Correct Answer :   Kerala

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* Union Minister for Health, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya has unveiled the 5th State Food Safety Index on the occasion of World Food Safety Day 2023.

* Among the larger states, Kerala secured the top ranking, followed by Punjab and Tamil Nadu.

* Smaller states : Goa, Manipur and Sikkim

* UTs : J&K, Delhi and Chandigarh

* The index has evaluated the performance of states and UTs across six different aspects of food safety.

* He has also unveiled Rapid Food Testing Kit (RAFT) portal..

Source : PIB

Correct Answer :   Rs 89,047 crore

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Union Cabinet has approved the third revival package for BSNL with the total outlay of Rs. 89,047 crore. With this revival package the authorized capital of BSNL will increase from Rs. 1,50,000 crore to Rs. 2,10,000 crore.

* BSNL connects the most remote parts of India and powers many government-run facilities. If private companies flounder, BSNL is the only alternative for the government.Also BSNL plays a vital role in advancing the government’s rural broadband agenda.

* Centre approves 3rd revival package for BSNL worth Rs 89,047 crores.

Aim : The aim of this revival package is to help emerge BSNL as a stable telecom service provider focused on providing connectivity to remotest parts of India.The package will be utilised for enhancing BSNL’s 4G and 5G services.

Previous revival package :

* Government had approved the first revival package for BSNL/MTNL in 2019 which amounted to Rs. 69,000 Crore and brought stability in BSNL/MTNL.

* Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited.

* In 2022, Government approved second revival package for BSNL/MTNL amounting to Rupees 1.64 Lakh Crore.

* It provided financial support for capex(capital expenditure), viability gap funding for rural landlines, financial support for de-stressing the balance sheet, merger of BBNL(Bharat Broadband Network Limited) with BSNL, etc.

* As a result of these two packages, BSNL has started earning operating profits since FY 2021-22. Total debt of BSNL has reduced from Rs. 32,944 Crore to Rs. 22,289 Crore.

About BSNL :  BSNL was established in 2000 and is one of the largest telecommunications service providers in India. It offers a wide range of services including landline, mobile, broadband and enterprise solutions.

Correct Answer :   India

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For BIMSTEC energy cooperation, BIMSTEC Energy Center will be set up in India by the end of 2023. This center will act as the secretariat of BIMSTEC energy cooperation. BIMSTEC Secretary General Tenzin Lekfel announced this in Dhaka on 6th June 2023.

* BIMSTEC is an international organization of seven South Asian and South East Asian countries. 

* State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam was also present there.

* Bimstec, or the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, was established on June 6, 1997 with the signing of the Bangkok Declaration.

* Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand are the founding members while Myanmar joined a few months later in December of that year. Bhutan and Nepal became members in February 2004.

* June 6 is celebrated as Bimstec Day.

* The Bimstec secretary general said the three key components to realize the inter-grid connection, namely the Bimstec Energy Master Plan; Bimstec Policy for Transmission of Electricity; and the Policy for Trade, Exchange of Electricity and Tariff Mechanism are in the process of being completed soon..

Source : Dhaka Tribune

Correct Answer :   West Bengal

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The West Bengal government has launched buses with air purifiers in the state capital, Kolkata, to bring down pollution levels in the city, said the state’s pollution control board.

* The Bus Roof Mounted Air Purification System (BRMAPS), named ‘Suddha Vayu’, is the first of its kind in India, said a statement issued by the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB).

* “We have launched 20 such buses. It is a part of a pilot project in collaboration with scientists from IIT Delhi. We need to check the seasonal variations of the pollution levels and how the devices perform,” said Kalyan Rudra, chairman, WBPCB.

* The BRMAPS will also be fitted with sensors to measure the air quality of the ambient air – such as levels of particulate matter (fine inhalable particles measuring 7 - 30 times finer than the thickness of a human hair) on a real time basis, as the vehicle moves along the road.

* The air purifiers are fitted with high efficiency particulate absorbing filters and activate carbon filters to bring down levels of polluting gases and suspended particles by around 90%, it said.

* The real-time data will be sent to the Integrated Command and Control Centre of the WBPCB for further evaluation. Everyday pollution levels would be monitored for around 8 – 20 hours depending upon the time for which the bus plies.

* The air-conditioned buses have also been fitted with a Bus Inside Air Purification System (BIAPS) to clean up the air circulating inside the buses. Commuters would be able to breathe at least 50% cleaner air..

Source: Hindustan Times

Correct Answer :   USD 858 Million

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Bangladesh and the World Bank on Wednesday (7th June 2023) signed two financing agreements totaling USD 858 million to enhance climate-resilient agricultural growth, food security, and improve road safety.

* The agreement was signed by Secretary, Economic Relations Division, Government of Bangladesh Sharifa Khan and World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan Abdoulaye Seck on behalf of Bangladesh and the World Bank, respectively in Dhaka.

* The USD 500 million Program on Agricultural and Rural Transformation for Nutrition, Entrepreneurship, and Resilience (PARTNER) will help transform the agriculture sector by promoting crop diversification, food safety, and climate resilience across agri-food systems of Bangladesh, said a World Bank release.

* The USD 358 million Road Safety Project—which is the first dedicated road safety project in South Asia supported by the World Bank—will help the country improve road safety and reduce deaths and injuries from road traffic crashes in selected high-risk highways and district roads.

* The agriculture and rural transformation funding will support sustainable and nutritious food production through greater efficiency in input use, good agricultural practices, and the promotion of stress-tolerant and nutrient-dense varieties.

* The Road-safety project will be implemented on two national highways—N4 (Gazipur-Elenga) and N6 (Natore to Nawabganj) of Bangladesh..

* It will pilot comprehensive road safety measures, including improved engineering designs, signing and marking, pedestrian facilities, speed enforcement, and emergency care.

* To improve post-crash care, it will set up an ambulance service via a toll-free number and upgraded emergency care services in selected district hospitals, and Upazila Health Complexes along the two national highway corridors..

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Mumbai

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Mumbai is the most expensive Indian city for expatriates and has been ranked at 147 in the Mercer’s 2023 Cost of Living survey out of 227 cities across five continents.

* According to this survey, the second and third place among expensive Indian cities are held by New Delhi (169) and Chennai (184), respectively.

* The rankings of other cities listed are Bengaluru (189), Hyderabad (202), Kolkata (211), and Pune (213).

* Mercer’s Cost of Living survey compares the cities on the cost of more than 200 items, including housing, food, transportation, clothing, utilities, household goods, and entertainment.

* The data provides relevant information that employers require to mobilise their business in various parts of the world amid the ongoing macroeconomic instability. It helps international employers design efficient and equitable compensation packages for over 400 locations throughout the world for their expat employees.

* Recently, Mumbai had outperformed Bengaluru and Delhi in terms of annual housing price growth in the ‘Prime Global Cities Index Q1 2023’ report by real estate consulting firm Knight Frank.

* Housing rental prices have shown a rise for all the Indian cities surveyed. Mumbai has observed the biggest surge in rental prices with an increase of 13-15%.

* In other surveyed cities like Bengaluru, New Delhi, Chennai and Pune, housing rentals have shown an uptick of 5-7%. Meanwhile, Hyderabad and Kolkata have increased modestly by 2-3%.

* Across the globe, Hong Kong, Singapore and Zurich are found to be the most expensive cities for expats. Copenhagen and four cities from Switzerland, including Zurich, are among the global top 10.

* New York city, Tel Aviv and Nassau are also among the 10 most expensive cities for expatriates. On the other hand, Havana is the least expensive city due to currency devaluations last year along with the Pakistani cities of Islamabad and Karachi..

Source : CNBC

Correct Answer :   2.3 Billion

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Up to 2.3 billion people around the world are still using polluting fuels to cook and 675 million don't have electricity, according to a report released Tuesday (6th June 2023) by five international organisations.

* The report said that at current rates, 660 million people are projected to be without electricity and 1.9 billion won't have clean cooking opportunities by 2030.

* That's the target date to achieve a United Nations goal set in 2015 "to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all."

* The report by the International Energy Agency, International Renewable Energy Agency, U.N. Statistics Division, World Bank and World Health Organisation said that at the midway point toward the goal, the world is not on track to reach the energy target, which will negatively impact the health of millions and accelerate climate change.

* According to the report, global access to electricity increased from 84% in 2010 to 91% in 2021, but the pace of growth slowed in 2019-2021, which includes the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

* While the electrification of rural areas contributed to progress, there is still a large gap in urban areas, it said.

* More than 80% of those without electricity - 567 million in 2021 - lived in sub-Saharan Africa, similar to the deficit in 2010, it said.

* The report also found that up to 2.3 billion people still use polluting fuels and technologies, including firewood..

Source : India Times

Correct Answer :   Microsoft and AirJaldi Network

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Microsoft and AirJaldi Network, a leading innovator and implementer of technically and economically viable internet connectivity solutions for rural areas, signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

Aim : Titled ‘Contentful Connectivity’, the program aims to advance access to high-speed internet and meaningful connectivity as a fundamental right in collaboration with private, public, non-profit sectors and build solutions for broadband adoption and digital transformation, benefitting underserved communities in rural regions of India.

Over the next three years, the program will :  

* Expand AirJaldi Networks into three new states namely, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha, with an increase in the number of network locations from 40 to 62 in 12 states. An addition of 1,500 km of fiber network will help reach out to 20,000 km2 and thereby provide access to the internet to nearly 500,000 underserved beneficiaries.

* Strengthen AirJaldi Networks in nine states by extending the wireless and wired infrastructure and supporting extension of reach and connectivity provision for underserved users. AirJaldi Networks will deploy, implement, and test new connectivity technologies, approaches, and connectivity-related solutions to improve the quality and richness of services offered and sustainability of the networks.

* Enhance skilling, education and entrepreneurship training programs by strengthening the courses for women entrepreneurship and rural connectivity and integrating Microsoft modules on digital productivity, employability skills, and AI fluency skills for 15,000 underserved community members, in particular women, youth and high school children in 12 states. These network-led training programs would be based on a multi-faceted training approach combining face-to-face training, online sessions and online Learning Management System (LMS) courses delivered through Microsoft Community Training platform, as well as a 24/7 learning help desk to provide course support and career guidance.

* Build Internet of Things (IoT) based connectivity-related solutions in the rural regions on networking, e-learning, skilling, telemedicine, agriculture, accessibility, and environment to transform livelihoods and well-being of enterprises and communities.

* Build partnerships with government and corporate organizations for sustenance in three states where the networks are getting created in the areas of education, diverse skills for jobs, or women entrepreneurship.

About AirJaldi Networks :

​​AirJaldi is the brand name used by Rural Broadband Private Limited, a Class A Internet Service Provider in India since 2009. AirJaldi’s mission is to create sustainable broadband internet networks and related offerings. AirJaldi is a leading innovator and implementer of technically and economically viable internet connectivity solutions for rural areas.​ Know more at https://airjaldi.com/..

Source : Microsoft

Correct Answer :   Rajiv Sinha

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Rajiv Sinha, former chief secretary of West Bengal, is to be appointed as the State Election Commissioner (SEC) in the state.

* He is considered one of the trusted officers of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and his appointment to the post was recommended by the state government.

* West Bengal Governor CV Anand Bose approved Rajiv Sinha's appointment.

* The upcoming panchayat election in Bengal will be held under his supervision as state election commissioner. The panchayat elections are due this year but the dates have not yet been announced.

Who is Rajiv Sinha?

* Rajiv Sinha, an IAS officer, was formerly the chief secretary of the West Bengal government during the Covid-19 pandemic. He will be taking over after Sourav Das, who was the last state election commissioner of West Bengal. His tenure as State Election Commissioner came to an end on March 28, 2023. Following a 2-month extension given by the state government, his tenure finally ended on May 28, 2023.

* Rajiv Sinha served as the state chief secretary from September 2019 to September 2020.

* Rajiv Sinha's name was sent as a recommendation for the post of State Election Commissioner to Governor CV Anand Bose. However, Bose had sought to know why a retired bureaucrat should only be considered for the post.

* The Bengal government then recommended another name, but Bose went with Rajiv Sinha's name, which was the first recommendation. Rajiv Sinha is considered one of the trusted officers of CM Mamata Banerjee..

Source : India Today

Correct Answer :   Indira Gandhi International Airport

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* Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport said in a statement on Thursday (8th June 2023) that it has introduced a new facility called 'DigiYatra' that allows passengers to enjoy its benefits without having to download the mobile application.

* The initiative, launched at Terminal-3 of the airport, simplifies the registration process into three simple steps.

* Passengers can utilize the facility by scanning their boarding pass and their face, and presenting an identification proof to the security personnel near the registration desk.

* Once successfully registered, passengers can experience seamless travel within the terminal, including the security check area and boarding gates.

* DigiYatra was initially launched on December 1, 2022, and offers various advantages, including faster mobility to boarding gates, hassle-free travel, improved security measures, and dedicated gates, all while maintaining a contactless experience.

* It is estimated to save passengers approximately 15-25 minutes of travel time.

* Currently, the DigiYatra facility is available at all departure gates of Terminal 3 and Terminal 2 of the IGI Airport.

* DigiYatra mobile application allows travellers to register themselves on on DigiYatra mobile application on their handheld mobile devices for a smooth and uninterrupted travel experience at the airport. This latest offering by DIAL will be in addition to the existing DigiYatra mobile application..

Source : Mint