Daily Current Affairs Quiz: April 3, 2023

Solution: option d.)

NASA has appointed Amit Kshatriya to head its new Moon to Mars Program Office.
NASA to send 4 humans to live on Mars from June 2023:
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is training four people to live on Mars in June 2023.
These four ‘Martians’ will be part of NASA’s human exploration mission to Mars. In addition, NASA is sending a satellite, the InSight lander, a robotic helicopter and related systems to Mars, which will conduct comprehensive investigations of Mars.
The US space agency is planning three such missions to better understand Mars. Crew members will perform a variety of mission activities, including simulated spacewalks, robotic operations, habitat maintenance, personal hygiene, exercise and crop growth.
Headquarters- Washington D.C.

Solution: option a.)

Vedanta’s Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL) has signed an MoU with the Rajasthan Cricket Association for the development of the world’s third-largest cricket stadium in the village of Chonp in Jaipur.
Vedanta’s HZL will spend INR 300 crore on the stadium, one of the largest corporate investments in India’s sports infrastructure.
The stadium would be named Anil Agarwal International Cricket Stadium, Jaipur.
The stadium facilities will be spread across 100 acres and have a seating capacity of over 75,000. In terms of the size of the playing field area, this stadium would be the largest in the world.
World Biggest Cricket Stadiums:
Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad (Gujarat, India) – 1,32,000 sitting capacity.
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne (Australia) – 1,00,024 sitting capacity.
Eden Gardens, Kolkata (West Bengal, India) – 68,000 sitting capacity.
Naya Raipur International Cricket Stadium, Raipur (Chhattisgarh, India) – 65,400 sitting capacity

Solution: option a.)

On April 1, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the Vande Bharat Express train between Bhopal and New Delhi from Rani Kamalapati Railway Station in Bhopal.
11th Vande Bharat train of the country. The Vande Bharat train between Madhya Pradesh and New Delhi will cover the distance of 701 km in seven hours and 30 minutes and will run on all days except Saturdays.
The train is equipped with advanced state-of-the-art safety features including Collision Avoidance System – Kavach.

Solution: option b.)
The Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Piyush Goyal announced the Foreign Trade Policy 2023, on March 31, 2023.
The 2023 foreign trade policy has the vision to take India’s goods and services exports to $2 trillion by 2030.
The FTP 2023 will come into effect from April 1, 2023. FTP 2023 is also focusing on new sectors such as e-commerce, providing all benefits to exports through e-commerce. It increased the value limit for exports through courier service from ₹5 lakhs to ₹10 lakhs per consignment.

Solution: option a.)
India’s third largest private sector lender Axis Bank has launched ‘MicroPay’, the country’s first pocket-sized swipe machine, for accepting digital payments.
The ‘MicroPay’ has been launched along with Ezetap by Razorpay and MyPinpad as the technical solution partners.
MicroPay is based on ‘Pin on Mobile’ technology, which converts a merchant’s smartphone into a Point-of-Sale (POS) terminal.
AXIS BANK MD: Amitabh Chaudhary
AXIS BANK (HQ): Mumbai

Solution: option d.)
The Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank has approved a $100 million loan to Odisha.
Reason: To robust its early forecasting systems for improved response to disasters and enhance its social protection coverage for poor and vulnerable households through digital platforms.
Odisha is vulnerable to natural disasters with cyclones hitting the state every 15 months on average. The Program has a maturity of 12.5 years with a grace period of 3 years.
ODISHA CM: Naveen Patnaik
ODISHA Governor: Ganeshi Lal

World Bank (HQ): Washington

• The World Bank has given a $363 million loan to the state of Karnataka in India, which will help provide clean drinking water to two million rural households.
  • The World Bank’s Executive Board of Directors has approved USD 108 million in loans for Assam, to help the state improve disaster preparedness and enhance flood forecasting.
  

Solution: option b.)

The Indian economy is likely to grow at the rate of 6.5 per cent in the coming decade on the back of the turnaround in the financial and investment cycle, Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) V Anantha Nageswaran said.
The Finance Ministry’s Economic Survey has projected the economic growth to be 6.5 per cent in 2023-24. While the RBI has projected India’s economic growth to slow down to 6.4 per cent in Financial Year 2024.

Solution: option b.)
Indian Railways has achieved a significant milestone, by completing 100% electrification of the Railway network in Haryana State.
The existing Broad Gauge network of Haryana is 1,701 Rokilometresetre, which is now 100% electrified, resulting in saving on account of reduced line haul cost (about 2.5 times lower), heavier haulage capacity, increased sectional capacity, reduced operating & maintenance cost of an electric loco, energy-efficient and eco-friendly mode of transportation with reduced dependence on imported crude oil, saving of foreign exchange.

Solution: option b.)

Airtel will enable IPPB customers to seamlessly connect with the bank on WhatsApp and effortlessly avail of a host of banking services.
Bharti Airtel (“Airtel”), a leading telecommunications service provider in India and India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) today announced the launch of WhatsApp Banking Services for IPPB customers, enabling them to access banking services on their mobile phones.
The WhatsApp messaging solution will be delivered to customers through Airtel IQ – a cloud communications platform as a service that enables brands to engage with their customers across voice, SMS and WhatsApp channels. Airtel is the first telecom company in the world that serves as a Business Service Provider (BSP) for WhatsApp.
IPPB is a public sector bank which was launched in 2018 to provide banking services to the unbanked population of India.
IPPB MD: Venkatramu

Solution: option d.)
Former India all-rounder Salim Durani passed away at the age of 88 at his house in Jamnagar, Gujarat. Durrani was a left-handed batter and left-arm spinner, and represented India in 29 Tests, scoring 1202 runs and taking 75 wickets.
In domestic cricket, Durani played Ranji Trophy for Saurashtra, Rajasthan and Gujarat. He was most famous for his outstanding performance in India’s series victory against England in 1961-62, picking up eight and 10 wickets in Kolkata and Chennai.

Solution: option d.)

The Foundation Day of the Reserve Bank of India is celebrated on the 1st of April every year.
About Reserve Bank of India
• RBI was established on April 1, 1935, as per the provisions of the Reserve Bank of India Act, of 1934.
• It started functioning on 1 April 1935.
• The central office of the Reserve Bank was established in Kolkata which was permanently shifted to Mumbai in the year 1937.
• It was nationalized in 1949 and now the government of India is the owner of RBI.
• It has the power to regulate Banks under the Banking Regulation Act 1949.
• It has the power to regulate the Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) under the RBI act 1934.
• RBI is also the regulator of the digital payment system under the Payment and settlement act 2007.
• Before independence till 1942 RBI used to issue currency not only for India but also for Myanmar which was then known as Burma. However, it was discontinued after 1947.
• Headquarters of RBI: Mumbai
• Governor of RBI : Shaktikanta Das
Major functions of RBI
• Formulation, implementation and monitoring of monetary policy.
• To maintain price stability keeping in view the objective of growth.
• Sir Osborne Smith was made the first Governor of RBI.
• To lay down broad norms for banking operations.
• To protect the interests of the depositors and to provide affordable banking services to the general public.
• Administration of Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999.
• Issuance and exchange of currency.
• Role of a merchant bank for central and state governments.

Solution: option c.)
Union housing and urban affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday announced that 1,000 cities are targeted to become ‘3-star garbage free’ by October 2024. Speaking on the occasion of International Zero Waste Day 2023 in New Delhi.
Puri highlighted the progress in the garbage-free city-star rating protocol, launched in January 2018 to encourage competition among urban local bodies (ULBs).
He said the certification had increased exponentially since its inception. Interacting with the ‘Swachhta Doots’ (messenger of clean habits) from across the country, the minister congratulated them for being change-makers in their community.

Solution: option a.)

The Book ‘Fearless Governance’ by Dr Kiran Bedi, former Lt. Governor of Puducherry and IPS (retd) is a revelation of the stark realities of governance.
This book is based on the ground realities of nearly five years of service of Dr Bedi as Lt. Governor of Puducherry and her vast experience of 40 years in the Indian Police Service.
The author demonstrates the right practices of responsible governance. She brought about team spirit, collaboration, financial prudence, effective policing, bonding in services and decision-making through fearless leadership.

Solution: option a.)
Maithili Thakur, the singing sensation of Bihar known for her contribution to folk music, has been made the brand ambassador for khadi and handicrafts of the state, officials said.
The 22-year-old, who was recently selected for the prestigious Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar of Sangeet Natak Akademi, was handed over a letter in this regard by the industries department at a function.
Bihar CM: Nitish Kumar
Bihar Governor: Vishwanath Arlekar

Solution: option d.)
Max Verstappen has won his maiden F1 Australian Grand Prix following a chaotic race at Melbourne’s Albert Park.
The reigning champion was the heavy favourite coming into the race, but the Dutchman was overtaken by Mercedes duo George Russell and Lewis Hamilton on the opening lap.
Charles Leclerc’s gravel beaching caused an early safety car, before Alex Albon’s crash seven laps later resulted in the race being red-flagged.
Once the racing resumed, Verstappen asserted his dominance and built a commanding lead.
However, a late-second red flag was shown after Kevin Magnussen lost his rear tire, leaving two dramatic laps to be completed.

Solution: option c.)

India and Malaysia have agreed to settle trade in the Indian rupees, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on April 1, 2023.
The announcement came against the backdrop of ongoing official efforts to Safeguard Indian trade from the impact of the Ukraine crisis. The shift away from The U.S. dollar which has been the dominant reserve currency for international trade so far has added significance as it indicates India is willing to take concrete steps towards the de-dollarisation of its international trade.
The Union Bank of India in a statement said that it has become the first bank in India to operationalise this option by opening a Special Rupee Vostro Account through its “corresponding bank” in Malaysia — India International Bank of Malaysia.
Malaysia PM: Anwar Ibrahim
Malaysia Capital: Kuala Lumpur

Solution: option b.)
The monthly Goods and Services Tax (GST) collection in March crossed 1.6 lakh crore, only for the second time since the implementation of the GST regime in July 2017. The government collected Rs 160,122 crore in March 2023, which is 13% higher than that of the same month last year. The peak GST collection was in April 2022, when the figure stood at Rs 167,540 crore.
In 2022-23, the total GST collection was at a record high of Rs 18.1 lakh crore, 22% more than the mop-up the previous year. The average monthly collection in FY23, thus, crossed Rs 1.5 lakh crore, which is significantly higher than the average monthly pool of Rs 1.23 lakh crore in the previous year.