Correct Answer :   Jitendra Singh

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Union MoS (Independent Charge) Science & Technology, Dr. Jitendra Singh has launched (28th February 2023) the VAIBHAV Fellowship scheme for the Indian Diaspora abroad.

Aim : To improve the research ecosystem of India’s Higher Educational Institutions by facilitating academic and research collaborations between Indian Institutions and the best institutions in the world

Eligible applicant :

* Should be NRI, PIO, or OCI.

* Must have obtained Ph.D/M.D/M.S degree from a recognized University.

Correct Answer :   Nicola Fox

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NASA announced on Monday (27th February 2023) it has picked a longtime solar scientist who heads its heliophysics division to become the U.S. space agency’s science chief.

* Nicola Fox, former top scientist on the Parker Solar Probe mission studying the sun, was named as NASA’s associate administrator for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate.

* A memo to agency employees from NASA chief Bill Nelson, obtained by Reuters, first announced Fox’s appointment. He lauded Fox’s past work on missions to better understand the sun and how solar wind affects satellites and planets.

* “She has been instrumental in making this complex area accessible to the public,” Nelson said. “Her work already spans so many areas of importance to the agency.”

* NASA later announced Fox’s appointment publicly on Monday, saying her new role was effective immediately.

* Fox will lead NASA’s science directorate, a unit with an annual budget of roughly $7 billion that oversees some of the agency’s best-known programs from the robotic hunts for past life on Mars to exploring distant galaxies with the James Webb Space Telescope.

* She will also oversee a NASA study group formed in 2022 to help the U.S. military detect and characterize UFOs, or so-called Unidentified Aerial Phenomena – mysterious objects that the White House and Pentagon officials see as threats to U.S. airspace.

* Fox succeeds Thomas Zurbuchen, a Swiss-American astrophysicist who had led the directorate since 2016 before his retirement in December. Sandra Connelly, formerly Zurbuchen’s deputy, had led the directorate in an acting capacity...

Source : The Print

Correct Answer :   Dinesh K Tripathi

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Vice Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi on Tuesday (28th February 2023) took charge as Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C) of the Mumbai-headquartered Western Naval Command (WNC).

* He succeeds Vice Admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh who retired from service.

* Prior to taking over as Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Vice Admiral Tripathi served as the Chief of Personnel at the Integrated Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence (Navy).

* An alumnus of Sainik School Rewa and National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, he was commissioned into the Indian Navy on July 1, 1985.

* A communication and electronic warfare specialist, he served on several frontline warships of the Navy.

* He has also held various important operational and staff appointments which include Fleet Operations Officer of the Western Fleet at Mumbai, Director of Naval Operations, Principal Director Network Centric Operations and Principal Director Naval Plans at New Delhi.

* On promotion to the rank of Rear Admiral, he served as Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Policy and Plans) at the Integrated headquarters of the Ministry of Defence (Navy) and as the Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet..

Source : NDTV

Correct Answer :   Rajesh Malhotra

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Rajesh Malhotra, a 1989-batch Indian Information Service (IIS) officer, was on Tuesday (28th Feb 2023) appointed as the Principal Director General of the Press Information Bureau (PIB), a government order said.

* Malhotra succeeds Satyendra Prakash, who superannuated on Tuesday(28th Feb 2023). Prakash had taken charge as Principal DG of the PIB in August 2022.

* Malhotra will be the principal spokesperson of the government of India and take charge of his new role on March 1, 2023.

* Malhotra, already designated as the Principal D-G, was handling the media and communication division of the ministries of Finance, and Corporate Affairs. He comes with 30 years of operational experience in planning and implementation of media and communication strategies for the Election Commission of India and various Central ministries and departments.

* During the pandemic, he is credited with “effectively steering the media and communication policy in the Ministry of Finance in sync with various Aatmanirbhar Bharat packages announced by the government”.

* He was associated with Election Commission of India as in-charge of media and communication for 21 years (1996-2017).

* The I&B Ministry also named Priya Kumar as the Director General of Doordarshan News (DD News) from March 1, 2023. She will succeed Mayank Agrawal who superannuated on Tuesday (28th Feb 2023)..

Source : Indian Express

Correct Answer :   New Delhi

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The two-day G20 Foreign Ministers meeting under India's presidency got underway in New Delhi on Wednesday (1st March 2023).

A gala dinner is being hosted this evening for the visiting dignitaries. The formal meeting will be held tomorrow, with External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar chairing two sessions.

The first session will focus on multilateralism and issues related to food and energy. The second session will focus on new and emerging threats including counter-terrorism and narcotics, global skill mapping, and focus on global talent pools.

Briefing media, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra informed that 40 delegations and 30 international organisations are expected to participate in the meeting at Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Center..

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Lithuania

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India and Lithuania on Tuesday(28th February 2023) agreed to work in the areas of deep tech startups as well as forge lasting ties in manufacturing of semiconductor chips.

* A high-level Lithuanian delegation led by Economy and Innovation Vice Minister Karolis Aemaitis on Tuesday (28th February 2023) called on Union Science & Technology Minister Jitendra Singh and discussed ways and means to revive the 2010 agreement in the area of science and technology.

* Responding to the keen interest of the Indian minister to give a further fillip to startup culture to create more job opportunities and wealth creation, Aemaitis assured him that Lithuania has robust know-how and capacities in life sciences, biotechnology and other STEM areas and keen to have cooperation between the two countries in high tech startups.

* Singh said that India has made rapid advances in the last nine years under Prime Minister Narendra Modi in areas of science, technology and Innovation and conveyed to the Lithuanian side that India is ready to extend all help to its age-old partner.

* He said, apart from rapid and globally recognized achievements in space, its biotech laurels in terms of 4 indigenous vaccines of COVID is before the world.

* The Lithuanian Minister mentioned that a global MNC from his country, "Teltonika" is working with Taiwan for manufacturing of sophisticated chips and the company has a presence in India also and can take collaboration of chip making to a new height in years to come.

* The Department of Science & Technology, through the MEA, has been negotiating a Science & Technology Agreement with Lithuania since 2010. In April 2010, a revised Indian counter-draft incorporating few minor modifications was formally submitted to the Lithuanian side and its formal response is still awaited..

Source : Business Standard

Correct Answer :   National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC)

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National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), under the aegis of Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and with due support from Ministry of Tourism 28th February 2023 signed an MoU with Switzerland based Hotel and Tourism Management Institute (HTMi) to jointly provide certificate, diploma, advance diploma  and certification courses in hospitality trades to the aspiring students.

* A tri-party MoU was signed by NSDC, HTMi and Lamrin Tech Skill University (LTSU).

* The first MoU signed between National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and HTMi outlined the broad contours of this partnership and the second was a tripartite MoU between NSDC, HTMi and Lamrin Tech Skill University(LTSU).

* With LTSU as an implementation partner for first phase of this partnership, NSDC & HTMi envisage similar such partnerships as the program gets scaled up.

* The collaboration between NSDC and HTMi intends to equip students with hospitality industry-specific skills  through a unique combination of classroom and work based learning.

* The tri-party MoU was signed by Shri Ved Mani Tiwari, COO (Officiating CEO), NSDC and MD, NSDC International, Ian Robert James Larmour, CEO, Hotel and Tourism Management Institute and Dr. Sandeep Singh Kaura, Lamrin Tech Skills University, Punjab, and Adviser to Govt. of Punjab.

* The students aiming to make a career in the sector will benefit from the programme and provide specialization across different programmes, including degree & postgraduation, Swiss European culinary arts, as well as the professional certification.

* The full time 6-month certification programme is designed to strengthen the basics and fundamentals of professionals while providing them on-the job training across diverse hospitality sectors to provide a competitive edge to the student in the domestic and international markets..

Source : PIB

Correct Answer :   Purushottam Rupala

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Union Minister for fisheries, animal husbandry Purushottam Rupala has launched phase 2 of the National Surveillance programme for aquatic animal diseases and genetic improvement programme in Chennai, 27th February 2023.

Purushottam Rupala said that the Pradhan Mantri Sampada Yojana was launched with the aim to increase fish production by an additional 70 lakh tonnes and increase fish export earnings to One lakh Crore rupees in 2024 -25.

The Minister said that to maintain a sustained level of fish production, it was important to identify and provide solutions to the industry.

Aim : With an aim to provide an impetus to the industry, he said that the National Surveillance programme for aquatic animal diseases was launched.

* He told that 33 Crore rupees were allocated for a period of three years for the implementation of the programme.

* The diversification of Brackish water aquaculture with different species of Shellfish and Fin fish is important. The surveillance programme will help the farmers to identify and report the disease and also offer solutions. A separate app has been developed for the timely reporting of fish diseases.

* The production from shrimp aquaculture increased from about one lakh ton in 1990 to more than nine lakh tonnes in 2022. To avoid over-dependence on a single species and also to develop native shrimps by selective breeding. Scientists will develop an improved variety of Indian white shrimp in the next three to five years.

* The Minister also launched a crop insurance scheme for shrimp-growing farmers. The India Council for Agricultural Research and CIBA in association with the insurance company has evolved the insurance Scheme.

* This will facilitate and popularise shrimp farming in the country in future and also provide a new direction in realising the dream of the Blue Revolution..

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   8th

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The 8th Edition of the Raisina Dialogue will be held from 2nd March to 4th March in New Delhi.

* Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Dialogue. Prime Minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni will join the inaugural session as the Chief Guest.

* Theme : The theme of the 2023 Edition of Dialogue is "Provocation, Uncertainty, Turbulence: Lighthouse in the Tempest".

* The Raisina Dialogue 2023 will witness the participation of representatives from over 100 countries including Ministers, Military Commanders, Captains of the Industry, Technology Leaders, Scholars on Strategic Affairs, Experts from leading Think Tanks and Youth.

* This year’s(2023) edition assumes special significance coming against the backdrop of India’s G20 Presidency.

* The Raisina Dialogue is India’s flagship conference on geopolitics and geo-strategy.

* It is organized by the Ministry of External Affairs in collaboration with Observer Research Foundation. During the past eight years, the Raisina Dialogue has consistently grown in stature and profile to establish itself as one of the leading global conferences on international affairs...

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Gurugram

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The First Anti-Corruption Working Group Meeting (ACWG) of G-20, is set to take place in Gurugram, Haryana from 1st to 3rd March, 2023.

* During the three-day event at Gurugram, over 90 delegates from 20 members countries, 10 Invitee countries and 9 International Organizations will engage in detailed deliberations on strengthening International Anti-corruption mechanisms.

* G 20 ACWG meetings have one Chair (Presidency country) and one co-chair country. The co-chair for the G20 ACWG 2023 is Italy.

* Under India’s chairpersonship, G-20 Nations will deliberate on areas of future action like bringing in processes, where fugitive economic offenders can be traced and extradited faster, and their properties situated abroad brought within the reach of the law of the land from which such offenders escape.

* India’s chairpersonship will support G20 countries in prioritising recovery and return of stolen assets in their broad strategy against corruption.  Enhancing the effectiveness of asset-tracing and identification mechanisms, developing mechanisms for rapid restrain of illicit assets, and promoting effective use of open-source information and asset recovery networks will be key focal areas.

* In a Statement issued ahead of the First Anti-Corruption Working Group Meeting, Dr Jitendra Singh referred to the theme of India's G20 Presidency - “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” or “One Earth. One Family. One Future”.

* India’s G-20 Presidency under the guidance of the Prime Minister, DoPT is organizing the First Anti-Corruption Working Group Meeting...

Source : G20