General Knowledge(GK) (or) General Awareness

Correct Answer :   South Indian Bank

---

South Indian Bank has announced (13th February 2023) the signing of an MoU with Maruti Suzuk India (MSIL) for dealer and retail car financing to help dealer partners streamline vehicle inventory funding and offer comprehensive retail financing solutions to the customers of Maruti Suzuki.

Murali Ramakrishnan, MD, and CEO, South Indian Bank,  sharing his views on the partnership, said "With our diverse finance solutions, we aim to provide convenient and comprehensive finance options for a great synergistic effect.”

The MoU was signed in the presence of Shashank Srivastava, Senior Executive Officer, Marketing and Sales, MSIL, Bhuvan Dheer, Executive Vice President, Sales, MSIL; Vikas Kohli, Vice President, MSIL; Murali Ramakrishnan, MD and CEO, South Indian Bank, and other senior officials from both organizations...

Source : Ten News

Correct Answer :   HDFC Bank

---

* HDFC Bank has proposed monday(13th Feb 2023) to sell its entire stake of 9.95% (1,65,731 shares) in Softcell Technologies Global Pvt Ltd for ₹9.94 crore at ₹600.36 per share.

* In March 2020, HDFC Bank sold a 2.05% stake (34,150 shares) in  Softcell Technologies Global for Rs 1.47 crore.

* Softcell was founded on 6h September 2018 to sell Information Technology products and offers software and related services...

Source : Free Press Journal

Correct Answer :   Indian Army

---

NewSpace Research, a Bengaluru-based start-up has delivered SWARM drones to Indian Army, which makes the Army the first major armed force in the world to operationalise these high-density SWARM drones.

This delivery may possibly be the world’s first operational high density swarming UAS (Unmanned Aerial System) induction for military applications, especially given that most swarm drone research is yet to be operationalised across the world.

The swarm of 100 drones is capable of hitting targets at least 50 kms away into enemy territory.

About SWARM drones : The swarming systems were ordered under the emergency procurement (EP) and show that India has taken a global lead with induction of a cutting edge ‘Made in India’ technology which is at par, if not ahead, of its peers across the world.

* They added that this is a part of the government’s Aatmanirbhar effort to indigenise critical and disruptive military technologies.

* These drones are capable of carrying bombs of a particular weight and can home into a target, like moving armoured columns, artillery positions, and infantry bunkers and attack.

* Swarm drones are the solution for a closely contested airspace where individual drones can be taken down.

* The IAF will also induct operational swarming UAS in the near future.

* The drones delivered by NewSpace, and a follow-on homogeneous swarm drone delivery from Raphe Mphibr in days ahead, will be inducted into the mechanised forces where they will be used for surveillance and attack missions...

Source : The Print

Correct Answer :   Dr. Mahendra Kumar Mishra

---

An eminent linguist, Dr. Mahendra Kumar Mishra will be honored with UNESCO’s International Mother Language Award 2023.

* Reason : For the promotion of the mother language in India

* Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina will present this award to Dr. Mahendra Kumar Mishra at the International Mother Language Institute, Dhaka on 21st February 2023.

* He is the first Indian to receive this prestigious award for the promotion of a language.

* He is also the recipient of Odisha Sahitya Akademi. .

Source : Times of India

Correct Answer :   Turkey

---

With Turkey still counting its death toll and struggling to come to terms with the scale of the tragedy, the 2,000-year-old Roman-era "Gaziantep Castle", a historic site and tourist attraction in Turkiye has suffered massive damages.

The Gaziantep Castle, located in the heart of the city faced the wrath of earthquake that struck in the early hours of February 06, 2023.

About Gaziantep Castle :

* It is located on a hilltop in southern Turkey’s city of Gaziantep.

* It is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

* It was first built by the Hittite Empire as an observation point and later built into a main castle by the Roman Empire in the 2nd and 3rd century AD.

* The castle underwent further expansion and renovation under the Byzantine emperor Justinianus (called the "Architect of Castles") between 527 and 565 AD.

* The Ottomans repaired the castle over time, but it got a second full overhaul by Egyptian Sultan Qaitbay in 1481.

* The castle took its final shape in 2000 and has been renovated many times.

Features :

* The castle has the shape of an irregular circle.

* It has 12 towers that house living quarters for soldiers and various other chambers such as stables, prison cells, storerooms for treasure troves, or barracks for troops.

* The walls are made from stone and span 1200 meters in circumference.

Source : Times of India

Correct Answer :   Paytm Payments Bank

---

Paytm Payments Banks Limited (PPBL) has launched Wednesday (15th February 2023) Unified Payments Interface (UPI) LITE, enabled by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) for multiple small-value UPI transactions.

* The UPI LITE feature will help with faster real-time transactions with a single click through Paytm as the bank aims to drive the adoption of digital payments across the country.

* The NPCI designed the feature which was launched by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in September 2022.

* The small value transactions would now only show in the Paytm balance and history section, and not in the bank passbook.

* As a part of its efforts to drive innovation, the Bank said it is the first payments bank to launch such UPI LITE feature.

* "Once loaded, a UPI LITE wallet allows a user to do instant transactions of up to ₹200, making the entire experience quick and seamless. A maximum of ₹2,000 can be added twice in a day to UPI LITE, making the cumulative daily usage up to ₹4,000".

* "We are very excited to launch UPI LITE on Paytm Payments Bank. UPI LITE provides users a faster, secure, and seamless low-value transaction experience.

* With more than 50 per cent of transactions through UPI below ₹200, UPI LITE will successfully provide a distributed way of authorising low-value transactions, moving them away from core banking," said Praveena Rai, COO, NPCI...

Source : Mint

Correct Answer :   Reserve Bank of India

---

The Reserve Bank of India on Tuesday(14th February 2023) announced its second global hackathon -- 'HARBINGER 2023 - Innovation for Transformation'

Theme : The theme is 'Inclusive Digital Services'.

* Fintechs have been invited to develop solutions that have the potential to make digital financial services accessible to the differently-abled, facilitate efficient compliance, extend the reach of Central Bank Digital Currencies and enhance the scalability of blockchains.

* "Being part of HARBINGER 2023 gives an opportunity to the participants to get mentored by industry experts and exhibit their innovative solutions before an eminent jury and win exciting prizes in each category".

* Registration for the hackathon starts from February 22, 2023.

* The RBI has invited innovative ideas in four segments.

* Winner of the hackathon will be given a prize of Rs 40 lakh and runner-up Rs 20 lakh..

Source : Zeebiz

Correct Answer :   Sania Mirza

---

Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza has been roped in as a mentor by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for the inaugural Women’s Premier League 2023.

* Sania Mirza, now 36, is India’s most successful women’s tennis player with six Grand Slams and 43 WTA titles.

* Sania Mirza’s role at RCB will be to inspire and encourage the newly-formed women’s cricket team, which also includes India’s Under-19 star Richa Ghosh among other upcoming youngsters.

* Indian opener Smriti Mandhana, Australian star all-rounder Ellyse Perry, New Zealand’s captain Sophie Devine and England’s skipper Heather Knight will be some of the other top players seen in the RCB colours at WPL 2023, which will run from March 4 to March 27, 2023.

Source : Olympics

Correct Answer :   18%

---

Gross direct tax collections grew 24% to Rs 15.67 trillion so far FY2023, the finance ministry said on Saturday (11th Feb 2023).

* After adjusting for refunds, the net direct tax collection stood at Rs 12.98 trillion, a growth of 18.40%.

* The net collections are about 79% of Revised Estimates (RE) of direct tax collection for current FY2023.

* The revised estimates for the current fiscal pegged direct tax revenues at Rs 16.50 lakh crore, higher than the budget estimates of Rs 14.20 trillion.

* "The provisional figures of direct tax collections up to 10th February, 2023 continue to register steady growth. Direct tax collections up to 10th February, 2023 show that gross collections are at Rs 15.67 trillion which is 24.09% higher than the gross collections for the corresponding period of last year," Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).

* In the current fiscal (2022-23), the revenues from direct tax (which includes income and corporate taxes) are projected to grow by over 17 per cent compared to 2021-22 fiscal when the collection was Rs 14.08 trillion...

Source : Business Standard

Correct Answer :   HDFC Bank

---

Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) Bank on Monday (13th February 2023) announced that it has launched a pilot known as 'OfflinePay' to test offline digital payments for customers and merchants enabling payments transactions even when there is no mobile network.

* The HDFC, it has launched the first-of-its-kind digital payment solution, in partnership with Sweden based Crunchfish Digital Cash AB, a subsidiary of Crunchfish AB, for merchants and customers under the RBI’s Regulatory Sandbox Program.

* Aim : The digital payment solution would boost adoption of digital payments in smaller towns and rural areas with poor network connectivity.

* It can enable cashless payments during large public events, fairs and exhibitions despite network congestion; underground metro stations, parking lots, and retail stores with network blind spots; and even in airplanes, sea-ferries, and trains with no network...

Source : CNBCTV18