Daily GK and Current Affairs Quiz – 7th & 8th March 2023

Correct Answer:  C. Twofold

Explanation:  India’s per capita income in nominal terms doubled to Rs 1,72,000 since 2014-15 when the Narendra Modi-led NDA came to power but uneven income distribution remains a challenge. As per the National Statistical Office (NSO), the annual per capita (net national income) at current prices is estimated at Rs 1,72,000 in 2022-23, up from Rs 86,647 in 2014-15, suggesting an increase of about 99 per cent. The per capita income of India has shown a growth of Twofold since 2014-15 .

• In real terms (constant prices), the per capita incomehas increased by about 35 per cent from Rs 72,805 in 2014-15 to Rs 98,118 in 2022-23.
• Average growth of India’s per-capita incomein real term for the period from 2014 to 2019 was 5.6 per cent per annum.
• Per capita income is an average income of Indians. The averages mask the rising inequalities. Rising concentration of incomes at the high end means incomes of those at the lower rung of the income ladder may not be changing much.
• According to IMF projections, India has overtaken the UK to become the world’s fifth-largest economyand is now behind only the US, China, Japan and Germany. A decade back, India was ranked 11th among the large economies while the UK was at the fifth position.

Correct Answer:  D. Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited

Explanation:  Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has been awarded the Central Board Of Irrigation And Power (CBIP) Award 2022 for ‘Best Contribution in Solar Energy’. The award was received by Dr. Nalin Shinghal, CMD, BHEL, along with Ms. Renuka Gera, Director (IS&P), BHEL from Sh. R.K. Singh, Hon’ble Union Minister of Power and New & Renewable Energy, on CBIP Day. CBIP awards are conferred for outstanding contribution to the development of water, power and renewable energy sectors. The Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Limited (OPTCL), the State-run transmission utility, has been conferred with the Central Board of Irrigation and Power Award 2022 for the ‘best-performing transmission power sector’.

• Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) is an Indian central public sector undertaking and the largest government-owned power generation equipment manufacturer. It is under the ownership of Government of India and administrative control of the Ministry of Heavy Industries. Established in 1956, BHEL is based in New Delhi.
• BHEL is engaged in the design, engineering, manufacturing, construction, testing, commissioning and servicing of a wide range of products, systems and services for the core sectors of the economy, viz. power, transmission, industry, transportation, renewable energy, oil & gas, and defence.

Correct Answer:  B. Gulf Region

Explanation:  The Indian warship INS Trikand has arrived in Bahrain for her first participation in the International Maritime Exercise organised by the US-led Combined Maritime Forces, a 34-nation naval group. INS Trikand hosted Rear Adm Jean Michel Martinet of the French Navy, who is also the Vice Commander of IMX23 & Commander Task Force (East). INS Trikand crew also interacted with the planning team & ships from friendly Navies participating in the Exercise. The Captain of INS Trikand also called on Ambassador of India to Qatar, Piyush Srivastava.

• INS Trikand is taking part in the International Maritime Exercise/Cutlass Express 2023 (IMX/CE-23), which is currently underway in the Gulf region from the 26th of February to the 16th of March 2023. She will participate in the exercise alongside participants from over 50 nations and international maritime agencies, with the common goal of improving maritime security and keeping the region’s sea lanes safe for maritime commerce.
• IMX/CE-23 is one of the world’s largest multinational maritime exercises. While this is the Indian Navy’s first IMX participation, it is also the second time an Indian Naval ship is participating in a CMF exercise. Previously, in November 2022, INS Trikand took part in the CMF-led Operation Sea Sword 2.

Correct Answer:  C. 7.45%

Explanation:  Joblessness as measured by the CMIE All India unemployment rate remained elevated in February 2023 and rose to 7.45% from 7.14% in the previous month. The urban unemployment rate decreased for the second straight month and was at 7.93% in February as against 8.55% in January. It touched a record high of 10.09% in December 2022. But more worrying the rural unemployment rate spiked to 7.23% last month from 6.48% in January.

• India’s GDP growth rate declined for the second consecutive quarterin October-December (Q3FY23), coming in at 4.4 per cent, according to the data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. The latest quarterly growth number at 4.4 per cent is lower than the 6.3 per cent growth that was seen in the second quarter of 2022-23.
• The government also released the data for the production ofeight core sector growth in January. It showed that production of eight core sector growth expanded at a four-month high of 7.8 per cent in January, which is up from a 7 per cent growth recorded in December.

The manufacturing sector in India expanded at the slowest pace in four months in February but remained relatively strong amid buoyant domestic demand, despite higher inflationary pressures. Rising borrowing costs and weakness in manufacturing have slowed the Indian economy. The manufacturing sector shrank 1.1 per cent in the quarter year-on-year, the second straight contraction reflecting weakness in exports. The Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), compiled by S&P Global dipped to 55.3 last month from January’s 55.4.

Correct Answer:  D. Mexico

Explanation:  A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Research, Technology, and Innovation Collaborations between India and Mexico has been inked. It focuses on several key technology areas, including Aerospace, Electronics Instrumentation & Strategic Sectors, Civil, Infrastructure & Engineering, Ecology, Environment Earth & Ocean Sciences, and Water, Mining, Minerals, Metals & Materials, Chemicals (including leather), and Petrochemicals, Energy (Conventional & Non-Conventional), and Energy Devices.

• The multi-sectoral agreement was signed at the India Science Centre in New Delhi by Union Minister for Science & Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh and Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrardin front of high-level delegations from both countries.
• Through this MoU, the Council for Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)and Mexican Agencies, according to  Jitendra Singh, can effectively contribute to the development of technology, the scaling up of each other’s intellectual property for commercialization, and the sharing and development of research infrastructure.
• He said that the MoU places a special emphasis on technology and industry partnership in addition to the regular capacity building, training, and participation in information diffusion initiatives.

Correct Answer:  B. United Nations

Explanation:  The United Nations (UN) inked the first ‘High Seas Treaty’ in a bid to protect the ocean bodies of the world that lie outside the national boundaries and form almost two-thirds of the world’s oceans. The treaty is an outcome of a decade of talks on this environmental concern. The previous negotiations failed to conclude due to disagreements on funding and fishing rights. The last international agreement on ocean protection was signed 40 years ago in 1982 – the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. The treaty will create a new body to manage the conservation of marine life and establish marine protected areas in the high seas. Also referred to as the ‘Paris Agreement for the Ocean’, the treaty to deal with Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ). The UN High Seas Treaty now brings 30 percent of the world’s oceans into the protected domain, puts more money into marine conservation and sets new rules for mining at sea.

• The High Seas Treaty now places 30 percent of the world’s international waters into protected areas (MPAs) by 2030.
• The treaty aims to protect against potential impacts like deep sea mining. This is the process of collecting minerals from the ocean bed.
• The treaty amongst other things will put a restriction on how much fishing can be done on the high seas.
• According to the International Seabed Authoritythat oversees licensing any future activity in the deep seabed will be subject to strict environmental regulations and oversight to ensure that they are carried out sustainably and responsibly

Correct Answer:  C. Mirabai Chanu

Explanation:  Tokyo Olympic Games silver-medallist weightlifter Mirabai Chanu has bagged the 2022 ’BBC Indian Sportswoman Of The Year’ award after a public vote. The 28-year-old weightlifter from Manipur became the first athlete to win the award twice in a row after bagging it in 2021 as well. BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year Award was launched in 2019 to celebrate sportswomen in India who have made their mark on the world stage. Table tennis player Bhavina Patel won the ’BBC Para Sportswoman of the Year’ award, a category introduced this year. She won a silver at the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo, becoming the first Indian paddler to achieve the feat. Bhavina also won gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

• Former captain of the Indian women’s hockey team Pritam Siwach was conferred with the ’BBC Lifetime Achievement Award’for her contribution to Indian sports and for inspiring generations of players. Siwach was the first woman hockey coach to be given the Dronacharya Award, the highest national award for coaches.
• Boxer Nitu Ghanghas was chosen as the ’BBC Emerging Player of the Year’.She is a two-time youth world champion and Commonwealth Games medallist. She won gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in the minimum weight category.
• The women’s lawn bowls team of Lovely Choubey, Rupa Rani Tirkey, Pinki and Nayanmoni Saikia,which won gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, India’s first-ever medal in the sport was given the ’BBC Changemaker of the Year Award’

Correct Answer:  C. 53rd

Explanation:  Mauganj was declared as 53rd district of Madhya Pradesh by Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh. Mauganj is a tehsil of the Rewa district. CM Chouhan declared that Mauganj would become the 53rd MP district during a function in Rewa. It will be built by combining four of the Rewa district’s tehsils. Mauganj, Hanumana, Nai Garhi, and Deotalab are the four tehsils. After the chief minister promised in 2013 that Mauganj would be established as a distinct district, residents of Mauganj have been calling for a separate district ever since.

Correct Answer:  D. Sajjan Singh Yadav

Explanation:  Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya released the book ‘India’s Vaccine Growth Story – From Cowpox to Vaccine Maitri’ authored by Shri Sajjan Singh Yadav, Additional Secretary, Govt of India at the World Book fair 2023, at Pragati Maidan. The book elaborates on India’s impressive achievement in developing, producing and distributing COVID-19 vaccines. The book entitled “India’s Vaccine Growth Story- From Cowpox to Vaccine Maitri presents World’s largest vaccination drive for COVID-19 conducted by India is elaborately. Tough and multifaceted challenges overcome in the process like vaccine hesitancy, eagerness, availability, transportation, equitable access, effective communication and expectation management, cold chain dynamics, vaccine centers logistics have been explained too. The author has also delved upon future challenges that may emerge for vaccinology and new vistas for the growth of Indian vaccine industry in a candid manner. It also digs deep into India’s impressive achievement in developing, producing and distributing COVID-19 vaccines.

Correct Answer:  B. March 6th to 12th

Explanation:  While digital payments have skyrocketed during the past few years, a significant portion of the population still does not use digital payments for day-to-day transactions. In order to bridge this gap, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Shaktikanta Das launched a mission — “Har Payment Digital” – with the aim of making every citizen in the country a user of digital payments as part of Digital Payments Awareness Week (DPAW) 2023. The theme of the awareness week is “Adopt digital payments and Teach others also”.

• The central bank will launch “Har Payment Digital” (HPD) missionthat would run till the period of Vision 2025, with an intention to convert the non-users into users of digital payments. Vision 2025 has its theme as “E-Payments for Everyone, Everywhere and Everytime”.
• RBI in collaboration with the banks and other stakeholders of the payment systems will carry out a multimodal campaign covering print, television, radio and social media during the week around the theme — “Adopt digital payments and Teach others also”.
• Through the campaign, the users of digital payments will be encouraged to teach non-users about the ease, safety and convenience of digital payments to fulfil the mission of every citizen a digital payments user, the central bank said.

Correct Answer:  C. S.S. Dubey

Explanation:  S.S. Dubey took charge as the new Controller General of Accounts (CGA). He is the 28th officer to hold the position of CGA. Prior to that, Dubey has served as Chief Controller of Accounts in Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion etc. and as Controller/Deputy Controller of Accounts in Ministry of Environment & Forest, Ministry of External Affairs, Department of Revenue, Department of Supply etc. and was in-charge of budgeting, accounting, payment, internal audit etc. He also served as Financial Advisor & Chief Accounts Officer in Bank Note Press, Dewas. Dubey, a 1989-batch Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS) officer, is appointed by the Government of India as the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) with effect from 6th March, 2023. Prior to taking charge as the CGA, Shri Dubey was Additional Controller of Accounts, Public Financial Management System (PFMS).

Controller General of Accounts (CGA) is ‘the Principal Advisor’ on Accounting matters to the Union Government. CGA is responsible for establishing and managing a technically sound Management Accounting System and preparation & submission of the accounts of the Union government. CGA is also responsible for exchequer control and conduct of internal audits for the central government.

Correct Answer:  A. Kerala

Explanation:  Attukal Pongala festival being celebrated in Thiruvananthapuram. In Kerala, the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram celebrated one of the largest gathering of women in the world on 7 March 2023, for the “Attukal Pongala”. The ritual had made it to the Guinness Book of World Records in 2009 for being the largest religious gathering of women on a single day when 2.5 million took part in it. Attukal temple is also called the “women’s Sabarimala”.

Correct Answer:  D. 8th March

Explanation:  Every year on March 8, the world celebrates International Women’s Day as a focal point for the campaign for women’s rights. International Women’s Day 2023 raises awareness of topics including gender equality, access to abortion, and violence and abuse against women. International Women’s Day serves as a rallying point for advancing women’s equality. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality. International Women’s Day 2023 is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women, who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities.

International Women’s Day 2023: With the theme “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality,” the United Nations Observance of International Women’s Day 2023 honours and celebrates the women and girls who are leading the way in the development of transformational technology and digital education. In addition to highlighting the significance of safeguarding the rights of women and girls in digital environments and tackling online and ICT-facilitated gender-based violence, the observance will investigate how the growing economic and social inequities caused by the digital gender gap.

Correct Answer:  C. Paytm

Explanation:  Digital financial services firm One97 Communications that owns Paytm brand announced it has signed an agreement with the Andhra Pradesh government to drive initiatives in financial inclusion, public health, cyber security on the sidelines of the Andhra Pradesh Global Investors Summit 2023. Under the pact, Paytm plans to empower merchants, street vendors and street hawkers in Andhra Pradesh to accept digital payments and provide them access to loans through its lending partners.