Correct Answer :   Hyderabad

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Lloyds Banking Group, one of the UK’s largest financial services organisations, said on 21st June 2023 that it is setting up a technology centre in Hyderabad and will recruit 600 people by the end of 2023.

Lloyds’s captive will come up in the Knowledge City. The group, which has brands such as Lloyds Bank, Halifax, and Bank of Scotland under its belt, said it plans to expand its digital capabilities through the tech centre.

Lloyds’ Group Chief Operating Officer Ron van Kemenade said in a statement that the investment “reflects India's rise as a tech innovation powerhouse”, which the company would utilise to meet customers’ needs and support its long-term growth strategy.

“As we grow our presence in the area, and create additional roles, there will be a wealth of opportunities in Hyderabad, especially given its highly talented engineers and impressive technology ecosystem,” he said.

The new captive is part of the group’s strategic investment of £3 billion over the next three years to transform its digital offerings.

The hiring target of 600 is an initial number and the roles will be in technology, data, and cybersecurity, it said.

Like in the case of several other banking captives, Lloyds won’t offer banking services in the country. The captive will focus on using technology and digital data and analytics capabilities to drive innovation and end-to-end product delivery..

Source : Moneycontrol

Correct Answer :   Hasmukh Adhia

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Former Union Finance Secretary and retired Gujarat cadre bureaucrat Hasmukh Adhia, who is principal advisor to chief minister Bhupendra Patel has been appointed as chairman of GIFT (Gujarat International Finance Tec) City, and as Chairman and Director of the Vadodara based Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Ltd (GACL) and the Chairman and Director of the Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation (GMDC).

Adhia replaces Sudhir Mankad in GIFT City, and took charge on Wednesday (21st June 2023).

Adhia, a 1981 batch bureaucrat, headed the task force to chart the Gujarat roadmap in making India a five-trillion dollar economy, the report for which was submitted to the Gujarat government May last.

Adhia was principal secretary to Narendra Modi when he was the chief minister of Gujarat.

In orders passed on Monday (19th June 2023), the Gujarat government also appointed the advisor to the CM and a former Gujarat cadre IAS officer SS Rathore as chairman of the DREAM (Diamond Research and Mercantile) City in Surat.

For the GMDC which has acquired two major coal mines in Odisha in its first venture outside Gujarat, this appointment is a “break from tradition” as officials describe it and “a matter of great pride” , for the State PSU which has ambitious expansion plans. So far the Additional Chief Secretary (Industries) would hold the position of chairman of GMDC..

Source : Indian Express

Correct Answer :   Surat

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The city of Gujarat, Surat has set a Guinness World Record with over 1.53 lakh people participating in a yoga event at one place on the International Day of Yoga (IDY), organized on 21st June 2023.

* Guinness officials handed over the certificate to chief minister Bhupendra Patel at the venue.

* Two 4km-long stretches of roads, each around 300 meters wide, connecting the Y junction were covered with carpet for participants.

* The participants were divided into groups of 1,000 each and facilities for around 137 such groups were put in place..

Source : TOI

Correct Answer :   20th June 2023

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Sylvester daCunha, the creative genius behind the iconic 'Amul Girl' campaign, died on Tuesday (20th June 2023) night in Mumbai.

He conceived the 'Utterly Butterly' campaign for Amul, the brand owned by Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), in 1966.

In 1969, daCunha solidified his legacy by establishing daCunha Communications.

The 'Utterly Butterly' campaign for Amul had celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2016.

It was daCunha who decided to change the "boring image" that had previously been used for the butter brand. DaCunha was quoted as saying that the idea was to have a girl who would "walk her way in the Indian kitchen and the housewife's heart."

Amul has been associated with witty and tongue-in-cheek moment marketing ads for decades. The first such advertisement imitated the Hare Krishna movement in 1969, with the caption "Hurry Amul, Hurry Hurry."

The Amul girl, with a buttered toast in one hand and a prompt one-liner on her lips, has been a commentator on the zeitgeist for 50 years..

Source : Business Standard

Correct Answer :   GE Aerospace

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As Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on his maiden US State visit, GE Aerospace said Thursday (22nd June 2023) that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to produce fighter jet engines for the Indian Air Force (IAF).



GE Aerospace and HAL have reached an agreement that includes potential joint production of GE Aerospace's F414 engines in India. The collaboration is part of the Indian Air Force's Light Combat Aircraft (LAC) Mk2 program. However, GE Aerospace is currently working with the US government to obtain the necessary export authorization for this endeavour.

The plans to develop complex jet engine technology in India by Ohio-based GE Aerospace, a subsidiary of GE, has been under discussion for over a year now.

GE's plan to manufacture fighter jet engines, a multi-billion dollar government-to-government deal, during US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin's visit to India in May.

The MoU between HAL and GE Aerospace represents a significant step forward for GE's involvement in India.

The agreement builds upon GE Aerospace's previous commitment to manufacturing 99 engines for the IAF under the LCA Mk2 program. This new development positions GE Aerospace favourably to expand its product offerings in India, including the F404 engine currently used in the LCA Mk1 and LCA Mk1A aircraft.

Furthermore, GE Aerospace's F414-INS6 engine has been selected for the prototype development, testing, and certification of the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) program.

Correct Answer :   Umesh Kumar

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Former Allahabad High Court judge Umesh Kumar was appointed the chairman of the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC), by the President of India.

President Droupadi Murmu has exercised the powers conferred by Section 45(b) of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023, read with sub-section 2 of Section 84 of the Electricity Act, 2003.

He served as the justice of Allahabad High Court till July 2022.



Who is Justice Kumar?

* The former judge obtained his law degree in 1980 and was elevated to Higher Judicial Services in 2001 following which he was elevated as a District and Sessions Judge in 2014.

* Justice (retired) Kumar was appointed as an additional judge on November 22, 2018 and he took oath as a permanent judge on November 20, 2020. He served in office till July 7, 2022.

* On April, 2022, the judge had ordered the Uttar Pradesh police to take action on priority basis, in a matter concerning a girl's abduction from the chamber of a lawyer.

Correct Answer :   Indian Navy

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On the occasion of International Yoga Day 2023, 'Ocean Ring of Yoga' was organized by the Indian Navy.

The Ministry of AYUSH had planned the 'Ocean Ring of Yoga' program in coordination with the Ministry of Defense and other ministries.

 June 21 was recognized as the International Yoga Day by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in December 2014 at the initiative of the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. It was organized for the first time in the year 2015.

Correct Answer :   Petteri Orpo

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Finland's parliament on Tuesday (20th June 2023) elected conservative Petteri Orpo as prime minister at the head of a four-party coalition including the far-right Finns Party which plans a major crackdown on immigration.

* Parliament voted in favour of Orpo, who won the April elections and has been in thorny negotiations to build a coalition since then, with 107 in favour, 81 opposed and 11 absent.

* Orpo was to be formally appointed as prime minister later Tuesday by President Sauli Niinisto, taking over from Sanna Marin, whose Social Democrats finished third in the election behind Orpo's National Coalition Party (NCP) and the Finns Party.

* In addition to the NCP and the Finns Party, the new coalition is made up of the smaller Swedish People's Party (RKP) and the Christian Democrats.

* Orpo campaigned on an austerity ticket, vowing to cut spending by six billion euros over four years.

* The new coalition presented last week also announced a "paradigm shift" on immigration.

* It said it aimed to halve the number of refugees the Nordic country receives through the UN refugee agency from 1,050 a year to 500.

Aim : It also aims to establish separate social security benefit systems for immigrants and permanent residents, which experts say could violate the Constitution. Conditions for obtaining permanent residency and citizenship will also be tightened, Finns Party leader Riikka Purra added.

Source : Newindianexpress

Correct Answer :   127

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According to a Gender Gap Index 2023, released by World Economic Forum, India has been ranked 127 out of 146 countries in the Global Gender Gap Report 2023, up by 8 positions from 135 in 2022.

* The report reflects an improvement of 1.4% points.

* India's neighboring countries rank : Bangladesh (59), Bhutan (103), China  (107), and Pakistan (142)

* For the 14th year running, Iceland (91.2%) takes the top position.
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* While Norway ranked 2nd, followed by Finland, and Sweden..

Source : Weforum

Correct Answer :   Amit Shah

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On the auspicious occasion of the Jagannath Rath Yatra, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah, inaugurated various development works and performed Bhoomipujan in Ahmedabad.

Among the inaugurated projects was the CREDAI Garden-People’s Park, a beautiful park constructed by CREDAI with the aim of providing a comfortable and environmentally friendly space for people from all walks of life.

1. Inauguration of CREDAI Garden-People’s Park : Shri Amit Shah inaugurated the CREDAI Garden-People’s Park, a sprawling park spread over 12,000 square meters. The park was constructed at a cost of approximately Rs 2.5 crore. In his address, Shri Shah emphasized that the park was designed to cater to the needs of the middle class, upper middle class, and underprivileged children. He lauded CREDAI for creating a beautiful and accessible space that would enhance the urban landscape while providing a comfortable retreat for the common citizen.

2. Focus on Indian Culture and Yoga Day : Shri Amit Shah highlighted the efforts of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in promoting Indian culture, tradition, and heritage globally. He specifically mentioned Yoga Day, which has evolved from a global platform to a mass movement under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi. Shri Shah noted that Yoga Day programs are now organized in 170 countries, showcasing Indian culture to every corner of the world. He also commended Prime Minister Modi for being the first world leader to celebrate Yoga Day at the United Nations.

3. Prime Minister Modi’s Contributions : Shri Amit Shah praised Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for his transformative leadership and upliftment of every citizen in the country. He acknowledged the people’s trust in Prime Minister Modi, which led to his election with a majority in 2014. Shri Shah highlighted the significant changes brought about by the Prime Minister in areas such as security, economy, education, public welfare, research and development, and skill development. He cited examples of positive changes witnessed by the people, such as the ‘Vibrant Village Programme’ in Arunachal Pradesh, where access to essential amenities like cylinders, electricity, toilets, and food grains has improved.

4. CREDAI’s Contributions and Social Responsibility : Shri Amit Shah recognized CREDAI’s commendable work in infrastructure development, youth skill development, and social reforms, which have enhanced its credibility as an institute. He applauded CREDAI’s efforts in constructing the People’s Park and providing sports facilities in 75 Anganwadis (childcare centers) through the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Fund. These initiatives aim to foster a love for sports among children, boost their self-confidence, and eliminate any inferiority complexes they may have. Shri Shah expressed gratitude to the Government of Gujarat and the Municipal Corporation for their support in completing various projects in Gandhinagar. He also urged every member of CREDAI to take a pledge to plant 25 trees, further promoting the campaign to make Ahmedabad greener..

Source : PIB