Correct Answer :   Anurag Thakur

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Sports Minister Anurag Singh Thakur 27th July 2023 inaugurated the Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships 2023 in Greater Noida. The event is being held in India for the first time.

The international event will see the participation of more than 30 Indian weightlifters, including many Khelo India Athletes who in the past month alone gave India its best-ever performance at the Weightlifting Commonwealth Championships by winning 61 medals in total.
 
In his address, Mr Thakur expressed happiness that India is hosting this prestigious event where more than 15 nations from the Asian region, 200 athletes, and more than 50 technical staff and coaches are participating.

He said, events like these are the bedrock for future sporting successes. He conveyed best wishes to all the athletes participating in this event.

The Minister also spoke about the achievements of various iconic Indian weightlifters such as Karnam Malleshwari, and Mirabai Chanu who inspire younger athletes to compete with more power.

He also congratulated the new crop of athletes like Martina Devi, Harshada Garud, and Dhanush Loganathan who in the past have won multiple Khelo India Games medals and other medals at the highest level.
 
The Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships will begin 28th July 2023and will conclude on the 5th of August 2023..

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Niger

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Niger President Mohamed Bazoum has been removed from power, according to a group of soldiers who appeared on the West African nation's national television late on Wednesday (26th July 2023), hours after the president was held in the presidential palace.

Reading from a statement, Colonel Amadou Abdramane, seated and flanked by nine other officers, said defence and security forces had decided: "Put an end to the regime that you know due to the deteriorating security situation and bad governance."

Abdramane said Niger's borders are closed, a nationwide curfew declared, and all institutions of the republic are suspended.

The soldiers warned against any foreign intervention, adding that they will respect Bazoum's wellbeing.

The military takeover, which marks the seventh coup in the West and Central Africa region since 2020, could further complicate Western efforts to help countries in the Sahel region fight a jihadist insurgency that has spread from Mali over the past decade.

Land-locked Niger, a former French colony, has become a pivotal ally for Western powers seeking to help fight the insurgencies, but they are facing growing acrimony from the new juntas in charge in Mali and Burkina Faso.

Niger is also a key ally of the European Union in the fight against irregular migration from sub-Saharan Africa.

France moved troops to Niger from Mali last year after its relations with interim authorities there soured. It has also withdrawn special forces from Burkina Faso amid similar tensions.

Bazoum's election was the first democratic transition of power in a state that has witnessed four military coups since independence from France in 1960.

The United States says it has spent around $500 million since 2012 to help Niger boost its security. Germany announced in April that it would take part in a three-year European military mission aimed at improving the country's military.

"Bazoum has been the West's only hope in the Sahel region. France, the U.S. and the EU have spent much of their resources in the region to bolster Niger and its security forces," said Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel programme for Germany's Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung think-tank.

He said a coup would create an opportunity for Russia and other actors to spread their influence in Niger..

Source : Reuters

Correct Answer :   New Delhi

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Shri Alok Sharma, Director General Postal Services & Lt Gen Rajinder Dewan, Quartermaster General jointly inaugurated first Permanent Aadhaar Enrolment Centre (PAEC) for Army at 1 Central Base Post Office (CBPO), New Delhi on July 25, 2023. Maj Gen M K Khan, Addl DG APS, was also present.

The PAEC will facilitate Aadhaar related services (enrolment and updation) for tri-services personnel (Defence & civil) and their dependents through their Field Post Offices (FPO) in 48 identified locations in the country. All Command HQs, Corps HQs and selected FPOs are identified for establishment of PAEC services.

Department of Posts (DoP) and UIDAI, have supported immensely for establishment of these PAEC in terms of training, equipment’s and tech support. These 48 PAEC will be functional in both Field and Peace locations.

Director General Postal Services & QMG conveyed their best wishes to Army Postal Service Corps for this new service. They also expressed that expansion of this service through more FPOs in near future will facilitate troops to get user friendly government service in their vicinity.

QMG, Addl DG APS, Officers & Other Ranks of APS have conveyed their sincere gratitude to DoP for this initiative to introduce Aadhaar service in Army through FPOs..

Source : PIB

Correct Answer :   R Seshasayee

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Asian Paints on Tuesday (25th July 2023) announced that its board approved the appointment of R Seshasayee, as the chairman of the board and the company, with effect from October 1, 2023. He will continue to hold the position till January 22, 2027.

Seshasayee will replace Deepak Satwalekar, whose term ends on September 30.

The paint major, in a regulatory filing, said, considering the impending retirement of Deepak Satwalekar as an Independent Director of the company, the Board of Directors at their meeting held today (25th July 2023) have appointed R Seshasayee, Independent Director, as the Chairman of the board and the company with effect from October 1, 2023 upto the conclusion of his term of appointment on January 22, 2027.

"The Board of Directors and the entire Asian Paints family places on record, a deep sense of appreciation for the long-standing leadership and contribution from Deepak Satwalekar towards the success of the company"

According to the details, Seshasayee was the managing director of Ashok Leyland Limited from 1998 to 2011, the Executive Vice Chairman from 2011 to 2013 and the Non-Executive Vice Chairman from 2013 to 2016.

He was also the Non-Executive Chairman of IndusInd Bank from 2007 to 2019. He has served as an Independent Director on the Boards of various companies, including ICICI Bank and Infosys Ltd (Chairman from 2015 to 2017). He was the President of Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers during 2001- 2003 and President of Confederation of Indian Industry during the year 2006-2007.

Seshasayee was appointed as an Independent Director of Asian Paints Limited on January 23, 2017. He is the Chairman of the Investment Committee and the member of the Audit Committee and the Nomination and Remuneration Committee of the Board of Directors of Asian Paints Limited..

Source : Business Today

Correct Answer :   Amit Shah

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah will launch a virtual platform, part of the unique initiative of 'Mera Gaon Meri Dharohar' under the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav', on Thursday (27th July 2023) at Qutub Minar in New Delhi, the Ministry of Culture said.

The ministry has initiated 'Mera Gaon Meri Dharohar' (MGMD), a pan-India project under the National Mission on Cultural Mapping in coordination with the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA).

The main objective of the project is to culturally map India's 6.5 lakh villages, spanning 29 states and 7 Union territories, on a comprehensive virtual platform, the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday (26th July 2023).

Shah will officially launch the virtual platform during a grand projection mapping show at the Qutub Minar slate at 7 pm on Thursday (27th July 2023). The platform will connect people with villages of India, it said..

Source : Economic Times

Correct Answer :   India AI and Meta

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In order to foster collaboration in the field of AI and Emerging Technologies, ‘India AI’ – an IBD under Digital India Corporation and Meta, India have signed an MoU here 26th July 2023.

The MoU was signed by Shri Abhishek Singh, CEO of India AI, and Shri Shivnath Thukral, Director & Head of Public Policy, Meta in India.

The objective of the MoU is to establish a framework for collaboration and cooperation between ‘India AI’ and Meta in the field of Artificial Intelligence & Emerging Technologies including to make Meta’s open-source AI models available for use by Indian AI ecosystem.

Shri Abhishek Singh, CEO of ‘India AI’ stated, “India is at the forefront of adopting digital technologies and it is evident that AI and Emerging Technologies will play a pivotal role in expanding the advantages of technology to a broader population. Through this partnership with Meta, the joint research and development endeavours will tackle large-scale challenges by leveraging cutting-edge AI technologies like Llama and other open-source solutions.”

Sir Nick Clegg, President, Global Affairs, Meta opined, “Meta’s open approach to AI innovation is complementary to India’s leadership on digital issues. Giving businesses, startups and researchers access to these technologies can open up a world of social and economic opportunities. ‘India AI’ is an exciting programme and with close collaboration between government and industry, we can strengthen India’s digital leadership and help to ensure AI tools are built for India’s unique needs.”

‘India AI’ and Meta have entered into a collaboration aimed at advancing research and development in AI & Emerging Technologies, seeking breakthroughs in AI technology and its applications. Additionally, both organisations may also consider establishing a Centre of Excellence to nurture the startup ecosystem of AI & other Emerging Technologies.

Leveraging Meta's AI research models like LlaMA, Massively Multilingual Speech, and No Language Left Behind, the partnership will focus on building datasets in Indian Languages to enable translation and large language models, with priority given to low-resource languages. This effort will foster social inclusion, improve government service delivery, and spur innovation using large language models, Generative AI, cognitive systems, and translation models.

Furthermore, ‘India AI’ and Meta will strive to enhance accessibility to AI compute resources for researchers, startups, and organizations with limited resources. Knowledge sharing and collaboration in AI & Emerging Technologies will be facilitated through workshops, seminars, conferences, and similar platforms.

Both organisations are dedicated to developing programs and initiatives that enhance AI & Emerging Technologies skills and expertise among researchers, professionals and students in India, contributing to the growth of AI talent in the country.

Additionally, ‘India AI’ and Meta share a common goal of raising awareness about AI's potential benefits and risks among various stakeholders, including policymakers, businesses, civil society, and the general public. They will also work together to promote responsible AI practices through the collaborative development of comprehensive tools and guidelines..

Source : PIB

Correct Answer :   22 Countries

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The Reserve Bank has permitted 20 banks operating in the country to open 92 Special Rupee Vostro Accounts (SRVAs) of partner banks from 22 countries as part of efforts to promote bilateral trade in local currencies, the government said on Wednesday (26th July 2023).

In a written reply to Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Parkash also informed that an MoU has been signed between the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Central Bank of UAE on July 15.

This would enable exporters and importers to invoice and pay in their respective domestic currencies enabling the development of a bilateral foreign exchange market.

As on July 23, 20 banks in India have been permitted to open SRVAs of partner banks from 22 countries, including Bangladesh, Belarus, Botswana, Fiji, Germany, Guyana and Israel.

Other countries are Kazakhstan, Kenya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Myanmar, New Zealand, Oman, Russia, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, and United Kingdom.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Anupriya Patel said India's exports rose by 36.6 per cent during the last five years from USD 330.07 billion in 2018-19 to USD 450.95 billion in 2022-23.

India's imports rose by 38.8 per cent during the last five years from USD 514.07 billion in 2018-19 to USD 714.04 billion in 2022-23..

Source : Economic Times

Correct Answer :   MRPL

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The Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL), a mini-Ratna CPSE PSU refinery based in coastal Karnataka and a subsidiary of ONGC, has become the single largest PSU-refinery (single location) in the country for the year 2022-23, a release from the company said here Wednesday (26th July 2023).

MRPL achieved this feat by processing 17.14 million metric tonnes of crude oil during the past financial year. This is also the highest-ever throughput processed by any single-location PSU refinery in India's petroleum refining history.

MRPL processes 10 per cent of the total crude oil refined by the PSU petroleum refineries in the country.

Set up as a joint venture refinery in 1988 with a 3.69 MMTPA (million metric tonnes per annum) capacity, MRPL later underwent a second and third-phase expansion to raise its capacity to 15 MMTPA.

The refinery configuration has a Nelson Complexity Index of 11.3, one of the highly complex PSU refineries. The MRPL petrochemical intensity is currently at 9.5 per cent, aiming to reach 15 per cent in the medium term.

 The Nelson Complexity Index (NCI) refers to the types of petroleum products can be produced by a refinery. Measured on a scale from 1 to 20, the higher the value on the NCI, the more sophisticated and complex products the refinery can produce. As for petrochemical intensity, it refers to the percentage of crude oil converted directly into chemicals used to make plastic and other materials.

MRPL can process more than 250 different types of crude from around the world. Crudes from the Middle East, South Asia, Europe, Russia, Africa, South America and the US are the major ones processed in the MRPL..

Source : Business Standard

Correct Answer :   27 July 2023

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The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), observed its 85th Raising Day on 27 July 2023. The day celebrates the immense and unparalleled contribution of the force in upholding the unity, integrity, and sovereignty of the nation.



CRPF is India’s largest Central Armed Police Force, which operates under the authority of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

On its 85th Raising Day, the CRPF is paying tribute to its martyrs and reaffirming its commitment to protect the nation. The force is also organizing a number of events to mark the occasion, including a parade, a wreath-laying ceremony, and a blood donation camp.

The events that are being organized to mark the 85th Raising Day of the CRPF :

* A parade will be held at the CRPF’s headquarters in Delhi.
* A wreath-laying ceremony will be held at the National Police Memorial in Delhi.
* A blood donation camp will be organized at all CRPF camps across the country.
* A number of cultural events will be organized, including a music concert and a dance performance.
* The 85th Raising Day of the CRPF is a proud moment for the force and for the nation. The CRPF has played a vital role in protecting the nation, and it continues to be a symbol of strength and resilience.

History of CRPF :

* CRPF came into existence as the ‘Crown Representative’s Police’ on 27 July 1939. After Independence, it became the Central Reserve Police Force on the enactment of the ‘CRPF Act’ on 28 December 1949, which constituted CRPF as an armed force of the Union.
* After Independence, CRPF contingents were tasked to check infiltration and trans-border crimes in Kutch, Rajasthan, and Sindh borders. They were, subsequently, deployed on the Pakistan border in Jammu & Kashmir following Pakistan’s infiltration.
* During the 1962 Indo-China war, the force once again assisted the Indian Army in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. Further, in the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak wars, CRPF provided shoulder-to-shoulder support to the Indian Army, both on the Western and Eastern borders.
* CPRF was the first paramilitary force in India, which sent its forces in the United Nations Peacekeeping Missions. For the first time, 13 companies of CRPF including a detachment of women were airlifted to join the Indian Peacekeeping Force in Sri Lanka to fight the militant cadres.
* CRPF personnel were also sent to Haiti, Namibia, Somali, Maldives, Kosovo and Liberia to deal with the law and order situation there, as a part of another UN Peacekeeping Mission.

Correct Answer :   New Delhi

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The  Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers in association with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) is organizing the 3rd edition of the Summit on “Global Chemicals and Petrochemicals Manufacturing Hubs in India” (GCPMH 2023) on 27th – 28th July 2023 at New Delhi.

Union Minister of Finance Smt. Nirmala Sitaraman will inaugurate the two days Summit on Chemicals and Petrochemicals Manufacturing Hubs 2023 27th July 2023.

Senior Officers of Central Ministries/Departments, Senior Captains of the Industry, Academicians, Policy makers and others with interest in the emerging opportunities in the Indian Chemical & Petrochemical Industry will also present on this occasion.

Also, Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, will address the gathering on 28th July 2023 in the Valedictory Session in the presence of MoS for Chemicals and Fertilizers and New & Renewable Energy Shri Bhagwant Khuba.

Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution Shri Piyush Goyal will also attend  the “Session 4: FTAs – Connecting the world - Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam: One Earth, One Family, One Future” as a Chief Guest in to be convened on Thursday evening  at 6 PM.

During the second day of the summit, Minister of State (IC) of Science & Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh will attend “Session 6: Fuelling R & D, Skill Development and Innovation in CPC Industry” to be convened on 28th July 2023.

The summit will bring together global leaders, CEOs, government authorities, key industry players, state governments and subject matter experts from around the globe in an open dialogue to discuss the key developments, sectoral issues and the way forward with respect to Indian chemicals and petrochemicals industry.

It will help to develop possible strategies, sharing insights, exploring opportunities and addressing challenges which will shape the Chemicals and Petrochemicals Industry in India and across the world in the next decade.

The Chemical and Petrochemical Industry is a key contributor to the social and economic development of our country. The chemical industry is a knowledge intensive as well as capital-intensive industry and occupies a pivotal position in meeting basic needs and improving quality of life. The industry is the main stay of industrial and agricultural development of the country and provides key building blocks to several downstream industries. It is pertinent to mention that India has emerged as one of the favorite destination for investment in chemical and petrochemical sector.

To seize the opportunity to establish India as a leading chemicals & petrochemicals manufacturing hub, Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals has been organizing the “Global Chemicals and Petrochemicals Manufacturing Hubs” (GCPMH) Summit biennially since 2019. The Summit is one of the largest composite biennial event for promotion of Chemical and petrochemical manufacturing hubs in India..

Source : PIB