Correct Answer :   Mount Everest

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The world's highest altitude was destroyed due to hurricane-force winds on Mount Everest, a team of scientists and Sherpa have again placed its new version atop Mount Everest. The group has been led by a 31-year-old electrician and mountain guide Tenzing Gyalzen Sherpa.

* According to the Guinness World Records report, the team of mountaineers and scientists has installed a record-breaking weather station at an altitude of 8,810 metres (28,904 ft); just 39 metres (128 ft) below Everest’s summit.

* The team started reinstallation of the world's highest weather station as a part of National Geographic and Rolex's ‘Return to Everest Expedition’ in May 2022.

* During this period, Tenzing, Matthews, and Perry were joined by 12 other Sherpa to install a weather station on the world's highest mountain.

* Previously, the weather station was located on Everest’s Balcony, around 400 metres lower than the new one. Notably, it was the first-ever terrestrial weather station that was placed above 8,000 metres.

* It is said that the rebuilding of the highest weather station was imperative because it was collecting information that could impact the lives of around 1.6 billion people as they rely on freshwater from the region.

* In May 2022, the team started cleaning up the destroyed Balcony's weather station and assembling its upgraded version.

* Carrying different components of the weather station, the team reached Bishop Rock on May 9 in the chilly winter at -40°C (-40°F).

* The Sherpa had heated their hands with batteries, while Matthews had to sit out of the assembly station due to his frostbitten fingers. They took around three hours in the weather station installation, which was later powered up by Tenzing..

Source : Mint

Correct Answer :   Rajesh Rai

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State-owned firm Indian Telephone Industries (ITI) Ltd on Tuesday (21st February 2023) said the government has appointed Rajesh Rai as the Chairman and managing director (CMD) of the company.

* Prior to assuming charge as CMD in ITI, he served as general manager (admin) of Mahanagar Telphone Nigam Ltd (MTNL), Mumbai.

* The appointment is for a period of five years with effect from the date of his assumption of charge of the post (immediately), till the date (21st Feb 2023) of his superannuation, or until further orders, whichever is the earliest.

About Rajesh Rai :

* Rai has more than 30 years of experience in the telecommunication industry. He held the post of chief technology officer of Mahanagar Telephone Mauritius Limited in Mauritius for 12 years, where he was responsible for CDMA, GSM, 3G & 4G network, and customer acquisition.

* He holds a bachelor's degree in engineering in electronics from Madan Mohan Malviya Engineering College, Gorakhpur; M.Tech (computer science) from Jawaharlal Nehru University, and an MBA from FMS, Delhi University..

Source : CNBC

Correct Answer :   India and Egypt

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India and Egypt strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism, during the 3rd meeting of the Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism in New Delhi on Thursday (16th Feb 2023).

* During the meeting, both sides also reviewed the threats posed by terrorist groups globally and in their respective countries and regions and shared their respective counter-terrorism priorities and actions taken to counter terrorism, violent extremism conducive to terrorism, radicalization, and terror financing.

* According to information provided by India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), they stressed the need to take concerted action against all the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)-designated terrorist entities.

* They called upon all countries to take immediate, sustained, irreversible, and verifiable actions to ensure that no territory under their control is used as a terrorist safe haven and to bring perpetrators of terrorist attacks to justice.

* They further called upon all countries to work towards rooting out terrorist networks, infrastructure, and financing channels, and preventing the cross-border movement of terrorists.

* The meeting also discussed emerging challenges posed by virtual currencies, unmanned aerial systems, and the misuse of cyberspace by terrorists for propaganda, in the backdrop of the Delhi Declaration adopted in October 2022 during the special meeting of the UNSC Counter-Terrorism Committee and the 3rd No Money for Terror Ministerial Conference on Counter-Terrorism Financing in November 2022 in New Delhi.

* The two sides reaffirmed the need for early finalization and adoption of the UN Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT), which aims to advance and strengthen the global counter-terrorism legal framework.

* India and Egypt agreed to further strengthen bilateral counter-terrorism collaboration, including through training and capacity-building efforts, exchanges of good practices, and information sharing.

* The Joint Working Group also discussed multilateral counter-terrorism cooperation, including at the United Nations and the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF)...

Source : India News Network

Correct Answer :   Serum Institute of India

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Serum Institute of India will be setting up Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla "Centre of Excellence (CoE)" in Infectious Diseases and Pandemic Preparedness in the Indian Institute of Public Health, Hyderabad.

* The CoE is being set up for providing the community with a centralised location for information, resources, and support during times of public health emergencies. It will be staffed by experienced healthcare professionals and equipped with state-of-the-art technology and resources.

* The Centre will serve as a hub for public health education, outreach, and response efforts during outbreaks of infectious diseases. It will provide real-time information and updates on current epidemics, as well as offer resources and support for those who have been affected.

* The Indian Institute of Public Health (IIPH-H) is one of five institutions established by the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) to strengthen health systems for better planning and performance and also align multi-sectoral policies and programmes to public health objectives...

Source : The Hindu Businessline

Correct Answer :   Bipin Rawat

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In commemoration of India’s late Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, a bell has been placed at Nepal’s revered Shree Muktinath Temple.

* The bell named “Bipin Bell,” has been installed at the revered Hindu temple in Mustang district during the visit of four former Indian army chiefs namely Gen VN Sharma, Gen JJ Singh, Gen Deepak Kapoor and Gen Dalbir Suhag.

* The four Indian Army generals reached Muktinath Temple on Sunday (19th Feb 2023) where they paid tribute to late Bipin Rawat and placed bell on the temple premises. The bell was arranged by Nepali Army as a courtesy.

* “India’s Defence Chief Rawat was interested to visit Muktinath in 2021 and had also made a plan. But his untimely demise in a tragic helicopter crash could not that happen,” two people familiar with the matter told India Narrative.

* Late Rawat’s connection with Nepal and Nepali people was deep being the officer of Gurkha Regiment. Rawat received the honorary general title of the Nepali Army when he paid a visit to Nepal at the invitation of his Nepali counterpart Rajendra Chhetri.

* The four former chiefs of Indian Army attended the 260th Nepali Army Day celebrations on Saturday (18th Feb 2023), where the Indian Army band from 11 Gorkha Rifles made their first-ever performance..

Source : India Narrative

Correct Answer :   Arunachal Pradesh

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Statehood Day in Arunachal Pradesh is a state holiday observed on February 20 in the Northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.

* It is a day to commemorate the granting of statehood to the state which occurred in the year 1987.

* Arunachal Pradesh holds a key position in the whole northeastern Indian states, as it served as the general name of the whole region before its statehood.

* It is full of mountains and situated close to the Himalayas, which invariably makes Arunachal Pradesh an international border state — bordering China, Myanmar, and Bhutan.

37th Statehood Day celebrations :  The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu graced the 37th Statehood Day celebrations of Arunachal Pradesh and attended the civic reception hosted in her honour by the State Government at Itanagar today (February 20, 2023).

* The President said that being the largest state in the North-Eastern Region in terms of area as well as being a border state, Arunachal Pradesh is a very important state from strategic and geographical point of view. Good infrastructure is essential for national security and economic development of the state.

* She was happy to note that the Central Government has approved schemes worth more than rupees 44,000 crore for the development of National Highway Infrastructure in Arunachal Pradesh.

* She said that Arunachal Pradesh has become a power surplus state with the commissioning of 600 MW Kameng Hydro Power Station. She expressed confidence that the recently inaugurated all weather Donyi Polo Airport would improve the connectivity of the State and also give a boost to trade and tourism..

Source : PIB

Correct Answer :   Gujarat

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The Joint Venture (JV) between India’s "Vedanta Limited" and Taiwanese electronics manufacturer "Foxconn" recently announced that it will set up its semiconductor and display manufacturing facility at the Dholera Special Investment Region near Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

* Vedanta and Foxconn, in September 2022, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Gujarat government to invest Rs 1,54,000 crore, independent India’s biggest-ever corporate investment so far, to set up the country’s first semiconductor manufacturing facility.

* The MoU was signed in Gandhinagar in the presence of Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister for Railways, Communications, Electronics & Information Technology.

* This upcoming facility will also help generate one lakh job opportunities in the state, said Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, promising his government’s cooperation.

* Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing an election rally in Bhavnagar in November, had suggested that the mega semiconductor plant will come up at Dholera Special Investment Region, around 100 km from Ahmedabad.

* The Vedanata-Foxconn’s semiconductor manufacturing facility is likely to get huge subsidies and incentives, like zero stamp duty on land purchase and subsidised water and electricity, under the ‘Gujarat Semiconductor Policy 2022-27.’..

Source : CNBC 

Correct Answer :   BVR Subrahmanyam

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Correct Answer :   Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)

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* The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has launched the 'mPassport Police App' to streamline and expedite the police verification process for passport issuance.

* Police verification is an important part of the process to issue passport to citizens.

* The App was launched by Union Home Minister "Amit Shah" during the 76th Raising Day Parade of Delhi Police.

* The mPassport Police App will cut the verification time period to 5 days.

* Shah dedicated 350 mobile tablets to personnel of Delhi Police Special Branch to enable them for police verification. With this process being streamlined, submission of reports will become paperless..

Source : Times Now News

Correct Answer :   Austin Butler

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Austin Butler won the 76th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) Awards 2023 in the Best Leading Actor category for Elvis.

* Cate Blanchett won the Best Leading Actress Award for her performance in TÁR.

* A German anti-war drama, ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ won a maximum of seven awards including Best Film and Director.

* This movie is a screen adaptation of the 1928 novel by Erich Maria Remarque.

* ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ and ‘Elvis’ both movies won four BAFTA awards..

Source : AIR