Correct Answer :   ICFA and RAKEZ

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Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (RAKEZ) and the Indian Chamber of Food and Agriculture (ICFA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding.

Aim : To promote mutual growth and development in the food and agriculture sectors of the UAE and India

* The agreement strengthens the strategic collaboration between the two countries.

* The partnership aims to facilitate knowledge exchange, trade promotion, investment, and research and development collaboration.

* CA Harikishan Rankawat, President of the Federation of Indian Industry (Dubai Chapter) and Chairman of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (Dubai Chapter), expressed support for the collaboration, emphasizing their dedication to promoting trade and investments between the UAE and India.

* Leveraging their relationships with various industries in both countries, they aim to bring fresh perspectives and innovative ideas to the table.

* This MoU further strengthens the UAE-India relations, which have been elevated by the recent Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

* With over 4,000 Indian companies, including global giants like Mahindra, Ashok Leyland, and Dabur, already operating in RAKEZ, the collaboration with ICFA promises to boost Indian presence and investment in the UAE.

* The agreement serves as another milestone in the bilateral relationship between the two nations, amplifying the investment potential for Indian businesses in the UAE and solidifying the UAE's status as a preferred business hub for Indian enterprises..

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Iran

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Iran on Tuesday (4th July 2023) became the new permanent member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) at an India-hosted virtual summit of the grouping.

In his opening remarks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Iranian President "Ebrahim Raisi" and the people of Iran on the country becoming a full member of the influential grouping.

"I extend my congratulations to President Raisi and the people of Iran on this occasion. We also welcome the signing of the Memorandum of Obligation for Belarus' SCO membership," he said.

"The interest of other countries in joining SCO 4th July 2023 is a testament to the importance of this organisation," he said.

India hosted the summit in its capacity as the grouping's current chair.

The summit, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was joined by Chinese President Xi Jinping, his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif and other leaders of the grouping.

In his remarks, Raisi expressed hope that Iran's presence in the SCO will provide a platform for achieving collective security and sustainable development, as well as unity between the countries.

A declaration issued at the conclusion of the summit said the member states "stressed the historical significance of the admission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the SCO as a full member state".

"They also noted the importance of signing the Memorandum of Obligations by the Republic of Belarus to achieve the status of an SCO member state," it said.

The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017..

Source : NDTV

Correct Answer :   R. K. Singh

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Union Power Minister R. K. Singh has inaugurated the International Conference on Green Hydrogen 2023, which is being organized in New Delhi from 5-7 July 2023.

Aim : To discuss recent advances and emerging technologies in the entire green hydrogen value chain.

It is being organized by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, CSIR, and Office of Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India in collaboration with CII..

Source : Economic Timess

Correct Answer :   Harsh Chouhan

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Harsh Chouhan was “forced to resign” from his position as Chairperson of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) eight months before his tenure was supposed to end, the Congress party said on Tuesday (4th July 2023).

Congress general secretary for communications Jairam Ramesh said that Mr. Chouhan had been “boldly” confronting the Environment and Forests Ministry over what he termed the “dilution of forest laws” in the last two years.

https://t.co/6lN3A4dGZc

In February 2021, Harsh Chouhan was appointed as Chairperson of the National Commission on Scheduled Tribes (NCST), a Constitutional body. He has been taking — like many activists & I have done — very strong objections to the way forest laws have been…

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) July 4, 2023

Mr. Chouhan, a social worker who has been active in campaigns for Adivasis in Madhya Pradesh, was appointed as Chairperson of the NCST in February 2021. However, he sent his resignation to the President last month, and this has now been accepted.

While confirming that he had resigned as NCST chief, Mr. Chouhan himself refused to comment on his reasons for taking this step..

Source : TheHindu

Correct Answer :   Rajasthan

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Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday (4th July 2023) inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 11 National Highway projects worth Rs 5,600 crore in Rajasthan, which is envisioned to cut down the traffic inside the city.

The foundation stones for seven projects costing Rs 1,850 crore with a total length of 221 km were also laid. These projects will provide direct connectivity from the famous religious place Nathdwara to Udaipur airport.

The 6-laning project from Kishangarh to Gulbapura on the section of the National Highway 48 is likely to accelerate the economic and social development of the Ajmer and Bhilwara districts.

The 6-laning of the Gulabpura-Chittorgarh section is aimed at strengthening the mutual connectivity of the Udaipur, Jaipur and Kota regions of the Bhilwara and Chittorgarh districts.

The construction of a 4-lane Raod Over Bridge (ROB) on the National Highway 162A at Fatehnagar is intended to lean the traffic at the railway crossing.

Also, the construction of a high-level bridge on the Chambal River in Mandrayal under the Central Road & Infrastructure Fund (CRIF) was started on Tuesday (4th July 2023)..

Source : India Today

Correct Answer :   PM Prasad

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Coal India’s (CIL) newly-appointed chairman and managing director (CMD) PM Prasad on Saturday (1st July 2023), while assuming charge, said that uninterrupted coal supply to the power sector is among the top priorities of the public sector coal mining major, according to a company statement.

* “CIL would achieve the 780 million tonne (MT) output target of FY 2024 with all efforts and means available at its disposal,“ he said, adding that ensuring uninterrupted coal flow to the power sector is another priority area.

* Prior to taking charge as Coal India CMD, he led the Jharkhand based Central Coalfields Ltd, a Coal India, subsidiary, to its production target achievement in FY23.

* He has an over 30-year experience in the coal mining sector, and is a post-graduate in mining engineering from Indian School of Mines IIT Dhanbad. He succeeds Pramod Agrawal who stepped down on 30 June on attaining the age of superannuation.

* Prasad began his CIL career in 1984 as a management trainee at Western Coalfields Limited and served in different capacities across different CIL’s subsidiaries. He also had a three year stint in NTPC as Executive Director (coal mining).

* Meanwhile, Coal India’s production during Q1 FY 2024 shot up to 175.5 million tonne, the highest ever recorded during first quarter of any year, with a near 10% growth. Expansion in volume terms was 15.7 MTs which is significant as it came over a high base of 159.8 MT in similar quarter previous fiscal. Production for the month of June at 58 MT grew by 6.4 MTs posting a double digit growth of 12.4% compared to 51.6 MTs in June 2022..

Source : Mint

Correct Answer :   Debadatta Chand

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Debadatta Chand on Saturday (1st July 2023) assumed charge as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Bank of Baroda (BoB).

He has taken over charge from Sanjiv Chadha, whose tenure ended on June 30, 2023, BoB said in a statement.

Before he was appointed as MD, Chand was serving as the Executive Director at the bank since March 2021, it said.

In his role as Executive Director, he was overseeing corporate & institutional credit, corporate & institutional banking, treasury & global markets, mid-corporate business, and trade & foreign exchange..

Source : Moneycontrol

Correct Answer :   Gurugram

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The Startup20 Shikhar Summit, organized by the Startup20 Engagement Group under the India G20 Presidency, concluded 4th July 2023 in Gurugram with overwhelming success.

* This two-day summit served as a platform for fostering innovations,  collaborations, knowledge sharing, and strategic alliances within the global startup ecosystem.

* During the closing ceremony, Dr. Chintan Vaishnav, Chair of Startup20, officially handed over the torch to Brazil, as the country has G20 presidency for the next year and has committed to continue the Startup20 initiative in 2024.

* This continuations of Startup20 with the Brazil presidency a true success for the group and a milestone in the advancement of startup ecosystem worldwide.

* Highlighting the importance of Startup20, Saudi Arabia, represented by HRH Prince Fahad Bin Mansoor, emerged as the first country to endorse and support the Startup20's call to allocate an ambitious sum of $1 trillion per annum into the startup ecosystem by 2030.

* HRH made this announcement during his address at the Gurugram Shikhar Summit, recognizing the potential of startups in making startups a true force for the global  good.

* In his address, Dr. Chintan hailed this announcement as a momentous occasion at the Startup20 Gurugram Shikhar Summit, underscoring Saudi Arabia's steadfast dedication to fostering global innovation and entrepreneurship.

* He asserted, "By pledging support for the $1 trillion funding milestone, Saudi Arabia sets a precedent for other nations to follow, demonstrating their commitment to driving a disruptive innovation ecosystem and propelling the economic growth.

* Dr. Chintan also underscored the importance of specific action points outlined in the Policy Communiqué while  releasing the it officially.  The key action points in Policy Communiqué includes the creation and adoption of a definition framework for startups, creating a networked institution to support startups and ecosystem stakeholders across G20, increasing and diversifying access to capital, easing market regulations for startups, and prioritizing the inclusion of underrepresented communities within the startup ecosystem as well as the scaling up startups of global interest. These measures aim to foster a conducive environment that empowers startups to innovate, grow, and address global challenges effectively.

* The Startup20 Gurugram Shikhar Summit serves as a critical platform for startup ecosystem,  ecosystem builders, industry experts, Government, policymakers, and thought leaders to collaborate and shape the trajectory of startups on a global scale.

* The Policy Communiqué sets the direction for G20 countries to scout promising startups intensively, fund them collaboratively,  mentor them contextually and scale them globally.

* Beside, the Startup20 Gurugram summit also showcased some of the outstanding national and international startups showcases. The event also marked a vibrant evening of cultural showcases and performances..

Source : PIB

Correct Answer :   Atul Anand

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Vice Admiral Atul Anand on Monday (3rd July 2023) took over as Additional Secretary of the Department of Military Affairs, Ministry of Defence, Government of India. The post was previously held by Lt Gen Anil Puri, who superannuated on February 28, 2023.

Vice Admiral Atul Anand was commissioned into the executive branch of the Indian Navy on January 1, 1988.

He is an alumnus of National Defence Academy (71st Course, Delta Squadron), Defence Services Command and Staff College, Mirpur (Bangladesh) and National Defence College, New Delhi.

He has also attended the Advanced Security Cooperation course at the Asia Pacific Centre of Security Studies, Hawaii, USA..

Source : Economic Times

Correct Answer :   Gujarat

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The state-owned Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) has begun commercial operations of the first 700MW nuclear power reactor at the Kakrapar Atomic Power Project 4 (KAPP 4) in the Surat district in the Indian state of Gujarat, reported the Press Trust of India.

It is the country’s first indigenously developed nuclear power reactor. The power plant is located near the Mandvi and Tapi Rivers.

A senior official of NPCIL stated : “With great pleasure, this is to inform you that our first indigenous 700MWe unit, KAPP-3, has become commercial on 30 June 2023 at 10.00am.”

The official added that the unit is currently operating at 90% of its total power.

NPCIL is building two further 700MW pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs) at the site, which also houses two 220MW power plants.

Commissioning activities were already under way at KAPP 4, where 96% progress had been made by May 2023.

India plans to expand its nuclear power generation capacity from 6.7GW to 22.4GW by 2031. The two new PHWRs will be a major part of this expansion.

NPCIL is planning to build 16 more reactors across the country and has provided financial and administrative permissions..

Source : Power Technology