Correct Answer :   Girish Chandra Murmu

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Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), Girish Chandra Murmu has been selected as External Auditor of the International Labour Organization in Geneva for a four-year term from 2024 to 2027.

* The decision was taken after a rigorous selection process. CAG will take over from the incumbent External Auditor of ILO, Supreme Audit Institution of Philippines.

* CAG’s appointment is a recognition of its standing among the international community as well as its professionalism, high standards, global audit experience and strong national credentials.

* ILO had formed a Selection Panel for appointment of External Auditor and invited bids from the Supreme Audit Institutions.

* Based on the technical experience and other criteria, ILO shortlisted three Supreme Audit Institutions - India, Canada and United Kingdom - for technical presentations.

* In Geneva, a three-member team from CAG of India presented the strengths, approach and skill set and the vast experience of auditing International Organizations to the tripartite selection panel of ILO..

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   February 22, 2023

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Classical dance legend Kanak Rele passed away on February 22, 2023, died at the age of 85 in Mumbai. The Mohiniyattam exponent, who was awarded the first Guru Gopinath National Puraskaram of the Government of Kerala,

* Born on June 11, 1937, in Gujarat to Shivdas and Madhuri, Kanak Rele spent her childhood in Santiniketan, West Bengal.

* It was during this time that she turned to dance and became fascinated with Kathakali and Mohiniyattam.

* At the age of seven, she learned Kathakali under Guru Karunakara Panicker. Kanak Rele, who loved Kerala and its art forms, studied Mohiniyattam under Kalamandalam Rajalakshmi.

* Although she studied law at the University of Mumbai and obtained a diploma in international law from the University of Manchester, she chose dance as her field.

* Kanak Rele received various awards and prizes over her nearly eight-decade-long dancing career, including the Padma Shri (1989), Padma Bhushan (2013), Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1994), Kalidas Samman (2006) and MS Subbulakshmi Award, amongst other accolades.

Born : 11 June 1937, Gujarat

Died : 22 February 2023, Mumbai

Source : India Times

Correct Answer :   Amazon

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E-commerce giant Amazon announced Friday(24th February 2023) that it will join the Indian government’s ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce) platform, and as part of its initial collaboration will integrate its Smart Commerce and logistics services with the ONDC network.

* Amazon logistics services include pickup and delivery, while Smart Commerce is a suite of SaaS (software-as-a-service) products hosted on AWS that can assist MSMEs build and scale their business and integrate it with the ONDC network.

* Amazon said it will continue to explore potential opportunities for a stronger integration with the ONDC network.

* ONDC is a non-profit organization set up by the commerce ministry’s Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) to democratise e-commerce services and provide small e-commerce stores and online sellers with a level playing field.


Amazon’s vision : The Amazon’s vision and commitment for India are closely aligned with ONDC’s objectives of digitally enabling small businesses and providing convenience and choice to customers across the country.

* Manish Tiwary, country manager, India Consumer Business, at Amazon India.

* Tiwary added that Amazon was excited to provide its infrastructure and technology to help ONDC achieve its goals faster.

* ONDC network is currently in beta phase and has conducted pilots in select cities.

* The ONDC network protocol allows anyone to create an e-commerce marketplace and tap into the ONDC network to get products displayed and delivered without having to worry about logistics.

* In August 2022, ONDC signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Small Industries and Development Bank of India (SIDBI) to onboard its huge ecosystem of MSMEs on the network.

* Several companies including Microsoft, Meesho, Paytm, and Dunzo have already joined the platform. Flipkart, PhonePe, and JioMart are also reportedly planning to join the network.

Source : Mint

Correct Answer :   Sajjan Jindal

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Sajjan Jindal, Chairman and Managing Director, JSW Group was named the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2022 and will now represent India at the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year Award (WEOY) at Monte Carlo in June 2023.

Sajjan was selected for his exceptional entrepreneurial journey in scaling the global conglomerate with presence in steel, cement, infrastructure, energy, and paints to revenues of US$22 billion, globally employing over 40,000 people.

Earning the sobriquet of ‘Man of Steel’, he was the first representative from India to serve as the Chairman of the World Steel Association.

Other Winners :

K. P. Singh (DLF Group) : Lifetime Achievement Award

Deepak Bagla (Invest India) : Special Jury Award

Mahesh Pratapneni (MedGenome) : Start-up Award Award

V Vaidyanathan (IDFC First Bank) : Financial Services Award

Pradeep Kumar Kheruka (Borosil Group) : Manufacturing Award

Pawan Jain and Rubal Jain (Safexpress) : Services Award

Irfan Razack (Prestige Constructions) : Energy, Real Estate and Infrastructure Award

Samina Hamied (Cipla) : Life Sciences and Healthcare Award
 
Ravi Modi (Vedant Fashions (Manyavar)) : Consumer Products and Retail Award

Vivek Kumar Jain (Gujarat Fluorochemicals ) : Business Transformation Award.

Source : EY

Correct Answer :   Bastar

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For the first time, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) will hold its Raising Day function in Bastar district of Chhattisgarh, a place that has been a hot bed of left wing extremism.

* The preparation for the celebration on March 19 will start in a few days. We still have about a month to go.

* We are preparing the infrastructure. It will be held in Jagdalpur in a place called Karanpur -- the headquarter of 204 and 201 COBRA battalion.

* The parade will happen there. It is about 15 km from Jagdalpur airport.

* Bastar along with other districts in Chhattisgarh such as Sukma, Dantewada and Bijawara have witnessed major attacks by Maoist groups in the past prompting the paramilitary force to launch counter offensive operations.

* The CRPF, which is the largest paramilitary force in the country, had celebrated its 83rd CRPF Day in Jammu last year (2022).

* In the CRPF, there are four zones – Jammu and Kashmir zone, Central Zone, Northeast zone and the Southern zone -- each headed by a special director general.

* The CRPF was entrusted the task of anti-naxal operations there in 2003.

* There are 6 COBRA battalions in the Chhattisgarh sector. Cobra battalion is a specialised force within the CRPF where personnel specialise in guerrilla warfare..

Source : Hindustan Times

Correct Answer :   August 31, 2024

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The Union cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on 22 February 2023 extended the term of the 22nd Law Commission till August 31, 2024.

The move came as the tenure of the 22nd Law Commission of India ended on February 20, 2023.

Former chief justice of the Karnataka High Court Ritu Raj Awasthi is the chairperson of the current commission, and its members include KT Sankaran, a retired judge of the Kerala High Court.

The 22nd commission is tasked with :

* identification of laws that are no longer relevant and can be done away with;

* suggesting new laws that may be necessary to implement the directive principles and to attain the objectives set out in the preamble of the Constitution;

* advising the government on any subject relating to law and judicial administration that may be routed through the ministry of law and justice (Department of Legal Affairs);

* considering the requests for providing research to any foreign countries as may be referred to it by the government through law ministry; and

* preparing reports on all issues, matters, studies and research undertaken by it and recommending such reports for effective measures to be taken by the central or state governments.

About The Law Commission of India :The Law Commission of India is a non-statutory body constituted by the Government of India from time to time.

Objectives of the Law Commission of India :

* It works as an advisory body to the Ministry of Law and Justice.

* The Law Commission undertakes research in law and review of existing laws in India for making reforms therein and enacting new legislations on a reference made to it by the Central Government or suo-motu..

Source : NDTV

Correct Answer :   India

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* India has recently joined the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM4C) initiative. It is a joint initiative of the United States of America and the United Arab Emirates.

* US Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Jose W. Fernandez who was in Abu Dhabi for the I2U2 Business Forum welcomed the Secretary (Economic Relations) Dammu Ravi in the Ministry of External Affairs signing a letter expressing the Indian Government’s intention to join the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM4C).

* The US and the United Arab Emirates launched AIM4C in November 2021. AIM4C seeks to increase investment in and support innovation in climate-smart agriculture and food systems.

* The AIM4C initiative has successfully increased these investments to more than 8 billion US dollars globally.

* India joins more than 275 partners, including 42 governments, who are working to collectively advance AIM4C’s mission by supporting investment in climate-smart agriculture and food systems innovation.

* Earlier on Wednesday (22nd Feb 2023), Ravi attended India-Israel-UAE-US (I2U2) Sherpas meeting held in Abu Dhabi.

* During the meeting, Sherpas reiterated their commitment to the I2U2 partnership and reviewed progress in all the existing and prospective I2U2 projects.

* I2U2 Grouping was conceptualized during the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the four countries held on 18 October 2021..

Source : The Print

Correct Answer :   Seattle

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* Seattle has created history become the first city in the US to bring in legislation banning caste-based discrimination.

* Introduced in the Seattle City Council by member Kshama Sawant (District 3, Central Seattle), the legislation was passed Tuesday (21st Feb 2023) with a 6-1 vote.

* It prohibits “businesses from discriminating based on caste with respect to hiring, tenure, promotion, workplace conditions or wages.”

* Over 1,67,000 people from South Asia live in Washington state, largely concentrated in the Greater Seattle area.

* In an official statement released by the Council, Sawant said : “Caste discrimination does not only take place in other countries. It is faced by South Asian American and other immigrant working people in their workplaces, including in the tech sector, in Seattle and in cities around the country. That’s why my office is proud to bring forward first-in-the-nation legislation for our city to ban caste-based discrimination, in solidarity with our South Asian and other immigrant community members, and all working people.’’

* The legislation will also ban discrimination based on caste in places of public accommodation, such as hotels, public transportation, public restrooms or retail establishments. Rental housing leases, property sales and mortgage loans are covered by the law.

* Caste discrimination is increasingly a grave contributor to workplace discrimination and bias — data from Equality Labs show that one in four caste-oppressed people faced physical and verbal assault, one in three faced education discrimination, and two in three faced workplace discrimination.

* The Indian American Coalition, a coalition of Indian-American rights organisations, praised the Seattle City Council “for its leadership in passing the historic legislation to ban caste-based discrimination in the city”..

Source : Indian Express

Correct Answer :   Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)

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* Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed a new wheat variety which can overcome the challenges arising out due to changes in weather patterns and rising heat levels.

* This new wheat variety called HD-3385 is amenable to early sowing, escaping the impact of heat spikes and can be harvested before March end.

* ICAR Principal Scientist Rajbir Yadav explained the merits of this new variety and how the farmers can get good production by sowing this wheat variety.

* Recently, in the wake of rising temperatures, the Centre's  announced to  set up of a committee to monitor the situation arising from the increase in temperatures and its impact  on the current wheat crop..

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Ministry of External Affairs

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* External Affairs Ministry's annual flagship event on Geoeconomics, Asia Economic Dialogue will begin in Pune, Maharashtra from 23 -25 February 2023.

* Three-day event  is being co-hosted in collaboration with Pune International Centre.

* Theme : The principal theme for the Dialogue is ‘Asia and the Emerging World Order’. The Dialogue will also discuss themes such as Global Growth Prospects, How the Global South Will Shape the G20 Agenda and the Metaverse.  

* The Inaugural Session of the Dialogue would be a conversation between External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, Bhutan Finance Minister Lyonpo Namgay Tshering and Maldives Finance Minister Ibrahim Ameer.

* Our correspondent reports that more than 44 speakers from various countries including Brazil, the US, the UK, South Africa, Bhutan, Maldives, Switzerland, Singapore and Mexico will be participating in this Dialogue.

* A large number of participants would be joining the conversations through the AED’s website and digital platforms...

Source : AIR