Correct Answer :   IIT Kanpur

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Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur has developed an energy-efficient compressed air-based pipeline system for transporting coal and minerals, offering round-the-clock monitoring with considerable savings in time and costs .

* The cargo-based hyperloop system, developed by Professor Bishakh Bhattacharya and research scientists Kanhaiya Lal Chaurasia and Yashasvi Sinha at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, will address challenges such as material loss, uncertainty in delivery time and air pollution.

* An energy efficient pipeline system for evacuating coal, which accounts for almost 75 per cent of India’s power consumption, will not only save transportation time, but also reduce dust pollution at the mining sites and loading points.

* Developed at IIT Kanpur’s Smart Materials, Structures and Systems (SMSS) Lab, the system has already undergone a successful demonstration at the recent UP Global Investors Summit 2023 and has received positive feedback from experts in the field.

Hyperloop : The system is designed to transport coal or slurry from one point to another with compressed air as its energy source.

* The robot travels at around 120 km an hour and can transport the loaded block to the designated receiving or unloading sub-section continuously, IIT Kanpur said in a statement.

* This will be a continuous process and there could be more than one robotic vehicle operating in series depending on the workload and requirement. Even parallel pipeline loops can increase transportation efficiency significantly.

* Each module of the vehicle is connected to the adjacent modules through a ball and socket joint. This provides connectivity as well as manoeuvrability to the system which enables the robot to pass through complex bends present in the pipeline network...

Source : The Hindu Businessline

Correct Answer :   Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports

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Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India, Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education & Research, Hyderabad (NIPER Hyderabad) signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to create nutritional supplement testing capacity in India.

* This will provide information & build awareness about the risks associated with use of nutritional supplements, increase research opportunities in the clean sport & anti-doping domain and provide options for safe and dope-free nutritional supplements for sportspersons.

* This MoU is a form of mutual commitment in compliance with the mandate towards strengthening the field of “Food for Special Dietary Use for Sportspersons”.

* This collaboration will help develop tools for dissemination of data and information generated by the testing laboratory at NIPER Hyderabad for the benefit of the sports ecosystem and the public in India.

* It will also educate the athletes about the harmful components present in the nutritional supplements that may affect their long-term performances.

* Smt. Sujata Chaturvedi, Secretary (Sports), Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India addressed the gathering and expressed Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India’s continuous commitment towards creating a clean sporting environment in the country.

* She further added that this MoU is a step to empower our athletes and sports ecosystem to make informed decisions regarding nutritional supplements.

* Smt. S. Aparna, Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals, Government of India congratulated everyone on achieving this milestone towards nation’s growth in testing nutritional supplements for sportspersons...

Source : PIB

Correct Answer :   Bengaluru

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Bengaluru is the second slowest city in the world to drive in as one can cover just 10 km in 29 minutes and 10 seconds in the city, stated a report by TomTom, a Dutch multinational developer of location technology.

* It took 29 minutes and 9 seconds to travel 10 km in Bengaluru city centre last year, it stated.

* Tom Tom, a multinational developer of traffic-based technologies, released its index on Thursday. It detailed traffic trends across 389 cities in 56 countries, throughout 2022.

* Tom Tom, in its research, stated that Bengaluru is globally the second slowest city to drive in, where it takes 29 minutes and 10 seconds of travel time to cover 10 km by road.

* London ranks first with an average of 36 minutes and 20 seconds to travel 6.2 miles (10 km). Ireland's capital, Dublin, Japanese town of Sapporo and Milan in Italy, rank third, 4th and 5th.

1. London : 36 min 20 sec
2. Bengalure : 29 min 10 sec
3. Dublin : 28 min 30 sec
4. Sapporo : 27min 40 sec
5. Mila : 27 min 30 sec
6. Pune : 27 min 20 sec
7. Bucharest : 27 min 20 sec
8. Lima : 27 min 10 sec
9. Manila : 27 min
10. Bogota : 26 min 10 sec.

Source : India Today

Correct Answer :   G Kishan Reddy

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Tourism Minister "G Kishan Reddy" has Announced that the Tourism Ministry will organise 1st Global Tourism Investors' Summit from the 17th to 19th May 2023 in New Delhi to showcase opportunities in the Tourism and hospitality sector.

* The Summit will deliberate on potential opportunities for investment across tourism segments including hotels and restaurants, adventure and eco tourism, cruise and other related tourism sectors.

* Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy has said that the Government is working in a mission mode to promote and develop the Tourism sector in India.

* The number of domestic and international tourists is increasing in the country and India is emerging as a major tourism destination in the world.

* Mr Reddy said, the Government is focussing on connectivity, civic infrastructure, tourist amenities and soft infrastructure to promote and develop the tourism sector.

* The Minister said, with India hosting G - 20 Presidency, the Government is also working with State governments, local bodies and other Ministries to attract foreign tourists.

* Mr Reddy said, the Government is providing foreign language training to taxi drivers and tourist guides to help foreign delegates understand the rich culture of the country with ease...

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   India

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India has been elected as the Chair of the 62nd Session of the Commission for Social Development on 15 February 2023. The announcement was made at the 13th plenary meeting-61st session of the commission for social development.

* Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj expressed gratitude on behalf of India. “It is an honor for me to be elected, on behalf of India, as Chair of the 62nd session of the Commission for Social Development.”

* The 62nd session, the priority theme of the session is decided as “Fostering Social Development and Social Justice through Social Policies to accelerate Progress on the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to achieve the overarching goal of poverty eradication.”

* Along with India as the Chair, the commission also elected Jon Ivanovski (North Macedonia), Carla María Carlson (Dominican Republic), and Thomas Lammar (Luxembourg) as Vice-Chairs of the 62nd session.

* The opportunity comes at a time when India is leading the G20 and is steering the global agenda through its G20 Presidency. In addition, India has undertaken a number of initiatives and policies to advance the social development of its citizens, which might be very advantageous for other nations.

* 61st session, the commission decided to forward four draft resolutions to the Economic and Social Council for adoption (ECOSOC). Out of the four, there was a draft resolution that focused on creating full employment and decent work for all with an aim to overcome inequalities and accelerate the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic...

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   New delhi

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To advance India’s cyber-preparedness, KAVACH-2023, a national level hackathon was launched 16th Feb 2023 in New delhi to identify innovative ideas and technological solutions for addressing the cyber security and cybercrime challenges of the 21st century.

While addressing media, Dr. T G Sitharam, Chairman, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), said that KAVACH-2023 is a unique kind of national hackathon jointly conducted by Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell, AICTE;

Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D, MHA) and Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C, MHA) to identify innovative ideas and technological solutions for addressing the cyber security and cybercrime challenges of the 21st century faced by our Law Enforcement Agencies and common citizens.

The occasion Shri Balaji Srivastava, IPS, Director General, BPR&D, said that it will be a 36-hours long event, during which youth from educational institutions across the country and registered start-ups will participate to find robust, secure and effective technological solutions for cyber security by using their technical expertise & innovative skills. It will advance the blockage of cyber security crimes with a robust system monitoring and safety provisions...

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Aadhaar Mitra

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The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to has recently launched a chatbot to help people get an answer to their queries related to the Aadhaar card. It is called "Aadhaar Mitra".

The Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML)-based chatbot can answer queries related to Aadhaar enrolment number, PVC Card order status and complaint status, among other things. It is available in both English and Hindi languages.

"This chatbot is trained to respond to the resident's queries and aimed at improving the resident's experience," the FAQ section of the UIDAI Chatbot reads.

What can Aadhaar Mitra answer?

According to UIDAI's website, "Aadhaar Chatbot is well trained to answer queries on Aadhaar related topics, provide information about Locate Aadhaar Center, Check Aadhaar Enrolment/ Update status, Check PVC Card Order status, File a Complaint, Check Complaint status, Locate Enrolment Center, Book An Appointment".

The user does not need to go to an Aadhaar enrollment centre to update the card anymore. It can be done through the chatbot. They can also apply for a duplicate Aadhaar if the original is lost.

How to use Aadhaar Mitra?

"Resident can simply type his query in Chatbot and get the desired answers immediately," UIDAI says. Here is a step-by-step guide to using Aadhaar Mitra:

* Go to www.uidai.gov.in

* Click/ Tap on the "Aadhaar Mitra" box in the bottom right corner. The chatbot will open saying, "Hi, I am your Aadhaar Mitra. How May I help you!!"

* Tap on "Get Started" to ask the query.

* Now in the search box, enter the query and click on the Enter button. The chatbot will reply with the answer.

* Also, you can click on the suggested query option available at the top...

Source : Business Standard

Correct Answer :   Neal Mohan

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Indian-American, Neal Mohan has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of YouTube.

* YouTube Chief Executive and one of the first Google employees, Susan Wojcicki, is stepping down from her role at the tech giant that started in her garage nearly 25 years ago. she said in a personal update on the video-sharing platform on Thursday (16th Feb 2023).

* Wojcicki, 54, will be replaced by her deputy Neal Mohan, a senior advertising and product executive who joined Google in 2008.

* Mohan, a Stanford graduate, was appointed chief product officer at YouTube in 2015.

* He focused on building YouTube Shorts, Music and subscription offerings in the role.

* He previously spent nearly six years at DoubleClick, a company Google acquired in 2008, and later served for about eight years as senior vice president of display and video advertising at Google.

* Prior to Google, he worked as a Senior Analyst at Accenture and later joined Microsoft.

* He is an MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business..

Source : Business Today

Correct Answer :   16th February 2023

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Tulsidas Balaram, one of the greatest footballers ever to play for India, passed away on 16th February 2023, ending the most glorious chapter of Indian football.

* Balaram was the last surviving member of the ‘Golden Trinity’ of football : the other two, Chuni Goswami and P.K. Banerjee, having passed away in 2020.

* Balaram breathed his last in a Kolkata hospital after a prolonged illness. He was 86.

* One of the key members of the squad that created history by winning gold at the 1962 Jakarta Asian Games, Balaram was a pioneer in the technical aspect of the game. He was arguably the first ‘complete’ football player that India ever had.

* He was a sublime dribbler, deadly shooter, playmaker, and architect of attacks, and, when necessary, had no hesitation in racing back to bolster the defence.

Career achievements : In a professional career that lasted less than 10 years, Balaram won most of the major trophies in Indian football. While playing for India, he won the Asian Games gold (1962) and was runners-up in the Merdeka Cup (1959), and had scored 10 goals in 36 matches.

He also won four Santosh Trophies : for Hyderabad in 1956 and for Bengal in 1958, 1959, and 1962. He was the captain of the Bengal squad that won the 1962 Santosh Trophy.

But it was while playing for the Kolkata giant East Bengal that Balaram’s legend in Indian football was cemented. During his stint at East Bengal between 1957 and 1962, Balaram won the DCM Trophy (1957, 1960), the IFA Shield (1958, 1961), Durand Cup (1960), Calcutta Football League (1961), Rovers Cup (1962), and the H.K. Mookherjee shield (1957, 1961).

Kalyan Chaubey, president of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), said in a condolence message : “He was a blessed child of the football god. I am sure Balaram-da has returned to him, leaving us mourning for one of the most gifted players in Indian football history. He truly was from a golden generation of Indian football. He was one of the best we had ever seen. My thoughts go out to his family.”

Born : October 4, 1936, in Ammuguda village near Secunderabad
Died : February 16, 2023, Kolkata.

Source : The Hindu

Correct Answer :   India and Fiji

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India and Fiji have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on visa exemption for holders of diplomatic and official passports.

* Under this agreement, diplomatic and official passport holders will be able to enter, transit, and stay in each other territories without a visa for a period not exceeding 90 days.

* The MoU was exchanged in the presence of Prime Minister of Fiji "Sitiveni Rabuka" and External Affairs Minister "Dr. S Jaishankar".

* In a joint press conference in Fiji, Dr. S Jaishankar 16th Feb 2023 said, India and Fiji have close and long-standing ties and both countries reviewed the bilateral ties.

* He said, India and Fiji have inaugurated the solarization of the State House in Suva and this is the first of a series that India is supporting in the Pacific Islands.

* He said this reflects India’s commitment towards climate action. On the visa waiver agreement, Dr. Jaishankar said, it will be helpful in encouraging greater travel between both countries...

Source : News on Air