Correct Answer :   11th May

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National Technology Day is celebrated every year on May 11. This day commemorates India's successful nuclear tests that were conducted on May 11th, 1998, at Pokhran, Rajasthan.

It is a day to celebrate the achievements of Indian scientists and engineers who have contributed to the development of technology in various fields.

Every year since 1999, the Technology Development Board (TDB) commemorates the day by honouring technological innovations that have added to national growth. Schools, colleges, and universities organise events, seminars, and workshops to inspire and motivate students to take an interest in science and technology.

National Technology Day 2023 Theme : Every year, the Technology Development Board (TDB) selects a theme for each year's event.

* This year the theme of the National Technology Day 2023 is 'School to Startups-Igniting Young Minds to Innovate.'

* National Technology Day is a reminder of the important role that technology plays in our lives, and the need for continued investment and innovation in this field to ensure progress and growth.

National Technology Day History :

* This term was coined by former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to recognise the contributions of Indian scientists.

* On May 11, 1998, India successfully fired the Shakti-I nuclear missile at an Army test range in Rajasthan's Pokhran. In the following days, two more nuclear tests were conducted as part of the same operation, which brought India into the elite club of nuclear power nations.

* Apart from this, India also tested its first indigenous aircraft 'Hansa-3' on this day from Bengaluru. A successful test firing of the Trishul missile was conducted by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation on May 11, 1998, following the testing of Hansa-3..

Source : India Today

Correct Answer :   Smriti Irani

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‘Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi’, the Ministry of Women and Child Development’s (MCWD) latest endeavour for strengthening Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), was launched on 10th May 2023 in New Delhi.

* This unique initiative is aimed at ensuring that India has a high-quality preschool network. ECCE is a signifiacnt component of Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 (Mission Poshan 2.0) and is envisaged under the National Education Policy.

* ‘Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi’ is a pathbreaking ECCE program to ensure that India has the world’s largest, universal, high-quality pre-school network, as suggested by the National Education Policy,” informed the Ministry.

* Union Minister Smriti Z. Irani delivered a keynote address at the event and highlighted various measures taken by the government to strengthen early childhood care and education in the country..

Source : News on Air

Correct Answer :   10th May 2023

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Veteran corporate lawyer and founder of law firm Luthra & Luthra, Rajiv Luthra, died Wednesday (10th May 2023) after a brief illness. He was 67.

* Luthra is survived by his wife Gayatri and two daughters.

* Seven years after he started out to qualify as a chartered accountant, Luthra studied law from the University of Delhi at the age of 31 and eventually started his firm – Luthra & Luthra Law Offices – in 1989.

* It was after he set up this firm that Luthra took up courses at the Harvard Law School over seven years to study emerging areas of law as opportunities opened up for practising project finance, mergers and acquisitions in the post-liberalisation era.

* The full service tier-1 law firm with over 350 lawyers at its peak has offices in Mumbai and Bangalore. Luthra himself specialised in project finance and public private partnerships.

* A quintessential Delhi lawyer, Luthra was considered a jovial figure and mentored several corporate lawyers in the firm. He was an avid golfer and had founded an adventure travel company before setting up the law firm.

* The firm Luthra & Luthra has seen two splits in the last three years. L&L co-founder and corporate lawyer Mohit Saraf left the firm with over 20 partners to found Saraf and Partners in 2021 with the acrimonious split played out in the Delhi High Court. In July last year, the litigation arm of L&L also split to join DSK Legal as partners Bobby Chandhoke and Sudhir Sharma quit along with 60 lawyers..

Source : Indian Express

Correct Answer :   Dhaka

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Bangladesh will host the 6th Indian Ocean Conference (IOC) scheduled to be held between 12th May to 13th May 2023 in Dhaka.

* High-level government delegations and think tanks from about 25 countries are expected to take part in the IOC.

* Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the conference and later host a dinner in honour of the guests in the evening. The meeting will discuss aspects strengthening cooperation between the countries of the Indian Ocean region.

* Bangladesh State Minister of Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam told the media on Wednesday (10th May 2023) that around 150 foreign guests will participate in the conference including representatives from D8, Saarc and BIMSTEC.

* Minister for External Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar will deliver the keynote address at the opening session in Dhaka on Friday (12th May 2023). During his stay in Bangladesh, Dr. Jaishankar is scheduled to call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

* President of Mauritius, Prithvirajsing Roopun and Vice President of Maldives Faisal Naseem are among the dignitaries arriving in Dhaka for the IOC.

* The 6th edition of the Conference is being organised by India Foundation in association with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh and S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies The Conference endeavours to bring critical states and principal maritime partners of the region together on a common platform to deliberate upon the prospects of regional cooperation for Security And Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR)...

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Mexico

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Antonio Carbajal, the Mexican goalkeeper who became the first player to appear in five World Cups, died Tuesday (9th May 2023). He was 93.

* Carbajal, who was nicknamed “La Tota,” played for Mexico between 1950 and 1966, making 11 World Cup appearances. He was a key member of the Mexico team that reached the quarterfinals of the 1958 World Cup.

* He is best known for his record-setting five appearances at the FIFA World Cup, a feat replicated by only two other men since (as of 2018): Germany’s Lothar Matthäus in 1998 and Rafael Márquez of Mexico in 2018.

* Carbajal was born in Mexico City in 1929. He started his professional career with Club León in 1950 and went on to play for a number of other Mexican clubs, including Club América and Cruz Azul. He retired from professional football in 1968.

* After retiring from football, Carbajal worked as a coach and manager. He also served as president of the Mexican Football Federation from 1988 to 1994.

Here are some of Antonio Carbajal’s achievements :

* First Mexican player to appear in five World Cups
* Member of the Mexico team that reached the quarterfinals of the 1958 World Cup
* Mexican Football Federation President (1988-1994)
* Inducted into the Mexican Football Hall of Fame (1998)

Carbajal was a true legend of Mexican football. He will be remembered for his many accomplishments and his contributions to the game...

Source : Thehindu

Correct Answer :   Punjab

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Punjab has become the first state in India to implement the 'right to walk' by making it mandatory for all road-owning agencies to provide footpaths and cycle tracks in all future expansions of roads and construction.

* Reason : Every month more than 10 pedestrians/ bicycle riders are killed in road accidents due to encroachment on pedestrian footpaths

* Road-owning agencies include NHAI, the public works department, local bodies, and urban development departments..

Source : Times of India

Correct Answer :   Rajiv Dhar

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National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), a quasi-sovereign wealth fund, on Thursday (11th May 2023) said its board has appointed Rajiv Dhar as interim Managing Ddirector and CEO.

* The appointment is effective 11th May 2023, NIIF said in a statement.

* The planned succession follows Sujoy Bose's request to relieve him from his current responsibilities as MD and CEO, it said.

* Dhar, executive director and chief operating officer, has been part of NIIF since 2017.

* The government had set up the Rs 40,000-crore NIIF in December 2016 as an investment vehicle for funding commercially viable greenfield, brownfield and stalled projects. It was envisioned as a mother fund with several sectoral feeder funds.

* Government capital in NIIF covers three funds -- Master Fund, Fund of Funds, and Strategic Opportunities Fund (together referred to as NIIF) -- all managed by the same investment manager (NIIF Limited).

* The corpus of NIIF is proposed to be Rs 40,000 crore wherein the government intends to invest 49 per cent. It will raise third-party capital for the remaining Rs 20,000 crore from long-term international investors, such as sovereign wealth funds, insurance and pension funds, and endowments..

Source : Moneycontrol

Correct Answer :   ICMR

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In a significant development a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Ministry of AYUSH  and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to promote and collaborate on integrative health research.

* This cooperation will focus on identified areas of national importance in healthcare for promoting high impact research to generate evidence utilizing modern scientific methods. This MoU will also strengthen research capacity through training of Ayush researchers.

* MoU was signed by Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, secretary, Ministry of Ayush and Dr. Rajiv Bahl, Director General, ICMR & secretary, Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India.

* Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of Ayush and Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar, Minister of State for MoHFW, Dr. V K Paul, Member, NITI Aayog, Shri Rajesh Bhushan, secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Shri P. K. Pathak, special secretary, Ministry of Ayush along with other senior officials of both ministries were present during the signing ceremony.

* On this occasion Shri Sarbananda Sonowal said, “Our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has guided us to integrate the benefits of both Traditional and Modern Medicine for the benefit of mankind. Through the cooperation of ICMR, today, both Ministry of Ayush and Health have taken a very far reaching step in this direction.”..

Source : PIB

Correct Answer :   Sarbananda Sonowal

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Union Minister of Ports, Sarbananda Sonowal launched ‘Harit Sagar,’ the Green Port Guidelines 2023, on 10th May 2023 in New Delhi.

* Harit Sagar Guidelines - 2023 envisages ecosystem dynamics in port development, operation and maintenance while aligning with ’Working with Nature’ concept and minimizing impact on biotic components of harbor ecosystem.

* It lays emphasis on use of Clean / Green energy in Port operation, developing Port capabilities for storage, handling and bunkering Greener Fuels viz. Green Hydrogen, Green Ammonia, Green Methanol / Ethanol etc.

* These Guidelines provides a framework for the Major Ports for drawing out a comprehensive action plan for achieving targeted outcomes in terms of quantified reduction in carbon emission over defined timelines, through focused implementation and close monitoring of Green Initiatives and to achieve Sustainable Developmental Goals (SDG).

* During the event the Union Minister Shri Sarbananda Sonowal said, ‘Ports are undertaking green initiatives and actively contributing to the fulfillment of the "Panchamrit" commitments announced by our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

* The "Harit Sagar" Guidelines -2023 provide a comprehensive framework for our Major Ports, empowering them to create a comprehensive action plan aimed at achieving quantifiable reductions in carbon emissions over defined timelines'

* The objective of guidelines is to minimize waste through Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose and Recycle to attain zero waste discharge from port operations and promote monitoring, based on Environmental Performance Indicators. This also covers aspects of National Green Hydrogen Mission pertaining to ports, development of green hydrogen facility, LNG bunkering, Offshore Wind Energy etc and provides provision for adopting global Green Reporting Initiative (GRI) standard..

Source : PIB

Correct Answer :   IBM

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International Business Machines (IBM) in collaboration with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) unveiled a new geospatial foundation model designed to convert satellite data into high-resolution maps of floods, fires, and other landscape changes to reveal the planet’s past and hint at its future.

* This geospatial offering is expected to be available for preview in the second half of 2023.

* Potential applications of this platform would include helping to estimate climate-related risks to crops, buildings, and other infrastructure, valuing and monitoring forests for carbon-offset programmes, and developing predictive models to help enterprises create strategies to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

* This model would be part of IBM’s watsonx.ai, a next-gen enterprise studio..

Source : The Hindu