

It is a joint venture between Zerodha Broking Limited and Smallcase Technologies Pvt Ltd.

Zerodha Fund House (ZFH) is a passive-only AMC which aims to build simple, transparent, and affordable mutual funds. ZFH will leverage technology at every touchpoint to provide building blocks for every investor’s portfolio.

The Index Fund is an open-ended scheme replicating Nifty LargeMidcap 250 Index. And the ELSS is an open-ended passive equity-linked savings scheme with a statutory lock-in period of 3 years and tax benefit replicating Nifty LargeMidcap 250 Index.

Zerodha Nifty LargeMidcap 250 Index Fund and Zerodha ELSS Tax Saver Nifty LargeMidcap 250 Index Fund will be benchmarked against Nifty LargeMidcap 250 Index TRI (Total Returns Index).

The schemes will adopt a passive investment strategy and will endeavour to invest in stocks in proportion to the weightage of the stocks in the Nifty LargeMidcap 250 Index.  

Exp. IRDAI forms panel to simplify insurance policy wordings

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has constituted a committee of 12 members to simplify insurance policy wording.

The committee, which will be headed by L Viswanathan, a member of the Insurance Advisory Committee (IAC), will also include the Secretary Generals of the Life Insurance and General Insurance Council along with the president of the Insurance Brokers Association of India (IBAI) and the Principal Officer, State Bank of India (Corporate Agent) as well as other senior members of the insurance industry.

This decision comes in the backdrop of Irdai’s observation that policyholders often find it difficult to understand the terms and conditions in insurance policy contracts due to the complex language used in the policy, stopping them from making informed decisions while purchasing an insurance policy.

As a step towards Irdai’s goal of Insurance for all by 2047, the regulator is putting efforts towards creating a progressive, supportive, facilitative and forward-looking architecture, which will foster a healthy environment leading to wider choice, accessibility and affordability to the policyholders.

The eight-member committee has been asked to submit its recommendations within 8-10 weeks.

Recent Committees

• One Nation, One Election Committee; chaired by – Ram Nath Kovind
• SEBI reconstitutes panel on alternative investment policy; chaired by – N R Narayana Murthy
• Government sets up high power committee to review DRDO; chaired by – Prof K Vijay Raghavan
• Government forms new panel to review all official data; chaired by – Pronab Sen
• Chairman of the research advisory committee of ICAR – B Neeraj Prabhakar
• Government sets up panel to recommend reforms in arbitration law; Headed by – T K Vishwanathan (Former law secretary)

Exp. Amol Muzumdar appointed head coach of Indian women’s cricket team

Amol Muzumdar, a stalwart of Indian domestic cricket, has been appointed as the new head coach of the senior women’s team by the BCCI.

Muzumdar was a right-handed batter who has had an illustrious career in first-class cricket, scoring 11,167 runs in 171 matches.

Despite his impressive record, he was never selected to play for the Indian national team, largely due to the presence of cricketing legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and VVS Laxman during his prime.

Muzumdar’s coaching career has been equally noteworthy. He served as a batting coach for the Rajasthan Royals and even took up an interim role for the South Africa national cricket team during their tour of India.

Prior to his appointment as the head coach of the senior women’s team, he was the head coach for the Mumbai squad.

His coaching experience also extends to the India Under-19 and Under-23 cricket teams, and he has worked as a batting consultant for the Netherlands cricket team.

Recent Appointment

• Director of General Hospital Services (Armed Forces) – Air Marshal Sadhna Saxena Nair

• Election Commission’s national icon – Rajkummar Rao
• SVP & MD for HP India – Ipsita Dasgupta
• CMD of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) – Sanjay Kumar Jain (replace Mahendra Pratap Maal)
• CMD of Housing and Urban Development Corporation Ltd (HUDCO) – Sanjay Kulshreshtha

Exp. Richa Chadha receives award from Consul General of France

Richa Chadha has been awarded the title of ‘Chevalier dans l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres’ by the French government for her significant contributions in the field of arts.

Jean-Marc Sere-Charlet, the Consul General of France in Mumbai, presents the award to Chadha on the sidelines of the Jio MAMI Mumbai International Film Festival.

The actresses’ 2015 critically-acclaimed film, ‘Masaan’ was an Indo-French co-production that was screened in the ‘Un Certain Regard’ section at the Cannes Film Festival the same year and had won two awards.

For her maiden home production film, ‘Girls Will Be Girls’ she has received both, the French grant ‘Aide aux Cinemas du Monde’ (ACM) as well as the new incentives introduced by the Indian authorities.

Recent Awards

• National Medal of Technology and Innovation Award by US President – Ashok Gadgil and Subra Suresh
• Global Leadership Award by the Harvard Law School – CJI DY Chandrachud
• Golden Peacock Award – REC Limited
• UNWTO’s Best Tourism Village 2023 – Gujarat’s Dhordo Village
• UN Award 2023 – Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI)

Exp. Simran Vats won Silver in women’s 200m – T12 at Asian Para Games

Simran Vats for clinching a silver medal in the women’s 200m – T12 event at the Hangzhou Asian Para Games 2023.

Simran clocked timings of 26.12 seconds to finish the race.

She finished behind Iran’s Hagar Safarzadeh Ghahderijani, who clocked the timings of 25.87 seconds.

The bronze medal went to China’s Yaqin Shen.

Exp. Archer Sheetal Devi wins two gold medals at Asian Para Games 2023

Teenaged armless archer Sheetal Devi has become the first Indian woman to win two gold medals in a single edition of the Asian Para Games by claiming the top honours in the women’s individual compound event.

It is a hat-trick of medals for the 16-year-old from Jammu and Kashmir, who holds her bow with her foot.

Earlier this week, Sheetal won gold in the compound mixed team event and silver in the women’s doubles.

Sheetal, who became the first armless woman to win a Para World Archery Championships medal in July, defeated Singapore’s Alim Nur Syahidah 144-142 in the gold medal match

Ankur Dhama had become the first Indian to win two gold medals in a single edition earlier this week.

Archers Rakesh Kumar defeated Iran’s Alisin Manshaezadeh in 144(10)–144(9) in a shoot-off to win the silver medal in the men’s compound event.

Exp. Sachin Sajerao won Gold in Men’s Shot Put in Asian Para Games

Sachin Sajerao Khilari has won the gold medal in the Men’s Shot Put-F46 event at the Asian Para Games 2023 in Hangzhou, China.

He has not only clinched the gold but also set a new Asian record with an impressive throw of 16.21m. He breached the Games Record mark by registering 16.03m.

Joshua Cinnamo from the USA narrowly missed out on the top spot by 0.21m.

Another Indian athlete, Rohit Kumar, won bronze with a best throw of 14.56m.

Exp. Sidhartha Babu won Gold in 50m Rifles SH-1 event at Asian Para Games

Sidhartha Babu has won gold medal in the Mixed 50m Rifles Prone SH-1 event at the Asian Para Games 2023 in Hangzhou, China.

Sidhartha Babu is an Indian self-taught, international rifle shooter from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

He also won Bronze for India in Para Shooting World Cup 2017.

Exp. Ashok bagged Bronze in men’s 65 kg event at Asian Para Games 2023

Ashok, hailing from Haryana, has secured a well-deserved bronze medal in the 65 kg weight category at the Asian Para Games 2023 in Hangzhou, China.

Ashok’s incredible performance saw him lifting an impressive 192 kg in his second attempt, solidifying his place on the victory podium.