Daily GK and Current Affairs Quiz – 5th & 6th February 2023

Correct Answer:  D. Jharkhand

Explanation:  Union Home Minister Amit Shah laid the foundation stone of a ₹450 crore nano urea plant and township of the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO) in Deoghar, Jharkhand. The nano urea plant will be the fifth such plant in India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the world’s first nano urea plant in Gujarat in 2021. According to Union Minister Amit Shah Nano Urea will benefit farmers and it is already being exported to five countries.

• Nano Urea helps in improving the crop productivity, soil health, and nutritional quality of products and aims to address the imbalance and excessive use of conventional urea.
• IFFCO Managing Director US Awasthi informed us that the plant is scheduled to be commissioned in December next year.
• He also states that the nano urea plant will be constructed at a cost of ₹300 crore and the township at a cost of ₹150 crores.
• Jharkhand Industrial Area Development Authority (JIADA) has allotted 20 acres of land to IFFCO for the complex in the Jasidih area in the Deoghar district.

Correct Answer:  B. 21 months

Explanation:  Gymnast Dipa Karmakar has been handed a 21-month ban for failing a dope test conducted by the International Testing Agency. Dipa Karmakar’s dope sample collected out-of-competition by the ITA, which is an independent organization that manages the anti-doping program of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) was found to contain Higenamine which is a prohibited substance under World Anti-doping Agency Code.

• The ITA confirms that Dipa Karmakar has been suspended for 21 months, effective until 10th July 2023 after testing positive for higenamine.
• The positive sample was collected on behalf of the FIG in the scope of an out-of-competition control on 11th October 2021.
• The Switzerland-based non-profit organization works under the supervision of WADA and the International Olympics Committee to implement Anti-doping programs for various international federations.
• The ITA further informed Karmakar’s dope issue was resolved under a case resolution agreement under article 10.8.2 of the FIG Anti-Doping Rules and an equivalent provision in the WADA.

Correct Answer:  B. Jharkhand

Explanation:  Jharkhand has been allocated a whopping Rs 5,271 crore from the Union Budget to augment the railway infrastructure of the state. The annual average budget outlay for Jharkhand was around 11 times higher than what the state used to get between 2009 and 2014. As many as 57 stations will be redeveloped in the state and they would be made world-class stations. Various projects would also be taken up under Sugamya Bharat scheme for the differently abled persons such as installing lifts in some stations.

Correct Answer:  D. Joe Biden

Explanation:  PM Narendra Modi has been pegged as the world’s most popular leader with an approval rating of 78 per cent as per a survey by a US-based consulting firm ‘Morning Consult.’ As per the rating PM Modi’s ratings trump those of other leaders including US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The poll surveyed 22 global leaders for the ratings. Neither Vladimir Putin nor Xi Jinping figured among the 22 popular leaders globally.

PM Modi garnered 78 per cent of approval ratings, way ahead of US President Joe Biden, who received 40 per cent ratings. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, came in second with 68 per cent ratings and Swiss President Alain Berset occupied the third position with 62 per cent approval rating.

Correct Answer:  D. Sri Lanka

Explanation:  Sri Lanka celebrated 75 years of Independence on 4 February under the theme Namo Namo Matha – A step towards a century. The main ceremony of the National Independence Day Celebrations was held at Galle Face Green in Colombo. A special cultural arts festival Lankaralanka was held at Independence square in Colombo.  The Jaffna cultural centre which was built under an Indian grant will also be opened in a few days. India’s Union Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan participated in the Independence Day celebrations. The Minister held talks with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Sri Lankan Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Sabri and discussed issues of mutual interest.

• Known as Ceylon, Sri Lanka was a major economic center for the British Empire, which granted it semi-independent ‘dominionship’ status in 1948.
• Sri Lanka became a full-fledged republic on May 22, 1972, and is formally known as the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.
• The first Prime Minister of Sri Lanka was Don Stephen Senanayake, who is regarded as the Father of the Nation.
• In 1972, William Gopalwa became the first President of Sri Lanka.
• Independence Day is also celebrated by Sri Lankan expatriate communities in other countries including Australia, Canada, Germany, Singapore and the United States.

Correct Answer:  C. 2023

Explanation:  Vani Jayaram, 78, a legendary playback singer from the South film industry passed away. She breathed her last at her Chennai home in Haddows Road, Nungambakkam. The National Awardee recipient died due to age-related issues. On this year’s Republic Day, she was awarded the prestigious Padma Bhushan to recognize her contribution to Indian music for over 50 years. She was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian award, in January 2023.

• Vani Jayaram passed away before accepting the award. Along with this, Vani has also bagged four State Awards, three National Awards, International awards, and many more.
• Her untimely demise came as a shock to the entire film industry. Several South celebs took to their social media handle to mourn her demise and pay respect to her.
• Vani started her career back in 1971. With a career spanning over five decades, she has recorded over 10,000 songs in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi, Bengali, etc.
• She also had her own devotional and private albums. From working with RD Burman to Madan Mohan and OP Nayyar, she has worked alongside legendary composers.

Correct Answer:  B. Tumakuru

Explanation:  Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicates to the nation the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) helicopter factory in Karnataka’s Tumakuru. The foundation stone of the facility, which is a dedicated new greenfield helicopter factory, was also laid by PM Modi in 2016. The facility will enhance India’s capacity and ecosystem to build helicopters. This will result in providing employment for around 6000 people in the region.

• This helicopter factory is Asia’s largest helicopter manufacturing facilityand will initially produce the Light Utility Helicopters (LUH), the PMO said in a release. LUH is an indigenously designed and developed 3-tonne class, single engine multipurpose utility helicopter with unique feature of high manoeuvrability.
• What was trumpeted as Asia’s largest helicopter factorywould initially produce Indian-designed and developed Light Utility Helicopters and then expand to build other multirole helicopters.

Correct Answer:  B. Ricky Kej

Explanation:  Ricky Kej, a musician, won his third Grammy Award for the album “Divine Tides,” which he co-wrote with rock legend Stewart Copeland. This is undoubtedly a proud moment for India. The Indian music producer and composer from Bengaluru received the prize for “Divine Tides” after being nominated in the category of Best Immersive Audio Album. At the live event held at the Crypto.com venue in Los Angeles, USA, the outcome was revealed.

Correct Answer:  C. Shamika Ravi

Explanation:  Economics professor and researcher Shamika Ravi has been appointed as a member of the Economic Advisory Council to Prime Minister (EAC-PM). She is currently non-resident senior fellow of the governance studies program at the Brookings Institution Washington D.C. EAC-PM, chaired by economist Bibek Debroy, currently has one member and six part-time members. Member Sanjeev Sanyal welcomed Ravi in a social media post. Part-time members of the advisory body include economist Rakesh Mohan and Sajjid Z. Chinoy, Managing Director and Chief India Economist at J.P. Morgan.

Correct Answer:  D. 6th February

Explanation:  International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is observed on February 6. The primary objective behind observing this day is to amplify and direct efforts on the elimination of this cruel practice and to promote the elimination of female genital mutilation, coordinated and systematic efforts are needed, and they must engage whole communities and focus on human rights, gender equality, sexual education and attention to the needs of women and girls who suffer from its consequences. This year, the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation: Delivering the Global Promise launched the 2023 theme; “Partnership with Men and Boys to transform Social and gender Norms to End FGM”.

Correct Answer:  B. Integrating Emerging Technologies in Audit

Explanation:  The 6th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)Supreme Audit Institutions (SAI) Leaders’ Meeting is being hosted by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India in Lucknow on 6 February. Comptroller and Auditor General of India, Girish Chandra Murmu led the discussions on the theme ‘Integrating Emerging Technologies in Audit’.

• The heads of the Supreme Audit Institutions (SAI) of SCO member countries is participating in the meeting and the Governor of Uttar Pradesh has inaugurated the event.
• India currently holds the SCO presidency, which annually rotates among member countries. India’s 2023 theme is ‘Towards a SECURE SCO”.
• The concept of SECURE stands for: ‘S’ for security for citizens, ‘E’ for economic development, ‘C’ for connectivity in the region, ‘U’ for unity, ‘R’ for respect of sovereignty and integrity, and ‘E for environment protection.

Correct Answer:  B. UAE

Explanation:  India, France, and the UAE announced a formal trilateral cooperation initiative in the areas of defense, nuclear energy, and technology. The Foreign Ministers of the three countries held a telephonic meeting to adopt a roadmap for the implementation of this initiative. Aim to promote the design and execution of cooperation projects in the fields of energy. The countries will discuss further collaboration and training between their defense forces.

Correct Answer:  D. RailTel Corporation

Explanation:  The State Bank of India has commissioned RailTel Corporation of India Ltd., a government-owned enterprise under the Ministry of Railways, to provide 4G LTE connectivity to 15,000 off-site ATMs throughout India. The project’s cost, which also covers the operation and maintenance of the network for five years, is estimated at Rs 253.35 crore, excluding taxes. LTE, which stands for Long-Term Evolution, is a 4G wireless technology that offers improved network capacity and speed compared to 3G. RailTel was selected for this project, one of the largest in India for 4G LTE last-mile connectivity, through a competitive bidding process. The project also calls for establishing a Network Operations Centre, backhaul connectivity to SBI’s data centre and disaster recovery centre, a Service Level Agreement monitoring dashboard, and a 24/7 support desk.

RailTel is one of India’s leading neutral telecom infrastructure and Information and Communications Technology solution providers, with a nationwide optical fibre network that connects various towns, cities, and rural areas. The company has two Tier III data centres approved by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and a robust network of 61,000+ route kilometres of optical fibre. Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS), Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), Telepresence, Leased Lines, Tower Co-location, Data Center Services, and other services are among the many RailTel offers. By offering free public Wi-Fi at railway stations all around India, RailTel is also working with the Indian Railways to transform railway stations into digital centres.

Correct Answer:  A. Vedanta

Explanation:  Foxconn and Vedanta are close to inducting European chipmaker STMicroelectronics as the technology partner in their proposed semiconductor chip manufacturing unit in India. Foxconn will be the lead partner in the joint venture (JV) that was announced last February. The Vedanta-Foxconn consortium is one of the five applicants seeking government incentives under a $10-billion package announced in December 2021 to promote domestic semiconductor manufacturing. So far, in addition to the Foxconn-Vedanta proposal, the Centre has received five bids to set up semiconductor fabrication units. These include Next Orbit Ventures, which has partnered with Israel’s Tower Semiconductor (Tower has been acquired by Intel but the merger is awaiting regulatory approvals), as well as Singapore-based IGSS Ventures.