Correct Answer :   19th August

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World Humanitarian Day (WHD) is observed on the 19th August.

* Aim : To bring partners from across the humanitarian system together and work collectively for survival, well-being and dignity of people affected by crises.

* World Humanitarian Day 2023 theme is : NoMatterWhat.

* It is the day when 22 colleagues were killed at the United Nations Office in Baghdad,

* It is an opportunity to pay tribute to colleagues who have lost their lives in humanitarian service.

* Today, 20 years on, our work has grown in scale and complexity. We aim to help almost 250 million people – 10 times more people than in 2003..

Source : World Humanitarian Day

Correct Answer :   SAMUDRA

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Recently, the Indian National Center for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has launched a new mobile application called Samudra (SAMUDRA) for the boaters and fishing community.

It is a state-of-the-art app that helps users navigate the marine area for their safety and fishing operations. The Indian National Center for Ocean Information Services was established in 1999 as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).


About SAMUDRA App :

* Smart Access to Marine Users for Ocean Data Resources and Advisories (SAMUDRA) application offers comprehensive information on all ocean related services.

* It is a cutting-edge tool helping users to navigate the marine domain with confidence on their safety, and profitable fishing operations.

* It embodies the institute vision and mission in serving the nation with ocean data, information, and advisory services.

* It will catalyse sustainable ocean activities, thus enabling a way forward for the Blue Economy,

* It empowers users with real-time updates and critical alerts on oceanic disasters such as tsunamis, storm surges, high waves, and swell surge alerts, for the individuals and communities to stay informed and take necessary precautions towards the protection of lives and property.

* It will be especially beneficial to the fishing community as it disseminates Potential Fishing Zone (PFZ) advisories which will guide them to the probable fish aggregation locations.

* It is currently serving in English, soon eight coastal languages are proposed to be included soon.


What is INCOIS?

* It was established as an autonomous body in 1999 under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).

* Mandate : To provide the best possible ocean information and advisory services to society, industry, government agencies and the scientific community through sustained ocean observations and constant improvements through systematic and focused research.

Correct Answer :   Bengaluru

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India's first 3D-printed post office is coming up at Cambridge Layout in Bengaluru. 3D printing is a process of making three-dimensional solid objects from a digital file.

* The Post Office building is being constructed by L&T, which is the only company currently in India utilising 3D printing technology for construction.

* In this process an object is created by laying down successive layers of material until the object is created. Each of these layers can be seen as a thinly sliced cross-section of the object.

* 3D printing enables you to produce complex shapesusing less material than traditional manufacturing methods.

* According to Chief Post Master General of the Karnataka Circle, S Rajendra Kumar, 3D printing can significantly reduce the cost and expedite construction which would otherwise take months to complete.

3D printing of the new post office which will be a three-storied building has been given clearances by the Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and IIT-Madras.

India's first 3D-printed building :

* In December 2020, L&T had successfully 3D-printed a 700 sq feet building (ground plus first floor) with reinforcement, for the first time in India.

* Using a fully automated 3D printer, L&T 3D printed the building at their facility in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu with a special, in-house developed concrete mix, using indigenously available regular construction materials.

* The building was printed with both vertical reinforcement bar and horizontal distributors using a welded mesh that satisfies provisions in the Indian Codes and optimises the cost of construction.

* The company said that except for the horizontal slab members, the entire building structure was 3D printed 'Cast in Situ' at the job site in an 'open to sky' environment within 106 printing hours.

* In November 2019, the L&T team had 3D-printed a 240 sq feet 1 BHK..

Source : India Times

Correct Answer :   Kushvinder Vohra

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A FloodWatch mobile app has been launched on Thursday (17th August 2023) for real time flood forecast situations across the country.

App Aim : To disseminate information related to the flood situation and forecasts up to seven days on a real-time basis.

The Chairman of Central Water Commission "Kushvinder Vohra" launched the app in New Delhi on Thursday (17th August 2023).
 

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Vohra said, the app utilizes advanced technologies such as satellite data analysis and real-time monitoring to deliver accurate and timely flood forecasts.

He said, the user-friendly app will make it easy for anyone to stay informed and minimise risk during flood events. Mr. Vohra said this FloodWatch mobile app will be beneficial for tourists visiting hill stations..

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Prabal

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India's first long-range revolver 'Prabal' will be launched 18 August 2023. Manufactured by the state-owned enterprise Advanced Weapons and Equipment India (AWEIL), the Prabal revolver boasts a firing range of up to 50 metres, more than twice the reach of other revolvers.

* AWEIL director AK Maurya said the Prabla revolver is light in weight and equipped with a side swing cylinder. It is akin to a Webley Scott revolver, with an easy trigger pull.

* It weighs 700 grams (without cartridges) in weight and its barrel length is 76 m, while its overall length is 177.6 mm.

* According to the AWEIL director, one can do the booking of the revolver from 18th August 2023. It could be purchased by civilians with license.

* AWEIL is a state-woned firm in Kanpur's Armapur. It has eight factories of the erstwhile Ordinance Factory Board (OFB) and primarily manufactures small arms and artillery guns for Indian armed forces, as well as, foreign militaries.

* Established in 2021, AWEIL is a part of the restructuring and corporatisation of the OFB into seven different PSUs.

* The firm has received an order to manufacture defence products worth ₹6,000 crore this year (2023), including an order for 300 'Sarang' cannons from the Indian Army. The firm has received orders worth ₹450 crore from European countries too..

Source : Mint

Correct Answer :   Wipro

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India’s leading technology services and consulting company, Wipro, announced the launch of a new Center of Excellence on Generative AI in partnership with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi.

* The Wipro CoE on Generative AI is anchored within the Yardi School of Artificial Intelligence (ScAI) at IIT Delhi and will support foundational and applied research, nurture talent, and expand state-of-the-art in this critical field.  

* The partnership underscores Wipro’s commitment to driving ongoing innovation in emerging technologies. It is part of the company’s $1 billion commitment to accelerating AI-led innovation as part of the Wipro ai360 ecosystem.

* According to Subha Tatavarti, Chief Technology Officer at Wipro Limited, they are excited to partner with IIT Delhi to foster accelerated innovation in some of the most exciting emerging areas of technology.

* This collaboration will not only enhance our research & development capabilities in emerging regions, such as generative AI. Still, it will also connect us with a talent pool that will help us build advanced solutions to address existing and emerging business problems.

* The CoE will act as an R&D hub, bringing together Wipro researchers with ScAI faculty members and graduate students to address at-scale real-world problems. Wipro CoE teams will jointly work on building innovative solutions using AI, ML, and other technologies.  

 

* In a statement, Dr Ajay Chander, Head of Research & Development at Wipro Limited, remarked that collaborating with the eminent and multidisciplinary faculty at IIT Delhi and its research partner ecosystem will help us realize the vision of Engineered Prosperity faster.  

* Professor Mausam, Head of the Yardi School of AI at IIT Delhi, shared his delightment in partnering with Wipro to create new learning and growth opportunities for the students of IIT. The CoE will allow students to gain valuable insight into problems of relevance to the industry and learn first-hand how their technical know-how transfers to commercial environments.

Correct Answer :   Tamil Nadu

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A new street circuit, which will also hold night races, was launched by the Tamil Nadu government and RRPL here on Wednesday (16th August 2023).

The state government has partnered with Racing Promotions Private Limited (RRPL) for the project. RRPL is also the promoter of the Indian Racing League and F4 Indian Championship.

Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development of Tamil Nadu, Udhayanidhi Stalin, launched the circuit.

As for the track, it is a 3.5km layout, located around the Island Grounds that resides in the heart of the city.

Also, it would become the first-ever street circuit in India and South Asia that will be hosting a night race.

The track would be stretched across the Island Grounds, Victory War Memorial and the Napier Bridge with elevation changes, along with the view of the Marina Beach Road and the Bay of Bengal. It will also have 19 corners with multiple chicanes.

The newly launched track is set to host a couple of events - the F4 Indian Championship and the Indian Racing League on December 9-10, 2023.

According to its press release, the SDAT will be investing Rs 42 crore to host the event.

The F4 Indian Championship is an FIA-certified championship intended for aspiring and up-and-coming racing drivers and the Indian Racing League, which is India's only motorsports league with men and women drivers competing in a team-based championship. Drivers will be from India and overseas in both the championships..

Source : Business Standard

Correct Answer :   PR Seshadri

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The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 17th August 2023 approved the appointment of PR Seshadri as MD & CEO of South Indian Bank, with effect from 1st October 2023.

According to a notification to stock exchanges, the bank said Seshadri will serve for a period of three years.

Seshadri has served, amongst other positions, as Managing Director & CEO of The Karur Vysya Bank Limited (KVB), Managing Director & Regional Sales and Distribution Head, Citibank N.A., Asia Pacific, Singapore, Managing Director & Regional Head of Lending, Businesses, Citibank N.A., Asia Pacific, Singapore, Managing Director CitiFinancial Consumer Finance India Limited (CCFIL), India, Marketing Director, Citibank N.A, India Branches, Head of Structured Finance & Managing Director, CFRSIL & Integration Manager - Associates India Limited, Head of Banking Collections, Citibank N.A, India, Head of Automobile Finance -Northern India, Head of Community Banking, Northern India, and Mortgage Business, Head – Southern India, Citi India.

He is currently mentoring businesses both at an operating level as well as at the board level at various companies. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the Delhi College of Engineering and a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.

“By August 2023, we’re expecting the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to give its clearance,” said Ramakrishnan.

South Indian Bank reported a net profit of Rs 202.3 crore for the April-June FY24 quarter on July 20, compared to Rs 115 crore in the corresponding quarter last yearwith effect from 1st October 2023.

The private sector lender's gross non-performing asset (GNPA) stood at 5.13 percent, down from 5.14 percent recorded in the same quarter last yearwith effect from 1st October 2023. Whereas, the net NPA (NNPA) of the lender for the quarter stood at 1.85 percent, declining from 1.86 percent on a year-on-year basis..

Source : Money Control

Correct Answer :   Trinidad and Tobago

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India and Trinidad and Tobago have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on sharing INDIA STACK — a collection of open APIs and digital public goods that aim to facilitate identity, data, and payment services on a large scale, the Ministry of Electronics and IT informed on August 17, 2023.

As per the statement, both sides have agreed to cooperate in the areas of digital transformation by means of capacity building, training programmes, exchange of best practices, exchange of public officials and experts, development of pilot or demo solutions, among others.

This collaboration comes after Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Union Minister of State for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and Electronics & IT, met with Trinidad and Tobago’s Minister of Digital Transformation, Senator Hassel Bacchus, last week.

During the meeting, discussions on mutual cooperation in the fields of IT, emerging technologies, and the India Stack were held.

Highlighting the significance of India Stack offerings, MoS Chandrasekhar said, "With the help of India Stack, these countries can climb up the digitalisation ladder rapidly and transform their economies and governance.”

It shall create a robust ecosystem of startups, developers and system integrators working around it on Next-Gen innovation.

Since June 2023, India has signed MoUs with various countries, namely Armenia, Sierra Leone, Suriname, and Antigua & Barbuda to share India Stack. A similar MoU was also signed with Papua New Guinea also last month, showcasing the growing interest and acceptance of the initiative on a global scale. Several other countries, such as Mauritius and Saudi Arabia have shown interest and are at an advanced stage of finalising cooperation on India Stack. Meanwhile, UPI which is also a part of India Stack, has been accepted in France, UAE, Singapore, and Sri Lanka.

The MoU was signed in the presence of officials from the Ministry of Electronics and IT, National E-Governance Division, MeitY, and also from the Ministry of External Affairs..

Source : Money Control

Correct Answer :   Shatrujit Singh Kapoor

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In Haryana's Nuh district, IPS Officer Shatrujeet Singh Kapoor has been appointed as the Director General of Police, Haryana, replacing PK Agarwal.

* Kapoor had previously served a stint in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

* PK Agarwal, served as the DGP for two years, and retired on August 15, 2023. Giving a statement on the violence in Nuh, Agarwal had said that the situation is improving. Meanwhile, Hindu outfits announced that they would resume the Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s (VHP) Braj Mandal Yatra on August 28 in Nuh district after it was disrupted by communal violence last month.

* Earlier, the Nuh Superintendent of Police Varun Singla, who was on leave when the deadly communal clashes broke out, was transferred to Bhiwani. Six people, including two home guards and a cleric, had died in the clashes that erupted in Nuh over an attempt to stop a Vishva Hindu Parishad procession and spread to Gurugram.

* Shatrujit Singh Kapoor is a 1990 batch IPS officer. He has done B-Tech in Mechanical Engineering. Shatrujit Singh had held the post of SP and DIG in CBI from 2002 to 2005.