Daily Current Affairs Quiz: July 28, 2023

Solution: option c.)

▪ India’s forex reserves see the biggest weekly jump in four months, as they went up by $12.74 billion to $609.02 billion, as per the Reserve Bank of India’s update.
▪ Previously, forex reserves had witnessed an uptick of $1.23 billion for the week ending on July 7.
▪ Foreign currency assets (FCAs) surged by $11.19 billion to $540.17 billion, according to the Weekly Statistical Supplement released by the RBI.
▪ Gold reserves rose $1.14 billion to $45.20 billion, while SDRs increased by $250 million to $18.500 billion.

Solution: option b.)

▪ Ministry of Culture has signed an MoU with Canara Bank to provide financial assistance to selected beneficiaries under the Scheme for Financial Assistance for Veteran Artists.
▪ As per the MoU, master data of selected beneficiaries both for fresh as well as legacy data is to be uploaded by the Ministry in the online portal to be developed by the Canara Bank for this purpose.
▪ Based on the scheme guidelines Canara Bank is required to work out the quarterly requirement of funds and raise the demand for the same to the Ministry.
Canara Bank is an Indian public sector bank based in Bangalore. Established in 1906 at Mangalore by Ammembal Subba Rao Pai, the bank was nationalized in 1969.
Outside India, the bank has offices in London, Dubai and New York

▪ MD & CEO – K Satyanarayana Raju

Solution: option c.)

▪ Noida Industrial Development Authority (NOIDA) Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ritu Maheshwari has been removed from the position and transferred to Agra where she has been appointed as the commissioner.
▪ Kanpur’s divisional commissioner Lokesh M will replace Maheshwari.
▪ A 2003-batch IAS officer of the UP cadre, Maheshwari had been serving as Noida CEO since July 2019 after holding the post of the Ghaziabad district magistrate.

Solution: option d.)

The appointment of Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya as the new chief justice of the Bombay High Court has been officially notified by the Central Government, while Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur has been appointed as the chief justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court.

Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya will succeed the current Chief Justice of Bombay High Court, Justice Nitin Madhukar Jamdar.

Justice Upadhyaya had been serving as a sitting judge of the Allahabad High Court for the past 11 years. During this tenure, he gained considerable experience in administering justice within the largest high court which comprises a total of 160 judges in the country.

Solution: option c.)

The Union Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports has decided to grant official recognition to the Handball Association of India (HAI) as the National Sports Federation (NSF) responsible for promoting and regulating the sport within the country.
The Sports Ministry has acknowledged the Handball Association of India (HAI) as a fully functional National Sports Federation (NSF) tasked with overseeing the management of handball sports in the country.
HAI holds official affiliations with international governing bodies, including the International Handball Federation and the Asian Handball Federation, as well as the Indian Olympic Association.
The election of the HAI was conducted under the supervision of Retd. District Judge Justice Deepak Kumar Srivastava.

Solution: option a.)

Aditya Samant, hailing from Maharashtra, achieved the title of India’s 83rd Grandmaster by obtaining his third GM norm during the Master Tournament (MTO) at the Biel International Chess Festival.
His journey began with his first GM norm earned at the Abu Dhabi Masters in August 2022, followed by securing his second GM norm at the 3rd El Llobregat Open in December of the same year.
• 2023 FIDE World Champion: Ding Liren

Solution: option b.)

Mumbai’s Byculla Railway Station received UNESCO’s Asia Pacific Cultural Heritage Award on Monday i.e. 24th July, which was declared in November 2022.
The prestigious UNESCO Asia Pacific Cultural Heritage award was received by Byculla Railway Station located in Mumbai, this award was declared in November 2022, highlighting the station’s significant contribution to cultural heritage conservation.
Byculla Railway Station is a railway station on the Central line of the Mumbai (Maharashtra) Suburban Railway.
It is considered to be one of the oldest railway stations that is still in operation. With a history dating back 169 years, the station stands as a testament to the rich heritage of India’s railway system.

Solution: option a.)

The Indore-based Buley sisters, Nidhi and Ritika Buley, are among the four retired female cricketers who have made their way into the BCCI umpires’ panel with distinction.
Nidhi played a Test and ODI for India back in 2006 while her younger sister Ritika represented Madhya Pradesh in 31 First-Class games.
The BCCI conducted the exam for retired cricketers from June 10-13 and the result was declared.
Candidates needed to score more than 120 marks out of 150 to make the cut and both Nidhi and Ritika cleared the exam with flying colours, amassing 133.5 and 133 marks respectively.
V Kritika from Tamil Nadu and Ankita Guha of Vidarbha were the other females who were elevated to the BCCI panel, taking the overall number of BCCI-empanelled women umpires to seven.

Solution: option d.)

The Supreme Court on July 27, in a special hearing, extended Enforcement Directorate (ED) Director Sanjay Kumar Mishra’s tenure till September 15, 2023, to serve the “public and national interest”.
The court had declared Mr Mishra’s continuation as ED Director “invalid and illegal” in a judgment on July 11. It had directed him to quit office by July 31.
However, just four days before the deadline, the Centre moved an urgent application in the Supreme Court, saying Mr Mishra’s presence in the saddle was crucial for the country to effectively sail through the ongoing evaluation by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). The government asked the court to allow Mr Mishra.

Solution: option b.)
Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen, one of the world’s longest-serving leaders, has announced he will resign and hand over to his son in early August.
The anticipated announcement came three days after his party again won all seats at an uncompetitive election.
Hun Sen, 70, has become increasingly authoritarian after nearly four decades of rule in Cambodia.
He first flagged a transition in 2021, but up to now, no one knew exactly when it would take place.
His eldest son, Hun Manet, until recently the commander of the Royal Cambodian Army, has long been groomed for the role.
Cambodia Capital: Phnom Penh
Cambodia Currency: Riel

Solution: option d.)
The Indian government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Thursday signed an agreement for a $295-million loan to upgrade around 265 km of state highways with climate and disaster-resilient design and road safety elements in Bihar, the Ministry of Finance said.
The signatories to the agreement for enhancing connectivity and sustainability in Bihar Roads Project were Vumlunmang Vualnam, additional secretary, department of economic affairs, who signed on behalf of the Indian government, and Takeo Konishi, country director for ADB in India, who signed for ADB.
Bihar Capital: Patna
Bihar CM: Nitish Kumar
Bihar Deputy CM: Tejashvi Yadav

Solution: option d.)
World Hepatitis Day is observed on July 28 every year to raise awareness about viral hepatitis and to influence real change.
World Health Organization describes World Hepatitis Day as an opportunity to step up national and international efforts on hepatitis, encourage actions and engagement by individuals, partners and the public and highlight the need for a greater global response as outlined in the WHO Global Report.
This year theme is: ‘One Life, One Liver’

Solution: option b.)

India and Argentina have agreed to a bilateral exchange of young researchers and startups, particularly in the field of biotechnology and agriculture.
The two countries also decided to hold comprehensive talks between delegations comprising academia, R&D institutes and industry in the field of science and technology and biotechnology, said Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology.
He also mentioned that a new Indo-Argentina call for joint proposals was launched on 7 February 2023 in the research areas of energy transition and biotechnology jointly during his meeting with Argentina’s Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Daniel Filmus in New Delhi.

Argentina Capital: Buenos Aires
Argentina Currency: Peso

Solution: option a.)

In-Principle approval to set up 21 new Greenfield Airports.
The government of India has formulated a Greenfield Airports (GFA) Policy, 2008 for the development of new Greenfield airports in the country. As per the policy, if any developer including the State Government desires to develop an airport, they are required to identify a suitable site and get the Pre-feasibility Study conducted for the construction of the airport and submit a proposal to the Central Government for ‘Site Clearance’ followed by ‘In-Principle’ approval.
The government of India has accorded ‘In-Principle’ approval for setting up 21 new Greenfield Airports namely, Mopa in Goa, Navi Mumbai, Shirdi and Sindhudurg in Maharashtra, Kalaburagi, Vijayapura, Hassan and Shivamogga in Karnataka, Dabra (Gwalior) in Madhya Pradesh, Kushinagar and Noida (Jewar) in Uttar Pradesh, Dholera and Hirasar in Gujarat, Karaikal in Puducherry, Dagadarthi, Bhogapuram and Orvakal (Kurnool) in Andhra Pradesh, Durgapur in West Bengal, Pakyong in Sikkim, Kannur in Kerala and Hollongi (Itanagar) in Arunachal Pradesh across the country. Out of these, 11 Greenfield airports viz. Durgapur, Shirdi, Kannur, Pakyong, Kalaburagi, Orvakal (Kurnool), Sindhudurg, Kushinagar, Itanagar, Mopa and Shivamogga have been operationalised.

Solution: option b.)

World Nature Conservation Day is observed annually on 28 July, bringing attention to the critical need for nature conservation. Through collective efforts and individual contributions, humans can preserve Earth’s beauty and restore its health, promoting a better quality of life for all living beings.

The significance of World Nature Conservation Day lies in acknowledging and addressing pressing issues like global warming, pollution, and the rapid loss of species. These factors have caused an unsettling imbalance in nature, impacting ecosystems and threatening the very existence of living beings. By coming together on this day, people can raise awareness through programmes, events, and seminars for awareness.