Daily GK and Current Affairs Quiz – 8th April 2023

Correct Answer:  C. Aleksander Ceferin

Explanation:  Aleksandar Ceferin was re-elected as the President of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). It was re-elected during UEFA’s Ordinary Congress held in Lisbon, Portugal, and Ceferin was elected unopposed, meaning that there were no other candidates for the position. He was first time elected as the seventh president of UEFA in 2016, succeeding Michel Platini. Ceferin’s new term will last for another four years (2027).

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) is responsible for governing association football, futsal and beach soccer in Europe. UEFA is one of the six continental governing bodies in the world of football. Apart from European countries, UEFA also regulates football in transcontinental countries such as Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Kazakhstan. Some Asian countries such as Israel, Cyprus and Armenia also come under the rule of UEFA.

Correct Answer:  C. 1.7%

Explanation:  According to the Global Trade Outlook and Statistics report, released by the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the global merchandise trade volume is expected to grow by 1.7% in 2023 as compared to an earlier estimate of 1% in October 2022. But it would be lower than 2.7% growth in 2022. The expectation would be ‘subpar’, due to multiple factors, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict, high inflation, tighter monetary policy, and financial uncertainty. The trade growth is below the 12-year average of 2.6% since the trade collapse that followed the global financial crisis in 2008.

Correct Answer:  C. Telangana

Explanation:  The Telangana state government’s initiative to prevent controllable blindness, called Kanti Velugu programme, has achieved a milestone by screening one crore people for eye problems. The second phase of the programme started on 19th January and will continue till 15th June. Health staff are screening all individuals over 18 years old at Kanti Velugu camps set up in all Gram Panchayats in the State. A total of 1,500 teams are working towards creating a Guinness World Record. At a programme held in Sadashivpet to celebrate the milestone, State Health Minister Harish Rao commended the government staff for their efforts and congratulated them on reaching one crore screenings in just 50 working days.

Correct Answer:  E. All of the above

Explanation:  The Andaman & Nicobar command, which is India’s sole tri-services unit, held a collaborative military drill named Exercise ‘KAVACH.’ The soldiers performed multiple exercises such as amphibious landing, air landing operations, heliborne operations, and swift insertion of special forces commandos. The weaponry and equipment of the Indian Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard were utilized by the soldiers participating in ‘EX-KAVACH.’ The primary objective of this joint service exercise was to enhance the coordination and joint warfighting capabilities of the various services.

• The tri-service exercise ‘EX-KAVACH’ involved the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard, aiming to enhance India’s joint warfighting capabilities against potential combat challenges.
• The exercise included various operations, such as amphibious assault, maritime air strikes, and manoeuvres at sea, with the deployment of naval warships and different aircraft.
• The exercise also focused on joint activities for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.
• The exercise aimed to validate India’s ability to safeguard its island territories and perform joint operations with synergy during real war scenarios.
• The exercise is crucial for India, considering the current global situation and the country’s neighbors on the northern and western borders.

Correct Answer:  D. New Zealand

Explanation:   During the second T20I match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Dunedin, Kim Cotton became the first woman to serve as an on-field umpire in a men’s international match between two full-member teams, making history. Cotton has previously worked as an on-field and TV umpire in 54 women’s T20Is and 24 women’s ODIs, as well as officiating at the women’s T20 and ODI World Cups from 2018 to 2023. Kim Cotton made history on April 5th as the first woman to officiate as an on-field umpire in a men’s international match between two full-member teams during the second T20I between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Dunedin. Prior to this, she had served as an on-field and TV umpire in 54 women’s T20Is and 24 women’s ODIs, and had also officiated at the women’s T20 and ODI World Cups from 2018 to 2023.

Earlier, Claire Polosak became the first woman to officiate in a men’s Test match as the fourth umpire during the third Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia in Sydney in January 2021. Moreover, in the Ranji Trophy tournament held earlier this year, female umpires Vrinda Rathi, N. Janani, and V. Gayathri made history by becoming the first women to perform on-field umpiring duties in the tournament’s history.

Correct Answer:  C. Tripura

Explanation:  Tripura’s recent award as the best-performing state in the North Eastern region for e-Procurement is a significant achievement for the state. The award was presented at a National Workshop on e-Procurement organized by the Union Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Electronic and Information Technology in March 2023, held at the India Habitat Center in New Delhi. The award is a recognition of the state’s continuous efforts to promote e-Procurement, which has led to a significant transformation in the way procurement activities are conducted. E-Procurement has brought greater efficiency, transparency, and cost-effectiveness in the procurement process.

Correct Answer:  B. Pricing of natural gas

Explanation:  The government implemented changes to the pricing model of domestic natural gas in accordance with the Kirit Parikh committee’s recommendations on gas pricing. The new pricing system will announce prices monthly and link them to 10% of the international price of the Indian crude basket. As a result, prices for piped natural gas (PNG) and compressed natural gas (CNG) used by households, auto fuel, and various industries are expected to decrease by 10%. The government has accepted all the significant recommendations of the Parikh panel and has established a floor price of $4 per MMBtu for the next two years to cover the cost of gas production by state-run companies ONGC and Oil India Ltd. Additionally, a ceiling price of $6.5 per MMBtu has been set. The Union Cabinet approved significant changes in the pricing regime for domestic natural gas under the ambit of the Administered price mechanism (APM).

• Under the APM, the Indian government sets the price of natural gas produced by oil and gas companies.
• The price of APM gas, which accounts for about two-thirds of India’s natural gas production, has been determined as per the ‘modified’ Rangarajan formula since November 1, 2014.
• These changes will mainly apply to gas produced by legacy fields, or nomination fields,of national oil companies Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Ltd and Oil India Ltd (OIL).
• Nomination fields are acreages that the government awarded to ONGC and OIL before 1999, after which auctions became the basis of awarding oil and gas blocks.

Correct Answer:  B. Israel

Explanation:  Israel successfully launched a new spy satellite, named Ofek-13, into orbit. The satellite, Ofek-13, launched from the Palmachim Airbase in central Israel, is intended to provide advanced intelligence capabilities to the Israeli military and intelligence agencies. The Ofek-13 satellite is the latest addition to Israel’s Ofek series of spy satellites, which have been in operation since 1988. The satellite is said to have advanced capabilities, including high-resolution imaging and the ability to transmit real-time intelligence to ground stations.

The launch of the Ofek-13 satellite comes at a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East, with Israel facing security threats from various sources, including Iran and its proxies in the region. The satellite is expected to provide the Israeli military with vital intelligence on potential threats to its security. In addition to its military applications, the Ofek-13 satellite is also expected to be used for civilian purposes, including monitoring natural resources, such as water and agricultural land, and supporting disaster relief efforts.

Correct Answer:  C. Shah Rukh Khan

Explanation: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who is basking in the glory of the success of the blockbuster ‘Pathaan’, has proved he is the ultimate king. The actor won the 2023 TIME100 Reader Poll, beating the likes of royal-couple Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Argentinian player Lionel Messi, and Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg. It is the readers of the magazine who voted for the world-renowned personalities they believe deserve a spot on TIME’s annual list of the most influential people. Securing the lead position in Time Magazine’s poll for its annual TIME100 list, SRK bagged over 1.2 million votes. The American publication said that the actor bagged 4 per cent of votes in the poll.

• For the second spot, the readers picked the Iranian women protesting for more freedom in the country’s Islamic regime. They garnered 3 per cent of the vote.
• The protestors were named TIME’s 2022 Heroes of the Year and had won last year’s Person of the Year reader poll too.
• The healthcare workers of the US made it to the third place with 2% of the votes as they were at the forefront of the global pandemic since 2020. 2020, health care workers overwhelmingly reported feeling stress, anxiety, burnout and exhaustion,” The TIME report said.
• With 1.9 per cent vote share, Harry and his wife Meghan came third and fourth on the poll. The 38-year-old royal made headlines in January after his memoir ‘Spare’ hit the stands. The Duke of Sussex shared shocking details about Britain’s royal family.
• Soccer star Messi, who helped Argentina win the World Cup in Qatar against France last year, earned his place at the fifth spot. He got 1.8 per cent of the votes. Other stars and noteworthy figures who featured on the poll included Oscar-winning actress Michelle Yeoh, former tennis player Serena Williams, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Zuckerberg.

Correct Answer:  C. Subramaniam

Explanation:  British-Hindu Murugesvaran ‘Subby’ Subramaniam has been appointed as Warrant Officer of the UK’s Royal Air Force, the aerial warfare and space force announced. The role involves advising the Chief of the Air Staff on matters related to RAF personnel. Subramaniam takes over from Warrant Officer Jake Alpert. Subramaniam is an Air and Space Operations Manager, whose service in the last 15 years has predominantly been in the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS), Missile Warning (MW), Space Domain Awareness (SDA), and Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) field. He has served in the Royal Engineers with 106 Field Squadron/12 Force (Air) Support Group, 36 Engineering Regiment prior to joining the Royal Air Force in 1998. In 2007 Subramaniam spent the next three years at Air Command Bunker dealing with pan-government resilience operations, and he also gained Missile Warning Operator and Data Links Network Manager qualifications. In 2021, he was appointed as the inaugural Command Warrant Officer to the United Kingdom Space Command.

Correct Answer:  C. Jharkahnd

Explanation:  Jharkhand minister Jagarnath Mahto has passed away. Mr Mahto, the minister for school education and literacy, was airlifted to Chennai last month due to health complications. He had undergone a lung transplant in November 2020 after suffering from COVID-19. Mr Mahto, the four-time JMM MLA from Dumri in Giridih district, was taken to Chennai in October 2020, where he had undergone the transplant as his lungs were damaged due to the COVID-19 infection.

Jagarnath Mahto, also known as Tiger Mahto or Tiger Jagarnath Da, was a cabinet minister and politician from Jharkhand, India. He served as a legislator for the Dumri Vidhan Sabha district under the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha party. Mahto was born on January 1, 1967, in the Alargo village of Bokaro District in Jharkhand. He dropped out of high school and attended Nehru High School in 1995 before leaving his studies to pursue a career in politics. Mahto had represented the Dumri Assembly seat since 2000, which has been a stronghold of the JMM party. In the 2014 Assembly elections, he won the seat with 77,984 votes, defeating his closest opponent from the BJP party.

Correct Answer:  C. Rs 23.2 lakh crore

Explanation:  Since the launch of the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) eight years ago, more than 40.82 crore loans worth Rs 23.2 lakh crore have been sanctioned so far. According to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, since the launch of the scheme on April 8, 2015, till March 24, 2023, about Rs 23.2 lakh crore has been sanctioned in 40.82 crore loan accounts. About 68 per cent accounts under the scheme are for women entrepreneurs and 51 per cent accounts are for SC, ST and OBC categories of entrepreneurs. This shows that easy availability of credit to budding entrepreneurs of the country has encouraged innovation and sustained growth in per capita income. He said that Mudra Yojana has helped in generating massive employment opportunities at the grassroots level and proved to be a game changer along with boosting the Indian economy.

• Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) was launched on 8 April 2015.
• Under the scheme, the people of the country are given loans up to a maximum of 10 lakhs to start their own small business.
• Any person who wants to further his business can take a loan under this scheme.
• Mudra card is issued to the people for taking loans under this scheme.
• Loans are provided through banks, non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), micro financial institutions (MFIs) and other financial intermediaries.
• More than 64 per cent of the loan accounts opened under the scheme are of women.

Three types of loans under Mudra Yojana

• Shishu– Loan up to Rs.50,000.
• Kishor – Loan above Rs.50,000 and less than Rs.5 lakh.
• Tarun – Rs. 5 lakhs and above Rs. Loan up to 10 lakhs.

Correct Answer:  D. Volodymyr Zelensky             

Explanation:  Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky was awarded the Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest award. The award was given to him for his exceptional services to protect security, resilience and human rights. The Order of the White Eagle is a prestigious and highly regarded decoration of the Republic of Poland, awarded for outstanding civil and military contributions to the country. It is considered the oldest and highest decoration in Poland, whose history dates back to the 14th century. In recent years, the award has been awarded to individuals who have made a significant contribution to Polish–Ukrainian relations and to the promotion of democracy and human rights in the region. It is located in Eastern Europe, bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, and is the second largest country in Europe, covering approximately 600,000 square kilometres. Ukrainian culture has influences from Slavic, Byzantine and European traditions.

Correct Answer:  B. Razorpay

Explanation:  Razorpay (Razorpay Software Private Limited) has partnered with UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India) to process payments for online Aadhaar services. This partnership will enable citizens accessing online Aadhaar services to enjoy a seamless secure payment experience. The UIDAI allows Aadhaar holders to update their Aadhaar data such as names and addresses online and charges a fee of Rs.50 for these services. The UIDAI website currently handles over 80,000 such transactions per day and there was a need for a robust payment solution to ensure high success rates while handling such a large volume of transactions. Razorpay will eventually support over 70% of the total daily transactions on the UIDAI portal.