Current Affairs Quiz 4th May 2023 Quiz

Exp. India’s unemployment rate at a four-month high in April 2023

According to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), the unemployment rate of India has surged to a four-month high of 8.11% in April, compared to 7.8% in March 2023.

Urban unemployment climbed to 9.81% from 8.51% in the same period and rural unemployment fell marginally to 7.34% in April from 7.47% a month ago.

The rise in the unemployment rate came on the back of higher labor participation, which has risen to 41.9% from 39.7% in March.

India’s unemployment rate in previous month

• January 2023 – 7.14%
• February 2023 – 7.45%
• March 2023 – 7.80%
• April 2023 – 8.11%

Exp. India, Israel sign MoU on Industrial R&D Cooperation

India has signed an MoU with Israel on Industrial Research and Development Cooperation with focus on several key technology areas.

These are aerospace, Electronics Instrumentation, Civil, Infrastructure and Engineering, Environment, Mining, Chemicals, and Petrochemicals and Agriculture.

The Multi-Sectoral Agreement was signed between Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, CSIR and Directorate of Defense Research and Development, Ministry of Defense of Israel in New Delhi.

This agreement will open a new phase in tIndia-Israel partnership in areas like Innovation, Technology, and startup.

Recently India signed MoUs with others countries

• India signed air service agreement with Guyana to facilitate easier travel between the two nations.
• India signed MoC with Sweden to promote research networking
• India & Australia sign audio-visual co-production agreement
• India signed MoU with US for semiconductor supply chain
• India signed MoU with South Africa for cooperation in the Disability Sector

Exp. Sri Lanka’s Dialog Axiata and Bharti Airtel sign binding term sheet

Sri Lanka’s top mobile telecommunication firm, largest telecommunications provider Dialog Axiata and India’s Bharti Airtel have signed a binding term sheet for the merger of their Sri Lankan subsidiaries.

With this merger, Bharti Airtel will get access to a large customer base in the island nation.

Airtel would be issued new shares in Dialog upon completion of the transaction.

The proposed transaction is subject to signing of definitive agreements and necessary closing conditions including applicable regulatory and shareholder approvals.

About Sri Lanka

• Legislative capital – Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
• Executive and Judicial capital – Colombo
• Currency – Sri Lankan rupee
• President – Ranil Wickremesinghe
• Prime Minister – Dinesh Gunawardena

Exp. Manipur CM launches facial recognition system for Inner Line Permits

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh has launched the Facial Recognition System (FRS) for Inner Line Permit (ILP) system and flagged off two camera-mounted mobile FRS vehicles.

The system has been implemented on a trial basis for some time now, even during the trial period, the system had managed to identify defaulters of the ILPS.

It will also help in the effective checking of ILP holders whose validity has expired and in better management of the system.

In addition, two mobile vehicles will be stationed at different locations in Imphal East and West districts to identify ILP defaulters.

About Manipur

• Capital – Imphal
• Chief Minister – Biren Singh
• Governor – Anusuiya Uikey

Exp. Government launches Vivad se Vishwas scheme

The Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, has launched the scheme, “Vivad se Vishwas I – Relief to MSMEs” for providing relief to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) for COVID-19 period.

The scheme was announced in the Union Budget 2023-24 by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Under the scheme, Ministries have been asked to refund performance security, bid security and liquidated damages forfeited/ deducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Certain relief has also been provided to MSMEs debarred for default in execution of contracts during the COVID-19 period.

Additional benefits to eligible MSMEs, affected during the COVID-19 period

• 95% of the performance security forfeited shall be refunded.
• 95% of the Bid securityshall be refunded.
• 95% of the Liquidated Damages (LD) deducted shall be refunded.
• 95% of the Risk Purchase amount realized shall be refunded.

Eligibility Criterion

• Registered as a Medium, Small or Micro Enterprise as per relevant scheme of Ministry of MSME on the date of claim by supplier/ contractor.
• MSME could be registered for any category of Goods and Services.

Exp. 60th Foundation Day of Indian Institute of Foreign Trade

Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), New Delhi has celebrated its Diamond Jubilee on its 60th Foundation Day on 3 May.

On the occasion, Vice-Chancellor of IIFT Prof. Satinder Bhatia released the commemorative issue of Foreign Trade Review (FTR) Journal.

In the journey of 60 years, IIFT has consistently achieved better rankings among top business schools by earning AACSB accreditation for offering an impressive range of innovative MDP/EDP offered by the institute.

The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) was established in 1963 as an autonomous body under the Union Ministry of Commerce & Industry to contribute in the skill building for the external trade sector of India.

It is one of the top business schools of India with a special focus on Trade and Finance.

Exp. Foreign Ministers meeting of SCO member countries begins in Goa

A two-day meeting of foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) begins in Goa.

This crucial meeting will set the stage for the SCO Leaders’ Summit to be held in July in New Delhi.

The theme of India’s Chairmanship of SCO in 2023 is ‘SECURE-SCO’.

India attaches special importance to SCO in promoting multilateral, political, security, economic and people-to-people interactions in the region.

India, since becoming a member in 2017, has persistently pushed for the strengthening of collaboration on issues pertaining to regional security, defence, and combating terrorism, among others.

India, which took over the chairmanship of the SCO grouping in September 2022, is the host in 2023.

The SCO has Russia, India, China, Pakistan, and four central Asian countries – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, as its members.

About Goa

• Formation – 30 May 1987
• Capital – Panaji
• Chief Minister – Pramod Sawant
• Governor – S. Sreedharan Pillai

Exp. Paraguay’s Colorado Party’s Santiago Peña wins presidential election

An economist from Paraguay’s ruling conservative Colorado partySantiago Peña won the country’s presidential election.

Peña got more than 42 percent votes. Efraín Alegre, the candidate of the Concertación Nacional coalition, had nearly 28 percent.

The Colorado Party has been the dominant political force in Paraguay for more than 70 years, and Santiago Peña’s victory solidified its hold on power.

About Paraguay

• Capital- Asunción
• Currency – Guarani
• President – Santiago Peña

Newly Appointed Prime Minister & President

• President of Bangladesh – Mohammed Shahabuddin Chuppu (22nd)
• Deputy prime minister of UK – Oliver Dowden
• President of Cuba – Miguel Diaz-Canel (2nd term)
• Vice-President of UAE – Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan
• 3rd Vice President of Nepal – Ram Sahaya Prasad Yadav
• President of Nepal – Ram Chandra Paudel

Exp. Indian-Origin Ajay Banga appointed as next World Bank president

The World Bank’s 25-member executive board has elected former Mastercard CEO Ajay Banga to a five-year term as president, effective June 2.

Banga, 63, was nominated for the post by US President Joe Biden in late February and was the sole contender to replace departing World Bank chief David Malpass, an economist and former US Treasury official during the Trump administration.

The decision came in a vote by 24 of the board’s members, with Russia abstaining, instead of the usual consensus-based process.

About World Bank

• Founded – 1944
• Headquarters – Washington Dc
• President – Ajay Banga
• MD & CFO – Anshula Kant
• Chief Economist – Carman Reinhart
• Executive Director – Rajesh Khullar
• Member Countries -189
• World Bank Group – 5 (IBRD, IDA, IFC, MIGA and ICSID)

Recent Appointments of Persons of Indian Origin

• Association of American Universities (AAU) Task Force Chairs – Neeli Bendapudi
• Warrant Officer of UK’s Royal Air Force (RAF) – Subby Subramaniam (Indian-origin)
• Deputy Secretary of State, Management and Resources in USA – Indian American Richard Verma
• First Head of NASA’s ‘Moon To Mars’ Programme – Amit Kshatriya
• First Assistant Police chief in USA’ Connecticut – Manmeet Colon (Indian-origin Sikh woman)

Exp. Three Imprisoned Iranian female journalists win top UN prize

Three imprisoned Iranian female journalists have been named as the winners of the United Nations premier prize for press freedom.

The three winners, Niloufar Hamedi, Elaheh Mohammadi, and Narges Mohammadi were recognized for their work in reporting on human rights abuses in Iran and their commitment to truth and accountability.

The winners are Niloufar Hamedi who broke the news that 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died last September while being held by the morality police for wearing her headscarf too loosely, and Elaheh Mohammadi who wrote about her funeral.

Amini’s death touched off months-long protests in dozens of cities across Iran. The demonstrations posed one of the most serious challenges to the Islamic Republic since the 2009 Green Movement protests drew millions to the streets.

The third winner is Narges Mohammadi, who has worked for many years as a journalist and is one of Iran’s most prominent activists.

UNESCO World Press Freedom Prize

• This award was started in 1997. The award was established at the initiative of the Executive Board of UNESCO.
• The award is given to a person, organization or institution who, at the risk of life, has made an outstanding contribution to the defense and, or promotion of freedom of the press, anywhere in the world.
• The award is named in honor of Guillermo Cano Isaza, a Colombian journalist who was assassinated on 17 December 1986 in front of the office of his newspaper El Espectador in Bogotá, Colombia.

Recent Awards

• BAFTA fellowship -UK-based Indian-origin Meera Syal
• Leipzig Book Prize 2023 -Russian poet Maria Stepanova
• TAL Presents Lifetime Achievement Award – Dr. u Ram Pillarisetti
• Ramon Magsaysay Award 1959 – Dalai Lama
• Immigrant Achievement Award 2023 – Indian American Neeli Bendapudi

Exp. Vantika becomes 11th women to achieve International Master title

Vantika Agrawal is the new India Women No.3 in Chess and the 11th Indian women to achieve the International Master title.

Agrawal has played 4 International tournaments previously where she has increased her FIDE rating by 61 points.

She has also won a bronze medal in the National Women’s Championship held in Kohlapur in January 2023 and a gold medal for the Airport Authority of India in February 2023

She played on Board 1 for India 2 Team at the 44th Chess Olympiad in 2022 and was the only Indian player to achieve the IM norm.

She was honored with the President’s Award by former Indian President Pranab Mukherjee for her excellence in sports.

Exp. 4 May – Coal Miners Day

Coal Miners Day is celebrated every year on May 4.

Objective – To raise awareness about the importance of mine safety and the need to ensure safe working conditions for miners.

Coal mining has a long history dating back to the 16th century when George Bruce of Carnock, Scotland, opened the first coal mine in 1575.

Since then, coal mining has played a vital role in the growth and development of economies worldwide.

Exp. 4 May – International Firefighters’ Day

International Firefighters’ Day (IFFD) is observed every year on 4 May.

Objective – To honour and pay tribute to the great work done by the firefighters while protecting the life and property of people.

This day is an opportunity to show appreciation to those who serve their communities with selflessness and bravery, putting themselves in harm’s way to protect others.

Firefighters exemplify bravery, resilience, and selflessness, rushing into burning buildings and battling wildfires. Every year on May 4, the day recognizes their dedication, sacrifice, their tireless efforts in keeping us safe.

International Firefighters Day was established in 1999 to honour the sacrifices and bravery of firefighters worldwide.

Exp. Eminent historian Ranjit Guha passed away

An eminent historian, Ranjit Guha passed away at the age of 100.

Born on 23 May 1923, at Barisal in present-day Bangladesh, Guha’s family later shifted to Kolkata.

Guha completed his post-graduation in history from the University of Calcutta after studying at a school in Kolkata.

One of his famous contributions in the field of history is his book titled ‘Elementary Aspects of Peasant Insurgency in Colonial India’.

He was associated with several renowned institutions during his career, including the Australian National University, from where he retired in 1988.