DAILY GK 1-2 APRIL

 DAILY GK 1-2 APRIL

1.         WHO LAUNCHES COVINET TO MONITOR EMERGING CORONAVIRUSES

·           The World Health Organisation (WHO) has launched the Coronavirus Network (CoViNet), a global network which will ensure timely detection, monitoring, and assessment of coronaviruses of public health importance.
The CoViNet aims to facilitate early and accurate detection of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV)  and novel coronaviruses of public health importance.
CoViNet includes 36 laboratories from 21 countries across all 6 WHO regions.

·           This includes 3 Indian laboratories.Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI), Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

·           Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Virology (ICMR-NIV), Pune, Maharashtra.

·           Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), Faridabad, Haryana.

·           WHO Director-General – Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

·           Headquarters – Geneva, Switzerland

·           Establishment – 7 April 1948

 

2.         RBI: RESERVE ASSETS SURGE BY USD34.8 BILLION

·           India’s International Investment Position (IIP) as of December 2023 showed a decline in net claims of Non-Residents on India by USD12.2 billion during the period from October to December 2023 to USD370.4 billion as the end of December 2023.

·           Main reason for the decline is the increase in reserve assets, surging by USD34.8 billion during Q3 FY24

·           As per the RBI data, decline in net claims was due to an exponential increase in financial assets of overseas Indian residents which amounts to USD40.7 billion as compared to the increase in foreign-owned assets in India which is USD28.5 billion.

·           The increase in reserve assets which accounted for over 85% of increase in foreign assets held by India residents.

·           Reserve assets accounted for 63.9% of India’s international financial assets.

·           The share of debt liabilities in total external liabilities has remained same, maintaining its position at 50.4%.

·           As per RBI data, ratio of India’s international financial assets to international financial liabilities increased from 70.9%, a quarter ago to 72.4% in December 2023.

 

3.         BADMINTON- ORLEN POLISH OPEN 2024

·           India’s Anupama Upadhyaya defeats Tanya Hemanth (India) to win the women’s singles title of the Orlen Polish Open 2024, held in Wilanow Sports Centre, Warsaw, Poland.

·           The Indian pair M.R. Arjun and DhruvKapila won the men’s doubles title by defeating Denmark’s William KrygerBoe and Christian Faust Kjær in the finals.

·           Denmark’s Victor Ording Kauffmann won the men’s singles title by defeating JiaHeng Jason Teh (Singapore) in the finals.

 

4.         YOUTH BOXING WORLD CUP 2024

·           The Indian boxing contingent won 26 medals (5 gold, 9 silver, and 12 bronze) in the Youth World Boxing Cup 2024 (33rd Adriatic Pearl tournament) held  in Budva, Montenegro

·           Russia topped the medal tally with eight gold medals.

·           India finished second while Poland was in the third position with three gold medals.

·           Chanchal Chaudhary won a gold medal in the Women’s Youth Light Fly (50kg) category by defeating Valeria Amparan of Mexico.

·           Nikita Chand clinched a gold medal in the Women’s Youth Light (60kg) category by defeating ArailymAlimbergen of Kazakhstan.

·           Parthavi Grewal won the gold medal in the Women’s Youth Welter (66kg) category.

·           Phalaswal Akansha clinched gold medals for India in the Women’s Youth Light Middle (70kg) category.

·           BrajeshTamta won a gold medal for India in the 48kg youth men’s category.

·           Best male boxer of the tournament: Torekhan Sabyrkhan (Kazakhstan)

·           Best female boxer of the tournament: Nikita Chand (India)

 

5.         GI TAGS AWARDED TO 19 GOODS FROM ASSAM

·           The Government of India’s (GoI) Geographical Indication Registry granted Geographical Indication (GI) tags to 19 traditional crafts of Assam, 2 from Tripura, and 4 from Meghalaya.

·           Apart from the Six GI tags, thirteen Assamese products were associated with the Bodo people, the state’s largest indigenous population, have also been granted GI tags.

·           Tripura’s Rignai Pachra textile, Tripureswari temple’s ‘Pera’ get GI tag.

·           Geographical Indications Registry has been established in Chennai to administer the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registrationand Protection) Act, 1999 under the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs & Trade Marks (CGPDTM).

·           Headquarters– Chennai, Tamil Nadu (TN)

 

6.         NHAI’S ONE VEHICLE, ONE FASTAG‘ RULES COME INTO FORCE ON 1 APRIL 2024

·           The National Highways Authority of India’s (NHAI)‘One Vehicle, One FASTag‘ norm to discourage the practice of using a single FASTag for multiple vehicles or linking multiple FASTags to one vehicle has come into force from 1 April 2024.

·           NHAI has introduced One Vehicle, One FASTag to streamline the electronic toll-collection process, enhance the efficiency of the electronic toll-collection system, and alleviate congestion at toll plazas.

·           FASTag, an electronic toll collection system operated by NHAI, utilises Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology.

 

7.         NEW SATELLITE-BASED TOLL COLLECTION SYSTEM

·           Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) announced a new satellite-based toll collection system will be introduced to replace the existing toll collection system in India.

·           The satellite-based toll collection will utilise the Global Positioning System (GPS) and cameras to deduct money directly from bank accounts based on road usage (distance covered).

·           The new system will help reduce toll tax and through this, the time, money, and fuel usage of the travelers can also be saved.

 

8.         RBI TO SET UP DIGITAL INDIA TRUST AGENCY

·           The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will establish a Digital India Trust Agency (DIGITA) to combat the proliferation of illegal lending apps.

·           Apps lacking the ‘verified’ mark from DIGITA would be deemed unauthorized for law enforcement purposes.

·           The agency aims to vet digital lending apps for compliance and maintain a public register of verified apps.

·           The RBI has provided a list of 442 digital lending apps to Google for whitelisting, over 2,200 apps were removed from the PlayStore.

 

9.         HOCKEY INDIA 6TH ANNUAL AWARDS

·           Indian Field Hockey Player & Vice- captain of the Indian Hockey men’s team, Hardik Singh was honored with the Hockey India Balbir Singh Sr. Award for Player of the Year 2023 (Men) at the Hockey India 6th Annual Awards 2023 event held in New Delhi

·           Indian field hockey player Salima Tete was honoured with Hockey India Balbir Singh  Sr. Award for the Player of the year 2023 ( women).

·           Ashok Kumar won the prestigious Hockey India Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award, with a cash prize of Rs 30 Lakh and a trophy.

·           Hockey India Baljit Singh Award for Goalkeeper of the Year- PR Sreejesh

 

10.      MIAMI OPEN TENNIS 2024

·           Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner won the Men’s Singles title at the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Miami Open 2024 by defeating  Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria in the finals held at the Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida, USA.

·           He became the first Italian to win the Miami Open.

·           Daniel Collins of the USA won the Miami Open 2024 Women’s singles title by defeating Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan.

·           India’s Rohan Bopanna and Australia’s Matthew Ebden won the men’s doubles title defeating Croatia’s Ivan Dodig and USA’s Austin Krajicek.

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DAIL GK 31 MAR

 DAIL GK 31 MAR

1.         SEBI LAUNCHED BETA VERSION OF T+0 TRADE SETTLEMENT

·           Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) launched the beta version of T+0 rolling settlement cycle (same-day transaction settlement) on an optional basis in addition to the existing T+1 settlement cycle in equity cash market.

·           The provisions of T+0 came into effect from March 28, 2024.

·           This allows same-day settlement of stock trades, instead of one-day settlement period (T+1) i.e. waiting for a day for the trade to settle and funds/stocks to be delivered.

·           The National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) has approved a reduction of overall transaction charges across cash equity and equity derivatives segments by 1% starting April 1, 2024.

·           This decision is estimated to impact NSE’s revenue by approximately Rs 130 crore per annum.

·           SEBI Chairperson– Madhabi Puri Buch

·           Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra

·           Establishment- 1992

 

2.         RBI DATA: CREDIT CARDS SURPASSED THE 100 MILLION MARK IN INDIA

·           As per the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) latest data, the total number of credit cards issued by banks in India breached the 100 million mark in February 2024.

·           Data revealed that till February 2024, the total number of credit cards in circulation was 100.6 million. 

·           HDFC Bank, the largest private bank in India, leads in the number of credit card issuances with 20.40 million credit cards in circulation, followed by SBI (State Bank of India) with 18.75 million credit cards, ICICI Bank with 16.84 million, and Axis Bank with 13.90 million cards.

·           Overall credit card spending among Indians has slightly decreased from Rs 1.66 trillion (in January 2024) to Rs 1.49 trillion ( in February 2024). 

·           E-commerce payments decreased from Rs 1.08 trillion to Rs 0.95 trillion.

·           The PoS transactions decreased from Rs 58,531.77 crore in January 2024 to Rs 54,431.48 crore in February 2024.

 

3.         RUSSIA& UAETOP IMPORTERS OF INDIAN ENGINEERING GOODS

·           According to Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC) of India India’s engineering goods exports surged during April-February 2023-24. 

·           Russia, The United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Saudi Arabia are among the top importers of  Indian Engineering Goods .

·           The engineering segment experienced a modest growth  of 1.23%, amounting to USD 98.03 billion.

·           However, overall goods exports in April-February 2023-24 contracted 3.45% (Y-o-Y) to USD 394.99 billion.

·           EEPC India is sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India.

·           Exports to Russia saw 99% increase to USD 1.22 billion.

 

4.         INDIA’S FIRST ASI PERFORMANCE STANDARD CERTIFICATION

·           The Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO), a unit of Vedanta Aluminium, has emerged as the first company in India to obtain the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI)Performance Standard V3 Certification for the production and distribution of a broad range of primary aluminum products at its Korba facility, Chhattisgarh.

 

5.         NATIONAL PRESIDENT OF FICCI LADIES ORGANISATION

·           Joyshree Das Verma took over as the 41st National President of the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) Ladies Organisation (FLO) for the year 2024-2025.

·           The theme for her tenure 2024-25, is “Collective Vision, Collaborative Action.”
FLO, the women wing of FICCI, is the oldest women-led and women-centric business chamber in Southeast Asia.

 

6.         PRESIDENT OF SENEGAL

·           Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye was elected president of Senegal after winning the election that was held on March 24, 2024.

·           Faye became the 5th president of Senegal with 54.28% of the votes in the presidential election, while former Prime Minister Amadou Ba came in second with 35.79%.

·           He also became Senegal’s and Africa’s youngest elected president at the age of 44.

·           He was the first opposition candidate to win the presidential election since Senegal’s independence from France in 1960.

·           Senegal Capital – Dakar

·           Currency – West African CFA franc (XOF)

 

7.         INTERNATIONAL DAY OF ZERO WASTE 2024 – MARCH 30 

·           The United Nations(UN)’s International Day of Zero Waste is annually observed across the globe on 30th March to highlight the importance of bolstering waste management and promoting sustainable consumption and production patterns.

·           UNEP is the primary environmental authority in the UN System.

·           Headquarters– Nairobi, Kenya

·           Member States– 193 Member States

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DAILY GK QUIZ 28-31 MAR

 DAILY GK QUIZ 28-31 MAR

[Q] The Supreme Court (SC) appointed a seven-member expert committee for the preservation of the Critically Endangered _____________(bird/Mammals).

(a) White-rumped vulture

(b) Kashmir stag

(c) Javan Rhinoceros

(d) Great Indian Bustard

[ANS] d

 

[Q] Name the portal that has recently launched by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to facilitate easier voting for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs).

(a) Saksham

(b) Nirmaya

(c) Samarth

(d) Sahyogi

[ANS] a

 

[Q] When was the Earth Hour 2024 observed across the globe?

(a) 22nd March 2024

(b) 24th March 2024

(c) 23rd March 2024

(d) 20th March 2024

[ANS] c

 

[Q] Who released the ‘India Employment Report 2024’ highlighting the grim job scenario in India?

(a) International Monetary Fund (IMF)

(b) International Labour Organization (ILO)

(c) World Bank

(d) United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

[ANS] b

 

[Q] Who unveiled the ‘India Employment Report 2024’?

(a) Prime Minister of India

(b) President of India

(c) Chief Economic Adviser of India

(d) Minister of Labour and Employment

[ANS] c

 

[Q] Where is Gopalpur Port located?

(a) Gujarat

(b) Maharashtra

(c) Odisha

(d) Tamil Nadu

[ANS] c

 

[Q] Under which code is the Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP) governed in India?

(a) Companies Act, 1956

(b) Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (IBC)

(c) Income Tax Act, 1961

(d) Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992

[ANS] b

 

[Q] Which regulatory body in India designates insurers as Domestic Systemically Important Insurers (D-SIIs) for a given year?

(a) Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)

(b) Reserve Bank of India (RBI)

(c) Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI)

(d) Ministry of Finance

[ANS] c

 

[Q] How much does the government plan to raise through the issuance of sovereign green bonds (SGBs) as part of its market borrowing in FY25?

(a) Rs 5,000 crore

(b) Rs 8,000 crore

(c) Rs 10,000 crore

(d) Rs 12,000 crore

[ANS] d

 

[Q] Mushk Budiji, recently seen in the news, is an indigenous variety of which crop?

(a) Rice

(b) Wheat

(c) Maize

(d) Jowar

[ANS] a

 

[Q] Afanasy Nikitin Seamount, recently seen in news, lies in which ocean?

(a) Pacific Ocean

(b) Indian Ocean

(c) Atlantic Ocean

(d) Arctic Ocean

[ANS] b

 

[Q] Recently, which country hosted the G20 second Employment Working Group (EWG) meeting?

(a) Brazil

(b) China

(c) South Africa

(d) India

[ANS] a

 

[Q] Recently, where was the first Nuclear Energy Summit held?

(a) New Delhi

(b) Brussels

(c) Moscow

(d) Beijing

[ANS] b

 

DAILY GK QUIZ:30-31 MAR

 

[Q] According to the “India TB Report 2024” released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) in March 2024, India’s incidence of Tuberculosis cases declined to _________ and 18% reduction in mortality, since 2015.

(a) 16%

(b) 13%

(c) 19%

(d) 14%

[ANS] a

 

[Q] Name the association/company that has recently signed a MoU with Educational Testing Service (ETS) India to enhance the global employability of the Indian workforce.

(a) Quality Council of India

(b) Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry

(c) Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry

(d) Confederation of Indian Industry

[ANS] d

 

[Q] How many sites were added to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Global Geoparks network?

(a) 15

(b) 14

(c) 22

(d) 18

[ANS] d

 

[Q] Name the Hockey Personalities who have been recently appointed as co-chairs of the International Hockey Federation’s (FIH) new Athletes Committee.

(a) Virendra Singh &Brahmanand Shankwalkar

(b) Camila Caram& Virendra Singh

(c) Atanu Bhattacharya &Brahmanand Shankwalkar

(d) ParattuRaveendran (PR) Sreejesh & Camila Caram

[ANS] d

 

[Q] Which company has recently test-fired the Stage-2 of the Vikram-1 space launch vehicle, ‘Kalam-250’?

(a) Antrix Corporation Limited

(b) Agnikul Cosmos Private Limited

(c) Bellatrix Aerospace Private Limited

(d) Skyroot Aerospace Private Limited

[ANS] d

 

[Q] Who recently took oath as judicial member of Lokpal?

(a) A.M. Khanvilkar

(b) Alok Sinha

(c) Ritu Raj Awasthi

(d) Ravi Shankar Prasad

[ANS] c

 

[Q] Who has been appointed by Microsoft as the new head of both Windows and Surface?

(a) PawanDavuluri

(b) T Rajkumaran

(c) Aditya Ganguly

(d) Shivkumar Sinha

[ANS] a

 

[Q] Which Indian has been appointed by the UN Secretary General as his Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction?

(a) Manmohan Jha

(b) Syed Akbaruddin

(c) Kamal Kishore

(d) Ramaswamy Iyer

[ANS] c

 

[Q] Who is the first umpire from Bangladesh to be included in the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires?

(a) Habibul Bashar

(b) Sharafuddaulah Ibne Shahid

(c) Nitin Menon

(d) Moin Khan

[ANS] b

 

[Q] In which country is the Popocatepetl volcano, which was in discussion recently, located?

(a) Japan

(b) Mexico

(c) Italy

(d) Kenya

[ANS] b

 

[Q] In which country is the Baltimore Bridge, which was in the news recently?

(a) France

(b) China

(c) Brazil

(d) USA

[ANS] d

 

[Q] Recently, where was the world’s first Om-shaped temple inaugurated?

(a) Rajasthan

(b) Gujarat

(c) Uttarakhand

(d) Uttar Pradesh

[ANS] a

 

[Q] Tantalum, a rare metal, was recently discovered in which river?

(a) Gomti

(b) Sutlej

(c) Kaveri

(d) Godavari

[ANS] b

 

[Q] What are ‘Cicadas’, recently seen in the news?

(a) Sound producing insects

(b) Ancient irrigation technique

(c) Newly discovered species of spider

(d) Invasive plant

[ANS] a

 

[Q] Recently, which organization has launched a new network for coronaviruses, CoViNet?

(a) World Bank

(b) WHO

(c) WTO

(d) UNICEF

[ANS] b

 

[Q] Recently, which space company has successfully test-fired the ‘Kalam-250’ at the propulsion testbed of the ISRO?

(a) Bellatrix Aerospace

(b) AgniKul Cosmos

(c) Skyroot Aerospace

(d) Kawa Space

[ANS] c

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