Current Affairs Quiz 29th March 2024 Quiz

Exp. NHPC inks pct with JBIC for 20 billion

The State-owned hydropower giant NHPC has inked a loan agreement of JPY 20 billion (around Rs 1,100 crore) with Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) for developing a 300 MW solar project in Bikaner, Rajasthan.

This is the first kind of loan syndication by NHPC with JBIC for the financing of renewable energy project.

JBIC’s loan is co-financed with MUFG Bank Ltd., Japan and Bank of Yokohama Ltd, Japan.

The facility is extended under JBIC’s GREEN Operations (Global Action for Reconciling Economic Growth and Environment Preservation) which ensures preservation of global environment.

Exp. SEBI cancels investment banking licence of Karvy Investor Services

Capital markets regulator SEBI has cancelled the registration of Karvy Investor Services Ltd. (KISL) as a merchant banker for breach of eligibility criteria.

The order came after the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) conducted an inspection of Karvy Investor Services during March 15-17, 2023 and in the onsite inspection, the regulator found that the merchant banker was not functioning or operational both at the registered as well as in the correspondence address.

In April 2023, SEBI barred Karvy Investor Services from taking new clients for allegedly violating regulatory norms. It had found that KISL neither had any physical infrastructure nor any employee working for it.

Karvy Investor Services was registered as a merchant banker with SEBI in December 2013.

About Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)

• Founded – 12 April 1988
• Act – 1992
• Headquarters – Mumbai
• Chairman – Madhabi Puri Buch
• Executive Director – G Ram Mohan Rao
• SEBI Set up – Uday Kotak committee

Exp. Kotak Mahindra Bank acquires Sonata Finance

Kotak Mahindra Bank has acquired 100 per cent stake in Sonata Finance Private Limited – a microfinance institution — for Rs 537 crore.

With this acquisition, Sonata has become a wholly-owned subsidiary of the private sector bank.

Sonata operates in 10 states through 549 branches and has assets under management worth Rs 2,620 crore as on December 31, 2023.

About Kotak Mahindra Bank

• Founded – 21 November 1985
• Founders – Uday Kotak
• Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Chairman – CS Rajan (replace Prakash Apte)
• MD & CEO – Ashok Vaswani (replace Dipak Gupta)

Exp. India at G20 2nd Employment Working Group Meeting at Brasilia

The two-day 2nd Employment Working Group (EWG) meeting under the Brazilian Presidency commenced in Brasilia, Brazil.

The G20 EWG’s mandate is to address labour, employment and social issues for strong, sustainable, balanced and job-rich growth for all.

As India is a member of the G20 Troika, represented by Ms. Sumita Dawra, Secretary, Labour & Employment, India is co-chairing the 2nd EWG meeting, along with Brazil and South Africa.

Exp. Saudi Arabia to participate in Miss Universe event in historic first

Saudi Arabia officially joined the Miss Universe pageant with Rumy Alqahtani as the Islamic country’s first-ever representative.

This is another step for Saudi Arabia, which has been shedding its conservative cloak under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud.

Rumy Alqahtani, a 27-year-old model, would be the first participant from the country in the international beauty pageant.

Last year, Miss Nicaragua Sheynnis Palacios was crowned Miss Universe 2023.

Exp. Nidhu Saxena appointed as MD & CEO of Bank of Maharashtra

The central government has approved the appointment of Nidhu Saxena as the Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer (MD & CEO) of Bank of Maharashtra for a period of three years effective from 27 March 2024.

Nidhu Saxena, executive director, Union Bank of India was appointed as CEO & MD due to AS Rajeev, consequent upon his selection as Vigilance Commissioner in Central Vigilance Commission.

Nidhu Saxena has pursued B. Com, MBA, and CAIIB. Nidhu started his banking career at Bank of Baroda and later moved to UCO Bank. He has over 26 years of experience working in diversified areas of banking.

Recent Appointment in Banking & Insurance Sector

• Chairman of Indian Bank Association (IBA) for 2023 24 – M V Rao
• Deputy Chairmen of IBA – Dinesh Kumar Khara, S L Jain and N Kamakodi
• MD & CEO of Poonawalla Fincorp -Arvind Kapil
• President of ‘One Kotak’ – Jaideep Hansraj
• Part time Chairman of Tamilnad Mercantile Bank Ltd – Ravindran
• MD & CEO of Jana Small Finance Bank – Ajay Kanwal

Exp. Sadanand Date appointed as chief of NIA

Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Sadanand Vasant Date has been appointed as the Director General of the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

He will succeed Dinkar Gupta, who is due to superannuate on March 31.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Date as the Director General (DG) of the NIA for a tenure up to his superannuation on December 31, 2026.

The ACC also appointed Rajeev Kumar Sharma, a 1990-batch IPS officer of Rajasthan cadre, as the Director General of the Bureau of Police Research & Development. He will have a tenure up to his superannuation on June 30, 2026.

Sharma will succeed Balaji Srivastava, who completes his tenure at March end.

Piyush Anand will be the new chief of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) for 2 years

Anand will replace Atul Karwal, retiring on March 31.

The ACC also appointed S Suresh, a 1995-batch IPS officer of Kerala cadre, as the Additional Director General of the Special Protection Group (SPG).

Recent Appointment in Defence Sector

• Head of Parliament security – Anurag Agarwal

• DG of National Security Guard (NSG) – Daljit Singh Chaudhary (additional charge)
• Vice Chief of the Army Staff – LG Upendra Dwivedi (replace LG MV Suchindra Kumar)
• DG of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) – Daljit Singh Chaudhary
• Chief Staff Officer at Eastern Naval Command HQ – Shantanu Jha

Exp. Neeraj Chopra becomes Eveready’s new brand ambassador.

Neeraj Chopra joined Bollywood actors Akshay Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan as he was named the newest brand ambassador of Eveready Batteries.

The brand aims to enhance its connection with the youth by offering long-lasting value-for-money solutions.

Neeraj Chopra is the first Asian athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in javelin and the first Asian to win gold at the World Championship.

Recent Brand Ambassador

• Nayanthar – Slice (the popular mango-flavored drink)
• Neeraj Chopra – BPCL’s Speed Petrol Variant
• Katrina Kaif – Chennai Super Kings Team
• IRS Officer Narendra Kumar Yadav – Fit India Movement
• Hrithik Roshan – 3rd RuPay Prime Volleyball League
• Rishabh Pant – Iodex Ultra Gel+
• Deepika Padukone – Bisleri (Campaign Name – #DrinkItUp)

Exp. Bassirou Diomaye Faye wins Senegal’s Presidential election

Bassirou Diomaye Faye, an anti-establishment figure, has won the Senegalese presidential election with 54.28 per cent of the votes in the first round.

At 44 years old, Faye is set to become Africa’s youngest elected president and the first opponent to win in the first round since Senegal’s independence from France in 1960.

Aliou Mamadou Dia came in third with just 2.8 percent of the votes among the 19 candidates.

The voter turnout was 61.30 percent, higher than in 2012 but lower than the previous election in 2019.

Newly Appointed Prime Minister & President

• Prime Minister of Portugal – Luis Montenegro
• President of Indonesia – Prabowo Subianto
• PM of Palestinian – Mohammad Mustafa
• President of Pakistan – Asif Ali Zardari (14th)
• Prime Minister of Pakistan – Shehbaz Sharif (2^nd term)
• President of Indonesia – Prabowo Subianto

• President of Finland – Alexander Stubb

Exp. Sita Ram Meena appointed as India’s next ambassador to Niger

Sita Ram Meena has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Niger.

Meena currently serves as Director in the Ministry.

The bilateral activities between the two nations gained momentum after India’s Mission in Niamey was opened in May 2009. Niger opened its Embassy in New Delhi in 2011.

About Niger

• Capital- Niamey
• Currency- West African CFA franc
• President– Mohamed Bazoum
• Official language- French
• Continent – Africa

Recent Appointment in Foreign

• Abhay Thakur appointed as India’s Envoy to Myanmar
• Soumendu Bagchi appointed as India’s Ambassador to Iraq
• Abhilasha Joshi appointed as India’s Ambassador to Chile
• Vinay Kumar appointed as India’s Ambassador to Russia

Exp. Sunrisers Hyderabad record for highest IPL total of all time

Sunrisers Hyderabad scored 277/3 in 20 overs in Hyderabad against Mumbai Indians to break the record of RCB’s total of 263/5 in 2013 against the now-defunct Pune Warriors India.

Highest totals in IPL history:

• Sunrisers Hyderabad – 277/3 vs Mumbai Indians, 2024
• Royal Challengers Bengaluru – 263/5 vs Pune Warriors India, 2013
• Lucknow Super Giants – 257/5 vs Punjab Kings, 2023
• Royal Challengers Bengaluru – 248/3 vs Gujarat Lions, 2016
• Chennai Super Kings – 246/5 vs Rajasthan Royals, 2010

Exp. Sri Lanka to host Women’s Asia Cup 2024

The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has announced the upcoming Women’s Asia Cup 2024, scheduled to take place in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, from July 19th to July 28th 2024.

The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) announced the upcoming Women’s Asia Cup 2024, scheduled to take place in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, from July 19th to July 28th, 2024.

The tournament will feature eight teams, one more than the previous edition in 2022. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh will be joined by the semifinalists of the Women’s Premier Cup 2024 – UAE, Malaysia, Nepal, and Thailand.

The tournament will also feature all female referees and umpires, following the successful implementation of the same in the previous edition.

Exp. Madhumita’s book shortlisted for Women’s Prize for Non-fiction

Indian-British journalist and commentator Madhumita Murgia’s book which explores the impact of AI on human society has been shortlisted for the 2024 inaugural Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction.

The six books in the shortlist are Murgia’s “Code Dependent: Living in the Shadow of AI”, “Thunderclap: A Memoir of Art and Life and Sudden Death” by Laura Cumming, “Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World” by Naomi Klein, “A Flat Place” by Noreen Masud, “All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family Keepsake” by Tiya Miles, and “How to Say Babylon: A Jamaican Memoir” by Safiya Sinclair.

The six books cover a broad range of subjects – from life writing, religion, art and history, to AI, social media and online politics.

“Code-Dependent”, published by Picador, explores the impact of AI – powerful, flawed, and often exploitative – on human society and exposes how it can strip away our individual and collective sense of agency.

Exp. 28 March – World Piano Day

World Piano Day is celebrated annually on the 28th March.

This day serves as a global platform to recognize the beauty, cultural significance, and enduring appeal of the piano, fostering appreciation for its rich legacy across generations and cultures.

World Piano Day, the annual event, is observed on the 88th day of the year. This day was chosen in correspondence to the number of keys available on a piano. And according to this, it falls on March 28 in the year 2024.

During the Middle Ages, Hammered dulcimers were the very first string instrument used in Europe. The 17th century saw the development of the clavichord and harpsichord mechanics, which were the result of numerous attempts to manufacture string instruments.

Later, German pianist and composer Nils Frahm started World Piano Day in 2015.