Daily GK and Current Affairs Quiz – 25th April 2023

Correct Answer:  B. 100,100

Explanation:  The Union Health Ministry, in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, has written to the states and Union Territories to develop 100 food streets in 100 districts across country. Financial assistance to the states and Union Territories in the form of Rs 1 crore per food street or district will be provided to fill the critical gaps. The assistance will be provided under the National Health Mission in the 60:40 or 90:10.

Correct Answer:  D. Jammu and Kashmir

Explanation:  The Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration 2022 for “Innovations” were given in three categories — Centre, State and District. As many as 748 districts participated and 2,520 nominations were received for the awards. The National COVID-19 vaccination programme by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and PM GatiShakti National Master Plan by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade were chosen for the awards for Innovation (Centre) category. Mission Youth of Jammu and Kashmir and State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (SOTTO), Gujarat won the award under the “Innovation (State) category”.  Gujarat developed a cadaver transplant programme in 2005 and further strengthened it in 2019 with the establishment of SOTTO, to save lives lost due to lack of organ donations. “Operation Parivartan” which is aimed at transforming the lives of people engaged in the illegal liquor trade in Maharashtra’s Solapur district and the ‘Sanvardhan’ initiative in Uttar Pradesh’s Rampur district to fulfil the nutritional requirement of children were also chosen for the honour under “Innovation (District) category”.

The New Age Learning Centre in Changlang, Arunachal Pradesh has also won the award under the same category. Madhya Pradesh’s Burhanpur and Tamil Nadu’s Kancheepuram got the award for being the best-performing districts under the Har Ghar Jal Yojana, which envisages that every household and public institution will have potable water supply in adequate quantity with prescribed quality on a regular and long-term basis by 2024. Uttar Pradesh’s Chitrakoot and Gujarat’s Mahesana were given the award for their exemplary work in promoting quality education with an equitable and inclusive classroom environment through ‘Samagra Shiksha’. Maharashtra’s Latur and Andhra Pradesh’s Anakapalli have been adjudged the best-performing districts in promoting ‘Swasth Bharat’ through health and wellness centres. Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir and Gumla in Jharkhand were chosen as best performing districts under the Aspirational Districts Programme. The awards under this category seek to recognise the achievements of the best-performing districts in the category of 112 most under-developed districts across the country.

Correct Answer:  B. HDFC Bank

Explanation:  HDFC Bank has recently appointed two senior executives and their appointments have been approved by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Kaizad Bharucha has been appointed as Deputy Managing Director while Bhavesh Zaveri has been appointed as Executive Director for a three-year term starting from April 19, 2023. The bank has shared this information through a regulatory filing.

Kaizad Bharucha is an experienced banker with over 35 years of work experience. He has been a part of HDFC Bank since 1995. Currently, he serves as an Executive Director and oversees the bank’s Wholesale Banking operations, which includes Corporate Banking, Capital & Commodities Markets, PSUs, Financial Institutions, Mutual Funds, Custody, Banks coverage, and Global Capability Centre. Before joining HDFC Bank, he worked with SBI Commercial and International Bank, where he handled responsibilities related to Corporate Banking and Trade Finance.

Correct Answer:  A. Rajasthan

Explanation:  CM Gehlot to introduce a bill for gig workers with welfare measures. The Rajasthan government is working to implement the Rajasthan Platform-based Gig Workers (Registration and Welfare) Bill, 2023. The bill has stringent provisions against errant aggregators, including barring them from operating in the state. In February 2023, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had announced his government’s intention to introduce the bill in his budget speech. The draft bill envisages a Rajasthan platform-based Gig Workers Welfare Board, which will act as a mothership for over three lakh people employed with various online service providers in the state. It will design welfare policies and hear grievances of workers hired on piece rate basis.

Irrespective of the duration of their engagement with the platform, all platform-based gig workers registered with any platform will automatically be registered with the Board. As per the state’s bill, the board shall generate a unique ID for each platform-based gig worker registered with one or more aggregators in the state. The validity of this unique ID will be for a period of three years. A seed fund of Rs 200 crore has been announced by Mr Gehlot for the board to start its work. The Bill empowers the Board to decide how much cess each aggregator has to pay towards this social welfare fund. This cess will be a percent of every transaction that takes place on the platform. Any platform that violates the regulations stipulated in the Bill, such as not sharing transaction data or worker information, can be fined up to ₹10 lakh for the first contravention and up to ₹1 crore for subsequent ones. They may also face suspension of operations in the State.

Correct Answer:  C. NPCI

Explanation:  The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) are setting up an aggregator platform for eKYC (electronic know-your-customer). The process of Aadhaar-based eKYC is used for paperless verification of a customer’s credentials to get a mobile connection or open a bank account. The process can be completed using biometrics or through the use of OTP. It is being used by financial services players, mobile operators, and government agencies.

Correct Answer:  C. Ashish Kundra

Explanation:  A new book titled, “A Resurgent Northeast: Narratives of Change” has been released at an event in New Delhi. The book was authored by an IAS officer, and senior bureaucrat Ashish Kundra. The book was launched in the presence of Kiren Rijiju (Union Minister of Law and Justice); Hardeep Singh Puri (Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas), Pema Khandu (CM of Arunachal Pradesh), and Amitabh Kant. Senior bureaucrat-author Ashish Kundra served in the Northeast for eight years.

Correct Answer:  C. New Delhi

Explanation:  Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, as the precursor of World Malaria Day, has organized Asia Pacific Leaders’ Conference for Malaria Elimination in partnership with the Asia Pacific Leaders’ Malaria Alliance (APLMA) in New Delhi. The conference was presided over by Dr. VK Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog. The purpose of the conference is to reaffirm political commitment to encourage action to eliminate malaria by 2030. The conference provided a forum for leaders from the Asia Pacific region to discuss ongoing efforts towards malaria elimination and to reinvigorate national and regional progress towards the goal of a malaria-free Asia Pacific region by 2030.

• The conference included tracking regional and national progress, leveraging research, innovation and new technologies to accelerate progress in reaching at-risk populations, and adopting the government’s holistic approach to ending the disease.
• Of the 11 countries that are part of the World Health Organisation’s ‘High Burden to High Impact’ initiative, only India has reported a decline in malaria cases during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• From 2015 to 2022, malaria cases have declined by 85.1 percent and deaths by 83.6 percent.

Correct Answer:  C. Van Vihar National Park

Explanation:  Van Vihar National Park in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, has announced a ban on single-use plastic in its premises. The ban has been imposed keeping in view the health of animals. A rupee 500 fine has been imposed for persons who fails to follow the rule. Declared a national park in 1979, it covers an area of about 4.45 km2. It has the status of a national park, but is developed and managed as a modern zoological park, following the guidelines of the Central Zoo Authority.

Correct Answer:  A. Big catch up

Explanation:  World Immunization Week, celebrated in the last week of April, aims to highlight the collective action needed to protect people from vaccine-preventable diseases. The aim of this week is to increase awareness around the benefits of immunization and also to encourage people to get vaccinated. This year the day is observed from April 24th to April 30th and is an important effort to help prevent the spread of deadly diseases around the world. The theme for this year’s World Immunization Week is “The Big Catch-Up” and aims to emphasize the need for countries to accelerate their progress towards ensuring that everyone, particularly children are protected from preventable diseases. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted routine immunization services in many countries, causing a decline in immunization coverage and leaving many people vulnerable to vaccine-preventable diseases.

Correct Answer:  C. Operation Kaveri

Explanation:  India initiated Operation Kaveri to evacuate its citizens from the unrest-stricken Sudan. As per External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s tweet, the operation is currently in progress, and roughly 500 Indians have already arrived at Port Sudan.

• Operation Kaveri is the latest evacuation operation initiated by India to rescue its citizens and friendly nations’ citizens from war zones.
• The Ministry of External Affairs had announced the standby status of two C-130s aircraft and INS Sumedha for the safe evacuation of stranded Indians in Sudan.
• Official data states that there are roughly 4,000 Indians in Sudan.
• The evacuation operation follows talks held by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar with counterparts in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
• Both countries had offered their “practical support on the ground” during the talks.

Correct Answer:  C. Journalist

Explanation:  Tarek Fatah, a Pakistani-Canadian journalist who referred to himself as a “Midnight’s Child” due to being born shortly after Pakistan’s independence in 1949, has passed away from cancer at the age of 73. Fatah was recognized for his critiques of Islamic extremism and the Pakistani establishment, as well as his support for queer rights. After his parents migrated from Bombay to Karachi, he was born and later attended the University of Karachi where he studied biochemistry and became a leftist activist before eventually transitioning into journalism. Fatah’s daughter confirmed his death on social media. Fatah authored two books, “Chasing a Mirage,” which criticized modern Islam, and “The Jew is not my enemy,” which explored the history of the relationship between the Muslim and Jewish communities.

Correct Answer:  B. 2nd

Explanation:  Carlos Alcaraz won his 2nd consecutive Barcelona title , defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets. Alcaraz has won his third trophy of 2023 and ninth of his career after victories in Buenos Aires and Indian Wells. It was Alcaraz’s fourth win in four meetings with Tsitsipas.

Correct Answer:  C. 25th April

Explanation:  Every year on April 25th, International Delegate’s Day is observed to pay tribute to the delegates who are an integral part of the United Nations (UN) and play a significant role in its functioning. These delegates represent their respective governments and are dedicated to working together under the framework of the UN to address global challenges and achieve multilateral cooperation. Without the efforts and contributions of these delegates, the UN would not be able to function effectively. They work towards the resolution of global issues and ensure that the voice of their governments is heard on an international level. The observance of this day is a recognition of their dedication and commitment to promoting peace, security, and prosperity worldwide.

Correct Answer:  B. Ratan Tata

Explanation:  Tata Sons’ Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata has been conferred with Australia’s highest civilian honour, the country’s High Commissioner to India Barry O’Farrell announced on Twitter. The Order of Australia (AO) award was presented for the industrialist’s efforts in strengthening the India-Australia bilateral relations. The 85-year-old has batted for the 2022 India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement, while Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) reportedly employs the biggest Australian workforce of any Indian firm with about17,000 employees.

In October 2022, Tata received ‘Sewa Ratna’ from the RSS-affiliated Sewa Bharti for his philanthropic pursuits. He is also a 2008 recipient of India’s second-highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan.