Correct Answer :   March 30

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National Doctor’s Day 2024 is celebrated on March 30th each year to honor physicians and the contributions they make to society. On this day, people can express their gratitude and appreciation to doctors for their hard work, dedication, and compassion on behalf of patients, colleagues, and communities. The opportunity to recognize the critical role physicians play in preserving and enhancing public health and well-being is presented by National Doctors Day in 2024.

National Doctor's Day 2024 Theme :

* The website of National Doctors revealed the 2024 theme which is “Wings & Stethoscopes: Healers of Hope."

* “This year’s (2024) theme, “Wings & Stethoscopes: Healers of Hope," reflects the idea that doctors selflessly and tirelessly work to lift America’s families through two powerful symbols. The first is the ubiquitous stethoscope hanging from the shoulders of doctors, ready to spring into action.

* The second symbol is the caduceus, two snakes winding around a winged staff in a nod to Asclepius, the Greek god of healing and medicine," it said in a statement.

National Doctor's Day 2024 History :

* National Doctors' Day has its origins in recognition of the first use of general anesthesia in surgery by Dr. Crawford W. Long in 1842.

* In 1933, the inaugural National Doctors' Day was observed in Winder, Georgia, the location of Dr. Long's medical clinic. President George H. W. Bush issued a proclamation in 1991 declaring March 30th to be National Doctors' Day in the US..

Source : Mint

Correct Answer :   New Delhi

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Earlier this month (Mar 2024), Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda inaugurated a Krishi Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) set up at Krishi Bhavan in New Delhi, a big-screen dashboard of all digital innovations in the sector. Officials described the ICCC as a “significant leap forward” in leveraging technology for the advancement of agricultural practices.

What is the Krishi ICCC?

* The ICCC is a tech-based solution involving multiple IT applications and platforms, which is designed to help in making informed decisions. The centre is housed in the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, which is responsible for legislation, policy formation, and implementation of initiatives in the agriculture sector.

* The ICCC uses state of the art technologies such as artificial intelligence, remote sensing, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to collect and process large amounts of granular data — on temperatures, rainfall, wind speed, crop yields and production estimations — and presents it in graphical format.

What do you get as the visual output?

* On eight large, 55-inch LED screens installed at the ICCC, you can see information on crop yields, production, drought situation, cropping patterns (geographic region-wise and year-wise) in map, timeline, and drill-down views.

* You can also see the relevant trends (periodic and non-periodic), outliers, and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and receive insights, alerts, and feedback on agriculture schemes, programmes, projects, and initiatives.

* The ICCC uses platforms including the Krishi Decision Support System (DSS) to collect micro-level data, process it, and present the macro picture.

* The ICCC has a contact centre and a helpdesk facility, with the operator’s handset capable of being converted into a call centre. If needed, farmer beneficiaries can interact directly with officials or the Minister through video conferencing facilities.

What is the objective of the ICCC?

* The ICCC will enable comprehensive monitoring of the farm sector by making available at one place geospatial information received from multiple sources, including remote sensing; plot-level data received through soil survey; weather data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD); sowing data from Digital Crop Survey; farmer- and farm-related data from Krishi MApper, an application for geo-fencing and geo-tagging of land; market intelligence information from the Unified Portal for Agricultural Statistics (UPAg); and yield estimation data from the General Crop Estimation Survey (GCES).

* The integrated visualisation of the data will enable quick and efficient decision-making by the The ICCC ecosystem can be linked with the PM-Kisan chatbot going forward.

Correct Answer :   Luis Montenegr

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After eight years of Socialist rule in Portugal, Luis Montenegro, leader of the centre-right Democratic Alliance (AD), has been appointed as the new prime minister. However, his minority government faces challenges due to his refusal to ally with the far-right Chega party.

Fragile Minority Government

Challenges and Opposition

Montenegro’s Agenda and Leadership

Immediate Tests and Future Prospects

Background and Resignation of António Costa

Correct Answer :   Sharafuddaulah Ibne Shahid

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Bangladesh’s Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid on Thursday (28th Mar 2024) became the first from his country to be inducted into the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires while India’s Nitin Menon entered the top tier for an unprecedented fifth time.

* Indore-based Menon, who joined the elite panel at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, remains the only Indian in the 12-member club.

* The 40-year-old is only the third Indian to be part of the elite panel after S Ravi and former India spinner S Venkataraghavan, who performed on-field duties in 33 and 73 Tests respectively.

* Menon has been an on-field umpire in 23 Tests, 58 ODIs and 41 T20s (122 overall) and is expected to surpass Venkataraghavan’s overall match tally of officiating in 125 games in the T20 World Cup in the USA and Caribbean.

* Menon had also realised his dream of officiating in the Ashes last year.

* On the other hand, Bangladesh’s Sharfuddoula was elevated from the ICC International Panel of Umpires, replacing the now-retired Marais Erasmus.

* Sharfuddoula has been on the International Panel since 2006 and his first international appointment was an ODI between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka at Mirpur in January 2010.

* He has been an on-field umpire in 10 Tests, 63 ODIs and 44 T20Is. He has also featured on-field in 13 women’s ODIs and 28 T20Is.

* “It is a great honour to be named on the ICC Elite Panel. To be the first from my country on the panel makes it extra special and I look forward to justifying the faith shown in me. I have had a fair bit of experience over the years and am ready for more challenging assignments,” said Sharfuddoula..

Source : News18

Correct Answer :   Mexico

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According to Mexico's National Disaster Mitigation Center, Popocatepetl volcano erupted several times last month.

The Popocatepetl volcano is located just 50 miles from the country's capital. Mexico is a country located in the southern part of North America. It is the 13th largest country in the world in terms of area.     

Correct Answer :   Kamal Kishore

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Kamal Kishore, a top official of India's National Disaster Management Authority, has been appointed by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as his Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction.

The 55-year-old Kishor will serve as the Assistant Secretary-General and Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).    

Correct Answer :   USA

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Recently, a major accident occurred in the city of Baltimore, Maryland, USA, when a big cargo ship from Singapore collided with the 'Francis Scott Key Bridge' and the bridge broke and fell into the water.

This bridge was built in the year 1977 on the Patapsco River in Baltimore city. 

Correct Answer :   Ritu Raj Awasthi

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Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi on Wednesday (27th Mar 2024) was sworn-in as the judicial member, Lokpal. The oath was administered by Justice A. M. Khanwilkar, Chairperson, Lokpal of India.

Additionally, Pankaj Kumar and Ajay Tirkey took oath as member, Lokpal.

The new appointments took place as two existing Judicial Members namely Justice P. K. Mohanty and Justice Abhilasha Kumari and three Members namely D. K. Jain, Archana Ramasundaram and Mahender Singh completed their tenure in Lokpal on March 26, 2024.

Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, before joining as Judicial Member, Lokpal of India, was serving as the Chairperson of 22nd Law Commission of India. Before that, he was Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court.

Pankaj Kumar is a 1986 batch IAS officer from Gujarat cadre. Before joining as Member of Lokpal of India, he was serving as Chief Secretary of Gujarat.

Ajay Tirkey is a 1987 batch IAS officer from Madhya Pradesh cadre. Before joining as Member of Lokpal of India, he was serving as Secretary of Department of Land Resources, Government of India.

Praveen Kumar Srivastava, Central Vigilance Commissioner and other senior officials of CBI and ED also attended the ceremony..

Source : DD News

Correct Answer :   HPCL and Tata

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Tata Passenger Electric Mobility (TPEM), a unit of Tata Motors, has announced a strategic partnership with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) to establish a nationwide network of 5,000 public charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs) by the end of 2024.

Leveraging Existing Networks :

* The collaboration will leverage HPCL’s extensive network of over 21,500 fuel stations across the country.
* TPEM’s insights from over 1.2 lakh Tata EVs on Indian roads will help identify locations frequently visited by Tata EV owners for setting up charging stations.

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) :

* TPEM and HPCL have signed an MoU to formalize their collaboration in building the charging infrastructure.
* The companies are also exploring the introduction of a co-branded RFID card to provide a convenient and hassle-free payment system for EV charging.

HPCL’s EV Charging Ambitions :

* HPCL aims to install 5,000 electric vehicle charging stations by December 2024, leveraging its extensive fuel station network.

Strategic Importance

* TPEM Chief Strategy Officer Balaje Rajan emphasized the partnership’s significance in advancing India’s EV ecosystem, where the growth of charging infrastructure plays a pivotal role.
* The collaboration is essential for facilitating infrastructure development to support the expanding EV customer base.

Enabling Strategic Expansion

* HPCL Chief General Manager (Retail Strategy & BD) Debashis Chakraverty stated that the alliance will enable the PSU to leverage Tata Motors’ vehicle base for strategic expansion in EV charging infrastructure at locations with higher charging demand.

The HPCL-Tata collaboration represents a significant step towards building a robust and widespread EV charging network in India, addressing one of the key challenges in the adoption of electric vehicles. By combining their strengths and resources, the partners aim to accelerate the transition to sustainable mobility and support the growth of the EV ecosystem in the country.

Correct Answer :   Nidhu Saxena

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The central government has approved the appointment of Nidhu Saxena as the Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer (MD & CEO) of the Bank of Maharashtra. This appointment will be effective for a period of three years starting from 27 March 2024.

Nidhu Saxena will take over the top leadership role at the Bank of Maharashtra from A.S. Rajeev, who has been selected as the Vigilance Commissioner in the Central Vigilance Commission. The appointment is subject to further orders and will remain in effect until the earlier of three years or until further instructions are issued.

Seasoned Banking Professional :

* Nidhu Saxena brings with him over 26 years of experience in the banking sector, having worked across diverse areas.
* Prior to this appointment, he served as the Executive Director at Union Bank of India.
* During his tenure at Union Bank, Saxena oversaw crucial verticals such as treasury, international banking, human resources, stressed assets, retail assets, MSME, retail liabilities, and audit.

Educational Background :

* Nidhu Saxena holds a Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com) degree, a Master of Business Administration (MBA), and is a Certified Associate of the Indian Institute of Bankers (CAIIB).

Diverse Experience

* Saxena’s banking career commenced at Bank of Baroda, after which he moved to UCO Bank.
* He has held key positions such as Branch Head, Zonal Head, and Vertical Head.
* Saxena has also served on the boards of Union Bank of India (UK) and Union Asset Management Company, as well as being a member of the Academic Council of the National Institute of Bank Management, Pune, and the Governing Body of the Indian Institute of Bank Management, Guwahati.
* Additionally, he has 8 years of experience in the corporate sector before embarking on his banking journey.

Bank of Maharashtra :

* Bank of Maharashtra is a public sector bank in India, with the Government of India holding an 86.46% stake in the bank as of 30 September 2023.

Nidhu Saxena’s extensive banking experience and leadership skills are expected to contribute significantly to the growth and success of Bank of Maharashtra in the years to come.