Daily GK and Current Affairs Quiz – 22nd & 23rd January 2023

Correct Answer:  B. Chris Hipkins

Explanation:  New Zealand’s ruling Labor Party on 22 January elected Chris Hipkins as its leader and the country’s 41st prime minister, replacing Ms Jacinda Ardern. Hipkins was the only candidate for the position and was confirmed by 64 MPs in what is known as the Labor caucus. Known as “Chippy”, Hipkins played a key role in the response to COVID-19. He was first elected to Parliament in 2008 for the Labor Party. He was appointed Minister of Health in July 2020 before becoming the Minister of COVID Response. Before Hipkins can officially become prime minister, Ardern must submit her resignation to King Charles III’s representative in New Zealand, Governor General Cindy Kiro. Kiro Hipkins will then be appointed to the role and sworn in. The Labour party has also selected Carmel Sepuloni as the deputy prime minister.

Correct Answer:  D. Bengaluru

Explanation:  The 4th International Trade Fair of Millets and Organics Products began on 20 January 2023 at Tripuravasini, Bengaluru. India is leading among countries to celebrate 2023 as the International Year of Millets. This three-day fair is organised by the Department of Agriculture and the Government of Karnataka. The three day event is divided into multiple segments including Exhibition, Pavilion, B2B Networking and much more. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, global millet production in 2020 was 30.464 million metric tonnes (MMT), of which India accounted for 12.49 MMT or 41 per cent of the total millet production.

• The trade fair is a platform for farmers, farmer groups, domestic and international companies, central and state institutions to explore opportunities in agriculture, horticulture, processing, machinery and agro-technology.
• The fair includes more than 250 stalls, millet and organic food court, cooking, drawing and quiz competitions, display of millet recipes, etc.
• The budget allocation for farmers has been increased six times.
• The country is focused on developing 10,000 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and assisting farmers in setting up sorting and grading units along with producing value-added products ready for export.
• Consumption of millets is a solution to malnutrition, which will also benefit farmers for better livelihood and increased income.

Correct Answer:  C. Aska Police station

Explanation:  Aska police station in Ganjam district of Odisha was awarded as number one police station by Home Minister Amit Shah during the DGSP/IGSP conference 2022 held at National Agricultural Science Complex, New Delhi. Aska police station got this title in the annual ranking of police stations for the year 2022. On this occasion, Aska police station in-charge Inspector Prashant Kumar Sahu was awarded the prestigious award along with a citation by the Home Minister. Gangapur police station in Odisha’s Ganjam district has been awarded the second best police station award.

Banbasa police station in Champawat district of Uttarakhand has been selected as the third best station. Sadar Bazar police station was adjudged the best police station in the year 2021 while Gangapur police station was awarded the second best police station award. The ranking of police stations across the country is an annual exercise by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The rank is decided on the basis of 165 different parameters such as crime rate, investigation and disposal of cases, infrastructure and public service delivery.

Correct Answer:  C. Jajpur           

Explanation:  Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik inaugurated an ‘International Craft Summit’ in Jajpur. The International Craft Summit is the first-of-its-kind craft summit to feature pioneer craftspersons, culture, and art enthusiasts. CM Naveen Patnaik addressed the inaugural event of the International Craft Summit virtually and noted that it is a historic occasion for Odisha.

• Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has inaugurated the 3-day International Craft Summit in Jajpur, Odisha.
• Jajpur was the ancient capital of Odisha and has existing assets of religious tourism, urban tourism, and Buddhist tourism.
• The CM also noted that Jajpur has the potential to become a major tourist hub and the cultural heritage of Jajpur is reflected in its vibrant art forms.
• For the International Craft Summit, four UN agencies and five UNESCO creative cities have partnered with Jajpur.
• Delegates from 15 countries are in the town to engage with local artisans and other stakeholders.
• CM Naveen Patnaik also noted that the Odisha government is developing mechanisms for holistic development of the tourism, handloom, and handicrafts sector.
• The state has placed various policies including State Tourism Policy, Handicrafts Policy, Apparel, and Technical Textile Policy.
• Science & Technology Minister Ashok Panda, Rural Development Priti Ranjan Ghadai, and Handloom, Textile & Handicrafts Minister Rita Sahu highlighted the cultural heritage of Odisha and its significance in the modern age.
• Chief of UNESCO Culture Sector for South Asian countries, Junhi Han, appreciated the efforts of the state to the promotion of local art, artists, and artisans.

Correct Answer:  D. Vikram Dev Dutt

Explanation:  The appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Vikram Dev Dutt as the next director general in the Directorate of General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). He will take over as the head of the aviation regulator on February 28, 2023. He will be succeeding the incumbent DGCA chief Arun Kumar. Earlier, Dutt had also served as the CMD of Air India. He had taken charge in January last year.

In 2022, Dutt was appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director of Air India Ltd as part of a senior-level bureaucratic reshuffle effected by the Centre. Dutt is a 1993-batch IAS officer of AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territory) cadre. Kumar, a 1989-batch IAS officer, was leading the DGCA as its director general since July 2019.

Correct Answer: B. ESAF Small Finance Bank

Explanation:  ESAF Small Finance Bank has bagged the prestigious Inclusive Finance India Awards 2022 for its contributions in advancing the goal of financial inclusion and supporting inclusive growth. This award is a recognition of ESAF’s unique spectrum of Financial Inclusion projects ESAF Dhansree, ESAF Udyog Jyothi, LSEDP (Local Sustainable Economic Development Project), ESAF Balajyothi, ESAF Vayojyothi, and ESAF Garshom.

The Inclusive Finance India Awards initiative aims to celebrate and encourage deserving institutions to continue to enhance outreach to the poor by way of motivating management and staff through recognition of their painstaking efforts and enhancing the credibility of the institution, thereby making it more attractive for funding.

Correct Answer:  C. An Seyoung

Explanation:  Korean sensation An Seyoung wins the women’s singles final in the India Open Badminton Championship held at D. Jadhav Indoor Stadium in New Delhi. An Seyoung defeated the World No. 1 Japanese Akane Yamaguchi 15-21, 21-16, and 21-12 at the India Open Badminton Championship.

• It was a two-time world championship and world no.1 Yamaguchi’s third straight final on the BWF World Tour.
• Akane Yamaguchi lost the opening game 15-21 before coming back to win the match with solid defense and an array of strokes. She won the second game 21-16.
• The match lasted one hour and two minutes, this was also An SeYoung’s sixth win against Yamaguchi, who won ten times previously.

An Seyoung is a South Korean Badminton player from Gwangju. She has been awarded as 2019 Most Promising Player of the Year by the BWF. In 2018, An Seyoung was selected to join the national team and became the first junior high school student on the Korean National Team. She represented Korea at the 2018 Uber Cup in Bangkok and Asian Games in Jakarta. In 2019, she bagged the BWF World Tour Title at the Super 300 New Zealand defeating the 2012 Olympic Gold Medallist Li Xuerui of China in the finals.

Correct Answer:  D. PhonePe

Explanation:  Payments and financial services unicorn PhonePe has raised $350 million in funding from General Atlantic, a leading global growth equity firm, at a pre-money valuation of $12 billion, making the Walmart-owned start-up the most-valued financial technology (fintech) player in India. The investment is the first tranche of the company’s latest fundraise that could see marquee global and Indian investors put in up to $1 billion in the fintech firm. With this funding round, the home-grown digital payments start-up has more than doubled its valuation — from $5.5 billion in 2020. With a $12-billion valuation, it has joined the decacorn club.

Correct Answer:  C. 9th

Explanation:  Reliance Jio, India’s leading private sector telecom service provider, has been included in the world’s top 25 strong brands. According to the latest ‘Global 500-2023’ report released by Brand Finance, Jio has emerged as the strongest brand in India and is ranked 9th among the 25 strongest brands in the world. Jio has been given a score of 90.2 in the Strong Brand Index. Brands like EY, Coca Cola, Accenture, Porsche and Google precede Jio in the list. Whereas giants like Apple, Amazon, Alibaba and Pepsi have been left behind by Reliance Jio. The index is prepared on the basis of certain parameters such as marketing spend, awareness, consideration, trust and market share. With over 400 million subscribers, Reliance Jio is the largest mobile operator in India and the third largest in the world.

Correct Answer:  D. Punjab National Bank

Explanation:  State-owned Punjab National Bank (PNB) offers credit cards against Fixed Deposit to customers who don’t meet the eligibility criteria for regular credit cards. This facility will be available for salary account customers, and they shall be able to apply through the mobile banking app PNB One, website or Internet Banking Service (IBS), the lender said. Customers can avail loan without visiting a bank branch, adding there is a concession of 0.25 per cent on the interest rate when applied through digital platforms like PNB One. Get the RuPay or VISA credit card digitally against single or multiple FDs with 80% credit limit, the lender added.

Correct Answer:  C. Laxman Rawat

Explanation:  Laxman Rawat of PSPB overcame fellow PSPB challenger Aditya Mehta 9-6 in a best-of-17-frame final. Laxman Rawat of PSPB emerged victorious in the ‘Baulkline’ NSCI All India Snooker Open. Previously, Laxman Rawat won the runner-up in the last edition of the All India Snooker Open losing to Sourav Kothari in the finals. This win marks Laxman Rawat’s first major title after 2 to 3 years.

• Laxman Rawat of the Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) won the NSCI Snooker Open 2023 against Aditya Mehta.
• Laxman Rawat received Rs 3 lakh cash prize while Aditya Mehta received Rs 1.5 lakh.
• The summit clash contested between the accomplished Indian Oil Cueists Rawat and Mehta witnessed top-quality positive play as both were aggressive and went for their shots.
• Rawat was more consistent and managed to wrest the initiative and enjoy a 5-3 lead at the break.
• Rawat was a bit scratchy, and Mehta did well to win frames to draw level at 5-all and stay in. the fight.
• Rawat gained the moment in the next three frames to surge to an 8-5 lead.
• Aditya Mehta managed to take some time in the 14th frame.
• However, Rawat was destined to win the game in the next frame.

The NSCI Snooker Open Crown is a snooker tournament organized by the National Sports Club of India (NSCI). The tournament is open to players from all over India and features a best-of-17-frame final. The tournament is considered a major title in Indian snooker and the champion of the tournament is awarded the NSCI Snooker Crown.

Correct Answer:  C. Kerala

Explanation: Higher Education Minister in Kerala R Bindu announced that girls students above the age of 18 years will get maternity leave of 60 days. The required attendance percentage for female students will be 73 percent including menstrual leave. The attendance percentage required earlier was 75 percent.

• The government is considering granting menstrual leaves in all state universities as recently announced by the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT).
• The CUSAT has announced the grant of menstrual leaves to female students.
• The Kerala government is planning to extend the leave policy to all the universities under the State Higher Education Department.
• Menstrual Leaves were implemented in the CUSAT based on demand from the student union led by SFI.
• The CUSAT announced an additional 2 percent of condonation of shortage of attendance to female students in each semester on request for ‘Menstrual Benefits’ to female students.
• Generally, the students who have 75 percent attendance of the total working days will be allowed to appear for each semester examination.
• With the help of menstrual leave giving two percent condonation of shortage of attendance.
• The mandatory attendance will be made 73 per for women students.
• The proposal from the CUSAT students union and various students organization was submitted to the Vice-chancellor and it was approved following which an order was issued.

Correct Answer:  C. 23rd January

Explanation:  Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Jayanti or Netaji Jayanti is a national event celebrated in India as Parakram Diwas on January 23 to mark the birth of prominent Indian freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. This year nation celebrates 126th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. For the first time, Netaji Jayanti was celebrated as Parakram Divas in 2021 on the occasion of his 124th birthday. In West Bengal, Jharkhand, Tripura, and Assam, it is a recognised holiday. On this day, the Indian government honours Netaji.

Correct Answer:  B. Nick Walker

Explanation:  Nick Walker has been announced as the Chief Executive Officer of Cairn Oil & Gas, A unit of Vedanta Ltd. The appointment is effective from 5th January 2023. Nick Walker has previously served as the President and CEO at Lundin Energy, a large European independent E&P company. He has also worked with BP, Talisman Energy, and Africa Oil and has an international experience of 30 years in technical, commercial, and executive leadership roles.

• Nick Walker will lead all the aspects of Cairn’s strategy including the development of strategic alliances with global partners to fast-track business delivery.
• He will also drive the adoption and deployment of best-in-class oil and gas technologies and processes with a focus on innovation and digitalization.
• Cairn Oil and Gas is committed to increasing India’s domestic crude oil and gas production with a vision to contribute 50% of India’s production and add reserves and resources.
• India is seeking to achieve energy self-sufficiency through a marked reduction in oil imports which currently account for 85% of national consumption.

Cairn Oil & Gas is the largest private crude oil producer in India. It has been operating for over 2 decades and is well-positioned to reduce the country’s energy import burden. Cairn has been playing an active role in developing India’s oil and gas resources. With a portfolio of 6 blocks, of which 5 blocks are in India and one in South Africa, Cairn has made over 50 hydrocarbon discoveries in the last decade and operates the largest producing oil field in the Indian private sector.