Current Affairs Quiz 29th May 2024 Quiz

Exp. Fischer Medical Ventures makes India’s first indigenous MRI system

Chennai-headquartered Fischer Medical Ventures (FMVL) has manufactured its magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems domestically, claiming to be the first company in the country to achieve this.

The company is developing its MRI systems at a production facility in the Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone (AMTZ) in Visakhapatnam.

AMTZ, India’s premier medical technology park, provides a conducive environment for production, with access to facilities and a skilled workforce.

The Indian medical device industry is heavily reliant on imports, with estimates suggesting 80-85 per cent of devices coming from outside the country. This dependence translates to a staggering import bill of over Rs 63,200 crore.

Exp. WHO Organises ‘Walk The Talk’ Yoga Session Event

For the upcoming occasion of International Yoga Day, Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations in Geneva and World Health Organization (WHO) yesterday organised a ‘Walk the Talk’ Yoga session event at Place des Nations.

Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra joined by Director General of WHO Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and other senior officers of India delegation joined the event and re-energised themselves with yoga aasanas.

About World Health Organization (WHO)

• Formation – 7 April 1948
• Headquarters – Geneva, Switzerland
• First President – Andrija Štampar
• Director General – Tedros Adhanom (Ethiopia)
• Deputy Director General – Soumya Swaminathan (Indian)
• Member Countries – 194

Exp. Purnima Shrestha conquers Mount Everest thrice in a single season

A 32-year-old mountaineer from Gorkha, Nepal, Purnima Shrestha has made history as the first woman in the world to climb Mount Everest three times in the same season, all in just 13 days.

Her exceptional triple ascent beats the previous record of any woman summiteer to climb Everest thrice in a single season.

She has climbed Everest four times, with a prior summit in 2018.

Exp. Nepal celebrated Its 17th Republic Day

Nepal has celebrated Its 17th Republic Day on 28 May.

Republic Day is associated with people’s movement and aspiration for change from monarchy to make Nepal a republic nation.

The Nepal Army, Nepal Police and the Armed Police Force conducted march-past and cultural pageants on the occasion. A Nepal Army helicopter displayed a banner reading ‘Republic Day, 2081’ and cascaded flowers in Tundikhel.

After then CPN Maoist’s armed conflict and seven parties’ peaceful movement, then King Gyanendra Shah had restored the House of Representatives on April 24, 2006, thereby returning the rule to the people’s representatives.

Two years later, the first meeting of the Constituent Assembly on May 28, 2008, declared the country a Republic.

About Nepal

• Capital- Kathmandu
• Currency- Nepalese rupee
• President– Ram Chandra Paudel
• Prime minister– Pushpa Kamal Dahal

Exp. Sterlite Technologies partners with Connexin for gigabit broadband

Sterlite Technologies Ltd partnered with UK-based Connexin to help deliver gigabit broadband connectivity in Nottinghamshire.

This partnership is part of a £58 million government contract awarded to Connexin under Project Gigabit, aimed at bringing ultrafast broadband to rural areas.

The company will utilise its smart fibre deployment services to connect approximately 12,000 hard-to-reach premises in Nottinghamshire, including areas such as Kirkby in Ashfield, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Annesley, and Newark on Trent.

The initiative is expected to provide residents with broadband speeds of up to 1 Gbps, per the company.

Exp. RBI unveils Pravaah portal, Retail Direct Mobile App and FinTech Repository

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has launched three major initiatives: PRAVAAH portal, Retail Direct mobile app and a Fintech Repository.

These initiatives are aimed at enhancing regulatory processes, facilitating retail investment, and providing comprehensive data on the fintech sector.

What is PRAVAAH portal?

• PRAVAAH is stands for Platform for Regulatory Application, VAlidation and AutHorisation.
• It is a centralised, secure web-based platform that enables individuals or entities to apply online for regulatory approvals, licences, and authorisations from the RBI.
• The portal covers 60 application forms across different regulatory and supervisory departments of the RBI, allowing applicants to track the status of their applications and receive decisions in a timely manner.

What is Retail Direct mobile app?

• Retail Direct mobile app: It provides retail investors with a seamless and convenient way to transact in government securities (G-Secs) on their smartphones.
• The app simplifies the process of buying and selling G-Secs in both the primary and secondary markets.

What is FinTech Repository?

• FinTech Repository: It aims to enhance the RBI’s understanding of the Indian fintech sector by providing comprehensive data on fintech firms, both regulated and unregulated.
• The repository will support policymakers and industry participants by offering insights on fintech

Exp. Gaurav Banerjee appoints as new CEO of Sony India

Japan’s Sony has appointed a Walt Disney executive, Gaurav Banerjee, as its new India chief executive to lead its television and other media businesses.

Banerjee has resigned from Disney’s India unit where he was the head of content for its streaming service, Hotstar, and head of business for the company’s TV channels in Hindi-speaking markets.

Last week, Sony said it was looking for a successor to its current India chief executive, N.P. Singh, who had decided to move on.

Sony runs 26 channels in India, from general entertainment to sports and movies, and also a streaming service.

Recent Appointments

• Chairman of DRDO – Samir V. Kamat (one year extension)
• Chairman of NAFED – Jetha Ahir
• Member in Central Electricity Regulatory Commission – Ramesh Babu V
• VC of International Aluminium Institute -John Slaven
• MD of Honeywell Automation India Ltd (HAIL) – Atul Pai (replace Ashish Gaikwad)

Exp. Apurva Chandra appointed as chairperson of Committee A Of 77TH WHA Event

Apurva Chandra, Union health secretary, Government of India, has been appointed as the Chairperson of the Committee A at the 77th World Health Assembly (WHA) by the WHO.

Committee A is tasked with facilitating crucial discussions on a range of programmatic topics. These include universal health coverage, public health emergency preparedness and response, antimicrobial resistance, climate change, and sustainable financing for the World Health Organization (WHO).

India’s leadership in Committee A underscores its growing influence in global health governance. The World Health Assembly features sessions from three main committees: Plenary, Committee A, and Committee B.

About World Health Organization (WHO)

• Formation – 7 April 1948
• Headquarters – Geneva, Switzerland
• First President – Andrija Štampar
• Director General – Tedros Adhanom (Ethiopia)
• Deputy Director General – Soumya Swaminathan (Indian)
• Member Countries – 194

Exp. Major Radhika Sen receives UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award

Major Radhika Sen, an Indian peacekeeper deployed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), has been named the United Nations Military Gender Advocate of the Year for 2023.

The prestigious award recognizes her outstanding service and efforts to empower local communities, especially women and girls, during her tour of duty from March 2023 to April 2024.

Serving with the UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO as the Commander of the Engagement Platoon for the Indian Rapid Deployment Battalion in eastern DRC, Major Sen played a crucial role in establishing Community Alert Networks.

These networks provided a platform for community leaders, young people, and women to voice their security and humanitarian concerns, which Major Sen and her colleagues at MONUSCO then worked to address.

Exp. Poonawalla Fincorp launches Co-Branded Credit Card with IndusInd Bank

Poonawalla Fincorp Limited, in collaboration with IndusInd Bank, has launched the co-branded ‘IndusInd Bank Poonawalla Fincorp eLITE RuPay Platinum Credit Card’, a card designed to redefine and elevate the banking experience of customers.

With this co-branded credit card launch, Poonawalla Fincorp marks a significant milestone in their ongoing commitment to providing tailored financial solutions to meet the evolving needs of their valued customers.

Objective – To enhance engagement with our existing customers digitally while also extending our reach to new customers.

IndusInd Bank

• Founded – 1994
• Founder – S.P. Hinduja
• Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra,
• MD & CEO – Sumant Kathpalia
• Tagline – We Make You Feel Richer

Exp. France successfully test fired ASMPA Missile

The French General Directorate of Armaments (DGA) conducted a successful test firing of the enhanced medium-range air-to-surface strategic missile (ASMPA-R).

The Air-Sol Medium Range (ASMP/ASMP-A) is an air-launched land-attack supersonic cruise missile that carries a nuclear payload.

ASMP-A, an upgraded version of the ASMP, arrived into French service in 2009. This version had an extended range of up to 500 km, and supported a new 300 kt thermonuclear warhead.

About France

• Capital- Paris
• President- Emmanuel Macron
• Prime Minister– Gabriel Attal (replace Elisabeth Borne)
• Official language- French

Exp. Wipro to develop AI driven tech to reduce risks of cardiovascular disease

Wipro has partnered with the Centre for Brain Research (CBR) at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru to develop a personal care engine to reduce and manage the risk of cardiovascular disease by utilizing AI.

The collaboration will develop new technologies for prevention and management of long-term health disorders and to provide precision support for these diseases.

The personal care engine will focus on reducing and managing the risk of cardiovascular disease and correlated neurodegenerative disorders, by using AI to personalize its interaction with users, optimizing for their long-term health and wellbeing.  

Exp. Reliance Industries to begin construction on India’s first multimodal logistics park near Chennai

Conceptualised 12 years ago, India’s first Multimodal Logistics Park at Mappedu near Chennai will see the limelight as Reliance Industries starts construction in June.

In 2022, the company beat Adani Group to win the bid for the Rs 1,424 crore project on 184.27 acres of land in Tiruvallur district.

The project aims to facilitate efficient, cost-effective and value-added logistics services such as cargo aggregation and disaggregation, distribution, intermodal transfer, sorting, packing, and repacking.

In 2022, the Centre awarded the contract to Reliance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi laying the foundation stone on May 26, 2022.

In October 2021, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed among Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation, National Highways Logistics Management Limited and the Chennai Port Trust.

Exp. 29 May – International Day of the UN Peacekeepers

International Day of the UN Peacekeepers is observed every year in 29 May.

This day is observed to acknowledge the service and sacrifice of over 4000 peacekeepers who have lost their lives while trying to bring peace in strife-torn areas of the world.

Theme 2024 – Fit for the future, building better together.

The day also urges the global community to join and strengthen the global movement for peace.

The first International Day of the UN Peacekeepers was observed on 29 May 2003.