Current Affairs Quiz 30th April 2023 Quiz

Exp. Agriculture Minister launches ‘Millets Experience Centre’ at Dilli Haat

Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has launched the first of its kind ‘Millets Experience Centre (MEC)’ at Dilli Haat in New Delhi.

National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED) has established the Millets Experience Centre in collaboration with the Agriculture Ministry.

It aims to raise awareness of Millets and encourage its adoption among the general public.

India has an important role to play in the celebration of the International Year of Millets 2023.

India is poised to become a ‘Global Hub’ for Millets and setting up of MEC is a major step in that direction.

The United Nations General Assembly has declared the year 2023 as the International Year of Millets (IYM 2023).

Recent Inauguration by Narendra Singh Tomar

• Narendra Singh Tomar launched the first of its kind ‘Millets Experience Centre (MEC)’ at Dilli Haat in New Delhi.
• Narendra Singh Tomar introduced a new platform called ‘DigiClaim’ on the national crop insurance portal.

• Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurated a 5-day cultural program”AgriUnifest” in Bengaluru.
• Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurated the National Workshop on Bamboo Sector Development in New Delhi.
• Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurated National Horticulture Fair in Bengaluru

Exp. PM Modi inaugurates NAMO Medical Education and Research Institute in Silvassa

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated NAMO Medical Education and Research Institute in Silvassa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.

Notably, the foundation stone of NAMO Medical Education and Research Institute was also laid by the Prime Minister himself in January 2019.

Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone and inaugurated 96 projects worth more than Rs 4,850 crores to the nation at Sayli ground, Silvassa. People lit mobile flashlights to welcome PM Modi in Silvassa.

Thereafter, Prime Minister inaugurated Devka Seafront in Daman. The 5.45 km Seafront built at a cost of around Rs 165 crore is one of its kind coastal promenade in the country.

The Seafront has been transformed into a world-class tourist destination. It includes smart lighting, parking facilities, gardens, food stalls, recreational areas and provision for luxury tent cities in future.

PM Modi in News

• PM Modi laid foundation stone for first Digital Science Park in Thiruvananthapuram
• PM Modi flagged off India’s first water metro project in Kochi
• PM Modi laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation various projects worth 10,900 crore rupees in Guwahati
• PM Modi addresses 5th International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure
• PM Modi flagged off Bhopal-New Delhi 11^th Vande Bharat Express
• PM Modi inaugurated CBI’s diamond jubilee celebrations

Exp. Dubai’s airline Emirates unveils world’s first robotic check-in assistant

Dubai-based airline Emirates has unveiled the world’s first robotic check-in assistant named ‘Sara’.

The system is part of a new City Check-in and Travel Store that is set to launch in Dubai’s financial district.

Sara will match customers’ faces with scanned passports, check passengers in, and guide them to the luggage drop area.

The facility allows customers to drop their luggage as early as 24 hours and up to 4 hours before their flight, arriving at the airport at their leisure.

Passengers can check in via self-check-in kiosks, at dedicated desks with Emirates agents, or with the help of Sara.

The robot is equipped with facial recognition technology and can print boarding passes, making the check-in process more efficient. Sara is also portable and can move around to assist those who need help.

About United Arab Emirates (UAE)

• Capital – Abu Dhabi
• Currency – Dirham
• President – Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
• Prime Minister – Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
• Official language -Arabic

Exp. NPCI International partners with PPRO to facilitate global e-commerce payments through UPI

NPCI International Payments, a wholly-owned subsidiary of National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), entered into partnership with digital payments infrastructure provider PPRO to facilitate global e-commerce payments through UPI.

The agreement is aimed at expanding RuPay card and UPI acceptance across global clients such as payment service providers (PSPs) and global merchant acquirers.

It will drive NPCI International’s expansion into foreign markets and will add India to PPRO’s Local Payment Method (LPM) coverage map.

It will also allow global PSPs, banks, payment gateways and enterprises with payment platforms to expand globally giving international e-commerce merchants access to Indian consumers.

International payment service providers and their merchants can now easily tap into an e-commerce market that is expected to reach an estimated $111 billion next year and almost double to $200 billion by 2026.

The UPI network processes 60 percent of all domestic payments and 40 percent of instant payments processed globally. It has over 32.5 crore active users, with 390 banks and 100 third-party apps interoperable on the network.  

Exp. State Bank of India Raises $750 Million Via Bonds

State Bank of India (SBI), the country’s biggest lender, has raised USD 750 million through bonds to fund offshore business growth.

SBI has concluded the issue of USD 750 million senior unsecured fixed rate notes having a maturity of 5 years and coupon of 4.875 percent payable semiannually under Regulation-S.

Earlier this month, the bank’s board had approved a proposal to raise $2 billion (about Rs 16,000 crore) from bonds to fund its global operations.

About State Bank of India (SBI)  

• Founded – 1 July 1955
• Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Chairman – Dinesh Kumar Khara
• Managing Director – (4) Alok Kumar Choudhary, Swaminathan Janakiraman, Challa Sreenivasulu Setty, and Ashwini Kumar Tewari
• Imperial Bank of India was previous name of SBI.
• The presidency Banks of Bengal, Bombay and Madras with merged in 1921 to Imperial Bank of India.
• Tagline – (1) Pure Banking Nothing Else

(2) With you all the way

(3) A bank of the common man

(4) The banker to every Indian

(5) The Nation banks on us  

Exp. Siddhartha Mohanty appointed as Chairman of LIC

The government has appointed Siddhartha Mohanty as chairman of Life Insurance Corporation of India till June 2024.

Chairman Siddhartha Mohanty will be the managing director and chief executive officer of the insurance behemoth from June 2024 till June 2025.

Siddhartha Mohanty had been serving as interim chairman of the corporation replacing M R Kumar.

Siddhartha Mohanty is a postgraduate in political science and also holds a degree in law. Siddhartha Mohanty also holds a postgraduate degree in business management and is a licentiate from the Insurance Institute of India.

In a career spanning over three decades in the corporation, Mohanty has made his mark in the areas of Marketing, HR, Investments and Legal.

Recent Appointment in Banking Sector

• CEO of Association of Asset Reconstruction Companies – Hari Hara Mishra
• MD and CEO of City Union Bank – N Kamakodi (reappointment)
• Chairman of Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank (KVGB) – Shrikant M Bhandiwad
• Deputy MD of HDFC Bank – Kaizad Bharucha
• Executive Director of HDFC Bank – Bhavesh Zaveri

Exp. Debadatta Chand appointed as new chief of BoB

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Debadatta Chand and Rajneesh Karnatak as MD & CEO of Bank of Baroda (BoB) and Bank of India (BoI), respectively, for three years.

Chand’s appointment as chief of BoB is with effect from the date of assumption of office on or after July 1, 2023, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.

Sanjiv Chadha, MD & CEO, BoB, will retire on June 30, 2023. He has been at the helm of the Bank since January 2020.

Karnatak’s appointment as chief of BoI is with effect from the date of assumption of office until further orders, whichever is earlier.

The three-year tenure of AK Das as MD & CEO of BoI ended in January 2023.

About Bank of Baroda (BOB)

• Founded – 1908
• Headquarters – Vadodara, Gujarat
• MD & CEO – Debadatta Chand
• Tagline – India’s International Bank

Recent Appointment in Banking Sector

• Executive Director of HDFC Bank – Bhavesh Zaveri
• Interim MD and CEO of Karnataka Bank – Sekhar Rao
• Chief Investment Officer of LIC – Ratnakar Patnaik
• Chief Risk Officer of LIC – PC Paikray
• MD & CEO of AU Small Finance Bank – Sanjay Agarwal

Exp. Dr. Raghu Ram Pillarisetti awarded TAL Presents Lifetime Achievement Award

Breast surgeon Dr. Raghu Ram Pillarisetti was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Telugu Association of London.

Dr. Raghu Ram is the founder and director of AKIMS-Ushalakshmi Center for Breast Disease, located in Hyderabad.

During the celebration of Ugadi 2023, organized by the Telugu Association of London (TAL), Dr Raghu Ram Pillarisetti was awarded the lifetime achievement award.

TAL is the biggest Telugu Charity Organisation in the UK and represents the Telugu-speaking community of around 10,000 people in and around London.

Recent Awards

• Ramon Magsaysay Award 1959 – Dalai Lama
• Immigrant Achievement Award 2023 – Indian American Neeli Bendapudi
• Goldman Environment Prize 2023 – Alessandra Korap
• Billboard’s First Latin Woman of the Year Award – Colombian singer Shakira
• Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration 2022 – Health Ministry

Exp. 68th Hyundai Filmfare Awards 2023

The 68th Hyundai Filmfare Awards was held at the Jio Convention Centre, BKC.

The award show was hosted by Salman Khan, Maniesh Paul, and Ayushmann Khurrana.

Filmfare Awards 2023 Winners List

• Best Film — Gangubai Kathiawadi
• Best Film (Critics’) — Badhaai Do
• Best Actor in a Leading Role (Male) — Rajkummar Rao for Badhaai Do
• Best Actor in a Leading Role (Female) — Alia Bhatt for Gangubai Kathiawadi
• Best Actor (Critics’) — Sanjay Mishra for Vadh
• Best Actress (Critics’) — Tabu for Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 and Bhumi Pednekar for Badhaai Do
• Best Director — Sanjay Leela Bhansali for Gangubai Kathiawadi
• Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Male) — Anil Kapoor for JugJugg Jeeyo
• Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female) — Sheeba Chaddha for Badhaai Do
• Best Debut (Male) — Ankush Gedam for Jhund
• Best Debut (Female) — Andrea Kevichüsa for Anek
• Best Debut Director — Jaspal Singh Sandhu and Rajeev Barnwal for Vadh
• Best Story — Akshat Ghildial and Suman Adhikary for Badhaai Do
• Lifetime Achievement Award — Prem Chopra
• Best Music Album — Pritam for Brahmastra — Part One — Shiva
• Best Dialogue — Utkarshini Vashishtha and Prakash Kapadia for Gangubai Kathiawadi
• Best Screenplay — Suman Adhikary, Akshat Ghildial and Harshavardhan Kulkarni for Badhaai Do
• Best Lyrics — Amitabh Bhattacharya for Kesariya from Brahmastra — Part One — Shiva
• Best Playback Singer (Male) — Arijit Singh for Kesariya from Brahmastra — Part One — Shiva
• Best Playback Singer (Female) — Kavita Seth for Rangisari from JugJugg Jeeyo
• RD Burman Award for Upcoming Music Talent — Jahnvi Shrimankar for Dholida from Gangubai Kathiawadi
• Best VFX — DNEG and Redefine for Brahmastra — Part One — Shiva
• Best Editing — Ninad Khanolkar for An Action Hero
• Best Costume Design — Sheetal Sharma for Gangubai Kathiawadi
• Best Production Design — Subrata Chakraborty and Amit Ray for Gangubai Kathiawadi
• Best Sound Design — Bishwadeep Dipak Chatterjee for Brahmastra — Part One — Shiva
• Best Background Score — Sanchit Balhara and Ankit Balhara for Gangubai Kathiawadi
• Best Choreography– Kruti Mahesh for Dholida from Gangubai Kathiawadi
• Best Cinematography — Sudeep Chatterjee for Gangubai Kathiawadi
• Best Action — Parvez Shaikh for Vikram Vedha

Exp. Amitav Ghosh’s non-fiction book ‘Smoke and Ashes’ to be released in July 2023

Amitav Ghosh’s new non-fiction book, “Smoke and Ashes: A Writer’s Journey Through Opium’s Hidden Histories”, will be published by HarperCollins Fourth Estate on July 2023.

The book is a combination of memoir, travelogue, and cultural and economic history, which explores the often-overlooked effects of opium on society and history.

Based on Ghosh’s extensive research conducted while writing his trilogy of novels between 2005 and 2015, “Smoke and Ashes” takes a personal look at the author’s engagement with the hidden history of opium.

He has written many acclaimed works of fiction, including “The Shadow Lines,” “The Glass Palace,” “The Hungry Tide,” “Gun Island,” “The Nutmeg’s Curse,” “Jungle Nama,” and “The Living Mountain.”

Recent Books

• Sachin@50: Celebrating A Maestro – Boria Majumdar
• Gandhi: Siyasat aur Sampradaiykta – Piyush Babele
• Courting India: England, Mughal India and the Origins of Empire – Nandini Das
• Crosscourt – Jaidip Mukerjea
• The Human Connect – Manoj Gursahini

Exp. Nirmala Sitharaman launches a book titled ‘Reflections’

Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman has launched ‘Reflections’, a book authored by eminent banker Narayanan Vaghul, in Mumbai.

The book carries a vivid account of Vaghul’s experiences spanning decades in India’s financial landscape.

The finance minister commended Narayanan Vaghul for his extensive experience in banking and his leadership qualities. She also recognized his contributions to mentoring leaders, which have left a lasting impact.

She highlighted Vaghul’s ideas and vision on women’s empowerment, which will continue to be relevant and valuable for India as more women take on leadership roles in financial services.

Recent Books

• Mundaka Upanishad: The Bridge to Immortality – Dr. Karan Singh (released by – VP Jagdeep Dhankhar)
• India’s Struggle for Independence: Gandhian Era – P. Jyothimani & G. Balan (released by SC Judge V. Ramasubramanian)
• India’s Vaccine Growth Story- From Cowpox to Vaccine Maitri’ – Released by Mansukh Mandaviya
• Modi: Shaping a Global order in flux – JP Nadda
• The Poverty of Political Economy: How Economics Abandoned the Poor – Meghnad Desai  

Exp. 29 April – World Dance Day

International Dance Day is celebrated every year on April 29.

Objective – To promote the art of dance and raise awareness of its importance in the world

The International Dance Day was established by the International Dance Council (CID) in 1982 to celebrate the birthday of Jean-Georges Noverre, the creator of modern ballet.

Dance has been known to alleviate stress, enhance cardiovascular health, increase flexibility, and promote general well-being.

The event serves to increase public awareness of dance’s importance, encouraging people to participate in this art form while emphasizing its cultural significance and evolution in various regions of the world.

Ultimately, World Dance Day reminds us of the unifying power of dance in bringing people together and celebrating the pleasure of movement.

Exp. 30 April – International Jazz Day

International Jazz Day is observed every year on 30 April.

Objective – To raise awareness about the virtues of jazz as an educational tool, and a force for empathy, dialogue, and enhanced cooperation among people.

The origin of International Jazz Day goes back to 2011 when the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared the day an opportunity to recognize Jazz music and give voice to its role in uniting people from all walks of life.

Since 2011, the day has garnered a lot of acknowledgment, especially from music lovers and musicians who gather from every corner of the world to celebrate with enthusiasm and spirit of Jazz.

Exp. 29 April – World Veterinary Day

World Veterinary Day is observed every year on the last Saturday of April.

Objective – To raise awareness about the importance of veterinarians and their contributions to animal health, welfare, and public health.

Theme 2023 – Promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusiveness in the Veterinary Profession.

It is celebrated around the world through various activities such as seminars, workshops, public lectures, and social media campaigns.

World Veterinary Day was first celebrated on April 29, 2000, as an initiative by the World Veterinary Association (WVA). Since then, it has been observed every year on the last Saturday of April, with a different theme chosen each year to highlight a specific aspect of veterinary medicine.

This day provides a valuable opportunity to acknowledge and appreciate the significant contributions of veterinarians to society and to increase awareness about the importance of veterinary medicine.

Exp. Renowned scientist Dr. N. Gopalakrishnan passed away

Renowned scientist and director of the Central Building Research Institute Dr N Gopalakrishnan passed away at the age of 68.

He worked for 25 years from 1982 as a Senior Scientist in CSIR, Government of India.

Dr. N Gopalakrishnan was the founder of the Indian Institute of Scientific Heritage.

His lectures on Indian philosophies and spirituality attracted audiences from within and outside the country. He was often criticised for propagating “pseudoscience”.