Correct Answer :   May 28

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Menstrual Hygiene Day is observed annually on May 28 to highlight the importance of good menstrual hygiene, break stigma around menstruation, and raise awareness about challenges regarding access to menstrual products.

According to UNICEF, around 1.8 billion people across the world menstruate every month that includes girls, women, transgender men and non-binary persons.

Many of them face a range of issues from stigma to social exclusion. Gender inequality, discriminatory social norms, cultural taboos, poverty and lack of basic services like toilets and sanitary products can all add up to the challenges surrounding menstrual health and hygiene.

Menstrual Hygiene Day date: Why is it celebrated on May 28?

Menstrual Hygiene Day is observed every year on the 28th day of the fifth month because menstrual cycle averages 28 days in length and people on an average menstruate for five days each month.

Menstrual Hygiene Day History : Menstrual Hygiene Day was started by Germany-based NGO WASH United in 2013 when a 28-day social media campaign was launched to spread awareness around different aspects of menstruation. Motivated by the positive response around the campaign, Menstrual Hygiene Day was observed for the first time on May 28, 2014 with rallies, exhibitions, workshops, speeches etc.

Menstrual Hygiene Day 2023 Theme : The theme for Menstrual Hygiene Day 2023 is - 'Making menstruation a normal fact of life by 2030.

Menstrual Hygiene Day Significance : Menstrual hygiene is important for the well-being and dignity of individuals who menstruate and this day highlights the importance of proper menstrual hygiene practices such as using clean and safe menstrual products, maintaining personal hygiene, and managing menstrual discomfort effectively. Many in low-income communities do not have access to affordable and hygienic menstrual products and the day advocates for improved access to menstrual products. The day also stresses upon acquiring knowledge about our bodies, menstrual cycles, and reproductive health.

List of common menstrual products that can ensure hygiene during periods

* Menstrual pads
* Menstrual cups
* Organic cotton tampons
* Period panties
* Reusable cloth pads
* Tips for menstrual hygiene

As per CDC, these are the guidelines one must follow for a healthy period :

* Wash your hands before and after using a menstrual product.

* Do not flush the menstrual products down the toilet and instead wrap them with a toilet paper or tissue and dispose them in a dustbin.

* Sanitary pads must be changed every few hours even if the flow is light. Change them more frequently if the flow is heavy.

* Change tampons every 4-8 hours.

* In case of menstrual cups, clean them after a day’s use and sanitise them properly by placing them in boiling water for a few minutes after your period is over.

* Wear cotton underwear and keep your genital area clean. Wipe from the front of your body toward the back.

* Drink enough liquids to keep up the hydration levels..

Source : Hindustan Times

Correct Answer :   26th May 2023

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Writer and literary critic Govindaray H Nayak, who was popularly known as G H Nayak, passed away Friday(26th May 2023) at 88 due to a heart attack in Mysuru.

He won the Kendra Sahitya Academy Award for his work ‘Uttarardha’ in 2014.

He was also awarded the Karnataka Sahitya Academy Award for ‘Nirapeksha’ and V M Inamdhar Memorial Award for ‘Nijadani’.

He had also been the recipient of the prestigious Pampa Award.

His works include Samakaalina and Anivaarya..

Source : The Print

Correct Answer :   Mansukh Mandaviya

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Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Dr Mansukh Mandaviya as he inaugurated the 8th International Conference on Pharma and Medical Device Sector in the presence of Shri Bhagwanth Khuba, Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers, Ms. S Aparna, Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals, and Shri Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India.

This conference is organized by the Department of Pharmaceuticals in association with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) for two days to promote India as a manufacturing hub of quality medical products in the pharmaceutical and Medical Device Sector.

Recalling and reiterating the Prime Minister’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat and the ethos of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, Dr Mandaviya stated “India played a phenomenal role in meeting the requirements of not just its domestic but needs of many others under unprecedented circumstances.”

Dr. Mandaviya unveiled the National Medical Devices Policy, 2023, and launched the Export Promotion Council for Medical Devices. Additionally, the Union Minister also launched a scheme titled ‘Assistance for Medical Devices clusters for Common Facilities (AMD-CF)’.

Aim : This scheme aims to establish and strengthen common infrastructure facilities in the medical devices clusters and fortify testing facilities for medical devices..

Source : PIB

Correct Answer :   Justice MS Ramachandra Rao

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The Central government Friday (26th May 2023) notified the appointment of Justice MS Ramachandra Rao as the Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court.

* The office of the Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court has been vacant since January this year after the retirement of Chief Justice Amjad Sayed.

* The Supreme Court Collegium headed by CJI DY Chandrachud had recommended Justice Rao's elevation last month. It had reasoned that the Telangana High Court (Justice Rao's parent High Court), presently has no representation among Chief Justices of the High Courts.

* Justice M S Ramachandra Rao was appointed as a judge of the High Court of Andhra Pradesh on June 29, 2012.

* On the bifurcation of the State of Andhra Pradesh, he opted for Telangana as his parent High Court.

* He was transferred as a judge of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana on October 12, 2021 where he is currently a judge..

Source : Bar and Bench

Correct Answer :   PhonePe

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PhonePe has said that it has become the first digital payments app to successfully enable the linkage of 2 lakh RuPay credit cards to the Unified Payments Interface (UPI).

* In addition, PhonePe has also processed a total payment value (TPV) of Rs 150 crore via RuPay credit on UPI.

Aim : “PhonePe aims to offer a comprehensive suite of solutions for RuPay Credit on UPI in partnership with NPCI to popularize its usage among customers and merchants alike.

* The company has already enabled the acceptance of RuPay Credit Cards on UPI across 12 million merchant outlets in the country, achieving the highest merchant penetration in the ecosystem.

* This widespread acceptance has ensured that customers have ample opportunities to utilize their Rupay credit cards for transactions through UPI," the company said in a statement..

Source : News18

Correct Answer :   Srikrishnan Harihara Sarma

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Private sector lender Karnataka Bank on Friday (26th May 2023) appointed Srikrishnan Hari Hara Sarma as managing director and chief executive officer of the bank for a period of three years.

* The appointment is subject to the shareholders’ approval at the next Annual General Meeting or within a period of 3 months from the date of assuming charge, whichever is earlier, Karnataka Bank said in a regulatory filing.

* Pursuant to the approval received from the Reserve Bank of India, the Board of Directors at its meeting held on Thursday (25th May 2023) has appointed Sarma as an additional director to take up the role of MD and CEO, the bank said.

* At HDFC Bank, he was part of the founding management team, for over 9 years, and as the country head of transactional banking and operations, was involved in setting up the bank's corporate and retail banking, treasury, and capital markets infrastructure business. He later joined Yes Bank.

* At Jio Payments Bank, as MD and CEO, he was responsible for the application and coordination for approval of license with the RBI, incorporation of the company, formation of the board, strategic direction, and commencement of operations in 2018...

Source : CNBC

Correct Answer :   $593.48

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India's foreign exchange reserves saw a fall of $6.052 billion to $593.477 billion as on May 19, 2023, as per Reserve Bank of India data updated on Friday. The drop in the kitty has snapped two consecutive weeks of increases.

* India's forex kitty had jumped $3.553 billion to $599.529 billion for the week ended May 12.

* Expressed in dollar terms, the foreign currency assets (FCAs) include the effect of appreciation or depreciation of non-US units like the euro, pound and yen held in the foreign exchange reserves. India's total FCA saw a dip of $4.654 billion to $524.945 billion.

* Gold reserves fell by $1.227 billion to $45.127 billion while SDRs fell by $137 million to $18.276 billion.

* India's reserve position in the IMF saw a dip of $35 million to $5.130 billion.

* The Indian rupee rose on Friday and snapped two straight weeks of losses as persistent dollar inflows into equities helped offset the impact from a broadly strong dollar. The rupee ended up 0.2% to 82.5750 versus the U.S. dollar. The currency has recovered from a near three-month low of 82.85 hit earlier in the week. The rupee ended up 0.1% for the week.

* It can be noted that in October 2021, the country's forex kitty had reached an all-time high of USD 645 billion. The reserves have been declining as the central bank deploys the kitty to defend the rupee amid pressures caused majorly by global developments..

Source : Economic Times

Correct Answer :   R. Dinesh

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TVS Supply Chain Solutions Executive Vice Chairman "R. Dinesh" on Thursda (25th May 2023)y assumed office as the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) President for 2023-24 while ITC Managing Director Sanjiv Puri named President-designate.

* The CII National Council, which met in New Delhi to elect new office-bearers for 2023-24, also named EY Chairman India Region Rajiv Memani as Vice-President.

* Mr. Dinesh is a fourth-generation TVS family member. He has been engaged with CII for many years at the state, regional and national level. He succeeds Bajaj Finserv Ltd, CMD Sanjiv Bajaj, CII said in a statement.

* Mr. Dinesh started TVS Supply Chain Solutions (erstwhile known as TVS Logistics) in 1995. The company, under his leadership has grown multifold to become a billion-dollar company. The company has a presence across continents making it a truly global company and serving customers in over 50 countries.

* Mr. Dinesh has won many awards including ‘Icon of the Year’ from ICT Academy of Tamil Nadu for the year 2018, Entrepreneur of the Year Award for ‘Services’ category by Ernst & Young in 2017. He is also the recipient of TiECON’s “Next Gen Entrepreneur of the Year 2014” award and ‘Emerging Entrepreneur’ award by CII in 2010..

Source : The Hindu

Correct Answer :   Suman Sharma

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Senior bureaucrat Suman Sharma was on Thursday (25th May 2023) sworn in as the member of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

* Sharma is a 1990-batch Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax) officer.

* UPSC Chairman Manoj Soni administered the oath of office and secrecy to the newly appointed member, a statement issued by the Personnel Ministry said.

* The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, had on 18 May 2023, approved repatriation of Sharma, who was working as Managing Director of Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) Ltd. under Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, to her parent cadre.

* During her stint as MD, SECI, the company witnessed significant growth in its revenue and profits and also received ‘Mini Ratna’ status during her tenure.

* Sharma, in her illustrious career of more than 30 years, has held several important positions and has been closely involved with the subject matters of international taxation, transfer pricing, power trading agreements and new foreign trade policy in India, the statement read.

* In the income tax department, she has worked in the Central Board of Direct Taxes where she received “Award for the best search” while working in the investigation wing of the department.

* A graduate in Organic Chemistry from Meerut University (Bronze medalist), she did her Master of Business Administration from University of Hull, United Kingdom.

Sharma has also attended mid-career course on budget forecasting in Duke University, North Carolina, USA and management courses in MDI, Gurugram, Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Bangalore and IBFD, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

* The Commission is headed by a chairman and it can have a maximum of 10 members.

* With her appointment, there exists a vacancy of five members.

* A UPSC member is appointed for a term of six years or until attaining 65 years of age.

* The UPSC conducts civil services examination to select officers of Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) among others..

Source : The Print

Correct Answer :   ₹75

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The Ministry of Finance has announced the launch of a special ₹75 coin to commemorate the inauguration of India’s new parliament building.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil the coin on Sunday(28 May 2023), coinciding with the celebration of India’s 75 years of independence.

The Design and Symbolism :

* The newly minted ₹75 coin will feature the iconic Lion Capital of the Ashoka Pillar on one side, with the words “Satyamev Jayate” below it. The coin will bear the inscription “Bharat” in Devanagari script on the left side and “India” in English on the right.

* It will also display the rupee symbol and the denomination value of 75 in international numerals beneath the Lion Capital. On the reverse side, an image of the parliament complex will be depicted, with “Sansad Sankul” written in Devanagari script on the upper periphery and “Parliament Complex” in English on the lower periphery.

Significance of the Coin : The issuance of the ₹75 coin holds great symbolic importance as it pays tribute to India’s 75 years of independence. The Lion Capital, a national emblem of India, represents strength, courage, and righteousness. The inclusion of the parliament complex highlights the significance of the new building and its role as a center of democracy.

Specifications and Composition : The circular coin will have a diameter of 44 millimeters and 200 serrations along its edges. It will weigh 35 grams and be composed of a four-part alloy, consisting of 50% silver, 40% copper, 5% nickel, and 5% zinc. The use of silver in the composition adds a precious and commemorative element to the coin.

Controversy Surrounding the Inauguration : While the inauguration of the new parliament building is expected to be a momentous occasion, it has faced opposition from several political parties. The Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, Left, Trinamool, and Samajwadi Party, among others, have announced their decision to boycott the event. They argue that the focus should be on preserving the “soul of democracy” rather than constructing a new building.

Opposition’s Criticism and BJP’s Response : The opposition parties have expressed their disapproval of Prime Minister Modi inaugurating the new parliament building instead of President Droupadi Murmu. They perceive it as a departure from democratic norms and an affront to constitutional values. In response, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has labeled the opposition’s decision to boycott the inauguration as a “blatant affront to democratic ethos and constitutional values of our great nation.”