2024 Latest Current Affairs, Daily Current Affairs in 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020

1 .

The 'Dhanu Yatra' festival, an 11-day long festival, started in which city in western Odisha on 27th Dec 2022?

A)

Cuttack

B)

Bargarh

C)

Balasore

D)

Sambalpur

Correct Answer : Bargarh

The 'Dhanu Yatra' festival, considered to be the world’s largest open-air theatre, began on Tuesday(27th Dec 2022) in the Western Odisha town of Bargarh.

* President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered greetings to the people of the eastern state with the commencement of the 11-day festival.

* The ‘Dhanu Yatra’, which marks the victory of good over evil, came into existence in Bargarh in 1947-48 as part of the celebration of the country’s Independence and is held annually.

* "The vibrant Dhanu Yatra is associated with the culture of Odisha. As this Yatra begins, my greetings to everyone. May this Yatra further the spirit of harmony and happiness in our society," PM Modi said on the microblogging site.

* The plays in the festival start with the dethroning of Emperor Ugrasen of Mathura by angry Kansa over the marriage of his sister Devaki with Vasudev.

* "The festival will conclude with the death of demon king Kansa and restoration of the throne to Ugrasen," said a member of the Dhanu Yatra Mahotsav Committee..

Source : Outlook India

Published On : December 28, 2022

2 .

_________ have joined hands with European universities to develop a technology to check the quality of potable and other water in India.

A)

IIT Chennai and IIT Delhi

B)

IIT kharagpur and IIT Madras

C)

IIT Guwahati and IIT Bombay

D)

IIT Kanpur and IIT Hyderabad

Correct Answer : IIT Guwahati and IIT Bombay

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati and Bombay in collaboration with European universities are working towards building a low-cost technology to check the quality of potable and other water in India.

The LOTUS Indo-European project, an initiative of the Department of Science and Technology and the European Commission, is aimed at providing solutions for issues related to the quality of water supplied across Indian households and elsewhere.

A core element of the LOTUS project is a novel water quality sensor that builds on previous work done at Ecole Polytechnique, Paris, France.

The sensor was further developed during the project by researchers at Université Gustave Eiffel in collaboration with IIT Guwahati and the SME EGM, Sophia Antipolis, France.

According to S Senthilmurugan, Chairperson, Technology Incubation Centre, IIT Guwahati, LOTUS water quality sensor requirements were established after collecting information from Indian water utility owners, operators, end users, and research and development experts and therefore LOTUS sensor is expected to satisfy Indian water industries.

“Successful commercialisation of the LOTUS water quality sensor will provide a low-cost water quality monitoring and safe drinking water supply solution to the Indian citizens which is in line with the vision of the Jal Jeevan Mission of the government of India and its Make-in-India initiative.

“Even during COVID times, the LOTUS team from IIT Guwahati was able to continue the groundwater sample collection and sensor development work with minimal delay,” he said.

For the commercial production of the sensor for the Indian market, IIT Guwahati is collaborating with Linxens India Private Limited and Hydroscope Technology Private Limited, a start-up firm.

The process of technology licensing between both companies and the LOTUS team (IIT Guwahati and Université Gustave Eiffel) is in progress.

“The LOTUS sensor developed at IIT Guwahati is being designed to address sensing needs and quality control aspects across different use case scenarios encompassing safe drinking water, agricultural water and wastewater.

“The overall framework including the LOTUS sensor, and the quality monitoring and control algorithms developed at IIT Bombay, would be developed and deployed on platforms to provide improved solutions to address major water quality control issues across the country,” said Ravindra Gudi, Dean (Alumni and Corporate Relations), IIT Bombay..

Source : The Print

Published On : December 28, 2022

3 .

Which state government has received (27th Dec 2022) the 'no-objection' certificates from the ministry of home affairs to change the names of two places in state?

A)

Uttar Pradesh

B)

Madhya Pradesh

C)

Arunachal Pradesh

D)

Andhra Pradesh

Correct Answer : Uttar Pradesh

The no-objection certificates were issued by the home ministry on Tuesday(27th Dec 2022) for changing the name of ‘Mundera Bazaar’ municipal council in Gorakhpur district to ‘Chauri Chaura’ and that of ‘Telia Afghan’ village in Deoria district to ‘Telia Shukla’.

The Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) has given its consent to change the names of two places in Uttar Pradesh following recommendations from the state government, said an official aware of the matter.

During the inauguration of yearlong Chauri Chaura centenary celebrations on February 4, 2021, chief minister Yogi Adityanath had given approval to the proposal of the local people’s representatives and residents to change the name of ‘Mundera Bazaar’ municipal council to ‘Chauri Chaura’ municipal council. Later, the state government sent the proposal for the change of the name to the central government.

Chauri Chaura was in the limelight during the non- cooperation movement launched by Mahatma Gandhi in 1922.

On February 4, 1922 three villagers were killed in the fight between locals and police there. Later, the villagers set the police station afire in which 22 policemen were killed.

The British government had lodged a case against 228 people and among them 19 were given capital punishment while 14 were sentenced to life imprisonment..

Source : Hindustan Times

Published On : December 28, 2022

4 .

Who was honoured with the prestigious Atal Samman Award during the 9th Atal Samman Samaroh, organised in New Delhi?

A)

Azim Premji

B)

Sudha Murty

C)

S. D. Shibulal

D)

Prabhu Chandra Mishra

Correct Answer : Prabhu Chandra Mishra

The birth anniversary of former Prime Minister of the country Atal Bihari Vajpayee, many personalities who played an important role in various fields were honored on December 24, 2022, at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi during 9th Atal Samman Samaroh.

* Prabhu Chandra Mishra was honoured with the prestigious "Atal Samman Award" during the 9th Atal Samman Samaroh, organised in New Delhi.

* He was awarded for his excellence in field of science & research.

* He has worked in the area of StemCell & Regenerative Medicine in infertility especially when In vitro fertilization (IVF) failed.

* Under his work, diseases like premature ovarian failure, and Asherman syndrome have shown satisfactory results with body’s own cells..

Source : The Print

Published On : December 28, 2022

5 .

What is the name of new scheme announced under station redevelopment drive of Ministry of Railways?

A)

Amrit Bharat Station Scheme

B)

Atal Station Scheme

C)

Bharat Rail Station Scheme

D)

Atmarirbhar Bharat Station Scheme

Correct Answer : Amrit Bharat Station Scheme

The Ministry of Railways, as part of its station redevelopment drive, has formulated a new scheme to modernise over 1,000 small stations over the coming years.

Under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, stations will be equipped with facilities inspired by the mega-upgradation of marquee stations such as New Delhi and Ahmedabad, albeit at a lower cost.

Key features of these proposed stations include provisions for roof top plazas, longer platforms, ballastless tracks, and 5G connectivity. The scheme will subsume all previous redevelopment projects where work is yet to begin.

Amrit Bharat Station Scheme aims : At preparation of Master Plans of the Railway stations and implementation of the Master Plan in phases to enhance the facilities including and beyond the Minimum Essential Amenities and aiming for creation of Roof Plazas and city centres at the station in the long run,” the Railway Board said in the policy document.

* However, plans and consequent budgets will only be approved on the basis of factors such as footfall and inputs from stakeholders. Zonal railways have been given the responsibility of selecting stations, which will then be approved by a committee of senior railway officials.

* The model envisages low-cost redevelopment of stations which can be executed timely. Sources said the separate scheme, focused on small stations, was taken to ensure that modernisation of small stations does not lose steam as the ministry focuses on mega-projects to upgrade New Delhi, Mumbai (CST), and Ahmedabad stations, which will take much longer..

Source : Business Standard

Published On : December 28, 2022

6 .

The govt of India has 27th Dec 2022 designated the __________ as the nodal ministry to oversee the online gaming industry in India.

A)

NITI Aayog

B)

MeitY

C)

Reserve Bank of India

D)

National Informatics Centre.

Correct Answer : MeitY

The govt of India has Tuesday(27th Dec 2022) designated the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) as the nodal ministry to oversee the online gaming industry in India.

The ministry will soon release rules for online gaming intermediaries and start public consultation on these rules.

In May 2022, the govt set up a seven-member inter-ministerial task force, chaired by Rajeev Chandrasekhar, MoS, IT.

Aim : To work on online gaming regulations and identify a nodal ministry..

Source : Deccan Herald

Published On : December 28, 2022

7 .

Which Union Ministry launched the 'City Finance Rankings 2022'?

A)

Ministry of Home Affairs

B)

Ministry of Finance

C)

Ministry of Rural Development

D)

Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs

Correct Answer : Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs

Shri Hardeep S. Puri, Union Minister of Housing & Urban Affairs and Petroleum & Natural Gas, releasing Draft Guidelines and Ranking Framework for ‘City Finance Rankings 2022’

‘City Finance Rankings 2022’ aims to evaluate, recognize and reward ULBs on the basis of their strength across three financial parameters viz. resource mobilization, expenditure performance and fiscal governance systems.”, said Shri Hardeep S. Puri, Union Minister of Housing & Urban Affairs and Petroleum & Natural Gas.

He was speaking at an event of Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, where two key initiatives of Ministry- ‘City Finance Rankings, 2022’ and ‘City Beauty Competition’- were launched. Shri Manoj Joshi, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and other senior officials from Ministry attended the event..

Source : PIB

Published On : December 28, 2022

8 .

Who has been re-appointed as MD & CEO of of Suryoday Small Finance Bank for three years, with effect from 23 January 2023?

A)

Lungisa Fuzile

B)

Bharat Masrani

C)

Harsh Vardhan Sachdev

D)

Baskar Babu Ramachandran

Correct Answer : Baskar Babu Ramachandran

The Reserve Bank of India has approved the re-appointment of Baskar Babu Ramachandran as MD & CEO of Suryoday Small Finance Bank for three years, with effect from 23 January 2023.

* He has several years of experience in the banking and finance sector.

* Prior to co-founding the Suryoday Micro Finance Private Limited, he had worked with various companies including GE Capital Transportation Financial Services and HDFC Bank.

* Suryoday SFB is a scheduled commercial bank..

Source : Business Standard

Published On : December 28, 2022

9 .

Who has been appointed as the next Engineer-in-Chief of the Indian Army?

A)

Lt. General Harpal Singh

B)

Lt. General Arvind Walia

C)

Lt. General Gurmeet Singh

D)

Lt. General Anil Chauhan

Correct Answer : Lt. General Arvind Walia

Lieutenant General Arvind Walia has been appointed as the next Engineer-in-Chief of the Indian Army, said Indian Army officials.

He would be succeeding Lt Gen Harpal Singh who is superannuating on December 31, 2022.

"Lieutenant General Arvind Walia has been appointed as the next Engineer-in-Chief of the Indian Army. He would be succeeding Lt Gen Harpal Singh who is superannuating on December 31," the Indian Army officials said..

Source : ANI

Published On : December 27, 2022

10 .

India has agreed to start negotiations for a free trade agreement with which neighbouring country?

A)

Bangladesh

B)

China

C)

Nepal

D)

Sri Lanka

Correct Answer : Bangladesh

With an aim to boost twi-way commerce and investments, India and Bangladesh on Thursday(22nd Dec 2022) agreed to start negotiations for a free trade agreement at an early date.

The decision was taken in a meeting between Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and his Bangladeshi counterpart Tipu Munshi.

A joint feasibility study on the agreement, officially dubbed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), has been carried out after the two countries agreed to explore the possibility of negotiating a trade pact.

In an official statement, the Commerce ministry said, "study confirmed the CEPA would provide a sound basis for substantial enhancement of trade and commercial partnership between the two countries... Both sides agreed to start the CEPA discussions at an early date."

In such an agreement, the two countries either significantly reduce or eliminate customs duties on the maximum number of goods traded between them. Besides, they ease norms for promoting trade in services and attracting investments.

The bilateral trade between India and Bangladesh increased to USD 18.2 billion (USD 16.2 billion exports and USD 2 billion imports) in 2021-22 as against USD 10.8 billion in 2020-21..

Source : Live Mint

Published On : December 27, 2022