Daily GK and Current Affairs Quiz – 25th January 2023

Correct Answer:  D. State Bank of India

Explanation:  SBI has partnered with MMRDA for providing NCMC based ticketing solution for the recently commissioned Mumbai metro lines. The Acquiring solution will be provided through SBI Payments, the merchant acquiring subsidiary of SBI. It will facilitate seamless commuting experience through an array of digital payments including NCMC (National Common Mobility Card), QR and PoS. Mr. Dinesh Khara, Chairman, State Bank of India.

Correct Answer:  C. 24th January

Explanation:  On January 24, the nation celebrates National Girl Child Day. This day was established in 2008 by the Ministry of Women and Child Development. The goal of National Female Child Day is to highlight the prejudice and injustice that girl children face. To raise awareness of the injustices girls face in Indian society, the Ministry of Women and Child Development and the Indian government started it in 2008. The day is celebrated with planned activities, such as awareness campaigns for Save the Girl Child, child sex ratios, and the development of a safe and healthy environment for girls.

The Ministry of Education will host a celebration with the theme “Self Defence Training for Girls.” According to the women and child development ministry, the main objective of National Girl Child Day is to raise awareness and tackle the issues of inequalities that girls face in the country and enlighten everyone about the rights of a girl child.

Correct Answer:  B. Ashwin Fernandes

Explanation:  A book titled “India’s Knowledge Supremacy: The New Dawn” Written by international Indian expat, Dr Ashwin Fernandes has released globally. This book was launched by Honourable Minister of Education of India Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, at an event at Dr Ambedkar International Centre. This New book launched focuses on India’s knowledge supremacy, journey showcasing changing trends in newly emerging India. Book is Written by international Indian expat, Dr Ashwin Fernandes, who heads QS Rankings in Middle East, Africa and South Asia, who states that this book deep dives into the shifts in higher education that India has faced since ancient times.

• Dr Ashwin Fernandes is anambassador of the global quality movement in higher education and has advocated the need forindependent evaluation mechanisms for promoting excellence. The author is an international expert is higher education.
• Ashwin is regional director for Africa, Middle East, and South Asia at QS Quacquarelli Symonds – the world’s largest international education network which produces the QS World University Rankings.
• Dr Fernandes founded India’s first nationwide private sector evaluation framework called QS I-GAUGE. He has a Doctor of Philosophy (D.Phil) along with an MBA in Marketing and a BCom degree in Financial Accounting, Auditing & Taxation. He has lived and worked in 5 countries and visited over 300 educational institutions.

Correct Answer:  B. Siddharth Sharma

Explanation:  Tata Trusts, one of the country’s oldest public charitable foundations, has appointed Siddharth Sharma as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Trusts and Aparna Uppaluri as the Chief Operating Officer (COO). Their appointment will come into effect from 1 April, 2023, Tata Trusts, which holds 66% stake in Tata Sons. 54-year-old Sharma, the chief sustainability officer at Tata Sons, will succeed N Srinath, who stepped down from the CEO’s post in 2022 following his retirement. The company will create the COO post for the first time to accommodate Uppaluri, who is currently the programme director for India, Nepal and Sri Lanka at the Ford Foundation.

Correct Answer:  B. BSF

Explanation:  In a first, women personnel will be part of the Border Security Force (BSF) camel contingent at the Republic Day Parade (RDP) this year. Also, the ceremonial 21-gun salute during the parade will be given using 105 mm Indian Field Guns (IFGs) which will replace the vintage British 25 mm Pounder guns.

Correct Answer:  D. Jammu and Kashmir

Explanation:  The Jammu and Kashmir Government is set to host their first SARAS Fair 2023 from 4th February to 14th February 2023. In the SARAS Fair 2023, artisans and women’s self-help groups from across the country will showcase their crafts, Handicrafts, handloom, and food. The fair would be organized at Bagh-e-Bahu, in Jammu.

• The fair is expected to witness the participation of women’s self-help groups from around 15 states and UTs across the country.
• The SHGs will be encouraged to sell their self-made products at the SARAS Fair 2023.
• The SARAS Fair 2023 is the first of its kind in the union territory.
• The fair will be an 11-day exhibition that is going to witness several cultural events, aids, and plays on several government schemes and campaigns.

The SARAS Fair provides rural, and marginal producers an opportunity to showcase their products, capacity, and skills of livelihood. It is conducted under the guidance of the Ministry of Rural Development. The SARAS Fair is organized jointly by the Central-State Government as part of the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) where entrepreneurs across the country are brought together for marketing.

Correct Answer:  C. R Vishnu Prassad

Explanation:  R Vishnu Prassad was awarded “The most distinguished scientist of the year 2022” at Vigyan bhawan, Delhi.  Prassad, a scientist with 69 patents has been honored with the Indian Achievers Award as the most distinguished scientist of the year. The award, which recognizes individuals for their outstanding contributions in various fields, including culture, science, sports, and innovation. He contributed to smart cities, solid waste management, large-scale water treatment, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, was selected by a jury headed by Justice Gyan Sudha Mishra.

The Indian Achievers Award is the india’s most prestigious award and a prestigious recognition that is given to individuals who have made significant contributions to society in a variety of fields. Vishnu, who has been working tirelessly on sustainability, smart cities and is on a mission towards clean India on solid waste management and treatment of large water bodies, was selected by a jury headed by Hon’ble Justice Gyan Sudha Misra.

Some of his fellow awardees were

• Param vir chakra subedar major Sanjay kumar,
• Indian field hockey player late major dhyan chand,
• Film actress shruti haasan,
• Padma shri alok mehta,
• Indian professional boxer vijendar singh,
• Indian Olympic athlete & padma shri Sudha singh,
• National paralympic coach Satyanarayana,
• IPS yashasvi Yadav,
• Chairman & MD of T-Series Bhushan kumar and
• The Kashmir Files Actor Darshan Kumar.

Correct Answer:  C. Dr. Atul Kochhar

Explanation:  The National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH) and Healthcare Sector Skill Council (HSSC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU). The pact between NABH and HSSC aims at recognition of the HSSC certificate for NABH accreditation and develops training programs for skilling, reskilling, and upskilling required for healthcare professionals.

• The collaboration between HSSC and NABH will help achieve the goal of enhancing healthcare quality in the country.
• The MoU was signed in the presence of Dr. Selvakumar, Secretary of Skill Development, Entrepreneurship, and Livelihood, the government of Karnataka, and Dr. Devi Shetty, Chairman, of the Healthcare Sector Skill Council.
• Dr. Atul Kochhar, CEO of NABH noted that the partnership with HSSC will assist us in further strengthening the entire ecosystem of patient safety and healthcare delivery.
• NABH standards have brought paradigm shifts in delivering healthcare services and it has helped in sensitizing healthcare workers about their responsibilities.
• Ashish Jain, CEO of HSSC, has briefed that the collaboration with NABH will facilitate better placement and apprenticeship opportunities for HSSC-certified healthcare professionals across the country.
• HSSC works closely with industry and academia to create a skills eco-system in the healthcare sector.
• It helps in the development of skilled and work-ready professionals as required by the industry.

Correct Answer:  C. Smriti Mandhana

Explanation:  The International Cricket Council (ICC) has completed announcements of the ICC Teams of the Year, a feature of the ICC Awards 2022 which captures the best combined XIs across the different formats of men’s and women’s international cricket after an action-packed year of competition. The announcements have seen five lineups revealed; the ICC Men’s and Women’s T20I Teams of the Year, the ICC Men’s and Women’s ODI Teams of the Year and the ICC Men’s Test Team of the Year. Teams were identified from selections submitted by the specialist panel of media representatives that make up the ICC Voting Academy.

ICC Men’s Test Team of the Year:

1. Usman Khawaja (Aus)
2. Kraigg Brathwaite (WI)
3. Marnus Labuschagne (Aus)
4. Babar Azam (Pak)
5. Jonny Bairstow (Eng)
6. Ben Stokes (c) (Eng)
7. Rishabh Pant (wk) (Ind)
8. Pat Cummins (Aus)
9. Kagiso Rabada (SA)
10. Nathan Lyon (Aus)
11. James Anderson (Eng)

ICC Women’s ODI Team of the Year:

1. Alyssa Healy (wk) (Aus)
2. Smriti Mandhana (Ind)
3. Laura Wolvaardt (SA)
4. Nat Sciver (Eng)
5. Beth Mooney (Aus)
6. Harmanpreet Kaur (c) (Ind)
7. Amelia Kerr (NZ)
8. Sophie Ecclestone (Eng)
9. Ayabonga Khaka (SA)
10. Renuka Singh (Ind)
11. Shabnim Ismail (SA)

ICC Men’s ODI Team of the Year:

1. Babar Azam (c) (Pak)
2. Travis Head (Aus)
3. Shai Hope (WI)
4. Shreyas Iyer (Ind)
5. Tom Latham (wk) (NZ)
6. Sikandar Raza (Zim)
7. Mehidy Hasan Miraz (Ban)
8. Alzarri Joseph (WI)
9. Mohammed Siraj (Ind)
10. Trent Boult (NZ)
11. Adam Zampa (Aus)

ICC Women’s T20I Team of the Year:

1. Smriti Mandhana (Ind)
2. Beth Mooney (Aus)
3. Sophie Devine (c) (NZ)
4. Ash Gardner (Aus)
5. Tahlia McGrath (Aus)
6. Nida Dar (Pak)
7. Deepti Sharma (Ind)
8. Richa Ghosh (wk) (Ind)
9. Sophie Ecclestone (Eng)
10. Inoka Ranaweera (SL)
11. Renuka Singh (Ind)

ICC Men’s T20I Team of the Year:

1. Jos Buttler (c) (wk) (Eng)
2. Mohammad Rizwan (Pak)
3. Virat Kohli (Ind)
4. Suryakumar Yadav (Ind)
5. Glenn Phillips (NZ)
6. Sikandar Raza (Zim)
7. Hardik Pandya (Ind)
8. Sam Curran (Eng)
9. Wanindu Hasaranga (SL)
10. Haris Rauf (Pak)
11. Josh Little (Ire)

Correct Answer:  B. Bihar

Explanation:  To encourage tree plantation on farmland along with crops to help farmers get additional income, Bihar government in association with FSI has decided to conduct ‘Trees Outside Forest’ (TOF) field survey to identify the dominant tree species that are growing outside the recorded forest areas (RFA) in the state. As per the Forest Survey of India (FSI) India state of Forest Report, 2021, Bihar has registered an increase of 3.79 per cent in growing stock in RFA and 0.58 per cent in TOF respectively. “The overall tree cover has also increased in the state from 2,003 sq km in 2019 to 2,341 sq km in 2021. The FSI survey was conducted by using remote sensing based forest cover mapping of all patches of more than one hectare within and outside the RFA. Now, we want a comprehensive TOF survey based on field inspection”, Ashutosh, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest.

The survey, which will be completed in two months, will cover all 38 districts. According to initial estimates at least 150 to 170 plots (measuring between 0.1 to 1 hectare) will be surveyed in each district. It may be increased further during the survey. We are expecting to conduct a field survey of around 6,000 patches in the entire state. We have constituted 266 teams for this comprehensive exercise.

Correct Answer:  C. Prof Bharat Bhasker

Explanation:  Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A) has announced the appointment of IIM-Lucknow professor Bharat Bhasker as IIM-A director for five years with effect from March 1. Incumbent director Errol D’souza’s term will end on January 31. In the interim, the board of governors appointed professor Arindam Banerjee as the director in-charge from February 1 to 28. The announcement for the new director was made by chairman of the IIM-A board of governors Pankaj Patel after a meeting.

Professor Bhasker has almost three decades of experience in industry, research, teaching, and consulting in India and globally. Until recently, he served a five-year term as the director of IIM Raipur. Professor Bhasker had served as the Director of IIM Raipur from March 2017 to March 2022. A BTech graduate from IIT Roorkee, prof Bhasker obtained his MS and PhD from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, USA.

Correct Answer:  C. SBM (India)

Explanation:  The Reserve Bank of India has asked SBM Bank (India), the Indian subsidiary of State Bank of Mauritius (SMB), to immediately stop transactions under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) until further notice. The banking regulator in a statement said the action was based on certain material supervisory concerns observed in the bank.

• LRS pertains to external remittances by resident individuals for purposes like abroad studies, medical treatment, maintenance of close relatives, and investments and travel.
• SBM commenced operations in India on December 1, 2018. It was the first universal bank in the country to receive a banking licence from the RBI through the wholly owned subsidiary (WOS) route. Globally, it is part of SBM Group.

Correct Answer:  C. Comedian

Explanation:  Mexican comedian Leopoldo Roberto Garcia Pelaez Benitez, who performed as “Polo Polo”, passed away on 23 January 2023. He was born in 1944 in Leon, Guanajuato, and is regarded as the “father” of the Stand-Up comedy genre. He hosted a program called Con Ganas in the 1990s. The comedian also starred in multiple films and television series, including “La Escuelita VIP” in 2004 in which he appeared in various episodes as himself. His most recent film role was in Cronicas Chilangas, which was released in 2009.

Correct Answer:  C. Mumbai

Explanation:  The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Film Festival will be organised by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting through the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) in Mumbai from January 27 to January 31, 2023. The SCO Film Festival is being organised during the Presidency of India in the SCO. The festival aims to build cinematic partnership, act as a bridge between the cultures of different countries in the SCO and create harmony among the film communities of the SCO members through a collective cinematic experience.

A total of 57 films from SCO countries will be screened at the SCO Film Festival. In which 14 feature films will be screened in the competition section and 43 films will be screened in the non-competition section. Marathi film Godavari directed by Nikhil Mahajan and Gujarati film ‘The Last Film Show’ directed by Pan Nalin have been nominated from India. Shoojit Sircar’s Sardar Udham, SS Rajamouli’s period film RRR SCO focus are included in the country.