Current Affairs Quiz 6th and 7th February 2024 Quiz

Exp. Chhattisgarh govt launched Mahtari Vandan Yojana

Chhattisgarh government has launched a welfare scheme “Mahtari Vandan Yojana”.

Under the scheme, government will provide Rs 1,000 financial assistance for married women.

Under the scheme, Rs 1,000 per month — i.e. Rs 12,000 per annum — will be sent into the bank accounts of married women accounts through DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer).

The married women who are a domicile of Chhattisgarh and aged above 21 years as on January 1, 2024, will be eligible to avail benefit of the scheme.

Besides them, widows, divorced and abandoned women will also be eligible to avail its benefit if they fulfil the criteria.

The scheme is aimed at eliminating discrimination against women and to improve their health and nutrition level.

The government also decided to hike tendu leaf collection remuneration given to people collecting them to Rs 5,500 per standard sacks from existing Rs 4,000. Tendu leaves are used as a wrapper for beedis

About Chhattisgarh

• Capital – Raipur
• Chief Minister – Vishnu Deo Sai (replace Bhupesh Baghel)
• Deputy CM – Arun Sao & Vijay Sharma
• Governor – Biswabhusan Harichandan
• Speaker of Chhattisgarh Assembly – Raman Singh

Exp. PM Narendra Modi Unveils Projects Worth ₹1330 crore In Goa

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has participated in ‘Viksit Bharat, Viksit Goa 2047’ programme and inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of projects worth over ₹1330 crore.

The Prime Minister inaugurated the permanent campus of the National Institute of Technology Goa.

The newly built-up campus has various facilities such as tutorial complex, departmental complex, seminar complex, administrative complex, hostels, health centre, staff quarters, amenity centre, sports ground and other utilities to cater to the needs of students, faculty and staff of the Institute.

PM also dedicated the new campus of the National Institute of Watersports to the nation. The institute will introduce 28 tailor-made courses aimed at fostering the development of watersports and water rescue activities catering to both the public and the armed forces.

PM also inaugurated a 100 TPD Integrated Waste Management Facility in South Goa. It has been designed for the scientific treatment of 60 TPD wet waste and 40 TPD dry waste, while also featuring a 500 KW solar power plant that generates surplus electricity.

Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for Passenger Ropeway, along with associated tourism activities, connecting Panaji and Reis Magos. The foundation stone for the construction of a 100 MLD Water Treatment Plant in South Goa will be laid by him.

PM Modi in News

• PM Modi inauguratd CLEA-CASGC 2024 Conference in New Delhi
• PM Modi Unveils Infrastructure Boost in Bulandshahr, UP
• PM Modi inaugurates Diamond Jubilee celebrations of Supreme Court
• PM Modi released commemorative postage stamps, book on Ram Temple
• PM Modi inaugurated Boeing’s India Engineering and Technology Center in Bengaluru

Exp. Dr Jitendra Singh launches the theme for National Science Day ‘Indigenous Technologies for Viksit Bharat’

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh has released the theme for the “National Science Day 2024”, titled “Indigenous Technologies for Viksit Bharat”.

The NSD Theme for this year’s celebration reflects a strategic focus on promoting public appreciation for Science, Technology and Innovation and accomplishments of Indian scientists to address challenges through home-grown technologies for over-all well-being.

The Theme not only marks a new era but also presents an opportunity for public and scientific fraternity, both domestically and internationally, to collaborate, work together, and contribute to the well-being of India and humanity as a whole.

The National Science Day (NSD) is celebrated every year on 28 February to commemorate the discovery of the ‘Raman Effect’. Government of India designated 28 February as National Science Day (NSD) in 1986.

On this day Sir C.V. Raman announced the discovery of the ‘Raman Effect’ for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1930.  

Exp. Maharashtra Govt decides to introduce ‘Chief Minister Vayoshree Yojana’

Maharashtra Government has decided to introduce ‘Chief Minister Vayoshree Yojana’ that is likely to benefit 15 lakh senior citizens who suffer from some physical or mental disability.

These citizens, above the age of 65 years, will be screened and those found eligible will be paid three thousand rupees.

The scheme will be implemented across all districts at an approximate cost of 480 crore rupees.

About Maharashtra

• Capital – Mumbai
• Chief Minister – Eknath Sindhe
• Deputy Chief Minister – Devendra Fadnavis & Ajit Pawar
• Governor – Ramesh Bais

Exp. Arunachal Pradesh Cabinet Approves 2 new district

The cabinet of Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu has approved the creation of two new districts for ease of administration.

The cabinet decided to carve out Keyi Panyor district from Lower Subansiri and Bichom from East and West Kameng districts.

The number of districts in the northeastern state will now rise to 28.

About Arunachal Pradesh

• Capital – Itanagar
• Chief Minister – Pema Khandu
• Governor – LG (Retd) Kaiwalya Trivikram Parnaik

Exp. El Salvador’s Bukele re-elected as president

President Nayib Bukele has secured a thumping victory in El Salvador’s elections after voters cast aside concerns about erosion of democracy to reward him for a fierce gang crackdown that transformed security in the Central American country.

Bukele winning 83% support with just over 70% of the ballots counted.

As Bukele embarks on his second term, addressing poverty and fostering economic growth remain paramount. His initiatives, including the adoption of Bitcoin, aim to stimulate economic activity and alleviate poverty, despite skepticism from international observers.

About El Salvador

• Capital- San Salvador
• Currencies- Bitcoin, United States Dollar
• Official language- Spanish
• President- Nayib Bukele

Newly Appointed Prime Minister & President

• Sultan of Malaysia – Ibrahim Iskandar
• President of Comoros -Azali Assoumani (4th time)
• President of Guatemala – Bernardo Arevalo
• President of Taiwan – William Lai
• King of Denmark – King Frederik X (replace Queen Margrethe II)

Exp. SBI’s Q3FY24 net profit drops 35.5% due to one-time provisions

State Bank of India (SBI) has reported a drop in net profit for the first time in 12 quarters, with its third quarter (Q3FY24) standalone net profit declining 35.5 per cent year-on-year (yoy) to ₹9,164 crore.

As it absorbed one-time provisions relating to increase in pension liabilities and dearness relief neutralisation.

India’s largest bank had reported a net profit of ₹14,205 crore in Q3 FY 2023.

Capital adequacy ratio (CAR) declined to 13.05 per cent in Q3FY24 from 14.28 per cent in Q2FY24.

About State Bank of India (SBI)  

• Founded – 1 July 1955
• Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Chairman – Dinesh Kumar Khara
• 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. Apurva Chandra appointed as Health Secretary

Information and Broadcasting Secretary, Apurva Chandra has been appointed as the Secretary, Department of Health & Family Welfare.

Chandra is a 1988-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Maharashtra cadre.

Meanwhile, senior bureaucrat Sanjay Jaju has been appointed as the new Information and Broadcasting Secretary, in place of Chandra.

Jaju, a 1992-batch IAS officer, is currently serving in his cadre state of Telangana.

A Neerja, currently Additional Secretary, Department of Fertilisers has been appointed as Special Secretary in the same department.

Also, Ashish Kumar Bhutani has been appointed as Secretary at Ministry of Cooperation.  

Exp. Ritu Bahri Took Oath as the First Woman Chief Justice of Uttarakhand HC

Justice Ritu Bahri was sworn in as the first woman Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court.

She became the second woman to hold such a position amongst the 25 high courts in the country.

Last year, Sunita Aggarwal, a judge of the Allahabad High Court, was appointed Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court.

Prior to her appointment as the Chief Justice of Uttarakhand, Justice Bahri served as a judge in the Punjab and Haryana High Court from 2010.

She completed her schooling in Chandigarh and earned her law degree from Punjab University, beginning her legal practice in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Justice Bahri specialised in civil, constitutional, taxation, labor, and service matters.

About Uttarakhand

• Capital – Dehradun (Winter), Gairsain (Summer)
• Chief Minister – Pushkar Singh Dhami
• Governor – Gurmit Singh

Exp. ADB Appoints Mio Oka as New Country Director for India

Asian Development Bank (ADB) has appointed Mio Oka as its country director for India.

She will succeed Takeo Konishi who has been promoted as ADB Director General for South Asia at the Manila headquarters.

Oka will take charge of steering ADB operations in India and fostering relations with the government and the country’s other development partners.

India is currently ADB’s fourth largest shareholder and one of its largest borrowers since 2010.

In 2023, ADB committed USD 2.59 billion in sovereign lending to India in addition to USD 16.31 million in technical assistance and USD 5.25 million in grants under the sovereign portfolio.

The current India sovereign portfolio comprises 73 projects worth a total of USD 15.7 billion.

About Asian Development Bank (ADB)

• Founded – 19 December 1966
• Headquarters – Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines
• President – Masatsugu Asakawa
• Vice President – Ashok Lavasa
• Director of ADB for India – Mio Oka (replace Takeo Konishi)
• Executive Director – Vikas Sheel
• Adviser to the Executive Director – Smita Sarangi
• Member Countries – 68 (Niue)

Recent Appointment in Foreign

• US Representative on WHO Board – Vivek Murthy
• Secretary General of BIMSTEC – Indra Mani Pandey (replace Tenzin Lekphell Bhutan)
• ‘Class C’ Director on Board of Directors of Federal Reserve Bank of New York – Rajiv Shah
• Executive Director of Asian Development Bank (ADB) – Vikas Sheel (for 3 years)
• Adviser to the Executive Director of ADB – Smita Sarangi

Exp. Yemen Appoints Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak as New Prime Minister

Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council has appointed its foreign minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak as the country’s new prime minister.

Outgoing PM Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed will take on the role of an advisor to the Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council.

Bin Mubarak came to prominence in 2015 when he was kidnapped by the country’s Iran-aligned Houthis while he served as Yemen’s presidential chief of staff during a power struggle with then-President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

In 2018, Bin Mubarak was also designated as the country’s representative to the United Nations.

About Yemen

• Capital- Sana’a
• Official language- Arabic
• Currency- Yemeni Rial
• Prime Minister – Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak

Exp. Govt plans to have 25,000 Janaushadhi Kendras by March 2026

The government has set a target to have 25,000 Janaushadhi Kendras across the country by March 31, 2026.

In a written reply in Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State for Chemicals & Fertilizers Bhagwanth Khuba said that about 10,624 Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras (PMBJKs) were functional across the country till January 31, 2024.

For further expansion of the scheme, the government has set a target for opening 25,000 Janaushadhi Kendras (JAKs) by March 31, 2026, he added.

Accordingly, the Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI) has invited online applications from all districts of the country.

Prices of the Janaushadhi medicines are generally 50-90 per cent less than that of branded medicines’ prices which are available in the open market.

During the past nine years, estimated savings of more than Rs 28,000 crore for the citizens have been possible.

Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) was launched by the government in 2008.

Exp. 6 February – Safer Internet Day

Safer Internet Day is celebrated on 6th February each year.

Objective – To promote a safer and more responsible use of online technology around the world

Theme 2024 – Inspiring Change. Making a difference, managing influence and navigating change online

The day was started in 2004 as an initiative of the SafeBorders project, funded by the European Union (EU).

In 2005, Insafe took up the responsibility of organizing the day around the world. The European network has multiple awareness centres across the globe, which help people in understanding the various important factors of prioritising internet safety.  

Exp. 6 February – International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation

International Day of Zero Tolerance against Female Genital Mutilation is observed every year on 6 February.

The main objective of celebrating Female Genital Mutilation Day (FGM) is to give respect to women by completely eliminating female genital mutilation.

Theme 2024 – Her Voice Her Future

The United Nations Population Fund and the United Nations Children’s Fund launched a joint campaign against female genital mutilation in 2007.

In 2012, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution declaring February 6 as the International Day Against Female Genital Mutilation with zero tolerance against female genital mutilation

Exp. Veteran journalist Farooq Nazki dies

Veteran broadcaster, poet and Sahitya Akademi winner Mir Mohammad Farooq Nazki died at the age of 83.

Nazki, who held several important positions in All India Radio Kashmir and Doordarshan.

In 1995, Nazki won the Sahitya Academy award in Kashmiri language literature for his book of poetry, Naar Hyutun Kanzal Wanas (Fire in the Eyelashes).