Correct Answer :   Madhya Pradesh

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Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections draw nearer, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced big benefits for women voters.

Citing the holy month of 'sawan', Chouhan increased the financial assistance provided to women under the Ladli Behna government scheme from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,250 per month.

He also announced 35% reservation for women in government jobs and the provision of petrol cylinders for Rs 450.

In Madhya Pradesh, women make up 7.07 lakh of the 13.39 lakh new voters and whose increase in electoral list numbers is at 2.79 per cent compared to 2.30 percent for men.

The MP assembly elections are anticipated to be held at the end of the year.

"Women will get cooking gas at Rs 450 in the holy month of Sawan. Later, a permanent system will be evolved in this regard. I have also transferred Rs 250 into the accounts of 1.25 crore women so that they can celebrate Rakhi (on Tuesday) well. The rest of the Rs 1,000 (under Ladli Behna Yojana) will be credited in September," he said.

Correct Answer :   Dr. Sonali Ghosh

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Sonali Ghosh, an Indian Forest Service (IFS) official, is scheduled to become the first woman to serve as field director of Assam’s Kaziranga National Park.

* The Assam government has already confirmed Sonali Ghosh’s nomination as the next field director of the famed Kaziranga National Park.

* The officer’s current post is Chief Conservator of Forests for Research, Education, and Work Plan.

* She is set to take over as director on 1st September 2023, after Jatindra Sarma, who is set to retire on 31 August 2023.

* Ghosh will be the first woman to head the park’s operations, despite the fact that women have been serving at the park for nearly a century.

* It should be noted that Kaziranga National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site and home to the biggest population of larger one-horned rhinos.

Correct Answer :   IDFC First Bank

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IDFC FIRST Bank has bagged the title rights for home international series of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), announced the Indian cricket board on 25 August 2023, adding the private lender would pay a sum of ₹4.2 crore per international game.

The BCCI said that the contract will commence for a three-year-long period starting from the three-match ODI series that India will host against Australia.

"The collaboration will kick off with the 3-match ODI series against Australia, scheduled to begin next month. This tournament will mark the beginning of an era where IDFC First and BCCI come together to create unparalleled experiences for cricket enthusiasts", said BCCI in a press release.

Earlier, the BCCI had issued an Invitation to Tender Title Sponsor Rights For BCCI Events (ITT), for which IDFC First Bank Limited was the successful bidder concerning the ITT process..


Source : Mint

Correct Answer :   Amit Shah

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Union Home and Co-operation Minister Amit Shah chaired the 26th Meeting of the Western Zonal Council at Gandhinagar, Gujarat (28th August 2023).

* The Minister also inaugurated an e-Resource web portal of the Inter-State Council Secretariat (28th August 2023).
 
* During the meeting, the Home Minister asked the Zonal Council member States to work sensitively on three issues of national importance - POSHAN Abhiyaan, reducing the dropout rate of school children and taking benefits of Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan ArogyaYojana to every poor.
 
* The Minister said after the passage of the three new Bills - Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita Bill, and Bharatiya Sakshya Bill - recently introduced by the Modi government in the Parliament, no case can continue for more than two years.

* The Home Minister asked all the States to work towards creating the necessary basic infrastructure and capacity for the implementation of these laws.
 

* Saying that Member States of the Western Zonal Council share long coastlines where there are highly sensitive institutions and industries, Mr Shah underpinned the need for sustained efforts towards ensuring tight security. The wide range of issues pertaining to as well as national interest was discussed in the meeting.
 
* Akashvani correspondent reports that critical Issues related to Transfer of land, water supply, Mines, Coverage of villages by Bank Branches and Postal Banking facilities, Implementation of the Scheme of Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) for expeditious disposal of rape and POCSO Act cases, Utilisation of Bharat Net infrastructure by States for providing broadband connectivity to households in villages, Adoption of Telecom RoW Rules by States for facilitating roll out of 5G, Implementation of Motor Vehicles Rules, 2022, Strengthening of Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) were among the critical issues discussed today.

* The meeting was attended by the Chief Ministers of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa and Administrator of Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra and other distinguished Ministers, and senior officers from the States and Central Ministries and Departments..


Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Ministry of Jal Shakti

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The Ministry of Jal Shakti released the report on the sixth census on minor irrigation schemes on Saturday (26th Aug 2023).

* 23.14 million minor irrigation (MI) schemes have been reported in the country, out of which 21.93 million are Ground Water (GW) and 1.21 million are Surface Water (SW) schemes.

* For the first time, the information about gender of the owner of MI scheme was also collected in case of individual ownership. Out of all the individually owned schemes, 18.1 per cent are owned by women.

* Uttar Pradesh possesses the largest number of MI schemes in the country followed by Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

* The same ranking of states follows for the GW schemes. Maharashtra leads in SW schemes followed by Karnataka, Telangana, Odisha and Jharkhand.

* The report also revealed that there has been an increase of about 1.42 million in MI schemes as compared to the previous census..

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Arjun Ram Meghwal

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Law and Justice Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal launched Tele-Law- 2.0 on Friday (25th Aug 2023) that Integrates Tele-Law and Nyaya Bandhu App to ensure access to Justice in New Delhi.

* This will enable the common citizen to access legal advice, legal assistance and legal representation through a single registration and single gateway of Tele-Law.

* Speaking on the occasion, Mr Meghwal said, the number of beneficiaries of the Tele-Law Scheme have reached 50 Lakhs.

* The integration of legal guidance, support, and representation through a single registration process stands as a testament to the commitment to nurture a digitally literate and empowered populace.

* The Minister called upon legal professionals to contribute pro bono services to ensure that no citizen is deprived of essential legal assistance..

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Gujarat

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The second G20-Chief Scientific Advisers’ Roundtable meeting officially began in Gujarat, Gandhinagar (28th Aug 2023) in August 2023.

Science advisors, Scientists, researchers from G20 countries, and invited countries will participate.

Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India Ajay K Sood, will address the meeting tomorrow (28th Aug 2023).

Themes Include :

* Opportunities in One Health
* Synergizing Global Efforts to Expand the Access to Scholarly Scientific Knowledge
* Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility in Science & Technology
* Institutional Mechanism for Inclusive Global S&T Policy Dialogue.

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Sri Lanka

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Sri Lanka hosted its very first Karnataka cultural festival on Friday (25th Aug 2023). It was organized by the International Cultural Council of India in collaboration with Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre and M.E Global Peace Foundation.

* The event showcased a mesmerizing lineup of performances by over 30 artists from Karnataka including dances, folk songs, multi-lingual poems, ballet, and captivating puppet shows.

* The programme featured the essence of Karnataka's heritage, with the spotlight on talented artists like Madhuri Bondre and her troupe.

* The event celebrated cultural diversity and marked a significant moment in the shared cultural heritage of India and Sri Lanka..


Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   India

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India has handed over the B20 presidency to Brazil to host G20 in 2024. B20 India Chair N Chandrasekaran said that India's B20 Presidency under the its G20 Presidency worked under the theme of Vasaudeva Katumbakam (One Earth, One Family, One Future).

He said, it is being attended by over one thousand 500 global business delegates and experts across 55 countries.

Mr Chandrasekaran said, during this period we worked on nine important themes which included empowerment of women and youth, transition towards an Artificial Intelligence world, building a global resilient supply chain and financing for the global economic recovery.

He said, the presidency of India's B20 has been recognized for its effective process, engagement, and consensus-building in generating 54 policy recommendations over the last nine months..

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Zimbabwe

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Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa was re-elected for a second and final five-year term in August 2023.

* Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa was re-elected for a second and final term in an election marred by widespread allegations that the governing party, ZANU-PF had committed fraud.

* Mnangagwa’s victory over his closest competitor, Nelson Chamisa after his first full term in office, strengthened ZANU-PF 's grip on power. Zimbabwe has over the past two decades suffered under disastrous economic policies that have led to soaring prices, high unemployment, and a medical system lacking basic drugs and equipment.

* With Mnangagwa, 80, winning another five years in office, Zimbabwe is likely to continue to struggle to break out of its isolation from Western nations, which have demanded greater democracy and respect for human rights in exchange for helping it grapple with USD 18 billion in debt.

* The South African nation of 16 million, has a history of election irregularities, and such tactics helped Robert Mugabe, a liberation leader turned autocrat, maintain power for nearly four decades..

Source : AIR