Daily Current Affairs Quiz: August 20 2024

Ans (B)

The Appointment Committee of the Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the appointment of Rahul Navin as the Director of the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on 14 August 2024.

Rahul Navin was previously appointed as the acting director of the Enforcement Directorate on 15 September 2023 after Sanjay Kumar Mishra’s retirement.

Sanjay Kumar Mishra retired after the Supreme Court declared the frequent extensions given to him by the government of India as illegal.

Rahul Navin is a 1993 batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer.

Rahul Navin has been appointed as the Director of the Enforcement Directorate for a term of two years from the date he assumes office.

Rahul Navin is currently serving as a Special Director in the Enforcement Directorate.

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) was established by the government of India in 1956.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) operates under the administrative control of the Department of Revenue, Union Ministry of Finance.

Ans (B)

Three new sites—Nanjarayan Bird Sanctuary and Kazhuveli Bird Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu, and Tawa Reservoir in Madhya Pradesh—have been designated as Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Sites).

The addition of these three sites brings the total number of Ramsar sites in India to 85.

The areas of these new sites are Nanjarayan Bird Sanctuary (125.865 hectares), Kazhuveli Bird Sanctuary (5151.6 hectares), and Tawa Reservoir (20050 hectares).

With these additions, the total area under Ramsar sites in India is now 1,358,067.757 hectares.

Bhupender Yadav, the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, announced the addition of these three new wetlands on 14 August 2024.

India ratified the Ramsar Convention on 1 February 1982.

The first Indian wetland sites designated as Ramsar sites were Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan) and Chilika Lake (Odisha) in 1981.

Tamil Nadu has the most Ramsar sites with 18, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 10.

The largest Ramsar site in India is the Sunderban in West Bengal.

The smallest Ramsar site in India is Renuka in Himachal Pradesh.

Ans (B)

The 70th National Film Awards for the year 2022 were announced on 16 August 2024.

The list of winners was presented to Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in New Delhi.

Rahul Rawail was the Chairperson of the Feature Film Jury.

Nila Madhab Panda was the Chairperson of the Non-Feature Film Jury.

Gangadhar Mudalair was the Chairperson of the Best Writing on Cinema Jury.

The Best Feature Film award went to Aattam (Malayalam), directed by Anand Ekarshi.

The Best Debut Film of a Director was Fouja (Haryanvi), directed by Parmod Kumar.

The Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment was Kantara (Kannada), directed by Rishab Shetty.

The Best Feature Film Promoting Social, National, and Environmental Values was Kutch Express (Gujarati), directed by Viral Shah.

The Best Film in AVGC (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming & Comic) was Brahmastra Part -1 Shiva, directed by Ayan Mukerji.

The Best Direction award was given to Uunchai (Hindi), directed by Sooraj R. Barjatya.

The winners will be conferred the award in a ceremony to be hosted by the ministry later.

Ans (A)

The Paralympic Committee of India has named Tokyo Paralympics gold medallist Sumit Antil and shot putter Bhagyashri Jadhav as the Indian flag bearers for the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Paralympics Games.

The 17th Summer Paralympics will be held in Paris, France, from 28 August to 8 September 2024.

The International Paralympics Committee organizes the Summer and Winter Paralympics Games.

Since the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, the Paralympics have been held shortly after the conclusion of the Summer Olympics.

The 33rd Summer Olympics ended on 11 August 2024 in Paris.

The opening and closing ceremonies of the Paralympics Games involve two flag bearers—one male and one female.

Sumit Antil, 25, won a gold medal in the javelin throw at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics in the men’s F64 category and holds the world record in this category.

Bhagyashri Jadhav, 39, is a silver medallist in the women’s shot put event in the F34 category at the Asian Para Games and won a silver medal in women’s F34 shot put at the World Para Athletics Championships in May 2024.

Ans (A)

Dr. Virendra Kumar, Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India, inaugurated the 17th Divya Kala Mela in Raipur on 17 August 2024.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai was also present at the event.

The Divya Kala Mela was started by the Government of India in 2022 to economically empower disabled (Divyang) artists and provide market access to their products.

The Raipur Mela is the 17th in the series of Divya Kala Melas organized since 2022.

Dr. Virendra Kumar announced that a Divyangjan park would be set up in Raipur if the state government provides land.

The Chhattisgarh Chief Minister agreed to the proposal and announced the allotment of 5 acres of land for the park in Raipur.

The 17th Divya Kala Mela is organized by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan), Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India.

The week-long Mela will be held from 16 August to 23 August 2024.

Ans (A)

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 16 August 2024 approved the appointment of Rajesh Kumar as the next Defence Secretary and several high-level administrative appointments in various central ministries and departments.

Key Appointments:

Defence Secretary: Rajesh Kumar Singh, currently Officer on Special Duty in the Department of Defence, Ministry of Defence, will be Secretary of Defence after the retirement of current Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane on 31 October 2024. His tenure is extended up to 31 October 2026.

Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs: Deepti Gaur Mukherjee

Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs: Katikithala Srinivas

Secretary, Ministry of Minority Affairs: Chandra Sekhar Kumar

Secretary, Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance: Nagaraju Maddirala

Secretary, Department of Expenditure, Union Ministry of Finance: Manoj Govil

Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training: Vivek Joshi

Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce: Amardeep Singh Bhatia

Officer on Special Duty, Department of Health and Family Welfare: Punya Salila Srivastava, who will become Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare after Apurva Chandra retires on 30 September.

Officer on Special Duty to the President of India: Deepti Umashankar, who will become Secretary to the President upon the superannuation of Rajesh Verma on 31 August 2024.

Ans (D)

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced the ‘Mukhyamantri Yuva Udyam Vikas Abhiyan Yojana’ on 15 August 2024 in Lucknow.

The Yojana aims to boost employment opportunities by providing financial support to young entrepreneurs in the state.

The state government has set a target of establishing 10 lakh new MSMEs under this scheme.

The initiative is expected to create 50 lakh employment opportunities directly and indirectly.

The Uttar Pradesh government has launched the One District, One University plan, aiming to establish a university in all 75 districts.

Maharaja Suheldev University in Azamgarh, Raja Mahendradev University in Aligarh, and Maa Shakumbhari Devi University in Saharanpur have already become operational.

Ans (C)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 3rd Voice of Global South Summit on 17 August 2024.

The Summit is being held in a virtual format with participation from many leaders of the Global South.

The Voice of Global South is an Indian concept based on the philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, providing a platform for Global South countries to raise vital issues.

India hosted the first Voice of Global South Summit from 2 to 13 January 2023, and the second Summit on 17 November 2023.

The 2nd Summit saw participation from over 100 countries.

The 3rd Summit includes a Leader’s session and 10 Ministerial sessions on various themes.

The theme of the 3rd Summit is “An Empowered Global South for a Sustainable Future.”

The agenda will cover conflicts, food and energy security crises, and climate change.

Ans (D)

Pabitra Margherita, Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Textiles, attended the swearing-in ceremony of Luis Abinader as the President of the Dominican Republic for a second term on 16 August 2024.

Margherita is on a five-nation official visit from 15-24 August 2024, covering the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, and Trinidad & Tobago.

This visit is Margherita’s first official trip since becoming Minister of State for External Affairs and Textiles.

The visit aims to strengthen ties with Latin American and Caribbean countries.

Luis Abinader, who won a second term in the May 2024 presidential election, is from the Revolutionary Party, which also secured a majority in the Dominican Parliament.

During his visit, Margherita met with the Indian diaspora.

The capital of the Dominican Republic is Santo Domingo, and the currency is the Dominican Peso.

Ans (C)

Diplomat Parvathaneni Harish was on August 14 appointed as India’s next Ambassador to the United Nations in New York.

Presently he is serving as the Ambassador of India to Germany.

The post of India’s Ambassador or Permanent Representative to the United Nations has been vacant since the retirement of Ruchira Kamboj in June.