Daily Current Affairs Quiz: August 30 2024

Ans (B)

Hockey India has announced a new look national men’s hockey squad led by Harmanpreet Singh for the 8th Men’s Asian Champions Trophy 2024.

The 8th Men’s Asian Champions Trophy 2024 will be held in Hulunbuir City, Inner Mongolia, People’s Republic of China, from 8-17 September 2024.

India is the defending champion, having won the 7th edition in Chennai in 2023.

The 8th Asian Hockey Champions Trophy is the first major assignment for the national hockey team after winning the bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Harmanpreet Singh, the leading goal scorer at the 2024 Paris Olympics, will lead the Indian team as captain.

Midfielder Vivek Sagar Prasad has been named the vice-captain of the Indian team.

Craig Fulton is the coach of the Indian men’s hockey team.

Each team will play against one another in a round-robin format.

The top four teams from the round-robin stage will advance to the semi-finals.

The semi-final winners will compete in the final on 17 September 2024.

Ans (C)

Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) completed 10 years on 28 August 2024.

PMJDY was launched by the Government of India on 28 August 2014 with the aim of bringing the unbanked population within the formal banking system.

The Government of India launched the Swabhiman campaign in 2010 as part of its National Mission for Financial Inclusion.

The Swabhiman scheme was launched by the Dr. Manmohan Singh government on the recommendation of the 2009 RBI’s High-Level Committee on Lead Bank Scheme, headed by Usha Thorat.

The Swabhiman scheme aimed to provide banking facilities to unbanked areas with a population of 2000 or more by March 2012 (based on the 2001 census).

The goal of the Swabhiman scheme was to open at least one bank account per family in identified unbanked areas.

The Swabhiman Scheme was later renamed Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) and officially launched on 28 August 2014.

Ans (A)

The Subhadra Yojana is a social welfare programme for women announced by the Mohan Charan Majhi government in Odisha.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the scheme on 17 September 2024, his birthday.

The Women and Child Department of the Odisha government will be the nodal agency for implementing the Subhadra Yojana.

The scheme was a major feature of the BJP’s 2024 Odisha Assembly elections manifesto.

The Subhadra Yojana will be implemented over a five-year period, from 2024-25 to 2028-29.

The state government has allocated Rs 55,825 crore for the scheme for the next five years.

Ans (D)

B Srinivasan has been appointed as the new Director General of the National Security Guard (NSG).

The appointment was approved by the Appointment Committee of the Union Cabinet in a meeting held on 27 August 2024.

The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attended by Union Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah.

B Srinivasan will replace Anish Dayal Singh, who was given additional charge of the NSG.

B Srinivasan is appointed as Director General of the NSG until his retirement date, 31 August 2027.

He is a 1992 batch Bihar Cadre IPS officer and currently serves as the Director of the Bihar Police Academy, Rajgir.

Ans (B)

Satish Kumar has been appointed as the chairman and chief executive officer of the Railway Board, making him the first member from a Scheduled Caste community to hold this position.

He will replace Jaya Varma Sinha, who is superannuating on August 31, 2024.

Jaya Varma Sinha became the first woman to be appointed as the CEO of the Railway Board when she took charge on September 1, 2023.

Satish Kumar is a 1986-batch Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME) officer with over 34 years of experience.

He has previously served as divisional railway manager (DRM) of Lucknow division, general manager of North Central Railway, senior deputy general manager, and chief vigilance officer on North Western Railway.

The Union government has appointed Jaya Varma Sinha as an administrative member in the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) effective July 29, 2024.

Ans (B)

The Union Cabinet has approved 12 “industrial smart cities” across 10 states with an estimated investment of Rs 28,602 crore.

The chosen cities are Khurpia (Uttarakhand), Rajpura-Patiala (Punjab), Dighi (Maharashtra), Palakkad (Kerala), Agra and Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh), Gaya (Bihar), Zaheerabad (Telangana), Orvakal and Kopparthy (Andhra Pradesh), and Jodhpur-Pali (Rajasthan).

The projects aim to attract foreign direct investment from countries such as Singapore and Switzerland and will facilitate investments from large industries and MSMEs.

Ans (A)

George Kurien has been declared elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha seat from Madhya Pradesh.

He received the certificate of election from Returning Officer Arvind Sharma.

The election was witnessed by Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav and BJP State President VD Sharma.

The Rajya Sabha seat became vacant due to Jyotiraditya Scindia’s election to the 18th Lok Sabha.

Ans (D)

French President Emmanuel Macron declared the 2024 Paralympics open during a ceremony in Paris.

A total of 4,400 Paralympians from 167 nations participated in the opening ceremony.

The Indian contingent, the largest ever with 84 athletes in 12 different sports, was led by para-athletes Sumit Antil and Bhagyashree Jadhav.

The ceremony featured performances highlighting French culture and the Paralympic values of determination and equality.

Paris 2024 Paralympics opening ceremony: Sumit Antil, Bhagyashree Jadhav perform

Ans (D)

The names of eight railway stations in Uttar Pradesh have been changed according to an order issued by the Northern Railways.

The name changes apply to stations in the Lucknow division of the Northern Railways.

Kasimpur Halt has been renamed to Jais City.

Jais has been renamed to Guru Gorakhnath Dham.

Misrauli has been renamed to Maa Kalikan Dham.

Bani has been renamed to Swami Paramhans.

Nihalgarh has been renamed to Maharaja Bijli Pasi.

Akbarganj has been renamed to Maa Ahorva Bhawani Dham.

Wazirganj Halt has been renamed to Amar Shaheed Bhale Sultan.

Fursatganj has been renamed to Tapeshwarnath Dham.

Ans (C)

Teghbir Singh, a 5-year-old from Ropar, Punjab, has become the youngest Asian to scale Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Mt. Kilimanjaro is Africa’s highest peak, standing at 5,895 meters.

Teghbir Singh has equaled the world record held by a Serbian boy for being the youngest to conquer Mt. Kilimanjaro.

He trained rigorously for nearly a year to prepare for the trek.

Teghbir Singh overcame altitude sickness, sub-zero temperatures, and a snowstorm during his ascent.

He was accompanied by his father and a support crew during the trek.

Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest peak in Africa, standing at 5,895 meters (19,341 feet) above sea level.

It is located in Tanzania, near the border with Kenya, and is a prominent feature of the Kilimanjaro National Park.

Kilimanjaro is a stratovolcano with three volcanic cones: Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira. The last major eruption occurred approximately 360,000 years ago.

The mountain has glaciers and ice fields, particularly on its summit. However, these are rapidly receding due to climate change.