Correct Answer :   47th

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India 47th position on the Ookla Speedtest Global Index improved 72 places from 119 in September 2022 to 47 in August 2023, putting India ahead of not only its neighbours but also G20 countries like Mexico (90th), Turkey (68th), the UK (62nd), Japan (58th), Brazil (50th place), and South Africa (48th place).

The Seattle-headquartered Ookla in its latest report 'India’s Remarkable 5G Advancement Elevates its Global Mobile Ranking' says over the past year, mobile download speeds in the country have seen "significant" improvement.

Thanks to 5G rollouts, India saw median download speeds increase by 259% since before 5G launched, jumping from 13.87 Mbps in September 2022 to a median download speed of 50.21 Mbps in August 2023, the report finds.

Improving overall user experience across all telecom circles, the 5G technology launch by operators like Jio and Airtel has led to a substantial increase in 5G subscribers, says the report. The technology has not only brought "faster speeds" but also higher customer satisfaction.

Mobile performance across India improved in all telecom circles, shows the data.

Notably, mobile users in India are among the most data-intensive consumers in the world. Though 4G networks were unable to keep up with consumer expectations, due to issues like lack of cellular infrastructure, backhaul, and spectrum constraints, the 5G technology has been able to offload 25% to 35% of traffic from 4G, the report finds out.

According to Ookla Speedtest data, India’s median download speed has improved remarkably, increasing by 3.59 times since 5G was launched in the country.

In October 2022, India’s median download speed ranged from 10.37 Mbps in North East to 21.49 Mbps in Jammu and Kashmir. However, by August 2023, the range of median download speeds widened significantly, with each circle clocking a speed of more than 28 Mbps. The North East saw a median download speed of 28.02 Mbps, while Jammu and Kashmir recorded a high of 150.95 Mbps.

Stark contrary to the past, in August 2023, Jammu and Kashmir emerged as the leader in mobile median download speeds at 150.96 Mbps, surpassing Bihar (73.00 Mbps) and Kolkata (66.47 Mbps). Jammu and Kashmir was one of the last states to launch a mobile network in 2003, and due to security concerns and internet shutdowns, there were occasional disruptions in mobile network services.

In terms of fast-paced 5G adoption, the report adds by August 2023, median 5G download speeds exceeded 240 Mbps across all telecom areas, with Kolkata leading the pack with a median download speed of 385.50 Mbps.

As 5G deployments continue in India, the number of subscribers keeps growing. Jio announced it has over 50 million customers, and Bharti Airtel claimed it had over 10 million 5G customers in June.

5G speeds in India are particularly impressive compared to those on 4G; in August 2023, for example, median download speeds on 5G were 2,003% faster than those on 4G, with 5G showing a median download speed of 316.24 Mbps compared to 14.97 Mbps on 4G, says the Ookla report.

Here are top-5 countries with fastest mobile speed as per Ookla :

* UAE
* Qatar
* Kuwait
* Norway
* Denmark

Source : Fortune India

Correct Answer :   Anirban Mukherjee

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PayU India's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Anirban Mukherjee has been promoted to the role of global CEO of PayU in a big management rejig on October 3, 2023.

"In his new role, Anirban will join the Prosus leadership team and report directly to Ervin Tu, Prosus and Naspers Interim CEO. He will be responsible for overall business operations of PayU," PayU said in a media statement.

This comes just two months after Netherlands-based investment firm Prosus announced that the fintech arm PayU is selling a part of its business to Israel’s Rapyd for $610 million.

PayU announced selling its Global Payments Organisation (GPO), which provides e-commerce payment solutions for global merchants in over 30 countries across Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe and Africa.

Laurent Le Moal who was the global CEO prior to Mukherjee's appointment will step back from the operational management of the day-to-day business but will remain with Prosus and PayU in an advisory capacity, the statement said.

In fact, PayU is looking to list in India sometime next year, sources said. The fintech firm is looking at a valuation of $6-6.5 billion. In 2022, PayU appointed former Nykaa Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Arvind Agarwal as its CFO in November 2022..

Source : Money Control

Correct Answer :   4th October

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World Animal Welfare Day is an annual event that is celebrated around the world on October 4th.

World Animal Welfare Day theme 2023 : The theme of World Animal Day 2023 is "Big or small, we love them all".

History of World Animal Welfare Day :

* Heinrich Zimmermann, a writer and editor of the German publication Man and Dog, came up with the concept for World Animal Day. On March 24, 1925, Zimmermann planned the inaugural World Animal Day event at the Sports Palace in Berlin, Germany.

* Records show that at than 5,000 people attended the occasion. Zimmermann devoted countless hours to advancing World Animal Day. At a Congress of the International Animal Protection Congress in Florence, Italy, in May 1931, his proposal to recognize October 4 as World Animal Day was overwhelmingly approved and enacted as a resolution.

* The World Animal Day website was introduced in 2003 by the UK-based animal protection organization Naturewatch Foundation in an effort to expand the event's audience.

World Animal Welfare Day significance :

* On this day, passionate animal supporters from all over the world join in a celebration of World Animal Day and contribute to the cause of animal protection and conservation in their own special ways. Every year, there is a noticeable increase in the number of people who participate in World Animal Day, with a wide range of motivational events taking place in numerous nations.

* Everywhere in the world, animal lovers are celebrating on this day. Together, we can promise to safeguard and conserve animals for future generations, and each of us can make a difference..

Source : Hindustan Times

Correct Answer :   Al Etihad Payments

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NPCI International Payments Limited, the international arm of National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI), is going to enter into an agreement with Al Etihad Payments to facilitate cross border transactions.

The MoU will be signed for the development of UAE's domestic card service based on India's RuPay debit and credit card stack.

This agreement will be signed in the presence of Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal.

Correct Answer :   Ajay Jadeja

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Former Indian batter Ajay Jadeja has been appointed as the Mentor of the Afghanistan Cricket Team for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 which will start on Thursday(5th Oct 2023) in India.

Ajay Jadeja has played 15 Test matches for India from 1992 to 2000, scoring 576 runs at 26.18 with 4 half-centuries to his name and a best of 96. He has also represented India in 196 One Day Internationals (ODIs) during the period, having scored 5359 runs at 37.47 with 6 hundred and 30 fifties to his name in the format, as per the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB).

He has also been part of 111 First Class and 291 List A games and has scored over 8000 runs in each format with 31 hundreds and 88 fifties combined in both formats of the game.

Currently, the Afghanistan Cricket team is in India getting ready for the World Cup. Their preparations, however, were hampered during the initial round of warm-up games when their match against South Africa was cancelled due to heavy rain in Thiruvananthapuram. Not a single ball was bowled.

Afghanistan will play their ICC Men's Cricket World Cup warm-up match against Sri Lanka in Guwahati on Tuesday (today) and they will start their World Cup campaign on October 7 in Dharamshala facing Bangladesh.

Afghanistan squad : Hashmatullah Shahidi, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rahmat Shah, Riaz Hassan, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil,Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Abdul Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-Ul-Haq

Reserves : Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Fareed Ahmad..

Source : Hindustan Times

Correct Answer :   Sachin Tendulkar

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The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday (3rd Oct 2023) named legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar as the 'Global Ambassador' for the Cricket World Cup 2023, which begins tomorrow in Ahmedabad.

Sachin, who has participated in a record six 50-over World Cups, will unveil the World Cup trophy before the inaugural match between England and New Zealand, thereby officially opening the tournament.

"From being a ball boy in 1987 to representing the country in six editions, World Cups have always held a special place in my heart. Winning the World Cup in 2011 is the proudest moment of my cricketing journey," Tendulkar said.

"With so many special teams and players set to compete fiercely in the World Cup here in India, I am eagerly looking forward to this fantastic tournament. Marquee events like the World Cup sow the seeds of dreams in young minds. I hope this edition too inspires young girls and boys to take up sports and represent their countries at the highest level," he added.

The largest Cricket World Cup ever will also feature an eclectic group of ICC ambassadors, including West Indies legend Vivian Richards, South Africa's AB de Villiers, England's World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan, Australia's Aaron Finch, Sri Lanka's spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan, New Zealand's Ross Taylor, India's Suresh Raina and former captain Mithali Raj, as well as Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez.

Claire Furlong, ICC General Manager for Marketing and Communications, said, "It's a real honour to have Sachin as our Global Ambassador as we celebrate the one-day game and prepare for what we know will be the largest Men's Cricket World Cup ever...

Source : Business Standard

Correct Answer :   12th to 14th October 2023

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The 50th India International Knit fair will be held from 12th to 14th October 2023 at the India Knit Fair Association complex (IKFA) in Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu.

The main theme of the fair is Active and Sportswear, Environmental Social Governance, Artificial Intelligence and digitalisation. Seventy exhibitors from Tiruppur, Chennai, Coimbatore, Karur, and Gujarat will take part in the fair.

Chairman of the Association, A. Sakthivel said  that the IKFA has tied up with Sourcing Consultants Association, Association of Buying Agents for Textiles, Brand Sourcing Leaders, and the NIFT Alumni. Leading buyers and their representatives from Europe, US, UK and other countries have been invited for the fair..

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Sikkim

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SBI Life Insurance Company has signed a bancassurance pact with the State Bank of Sikkim (SBS) at the bank's headquarters in Gangtok, Sikkim.

The landmark agreement highlights SBI Life's commitment to make insurance solutions accessible to the residents of Sikkim, through its trusted bancassurance partner.

Ensuring greater reach and penetration, the partnership will see extensive distribution network of the State Bank of Sikkim spread across the state offer SBI Life's diverse range of protection, wealth creation and savings insurance products to its customers.

This partnership will not only ensure easy accessibility of insurance products but will also empower the customers to address their complete financial needs under one roof.

SBI Life Insurance Company is carrying on business of life insurance and annuity. The Company’s life insurance business comprises of individual life and group business, including participating, non-participating, pension, group gratuity, group leave encashment, group superannuation, group immediate annuity, unit-linked insurance products, variable insurance products, health and micro insurance..

Source : Moneyworks4me

Correct Answer :   Assam

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The Assam government on Tuesday (3rd Oct 2023) said that it will conduct a socio-economic survey of the state's five indigenous Muslim communities so that measures can be taken for their upliftment.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma held a meeting with senior officials at the state secretariat regarding it.

The findings of the assessment will guide the state government to take suitable measures, aimed at comprehensive socio-political and educational upliftment of the indigenous minorities, it said.

The development comes a day after the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar released findings of its much-awaited caste survey, months ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, which revealed that OBCs and EBCs constitute 63 per cent of the state's total population..

Source : Business Standard

Correct Answer :   Jammu and Kashmir

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Basohli Pashmina, a more than 100-year-old traditional craft from Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district, has got the Geographical Indication (GI) tag, an official spokesman said on Tuesday (03 Oct 2023).

The Department of Industries and Commerce achieved the milestone in coordination with NABARD Jammu and Human Welfare Association, Varanasi, the spokesman said.

Earlier this year, the famed Basohli painting and Chikri wood from Rajouri district of Jammu division received the GI tag.

Basohli Pashmina, a hand-spun product known for extreme softness, fineness and light-weight, has insulating properties and extended life, the spokesman said, adding all these qualities make the Basohli Pashmina unique.

Pashmina products include shawls for both men and women, mufflers, blankets and basket.

Directorate of Handicrafts and Handloom Jammu initiated steps to revive the centuries old craft of Basohli Pashmina by setting up common facility centres for weavers, increasing the periphery of registered weavers as well as cooperative societies, developing clusters and providing benefits of various departmental schemes to them, the spokesman said.

GI tag is a name or a sign given to certain products related to specific geographical locations..

Source : Hindustan Times