Daily GK and Current Affairs Quiz – 17th May 2023

Correct Answer:  D. Pasang Dawa Sherpa

Explanation:  Pasang Dawa Sherpa, also known as Pa Dawa, successfully reached the summit of Mount Everest for the 26th time, equaling the record set by another Nepalese guide. Accompanied by a Hungarian climber, the 46-year-old achieved this feat. According to the Himalayan Database, which documents mountaineering achievements in Nepal’s Himalayas, Pa Dawa had previously climbed Everest 25 times, including two ascents in 2022. Since his initial successful climb in 1998, Dawa has consistently made the journey nearly every year.

Correct Answer:  C. 50

Explanation:  India and Bangladesh have recently jointly launched the ‘50 Start-up Exchange Programme‘ to promote collaboration and exchange between the start-up ecosystems of the two countries. The objective of the program is to strengthen bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh by promoting cooperation in start-up and innovation sectors. It provides a platform for entrepreneurs, investors and stakeholders from both the countries to connect and collaborate.

The ’50 Start-up Exchange Program’ facilitates knowledge sharing and learning opportunities between Indian and Bangladeshi start-ups. It encourages exchange of ideas, best practices and expertise to foster innovation and growth. The program provides mentorship and guidance to participating start-ups, connecting them with experienced entrepreneurs, industry experts and investors.

Correct Answer:  A. Manoj Soni

Explanation:  Educationist Manoj Soni will take oath as the chairman of Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Soni, who joined the Commission as the member on June 28, 2017, has been performing the duties of the UPSC chairman since April 5, 2022. Prior to his appointment in the UPSC, Soni has served three terms as Vice-Chancellor. These include two consecutive terms from August 1, 2009 to July 31, 2015 as VC of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University (BAOU), Gujarat; and one term as VC of The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda (The MSU of Baroda) from April 2005 to April 2008. A scholar of political science with specialisation in international relations studies, he has taught international relations at Sardar Patel University (SPU), Vallabh Vidyanagar between 1991 and 2016, except for the period when he served as Vice-Chancellor of the two universities.

Correct Answer:  C. Dubai

Explanation:  In a momentous event, Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Odisha, marked a significant milestone with the launch of its first-ever direct international flight service to Dubai. IndiGo’s direct flight service is a testament to the growing importance of Bhubaneswar as a major destination.

• The inaugural flight, carrying a delegation comprising representatives from the Government of Odisha, civil society, members of the business & sports community and self-help groups touched down at Dubai International Airport at 9.45 pm local time. The delegation’s visit to Dubai coincides with the upcoming Odisha Dibasa program, scheduled to be held on May 16 and 17, showcasing the state’s rich culture and heritage.
• Operating three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, the state-of-the-art Airbus A320 aircraft will ensure seamless travel between Bhubaneswar and Dubai, enhancing convenience for both business and leisure travelers. The route’s starting fare, set at Rs 10,000.
• The direct flight service is expected to have a transformative impact on the economic landscape of Odisha. By improving accessibility and connectivity, it will facilitate increased investments, boost trade ties, and propel the state’s tourism sector to new heights.

Correct Answer:  C. 0.92%

Explanation:  The provisional data for April 2023 shows a negative inflation rate of (-) 0.92% based on the All India Wholesale Price Index (WPI), compared to a rate of 1.34% in March 2023. As per the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, the decrease in inflation is mainly attributed to the decline in prices of basic metals, food products, mineral oils, textiles, non-food articles, chemical & chemical products, rubber & plastic products, and paper & paper products.

• The month-over-month change in WPI for the month of April 2023 over March, 2023 remained at 0.0%, the ministry further noted.
• In April 2023, the index for the primary articles rose by 1.31% to 177.3 (provisional), compared to 175.0 (provisional) in March 2023. Crude Petroleum & Natural Gas (3.47%), Minerals (2.30%), and Food Articles (1.45%) experienced price increases in April 2023 compared to March 2023. However, Non-food Articles (-0.66%) witnessed a decline in prices during the same period.
• The index for the manufactured products major group remains unchanged at 141.2 (provisional) in April, 2023. “The Food Index consisting of ‘Food Articles’ from the primary articles group and ‘Food Product’ from Manufactured Products group has increased from 172.1 in March, 2023 to 173.6 in April, 2023. The year-over-year inflation based on WPI Food Index decreased from 2.32% in March, 2023 to 0.17% in April, 2023,” the ministry noted.

Correct Answer:  C. Kerala

Explanation:  Kerala became the first state in India to launch a welfare fund for Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) workers in the State. The initiative was launched by the Chief Minister (CM) of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan at Kotta Maidanam, Palakkad, as part of the 100-day action plan in connection with the state government’s second anniversary. This fund is based upon the Kerala Employment Guarantee Workers’ Welfare Fund Act, 2021.

The Ayyankali Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme workers will also be part of the welfare fund. Under this, the workers who have completed the age of 60 will be entitled to a pension which will also provide financial assistance for medical treatment, education, and marriage, among other benefits. Under this, the workers need to pay a nominal monthly amount of Rs 50 as a contribution to the fund and the government will also contribute an equal amount. Those who have paid the contributions for ten or more years, and their families will get the benefits in case of the beneficiary’s death. Eligibility for membership includes being between 18 to 55 years of age and having engaged in unskilled work for at least 20 days in the year of application or any year in the two years immediately preceding it.

Correct Answer:  C. Himachal Pradesh

Explanation:  World Bank (WB) has approved a grant of Rs 51 crore for the project to set up an integrated road safety enforcement system in the Shimla and Nurpur police districts of Himachal Pradesh (HP) and develop the Palampur-Sheela Chowk in Kangra (HP) as a “safe corridor”. The project envisages the establishment of a traffic enforcement control room in Shimla and the allocation of funds for interceptors and patrol vehicles, an intelligent traffic management system, artificial intelligence (AI) cameras and rescue equipment. As per the statement of Sandeep Dhawal, Superintendent of Police, Traffic, 120 locations have been identified in the Shimla district for the installation of AI-powered cameras. The locations include Theog, Rampur, Rohru, Kumarsain, Kotkhai, Nerva, Jubbal, Chopal, Sunni, Shimla, etc.

Under the first phase of the project, Shimla and Nurpur have been selected and a sum of Rs 42 crore (out of Rs 51 Crore granted by WB) will be spent on both police districts to strengthen their emergency response systems. The Palampur-Sheela Chowk stretch of road in Kangra has been chosen to be developed at a cost of Rs 9 crore as a safe corridor under the Safe Corridor Demonstration Programme (SCDP) by making safety interventions and design improvements.

Correct Answer:  C. 16th May

Explanation:  The International Day of Light is observed on May 16 every year to commemorate Theodore Maiman’s successful operation of the laser in 1960. This day serves as a reminder to enhance scientific collaboration and leverage its capacity to promote peace and sustainable progress. The International Day of Light is an annual event that recognizes the crucial significance of light in science, culture, art, education, and sustainable development.

Correct Answer:  C. Ravneet Kaur

Explanation:  The government has appointed Ravneet Kaur as the Chairperson of the Competition Commission of India (CCI). There has been no full-time Chairperson for the competition regulator since Ashok Kumar Gupta demitted office in October 2022. CCI Member Sangeeta Verma has been acting as the Chairperson since October last year. The appointment of Ravneet Kaur, a 1988 Punjab cadre IAS officer, will be for a period of five years from the date of assuming charge or till the date of attaining the age of 65 years or until further orders, whichever is the earliest, as per the order dated May 15. The Chairperson will get a consolidated salary of Rs 4,50,000 per month without house and car.

• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) is the chief national competition regulator in India. It is a statutory body within the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and is responsible for enforcing the Competition Act, 2002 to promote competition and prevent activities that have an appreciable adverse effect on competition in India.
• The CCI was established on 14 October 2003. It consists of a chairperson and six members appointed by the Central Government. The commission has its headquarters in New Delhi and has four regional offices located in Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, and Bengaluru.

Correct Answer:  C. Arinze Ifeakandu

Explanation:  Nigerian writer Arinze Ifeakandu has won the 2023 Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize, one of the world’s largest literary prizes for young writers. The winning work was his debut short story collection celebrating queer love in Nigeria titled God’s Children Are Little Broken Things (2022). The Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize was launched in 2006 with the aim of celebrating and nurturing international literary excellence. It is named after the Swansea-born writer Dylan Thomas and is awarded for the best published literary work in the English language, written by an author aged 39 or under.

Correct Answer:  B. Ashutosh Dixit

Explanation: Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit took over as the Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, according to the Minister of Defence. Ashutosh Dixit, an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, was Commissioned in the fighter stream on December 6 in 1986. Mr Dixit is a qualified flying instructor as well as an experimental test pilot, with over 3,300 hours of flying experience on fighter, trainer and transport aircraft. He participated in operations ‘Safed Sagar’ and ‘Rakshak’.

Air Marshal Dixit commanded a Mirage 2000 Squadron, a frontline fighter base in the Western sector, as well as a premier fighter training base. He has earlier served as Principle Director Air Staff Requirement, Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Projects) & Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Plans) at Air Headquarters. The Air Officer has also been the Air Defence Commander of Southern Air Command and was Senior Air Staff Officer, South Western Air Command prior to taking over as the Deputy Chief of the Air Staff.

Correct Answer:  B. Anil Kumar Jain

Explanation:  The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the appointment of Anil Kumar Jain, a former Coal Secretary, as the new Chairman of the Petroleum & Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB).  He has been appointed for a period of 5 years from the date of assumption of charge of the post or till attaining the age of 65 years, or until further orders. The Chairman position of PNGRB has been lying vacant since Dinesh Kumar Sarraf retired on 4th December 2020. Anil Kumar Jain has authored 2 books: Natural Gas in India: Policy and Liberalisation (2012) and Natural Gas in India Challenges and Opportunities (2022) and several articles on the oil and gas sector.

Correct Answer:  C. Economist

Explanation:   Noted American economist and Nobel laureate, Robert Emerson Lucas Jr. (Robert Lucas), professor of Economics at the University of Chicago(since 1975), passed away in Chicago, Illinois, United States of America (USA), at the age of 85.  He was born on 5th September 1937 in  Yakima, Washington, USA. He won the Nobel Prize in Economic Science – officially known as “The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel”  in 1995 for his work on rational expectations and the efficacy of government intervention in the economy.

Robert Lucas began his career as an economics professor at the Carnegie Institute of Technology and Carnegie Mellon University in the USA, from 1963 to 1974. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1980, the National Academy of Sciences in 1981, and the American Philosophical Society in 1997. Robert Lucas received the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1995 for having developed and applied the hypothesis of rational expectations, thereby transforming macroeconomic analysis and deepening our understanding of economic policy.

Correct Answer:  B. Sanika Lahane

Explanation: Sanika Lahane wins The International Glamour Project Mrs. India 2023 in May 2023. Sanika Lahane from Mumbai, India, has been crowned the 1st Place Winner of The International Glamour Project Mrs India 2023. She was sashed by Ms. International World, India – Shilpa Adam and crowned by the talented actress Minissha Lamba. The event was organized by The International Glamour Project Founder and Managing Director Dr. Swaroop Puranik and was hosted by Dr. Akshata Prabhu.