Daily Current Affairs Quiz: July 08, 2023

Solution: option c.)

The Central government has appointed Justice Sheo Kumar Singh as Acting Chairperson of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), till further order.
He has replaced Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, who retired on July 6, 2023.
He was appointed as a Judicial Member of the NGT on March 11, 2020.
He worked as a district judge in various districts of Uttar Pradesh (UP), as Registrar (Judicial) at the Supreme Court of India, and as Registrar General, Allahabad High Court.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) is formed in 2010 under National Green Tribunal Act as a statutory body to deal with cases related to environmental issues[1] and the speedy implementation of decisions relating to it.
The Tribunal has a mandate to dispose of applications and petitions within six months.

The National Green Tribunal is responsible for giving many prominent decisions, such as declaring the plying of diesel vehicles over fifteen years old on the roads of Delhi as illegal in efforts to prevent air pollution.

Solution: option a.)

The disbursal of Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) loans increased 23 per cent to ₹81,597 crore in the first quarter of FY24, compared to ₹62,650 crore in the same quarter last year.

“This is the highest-ever increase in disbursals in the first quarter since the launch of the scheme, driven by increased demand for the Tarun category of loans due to updation from Shishu Loans.

Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY) is a scheme launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister on April 8, 2015, for providing loans of up to 10 lacks to non-corporate, non-farm small/micro enterprises.
These loans are classified as MUDRA loans under PMMY. These loans are given by Commercial Banks, RRBs, Small Finance Banks, MFIs and NBFCs.
The borrower can approach any of the lending institutions mentioned above or can apply online through this portal www.udyamimitra.in.
Under the aegis of PMMY, MUDRA has created three products namely ‘Shishu’, ‘Kishore’ and ‘Tarun’ to signify the stage of growth/development and funding needs of the beneficiary micro unit/entrepreneur and also provide a reference point for the next phase of graduation/growth.

Solution: option d.)

E-commerce major Flipkart on Friday announced that it entered into a strategic partnership with Axis Bank to facilitate personal loans for its valued customers, adding additional convenience and enhanced benefits to its 450 million customers.
Customers can now avail instant, end-to-end digital personal loans up to Rs 5 lakh with loan approval within 30 seconds on Flipkart, plus the loan purchase option will offer customers flexible repayment cycles ranging from six to 36 months.

Axis Bank Limited, formerly known as UTI Bank (1993–2007), is an Indian banking and financial services company headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
It is India’s Third largest private sector bank by assets and Fourth largest by Market capitalisation.
It sells financial services to large and mid-size companies, SMEs and retail businesses.
The bank was founded on 3 December 1993 as UTI Bank, opening its registered office in Ahmedabad and a corporate office in Mumbai.

Solution: option c.)

British National Award for director Shekhar Kapur.

At the award ceremony, the film ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’ was nominated in nine categories, out of which the film won four.
Apart from Best Director, the film was also awarded Best British Film, Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor.
Shekhar Kapur is best known for directing films ranging from Bandit Queen, Mr India to Elizabeth.
Shekhar’s international career His film Elizabeth, which came in 1998, was given the Oscar Award in the Best Make-up category.

Solution: option d.)

The Uttar Pradesh government plans to create dedicated monkey forests in Lucknow to help sustain the simian population and reduce human-monkey conflict.
Some dedicated ‘monkey forests’ (Vanar Vans) will be created in the state capital during the proposed annual plantation drive for the simian population.
These Vanar Vans will be created in three categories by nagar nigam, Forest, and rural development departments.

Uttar Pradesh Capital: Lucknow
Uttar Pradesh Governor: Anadiben Patel
Uttar Pradesh CM: Yogi Adityanath

Solution: option a.)

India’s first Tele-MANAS (Tele Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States) chatbot was launched in Jammu & Kashmir.
The service was launched by J&K LG Manoj Sinha. This chatbot will start an instant conversation with people in distress.
Tele-MANAS is a two-tier system – Tier 1 comprises State Tele MANAS cells and Tier 2 comprises specialists at District Mental Health Programme /Medical College resources for physical consultation.

Solution: option c.)

United Kingdom National Security Adviser Tim Barrow on 7th July 2023, Friday met National Security Adviser Ajit Doval in New Delhi.
The two sides discussed regional and global issues of mutual interest. This was followed by the delegation level talks wherein both countries reaffirmed their close strategic partnership and agreed to accord maximum priority to further enhance the security linkages.
The two sides agreed to enhance cooperation to deal with violent extremism and radicalism.
They also affirmed that there can be no justification for violent extremism and radicalization in a democracy.

England Capital: London
England Currency: Pound
England PM: Rishi Sunak

Solution: option d.)

The Election Commission of India and the Electoral Tribunal (ET) of Panama today signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Panama City to establish the institutional framework for their ongoing cooperation in the field of election management and administration.
A three-member ECI delegation led by Chief Election Commissioner of India Shri Rajiv Kumar held interactions with the Presiding Magistrate, Electoral Tribunal of Panama Mr. Alfredo Juncá Wendehake on strengthening collaboration and knowledge exchange between the two Election Management Bodies (EMBs).
Mr. Eduardo Valdes Escoffery, first vice presidential magistrate and Mr. Luis A. Guerra Morales, second vice presidential magistrate, ET of Panama were also present.

Panama Capital: Panama City
Panama Currency: Balboa
Panama President: Laurentino “Nito” Cortizo Cohen

Solution: option b.)

The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to organize a campaign under Road Safety Fortnight from July 17 to 31.
The initiative is aimed at reducing the number of road accidents and raising public awareness about traffic rules. During the 15-day campaign, the employees at a department who arrive at the office on a two-wheeler without wearing helmets would be marked absent at work and would not be given entry to the office.
A 15-day action plan has also been prepared to organize Road Safety Fortnight campaign under which programmes have been proposed to educate people about road safety.
Uttar Pradesh Capital: Lucknow
Uttar Pradesh Governor: Anadiben Patel
Uttar Pradesh CM: Yogi Adityanath

Solution: option d.)

India’s first Vedic-themed park has been opened to the public at Sector 78, Noida, inaugurated by Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath.
This park is also known as Ved Van Park. It will also highlight excerpts from the four Vedic literature pieces- Rig Veda, Atharva Veda, Yajur Veda, and Sama Veda- via laser shows, wall paintings, and sculptures.
The place is home to over 50,000 plants, such as banyan, kalpavriksha, and coconut, which have been mentioned in Vedic literature.
Construction on the park commenced in January 2021.

Solution: option b.)

ASICS has appointed Bollywood actor Shraddha Kapoor as the brand ambassador for ASICS India.
With this association, ASICS India continues to strengthen its philosophy of ‘sound mind, sound body’ and also build a stronger brand prominence among Indian female fitness enthusiasts.
The actor will be seen endorsing the brand’s footwear and women’s sportswear segment.

Solution: option b.)

Punjab National Bank (PNB) has launched its virtual branch, PNB Metaverse.
It is a virtual branch of the bank, which will deliver a unique experience of banking to existing and new customers.
With the help of this, customers can explore the bank’s products and services such as bank deposits, retail/MSME loans, digital products, women/senior citizens, ‘Do It Yourself’, and government flagship schemes.
The bank will offer an immersive 3D experience to the customers.

Punjab National Bank (abbreviated as PNB) is an Indian public sector bank based in New Delhi.
The bank was founded in May 1884 and is the third largest public sector bank in India in terms of its business volumes and second largest in terms of its network.
The bank has over 180 million customers, 12,248 branches, and 13,000+ ATMs.

Solution: option b.)
The Netherlands men’s team finish their season four campaign with 35 points, making them champions of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2022/23 season.
With this win, the Netherlands become the first team in the men’s competition to win a second title, successfully defending their first title, won in the competition last year.

The Indian men’s hockey team finished fourth in the FIH Pro League 2022-23 with 30 points from 16 matches.
This was India’s second fourth-place finish in the FIH Pro League, having achieved the same position in their debut season in 2020-21.
The Indian hockey team was third in the 2021-22 season. India captain Harmanpreet Singh finished as the top-scorer in FIH Pro League 2022-23 with 18 goals.

Solution: option a.)

The 4th edition of the G20 Space Economy Leaders Meeting was held in Bengaluru, India.

An Overview of the News

This is the first face-to-face meeting under the umbrella of the G20, previous meetings were held virtually or in a hybrid format.

Theme:

The theme of the fourth edition is “Towards a New Space ERA”.

The theme is in line with the overarching theme of the G20 summit, which is “One Earth, One Space and One Future”.

Discussion On Space Economy

On the first day, heads of national space agencies, leaders of space industries from G20 countries and representatives of guest countries participated in the discussion.

The focus was on increasing the share of the space economy in the global economy.

The goal is to foster connections and cooperation within the space business sector.

Solution: option b.)

During his visit, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar attended the reception of the Indian Naval Ship Trishul.
Along with this, he also addressed the Indian expatriates and inaugurated the statue of Swami Vivekananda.
In Zanzibar, he visited a water supply project funded by a line of credit from the Government of India.
10th India-Tanzania Joint Commission:

The External Affairs Minister then visited the Tanzanian city of Dar-es-Salaam from 7-8 July 2023, where he co-chaired the 10th India-Tanzania Joint Commission Meeting with his counterpart.
IIT Madras at Zanzibar:

To strengthen education ties between the two countries, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) will open its first overseas campus in Zanzibar, Tanzania in October 2023.
It will admit 50 undergraduate students and 20 master’s students.
The new IIT campus will be set up in Zanzibar under the name of IIT Madras at Zanzibar.

Capital – Dodoma
Currency – Tanzanian Shilling
President – Samia Suluhu Hasan