Correct Answer :   Rakesh Pal

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DG Rakesh Pal has been appointed as the 25th Director General of the Indian Coast Guard (ICG). He is an alumnus of the Indian Naval Academy and joined Indian Coast Guard in January 1989.

He has undergone professional specialisation in Gunnery & Weapons Systems at Indian Naval School Dronacharya, Kochi, and an Electro-Optics Fire Control Solution course from the United Kingdom. The Officer holds the recognition of being the First Gunner of ICG.


Rakesh Pal Career :

In his distinguished career spanning over 34 years, the flag officer has held several key appointments, prominent among them are Commander Coast Guard Region (North West), Gandhinagar, Deputy Director General (Policy & Plans), and Additional Director General Coast Guard at Coast Guard Headquarters, New Delhi.

Besides, he has held various prestigious staff assignments viz. Director (Infra & Works) and Principal Director (Administration) at Coast Guard Headquarters, New Delhi. He has vast sea experience and commanded all classes of ICG ships namely; ICGS Samarth, ICGS Vijit, ICGS Sucheta Kriplani, ICGS Ahalyabai, and ICGS C-03.

The Officer has also Commanded two Coast Guard bases of the forward area in Gujarat - Okha & Vadinar.

DG Rakesh Pal was elevated to the rank of Additional Director General in February 2022 and was posted at Coast Guard Headquarters, New Delhi. He was given the additional charge of Director General Coast Guard in February 2023.

During the period, many significant operations and exercises were accomplished that includes the seizure of drugs/narcotic substances and gold worth crores of rupees, rescue of mariners during severe cyclonic storms, joint exercises with the Foreign Coast Guards, anti-poaching operations, humanitarian assistance during cyclones/ naturals calamities and Coastal Security exercises.

DG Rakesh Pal was conferred with Tatrakshak Medal in 2013 and President Tatrakshak Medal in 2018 for his illustrious service..

Source : PIB

Correct Answer :   Gomti River

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Water experts and river rights activists have criticized a government order (GO) issued by the irrigation department of the Uttar Pradesh government on September 3, 2020 which declared the Gomti river as a “non-perennial river”


About the Order :

The irrigation department of the Uttar Pradesh government issued a government order (GO) three years ago on September 3, 2020, designating the Gomti as a “non-perennial river” as part of the floodplain zoning for 12 rivers, including the Gomti. However, the order did not include a specific timeframe for its implementation.


Details of the order :

* According to the order, being a non-perennial river, the Gomti cannot maintain e-flow (environmental flow) consistently throughout the year, and there is no surplus water available to enhance the flow.

* A 50-meter area on both riverbanks is designated as a no-construction zone.
    The order issued a directive to the Uttar Pradesh government, instructing them to halt all construction activities within a 100-meter distance from the riverbanks.

Gomti River :

* Gomti, an alluvial river of the Ganga Plain, serves as a tributary to the Ganga river. Its origin can be traced back to Gomat Taala lake, also known as Fulhar Jheel, situated near Mainkot in Madhotanda, approximately 30 kilometers away from Pilibhit town in Uttar Pradesh.

* The river flows through several regions, including Sitapur, Lucknow, Barabanki, Sultanpur, and Jaunpur, before eventually merging with the Ganga at Kaithi in the Ghazipur district.

* The river stretches a total length of approximately 960 kilometers and plays a vital role in supplying around 450 million liters of water per day to the city of Lucknow.


Perennial and Non-perennial rivers :

* Perennial rivers, are rivers which maintain a continuous flow of water throughout the year, like the Himalayan Rivers in India, such as the Ganga and Brahmaputra. These rivers are sustained by both rainwater and the melting of glaciers.

* On the other hand, non-perennial rivers, like the Godavari and Krishna, experience periods without water flow throughout the year. The primary reason for their non-perennial nature is that they do not originate from glacial regions like the Ganga, Yamuna, and Indus.


Pollution in Gomti River :

* Recently, the pollution level in the Gomti river has deteriorated significantly. According to a report by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), it ranks as the fifth most polluted river in the country. The alarming decline in dissolved oxygen levels has reached as low as one milligram per liter (mg/l), which falls significantly below the minimum requirement of four to six mg/l necessary to sustain aquatic life.

* The pollution in the Gomti river can be attributed to various factors, including the discharge of untreated sewage, industrial effluents, and domestic wastes, along with the encroachment of floodplains. This combination of factors has resulted in the tragic loss of numerous fish along the course of the Gomti river.

Correct Answer :   Phangnon Konyak

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As the lone Nagaland MP in the Upper House S Phangnon Konyak has been nominated as one of the vice chairpersons of the Upper House. This appointment comes as a recognition of BJP’s commitment to women empowerment.



Prestigious Nomination :

It may be mentioned that in December 2021, the Modi government and security forces had come under  attack for the killing of 'innocent Konyak mine workers' mistaken as Naga insurgents at Oting village.

Mon district falls under Eastern Nagaland and seven tribes from the region including Konyaks have demanded early granting of an 'autonomous territory' for the region.

Phangnon is the second Naga woman parliamentarian after Late Rano Shaiza, who was elected into Lok Sabha in 1977.

Fielding a state women's wing chief for the Rajya Sabha polls may not seem much of a surprise in the rest of India, but in the context Nagaland, where patriarchy and male chauvinism rule politics, it was a path-breaking decision for the BJP to nominate Phangnon.

Now, to get nominated as a member of the Vice Chairpersons panel is a prestigious occasion certainly.

She will get opportunities to preside over the proceedings of the Upper House. The Monsoon Session of Parliament gets underway from July 20.

Before 2023 assembly elections, Nagaland had never elected a woman to its state legislature. In this year's elections two women candidates of NDPP made it to the assembly.

Post-Emergency in 1977, late Rano Shaiza was elected as Nagaland MP to the Lok Sabha as a  United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate, defeating the sitting Congress veteran Hokishe Sema.


Resistance to Women’s Reservation :

* Nagaland has a high literacy rate, and English is its official language. However, the Nagaland Assembly holds the dubious distinction of opposing the women's reservation bill, which had sought to reserve 33% of state legislatures and parliamentary seats for women.

* In 1997, during the tenure of the S C Jamir government in Nagaland, the then parliamentary affairs minister, Zhove Lohe, had moved a resolution, which the Assembly passed unanimously.

* The then opposition regional outfit, Nagaland People's Council (NPC), the earlier avatar of the Naga People's Front, led by the flamboyant Vamuzo, were part of the move. The influential Naga Students' Federation (NSF) too had written to the parliamentary select committee chairperson Geeta Mukherjee, saying the bill went  against Naga tradition.

* Even the women's reservation in urban local bodies has been vehemently opposed.

In fact, the incumbent state government under Neiphiu Rio leading the NDPP-BJP dispensation is facing a 'contempt' proceeding in the Supreme Court for defying the apex court's order..

Source : OTV

Correct Answer :   $1 million

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India has donated $1 million to the UN for the promotion of Hindi. Acknowledging India’s contribution Melissa Fleming, the Global Communications under-secretary-general, tweeted on Monday (17th July 2023) : “We are grateful to @IndiaUNNewYork and @ruchirakamboj for their generous investment in our @UNinHindi service to bring UN news and stories to Hindi speaking audiences in India and beyond.”



India’s Commitment to Promote Hindi at the UN:

* India’s Permanent Representative Ruchira Kamboj, who gave her the cheque last Friday, said in a statement that New Delhi “will continue to promote the use of the Hindi language in the United Nations”.

* She highlighted the efforts of the United Nations to mainstream and consolidate news and multimedia content in Hindi language have been appreciated in India and in countries where a Hindi-speaking population resides.

* Prime Minister Narendra Modi has addressed the General Assembly and the Security Council where simultaneous translation is available, but he spoke in English at the International Yoga Day celebrations held outdoors at the UN complex last month.


Historical Significance of Hindi at the UN :

* Hindi was introduced in the UN by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who became in 1977 the first Indian official when he was the external affairs minister to speak at the UN in the language.

* The UN started in 1945 with the three widely-spoken languages of English. French and Spanish carried over from its defunct predecessor, the League of Nations, along with Russian and Chinese, the languages of the two permanent members, as official and working languages.

* It added Arabic as an official language in 1973.

UN’s Efforts to Promote Multilingualism :

The UN provides simultaneous interpretation in its meetings and translations of documents in the six languages.

Countries can arrange simultaneous translation of speeches from their language as India has done with Hindi or into their language.

The UN media outfits began running websites and social media posts in Hindi, in addition to Swahili and Portuguese, in 2018.

India began its efforts to have India added to the roster of UN official languages with the constitution of a high-level committee in 2003 chaired by the external affair minister and it renewed its efforts in 2007 at the recommendation of the 8th World Hindi Conference.

In addition to getting the approval of a majority of the 193 members to make Hindi added as an official language, India will have to bear most of the cost for interpretations and translations for the cash-strapped UN.

Last year India co-sponsored a resolution that mentioned Hindi at the UN General Assembly “to ensure that multilingualism as a core value of the United Nations”.

The resolution expressed appreciation for the UN disseminating information in “non-official languages, such as Portuguese, Hindi, Kiswahili, Persian, Bangla and Urdu, in addition to official languages”..

Source : The Shillong Times

Correct Answer :   Gujarat

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Gujarat signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 19th July 2023 here between London-based company "OneWeb" and the Gujarat Government’s Science and Technology Department regarding the establishment of a ‘Satellite Network Portal Site’.

It will offer affordable connectivity to the sectors including the government and offer continuous and secure satellite internet access at affordable rates nationwide.

According to a note shared by the State government, OneWeb will establish one of the two private ‘satellite network portal sites’ in Mehsana district of Gujarat.

This satellite network portal site, to be initiated in Jotana taluka of Mehsana district, will provide high-speed, low-latency, and affordable connectivity to the government, businesses, consumers, schools, and more.

The satellite network portal to be established in Katosan and Tejpura in Jotana taluka of Gujarat is scheduled to launch in 2023, with an estimated cost of over Rs. 100 crores for its Phase-1. It is also expected to create approximately 500 direct and indirect employment opportunities in the state.

OneWeb is a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite company with 648 satellites, aiming to build a global communication network. Unlike traditional geostationary satellites located 36,000 km above the equator, OneWeb uses LEO satellites to provide broadband Internet access, resulting in lower latency of less than 100 ms compared to GEO-based networks with latencies of 500-700 ms. It offers  network services.

This technology is already operational in Europe and Canada. OneWeb in India aims to provide satellite connectivity services to mobile network operators and Internet service providers in a cost-effective manner.

Aim : This project under Digital India, aims to provide affordable internet access to villages, district panchayats, local administrative bodies, government departments, and other entities throughout India. OneWeb is setting up two Satellite Network Portals (SNPs) in India, one of which will be located in Gujarat and another in Tamil Nadu.

Rahul Vatts, Director of OneWeb India Communication Pvt. Ltd., and Vijay Nehra, Secretary of the State Department of Science and Technology, signed the MoU in the presence of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel..

Source : Deshgujarat

Correct Answer :   Nivruti Rai

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Former Intel India head Nivruti Rai has joined as the Managing Director and CEO of Invest India, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry informed on Wednesday (19th July 2023).

She has taken over the charge from Manmeet K Nanda, Joint Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) who had assumed this additional charge in March 2023.

Rai is the recipient of the prestigious Nari Shakti Puraskar for her contributions to the field of technology. She spent 29 years at Intel as a global business and technology leader.

She led Intel India as Country Head for the past seven years driving the growth and investment of Intel in India.

During her tenure at Intel India, Rai contributed significantly towards indigenous technology development, start-up ecosystem, electronics manufacturing ecosystem, and policy formulation, especially in the areas of critical and emerging technologies, the ministry said.

She has been part of the leadership team in various industrial bodies and government committees and brings a wealth of experience in working closely with industry associations, business leaders, and government leaders.


The Board of Invest India

The Board of Invest India is chaired by Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh, Secretary, DPIIT. Other members of the Board include Shri P. K. Tripathi, Secretary (Coordination), Cabinet Secretariat; Ms. Arti Bhatnagar, Additional Secretary & Financial Advisor, DPIIT; Shri Md. Noor Rahman Sheikh, Joint Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs; Shri Anand Mahindra, Chairperson, Mahindra Group; Shri Pankaj R. Patel, Chairperson, Cadilla Healthcare; Shri Harshvardhan Neotia, Chairperson, Ambuja Neotia Group; Ms. Rekha M. Menon, Chairperson & Senior MD, Accenture; Ms. Debjani Ghosh, President, NASSCOM; and Shri Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII..

Correct Answer :   New Delhi

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To commemorate 24 years of victory over Pakistan in the Kargil War of 1999 and to highlight the indomitable spirit of women, Indian Army launched a Tri-Services ‘Nari Sashaktikaran Women Motorcycle Rally’ from National War Memorial, Delhi to Kargil War Memorial, Dras (Ladakh).

 The all-women Motorcycle Rally was Flagged Off by the Chief of the Army Staff, General Manoj Pande from the National War Memorial, New Delhi on 18 Jul 23. Mrs Archana Pande, Chairperson of the Army Wives Welfare Association was also present at the occasion.

For the Flag Off at the National War Memorial, a host of military and civilian dignitaries including Head Business – Premium of TVS Motor Company and other sponsors were present. The Rally members were motivated and cheered by a large crowd which had gathered at the venue.

The 25-member strong tri-services team includes two Veer Naris, one of whom is a serving officer, 10 serving Indian Army Women officers, one woman officer each from Indian Air Force and Indian Navy, three women soldiers of Indian Army and eight Armed Forces spouses. The team will celebrate the decisive victory of the Armed Forces in the Kargil War and pay tribute to the soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice in service of the Nation.

The Rally will cover a total distance of approximately 1000 kilometres, wherein the team will traverse through the plains of Haryana, Punjab and high mountain passes of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh to reach Kargil War Memorial in Dras on 25 July 23.

During the Rally, the team will interact with NCC Cadets, students from various schools/colleges, Veterans and Veer Naris. For this Rally, the Indian Army has partnered with TVS Motor Company and the participants will be riding on TVS Ronin motorcycles.

The Chief of Army Staff, General Manoj Pande complimented the entire team for taking up such a challenging journey which highlights qualities of determination, Nari Shakti and the vital role played by women in Nation Building..

Source : PIB

Correct Answer :   Simplify

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Simplifai, an AI automation solutions provider, launches Simplifai InsuranceGPT – a world-first custom-built GPT tool, fuelled by the company's revolutionary no-code AI-powered platform.

With InsuranceGPT, Simplifai has strengthened its end-to-end business process automation capabilities, providing enriched communication between insurers and their customers through the power of generative AI - delivering fast, concise, and accurate responses in a secure way.

While several insurance product providers have merely begun to integrate ChatGPT or Google Bard into their services, Simplifai's InsuranceGPT large language model (LLM) is the first to be trained specifically on information directly relevant to the insurance sector.

Gartner predicts the global market for AI software will surpass $135bn by 2025, with the banking, financial services and insurance sector constituting a massive 25% of that market. Yet, the insurance industry is still learning how to fully embrace AI and LLMs, such as ChatGPT. The technology holds the potential to radically transform the data processing and claims processes, but with several LLMs facing criticism around data security concerns and the inaccurate presentation of data, public LLMs are being labelled unsuitable to address the needs of the claims handling industry.

"Amidst an era where data security and accuracy have become paramount concerns, InsuranceGPT is our response to these challenges. Unlike public LLMs, our solution has been meticulously engineered with a strong emphasis on privacy and the precise presentation of data, thereby directly addressing the inadequacies flagged in the insurance claims handling industry. By providing an AI solution that is tailor-made for this sector, we're not just promising innovation, we're ensuring trust and reliability." - Vasim Shaikh, CEO India Operations at Simplifai

By offering the insurance industry's first custom, cloud-based, private Software-as-a-Service LLM, Simplifai can allay these concerns through:

    Fitting into existing ecosystems - InsuranceGPT is platform-based and plugs into third-party services such as Salesforce and Hubspot, as well as industry platforms for claims management, pulling information from the often cumbersome and conflicting systems used by insurance firms for easy implementation and management.

    Being ever vigilant about security – As a company, Simplifai is committed to privacy and upholding strict control and regulation of data, as well as firm adherence to GDPR. By training a private LLM, security can be guaranteed.

    Maintaining 'No code necessary' – Simplifai's no-code model allows businesses to seamlessly integrate to the platform, without the need for tech expertise, increasing efficiency and speed of use.

Showcasing a commitment to building services tailored to the specific and regulated requirements of insurers, Simplifai has also launched the Simplifai Reference Programme for advanced AI, establishing a customer reference board. The board has leading names within the insurance sector from Europe and Nordics, including Van Ameyde, CCN and Eika, and they are in talks with some of the biggest Indian Insurers to join the board. This will ensure product development is in line with customer requirements.

Jan-Michiel Cillessen, Group COO of Van Ameyde Group said: "Van Ameyde's Claims platform, ECHO, has already benefited from the best-in-class AI automation that the Simplifai partnership provides. In addition, Simplifai's expansion to GPT technology will further solidify our leading position in the claims handling space. In order to even consider Simplifai as a partner, we also needed to ensure their continued strategic focus on security and compliance, as well."

"The potential offered by generative AI is incredible, but a specially-built industry-specific GPT trained on insurance data is the only way to offset risks around security, data privacy and accuracy. InsuranceGPT grants us the ability to make our customers' employees even more efficient and effective, not to mention more valuable, while maintaining our commitment to privacy and security," said Bård Myrstad, Simplifai Co-Founder and CEO.

About Simplifai :

Founded in 2017, Simplifai is a secure AI solutions company. Its AI Automation platform is used to create Simplifai Archiver, Claims Handling, Document Handling, Debt Collection and Customer Service solutions. With its headquarters in Oslo, Norway, the company has offices in Pune, India, the Netherlands, Sweden and Ukraine..

Source : PR Vews Wire

More : Simplifai

Correct Answer :   Gandhinagar

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The 3rd G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting under the Indian Presidency was held during 17-18 July 2023 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

The meeting was jointly chaired by Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, and Governor, Reserve Bank of India, Shri Shaktikanta Das.

Over 500 delegates, including Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors from G20 member countries, Invitee Countries, and Heads of various International Organisations (IOs) participated in the meeting.

The FMCBG meeting was preceded by the Third G20 Finance and Central Bank Deputies (FCBD) meeting during 14-15 July 2023 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

Theme : Under the Indian Presidency’s theme of “One Earth, One Family, One Future”, G20 Ministers and Governors pledged to prioritise the well-being of the people and the planet and reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing international economic cooperation, strengthening global development for all and steering the global economy towards strong, sustainable, balanced, and inclusive growth (SSBIG).

Inportant sessions : The meeting was organised in five thematic sessions covering :

* Global Economy and Global Health
* Sustainable Finance and Infrastructure
* International Financial Architecture
* International Taxation
* Financial Sector & Financial Inclusion.

Aim : The aim of the round table session was to discuss and deliberate on some of the key questions pertaining to the crypto assets, in an open and candid manner. The session saw active participation from the G20 Finance Ministers, Governors, and the Heads of IMF, FSB, and FATF – institutions that are instrumental in the on-going work on crypto asset ecosystem. The views generated in the round table discussion will provide important inputs to the Synthesis paper..

Source : PIB

Correct Answer :   South Korea

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South Korea will hold an international defence exhibition in October 2023 to showcase advanced military hardware and technologies, amid Seoul's push to become a significant player in the global  market, Yonhap news agency reported.

The six-day Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition (ADEX) 2023 will kick off on Oct. 17 at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, involving 550 companies from 35 countries, the organizers said.

It would mark the largest-ever edition of the exhibition, which first launched in 1996.

During this year's (2023) event, the organizers seek to hold various aircraft demonstrations and exhibit advanced military assets and equipment, including F-35 radar-evading fighter jets, FA-50 light attack aircraft, K2 battle tanks and K9A1 self-propelled howitzers, Yonhap news agency reported.

Yonhap News Agency delivers news to its customers as well as newspapers, broadcasters, government agencies, businesses and Internet portals on a real-time basis. They are also in talks with the US military to showcase its aircraft and other assets to mark the 70th anniversary of the South Korea-US alliance this year (2023).

The first four days will host various seminars and forums for defence industry officials before the exhibition is opened to the general public in the last two days.

The exhibition's previous edition 2021 featured hydrogen-fuel drones, virtual reality-based training systems, laser weapons systems, multipurpose unmanned vehicles, and military aircraft, including FA-50 fighters.

This year's event will take place after South Korea unveiled a goal last year to become the world's fourth-largest defence exporter by 2027..

Source : ANI