Current Affairs Quiz 4th October 2024 Quiz

Exp. Prashant Kishor announces Jan Suraaj as a political party

Political strategist-cum-activist Prashant Kishor launched his political outfit Jan Suraaj Party, two years after he embarked on a campaign in Bihar to mobilise support for a “new political alternative”.

As a political party, Jan Suraaj would contest all 243 seats in the Assembly elections in Bihar, next year in October-November.

His party would contest in the bypolls in four seats of Bihar which are likely to be held in November this year.

The 47-year-old also named Manoj Bharti, a Madhubani-born former Indian Foreign Service officer, as working president of the party.

Mr Bharti comes from the Dalit community, has been educated at IIT Kanpur and Delhi and was in the Indian Foreign Service. He was also Indian ambassador in four countries.

Exp. Vistara to get AI2 flight number after merger with Air India

National carrier Air India said that flights operated by Vistara will start using the flight code ‘AI2’ after the merger of the two airlines next month. Currently, Air India uses the airline code ‘AI’ while Vistara uses ‘UK.’

Despite the integration on November 12, the Vistara experience will “remain the same. The merger involves Vistara, a joint venture between Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, and Air India.

Though the legal entities and Air Operator Certificates will become one on 12 November, the Vistara experience will remain.

Vistara aircraft, crew and service will continue to operate as before, but with AI2XXX flight numbers bookable via airindia.com.

In parallel, Air India’s narrow-body fleet continue to be upgraded with new aircraft being delivered, legacy aircraft being refitted with entirely new interiors and Vistara’s catering now also extended to Air India.

Exp. 2024 edition of annual apex-level international conference IPRD to held in New Delhi

The 2024 edition of the annual apex-level international conference of the Indian Navy, the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue (IPRD), will be held in New Delhi.

The theme of the three-day conference is “Resource Geopolitics and Security in the Indo-Pacific.”

IPRD is the principal manifestation of the Indian Navy’s international engagement at the strategic level, addressing holistic maritime security issues across the Indo-Pacific.

This year’s conference will focus on how traditional and newly identified marine resources are influencing contemporary geopolitics and how they will shape it in the future.  

Exp. NITI Aayog launches first State Chapter of Women Entrepreneurship Platform

NITI Aayog has launched its maiden State Chapter of Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) in association with WE Hub and the Telangana government.

An initiative to promote and support women entrepreneurs across various sectors by providing them access to resources, tools, and a network for enhancing their business growth, WEP thus far remained a scheme operated by the Centre.

With over 30 thousand registered women entrepreneurs and associations, the WEP has over 400 mentors from different industry sectors.

WE Hub Chief Executive Officer, Sita Pallocholla, has been appointed Mission Director of the WEP Telangana Chapter.

WE Hub will be the nodal agency for all WEP activities in the State.

The WEP will offer customised support like digital skilling, access to financial services, mentorship, and market linkages.  

Exp. India to host first-ever Kho Kho World Cup in 2025

The first edition of the Kho Kho World Cup will be held in India next year and will feature 16 men’s and women’s teams from 24 countries and six continents.

Kho Kho has its roots in India and this World Cup will highlight the rich cultural heritage and competitive spirit of the sport. Today, the sport that started in the mud and has gone to the mat now has a global presence with 54 countries playing the sport across the world.

Exp. ICICI Bank and MakeMyTrip unveils co-branded credit card for travel enthusiasts

ICICI Bank has collaborated with MakeMyTrip (MMT), the country’s biggest online travel operator, and introduced a premium co-branded credit card tailored to the country’s aspirational travellers.

The MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Credit Card, with its several features, enriches the trip experience by providing infinite points that never expire.

The card provides a unique value with myCash (MakeMyTrip’s reward currency), where 1 myCash equals ₹1 in spendable funds. It provides 6% myCash on hotel reservations, 3% myCash on flights, vacations, taxis, and buses, and 1% on other retail purchases—all in addition to relevant MakeMyTrip savings.

This card is a dual offering, providing the convenience of two cards, one powered by Mastercard and one powered by RuPay. Furthermore, the RuPay credit card can be linked to UPI, allowing safe and secure transactions via UPI-enabled Apps.

Recent Facilities Launched in Banking & Insurance Sector

• Axis Bank’s new economy group launches Corporate Credit Card Suite for startups
• HDFC Bank launches instant SIP via SmartWealth app
• IDBI Bank launched a special Scheme “Sugam Rinn Bhugtan Yojana (SUGAM)”, to boost its recovery efforts through one time settlement of Retail NPAs up to March 31, 2021.
• Bank of Baroda Unveils Co-Branded Travel Debit Card in Collaboration with EaseMyTrip
• Federal Bank unveils NPS Vatsalya, assuring long-term wealth building to minors

Exp. Magma HDI Unveils OneProtect – A Contemporary Personal Accident Insurance

India’s premier general insurance provider, Magma HDI has unveiled a OneProtect, a contemporary personal accident insurance product.

With over 20 customisable add-ons adapted to today’s lifestyle needs, OneProtect is the ideal companion for anybody, including thrill-seekers and explorers.

As adventure travel is popular among Indians, sports like trekking, paragliding, and scuba diving have become popular vacation options. OneProtect allows adventurers to follow their passions confidently by protecting various high-octane activities.

Another notable feature of OneProtect is its 200% coverage for accidental death while using common carriers such as trains etc.

Exp. Federal Bank join hands with Bhashini to boost Chatbot Feddy with Vernacular Language Support

Federal Bank, a renowned private sector bank in India, has inked a MoU with Bhashini, an AI-Powered Language Translation Platform, to provide vernacular language support to its AI Virtual Assistant, Feddy.

This collaboration arose as a result of the Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH)’s local language effort to promote banking in vernacular languages. It has considerably improved Feddy’s capabilities, making it more accessible to a broader variety of clients in India.

Feddy, Federal Bank‘s AI-powered chatbot, is already a popular tool for customers who want quick and easy banking services. With the addition of Bhashini’s language translation capabilities, Feddy can now react to user requests in 14 different Indian languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Assamese, Punjabi, Urdu, Manipuri, and Bodo.

Exp. ICC Women’s T20 World Cup begins in Sharjah

The ninth edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup begins in Sharjah, UAE. The opening match will feature Bangladesh against debutant Scotland.

Captain Harmanpreet Kaur will be leading India’s campaign, starting against New Zealand.

India is carrying a spin-heavy bowling arsenal to the stage. With Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav, Sajana Sajeevan, Asha Sobhana Joy, Tanuja Kanwer, and Shreyanka Patil, the team has versatility and effectiveness in its ranks.

Australia, the defending champions who have won the last three T20 World Cups, are in Group A alongside India, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

Group B includes Bangladesh, England, Scotland, South Africa, and the West Indies.

The Indian women’s team has yet to hold the trophy at an ICC event, making this tournament a significant opportunity for the Women in Blue. A total of ten teams will participate in the event, which will conclude on the 20th of this month.

Exp. Carlos Alcaraz defeats Jannik Sinner to win first China Open Title

In tennis, second-seeded Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz beat defending champion and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, winning 6-7 6-4 7-6 to claim his first China Open title.

Meanwhile, China’s Zheng Qinwen stormed into the quarterfinals of the women’s singles after defeating Amanda Anisimova of the United States.

Aryna Sabalenka secured her place in the quarterfinals by overcoming Madison Keys of the United States. Sabalenka will face the Czech Republic’s Karolina Muchova.

Exp. India becomes affiliate member of International Medical Device Regulators Forum

India has become an affiliate member of the International Medical Device Regulators Forum (IMDRF), which will open doors to invaluable opportunities for reliance and collaboration with regulatory authorities worldwide.

The IMDRF, which was established in 2011, is a group of global medical device regulators whose aim is to speed up the adoption of, international medical device regulatory harmonisation and convergence.

Its members include national regulatory authorities of the U.S., Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Russia, China, South Korea, Singapore and the World Health Organization (WHO).

The membership helps to harmonise regulatory requirements across the globe, which reduces complexities for manufacturers and helps safeguard public health by promoting collaboration, harmonising regulations, and promoting convergence.

Exp. West Indies legend Dwayne Bravo announces retirement from all forms of cricket

West Indies decorated all-rounder Dwayne Bravo has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket after his farewell Caribbean Premier League (CPL) season was cut short due to an injury.

Bravo, who is going to turn 41 next month, is the leading wicket-taker in the T20 format. Bravo retired from international cricket in 2021 and decided to end his time in the IPL.

Bravo has finished his career by setting a benchmark in the T20 format across the globe, with 631 wickets in the format in 582 appearances.

Bravo was set to retire from the CPL after the conclusion of the ongoing campaign. His accolades boast him as the most decorated player to feature in the tournament, lifting five titles, including three with the Trinbago Knight Riders.

Recently Retired Players

• Luis Suarez (Uruguay) – National Football ⚽
• Barinder Sran (India) – International Cricket
• Shannon Gabriel (West Indies) – International Cricket
• Shikhar Dhawan (India) – All forms of Cricket
• Ilkay Gundogan (Germany) – International Football⚽
• Andy Murray (UK) – International Tennis

Exp. Mankind Pharma secures CCI approval for ₹13,360-crore worth acquisition of Bharat Serums and Vaccines

A proposed acquisition of Bharat Serums and Vaccines by Mankind Pharma for ₹13,630 crore was approved by the Competition Commission of India (CCI).

Mankind Pharma had announced in July that it will fully acquire Bharat Serums and Vaccines from private equity firm Advent International for around ₹13,630 crore.

The company has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a 100 per cent stake in the Bharat Serums and Vaccines for an enterprise value of around ₹13,630 crore.

Mankind is a public listed company and is engaged in developing, manufacturing, and marketing a diverse range of pharmaceutical finished dosage formulations (FDFs) across various acute and chronic therapeutic areas, as well as several consumer healthcare products such as condoms, emergency contraceptives, pregnancy tests, vitamins, minerals, nutrients, antacids etc.

In India, the activities of BSV (including its wholly owned Indian subsidiary, BSV Pharma Private Limited, which is in the process of merging with BSV) are limited to developing, manufacturing, and marketing a range of biological, biotech, and pharmaceutical products in the therapeutic areas of women’s health, critical care, IUI-IVF, and emergency medicine.

Exp. Market regulator Sebi slaps Rs 12 lakh fine on NSE Data And Analytics

Markets regulator SEBI has imposed a penalty of Rs 12 lakh on NSE Data And Analytics Ltd for its failure to segregate IT infrastructures and manpower between itself and its parent firm National Stock Exchange (NSE).

It has been directed to pay the fine within 45 days, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) said in its order.

In its order, SEBI noted irregularities with respect to the backup of records and details of the Business Continuity Plan/Disaster Recovery policy, delay in sending acknowledgement letters to investors, irregularities with respect to system audit reports and cyber security audit framework and failure to validate KYC records.

SEBI conducted an inspection of NSE Data And Analytics Ltd, a KYC Registration Agency (KRA) on September 6-7, 2023, to ascertain possible violation of regulatory norms. The period covered in the inspection was from April 1, 2022, to July 31, 2023.