General Knowledge(GK) (or) General Awareness

Correct Answer :   Sivasankari

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 Tamil writer Sivasankari was on Thursday (12th Oct 2023) presented with the ‘Saraswati Samman’ 2022 for her book of memoirs Surya Vamsam.

The award, instituted by the K.K. Birla Foundation, was presented to her by former Union Minister M. Veerappa Moily. It carries a citation, a plaque and prize money of ₹15 lakh.

Surya Vamsam is a book of memoirs in two volumes. These two volumes together present not only the evolution of an innocent child into an acclaimed author but also unfold the transformation society has undergone in these seven decades, the award citation said.

The work was selected by a Chayan Parishad (Selection Committee), headed by former Supreme Court judge Arjan Kumar Sikri.

Ms. Sivasankari, born in 1942, has a literary career spanning over five decades. She has authored 36 novels, 48 novelettes, 150 short stories, five travelogues, seven collection of essays and three biographies. She has compiled two anthologies of Tamil short stories.

Many of her works have been translated into several Indian languages and also in English, Japanese and Ukrainian.

Her greatest contribution to Indian literature is her four-volume Knit India Through Literature, a compendium of Indian literature..

Source : The Hindu

Correct Answer :   $338 Million

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Asian Development Bank (ADB) agreed to provide $338 million to Bangladesh for manufacturing vaccines against various diseases.
 
ADB Country Director Edimon Ginting shared this at a meeting with Planning Minister Bangladesh MA Mannan at the latter's office in Dhaka on Wednesday (11th Oct 2023), reports BSS.
 
Talking to reporters after the meeting, the Planning Minister said that the government of Bangladesh has initiated the draft project for producing vaccines locally to give protection against various diseases like COVID-19 and dengue.

Mannan said that the ADB in the meeting offered a $338 million loan for the project. He said that the ADB has requested the government to speedily approve the project.

The ADB country director said that this initiative for financing the project for manufacturing vaccines was taken to help Bangladesh reduce the dependency on vaccine imports and facilitate more production in the country.
 
Ginting also informed that the ADB committed $3.5 billion financing to Bangladesh in the current fiscal year of which around $2 billion would be concessional while the rest of $1.5 billion would be regular..

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Neeraj Chopra

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World Athletics has nominated Neeraj Chopra for the Men's Athlete of the Year award 2023. The global governing body of Athletics issued the statement announcing Neeraj's nomination. Javelin thrower Neeraj is an Indian Olympic and World Championships Gold medalist.
 
This week marks the opening of the voting process for the 2023 World Athletes of the Year ahead of the World Athletics Awards 2023. World Athletics has confirmed a list of 11 nominees, selected by an international panel of athletics experts, comprising representatives from all six continental areas of World Athletics..

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty

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Indian men's doubles badminton duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first Indian pair to reach the number one spot in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Rankings.

He has achieved this ranking after winning the gold medal in men's doubles in the Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China. Satwik and Chirag have collected a total of 92411 points from 18 tournaments this year.  

On 🔝 of the 🌏!

1️⃣st 🇮🇳 pair to achieve this feat 🫡@himantabiswa | @sanjay091968 | @lakhaniarun1 #BWFWorldRankings#IndiaontheRise#BadmintonTwitter #Badminton pic.twitter.com/B8t9cmEeZc

— BAI Media (@BAI_Media) October 10, 2023

Source : Times of India

Correct Answer :   IDBI Bank

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Maruti Suzuki India, the country's leading auto manufacturer, has entered into an initial agreement with IDBI Bank to offer tailored financial solutions and comprehensive inventory funding options.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed on Wednesday (11th Oct 2023), is aimed at addressing the working capital needs of more than 4,000 Maruti Suzuki sales outlets across India.

Shashank Srivastava, Maruti's Senior Executive Officer (Marketing & Sales), underscored the crucial role that dealer partners play in their business model during Wednesday's announcement. He also reiterated the company's steadfast commitment to bolstering their capacities, particularly in light of the rapidly growing Indian passenger vehicle market.

This collaboration between Maruti Suzuki India and IDBI Bank underlines the auto manufacturer's strategic move to ensure its dealer network has the necessary financial support to meet increasing demand. By providing customized financial solutions and extensive inventory funding options, Maruti hopes to enhance its dealers' ability to operate effectively and efficiently in the expanding market..

Source : Investing

Correct Answer :   6.3%

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In its October 2023 World Economic Outlook (WEO) report, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) raised India’s economic growth forecast for the fiscal year 2023-24.

The growth projection was increased from 6.1% to 6.3% due to stronger-than-expected consumption during April-June. The report also highlighted India’s resilient domestic economic activity and the positive impact of robust domestic demand, contrasting global economic trends.


Key Points of IMF World Economic Outlook (WEO) report :

GDP Growth Projection : The IMF revised India’s GDP growth forecast to 6.3% for both 2023 and 2024, indicating a 0.2 percentage points upward revision for 2023. This adjustment was attributed to the nation’s strong consumption patterns during the specified period.

Inflation Outlook : The IMF anticipated retail inflation in India to rise to 5.5% in fiscal 2023-24 before easing to 4.6% in 2024-25. This projection aligns with the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) inflation target over the medium term.

RBI’s Projections : The RBI’s projections for the current fiscal year included a consumer price index (CPI)-based inflation rate of 5.4% and a GDP growth rate of 6.5%. The IMF’s report endorsed these projections and emphasized the consistency of monetary policy measures in achieving the RBI’s inflation target.

Economic Performance : India’s economy exhibited resilience, expanding by 7.8% in April-June, surpassing market expectations. Private consumption played a significant role, growing at a rate of 6.0% compared to 2.8% in the preceding quarter (January-March).

Global Economic Landscape : The IMF’s report highlighted challenges faced by other major economies, such as China and the euro area. While the United States demonstrated a remarkable recovery, the euro area’s output remained 2.2% below pre-pandemic projections due to factors like the war in Ukraine and spikes in energy prices.

Global Growth Forecast : Despite the strong performance of the US economy, the overall global growth remained low and uneven. The IMF maintained the global real GDP growth forecast at 3% for 2023 but revised down its 2024 forecast to 2.9% from the previous 3%, citing uncertainties in the international economic landscape.

Current Account Deficit : The IMF anticipated India’s current account deficit to remain at 1.8% of GDP in FY24 and FY25, indicating a stable external economic position for the nation.

Correct Answer :   Samia Suluhu Hassan

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Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan was conferred with an Honorary Doctorate (Honoris Causa) degree by Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) at a ceremony held on Tuesday (10th Oct 2023). The event was attended by External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

President Hassan became the first woman to receive this esteemed honour from JNU.

The Tanzanian President, who is on a four-day visit to India, took the audience on a heartfelt journey through her life, sharing her remarkable story from a humble upbringing in an African village to becoming the first woman president of Tanzania, according to PTI.

Her acceptance speech resonated with deep affection for India, as she reminisced about her first visit in 1998 when she came to study in Hyderabad.

“The world says there is no midway in falling in love with India, be it an Indian song, an Indian movie or Indian cuisine, it is very difficult to resist an Indian charm,” she said.

“To us Tanzanians, India is not simply a country but an extended family member separated by a crossline, a strategic ally, a dependable partner, and a friend,” President Hassan added, underscoring the profound bond between the two nations.

She further added that she stood there, no longer a visiting guest but as a cherished member of the Jawaharlal Nehru University family..

Source : CNBC

Correct Answer :   Kelvin Kiptum

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Kenya's "Kelvin Kiptum" blazed his way to smash the world record by clocking a stunning 2:00:35 to win the Chicago Marathon 2023  on Sunday (8th Oct 2023).

The timing by World Athletics wiped off 34 seconds from the previous world mark of 2:01:09 set by his fellow countryman Eliud Kipchoge at the Berlin Marathon in September last year (2022).

The Chicago course — a World Athletics Platinum Label marathon — produced fast times even in the women's field, with Dutch star Sifan Hassan winning the women's title at 2:13:44. It is the second-fastest time in women's marathon history behind Tigst Assefa's 2:11:53 set last month.

The star of show on Sunday (8th Oct 2023), though, was Kiptum. He won the race by almost three and a half minutes — Kenya's defending champion Benson Kipruto was second in 2:04:02 and Somali-born Belgian Bashir Abdi third in 2:04:32 — and, with a quick glance at the clock before the finish line, waved and blew kisses at spectators. He crossed the line raising his arms to complete the stunning run..

Source : Hindustan Times

Correct Answer :   Claudia Goldin

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The 2023 Nobel Prize in Economics has been awarded to US labour economist "Claudia Goldin", a professor at Harvard University, for having advanced our understanding of women's labor market outcomes, Hans Ellegren, Secretary-General, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, announced the award on Monday (October 9, 2023) in Stockholm.  Goldin is only the third woman to win the prize.

Claudia Goldin is the Henry Lee Professor of Economics at Harvard University and was the director of the NBER’s Development of the American Economy program from 1989 to 2017.

She is a co-director of the NBER's Gender in the Economy group. An economic historian and a labor economist, Goldin's research covers a wide range of topics, including the female labor force, the gender gap in earnings, income inequality, technological change, education, and immigration.

Most of her research interprets the present through the lens of the past and explores the origins of current issues of concern. Her most recent book is Career & Family: Women's Century-Long Journey toward Equity, published by Princeton University Press in 2021.

The Nobel Prize in Economics in 2022 was given to US economists Douglas Diamond and Philip Dybvig together with former Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke for research on banks in times of turmoil..

Source : CNBC

Correct Answer :   David Warner

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Australia opener David Warner became the fastest to 1000 runs in the ODI World Cup on Sunday, 8 October 2023. The opener hit Hardik Pandya for a boundary down the ground that took him to the feat in just 19 innings. Warner, one of the best white-ball batters of all time surpassed Sachin Tendulkar and AB de Villiers' record of 20 innings. Warner needed 8 runs to reach his feat on Sunday (8th Oct 2023).

Cricket World Cup: Full Coverage :

David Warner has been a formidable force in the ODI World Cup. Known for his aggressive batting style, Warner has consistently delivered outstanding performances, making him one of the most celebrated players in the cricket world.

Fastest to 1000 ODI World Cup runs (by innings)

19 - DAVID WARNER🇦🇺
20 - Sachin Tendulkar🇮🇳
20 - AB de Villiers🇿🇦
21 - Viv Richards🏝️
21 - Sourav Ganguly🇮🇳#INDvAUS #CWC2023 pic.twitter.com/iCwZSmSZyi

— Kausthub Gudipati (@kaustats) October 8, 2023

Fastest Batters to 1000 Runs in ODI World Cup :

* David Warner : 19 (Innings)
* Sachin Tendulkar : 20 (Innings)
* AB de Villiers : 20 (Innings)
* Viv Richards : 21 (Innings)
* Sourav Ganguly : 21 (Innings)

India captain Rohit Sharma is closely following the Australia opener and will reach the feat one innings faster than Warner if he is able to hit 22 runs in the second innings of the match..

Source : India Today