Daily GK and Current Affairs Quiz – 1st & 2nd January 2023

Correct Answer:  D. 1.50 lakh

Explanation:  The Government said that more than eight crore 50 lakh teleconsultations have been conducted at Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres till now through e-Sanjeevni. India has surpassed a notable landmark of 1.50 lakh Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres across the country. These centres provide comprehensive primary health care services free to all age groups.

Correct Answer:  D. Sundararaman Ramamurthy

Explanation:  BSE Ltd announced that the market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has approved Sundararaman Ramamurthy as the managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) of the exchange. The top position was vacant since July when the then MD & CEO Ashish Kumar Chauhan resigned from the post to join the National Stock Exchange (NSE).

• Sundararaman Ramamurthy is the chief operating officer of the India arm of Bank of America Corp.
• He has previously worked as a senior vice president at National Stock Exchange (NSE).
• The top position has been vacant since July when Ashishkumar Chauhan stepped down as the chief executive of BSE.
• BSE had earlier said that an executive management committee of the exchange will be running its affairs till the appointment of the new MD and CEO.
• Sundararaman Ramamurthy, 62, will replace Ashish Chauhan as the new managing director and chief executive of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).

Correct Answer:  B. Koneru Humpy

Explanation:  Former World rapid champion K. Humpy produced a superlative performance to claim India’s first-ever silver medal from the World blitz chess championship that concluded in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Humpy defeated China’s Zhongyi Tan to win Silver in the 17th and final round. Fourth-seeded Humpy scored an impressive 12.5 points, just half a point behind the gold medal winner Bibisara Balabayeva of Kazakhstan. Humpy is the second Indian to win a medal at World Blitz, after Viswanathan Anand. The International Chess governing body FIDE organises World Rapid and Blitz chess championship at the end of the year. This year it was held in Kazakhstan’s capital Almaty from 26-30 December 2022.

The men’s section was won by Magnus Carlsen. He became the first player in chess history to hold the Classical chess world championship, Rapid world championship and the Blitz world Championship at the same time.

• The women’s section was won by Bibisara Balabayeva of Kazakhstan.
• Koneru Humpy came second and won the Silver medal.

In the Rapid section the Men’s title was won by No.1 Magnus Carlsen of Norway. It was the 4th time that Carlsen has won the Rapid title. It was held on 26 and 28 December at Almaty, Kazakhstan. The women’s title was won by the Chinese Grand Master Tan Zhongyi.   Savitha Shri of India won the Bronze medal in the world Rapid section.

Correct Answer:  B. IIT Roorkee

Explanation:  To create the SwasthGarbh app, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) New Delhi worked together. Pregnant women can access antenatal care and real-time medical support through the smartphone app. The software may be downloaded for free from the Google Play Store.

• SwasthGarbh app may be a crucial tool for women in rural areas and those who do not have easy access to doctors, according to a statement made by IIT Roorkee.
• The software was created by Sahil Sharma, Professor Deepak Sharma, Professor Vatsla Dadhwal, and Professor Aparna Sharma from the AIIMS in Delhi, all of whom work in the Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering at IIT Roorkee.
• The app helps expectant mothers by assuring punctual prenatal care appointments, documenting each clinical test, and enhancing medication adherence.
• The clinical evaluation of 150 patients showed how useful the app is for enhancing antenatal care quality and minimising problems.
• According to a statement from IIT Roorkee, the patients who enrolled on the App had significantly more mean antenatal visits and better compliance with the WHO recommendations.

Correct Answer:  C.  Amazon

Explanation:  Tribal Affairs Ministry and Amazon collaborated for future engineer program. The program will empower teachers and students in the field of digital education. This will also engage digital communication with people living in far-flung areas. The program is being launched in 6 states—Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, and Telangana schools which have access to digital infrastructure including a computer lab and active internet connection.

• The National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS) organised a two days program for EMRS teachers to implement Amazon Future Engineer Program (CSR Programme) in partnership with the Learning Links Foundation (LLF).
• The course modules shall include computer science, introduction to coding, logical sequencing, learning loops, block programming using open secure source platforms like code.org, class chat sessions to discuss tech space, different tech initiatives, etc.

Correct Answer:  C. 54

Explanation:  The SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle launched into low Earth Orbit the first 54 Starlink Satellites of the new generation, or v2.0 or Gen2. The SpaceX Falcon 9 was launched on 28th December 2022, and it took place from the SLC-40 launch pad of the US Air Force Base at Cape Canaveral. It is the 60th successful SpaceX mission since the beginning of 2022.

• Starlink v2.0 satellites have several different configurations depending on the launch vehicle.
• It was assumed that the new satellites would be launched by Starship initially.
• Hence, the size and mass should be several times larger than those of previous versions- 2000 kg against 260 and 295 kg in versions 1.0 and 1.5.
• However, SpaceX’s super-heavy rocket is a bit delayed, and now, Starlink v2.0 is carried by the good old Falcon 9.
• The mass of such satellites is 303 kg, and the dimensions are almost the same as in v.15.
• The main difference of Starlink v2.0 is a larger antenna and increased bandwidth of each satellite.
• The v1.5 devices have a laser communication system between satellites and can communicate directly with ordinary mobile terminals.
• SpaceX currently has 3,604 operational Starlink Satellites in orbit.
• The planned total number of satellites reaches 12,000 with the possibility of further expansion to 42,000.

Correct Answer:  B. Odisha

Explanation:  The Odisha Cabinet has approved the provision of Rs 367.19 crores for five years (2022-23 to 2026-27) for implementation of “empowerment of women in agriculture-promotion of entrepreneurship for women SHG”. The cabinet was headed by Odisha CM, Naveen Patnaik. To double the mushroom production across the State through area expansion involving women beneficiaries and to make the state self-sufficient in the production of button mushroom and loose flowers.

Correct Answer:  D. Magnus Carlsen

Explanation:  GM Magnus Carlsen (Norway) has secured his fourth title of 2022 World Rapid Championship, held in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Vincent Keymer (Germany) has settled for silver and Fabiano Caruana (America) has secured bronze. While, Tan Zhongyi (China) has won gold in 2022 Women’s World Rapid Champion. Indian chess player, B Savitha Shri has won bronze medal in women’s event and became third Indian after Viswanathan Anand and Humpy to win a medal at the world rapid championship.

Correct Answer:  C. Navin Kumar Singh

Explanation:  SEBI has expanded two of its committees- (1) High Powered Steering Committee on Cyber Security (HPSC-CS) and (2) Information Systems Security Committee (ISSC). The number of members on this committee has increased from six to eight. Navin Kumar Singh, the DG of the National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Center, will continue to serve as its chair (NCIIPC).

• In accordance with international best practices and considering the requirements of the Indian capital market framework, the committee will supervise and advise SEBI on cyber security measures. It also looks for ways to make the Indian securities market’s business continuity and disaster recovery processes better.
• The group will also examine the purpose and operation of security operations centers, provide suggestions for a cyber security audit, look at significant cyberattack occurrences, and spot any holes in the current architecture.

Correct Answer:  C. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

Explanation:  Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took office for a third term as Brazil’s president, vowing to fight for the poor and the environment and “rebuild the country” after far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro’s divisive administration. The 77-year-old veteran leftist, who previously led Brazil from 2003 to 2010, took the oath of office before Congress, capping a remarkable political comeback for the metalworker-turned-president less than five years after he was jailed on controversial, since-quashed corruption charges.

It is the first time since the end of Brazil’s 1965-1985 military dictatorship that an incoming leader has not received the yellow-and-green presidential sash from his predecessor. Foreign dignitaries including 19 heads of state were in attendance as Lula, who previously led Brazil through a watershed boom, took the oath of office for a new four-year term.

Correct Answer:  B. 1st January

Explanation:  Global Family Day is celebrated on January 1, each year. The day creates a sense of unity, community and brotherhood across nations and cultures through the idea of families. This day is celebrated to discourage unwarranted negative attitudes towards other cultures, nations, which may breed hatred, encourage social aloofness and lead to violence. The day highlights the need for all nations to exist in harmony, regardless of cultural or religious differences. The day highlights the importance of family and urges the extension of the idea to a universal scale.

• Global Family Day had its origins in two books. The first was a 1996 children’s book named ‘One Day in Peace, January 1, 2000,’ by American authors Steve Diamond and Robert Alan Silverstein. The story imagines an ideal scenario where the entire world decides to work together to create a peaceful and prosperous planet Earth.
• The other book was American peace activist and author Linda Grover’s 1998 utopian novel ‘Tree Island: A Novel for the New Millennium.’ Grover, in particular, spent over a decade to establish January 1 as a global day of peace. She passed away on February 10, 2010.
• January 1 was chosen by Linda Grover as it was the date mentioned in Diamond and Silverstein’s ‘One day in peace’ book, as the day on which the entire world joins hands together to co-exist in harmony.
• It was 1999 when members of the United Nations were invited to organise a celebration of Global Family Day on January 1, as mentioned in the book ‘One Day in Peace.’ While the annual celebrations of Global Family Day did not begin on January 1, 2000, as mentioned in Silverstein’s novel, it began a year later and has continued ever since.
• Global Family Day also coincides with the World Day of Peace. The latter was established in 1967 and is celebrated annually by the Catholic Church.

Correct Answer:  B. ₹1.5 trillion

Explanation:  Central and state governments collected ₹1.5 trillion in goods and services tax (GST) in December, up 15% from a year earlier, on higher sales of automobiles and a pick-up in services activity. GST collections have remained above the ₹1.4-trillion mark for the 10th straight month, the finance ministry said in a statement on Sunday, indicating the buoyancy in indirect tax collections.

• GST cess collected remained at ₹11,005 crore, showing strong performance of items in the 28% slab that attracts the cess, especially automobiles.
• The total revenue of the Centre and the states after regular settlements in the month of December stood at ₹63,380 crore and ₹64,451 crore, respectively, the ministry said.
• During the month, revenues from the import of goods were 8% higher than what was collected from imported items at the same time a year ago, and revenue from domestic transactions, including the import of services, was 18% higher than a year earlier.
• Major state economies showed strong year-on-year GST collection growth in December. Punjab, Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu showed double-digit growth in December.

Correct Answer:  B. Sujoy Lal Thaosen

Explanation:  Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Director General Sujoy Lal Thaosen took the additional charge as Director General Border Security Force (BSF). The incumbent BSF DG Pankaj Kumar Singh retired on 31 December 2022. Sujoy Lal Thaosen is a 1988 batch officer of MP cadre. He will hold the ‘additional charge’ of BSF DG till the appointment of a regular DG of BSF or until further orders.

Correct Answer:  C. 1,49,507 crore

Explanation:  The government of India has collected Rs 1,49,507 crore gross GST revenue during December 2022. Out of which, CGST is Rs 26,711 crore, SGST is Rs 33,357 crore, IGST is Rs 78,434 crore and Cess is Rs 11,005 crore. The revenues for December 2022 are 15% higher than the GST revenues in December 2021. The total revenue of Centre and the States after regular settlements in the month of December 2022 is Rs 63,380 crore for CGST and Rs 64,451 crore for the SGST.