Current Affairs Quiz 29th January 2025 Quiz

Exp. Directorate General of Shipping & Centre for Development of Advanced Computing sign umbrella MOU to drive Maritime Innovation

The Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) and the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), a Scientific Society under Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) signed an umbrella Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), to advance technological innovation and excellence in India’s maritime sector.

This MoU embodies a progressive vision for tackling challenges and leveraging opportunities in the maritime sector through technology, collaboration, and innovation. It establishes a strong foundation for building a sustainable and advanced maritime ecosystem in India.

Exp. Micheal Martin returns as Irish prime minister

Micheal Martin has been elected as the Republic of Ireland’s prime minister for a second time. Lawmakers voted 95 to 76 in support of the nomination of the Fianna Fail leader.

Martin will lead a coalition government made up of the two largest centre-right parties, in addition to independent lawmakers.

Martin, 64, was previously prime minister from 2020 to 2022 before handing the position to Fine Gael for the second half of the term.

Newly Appointed Prime Minister & President

• PM of Ireland – Micheal Martin
• President of the United States – Donald Trump (47th)
• President of Venezuela -Nicolás Maduro
• President of Lebanon – Joseph Aoun
• President of Ghana – John Mahama

Exp. India’s Jyothi Yarraji wins gold medal in women’s 60m indoor hurdles in France

In Athletics, India’s Jyothi Yarraji broke her own national record and won the gold medal in the women’s 60m indoor hurdles at the Meeting de Nantes Métropole 2025 in France.

Jyothi Yarraji, who already holds the national record in women’s 100m hurdles, clocked 8.04 seconds to win the final A at the Pierre-Quinon Metropolitan Stadium.

At the 2023 Asian Games, Jyothi won the silver medal in the 100m hurdles, clocking 12.91 seconds. Last year, she made her Olympic debut in Paris, where she finished fourth in the women’s 100m hurdles repechage heat, failing to qualify for the semi-finals.

Exp. Reserve Bank of India ombudsman resolves 95% of complaints in FY24

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has resolved 95 per cent of complaints received under the Reserve Bank-Integrated Ombudsman Scheme (RB-IOS) between April 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024.

According to the annual report of the Ombudsman Scheme for this period, a total of 9,34,355 complaints were lodged under RB-IOS. These complaints were handled by the Offices of the RBI Ombudsman (ORBIOs) and the Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre (CRPC).

The RBI’s Integrated Ombudsman Scheme recorded a 32.81 per cent increase in complaints from banking customers during the financial year ending March 2024. As per the report, 57.07 per cent of maintainable complaints were resolved through mutual settlement, conciliation, or mediation, while 40.78 per cent were dismissed due to the absence of any service deficiency.

Loans and advances accounted for 85,281 complaints, representing 29.01 per cent of the total complaints—a sharp increase of 42.70 per cent compared to the 2023.

Regionally, Chandigarh, the National Capital Territory of Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Uttarakhand emerged as the top five contributors to complaints received at ORBIOs per lakh accounts (deposit and credit). On the other hand, Mizoram, Nagaland, Ladakh, Manipur, and Lakshadweep reported the lowest number of complaints during FY24.

Exp. India’s participation in International Travel Trade Exhibition at FITUR, Madrid

The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, has participated in one of the leading travel fairs – IFEMA being held in Madrid, Spain for positioning India as a potential leading destination in the source market of Spain and Latin America.

The exhibition at FITUR, considered to be a benchmark event in the tourism sector, was held from 22nd – 26th January 2025. FITUR is the global meeting point for tourism professionals and leading fair for inbound and outbound markets in Ibero-America.

The Indian delegation comprised of more than 23 co-exhibitors, including the State Governments of Karnataka, Sikkim, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand amongst others showcased their unique tourism products and experiences under the Incredible India banner at FITUR.

The year 2026 will be marked as the Dual Year of Culture, Tourism and Artificial Intelligence on the occasion of 70th year of diplomatic relations between India and Spain. The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, also, in order to encourage the Indian diaspora to become Incredible India ambassadors, has launched ‘Chalo India Initiative’.

Exp. Alexander Lukashenko wins seventh straight term in ‘sham’ Belarus election

Longtime Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has been declared winner of a disputed presidential election, securing a seventh straight term, according to the country’s electoral body.

Belarus’ incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko has won the presidential election. Preliminary data from the Central Election Commission shows that Lukashenko received 86.82 per cent of the vote.

 According to the law, Belarus’ president is chosen through direct elections, and a candidate receiving more than 50 per cent of the vote is declared elected. The president is elected for five-year terms.

About Belarus

• Capital- Minsk
• Currency- Belarusian ruble
• Continent – Europe
• Official languages- Belarusian, Russian
• President- Aleksandr Lukashenko

Exp. IRDAI imposes ₹1 crore penalty on Royal Sundaram General Insurance

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has imposed a ₹1 crore penalty on Royal Sundaram General Insurance for violation of norms pertaining to outsourcing of activities. 

In an inspection, the regulator observed payments in excess of ₹1 crore, made during 2018-19 and 2019-20 to vendors, were not reported in the outsourcing returns filed with the Authority.

The insurer also failed to submit the explanation/ information sought by the inspection team during the inspection period.

Exp. Georgia declared malaria-free after decades-long battle

The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that Georgia has officially been certified as malaria-free, marking a significant milestone in the country’s nearly century-long battle against the disease.

 Georgia becomes the 45th country and the first in the WHO European Region to achieve this status.

The certification process requires a country to demonstrate that no indigenous malaria cases have been reported for at least three consecutive years. Georgia achieved this milestone in 2015, after successfully interrupting the transmission of the three main malaria parasite species: P. falciparum, P. malariae, and P. vivax.

About Georgia

• Capital – Tbilisi
• Currency – Georgian lari
• President – Mikheil Kavelashvili
• Prime Minister – Irakli Garibashvili

Exp. Ujjivan SFB board approves filing for universal bank license with RBI

The Board of Directors of Ujjivan Small Finance Bank (SFB) has approved to file an application with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for universal bank license.

Apart from Ujjivan SFB, AU SFB has already applied for an universal bank license with the RBI. Jana SFB too is expected to follow suit in the current calendar year.

About Ujjivan Small Finance Bank

• Founded- 1 February 2017
• Headquarters- Bangalore, Karnataka
• MD & CEO – Sanjeev Nautiyal

Exp. India’s preeminent cardiac surgeon K.M. Cherian passes away

India’s preeminent cardiac surgeon K.M. Cherian, who performed India’s first coronary bypass surgery, died in Bengaluru.

He was honorary surgeon to the president of India from 1990 to 1993. He received numerous awards, including the Padma Shri in 1991 and a Harvard Medical Excellence Award in 2005, through a panel organised by Harvard Medical School.

Exp. Hariman Sharma selected for Padma Shri revolutionised apple cultivation

Hariman Sharma, a visionary farmer from Himachal Pradesh, has been honored with Padma Shri, one of the highest Civilian Award for his transformative contribution to Indian agriculture. 

He developed an innovative, self- pollinating, low chilling apple variety called HRMN – 99, that has revolutionized the apple cultivation landscape in the country and brought a juicy nutritive variety more within reach in terms of geography and affordability. 

Unlike commercial apple varieties that require temperate climates and extended chilling hours, HRMN-99 thrives in tropical, sub-tropical, and plain regions with summer temperatures reaching 40-45°C, enabling apple farming in areas where it was previously considered unviable.

The story of the HRMN-99 apple variety began in 1998 when Hariman Sharma planted a few seeds from discarded apples used for household consumption in his backyard. Remarkably, one of these seeds sprouted the following year, and by 2001, the plant bore fruit despite the warm climate of Paniala, situated at an elevation of 1,800 feet.

Exp. CCI approves the proposed acquisition of up to 72.64% shareholding in ITD Cementation India Limited by Renew Exim DMCC

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has given the green light to the proposed acquisition of a majority stake in ITD Cementation India Limited (ICIL) by Renew Exim DMCC, a Dubai-based company belonging to the Adani Group.

The deal will see Renew Exim, an entity owned by Vinod Adani, acquire up to 72.64 per cent of ICIL’s total issued and voting equity share capital for a consideration of up to ₹5,758 crore, including the primary transaction and open offer.

Under the acquisition plan, Renew Exim DMCC will initially purchase 46.64 per cent of ITD Cementation’s equity, equating to 8,01,13,180 shares.

Additionally, as per SEBI’s Substantial Acquisition of Shares and Takeovers Regulations, 2011, the company has launched an open offer to acquire an additional 26 per cent stake, or 4,46,64,772 shares, to solidify its controlling position.

Exp. 26 January 2025 – World Leprosy Day

World Leprosy Day is observed every year on the last Sunday of January. In 2025, the World Leprosy Day is on 26 January.

This international day is an opportunity to celebrate people who have experienced leprosy, raise awareness of the disease, and call for an end to leprosy-related stigma and discrimination.

Theme 2025 – Unite. Act. Eliminate

Exp. PM Modi inaugurates the 38th National Games in Dehradun

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the 38th National Games in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.

The 38th National Games is being hosted in Dehradun, Uttarakhand during its Silver Jubilee year and will be held in 11 cities across 8 districts of Uttarakhand from 28th January to 14th February.

36 states and one union territory will participate in the National Games. Over 17 days, competitions for 35 sports disciplines will be held. Among these, medals will be awarded for 33 sports, while two will be exhibition sports.  Yoga and Mallakhamb have been included in the National Games for the first time. More than 10,000 athletes from across the country will participate in the event.

With a focus on sustainability, the theme for the National Games this year is “Green Games.”

A special park, called the Sports Forest, will be developed near the venue, where more than 10,000 saplings will be planted by athletes and guests. The medals and certificates for the athletes will be made from environmentally friendly and biodegradable materials.

Exp. JSW Group signs MoU with Odisha govt to set up 5-MTPA steel plant in Keonjhar

Sajjan Jindal-led JSW Group signed an MoU with the Odisha government to set up a 5-million tonnes per annum steel plant in Keonjhar district.

The agreement was signed in presence of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Sajjan Jindal here on the first day of ‘Utkarsh Odisha-Make in Odisha Conclave’.

The JSW (Group) will set up a 5-MTPA steel plant in Keonjhar district at an investment of around Rs 35,000 crore.

Keonjhar district is located in the iron ore reserves belt, and the minerals were being exported to other areas from the district. As a result, the locals did not get any benefit from the mineral resources.