Current Affairs Quiz 3rd October 2023 Quiz

Exp. 4th edition of Indo-Latin America Cultural Festival organized by ICCR

The fourth edition of Indo-Latin America Cultural Festival organized by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) began in New Delhi.

Total 34 artists of three countries – Colombia, Ecuador and Chile are participating in the two-day festival.

The festival is bringing together key stakeholders from India and Latin America to deliberate on the prospects of cultural and educational collaborations.

This celebration of culture and art is on a mission to spotlight the incredible cultural heritage of Latin America.

Exp. India, Argentina sign Social Security Agreement

India and Argentina have signed a Social Security Agreement (SSA).

The agreement was signed by India’s Ambassador to Argentina Dinesh Bhatia and Argentina’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship Santiago Cafiero in the presence of Argentine Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Security Raquel Kismer de Olmos.

The agreement provides detached workers, i.e., employees working in another country on a temporary basis, and their family members with rights to contributory benefits such as cash allowance for retirement or pension, rent, subsidy or lump sum payments as per local legislation without being subject to any reduction, modification, suspension, suppression or retention.

The agreement would protect the rights of professionals and workers against loss of benefits or contributions made towards social security in both countries and thus facilitate greater movement of professionals and the labour force.

Recently India signed MoUs with others countries

• India and Armenia sign MoU in the field of sharing successful Digital Solutions
• India & Argentina signs MoU for bilateral exchange of young researchers
• India and Saudi Arabia sign Agreement on Cooperation in Energy Sector
• India and New Zealand signs a MoU to boost cooperation in civil aviation
• ICG signs MoU with Philippine Coast Guard to enhance maritime cooperation

Exp. Winter action plan unveiled by Delhi Chief Minister

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has introduced a 15-point ‘Winter Action Plan’ to tackle air pollution in the upcoming winter season.

The 15-point ‘Winter Action Plan’ includes measures to tackle pollution and improve air quality in Delhi.

Steps have been taken in Punjab to diversify crops, promote short-duration paddy varieties and encourage the conversion of stubble into energy or fertilizer.

The article highlights the factors that contribute to air pollution in NCR during winter, including low wind speeds, cold temperatures, stubble burning, vehicle emissions and industrial pollutants.

Analysis last winter showed that Delhi had the highest levels of PM2.5 among 27 NCR towns and cities.

PM 10 levels have also reduced from 324 in 2014 to 223, signifying a 30% reduction in pollution levels.

The Delhi government also plans to introduce 800 electric buses to bolster the existing fleet of 7,000 government-operated buses.

The Chief Minister mentioned a remarkable 23% growth in the number of trees in Delhi, making it the city with the highest green cover in India.

Exp. India to host PATA Travel Mart 2023 in New Delhi

India will host the 46th edition of the Pacific Asia Travel Association Travel Mart at Pragati Maidan in Delhi from October 4-6.

The physical version of the event is being held after a hiatus of three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The PATA Travel Mart 2023 will be held at the International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC).

The event in Delhi will bring together tourism professionals and business stakeholders from across the world, offering a unique platform for networking, learning and collaboration.

Headquartered in Bangkok, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), which was founded in 1951, is a renowned not-for-profit association recognised internationally for its role as a catalyst in the responsible development of travel and tourism in the Asia-Pacific region.

Exp. Lt Gen Raghu Srinivasan takes over as DG of BRO

Lieutenant General Raghu Srinivasan has assumed charge as the 28th director general (DG) of the Border Roads Organization (BRO).

His appointment to the top post in the BRO follows the superannuation of Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhry.

Before the appointment, Srinivasan was holding the appointment of Commandant, College of Military Engineering, Pune.

Mr Srinivasan is an alumnus of National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun and was commissioned into the Corps of Engineers in 1987.

The BRO was raised on May 7, 1960 with an aim to secure India’s borders by developing infrastructure in remote areas of the north and northeastern states.

Since its raising, the BRO has constructed and dedicated to the nation more than 63,000 km of roads, 976 bridges, six tunnels and 21 airfields.

In the last one year, it has completed a record 193 projects, at a cost of Rs 5,400 crore, across eight border states and three Union Territories.

Recent Appointment

• Chairman of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) – Saugata Gupta
• Vice Chairman of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) – Partha Sinha
• As Member of UPSC – Dinesh Dasa
• Chairman of Media Research Users Council India – Shailesh Gupta
• Vice Chairman of Media Research Users Council India – Shashank Srivastava

Exp. Govt extends tenure of CBDT Chairman Nitin Gupta

The Union government has extended the tenure of Nitin Gupta, the incumbent chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), till 30 June 2024.

The nine-month extension for Gupta came on the day when he was scheduled to retire and demit office.

Gupta, a 1986-batch IRS officer of the Income-tax department, was appointed CBDT head in June last year.

The CBDT is the apex policy-making body for the Income-tax department. It is headed by a chairman and can have six members who are in the rank of special secretary.

Recent Appointment

• President of Intel India – Gokul Subramaniam (replace Nivruti Rai)
• Chairman of Tata Advanced Systems – Banmali Agarwal
• Secretary of Dept. of Biotechnology – Rajesh S Gokhale
• Advisor to PM Modi – Amit Khare (reappointment)
• CEO of Penguin Random House – Nihar Malviya (replace Marcus Dohle)

Exp. RBI appointed KN Madhusudanan as part-time chairman of Dhanalakshmi Bank

KN Madhusudanan has been appointed part-time chairman of Dhanalakshmi Bank by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) after a vacancy of 21 months.

This comes after a period of 21 months during which the company was without a chairman, following the resignation of G Subramonia Iyer in December 2021 for personal reasons.

Prior to this role, KN Madhusudanan served as an independent director on the board of the bank with effect from November 9, 2022.

About Dhanlaxmi Bank

• Established – 14 November 1927
• Headquarters – Thrissur
• CEO & MD – J. Of. Shivan

Recent Appointment in Banking & Insurance Sector

• Country head of Wholesale Banking at Yes Bank – Manish Jain (replace Ravi Thota)
• Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer at Yes Bank – Pankaj Sharma
• Deputy Governor of RBI – M. Rajeshwar Rao (reappointment for 1 year)
• MD and CEO ICICI Lombard – Sanjeev Mantri (replace Bhargav Dasgupta)
• Vice-president for Asian Development Bank (ADB)’s Market Solutions – Bhargav Dasgupta

Exp. PR Seshadri appointed as MD & CEO of South Indian Bank

South Indian Bank has appointed P R Seshadri as its MD & CEO effective from October 1.

He has succeeded Murali Ramakrishnan who served a successful tenure from October 1, 2020, till September 30, 2023.

With nearly 25 years of banking experience spanning domestic and international markets, Seshadri has held senior leadership positions at various institutions, including Karur Vysya Bank Limited and Citigroup.

Prior to joining SIB, Seshadri was associated with the Karur Vysya Bank (KVB) in a similar role.

About South Indian Bank

• Founded – 1929
• Headquarters – Thrissur, Kerala
• Chairman – Salim Gangadharan
• MD & CEO – PR Seshadri
• Tagline – Experience Next Generation Banking.

Recent Appointment in Banking & Insurance Sector

• Vice-president for Asian Development Bank (ADB)’s Market Solutions – Bhargav Dasgupta
• MD and CEO of HDFC Bank – Sashidhar Jagdishan (reappointment for 3 year)
• Chairman of Mastercard India- Rajnish Kumar (Former SBI Chief)
• Statutory auditor of Paytm – S.R. Batliboi
• MD & CEO of ICICI Bank – Sandeep Bakshi (reappointment for 3 year)

Exp. Katalin Kariko & Drew Weissman awarded Nobel Prize 2023 in Medicine

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 2023 has been awarded to Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman for their discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications, enabling effective mRNA vaccines to develop against COVID-19

The prestigious award is given annually by the Nobel Assembly, consisting of 50 professors at the Karolinska Institutet.

It recognizes scientists who have made significant contributions to the field of medicine for the benefit of humankind.

So far, 113 Nobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicine have been awarded since 1901, of which 12 have been given to women.

The youngest medicine laureate ever is Frederick G. Banting, who received the 1923 Medicine Prize for the discovery of insulin at the age of 32.

Last year the Nobel Prize for Physiology was awarded to Swedish geneticist Svante Paabo.

Paabo, who directs the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, was recognized for his groundbreaking work in extracting and analyzing DNA from ancient bones, particularly those of Neanderthals.

Since its inception in 1901, the Nobel Prize has been awarded to scientists who have made the most important discoveries for the benefit of humankind.

Exp. ICC announces official mascots for Cricket World Cup 2023

ICC After fans around the globe participated in voting, the names of the two official ICC mascots have been revealed, ahead of the 2023 Cricket World Cup in India.

The ICC has announced that ‘Blaze’ and ‘Tonk’ have been unanimously chosen as the names of the mascot duo.

The two mascots will be seen in World Cup matches around all the venues, engaging and interacting with fans in attendance and adding to the excitement of the showpiece event. The duo was unveiled back in August and fans from around the globe were asked to help name them, with Blaze and Tonk emerging as the winners.

‘Blaze’ is a female mascot, bowling at rapid pace, leaving batters in sheer awe. She is adorned with a belt carrying six power cricket orbs, each meticulously prepared for various game-changing tactics.

‘Tonk’ is a male mascot, with icy-cool composure, making him a batting champion. Tonk has an electromagnetic bat and versatile shot repertoire, lighting up the grandest stage.

The Cricket World Cup in India, starts from October 5 with a heavyweight clash between England and New Zealand in Ahmedabad.

The matches will be played across 10 venues and will conclude on November 19, culminating in the final clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

About International Cricket Council (ICC)

• Formation – 15 June 1909
• Headquarters – Dubai, UAE
• Chairman – Greg Barclay (New Zealand)
• Deputy Chairman – Imran Khwaja (Singapore)
• CEO – Geoff Allardice (Australia)
• General Manager – Wasim Khan
• Membership – 108 members

Exp. India bagged gold medal by Men’s Team in 50m Rifle 3P event

Shooters Aishwarya Pratap Singh Tomar, Swapnil Kusale, and Akhil Sheoran clinched gold in the men’s 50m rifle 3P team event in the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou.

With a score of 1769 points, Team India secured the gold.

The silver medal was won by 1763 points and the bronze medal went to South Korea with 1748 points. With their score, India also broke the world record of 1761 points held by USA since last year.

While, the women’s Team of Divya Thadigol, Esha Singh, and Palak won the Silver Medal in the 10m Air Pistol Women’s team event.

Anush Agarwala won the Bronze Medal in the Equestrian Dressage Individual event at the Asian Games.

Exp. India beats Pakistan to bag gold medal in men’s squash team event

India has won a gold medal in men’s squash team event after beating Pakistan 2-1 at the Asian Games.

In a tightly contested match, the team led by Abhav Singh outperformed their rivals in the final round. The best-of-three tie started with Mahesh M losing to Nasir Iqbal in straight games – 8-11, 3-11, 2-11.

Saurav Ghosal, however, pulled the contest square with his 11-5, 11-1, 11-3 victory over Muhammad Asim. The decider between Abhay Singh and Noor Zaman stretched the full distance but the Indian eventually prevailed 11-7, 9-11, 7-11, 11-9, 12-10.

This was India’s second-ever gold medal in squash at the Asian Games. The previous one was also won by the men’s team – at Incheon 2014.  

Exp. Murali Sreeshankar wins silver medal in men’s long jump at Asian Games 2023

India’s Murali Sreeshankar won a silver medal in the men’s long jump event at the Hangzhou Asian Games with a best jump of 8.19 meters.

Wang Jianan of China won the gold medal with a jump of 8.22 meters.

Murali Sreeshankar’s personal and season’s best jump is 8.41 meters, which ranks him fourth globally and second among Asian athletes.

Jesswin Aldrin remains the season leader among Asian athletes and is ranked third in the world.

Another Indian athlete Jesswin Aldrin finished eighth in the same event with a best jump of 7.76 meters.

Exp. Indian men’s, women’s teams bag bronze in roller skating

Indian roller skaters clinched two bronze medals in men’s and women’s 3000m team relay events to match their best ever performance at the Asian Games 2023.

The women’s team of Sanjana Bathula, Karthika Jagadeeswaran, Heeral Sadhu and Aarathy Kasturi Raj opened India’s account on the ninth day of competitions, finishing with a timing of 4:34.861s.

The Indian quartet finished behind gold medallists Chinese Taipei (4:19.447) and South Korea (4:21.146).

Aryanpal Singh Ghuman, Anandkumar Velkumar, Siddhant Kamble and Vikram Ingale then sealed a second bronze with a timing of 4:10.128 in men’s team relay.

Chinese Taipei (4:05.692) and South Korea (4:05.702) took the top-two spots.

Indian roller skaters had won two bronze medals at the Guangzhou 2010 Asian Games in men’s free skating and pairs skating events.

Exp. 3 October – World Nature Day

World Nature Day is observed every year on 3 October.

Objective – To raise awareness about the challenges our environment faces, particularly due to climate change.

It is established by the World Nature Organization (WNO) on 3 October 2010.

WNO serves as a crucial platform This annual celebration unites individuals, groups, and organizations worldwide in their commitment to spreading information about climate change and advocating for its mitigation.

In this article, we delve into the significance, celebration, and key facts about World Nature Day, highlighting its vital role in addressing the environmental issues that affect us all.