Correct Answer :   Giriraj Singh

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Union Minister for Rural Development Sh. Giriraj Singh onboarded 19 Captive Employers, a unique initiative under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) in New Delhi on 28th March 2023.

* Captive employers will train Rural Poor Youth and provide employment to trained youth in their company or subsidiary.

* The event was also graced by the presence of Union Ministers of State Shri Kapil Moreshwar Patil (Panchayati Raj), Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti (Rural Development and Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution) and Shri Faggan Singh Kulaste (Rural Development and Steel).

Aim : Shri Giriraj Singh said India has the potential to emerge as the skill capital of the world and the MoU signed between MoRD and the Captive Employers is the first step towards this aim.

* In the first phase 19 Captive Employers are being engaged to train and provide jobs to over 31,000 rural youth.

* “We are confident that in the future this number of jobs generated will jump from 30,000 to 1,30,000,” he said.

* Shri Giriraj Singh emphasised that the Captive Employer scheme will bridge the gap between job seeker and job provider. The Minister invited suggestions from the participating employers to bring the changes in the said arrangement in order to make it more rewarding and effective.

* He also emphasised that Ministry as well as the States need to organise meetings with CII, FICCI, PHD Chamber of Commerce and MSME Associations..

Source : PIB

Correct Answer :   8.15%

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Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has fixed an 8.15%  interest rate on employees' provident fund (EPF) deposits for 2022-23.

* In March 2022, EPFO lowered the interest on EPF for 2021-22 to 8.1% for its about five crore subscribers, from 8.5% in 2020-21.

* The Employees' Provident Fund Organization's apex decision making body Central Board of Trustees (CBT) has decided to provide 8.15 per cent rate of interest on EPF for 2022-23 at its meeting on Tuesday (28th Marc 2023), will be sent to the Ministry of Finance for concurrence.

* EPFO provides the interest rate only after finance ministry ratification..

Source : Times of India

Correct Answer :   Spain

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Spain’s Instituto Cervantes and La Liga League on Monday (27th March 2023) launched a Spanish-Hindi football dictionary at the Embassy of Spain in New Delhi.

* The dictionary was released by Jose Maria Ridao, Ambassador of Spain to India, according to a statement. Oscar Pujol, Director of Instituto Cervantes in Delhi and Jose Antonio Cachaza, Managing Director of La Liga India were also present on the occasion.

* Spanish Ambassador Jose Maria Ridao said that we have already introduced the Spanish-Bangla version and by releasing the Spanish-Hindi Football Dictionary today, we are taking an important initiative to further improve the cultural ties between the two countries.

* He said that football is becoming popular in India and such efforts will not only strengthen the relationship between India and Spain but also open up opportunities for collaboration in new areas.

* Jose Antonio Cachaza, Managing Director of La Liga, said that football will become an important base for further deepening the ties between India and Spain in the times to come. He said that this dictionary will be helpful in broadening the cultural ties.

Correct Answer :   Ministry of Education

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The Ministry of Education has selected about 9 thousand schools across the country for its flagship program Pradhan Mantri School for Rising India (PM SHRI).

* According to the ministry, the institutes were selected from over two lakh fifty thousand government schools including Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya Vidyalayas.

* Under this, a total of six broad parameters including curriculum, infrastructure, human resources and gender equality were assessed for the selection process.

Correct Answer :   Humza Yousaf

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Pakistani-origin Humza Yousaf has won the Scottish National Party leadership contest and is set to become Scotland's First Minister replacing Nicola Sturgeon.

* The 37-year-old son of Asian immigrants is set to become the first person of colour to serve as Scotland's first minister.

* The Scot of Pakistani heritage, a Sturgeon loyalist, defeated Kate Forbes, the country's finance minister and Ash Regan, who quit the government in opposition to proposed changes to gender recognition.

* Yousaf won 52% of the final votes cast, running on a platform dedicated to delivering Scottish independence, combating the cost-of-living crisis.

* The development comes less than six months after Rishi Sunak became the first British Prime Minister of Indian origin.

* Yousaf will lead the Scottish National Party (SNP) as a successor to Nicola Sturgeon, who stepped down last month after eight years as leader of the party.

* Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, its capital is Edinburgh and its currency is Pound Sterling..

Source : NDTV

Correct Answer :   Burkina Faso

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* The International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved on Monday (27th March 2023) $80.77 million to help Burkina Faso meet its balance of payments needs.

* This emergency financing, under the Food Shock Window, will help Burkina Faso meet its immediate balance of payments needs related to the global food crisis.

* Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa. Its capital is Ouagadougou and its currency is the ‘West African CFA franc’.

Correct Answer :   Narendra Modi

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The Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL) has started commercial operations on the 13.71 km Whitefield (Kadugodi) to Krishnarajapuram (K R Puram) Metro stretch, making it the city's first tech corridor to be connected to the Namma Metro network.

* The inauguration of this new line was done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 25, 2023, and the operations started from March 26, 2023.

* This marks a significant milestone for Bengaluru's transportation infrastructure as Namma Metro has now become the second largest metro network in the country after Delhi Metro.

* The 13.7 km section will reduce journey times by 40% and benefit approximately 500,000 to 600,000 people who work in IT parks, export promotion industrial areas, malls, and hospitals.

* During the inauguration ceremony, Modi purchased a ticket from the counter and travelled by Metro from Whitefield to Sri Satya Sai Hospital station and back. He also interacted with school students, Metro employees, and workers.

* The governor Thawar Chand Gehlot, CM Basavaraj Bommai, and other senior officials were also present at the ceremony.

* The Whitefield-Krishnarajapura Metro is an extension of the existing Purple Line (Metro's east-west corridor) and cost approximately INR 4,000 crore to build.

* It includes 12 stations : Krishnarajapuram, Singayyanapalya, Garudacharpalya, Hoodi, Seetharam Palya, Kundalahalli, Nallurhalli, Sri Sathya Sai Hospital, Pattandur Agrahara, Kadugodi Tree Park, Hopefarm Channasandra, and Whitefield (Kadugodi).

* The frequency of train services in this section will be 12 minutes, and it is expected to have a daily ridership of 150,000. The section will be operated by five six-coach BEML trains, which have regenerative braking features that save around 30-35% of energy consumption.

Correct Answer :   Amit Shah

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Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah unveiled the statues of Lord Basaveshwara ji and Nadaprabhu Kempegowda ji at the State Assembly premises in Bengaluru, Karnataka on 26th March 2023.

* Several dignitaries including the Chief Minister of Karnataka Shri Basavaraj Bommai were present on the occasion.

* Shri Amit Shah said that today is a historic day when statues of two great personalities have been unveiled in the premises of the State Assembly, who have spread the message of India not only in Karnataka but in the entire world.

* These statues will continue to give Basavanna ji and Kempegowda ji’s message of social justice, democracy, good governance and development to those who get elected in the assembly.

* The statue of Lord Basaveshwar ji installed here will give a message to the whole world that India is the mother of democracy.

* The 12th century, none other than Jagatjyoti Basavanna had the courage to discuss the empowerment of the society by providing a single platform to the people from the lower to the highest strata of the society.

* Basavanna put many social reforms in front of the whole world and even today to understand the ideal life one has to live on the basis of Basavanna's thoughts. He said that by installing Basavanna's statue here, not only the Assembly but all people across the world who believe in democracy are honoured..

Source : PIB

Correct Answer :   Krishna Prakash

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Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Krishna Prakash has earned a title for literally swimming against the tides. As part of the ‘Drowning Prevention Awareness’ campaign, the officer swam from Gateway of India to Elephanta Caves, Mumbai.

* He finished the 16.20 km expedition in just 5 hours and 26 minutes and charted history with this achievement.

* This is far from the first time the IPS officer broker broke records in sporting competitions.

* In 2017, he completed the Ironman Triathlon, one of the most challenging sports events in the world.

* This is a three-day event that requires the participants to complete a 3.8-kilometre swim, a 180.2-kilometer bicycle ride, and a 42.2 km run in 16–17 hours.

* This achievement earned Prakash the ‘Iron Man’ title and a mention in the World Book of Records.

* He was the first Indian Government Servant, Civil Servant, and Uniformed Services Officer, including Armed Forces and Paramilitary Forces, to earn this title!

* Prakash has accomplished a remarkable achievement in sports in the past as well. In 2017, he was praised for finishing the Ironman Triathlon, a competition that demands participants to swim 3.8 kilometers, bike ride for 180.2 kilometers, and run for 42.2 kilometers within a span of 16-17 hours..

Source : India Times

Correct Answer :   Mumbai

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The 1st G20 TIWG meeting under India’s G20 Presidency is scheduled in Mumbai ((Maharashtra)), from March 28th − 30th, 2023.

During this three-day Meeting, over 100 delegates from G20 member countries, invitee countries, regional groupings and international organizations will engage in deliberations to accelerate global trade and investments.

On the first day, on March 28th,  an International Conference on  on ‘Trade Finance’ will be held. The role of banks, financial institutions, development finance institutions and export credit agencies in closing the trade finance gap, and how digitalisation and fintech solutions can improve access to trade finance will be discussed through two panel discussions. Eminent speakers from India and abroad have been invited to deliberate and provide concrete solutions for mitigating the growing trade finance gap. It will be followed by a guided tour of Bharat Diamond Bourse for the G20 delegates.

On March 29th, the deliberations will focus on making trade work for growth and prosperity, and building resilient Global Value Chains (GVCs).

On March 30th, the TIWG priorities on integrating MSMEs in Global Trade, and building efficient logistics for trade will be discussed in the two working sessions.

Aim : The aim under India’s G20 Presidency is to build a shared understanding of the challenges being faced in accelerating global trade and investment, and how existing opportunities can be harnessed to formulate human-centric concrete outcomes and deliverables..

Source : PIB