Current Affairs Quiz 5th and 6th August 2023 Quiz

Exp. President of India inaugurated ‘UNMESHA’ and ”UTKARSH’ festivals in Bhopal

The President of India, Droupadi Murmu has inaugurated ‘Unmesha’ – International Literature Festival and ‘Utkarsh’ – Festival of Folk and Tribal Performing Arts at Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.

Culture Department Madhya Pradesh along with Sangeet Natak Akademi and Sahitya Akademi of the Ministry of Culture is organizing this event from 3rd to 5th August.

The international literature festival Unmesh is Asia’s largest literary convention.

15 countries will participate in the Unmesh festival.

Literature gave strength to the ideals of our freedom struggle. In every corner of the country, many writers gave expression to the ideals of freedom and renaissance.

Novels, stories, poems and plays written in the period of Indian renaissance and freedom struggle are popular even today, and they have a wide influence on our minds.

Exp. NHAI launches mobile app ‘Rajmargyatra’ for national highway users

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has launched ‘Rajmargyatra,’ to enhance the highway user experience.

A unified mobile application aimed at providing comprehensive information and efficient complaint redressal for national highway users.

The app offers real-time weather conditions, timely broadcast notifications, and details about nearby toll plazas, petrol pumps, hospitals, hotels, and other essential services, ensuring a seamless and safe journey on National Highways.

Users can report highway-related issues and attach geo-tagged videos or photos for clarity.

Complaints will be handled promptly, with system-generated escalations to higher authorities in case of delays. Users can track the status of their grievances for transparency.

Exp. Karnataka govt, Foxconn sign Letter of Intent with Rs 5000 cr investment

Taiwanese electronics contract manufacturer Foxconn has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with the government of Karnataka for two projects with an estimated investment outlay of ₹5,000 crore, expected to generate 13,000 jobs.

These projects are in addition to the iPhone end assembly plant, which the company has planned to set up at Devanahalli with an investment of about ₹14,000 crore.

The intended projects include a phone enclosure project for which Foxconn Industrialist Internet (FII), a Foxconn subsidiary will invest ₹3,000 crore and is estimated to create 12,000 jobs.

The phone enclosure unit will manufacture subassembly components for smartphones, specifically mechanical enclosures of iPhones. FII is currently evaluating suitable land parcels in and around Bengaluru.

Additionally, Foxconn will invest ₹2,000 crore for a semiconductor equipment manufacturing project. The project will be taken up in collaboration with Applied Materials and is expected to generate 1,000 jobs.

The location for this project is likely to be finalized at the Haraluru Muddenahalli – Hi-Tech Aerospace and Defence Park-Phase II in Bengaluru Rural district, where Foxconn has sought a 35-acre plot.

About Karnataka

• Capital – Bengaluru
• Chief Minister –Siddaramaiah
• Deputy Chief Minister – DK Shivakumar
• Governor – Thawar Chand Gehlot

Recent MoUs signed by State Government

• Punjab govt signs MoU with BCEIP to launch online course ‘English for Work
• Himachal Pradesh signs MoU with Oil India Ltd for Green Hydrogen
• Maharashtra govt signs MoU with Bajaj Finserv to invest Rs 5000 cr

• Tata Group signs deal with Gujarat govt for EV battery plant in Sanand, Gujarat
• Meghalaya signed MoU with NIOS to facilitate the return of dropouts to educational institutions.

Exp. Assam govt to set up National Centre of Excellence for Badminton

Assam government has signed an MoU with the Badminton Association of India to set up the National Centre of Excellence for Badminton in the state.

The MoU for the centre will be signed between the Assam government and the Badminton Association of India for 25 years, subject to renewal for a further 10 years.

The centre will have world-class facilities to nurture and harness the potential of young badminton players across India.

To ensure effective management and administration of the center, a supervisory committee comprising five members will be formed. This committee will be responsible for overseeing the functioning of the center and its activities.

About Assam

• Capital – Dispur
• Chief Minister –Himanta Biswa Sarma
• Governor – Gulab Chand Kataria

Exp. Qualcomm India appoints Savi Soin as President

The leading smartphone processor manufacturer, Qualcomm appointed Savi Soin as the President of Qualcomm India.

He will be responsible for guiding the company’s strategy in the Indian market.

Savi Soin, who has been with Qualcomm for more than two decades, previously served as the head of strategy and business development at Qualcomm Technologies’ semiconductor division.

He will replace Rajen Vagadia.

Recent Appointment

• Additional DG of Military Nurse Service – Amita Rani
• Director of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) – Prof Ganesan Kannabiran
• Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – James Ferguson ‘Jim’ Skea (UK)
• CEO of Dentsu X India – Jose Leon
• President & CDIO of Tata Motors – Rajesh Kannan

Exp. Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba gets one-year extension

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved extension in service to Rajiv Gauba as Cabinet Secretary for a further period of one year in relaxation of AIS (DCRB) Rules, 1958 and Rule 56(d) of the Fundamental Rules.”

Before Rajiv Gauba, BD Pande had been the longest serving cabinet secretary from November 2, 1972, to March 31, 1977.

Rajiv Gauba, a 1982-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Jharkhand cadre and a former Union home secretary, assumed the country’s top bureaucratic post in 2019, and his tenure was initially set for two years.

Subsequently, he received extensions twice, first in 2021 and then in August of the following year.

Rajiv Gauba is credited as the primary architect of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019. This act led to the division of the erstwhile state into two union territories – Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, following the abrogation of the special status accorded to the region under Article 370 of the Constitution.

Other Appointment

• Secretary of Department of School Education – Sanjay Kumar
• Secretary in Ministry of Road Transport and Highways – Anurag Jain
• Corporate Affairs Secretary- Manoj Govil
• Revenue Secretary – Sanjay Malhotra
• National Security Advisors – Ajit Doval
• Principal Secretary to PM – Pramod Kumar Mishra

Exp. Mrunal Thakur to be Honoured with Diversity in Cinema Award at IFFM

Actor Mrunal Thakur will honoured with Diversity in Cinema Award at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM).

The “Sita Ramam” star will be honoured with the award in recognition of “her outstanding performances across diverse roles and languages in the world of Indian cinema.

The actor, who made her film with “Love Sonia”, and then featured in movies such “Super 30”, “Toofan”, “Jersey”, will receive the award during the annual gala night on August 11 in the Australian city.

The 14th edition of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne will run from August 11 to 20.

Recent Awards

• Global Visionary Entrepreneur Award – Deepak Shenoy (MD of Medec Dragon Pvt Ltd)
• Best Managed Pharmaceutical Sustainable Organizations Award 2023– Medec Dragon Pvt Ltd
• Lokmanya Tilak National Award 2023 – Narendra Modi (41st recipient)
• Maharashtra govt’s first ‘Udyog Ratna’ award – Ratan Tata
• Miles Franklin Literary Award – Australian-Tamil lawyer Shankari Chandran (Novel Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens)

Exp. Bharat Dynamics Limited hands over first Radio Frequency to DRDO

The Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) has handed over the first Radio Frequency (RF) Seeker of Akash – the Next Generation Weapon System to Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO).

Seeker is a critical and technology-intensive subsystem used in Surface-to-Air Missiles and Air-to-Air Missiles for target tracking in the terminal phase.

The RF Seeker has been designed by DRDO’s Research Centre Imarat, and produced by BDL at its state-of-the-art Seeker Facility Centre set up at BDL, Kanchanbagh Unit in Hyderabad.

The establishment of the Seeker Facility Centre at BDL has enabled India to achieve self-reliance in the field of RF seeker production and contribute greatly towards realizing the goal of Atmanirbhar Bharat.

Chairman and Managing Director of BDL – A Madhavarao

Exp. 9th edition of Malabar River Festival opens in Kerala

The ninth edition of the Malabar River Festival opens at Thusharagiri in Kozhikode, Kerala.

The three-day event, organised by the Kerala Adventure Tourism Promotion Society and the Kozhikode District Tourism Promotion Council will be held at Iruvanjhipuzha and Chalipuzha rivers at Thusharagiri.

Besides Indian Kayakers, paddlers from ten countries including the US, UK, Israel, Kazakhstan, and South Africa are participating in the event.

The competition will be held in Kayak Slalom, Boardercross, and Down River events. The National Whitewater Kayaking Championship will also be held as part of the Malabar River Festival this year.

About Kerala

• Capital – Thiruvananthapuram
• Chief Minister – Pinarayi Vijayan
• Governor – Arif Mohammad Khan

Exp. Manoj Tiwary announces retirement from all forms of cricket

India middle-order batter and Bengal veteran Manoj Tiwary announced her retirement from all forms of cricket.

The 37-year-old, who last played for India in 2015, was playing domestic cricket as recently as February 2023.

The highly-talented West Bengal batter led Bengal in Ranji Trophy and the team made it to the final as well.

Manoj Tiwary played 12 ODIs and 3 T20Is for India between 2008 and 2015. He scored a hundred in the 50-over format of the game at the highest level.

Tiwary made his international debut against Australia in the 2007–08 Commonwealth Bank Series.

Recently Retired Players

• Diego Godin – Professional Football – Uruguay
• Stuart Broad – International Cricket – England
• Lahiru Thirimanne- International Cricket – Sri Lanka
• Nahida Khan – International Cricket – Pakistan
• Shabnim Ismail – International Cricket – South Africa
• Gary Ballance – All forms of cricket – England

Exp. Indian women’s compound team wins historic gold medal

The Indian women’s compound team won a gold medal at the World Archery Championships 2023.

The team comprising of Jyoti Surekha Vennam, Parneet Kaur and Aditi Gopichand Swami secured the nation’s first-ever gold medal in this competition.

The Indian women defeated the Mexican team of Dafne Quintero, Ana Sofia, and Hernandez Jeon by 235-229 in the finals to be crowned as the champions.

Earlier, the trio had pulled off an exemplary win against the defending champions, Colombia, by a 220-216 margin.

World Archery Championship 2023 was held in Berlin, Germany.

The tournament also serves as a qualifier for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

However, 3 more qualifying tournaments will be taking place in the future, in Asian Games 2023, Asian Championship 2023 and the Antalya World Cup 2024.

Exp. Poet-Diplomat Abhay K launches his new book ‘Monsoon’

Poet-diplomat Abhay K launched his new book ‘Monsoon’ at Kathika Cultural Centre in Old Delhi.

The book-length poem takes readers on a journey through the monsoon.

This poem actually takes you along the real path of the monsoon and introduces you to various things; monuments, biodiversity, cuisine, languages, and so on.

The book is a poetic symphony that transcends cultural boundaries and captures the beautiful emotions evoked by monsoons. The book creates a poetic tapestry out of love, reflection, and nostalgia.

His translation of the 1st Magahi novel ‘Phool Bahadur’ by Jayanath Pati will be published by Penguin in Jan 2024.

Recent Book

• APJ Abdul Kalam: Memories Never Die– Dr. Nazema Maraikayar & Dr. Y.S. Rajan (Tamil to English -Ninaivugalukku Maranamillai & launch by Amit Shah)
• Raag Prakash – Om Prakash Kaul (released by Himachal CM)
• As the wheel turns –Ranjit Pratap (released by M Venkaiah Naidu)
• A Fool’s Journey – Sarika Bhardwaj

Exp. World’s oldest man’ dies at 127

Brazilian supercentenarian, Jose Paulino Gomes, touted as world’s oldest man, passes away at age 127.

Gomes possessed a marriage certificate dating back to 1917, which indicated his birth on August 4, 1895, making him a witness to two world wars and three pandemics.

A legal adviser from the civil registry, responsible for maintaining people’s records, confirmed the accuracy of Jose’s details and verified that he was indeed born before 1900.