Current Affairs Quiz 8th February 2023 Quiz

Exp. India’s first new mobility focussed cluster in Telangana

The Telangana government has launched the country’s first new mobility-focused cluster, Telangana Mobility Valley’ (TMV).

It aims to attract investments of around Rs 50,000 crore and generate more than 4 lakh jobs in the next five years in the state.

TMV aims to facilitate companies across all segments of sustainable mobility including Electric 2Wheelers/ 3 wheelers/ 4 wheelers, Advanced Cell Chemistry and Hydrogen fuel cells, Tier 1 and Tier 2 Component manufacturers and Auto Engineering R&D companies among others.

The government has also set up the Kalam Centre For Automotive Excellence to upskill youth in e-Mobility.

About Telangana

• Capital –Hyderabad

Chief Minister – K. Chandrashekar Rao

Governor – Tamilisai Soundararajan

Exp. Ministry of Education launched “Yuva Sangam Portal”

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has launched the “Yuva Sangam” portal aimed at building empathy between the youth of northeastern states and those from other parts of the country.

The initiative of ‘Yuva Sangam’ under Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat has been conceptualized to strengthen people-to-people connect and build empathy between the youth of the Northeast and other states.

The portal was launched in collaboration with various ministries and departments such as culture, tourism, railways, information and broadcasting, youth affairs and sports, home affairs, Department for Development of North-East Region (DoNER), and IRCTC.

Around 1,000 young people are expected to participate in the Yuva Sangam pilot programme.

The Yuva Sangam will focus on conducting exposure tours of the youth comprising students and off-campus youngsters from the Northeast to other states and vice versa.

It will also provide an immersive and multidimensional experience of various facets under four broad areas of ‘paryatan’ (tourism), ‘parampara’ (tradition), ‘pragati’ (development) and ‘paraspar sampark’ (people-to-people connect).

Exp. Kala Ghoda Arts Festival begins in Mumbai

The 23rd edition of the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival has begun in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

The nine-day festival, organized by the Kala Ghoda Association, will host a wide array of programmes in over 14 domains such as dance, music, literature, theatre, food, cinema, stand-up comedy, street art, urban design, architecture.

It is an annual festival, commencing always on the first Saturday of February and closing is always on the second Sunday in February, in the Kala Ghoda area of South Mumbai, India.

The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival will be organised from February 4 to 12, 10 am to 10 pm every day.

It was first started in 1999.

 About Maharashtra

• Capital – Mumbai
• Chief Minister– Eknath Sindhe
• Governor – Bhagat Singh Koshyari

Exp. Union government extends Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban scheme up to 2024

Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri has announced that the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U) scheme has been extended up to 2024.

Around 123 lakh houses were sanctioned under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U) during the last fiscal, of which 68 lakh houses were completed and delivered till last month.

The Centre has approved two lakh crore rupees under the scheme, out of which 1.36 lakh crore rupees have been released so far.

About Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U)

PMAY-U was launched on 25 June 2015 by the Government of India and it is being implemented by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

The scheme aims to provide pucca houses to all the eligible beneficiaries by 2022.

Around 1.12 crore houses are to be constructed under the scheme.

Exp. IIT Madras signed MoU with ISRO to develop astronaut training module

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has signed an MoU with IIT Madras to build training modules for Indian Spaceflight Program, using augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR) technologies.

As per the collaboration guidelines, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) would utilize the advanced technologies created at the eXperiential Technology Innovation Centre (XTIC) at IIT Madras in order to promote Research and Development (R&D) in the field of Extended Reality.

The collaboration between IIT Madras and ISRO will lead to modeling and simulation of human physiology as well as space systems, outreach activities, visualization and optimization of design architecture, and training of ISRO scientists in developing their own XR systems.

About Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)

Founded – 15 August 1969

Headquarters – Bangalore, Karnataka

Founder / 1st Chairman – Vikram Sarabhai

10th Chairman – S Somanath

Aryabhata India’s first satellites Launched on 19 April 1975

Exp. Reliance unveils India’s 1st hydrogen combustion engine for heavy duty

Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has unveiled India’s first Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine technology solution for heavy-duty trucks.

It has flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the India Energy Week in Bangalore.

The Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine (H2ICE)-powered trucks will emit near zero emissions, deliver performance on par with conventional diesel trucks and reduce noise with projected reductions in operating costs thus redefining the future of Green Mobility.

Exp. Bangladesh will receive electricity from power plant in Jharkhand

Bangladesh minister, Nasrul Hamid has informed that Bangladesh will start receiving electricity from the Godda power plant in Jharkhand from the first week of March 2023..

Nasrul Hamid said 750-megawatt power will come from the first unit of Adani power plant in Godda in March 2023.

Another 750 megawatt of power will come from the second unit of the Godda power plant in April 2023.

The Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) signed an agreement with the Adani group for importing electricity from its plant at Godda..

The Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) signed an agreement with Adani group for importing electricity from its plant at Godda in Jharkhand.

Consequently, two units of 800 MW each are being built by the Adani power company to supply electricity exclusively to Bangladesh. It has also constructed a dedicated transmission line to supply power from India to Bangladesh.

About Bangladesh

• Capital– Dhaka
• Currency– Taka
• President– Mohammad Abdul Hamid
• Prime Minister– Sheikh Hasina

Exp. National School of Drama to organize the 22nd edition of the Bharat Rang Mahotsav

The National School of Drama (NSD) will organize the 22nd edition of Bharat Rang Mahotsav (BRM) from 14 to 26 February 2023.

The program will be held in 10 different cities across the country.

The BRM will take place in Delhi, Nashik, Jaipur, Rajamundry, Bhopal, Jammu, Srinagar, Guwahati, Ranchi and Kevadia. The plays will also be performed in 16 different Indian languages.

About Bharat Rang Mahotsav

Bharat Rang Mahotsav was established two decades ago by the National School of Drama to encourage the development of theater across the country.

It hosts theater companies from around the world, and is the largest theater festival in Asia.

It aims to strengthen international tie-ups and cultural exchange programs with other nations.

It creates a platform to know more about theater traditions across the country.

Exp. Reliance retail becomes first to accept digital rupee at stores

Reliance Retail has become the first Indian retailer to introduce Central Bank Digital Currency, also known as the digital rupee.

The company has piloted the use of Digital Rupee in one store in Mumbai and plans to make this facility available in all its stores in Mumbai within the next three to four months.

The launch of this facility was in collaboration with Innoviti Technologies, ICICI Bank, and Kotak Mahindra Bank.

The Digital Rupees was first introduced by the RBI on December 1, 2022. Initially, It is limited to Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru, and Bhubaneswar.

Exp. RBI increased the repo rate by 0.25 percent to 6.5 percent

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has increased the policy repo rate by 0.25 percent in the bi-monthly monetary policy review with the aim of bringing inflation under control.

Das said that four MPC members voted in favour of the repo rate revision versus two members. The central bank said that its policy stance remains focused on the withdrawal of accommodation.

This is the sixth time the interest rate has been hiked since May 2022. The central bank has also hiked the short-term lending rate by 250 basis points to contain rising inflation.

Repo Rate – 6.5%

Standing Deposit Facility (SDF) rate – 6.25%

Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate – 6.75%

Bank Rate – 6.75%

Reverse Repo Rate – 3.35%

CRR – 4.50%

SLR – 18.00%

Repo Rate (RR) is the rate at which the central bank lends money to commercial banks or financial institutions, public or private, in India against government securities.

About Reserve Bank of India (RBI)

• Founded – 1 April 1935
• RBI Nationalized– 1 January 1949
• Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
• RBI set up –Hilton Young Commission
• 1st Governor –Sir Osborne Smith (Australia)
• 1st Indian Governor –CD Deshmukh
• 25th Governor– Shaktikanta Das
• RBI Deputy Governor(4) – 1. Tavarna Rabi Sankar

2. Mukesh Kumar Jain
3. Michael D Patra
4. M Rajeshwar Ra

Exp. Peggy Mohan won ‘Mathrubhumi Book of The Year’ award 2023

Author Dr. Peggy Mohan has bagged the ‘Mathrubhumi Book of The Year’ award at the fourth edition of the Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters (MBIFL 2023).

Her book ‘Wanderers, Kings and Merchants,’ portraying evolution of language as the outcome of migrations, won the award that carries Rs two lakh as cash prize and a sculpture.

Nobel Laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah presented the award to Mohan at the valedictory ceremony of the four-day MBIFL 2023.

MBIFL 2023, also known as ‘Ka’ in Malayalam, featured Nobel and Booker Prize winners and Jnanpith awardees and others among over 400 names in creative fields.

Recent Awards

• Lifetime Achievement Honour in UK – Former Indian PM Manmohan Singh
• FIH President’s Award 2023 – V Karthikeyan Pandian (Odisha)
• First Asian to bag Oscar nomination for Best Actress – Michelle Yeoh (Film – Everything Everywhere All at Once)
• Subhash Chandra Bose Disaster Management Award 2023 – Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) &  Lunglei Fire Station (LFS)
• Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia Lifetime Achievement Award – Dr. Prabha Atre

Exp. ITBP won the title of National Ice Hockey Championship 2023

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), one of the seven central arm forces, have won the National Ice Hockey Championship 2023 for the third consecutive time.

The ITBP team won the title for the third consecutive time by defeating Ladakh Scouts in the final with a score of 1-0.

They won the 12th edition of the tournament organized by the Ice Hockey Association of India (IHAI).

The championship was organized by the Ice Hockey Association of India (IHAI) in Ladakh, Leh.

Exp. Australia’s Aaron Finch announced retirement from International Cricket

Australian men’s T20 captain Aaron Finch has announced his retirement from international cricket.

Finch, who retired as the One Day International (ODI) captain of the Australian team last year, has confirmed his retirement from T20Is. Finch guided Australia to its maiden ICC World T20 title in 2021.

Finch made his international debut in 2011 in a T20 International match against England. He made his ODI debut in 2013 against Sri Lanka.

He made his Test debut against Pakistan in 2018.

Finch played 146 ODIs at an average of around 39 and 103 T20 Internationals at an average of 34.28 and a strike rate of 142.53.

Recently Retired Players

• Raphael Varane – International football – France
• Joginder Sharma – All forms of cricket – India
• Murali Vijay – All forms of international cricket – India
• Hashim Amla – – International Cricket – South Africa
• Hugo Lloris – International football – France
• Gareth Bale – International football – Wales
• Sania Mirza – International Tennis – India
• Farhaan Behardien – International Cricket – South African
• Karim Benzema – International football – France
• Ben Stokes – One Day International Cricket – England

Exp. 7 February – Safer Internet Day

Safer Internet Day is observed every year on February 7.

Objective – To raise awareness about the importance of using the Internet in a safe way.

This year is the 20th edition of Safer Internet Day.

The Internet can be used to exploit, blackmail, threaten, stalk, steal and more from unsuspecting individuals.

It is important for your children to know what malicious individuals can try to do on the internet. Teach your children the risks associated with improper use of the Internet.