Daily Current Affairs Quiz – 12th September 2024

Correct Answer:  (b) Prasanthi Ram

Explanation:  Prasanthi Ram (32), who was an Indian origin lecturer from the University of Nanyang technological University won the Singapore literature prize for English fiction for her short story -’Nine Yard Sarees’ and it was her debut work which was published at the end of year 2023. The short story cycle is about generations of a Tamil Brahmin family dispersed across Singapore, Sydney, New York and Connecticut.

• The Singapore Literature Prize: One of the most prestigious literary awards in Singapore, recognizing works across various genres.
• Nine Yard Sarees: A short story cycle exploring themes of migration, identity, and cultural evolution through the lens of a Tamil Brahmin family.
• Debut Work: This is Prasanthi Ram’s first literary work, marking an impressive start to her writing career.
• Global Perspective: The stories reflect the experiences of a Tamil family living in different countries, such as Singapore, Sydney, and New York.

Correct Answer:  (c) 2nd

Explanation:  Indian women finished overall second at the U20 World Wrestling Championships, bagging one gold, one silver, and three bronze at Pontevedra in Spain. All medals came in the freestyle category.

• Gold Medalist: Jyoti Berwal headlined the Indian contingent by securing gold in the 76kg category.
• Silver Medalist: Nitika won silver in the 62kg category, narrowly missing out on gold against Ukrainian Iryna Bondar.
• Bronze Medalists: Neha (57kg), Komal (59kg), and Shrishti (68kg) added to India’s medal tally with their bronze victories.
• Freestyle Success: All the medals were won in women’s freestyle wrestling, marking a strong performance by the Indian team.

Correct Answer:  (a) Syria

Explanation:  The 4th Intercontinental Cup men’s football championship concluded with a stunning victory for Syria, as they defeated the defending champions India with a decisive 3-0 score in the final round-robin match. The tournament, held from September 3 to 9, 2024, at the GMC Balayogi Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad, Telangana, showcased Syria’s dominance throughout the competition.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) organized this year’s Intercontinental Cup, which saw participation from three teams: India, Syria, and Mauritius. The tournament followed a round-robin format, with each team facing the others once.

Participating Teams and FIFA Rankings

1. Syria: Ranked 93rd in the latest FIFA rankings
2. India: Ranked 124th
3. Mauritius: Ranked 179th

Syria’s higher ranking was evident in their performance, as they remained unbeaten throughout the tournament.

Correct Answer:  (b) Rs 70,125 crore

Explanation:  In a meeting held on 11 September 2024 and chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Union Cabinet approved the fourth phase of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY). The government of India launched the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana on 25 December 2000 to connect eligible rural habitation with all-weather roads as part of its poverty reduction strategy. The PMGSY-IV will be a centrally sponsored scheme to be implemented by the Union Rural Development Ministry.

Duration and Outaly of the PMGSY-IV 

• The duration of the PMGSY-IV is five years, from 2024-25 to 2028-29.
• The total outlay for the PMGSY-IV for its entire duration is Rs 70,125 crore.
• The central government’s share is Rs 49,087.50 crore, and the State government’s share is Rs 21,037.50 crore.

Target of the PMGSY-IV : Under the PMGSY-IV,62,500 Km of all-weather roads/bridges will be built and upgraded to connect the 25,000 unconnected rural villages. The rural areas to be connected are :

• Village having a population of more than 500 in plain areas;
• Village having a population of more than 250 in North-East/Hilly States and Union Territories/ Special category areas (Tribal Schedule V, Aspirational Districts/Blocks, Desert areas);
• Village having a population of more than 100 in the left-wing affected districts.

The PMGSY was launched on 25 December 2000 to connect villages with a population of more than 500 in plain areas and more than 250 in hilly, desert, and special category states. The PMGSY-II was launched by the central government in March 2013. It proposed upgrading the roads built under Phase I and constructing new roads in identified rural habitations. The target was to construct 50,000 km of roads. The PMGSY–III was launched in December 2019 to upgrade/construct 1,25,000 km of roads.   During the third phase, the focus was on upgrading existing Routes and Major Rural Links that connect habitations to Gramin Agricultural Markets, Higher Secondary Schools, and Hospitals.

Correct Answer:  (c) Mission Mausam

Explanation: In a meeting held on 11 September 2024 and chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Union Cabinet approved Mission Mausam. The Mission Mausum will strengthen India’s research and development capability in weather and climate-related science. The duration of the Mission Mausam is two years, and the government of India has approved an outlay of Rs 2000 crore.

Implementing Ministry of the Mission Mausam 

• The Union Ministry of Earth Science will implement the Mission Mausam scheme.
• Three institutes under the Ministry—the India Meteorological Department (IMD), New Delhi, the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, and the National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting, Noida—will be the prime institutions to implement Mission Mausam.
• The other research and development institutes under the ministry -the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, and the National Institute of Ocean Technology will play a supporting role.
• Important national and international Institutes, Academia, and Industries will also be associated with the Mission Mausam to further India’s leadership in weather and climate sciences and services.

Correct Answer:  (c) Masirah island

Explanation:  Exercise Eastern Bridge VII is being conducted at Masirah Air Base in Oman. The exercise is a bilateral event between the Indian Air Force and the Royal Oman Air Force. This exercise aims to enhance interoperability and strengthen strategic cooperation between both air forces. It involves complex aerial maneuvers, air-to-air and air-to-ground operations, and logistical coordination.

Correct Answer:  (c) RS Sharma

Explanation: The Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) has announced the appointment of RS Sharma as its Non-Executive Chairperson. Sharma, who has previously served as the Director General and Mission Director of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), Chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), and CEO of the National Health Authority, will now lead ONDC into its next phase of growth and innovation.

RS Sharma has been a pivotal figure in India’s digital transformation. His extensive career includes roles such as the Chief Secretary for the Jharkhand government and key positions within ONDC’s advisory and strategy councils. Sharma was instrumental in guiding ONDC’s evolution from a pilot project to a national initiative. His contributions also include leading the CoWin project, which was crucial for the Covid-19 vaccination campaign.

Correct Answer:  (c) Jodhpur

Explanation:  Exercise Tarang Shakti-24 is one of the largest multinational air exercise being conducted by the Indian Air Force in Jodhpur. On the sidelines of this exercise, lAF will also host the India Defence Aviation Exposition IDAX-24 which will be inaugurated by Hon’ble Raksha Mantri on 12 Sep 24. This edition of IDAX at Jodhpur, scheduled from 12-14 Sep 24, will have grand participation from industry and host a wide range of products, and technologies.

This will be an opportunity for the FFCs and Indian audiences to witness, experience, and interact with participants from the Indian Aviation Industry including DPSUs, DRDO, Private Industries (Tier-I, Il, III), And top-notch Start-Ups. IDAX aims to showcase indigenous skills and the indomitable spirit of Indian Aviation Industries to a wide spectrum of decision-makers and end users from Global Air Forces participating in Tarang Shakti 2024.

Correct Answer:  (a) IIT Kanpur

Explanation:  The National Health Authority (NHA) and IIT Kanpur signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the presence of Union Health Secretary Shri Apurva Chandra on 11th September. The partnership aims to revolutionize Artificial Intelligence in health research with an innovative data platform.

Theme of MoU

• A federated learning platform across a variety of machine learning model pipelines, a quality-preserving database, an open benchmarking platform for comparing & validating AI models, and a consent management system for research under Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) would be developed by IIT Kanpur.
• The platform will subsequently be operated and governed by NHA, thereby unlocking the immense potential of AI for improving health outcomes.

Correct Answer:  (c) Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT)

Explanation:  The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, has been ranked No. 1 globally for Networking in LinkedIn’s Global MBA Ranking 2024, while securing the 51st position among the top 100 MBA programmes worldwide. Minister of Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal, lauded this achievement as a reflection of IIFT’s global networking prowess. Commerce Secretary, Shri Sunil Barthwal, emphasized that this ranking showcases the Institute’s dedication to excellence in academics, research, and strong partnerships with alumni, corporates, and international organizations.

• Vice Chancellor Prof. Rakesh Mohan Joshi reaffirmed his vision to position IIFT as a world-class Centre of Excellence, supported by its stakeholders including students, alumni, and government bodies.
• IIFT is establishing a Centre for International Negotiations (CIN)to provide cutting-edge training for corporates and policymakers. Additionally, it plans to launch an International Business Case Study Centre, inspired by Harvard, to produce world-class case studies in collaboration with Indian companies and government agencies.

Correct Answer:  (c) To provide subsidies for purchasing electric buses to various State Public Transport Authorities

Explanation: The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the “PM-eBus Sewa-Payment Security Mechanism (PSM) scheme” for the procurement and operation of e-buses by Public Transport Authorities (PTAs) with an outlay of Rs. 3,435.33 crore. This scheme will support the deployment of more than 38,000 electric buses (e-Buses) from FY 2024-25 to FY 2028-29.

• The scheme will support the operation of e-buses for up to 12 years from the deployment date. Currently, most buses operated by Public Transport Authorities (PTAs) run on diesel/CNG, causing adverse environmental impacts. On the other hand, e-buses are environment friendly and have lower operational costs. However, it was anticipated that Public Transport Authorities (PTAs) would find it challenging to procure and operate e-buses because of high upfront costs and lower realization of revenue from operations.

To address the high capital cost of e-buses, Public Transport Authorities (PTAs) induct these buses through Public Private Partnership on Gross Cost Contract (GCC) model. The PTAs are not required to pay the upfront cost of the bus under the GCC model,instead OEMs/operators procure and operate e-buses for PTAs with monthly payments. However, OEMs/operators are hesitant to engage in this model due to concerns about potential payment defaults. This initiative seeks to facilitate adoption of e-buses by encouraging private sector participation.

Correct Answer:  (c) Prime Minister Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement

Explanation:  The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the proposal of Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) for implementation of a scheme titled ‘PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-DRIVE) Scheme’ for promotion of electric mobility in the country. The scheme has an outlay of Rs 10,900 crore over two years. The major components of the scheme are as under Subsidies/Demand incentives worth Rs.3,679 crore have been provided to incentivize e-2Ws, e-3Ws, e-ambulances, e-trucks and other emerging EVs. The scheme will support 24.79 lakh e-2Ws, 3.16 lakh e-3Ws, and 14,028 e-buses.

• MHI is introducing e-vouchers for EV buyers to avail of demand incentives under the scheme. The scheme allocates Rs.500 crore for the deployment of e-ambulances. This is a new initiative of Govt of India to promote the use of e-ambulance for comfortable patient transport. The performance and safety standards of e-ambulances will be formulated in consultation with MoHFW, MoRTH, and other relevant stakeholders. A sum of Rs.4,391 crore has been provided for procurement of 14,028 e-buses by STUs/public transport agencies.The demand aggregation will be done by CESL in the nine cities with more than 40 lakh population namely Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai,Ahmedabad, Surat, Bangalore, Pune and Hyderabad.
• Intercity and Interstate e-buses will also supported in consultation with states. The trucks are a major contributor to air pollution. The scheme will promote the deployment of e-trucks in the country. Rs.500 crores has been allocated for incentivising e-trucks. Incentives will be given to those who have a scrapping certificate from MoRTH-approved vehicles scrapping centers (RVSF). The scheme addresses the range anxiety of EV buyers by promoting in a big way the installation of electric vehicle public charging stations (EVPCS).
• These EVPCS shall be installed in the selected cities with high EV penetration and also on selected highways. The scheme proposes the installation of 22,100 fast chargers for e-4 Ws, 1800 fast chargers for e-buses and 48,400 fast chargers for e-2W/3Ws. The outlay for EV PCS will be Rs.2,000 crore. The scheme promotes an efficient, competitive and resilient EV manufacturing industry thereby promoting Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

Correct Answer:  (c) Sheetal Devi and Rakesh Kumar

Explanation:  Paralympic archery champions Ms. Sheetal Devi and Shri Rakesh Kumar team up to inspire voters nationwide as ECI’s national icons for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs). In an event organised at Nirvachan Sadan, CEC Shri Rajiv Kumar along with ECs Shri Gyanesh Kumar and Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu felicitated Arjuna Awardee and ECI’s national PwD icon, Ms. Sheetal Devi And her mixed doubles team partner Shri Rakesh Kumar, in recognition of their outstanding achievement in winning a bronze medal in Archery at the Paris Summer Paralympics 2024. On the occasion, the Commission also announced Shri Rakesh Kumar, renowned Paralympian as the ECI National icon for PwDs.

Correct Answer:  (a) AKARA Capital

Explanation:  Financial services platform Stashfin’s parent company, AKARA Capital has become the first fintech NBFC to offer Non-Convertible Debentures (NCDs) at a face value of Rs 10,000 on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). This strategic bond issuance aims to raise Rs 100 crore, offering retail investors an accessible investment opportunity. The initiative follows a significant regulatory amendment by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in July, which lowered the minimum face value of debt securities from Rs 1,00,000 to Rs 10,000. This move by SEBI is designed to promote financial inclusion by enabling greater participation from retail investors across India.

Correct Answer:  (b) 11th September

Explanation:  National Forest Martyrs Day, observed annually on September 11 in India, stands as a solemn tribute to the brave individuals who have sacrificed their lives in the protection of the nation’s forests, wildlife, and biodiversity. As we approach the 2024 commemoration, it’s crucial to reflect on the significance of this day and its relevance in our ongoing struggle for environmental conservation. The roots of National Forest Martyrs Day can be traced back to a pivotal event in Indian history known as the Khejarli massacre. This tragic incident occurred in 1730 in the village of Khejarli, Rajasthan, and has since become a symbol of environmental activism and sacrifice.

National Forest Martyrs Day plays a crucial role in raising public awareness about the importance of forests and the challenges faced in their conservation. It highlights issues such as:

• Deforestation
• Wildlife poaching
• Illegal logging
• Environmental degradation