Daily GK and Current Affairs Quiz – 12th & 13th March 2023

Correct Answer:  C. Rs.667 crore

Explanation:  The defence ministry sealed a deal with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to procure six Dornier aircraft at a cost of Rs 667 crore for the Indian Air Force. The addition of the six aircraft will further bolster the operational capability of the IAF in remote areas, the defence ministry said announcing the contract. The aircraft was used by IAF for route transport roles and communication duties. Subsequently, it has also been used for training of transport pilots of the IAF. The aircraft is ideally suited for short-haul operations from semi-prepared and short runways of the North East and island chains of India.

• The Dornier-228 aircraftis a highly versatile multi-purpose light transport aircraft.
• It has been developed specifically to meet the manifold requirements of utility and commuter transport as well as for maritime surveillance.
• The aircraft will have an upgraded fuel-efficient engine coupled with a five-bladed composite propeller, the ministry said.

The Dornier order for HAL comes on the back of a ₹6,838-crore contract awarded to it by the defence ministry for 70 HTT-40 basic trainer aircraft. The new trainer aircraft, a longstanding need, will provide a boost to the ab initio training of air force pilots. Basic trainers figure on the long list of weapons and systems that India has imposed an import ban on during the last 30 months. HAL will supply the Hindustan Turbo Trainer-40 (HTT-40) planes to IAF over a period of six years.

Correct Answer:  B. NITI Aayog

Explanation:  NITI Aayog has released the Task Force report titled “Production and Promotion of Organic and Bio fertilisers with Special Focus on Improving Economic Viability of Gaushalas”. The Task Force was constituted by NITI Aayog to suggest measures to make Gaushalas economically viable, address the problem of stray and abandoned cattle, and effective utilisation of cow dung and cow urine in the agriculture and energy sectors. The report provides a factual estimate of operating costs and fixed costs and other issues in respect of Gaushalas and the cost and investments involved in setting up the Bio-CNG plant and PROM plant in Gaushalas.

The report was released by Prof Ramesh Chand, Member (Agriculture), NITI Aayog in the presence of Taskforce members. Speaking at the event, Prof Ramesh Chand said in the last 50 years, a serious imbalance emerged in the use of inorganic fertiliser and livestock manure. He added that this is adversely affecting soil health, food quality, efficiency, environment, and human health.

Correct Answer:  B. Rs.1.4 trillion

Explanation:  The Central Government has released the 14th instalment of tax devolution to State governments amounting to 1,40,318 crore rupees. The monthly instalment for March is much more than the normal monthly devolution of Rs 70,159 crore made for states. Uttar Pradesh received the highest instalment of Rs 24,783 crore among all states. Currently, 41 per cent of taxes collected by the Centre is devolved in 14 instalments among States in a financial year. As per data by the Controller General of Accounts, the Centre has devolved  6.68 lakh crore rupees to States in the current financial year during April-January, up 22.4 per cent from last year.

Correct Answer:  B. Piyush Goyal

Explanation:  Piyush Goyal chaired the 6th meeting of the National Startup Advisory Council (NSAC). NSAC is playing an important role in identifying areas of interventions for the expansion of startup ecosystem and ideating and nurturing national programs under the Startup India initiative. With the theme of India@2047, NSAC will plan upon matters important for evolution of Indian startup ecosystem. The Central Government had constituted the NSAC to advise the Government on measures required to build a strong ecosystem for nurturing innovation and startups in the country resulting in sustainable economic growth and large-scale employment opportunities.

NSAC includes members from concerned line Ministries, Departments and Organisations and non-official members, representing various stakeholders such as founders of successful startups, veterans who have grown & expanded companies in India, persons representing interests of investors, incubators and accelerators, etc. Programs such as MAARG, National Mentorship Program, Incubator Capacity Development Program, Adoption of NavIC Grand Challenge, Startup Champions 2.0 etc. are some of the programs ideated and incubated by NSAC.

Correct Answer:  B. Uttarakhand

Explanation:  Uttarakhand will get the first Electric Pilgrimage Corridor of the country. The country’s first Electric Pilgrimage Corridor is being built in the Uttarakhand’s Chardham Yatra route, about 900 km long. Charging points are being made every 30 km for private electric vehicles (EV). Charging point facility will also be available in all the guest houses of the state. E-vehicles are being encouraged because they will reduce the harm to the environment.

Correct Answer:  B. Karnataka

Explanation:  Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated World`s longest railway platform of 1.5 kilometres at Sri Siddhaarooda railway station in Hubballi in the state of Karnataka. The inauguration of the platform was done during the PM’s Karnataka visit in the presence of Union Minister Pralhad Joshi. It is to be noted that Indian Railways, South Western Railway Zones Hubbali is now registered in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the longest platform.

• The world’s longest railway platform will cater to the transportation needs of the Hubballi-Dharwad region and will help in enhancing the operational capacity of the yard. Furthermore, it will enable the operations of trains in both directions.
• Gorakhpur platformin Uttar Pradesh is the second longest at 1,366.33 meters, and Kollam Junction in Kerala has the third longest platform at 1,180.5 meters.
• Meanwhile, Prime MinisterNarendra Modi also inaugurated the 118-km long Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway. This new project is expected to aid the social and economic growth in the region.
• The new e-way built at a cost of Rs 8,480 crore will reduce the travel time between the cities from 3 hours to around 75 minutes.
• Furthermore, the project entails widening NH 275 to six lanes along the Bengaluru-Nidaghatta-Mysuru stretch.

Correct Answer:  C. Indonesia

Explanation:  Mount Merapi, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, erupted, spewing out smoke and ash that covered villages near the crater. There were no immediate reports of casualties, the the National Disaster Mitigation Agency said. The images broadcasted shows ash-covered houses and roads at a village near the volcano, in Yogyakarta. The Merapi Volcano Observatory estimated the ash cloud reached 9,600 feet (3,000 metres) above the summit. Authorities established a restricted zone of seven kilometres from the crater after the eruption, which was recorded at 12:12 pm (0512 GMT). The volcano’s last major eruption in 2010 killed more than 300 people and forced the evacuation of some 280,000 residents. It was Merapi’s most powerful eruption since 1930, when about 1,300 people were killed. An eruption in 1994 left about 60 people dead. The volcano’s alert status has remained at the second-highest level since 2020 after showing renewed activity.

• The Mount Merapi is the Fire Mountain in Indonesia and Java.
• It is an active stratovolcano that is located on the border between the Central Java and Yogyakarta provinces, Indonesia.
• It is considered as the most active volcano in Indonesia and is erupted regularly since 1548.
• It is the youngest group of volcanoes in southern Java that is situated at a subduction zone of the Indo-Australian Plate and Sunda Plate.
• At this subduction zone, the Indo-Australian Plate subducts under the Sunda Plate.

Correct Answer:  C. MM Keeravaani

Explanation:   The 95th Academy Awards have announced that RRR‘s “Naatu Naatu” won Best Original Song. The song had to beat out songs like “Applause” from Tell It Like a Woman, “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick, “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and “This is Life” from Everything Everywhere All At Once. The Oscars was accepted by lyricist Chandrabose and composer MM Keeravani.  The song’s words were written by Chandrabose, with music by MM Keeravaani, and it was performed by Kala Bhairava and Rahul Sipligunj. “Naatu Naatu” received the Golden Globe for best song. RRR became the first Indian film to win a Golden Globe as a result of the victory.

Drawing inspiration from the lives of freedom fighters Komaram Bheem and Alluri Sitarama Raju, RRR narrates a fictional tale set in the 1920s. The film boasts an ensemble cast, starring the likes of Jr NTR, Ram Charan, Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt, Olivia Morris, Samuthirakani, Alison Doody, and Ray Stevenson.

Correct Answer:  C. French Navy

Explanation:  Indian Navy’s indigenously built Guided Missile Frigate, INS Sahyadriparticipated in the Maritime Partnership Exercise (MPX) with French Navy (FN) ships in the Arabian Sea. French Navy (FN) ships FS Dixmude, a Mistral class amphibious assault ship, and FS La Fayette, a La Fayette class frigate participated in the exercise. The exercise featured a wide spectrum of development at sea which included cross deck landings, boarding exercises and seamanship development.

• The smooth conduct of the exercise reaffirmed the high level of interoperability and cooperation between the two navies.
• INS Sahyadri is equipped with state-of-the-art weapons and sensors capable of detecting and neutralizing air, surface and sub-surface threats.
• The ship is a part of the Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet based at Visakhapatnam, under the operational control of FOCinC (East).

Correct Answer:  C. Mohit Joshi

Explanation:  Tech Mahindra announced that former Infosys President Mohit Joshi has been appointed as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of the company and key managerial personnel under the Companies Act, 2013, for a period of 5 (five) years. Mohit Joshi will take over the charge from C P Gurnani after his retirement. Mohit Joshi’s resignation was the second top level exit at the firm in less than six months. Ravi Kumar S, in October, resigned after working at the Infosys for almost 20 years. Kumar has since taken over as the chief of Cognizant.

Correct Answer:  B. Rohit Sharma

Explanation:  Team India skipper Rohit Sharma completed 17000 runs in international cricket and became the sixth Indian to achieve the feat after Sachin Tendulkar (34357), Virat Kohli (25047), Rahul Dravid (24208), Sourav Ganguly (18575), and MS Dhoni (17266). He completed this feat on Day 3 of the fourth Test against Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Correct Answer:  C. 36%

Explanation:  According to Grant Thornton’s International Business Report on ‘Women in Business 2023 – The push for parity’, 32 per cent of senior management positions are now held by women globally, in mid-market businesses, and the same stands at 36 per cent in India. Around 9 per cent of such businesses still have no women in senior leadership roles globally, the report said.

• The Grant Thornton International Business Report (IBR) is the world’s leading mid-market business report, surveying around 10,000 business leaders in 28 countries, annually.
• In India, around 281 mid-market businesses were surveyed for this report.
• The report further revealed that all regions (Africa, APAC, ASEAN, Latin America, North America, EU) surpassed the 30 per cent figure for women in senior management for the first time.
• The ASEAN region experienced the most significant percentage point rise, increasing from 37 per cent to reach the 40 per cent mark, the report stated.

Correct Answer:  B. PhonePe

Explanation:  Phonepe Private Limited (formerly FX Mart Pvt. Ltd.), which owns the brand PhonePe,  has received in-principle approval for its PA [payment aggregator] licence from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). PhonePe has also achieved an annualised Total Payment Value (TPV) run rate of USD 1 trillion(~ Rs 84 lakh crore), mainly on account of its Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions. They have digitised more than 35 million offline merchants spread across tier 2, 3, 4 cities and beyond, covering 99% pin codes in India.

Correct Answer:  D. The Elephant Whispers

Explanation:   Indian entry at the Academy Awards, ‘The Elephant Whispers’ won the Oscar in the Best Documentary Short Film category. This 41-minute short documentary film by filmmakers Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga explores the bond between Raghu, an orphaned baby elephant, and his caretakers.