Correct Answer :   ₹22,500 cr

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Government of India has further approved Namami Gange Mission-II with a budgetary outlay of Rs.22,500 crore till 2026 interalia including projects for existing liabilities (Rs.11,225 Cr) and new projects/interventions (Rs.11,275 crore).

* Namami Gange Programme was launched in June 2014 for a period up to 31st March, 2021 to rejuvenate River Ganga and its tributaries with a budgetary outlay of Rs.20,000 crore.

* A total of Rs.14,084.72 crore has been released by the Government of India to the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), from Financial Year (FY) 2014-15 till 31st January 2023, out of which Rs.13,607.18 crore have been released by NMCG to State Governments, State Missions for Clean Ganga and other agencies for implementation of projects related to Ganga rejuvenation.

* There is no State-wise allocation under the Namami Gange Programme. However, the amount released by NMCG to various agencies for implementation of projects, compiled State-wise, from 2014-15 up till 31 January 2023, is as under:

Correct Answer :   220

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United States President Joe Biden on Tuesday (14th Feb 2023) hailed Air India's decision to purchase over 220 aircraft from Boeing and called it a "historic agreement between Tata-owned airlines and Boeing.

* This purchase will support over one million American jobs across 44 states, and many will not require a four-year college degree.

* This announcement also reflects the strength of US-India economic partnership, Joe Biden said in an official statement released by The White House.

* Biden also asserted that together with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he was looking forward to deepen the ties between India and the US.

* According to reports, Air India will purchase as many as 220 planes from Boeing for USD 34 billion, with an option to buy 70 more aircraft that could take the total transaction value to USD 45.9 billion.

* The Air India order is Boeing's third biggest sale ever in dollar value and second in terms of number of planes...

Source : India Today

Correct Answer :   Egypt

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Students from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore, India, won AED 1 million by winning the gold medal at the World Government Summit in Dubai on Monday (13th Feb 2023).

* Niyati Totala and Neel Kalpeshkumar Parikh of The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore, were awarded the prestigious medal by Egyptian President Abel Fattah Al-Sisi.

* These students were the creators of the 'Blockbill' app.Blockbill is a blockchain-based receipt generation app that generates digital receipts for all of its users' transactions.

* This app solves multiple problems, which aids the transition away from the production of thermal papers for printing receipts.

* Thermal papers which are ubiquitous and found in most retail locations cannot be recycled because of the chemicals that are used to create it. Blockbill is conceptualised to solve this issue.

* The “M-Gov Award” and the “GovTech Award” are annual awards organized by the UAE government as part of the World Government Summit.

* These awards are designed to encourage pioneering students, researchers, government agencies & institutions, private sector companies and startups to develop innovative solutions using the latest technologies in order to address evolving local and global challenges and explore new opportunities for a better future for humanity..

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Ministry of Shipping

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The Shipping Ministry has formed a committee to draft revised Guidelines for operationalization of Roll on-Roll off (Ro-Ro) and Roll on-Passenger (Ro-Pax) ferry service.

* This committee, headed by the Chairman, Deendayal Port Authority, would also draft the Model Concession Agreement for Ro-Ro or Ro-Pax Terminal Operator and Model License Agreement for Operation of the ferry services in the country.

* This move is in line with efforts to promote coastal shipping through the Public Private Partnership (PPP) route spelled out in the union budget 2023-24.

* The Committee shall delve into the ground realities such as safety standards of vessels, control mechanism on excess boarding of passengers/cargo, online ticketing system, revenue accounting and revenue sharing mechanism among others...

Source : Economic Times

Correct Answer :   Khanan Prahari

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The government has launched a mobile app 'Khanan Prahari' and a web app Coal Mine Surveillance and Management System (CMSMS) for reporting unauthorized coal mining activities so that monitoring and taking suitable action on it can be done by concerned Law and Order enforcing authority.

* Minister of Coal, and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi informed in Rajya Sabha, that 462 cases have been reported on the Apps till January 2023.

* The Minister said that CMSMS has been developed to curb illegal mining and take transparent action as an e-Governance initiative of the government on the use of Space Technology.

* The objective of the CMSMS application was to detect citizens' participation against illegal mining by receipt of citizen’s complaints through mobile app and take action on any kind of illegal coal mining activity being carried out within the leasehold boundaries of any Coal Mining Project in the Coalfield Areas...

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Mohammad Shahabuddin Chuppu

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Mohammad Shahabuddin Chuppu, a former judge and freedom fighter, was elected unopposed as Bangladesh's 22nd President.

* According to the country's Chief Election Commission, 74-year-old Chuppu will replace President Mohammad Abdul Hamid.

* The development came after the Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal scrutinised nomination papers and declared Chuppu, a member of the Awami League Advisory Council and the party's nominee, the President-elect of Bangladesh, unopposed.

* A gazette was issued on Monday (13th Feb 2023) on the appointment of the new Bangladesh President by the Chief Election Commissioner.

* The tenure of incumbent Hamid, the longest-serving president of Bangladesh, will end on April 23, and according to the Constitution, he cannot hold a third term.

* Senior Awami League leader and seven-time lawmaker Hamid was elected Bangladesh president in the last two elections.

* He was sworn in for his second term on April 24, 2018...

Source : India Today

Correct Answer :   13th February 2023

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Acclaimed Indian painter and printmaker, Lalitha Lajmi passed away on Monday (13th February 2023) at the age of 90 due to age-related ailments.

* She was born to a poet father and a poly-linguist writer-mother in Kolkata on October 17 in 1932.

* She was the sister of legendary filmmaker Guru Dutt and mother to director Kalpana Lajmi.

* Her works are held in the collection of the National Gallery of Modern Art, the British Museum, and CSMVS Museum Bombay...

Source : Indian Express

Correct Answer :   39th

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The Post Graduate Programme (PGP) from the Indian School of Business (ISB) continues to be ranked the first in India in the Financial Times (FT) Global MBA Ranking 2023.

* As per the rankings released on Monday (13th Feb 2023), ISB which has campuses in Hyderabad and Mohali, is the only Indian B-school in the top 50 worldwide.

* Indai Rank is 1st

* Global Rank is 39th.

* Asia Rank is 6th.

* ISB is also ranked the first in India and 61 globally for research, reinforcing its vision of being a research-led management institution.

* This ranking also demonstrates the quality of research output generated by its faculty year on year.

* Alumni from the PGP Class of 2019 were surveyed on a multitude of criteria for this year’s ranking.

* The ranking saw ISB perform well on aspects such as salary percentage increase (#2), alumni network (#12), career progress (#28), and career services (#29)...

Source : The Hindu Businessline

Correct Answer :   20th February 2023

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India's first "frozen-lake marathon" at Ladakh's Pangong Tso at a height of 13,862 feet will be held on 20 February 2023 and the army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) have been roped in to implement a "proper action plan" for the event, a senior government official said on Sunday (12th Feb 2023).

* The 21-kilometre marathon, with Lukung as its starting point, will end at Maan village.

* The 75 selected athletes from India and abroad are participating in the run, giving them an opportunity to make a bid for a Guinness world record for the world's highest "frozen-lake marathon".

* The marathon is being called the "Last Run" to highlight the issue of climate change.

* It is being organised by the Adventure Sports Foundation of Ladakh (ASFL) in collaboration with the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council-Leh, the Tourism Department and the Leh district administration.

* Spread along the border of India and China, the 700 square metre Pangong Lake records a temperature of minus 30 degrees Celsius during the winters, freezing the salt water lake..

Source : India Times

Correct Answer :   United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

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The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ocean Cleanup to eliminate plastic pollution in oceans and rivers around the globe.

* Aim : Aimed at advancing sound plastic waste management systems and reducing overall plastic pollution, and accelerating the deployment of interception technologies in rivers to end marine plastic pollution.

* Plastic pollution presents a serious threat to the health of the world's oceans and to the billions of people who rely on marine resources for food and livelihood. Plastic accumulates in five areas in the world’s oceans, known as the subtropical oceanic gyres.

* These vast circular currents trap floating trash inside of them, resulting in the formation of five ocean garbage patches.

* Collaborative partnerships like this play a crucial role in addressing this complex global challenge...

Source : Hydro International