Correct Answer :   P Upadhyay

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Correct Answer :   Gajendra Singh Shekhawat

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Correct Answer :   June 2nd

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India's 28th state - Telangana which was founded on June 2 in the year 2014 — will celebrate its Formation Day today (2nd June 2023). 

The day marks the contribution of people to form a separate state, outside of Andhra Pradesh.

The 30 districts of Telangana honour the day by hoisting the national flag and by honouring the people of Telangana for remarkable achievements in science, art and literature.
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Telangana Formation Day History :

* The Telugu-speaking regions of Hyderabad were merged with Andhra Pradesh on November 1, 1956 to form a unified state, specifically by sculpting that state from erstwhile Madras. The Telangana region witnessed a protest for a new state 1969, and in 1972, a distinct Andhra Pradesh was formed.

* Multiple social organizations, student unions and government employees played an important role in the 1969 agitation. In February 2014, the Telangana bill was passed by the Congress working committee and the BJP in the Lok Sabha after nearly 40 years of protests.

* In 2014, the bill was introduced in Parliament and the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act received its approval.  According to the bill, Telangana would be constituted by 10 districts in north-western Andhra Pradesh.

Telangana Formation Day significance : Telangana's formation signifies the victory of the Telangana movement. The day celebrates the official separation of Telangana from Andhra Pradesh.

Telangana Formation Day 2023 celebrations : The state government, headed by Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, will hold celebrations for 21 days, showcasing its achievements in the last nine years.

Correct Answer :   3 Years

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Shri Hardeep S. Puri, Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs and Petroleum and Natural Gas complimented the Prime Minster Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) Scheme on its successful completion of 3 momentous years.

The Minister stated that PM SVANidhi yojana is witnessing one of the fastest roll-outs of government schemes. He further stated that PM SVANidhi has led an unparalleled wave of financial inclusion and digital literacy in India’s cities and towns that has provided dignity and stability to Street Vendors.

PM SVANidhi Scheme launched on 01 June, 2020.

Aim :  To restore Swarozgar, Svavlamban, Swabhimaan (Self Employment, Self-Sustenance, and Self-Confidence) within street vendors has become one of the fastest growing micro-credit schemes of the Government of India and has provided its citizens access to credit and linkages to social security schemes.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) organised an event at Vigyan Bhawan to celebrate 3 years journey of PM Street Vendor's AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) Yojana, here 1s June 2023.

The scheme has empowered COVID-19 affected street vendors to resume their livelihood. Not just that, it has achieved various milestones in financial inclusion and mainstreaming of street vendors. were highlighted. This scheme, launched amidst the pandemic, has made significant contributions to the lives of street vendors across the country.

During the event, a booklet highlighting the noteworthy achievements and initiatives implemented under the PM SVANidhi scheme was released. The booklet provides insights into the various initiatives and reforms undertaken by the scheme to transform the lives of street vendors and their families throughout the country.

The event was attended by Shri Manoj Joshi, Secretary, MoHUA; Sh. Rajeev Jain, Addl. DG (Media); Sh. Rahul Kapoor, Jt. Secretary & Mission Director; and senior officials from Central Government, State Governments, Banks, Digital Payment Aggregators, key partners and the PM SVANidhi beneficiary Street Vendors...

Source : PIB

Correct Answer :   Rs 14.3 Trillion

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Unified Payment Interface (UPI) transactions in May 2023 scaled a new high of Rs 14.3 trillion in terms of value and 9.41 billion in volume. It is a 2 per cent rise in value (Rs 14.07 trillion) and 6% in volume (8.89 billion) compared to April 2023.

Transactions worth around Rs 3.96 trillion happened in the last ten days of May, according to data from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). Compared to May in Financial Year 2022-23, transaction volume increased by 58% and value by 37%.

The rise comes at a time when the government is pushing to bring tax collection across various segments under digital payment. In March 2023, the numbers stood at 8.68 billion with a value of Rs 14.1 trillion.

Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) transactions saw a marginal rise of around 1% to Rs 5.26 trillion, compared to Rs 5.21 trillion in April 2023.

During the same period, IMPS volume too increased marginally to 500 million in May as against 496 million in April. In March 2023, it was 497 million and Rs 5.46 trillion. The May figures saw a 3 per cent growth in volume terms and 16 per cent in value terms on IMPS, compared to May 2022.

FASTag transactions in May saw a 10% rise in volume terms from 305 million in April to 335 million in May 2023. In value terms, this increased by 6% to Rs 5,437 crore in May compared to Rs 5,149 in April. This segment also saw 17% volume growth and 24% value growth compared to April 2022. In March 2023, these numbers were 306.3 million transactions with a value of Rs 5,067 crore.

Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AePS) declined 2.35% to 99.6 million in May, compared to 102 million in April. In value terms, this was seen at Rs 28,037 crore in May 2023, down 5.4% from Rs 29,649 crore in April. The current month’s figures are much lower than March 2023 numbers of 109.7 million transactions with a value of Rs 30,541 crore. On a year-on-year basis too, AePS numbers were down by 9% in volume and 8% in value terms..

Source : Business Standard

Correct Answer :   Rs 1.57 Lakh Crores

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* The Goods & Services Tax (GST) revenue collected in the month of May 2023 rose 12% on an annual basis to Rs 1.57 lakh crore. The Finance Ministry reported the GST collections for the month of April 2023 at Rs 1.87 lakh crore, the highest ever.

* "GST revenue collected in the month of May, 2023 is Rs 1,57,090 crore of which CGST is Rs 28,411 crore, SGST is Rs 35,828 crore, IGST is Rs 81,363 crore (including Rs 41,772 crore collected on import of goods) and cess is Rs 11,489 crore (including Rs 1,057 crore collected on import of goods)," said Ministry of Finance in a statement.

* Monthly GST revenues more than Rs 1.4 lakh crore for 14 months in a row, with Rs 1.5 lakh crore crossed for the 5th time since inception of GST," said the ministry about the May collection. GST collection in May last year was about Rs 1.41 lakh crore.

* The revenues for the month of May 2023 are 12% higher than the GST revenues in the same month last year. During the month, revenue from import of goods was 12% higher and the revenues from domestic transactions (including import of services) are 11% higher than the revenues from these sources during the same month last year.

* The chart below shows trends in monthly gross GST revenues during the current year. The table shows the state-wise figures of GST collected in each State during the month of May 2023 as compared to May 2022.




State-wise growth of GST Revenues during May 2023 :

Correct Answer :   Sanjay Varma

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Sanjay Varma took over as the Managing Director (additional charge) of Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) on Thursday (1st June 2023).

* Varma has been on the board of MRPL as Director (Refinery) since June 2020. He has also had extensive exposure by being on the boards of ONGC-Mangalore Petrochemicals Ltd and Shell-MRPL Aviation.

* A graduate of mechanical engineering, Varma joined MRPL in December 1993 and has played a pivotal role in the execution and operation of all three major phases of the refinery and its aromatic complex.

* During his three and half decades of service, he has headed the organisation in Operations Management, Project Management, Materials Management, and Health, Safety and Environment Management.

* A media statement by the company said that Varma has been instrumental in leading a major revival of MRPL’s fortunes, which has resulted in the best ever physical performance and financial position, making it India’s largest operated single-site oil PSU in the entire nation for the financial year 2022-23..

Source : The Hindu Businessline

Correct Answer :   1 only

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The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)-appointed director, recently resigned from the board of Ujjivan Small Finance Bank (SFB).

About Small Finance Banks (SFBs) :

SFBs are specialized banks that are licensed by RBI to provide financial services and products to low-income individuals and underserved communities, including microfinance and micro-enterprise services, as well as other basic banking services.

Aim :

* To provide financial inclusion to these segments of the population who are often excluded from the traditional banking system.

* SFBs help them to have access to financial products such as small loans, savings, insurance, and other basic banking services.

* SFBs are registered as public limited companies under the Companies Act, 2013 and governed by Banking Regulations Act, 1949; RBI Act, 1934 and other relevant Statutes and Directives from time to time.

The guidelines for SFBS were introduced in 2014 by RBI. RBI Guidelines on SFBs in India are :

* SFBs are granted the scheduled bank status after being operational and are deemed suitable under section 42 of the RBI Act,1934.

* SFBs are required to primarily focus on providing access to financial services to the unbanked and underbanked segments of the population.

* They are required to maintain a minimum Capital to Risk-Weighted Assets Ratio (CRAR) of 15%.

* They are required to extend 75% of their Adjusted Net Bank Credit to Priority Sector Lending.

* SFBs are required to open at least 25% of their total branches in unbanked rural areas.

* The minimum paid-up voting equity capital for small finance banks shall be Rs.200 crore.

* SFBs are required to maintain at least 50% of their loan portfolio as microfinance and advances of up to Rs. 25,00,000.

* SFBs are required to comply with various prudential norms and regulations related to income recognition, asset classification, and provisioning.

* SFBs are encouraged to adopt technology to improve their operational efficiency and reach the target segments.

RBI nominee PN Raghunath steps down from Ujjivan SFB board before scheduled term end.

Source : CNBC

Correct Answer :   2 only

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A Himalayan brown bear was recently captured by the Jammu and Kashmir Wildlife Department, at Rajwara in the North Kashmir district of Handwara.

About Himalayan Brown Bear :

* It is a large carnivore found in the high-altitude regions of the Himalayas.

Scientific Name : Ursus arctos isabellinus

Distribution :

* They are found in North-western and central Himalaya, including Pakistan, India, Nepal, the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China and Bhutan.

* They are found above the timberline, between 3,000 and 5,500 meters (9,800 and 18,000 feet) above sea level.

* In India, this species exists in small isolated populations in the fragmented alpine and subalpine habitats of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.

Features :

* It is the largest mammal in the region, males reaching up to 2.2 m (7 ft) long, while females are a little smaller.

* The bears are omnivorous and hibernate in dens during the winter.

* It has thick fur which is most often sandy or reddish-brown in colour.

Conservation Status :

* IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered

* Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972: Schedule I

* CITES - Appendix I

Encroachment pushes Himalayan brown bears into Kashmir’s villages

Source : Down to Earth

Correct Answer :   Brazil

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* Recently (30 May 2023), protests by Guarani tribal people have erupted across Brazil (South America) as the country’s Chamber of Deputies approved a new land bill that will restrict the new recognition of ancestral land of indigenous people.

* The Guarani were one of the first peoples contacted after Europeans arrived in South America around 500 years ago.

* In Brazil, there are today around 51,000 Guarani living in seven states, making them the country's most numerous tribes. Many others live in neighbouring Paraguay, Bolivia, and Argentina of South America.

* These people in Brazil are divided into three groups : Kaiowá, Ñandeva and M’byá, of which the largest is the Kaiowá which means ‘forest people’.

* They are deeply spiritual people.

* Most communities have a prayer house, and a religious leader, whose authority is based on prestige rather than formal power..

Source : Down to Earth