Correct Answer :   July 31st

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World Ranger Day, celebrated on July 31, serves as a special occasion to pay tribute and show gratitude to the courageous men and women who devote their lives to safeguarding wildlife and preserving our precious natural resources.

These unsung heroes selflessly work day and night, striving to protect some of the most fragile ecosystems and endangered species on our planet. Their tireless efforts and unwavering commitment to the cause of conservation deserve our utmost respect and admiration.

World Ranger Day 2023 Theme : The theme of World Ranger Day 2023 is “30 by 30,” building on the momentum from the 2022 United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15). During COP15, world leaders and decision-makers agreed upon a Global Biodiversity Framework, aiming to effectively conserve and manage at least 30 percent of the planet's areas by 2030 (also known as the '30 by 30' target). This ambitious goal highlights the urgent need for increased conservation efforts to safeguard ecosystems and protect the planet's biodiversity.

World Ranger Day History : The origins of World Ranger Day can be traced back to the International Ranger Federation (IRF), an organisation established in 1992 to promote and support the work of park rangers worldwide. The day was first observed in 2007 in memory of eight rangers who tragically lost their lives while on duty in Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo. Since then, World Ranger Day has grown to become an internationally recognised occasion to celebrate rangers' contributions and raise awareness about the challenges they face in their line of duty.

World Ranger Day Significance : By commemorating this World Ranger Day, we not only honour the courage and sacrifice of park rangers and conservationists but also raise awareness about the challenges they face in their noble pursuits. World Ranger Day serves as a call to action for individuals, communities, and governments to come together and support the conservation efforts that will ensure a sustainable and thriving planet for generations to come.

Correct Answer :   Mysuru

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The Think20 Summit will be organised in Karnataka's Mysuru from 31st July to 2nd August 2023. Think20 serves as an 'ideas bank' for the multilateral grouping by bringing together high level experts to discuss policy issues relevant to the G20.

The three-day event will be a gathering of distinguished members of the seven Think20Task Forces and policy experts from around the world.

Think20 Summit provides an unparalleled opportunity to collectively showcase issues such as lifestyle for sustainable development, women-led development, digital transformation, green transformation and many more.

The Summit will also see the launch of four associated publications. More than 250 foreign delegates from 20 countries including America, Russia, China, South Africa, Japan, India, France and Germany will take part in the summit.

The Think20 Summit is the final of the four key convenings by Think20 India. Think20 has, thus far, organised 64 side events in 22 cities in India and abroad, and published over 300 policy briefs from 706 institutions.

Elaborate security and transport arrangements have been made for the delegates. After the summit, the delegates will visit tourist places in Mysuru including the Mysore Palace. Deputy Director of the Palace Board TS Subrahmanya said in a release that entry to the sound and light program held on August 2 from 7 to 8 pm has been restricted for tourists in view of the Think20 Summit here.

The T20 Summit is the milestone event of T20 India. It will be a gathering of distinguished task Force members and policy experts from around the world. It provides an opportunity to collectively showcase ideas and insights on the priorities of India's G20 Presidency, a press release by the Observers Research Foundation stated

Correct Answer :   Nisha Biswal

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Indian-American policy expert Nisha Biswal is confirmed by the Senate to serve as the Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a US finance agency.

Ms. Biswal will serve as the Deputy CEO of the United States International Development Finance Corporation.

A White House press release said that US President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Nisha Desai Biswal earlier in March this year for the position of Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the United States International Development Finance Corporation.

She has a high-profile career of over 30 years of experience in US foreign policy and international development programmes within the White House; US Congress and the private sector.

Ms. Biswal currently holds the position of Senior Vice President for International Strategy and Global Initiatives at the US Chamber of Commerce, overseeing the US-India Business Council and US-Bangladesh Business Council..

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Shivendra Nath

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Shivendra Nath has been appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Engineering Projects (India) Ltd., a public sector undertaking (PSU) under the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises.

Currently, Nath is serving as the senior general manager in Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and has been recommended for the CMD position by the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) panel on Thursday (27 July 2023).

The selection was made after interviewing four candidates for the position by PESB on 27 July. Out of the four candidates, two were from BSNL.

In his new role, Nath will be the Chief Executive of the company working under the board and directors. He will be responsible for the smooth functioning of the company in order to achieve the organisational objectives.

Source : Business World

Correct Answer :   6%

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India’s tiger population is estimated to be 3,925 with an annual growth rate of 6.1% per annum. This was revealed in a report released by Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ashwini Kumar on the occasion of Global Tiger Day 29th July 2023.

Last year (2022) during the celebration of 50 years of the Project Tiger at Mysuru, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had declared the minimum tiger population of 3 thousand 167, which is the population estimated from the camera-trapped area.

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said that now the further analysis of data done by the Wildlife Institute of India, from both camera-trapped and non-camera-trapped tiger presence areas, suggested that the upper limit of the tiger population is estimated to be 3,925 and the average number is 3,682 tigers, reflecting a commendable annual growth rate of 6.1 percent per annum.

Akashvani correspondent reports that  India currently harbors almost 75 percent of the world’s wild tiger population. The largest population of tigers is found to be in Madhya Pradesh with 785 in numbers followed by 563 in Karnataka, 560 in Uttarakhand, and 444 tigers in Maharashtra.

As per the report,  the tiger abundance within the Tiger Reserves is the  highest  of  260 tigers in Corbett  followed by 150 in Bandipur and 141  tigers in Nagarhole.

Various tiger reserves have shown remarkable growth, while others face challenges. The reports highlight that 35 percent of the tiger reserves urgently require enhanced protection measures, habitat restoration and subsequent tiger reintroduction.

The Ministry added that India's Project Tiger has made tremendous progress in tiger conservation over the past five decades, but challenges like poaching are still a threat to tiger conservation. It added that the continued efforts to protect tiger habitats and corridors are crucial for securing the future of India's tigers and their ecosystems for generations to come.

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   G. Kannabiran

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Former director-in-charge of the National Institute of Technology - Tiruchi "G. Kannabiran" has been appointed as the new director of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC).

Mr. Kannabiran assumed charge on Friday (28th July 2023) and will hold the post for five years. He was the founding director of the Indian Institute of information Technology, Sri City, Andhra Pradesh, and worked for five years between 2018 and 2023 in that post.

An NIT alumnus and senior professor of instrumentation systems, he has over 30 years of experience in teaching, research and administration. He has served as dean of research and consultancy and has been director in-charge at NIT.

At IIIT Sri City, he has contributed significantly to making the institution NEP 2020-ready. Skill development, holistic and inclusive education, and credit transfer schemes were introduced.

Under his leadership, the institution had adopted neighbouring villages under the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan and launched industry engagements at multiple levels. He has served as director in-charge of NIT Puducherry.

Mr. Kannabiran’s special focus in entrepreneurship and skill development led to his founding two Section 8 companies to support entrepreneurs. .


Source : The Hindu

Correct Answer :   July 30

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World Day against Trafficking is observed on July 30 to raise awareness about human trafficking trends as identified by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).


World Day against Trafficking In Persons Theme 2023 :

The theme of World Day against Trafficking in Persons 2023 is ‘Reach every victim of trafficking, leave no one behind’.

This theme, according to UNODC, emphasises the need to end the exploitation of trafficking victims, provide support to survivors after their liberation, and protect vulnerable groups from falling prey to traffickers.


World Day against Trafficking In Persons History :

The history of this day dates back to its adoption at a high-level meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, through Resolution A/RES/68/192.

The resolution reaffirms the United Nations' commitment to combat trafficking, especially concerning women and children, as it poses a significant threat to human dignity, physical integrity, human rights, and development.

World Day against Trafficking In Persons significance 2023 :

The significance of World Day against Trafficking in Persons lies in the fact that global crises, conflicts, and climate emergencies have increased the risk of trafficking.

Those with insecure legal status, living in poverty, facing discrimination, violence, and coming from marginalised communities are particularly vulnerable.

The Covid-19 pandemic has further complicated the situation, pushing trafficking underground and reducing the chances of crimes coming to authorities' attention.

Unfortunately, the criminal justice response to trafficking has slowed in recent years, with detection and conviction rates witnessing significant drops, as reported by UNODC.

Hence, the observance of this day becomes even more crucial in addressing and combating this heinous crime..


Source : India Today

Correct Answer :   Madhya Pradesh

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India's first online gaming academy, the Madhya Pradesh government's sports department has extended the E-sports Jr Championship registration date from July 27 to August 1, 2023.

* An astounding 40,000 registrations have flooded in for the 200 available seats in the academy.

* Given the overwhelming enthusiasm from the youth, the sports department has also extended the last date for registration to July 27, 2023.

* Aspiring young e-sports athletes will secure their spots in the academy based on their rankings in the championship. The selection process reserves 80 percent of seats for youth from the state and 20 percent for participants from other regions.

* Sports Minister Yashodhara Raje Scindia told ToI that the chosen youth will receive comprehensive training to compete at the international level. Not limited to grooming champion gamers, the academy aims to nurture careers in various aspects of the gaming industry, including content creation, casting, tournament operation, coding, data analysis, game development, and more.

* With a staggering 630 million gamers, India is on the verge of becoming an esports powerhouse on the global stage. The upcoming academy will be the first of its kind in the state, empowering young individuals with gaming education and training, opening doors to professional careers.

* Minister Scindia emphasized that the academy's participants will not only bring glory to the state and the nation by winning medals but also forge promising paths in their professional lives.

E-sport Championship Format :

* Youth aged 12 to 17 can register for the E-sports Junior Championship online.

* The championship offers two categories: 'Open' and 'Professional,' and participants can register individually or as teams.

* SMS or WhatsApp notifications will keep the youth informed about their registrations.

* Both individual and team registrations are eligible for free entry to the group stage.

* The selected players for the academy will be announced within two weeks of the championship's conclusion.

Correct Answer :   Om Birla

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Om Birla inaugurated the 20th annual conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, India Region. The conference will deliberate on natural disasters and strategies for management with special reference to the northeast region.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has appealed to the people of Manipur to maintain peace and harmony due to the ongoing unrest in the Northeastern state. Speaking at the opening of commonwealth parliamentary association meeting for the North East legislators 29th July 2023 at Rilbong, Meghalaya he appealed for peace.

The Lok Sabha speaker also said that in the process of development, we should not deviate from path of human values and ethics and it is the collective responsibility of all of us to protect our tradition, heritage and culture. He also spoke about Regional cooperation and connectivity through Act East policy as it will enhance regional integration at political, economic and social levels in North East.
 
Meanwhile, the Meghalaya government has made an official request to the Ministry of Civil Aviation to designate the Shillong Airport as an International Airport. During his address at the Conference, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma said that the Shillong airport, with an average of 10,000 passengers per month, enjoys direct connectivity to major cities such as Delhi, Kolkata, Aizawl, Agartala, Imphal, Dimapur, Dibrugarh, and Guwahati..

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Nirmala Sitharaman

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Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will launch the Rs. 33,000-crore backstop fund for mutual funds (MFs) on Friday (28th July 2023).

The backstop facility, termed the Corporate Debt Market Development Fund (CDMDF), was cleared by the capital markets regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), in March.

The fund corpus will be created by pooling money from debt schemes. The initiative aims to provide liquidity to debt schemes during periods of market stress.

According to a Sebi circular issued on Thursday, debt schemes — excluding passive, overnight, and gilt funds — will contribute 25 basis points (bps) of their assets under management towards the creation of the CDMDF.

Conservative hybrid funds will also contribute to the fund. In addition, asset management companies (AMCs) will make a one-time contribution of 2 bps.

The total collection will be around Rs. 3,300 crore. The fund can avail itself of credit for up to 10 times the initial corpus whenever needed. The circular also details the investment framework of the CDMDF and the pricing models.

During phases of market dislocation, MF schemes will be able to sell their investment-grade papers to the CDMDF at a fair value rather than selling at distressed prices in the market to meet redemptions. They can sell bonds to the fund to the extent of their contribution.

The fund has been set up in the form of an alternative investment fund and will enjoy a guarantee from the National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company.

From the same stage in Mumbai, Sitharaman will flag off the AMC Repo Clearing, a limited-purpose clearing corporation backed by Sebi and funded by AMCs. The platform will help all regulated entities — such as AMCs, insurance companies, market makers, and short-term traders — take positions and manage their risks in listed corporate bonds and debentures (non-convertible debt securities), commercial papers, and certificates of deposit..

Source : Business Standard