Daily GK and Current Affairs Quiz – 27th January 2023

Correct Answer:  B. Julie Turner

Explanation:  The White House nominated a special envoy for human rights in North Korea, moving to fill a post that has been empty since 2017 amid debate over how rights issues fit with efforts to counter Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programme. President Joe Biden nominated Julie Turner, a long-time diplomat and current director of the Office of East Asia and the Pacific in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor at the Department of State. The announcement comes amid a hardening line toward Pyongyang from the United States and South Korea, whose new conservative leader, Yoon Suk Yeol, has also turned his attention to human rights issues. The special envoy position, and a similar one in South Korea, had become controversial as preceding administrations tried to bring North Korea to the negotiating table. Some activists said human rights had been shunted aside in favour of national security priorities.

Correct Answer:  A. Bharat Biotech

Explanation:  Union Health MinisterDr. Mansukh Mandaviya unveiled world’s first intranasal COVID-19 vaccine, “iNNCOVACC” in New Delhi. The vaccine was launched in the presence of Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology (Independent Charge). It is developed by Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL) in collaboration with Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance (BIRAC). An initial manufacturing capacity of several million doses per year of the vaccine has been established, to be scaled up to one billion doses as needed. iNCOVACC has been priced at Rs 325 per dose. On September 9, 2022, Bharat Biotech’s iNCOVACC, the world’s first nasal COVID-19 vaccine, was approved for emergency use in adults. On November 28, 2022, Bharat Biotech announced that the vaccine has been approved for restricted emergency use in adults.

• Bharat Biotech’s intranasal COVID-19 vaccine is a recombinant replicating adenovirus vectored vaccine.
• A recombinant vaccine means that it has been manufactured using bacterial cells or yeast cells or parts of a virus to introduce viral proteins into the host.
• It removes critical parts of the genome of SARS-CoV-2, so that the viral vector can no longer replicate.
• Phase I, II and III clinical trials of the vaccine have yielded successful results.
• The vaccine will be given intranasally through drops in the nose, a system that has been designed and developed to be cost-effective in low- and middle-income countries.
• The maximum temperature range for storage and distribution of iNCOVACC is two to eight degrees Celsius.

Correct Answer:  B. USD 12 billion

Explanation:  India and Egypt on 26 January 2023 decided to elevate their ties to the level of strategic partnership.  Both decided to take the volume of bilateral trade to USD 12 billion in the next five years from around USD 7 billion at present. Both decided to broad-base the relations in a time-bound manner in areas of defence and security, trade, counter-terror cooperation and culture. The two leaders also discussed the cascading impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on the availability of food, energy and fertiliser, and called for a “coordinated and concerted” approach to deal with terrorism, including cross-border terrorist activities. The two sides inked five agreements providing for cooperation in areas of culture, information technology, cyber security, matters relating to youths and broadcasting.

Correct Answer:  D. Ben Stokes

Explanation:  England Test captain Ben Stokes and all-rounder Nat Sciver have won ICC cricketer of the year 2022 awards. All-rounder Stokes was named the Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year, while Sciver won the Rachael Hayhoe Flint Trophy for the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year. Sciver, 30, is also named Women’s one-day international (ODI) Cricketer of the Year. The 31-year-old Stokes took over the Test captaincy from Joe Root in April 2022 and has won nine of his 10 Tests in charge. Stokes previously won the overall Men’s Cricketer of the Year award in 2019. Babar Azam has been given the Men’s ODI Player of the Year award (Sobers Trophy), before Pakistan’s Shaheen Shah Afridi won the award for 2021.

ICC awards winners for 2022

• Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy: Babar Azam (Pakistan)
• Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy: Nat Sciver (England)
• Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year: Ben Stokes (England)
• Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year: Babar Azam
• Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year: Nat Sciver
• Men’s T20 International Cricketer of the Year: Suryakumar Yadav (India)
• Women’s T20 International Cricketer of the Year: Tahlia McGrath (Australia)
• Men’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year: Marco Jansen (South Africa)
• Women’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year: Renuka Singh (India)
• Men’s Associate Cricketer of the Year: Gerhard Erasmus (Namibia)
• Women’s Associate Cricketer of the Year: Esha Oza (India)
• David Shepherd Trophy: Richard Illingworth (England)
• Spirit of Cricket Award: Aasif Sheikh (Nepal)

Correct Answer:  B. Naresh Lalwani

Explanation:  Naresh Lalwani has taken over as the new General Manager (GM) of Central Railway. He is a senior officer of the Indian Railway Engineering Service of 1985 batch.  Before taking over as GM, he was working as Senior Deputy GM and Chief Vigilance Officer of Western Railway. He succeeds Ashok Kumar Misra, GM Western Railway who was holding the additional charge of Central Railway as well. Lalwani has also worked as a professor at the Indian Railway Institute of Civil Engineering, Pune imparting knowledge to Railway officers.

He is a specialist in the fields of contracts and arbitration, safety and management development.  He has worked as Chief Engineer (Track Machines), Central Railway, Divisional Railway Manager, Palakkad Division on Southern Railway. He has undergone Management training in China and France, Track Machine Training in Austria and Italy, Leadership Training in America and Vigilance in Austria. 

Correct Answer:  C. Eastern Air Command

Explanation:  The Indian Air Force (IAF) will be conducting its annual Command-level exercise, Poorvi Akash, in the northeastern part of the country. The Eastern Air Command will conduct the exercise. The air combat military drill is being conducted after a gap of two years. Rafales and Sukhoi-30MKI fighters will be participating in the air military drill. The Indian Air Force will run the massive air exercise Pralay to assess its operational readiness. The significant exercise will take place near the Line of Actual Control in India’s northeast, involving all significant Air Force units.

• The Indian Air Force would deploy significant combat assets such fighter jets like the Rafale and Su-30 as well as helicopters, transport aircraft, and other aircraft in the following days for the huge Command-level exercise.
• The drone squadrons that were recently relocated to the Northeast will also participate in the drill.
• The Indian Air Force is better able to monitor any hostile activities along the Sikkim and Siliguri region thanks to the engagement of the drone squadrons.

Correct Answer:  C. Rs 50,855 crore

Explanation:  Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) through FASTag has witnessed constant growth over the last few years. Total toll collection via FASTag on fee plazas, including state highway fee plazas during calendar year 2022 was Rs 50,855 crore. This is an increase of approximately 46 percent as compared to Rs 34,778 crore in 2021.  The average daily toll collection through FASTag on National Highway fee plazas was Rs 134.44 crore in December 2022, and the single day highest collection touched Rs 144.19 crore on 24 December 2022. Similarly, the number of FASTag transactions also witnessed a growth of approximately 48 per cent in 2022 as compared to that in 2021. The number of FASTag transactions in 2021 and 2022 were 219 crore and 324 crore respectively. With 6.4 crores FASTags issued as on date, the total number of FASTag enabled fee plazas across the country also grew to 1,181 (including 323 state highway fee plazas) in 2022 from 922 in the previous year 2021.

Correct Answer:  A. 27th January

Explanation:  Every year, International Holocaust Remembrance Day is observed on January 27 to reflect on the atrocities inflicted by Adolf Hitler, which resulted in the deaths of an estimated six million Jews. The day commemorates the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau in January 1945 from Nazi control. The theme “Home and Belonging” guides United Nations Holocaust remembrance and education in 2023. The theme highlights the humanity of the Holocaust victims and survivors, who had their home and sense of belonging ripped from them by the perpetrators of the Holocaust.

Correct Answer:  C. 30 Lakh Metric Tonnes

Explanation:  The Government has approved a proposal for the sale of 30 Lakh Metric Tonnes of wheat under the Open Market Sale Scheme. Wheat will be offered to the flour millers, and bulk buyers through e-auction for a maximum quantity of three thousand Metric Tonnes per buyer, per auction, from an FCI Region under e-auction. Wheat will be offered to State governments and UTs for their schemes without e-auction. It is decided that FCI will offload wheat within the next two months to the market for immediate impact on the rising wheat and Atta prices. FCI will start the process of E-auction of stocks immediately, throughout the country from January to March 2023.

Correct Answer:  B. Prabdev Singh

Explanation:  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has given its approval to appoint Prabdev Singh as CEO of JPMorgan Chase & Co (India) for three years. Mr. Singh had been JPMorgan’s interim CEO since November 2022 replacing Mr. Madhav Kalyan who in October 2022 was named head of payments for Asia Pacific. Before joining JPMorgan, he was a trained engineer and had worked for a decade at HSBC Holdings Plc.

Correct Answer:  B. Oppo India

Explanation:  Oppo India and the Government’s Common Service Centre (CSC) Academy have announced training 10,000 women in cybersecurity and cyber wellness in the country. The initiative of the partnership between Oppo India and CSC is to empower rural and semi-urban women through the ‘Cyber Sangini’ Programme, which is supported by the Ministry of Electronics and IT. It aims to equip the women with the skills and knowledge needed to become certified ‘Cyber Sanginis’.

• The partnership of Oppo India and CSC will empower individuals to become Cyber Security Ambassadors who are continuously trained and supported.
• After the completion of the 45-day course participants will receive a certificate from the National Institute of Electronics & Information Technology (NIELIT).
• The certificate will help them to secure jobs and livelihood opportunities in their locality.
• The ‘Cyber Sanginis’ will be trained about the existing laws and framework available to every citizen to protect them from such cyber incidents.
• Vice President, Public Affairs of Oppo India, Vivek Vasistha has informed that India strives to reach trillion-dollar digital economy potential.
• This partnership is a crucial step in reinforcing the cyber security of citizens, enabling public participation in the Digital Economy.
• The skilled women will be allowed to collect a nominal fee from the citizens for their support in addressing cybersecurity wellness issues to make them self-sufficient.

Correct Answer:  B. 412

Explanation:  President Droupadi Murmu has approved 412 Gallantry awards and other Defence decorations to Armed Forces personnel and others. These include six Kirti Chakras, including four posthumous, and 15 Shaurya Chakras including two posthumous. These include one Bar to Sena Medal (Gallantry), 92 Sena Medal, including four posthumous, one Nao Sena Medal (Gallantry),7 Vayu Sena Medal. It includes 29 Param Vishisht Seva Medals.

• President has also awarded President’s Tatrakshak Medal and Tatrakshak Medal to Indian Coast Guard Personnel for their act of conspicuous gallantry, exceptional devotion to duty and distinguished service.
• Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh has approved 62 Mentioned in Despatches to Armed Forces personnel.
• Post-independence, first three gallantry awards namely Param Vir Chakra, Maha Vir Chakra and Vir Chakra were instituted by the Government of India on 26th January, 1950 which were deemed to have effect from the 15th August, 1947. 
• Thereafter, other three gallantry awards i.e. Ashoka Chakra Class-I, Ashoka Chakra Class-II and Ashoka Chakra Class-III were instituted by the Government of India on 4th January, 1952, which were deemed to have effect from the 15th August, 1947. These awards were renamed as Ashoka Chakra, Kirti Chakra and Shaurya Chakra respectively in January, 1967.
• These gallantry awards are announced twice in a year – first on the occasion of the Republic Day and then on the occasion of the Independence Day. Order of precedence of these awards is the Param Vir Chakra, the Ashoka Chakra, the Mahavir Chakra, the Kirti Chakra, the Vir Chakra and the Shaurya Chakra.

Correct Answer:  D. Nagaland

Explanation:  The annual Orange Festival 2023 was celebrated on 24 and 25 January in Rasoma village of Kohima district in Nagaland. The two-day festival has been organized in association with the Department of Horticulture, Agriculture, Rural Development, Land Resources and Kohima Smart City. The Orange Festival is celebrated to recognise and commemorate the hard work of orange growers while also providing them with market connections to sell their produce at a single hub. At present there are about 35,000 trees standing in the orange plantation in Rusoma village and the village is earning an income of more than Rs.40 lakhs annually. The two-day Orange Festival also included several stalls such as sale of handicrafts, organic vegetables and fruits, food items, sale of orange saplings, etc.

Correct Answer:  A. Brazil

Explanation:  India has emerged as one of the top three countries in the world where the area under organic agriculture expanded the maximum in 2020. The total increase under organic cultivation globally in 2020 was 3 million hectares (mh), out of which Argentina accounted for 7,81,000 hectares (up by 21 per cent), followed by Uruguay at 5,89,000 hectares (28 per cent) and India at 3,59,000 hectares. Of the world’s total 74.9 mh under organic farming, Australia has the highest at 35.7 mh. Whereas India has 2.8 mh. In contrast, out of total 34 lakh organic producers in the world, 16 lakh farmers in India are into certified organic farming.

The Agriculture Ministry’s ₹2,481-crore plan to create the National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF) has yet to be approved by the Cabinet. The project is set to run from the current fiscal year until 2025-26, with a goal of bringing 7.5 lakh farmers on board to practice non-chemical natural farming over 7.5 lakh hectares. Farmers will get a maximum of ₹15,000/hectare (until 2025-26) under the scheme, depending on any income loss from transitioning to natural farming.