Correct Answer :   India and Malaysia

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Joint bilateral training exercise “Exercise Harimau Shakti 2023”, between Indian & Malaysian Army commenced 23rd Oct 2023 in Umroi Cantonment, India.

The Malaysian Army contingent comprises troops from 5th Royal Battalion of Malaysian Army. The Indian contingent is being represented by a Battalion of THE RAJPUT REGIMENT. Last edition of the Exercise was conducted in Pulai, Kluang, Malaysia in November 2022.

Ex Harimau Shakti, scheduled till 5th November 2023, will engage approximately 120 personnel from both sides. It is aimed at enhancing military capability for conduct of Multi Domain Operations in a sub conventional scenario.

During the exercise, both contingents will establish a Joint Command Post & establish an integrated surveillance grid along with a Joint Surveillance Centre.

 

Both sides will rehearse employment of joint forces in jungle/ semi urban / urban environment. In addition, intelligence collection, collation and dissemination drills will also be rehearsed.

The Exercise will also witness employment of Drones/UAVs & Helicopters. Two sides will also practice casualty management and evacuation drills. Both the contingents will discuss logistics management and practice survival training at the Battalion level.

The training will focus primarily on high degree of physical fitness, conduct of drills at tactical level and sharing of best practices with each other. The Exercise will culminate with a 48-hour long validation exercise in a semi-urban area.

“Exercise HARIMAU SHAKTI” is aimed to enhance the level of defence co-operation between Indian Army and the Malaysian Army, which will also foster the bilateral relations between the two nations..

Source : PIB

Correct Answer :   Shailesh Kumar

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Shailesh Kumar has won the gold medal in the men's high jump T63 event at the 4th Asian Para Games 2022 in Hangzhou, China.

Mariyappan Thangavelu won the silver medal in the same event. Nishad Kumar won the gold medal with a record in the men's high jump T47 event..

Source : PM India 

Correct Answer :   Assam

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Assam won the first gold medal of the 37th National Games on Saturday (21st Oct 2023) when their women's badminton team defeated Maharashtra 3-0 in the finals at the Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee stadium.Karnataka defeated Maharashtra 3-1 to win the men's team gold.

In the doubles competition, Ritika Thaker and Simran Singhi of Maharashtra lost to Ashmita Chaliha and Isharani Baruah of Assam to take home the gold.

The entire Maharashtra team was unable to handle their strength.With a commanding 21-16, 21-11 victory over Purva Barve, Ashmita, a member of India's Asian Games team, launched Assam's ascent to the top of the podium..

Source : vygrnews

Correct Answer :   Jitendra Singh

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Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh said in New Delhi on 23rd Oct 2023.

Administrative initiatives under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, such as the Pre-Retirement Counselling workshops, Anubhav Awards and Pension Adalat have ensured timely disbursal of pensionary benefits to the large number of retiring employees every year, he said.

The Union Minister was addressing the "Anubhav" Awards – 2023 presentation ceremony, All India Pension Adalat & Pre-Retirement Counselling (PRC) Workshop.

Dr Jitendra Singh said the ‘Whole of Government’ approach is evident from the fact that even during the Covid pandemic years there was not a single case of delay in pension payment due to the uninterrupted services provided by the Department of Posts.

The Bhavishya portal has also evolved over time and technology is being applied by the Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare (DoP&PW) to ensure that the retirees are handed over Pension Payment Orders well in time before superannuation, he said.

Dr Jitendra Singh said the Anubhav portal, launched at the initiative of the Prime Minister, has been a huge success. The campaign has resulted in publication of 1,901 Anubhav write-ups, which is highest in number since its inception in March 2015.

Later, Dr Jitendra Singh chaired the All-India Pension Adalat. Pension Adalats have become an effective medium of prompt disposal of long-pending pension disputes, he said. Of the 45 cases brought before the Pension Adalat, 30 cases were resolved.

Till date eight Pension Adalats have been conducted by DoP&PW and out of 24,671 taken up in the Pension Adalat, 17,551 grievances were resolved (71%) by the different Ministries/Departments/  Organisations which participated in this initiative.

Speaking on the occasion, Secretary, DoP&PW, Shri V. Srinivas, said the Department will be organising Nation-wide Digital Life Certificate campaign 2.0 in the month of November, 2023 to enable 70 lakh Central Government pensioners to submit life certificates. DLC camps will be organised in 500 locations in 100 cities across India in collaboration of 17 banks.

Additional Secretary, DoPPW, Shri SN Mathur; Shri Atul Kumar Goel, MD & CEO, PNB and Shri Debadatta Chanda, MD & CEO, Bank of Baroda also addressed the workshop..

Source : PIB

Correct Answer :   Unnati Hooda

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India's young badminton player Unnati Hooda has won the Abu Dhabi Masters 2023 women's singles badminton title.

She defeated Samia Imad Farooqui in the final. This is the second BWF Super 100 World Tour title for 16 year old Unnati Hooda.

Earlier, she had become the youngest Indian to win the BWF title at the age of 14.

Correct Answer :   Gujarat

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The beautiful village of Dhordo in Gujarat has garnered international recognition after it secured a place on the list of the 54 best tourism villages announced by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his delight at the recognition of Dhordo as the “best tourism village.” He lauded the rich cultural heritage and natural beauty of the village and emphasized its potentials to attract visitors from around the world. Union Home Minister Amit Shah celebrated the achievement, acknowledging the PM’s efforts to transform the area into a world-class tourism site.


Dhordo’s Journey to Excellence : Dhordo village situated in the heart of Gujarat, has come a long way to earn its place on the global stage as a premier tourism destination. It recently hosted the inaugural Tourism Working Group Meeting of the G20, during India’s presidency of the influential group. This gathering of global leaders in the enchanting landscapes of Dhordo showcased the village’s capacity to host international events and highlighted its growing importance in the world of tourism.

UNWTO’s Best Tourism Villages 2023 Accolade : The UNWTO’s Best Tourism Villages 2023 accolade is a tribute to villages leading the way in nurturing rural regions, preserving landscapes, upholding cultural diversity, safeguarding local values, and celebrating culinary traditions. Launched in 2021, this initiative is a vital component of the UNWTO’s Tourism for Rural Development program, which aims to promote sustainable tourism practices.


UNWTO’s Third Edition Village Selection: 54 Chosen from Hundreds of Applications : In its third edition, the UNWTO’s initiative selected 54 villages from diverse regions out of nearly 260 applications. The announcement was made during the UNWTO General Assembly held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from October 16 to 20, where leaders and experts gathered to discuss the future of global tourism.


Global Villages Recognized Alongside Dhordo for Excellence : Alongside Dhordo, several other villages from around the world achieved recognition, including Barrancas in Chile, Biei in Japan, Cantavieja in Spain, Dahshour in Egypt, Dongbaek in the Republic of Korea, Douma in Lebanon, Ericeira in Portugal, and Filandia in Colombia, among others.


* UNWTO Founded: 1 November 1975
* UNWTO Headquarters: Madrid, Spain
* UNWTO Secretary-General: Zurab Pololikashvili

Correct Answer :   Karthikeyan Murali

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In Qatar Masters, the 24-year-old Indian chess grandmaster, Karthikeyan Murali, became the third Indian player to beat the world's number one player, Magnus Carlsen in classical chess 2023.

Karthikeyan Murali is the third Indian after Harikrishna and Viswanathan Anand to have beaten Carlsen.

Karthikeyan's win occurred in the seventh round of the tournament, where he skillfully wielded the black pieces.

With this significant triumph, he joined the ranks of other leading players such as SL Narayan, Javokhir Sindarov, David Paravyan, Arjun Erigaisi, and Nodirbek Yakubboev, all of whom held a remarkable score of 5.5 out of 7.

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Federal Bank

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The Federal Bank inaugurated the ‘Mookkannoor Mission’, an initiative under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, on the 106th birth anniversary of its Founder KP Hormis. Mookannoor, a village in Ernakulam district, is the birthplace of the Founder.

The Bank adopteda comprehensive plan of digitizingthe entire village as well as a cleanliness drive that includes waste management, tree plantation, community development, renewable energy projects, etc that will be implemented in stages.

The programme named “Mookkannoor Mission” was launched by Shyam Srinivasan, MD & CEO at Sacred Heart English Medium School, Mookkannoor.

“This is a dream project not only for the residents of Mookkannoor but also for Federal Bank,” said Shyam Srinivasan. “In India’s story of transformation, if ever a chapter on cleanliness is written – Mookkannoor should become the shining example of how transformation can happen,” he added.

The project is designed to be implemented in three phases over three years under the guidance of the Panchayat and K P Hormis Educational and Charitable Society.

As part of its Founder’s Day celebrations, the Bank initiated several activities across India including the announcement of the Federal Bank Hormis Memorial Foundation Scholarship across 6 states, a blood donation drive and cloth donation drive for the staff members, initiation of two new Federal Skill Academies at Ambattur in Chennai and Belagavi in Karnataka, Foundation batch inauguration at the Coimbatore and Kolhapur branches of Federal Skill Academy with Coimbatore specifically starting the first-ever tailoring batch, opening of seven new branches at different states etc.

Source : The Hindu Businessline

Correct Answer :   Shreya Ghoshal

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Renowned playback singer Shreya Ghoshal has added another feather to her cap, receiving the prestigious Best Female Playback Singer award at the 69th National Film Awards. The award was presented to her by the Hon’ble President of India, Droupadi Murmu, in a grand ceremony held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.


Glorious Journey: Shreya’s Fifth National Film Award :

Shreya Ghoshal’s remarkable journey in the Indian film industry has been adorned with accolades, and this recent win marks her fifth National Film Award. Her first National Award was in 2003 for the soul-stirring rendition of “Bairy Piya” in the iconic movie ‘Devdas.’ Subsequently, she achieved further acclaim for her melodious contributions to films like ‘Paheli’ with “Dheere Jalna” and ‘Jab We Met’ with “Yeh Ishq Haaye.” In 2010, Shreya’s talent shone once more as she clinched the National Award for not one but two songs – “Jiv Dangla” from the Marathi film ‘Jogva’ and “Pherari Mon” from the Bengali movie ‘Antaheen.’

National Film Awards: A Glimpse into India’s Cinematic Excellence :

Established in 1954, the National Film Awards stand as a pinnacle of recognition for excellence in Indian cinema. This annual event is eagerly anticipated by filmmakers, artists, and cinema enthusiasts, as it showcases the best of Indian cinema. The Hon’ble President of India plays a pivotal role in presenting these prestigious awards, making it an illustrious occasion in the country’s cultural calendar.

Shreya Ghoshal’s latest triumph in the 69th National Film Awards reaffirms her position as one of India’s most gifted and celebrated playback singers. With a career spanning two decades and a string of melodious hits to her name, Shreya continues to enthrall audiences with her soulful voice. Her exceptional contribution to the music of ‘Iravin Nizhal’ through the enchanting song ‘Mayava Chayava’ has secured her a well-deserved place in the annals of Indian cinema. As she stands proudly with her fifth National Film Award, Shreya Ghoshal remains an inspiration to aspiring artists and a cherished icon in the world of music and film.

Correct Answer :   SBER Bank

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SBER Bank of Russia has become the first Russian bank to register with the Indian markets regulator as a foreign portfolio investor (FPI), according to data available on the website of National Stock Depository (NSDL).

Sberbank of Russia, a state-owned bank which already has a presence in India, registered with the Indian markets regulator for a Category I FPI licence last week.

FPIs with category I licence have to follow less lenient beneficial ownership disclosures, can subscribe to overseas derivative instruments which have Indian stocks as underlying and also enjoy certain taxation benefits.

Category I FPI registration is only granted to government or government related foreign investors or regulated entities such as banks, sovereign wealth funds, investment trusts, pension funds, asset management companies.

Sberbank’s registration takes the total number of Russia-based FPIs in India to five, with all others being non-banks. Till now, Alfa Capital Management, First Asset Management, Igor Noskov, and Vesvolod Rozanov have been granted FPI registrations.  

Sberbank received approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in May 2010 to set up a branch in India and commenced its banking business from January 2011.

It acts as a key partner for Indian and Russian companies in facilitating bilateral trades.

Industry experts expect a few more banks to follow Sberbank’s suit..

Source : Business Standard