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

1 .

India's internet freedom improves after_______years and India's internet freedom score increased by two points to 51.

A)

2 Years

B)

3 Years

C)

4 Years

D)

5 Years

Correct Answer : 4 Years

India’s internet freedom improves after 4 years : Following initiatives to close the digital divide in the nation, India’s internet freedom score increased by two points to 51 in the overall ranking, according to the US government-funded NGO Freedom House said on Tuesday (18th Oct 2022).

Reduced frequency and intensity of nationwide internet outages also contributed to the score improvement. In terms of internet freedom, India scored 49 in 2021.

India’s internet freedom improves after 4 years :

* The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, among other laws allowing the government to censor online content, have reportedly been challenged in court, leading to restrictions being placed on some of the government’s powers.

* The US government-funded NGO discovered that internet freedom had deteriorated worldwide for the 12th year in a row, with Russia, Myanmar, Sudan, and Libya experiencing the biggest declines.

* According to the research, China had the worst internet freedom conditions in the world for the eighth year in a row, while internet freedom in the United States somewhat improved for the first time in six years..

Source : Business Standard

Published On : October 19, 2022

2 .

22nd Global Edition of the World Blockchain Summit Begins in which country?

A)

United Arab Emirates - Dubai

B)

Singapore - Sentosa

C)

Qatar - Doha

D)

Saudi Arabia - Riyadh

Correct Answer : United Arab Emirates - Dubai

The 22nd global edition of the World Blockchain Summit is taking place in Dubai’s Atlantis from October 17 to 19, 2022. The Summit is an attempt to bring experts including government and investors together to initiate conversation and action on blockchain.

The next Summit will be held in Bangkok from December 8 to 9, 2022. Earlier, Dubai hosted the Summit in March 2022 and October 2021.

World Blockchain Summit : World Blockchain Summit is a global series of gatherings that take place in 19+ destinations across the world. The initiative aims to bring together the most important stakeholders from the Blockchain and Cryptocurrency ecosystem such as investors, blockchain and crypto projects, exchanges, enterprises, government representatives, technology leaders among others. The platform provides space to discuss and deliberate the future of the industry and ways it can transform businesses and government functions.

There will also be product showcase, blockonnect, investor connect and expert sessions as part of the Summit.

What Is Blockchain Technology : Blockchain technology is a technology that leads to a chain of blocks, containing digital information stored in a public database. It is a distributed database existing on multiple computers at the same time, which constantly grows as new sets of recordings or blocks are added to it.

How Does Blockchain Work : Blockchain consists of three important concepts: blocks, nodes and miners.

What Are Blocks :

* Every chain consists of multiple blocks and each block has three basic elements:

* The data in the block. A 32-bit whole number called a nonce. The nonce is randomly generated when a block is created, which then generates a block header hash.

* The hash is a 256-bit number wedded to the nonce. It must start with a huge number of zeroes (i.e., be extremely small).

* When the first block of a chain is created, a nonce generates the cryptographic hash. The data in the block is considered signed and forever tied to the nonce and hash unless it is mined.

Source : News on Air

Published On : October 19, 2022

3 .

The Union Cabinet approved an increase in the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for all Rabi Crops for the Marketing Season__________.

A)

FY 2025-26

B)

FY 2024-25

C)

FY 2023-24

D)

FY 2022-23

Correct Answer : FY 2023-24

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the increase in the Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for all mandated Rabi Crops for Marketing Season 2023-24.

Government has increased the MSP of Rabi Crops for Marketing Season 2023-24, to ensure remunerative prices to the growers for their produce.

The absolute highest increase in MSP has been approved for lentil (Masur) at Rs.500/- per quintal followed by rapeseed and mustard at Rs.400/- per quintal.

For safflower, an increase of Rs.209/- per quintal has been approved. For wheat, gram and barley an increase of Rs.110/- per quintal, Rs.100 per quintal respectively has been approved.

MSP for all Rabi Crops for Marketing Season 2023-24

S.No.	Crops	MSP RMS 2022-23	MSP RMS 2023-24	Cost* of production RMS 2023-24	Increase in MSP (Absolute)	Return over cost (in per cent)
1	Wheat	2015	2125	1065	110	100
2	Barley	1635	1735	1082	100	60
3	Gram	5230	5335	3206	105	66
4	Lentil (Masur)	5500	6000	3239	500	85
5	Rapeseed & Mustard	5050	5450	2670	400	104
6	Safflower	5441	5650	3765	209	50

Source : PIB

Published On : October 19, 2022

4 .

Serbian scientists have named a new species of beetle after which tennis player?

A)

Rafael Nadal

B)

Andy Murray

C)

Alexander Zverev

D)

Novak Djokovic

Correct Answer : Novak Djokovic

Serbian scientists have named a new species of beetle after tennis great Novak Djokovic due to its speed, strength, flexibility, durability and ability to survive in a difficult environment, Serbian media reported on Friday(14th Oct 2022).

The insect, which belongs to the Duvalius genus of ground beetles that are present in Europe, was discovered several years ago in an underground pit in western Serbia.

It is named Duvalius Dokovici, the Tanjug news agency quoted researcher Nikola Vesovic as saying..

Source : Indian Express

Published On : October 19, 2022

5 .

Former Infosys president Ravikumar S, who resigned from the Bangalore-based IT company last week, is joining as the president of which company?

A)

HCL

B)

Cognizant

C)

Wipro

D)

Accenture

Correct Answer : Cognizant

Ravi Kumar S., who recently relinquished his engagement with Infosys as president, is expected to take up a similar job with Cognizant. Mr. Kumar would join "Cognizant" as President Americas on January 16, 2023, the company said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Based in New York, Mr. Kumar had led multiple service lines and specialised digital sales across consulting, technology, infrastructure, engineering and process verticals for Infosys between 2016 and 2022.

As per the filing, Prasad Sankaran, who formerly worked with Bain & Company and Accenture, would also join Cognizant as head of software and platform engineering practice on November 1, 2022..

Source : The Hindu

Published On : October 19, 2022

6 .

Who has been appointed as the 27th Controller General of Accounts?

A)

Deepak Das

B)

Bharati Das

C)

Soma Roy Burman

D)

Shakuntla Devi

Correct Answer : Bharati Das

Civil Accounts Service officer Bharati Das on Tuesday(18th Oct 2022) took charge as the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) under the Department of Expenditure, the finance ministry said.

A 1988-batch Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS) officer, Das has served as Principal Chief Controller of Accounts (Pr. CCA) Central Board of Direct Taxes and Ministries of External Affairs, Home Affairs.

Das is the 27th Controller General of Accounts (CGA), who is 'the Principal Advisor' on accounting matters to the government of India.

CGA is responsible for establishing and managing a technically sound management accounting system and preparation and submission of the accounts of the Union Government and internal audits..

Source : Economic Times

Published On : October 19, 2022

7 .

Who has Yubi (formerly CredAvenue) appointed as the Independent Chairman of its Board on 17th Oct 2022?

A)

Atanu Chakraborty

B)

Shyamala Gopinath

C)

Aditya Puri

D)

Sashidhar Jagdishan

Correct Answer : Atanu Chakraborty

Yubi (formerly CredAvenue), a possibility platform which powers the discovery, execution and fulfilment of credit, has announced the appointment of Atanu Chakraborty as the independent chairman of its board, said a statement issued on 17th Oct 2022.

* Chakraborty is also currently the chairman of the board of HDFC Bank.

* “Since its inception, Yubi has been working towards providing various stakeholders in the Indian financial system with credible and efficient digital infrastructure.

* It gives me immense pleasure to join and chair the company's board and be a part of its mission to innovate and unlock the potential of growth of the Indian economy," said Chakraborty.

* He is a 1985 batch officer of the Indian Administrative Service, of the Gujarat cadre.

* He has served as Economic Affairs Secretary of India till his retirement in April 2020.

* He was also appointed on the Central Board of Directors of the Reserve Bank of India..

Source : Economic Times

Published On : October 18, 2022

8 .

Who launched the 'One Nation, One Fertiliser' scheme (or PM Bhartiya Jan Urvarak Pariyojana) at the PM Kisan Samman Sammelan 2022 at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute?

A)

Droupadi Murmu

B)

Amit Shah

C)

Narendra Modi

D)

Nirmala Sitharaman

Correct Answer : Narendra Modi

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated PM Kisan Samman Sammelan 2022 at Indian Agricultural Research Institute in New Delhi 17th Oct 2022. The Prime Minister also inaugurated 600 Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samruddhi Kendras (PMKSK) under the Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilisers.

Furthermore, the Prime Minister also launched Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Urvarak Pariyojana - One Nation One Fertiliser. During the event, the Prime Minister also released the 12th instalment amount of Rs. 16,000 crores under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) through Direct Benefit Transfer.

The Prime Minister also inaugurated the Agri Startup Conclave and Exhibition. During the event, the Prime Minister also launched ‘Indian Edge’, an e-magazine on fertiliser. Shri Modi took a walkthrough of Theme Pavilion of Startup Exhibition and inspected the products on display.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister started by acknowledging the presence of Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Jai Vigyan and Jai Anusandhan in one premise, and said that we can see the live form of this mantra here today.

He further elaborated that Kisan Sammelan is a means to make the lives of farmers easier, boost their capability and promote advanced agricultural techniques.

“More than 600 Pradan Mantri Sammridhi Kendra have been inaugurated 17th Oct 2022”, Shri Modi said. He further elaborated that these Kendras are not merely sales centres for fertiliser but a mechanism for establishing a deep bond with the farmers of the country.

Regarding the fresh instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN), the Prime Minister said that the money reaches the accounts of the farmers directly without involving any middleman.

“Another instalment of Rs 16,000 crore has also been released to crores of farmer families as PM Kisan Samman Nidhi”, Shri Modi added and expressed happiness that this instalment is reaching the farmers just before Diwali..

Source : PIB

Published On : October 18, 2022

9 .

Who has been appointed as the 50th Chief Justice of India?

A)

Dipak Misra

B)

Ranjan Gogoi

C)

Jagdish Singh Khehar

D)

Dhananjaya Yashwant Chandrachud

Correct Answer : Dhananjaya Yashwant Chandrachud

* President, Murmu has appointed Dr. Justice Dhananjaya Yashwant Chandrachud as the 50th Chief Justice of India.

* His appointment will come into effect from 9th Nov, 2022 and continue till 10 November 2024.

* He will replace CJI, Uday Umesh Lalit

* He was appointed as the Judge of SC on 13th May 2016.

* Prior to this, he served as Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court.

* He is the son of the longest serving CJI, YV Chandrachud served as Chief Justice of India from 1978 to 1985..

Source : AIR

Published On : October 18, 2022

10 .

The total balance in the basic bank accounts under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) has crossed the how many lakh crore mark on October 5, 2022?

A)

â‚¹1,75,225 crore

B)

â‚¹1,80,562 crore

C)

â‚¹1,91,620 crore

D)

â‚¹1,99,380 crore

Correct Answer : â‚¹1,75,225 crore

The total balance in the basic bank accounts under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) has crossed the â‚¹1.75 lakh crore mark.

As per the latest Government data, the total balance stood at â‚¹1,75,225 crore as on October 5, 2022, as the total number of beneficiaries touched 47 crore. Women beneficiaries own a larger chunk in the scheme at 26.16 crore account of which the bulk (31.42 cror accounts) are in rural and semi-urban areas.

"Public sector banks (PSBs) have made significant contribution. Of the total â‚¹1.75 lakh crore balance, PSB’s account for â‚¹1.35 lakh crore, followed by Regional Rural Banks with â‚¹34,573 crore."

According to bankers, implementation of some benefits under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) during the Covid-19 pandemic had established PMJDY as the preferred channel to access govt schemes in view of direct benefit transfer and drove people especially in rural areas to open accounts.

The average balance in an account hovers around â‚¹3,000, and the average cost of maintaining these accounts for a bank is almost the same.

When balances grow, banks tend to benefit from PMJDY. So the Centre needs to make the scheme more attractive or the pace of growth in the number of accounts will be slow, said a senior executive with a public sector bank.

There is also a need to weed out dormant or inoperative accounts, he added. As per government data, about 18 percent of total accounts are either dormant or inoperative (as on June 2022).

Launched in August 2014, PM JMDJY has recently completed eight years.

Yearly growth of the total balance in PMJDY

* April 2022: â‚¹1,67,812 cr

* April 2021: â‚¹1,46,084 cr

* April 2020: â‚¹1,19,680 cr

* April 2019: â‚¹97,665 cr

* April 2018: â‚¹79,012 cr

Source : The Hindu Businessline

Published On : October 18, 2022