Weekly Current Affairs – 8th-14th August 2023 Part 1
Important News – State
1. Which state Cabinet approved the proposal of a high-level committee to form 19 new districts and 3 new divisions in the State ___________ Rajasthan.
Note:
➢ Rajasthan will now have a total of 50 districts and 10 divisional headquarters.
➢ According to CM Ashok Gehlot formation of new districts will improve governance and bring relief to people who have to cover long distances to go to the district headquarters.
➢ The new districts are like, Jaipur has been divided into Jaipur and Jaipur Rural
2. Central Railway has inaugurated which station as the 1st “Pink Station” on the Bhusaval Division and the 3rd station on Central Railway to be fully managed by an all-women staff ___________ New Amravati station.
Note:
➢ The examples are set by Matunga station in the Mumbai division and Ajni station in the Nagpur division.
➢ Railway has a staff strength of 12 women employees including 4 Deputy Station Superintendents, 4 Pointswomen, 3 Railway Protection Personnel and 1 Ticket Booking Agent
3. Which IT and Industries Minister launched India’s first Agricultural Data Exchange (ADeX) and Agriculture Data Management Framework (ADMF) ___________ Telangana.
Note:
➢ The ADeX has been developed as a digital public infrastructure (DPI) for the agriculture sector
➢ Aims: To ensure fair and efficient usage of agricultural data by the industry and startups and provide a big boost to the data economy specifically in the agriculture sector.
4. Who laid the foundation stone for a temple-cum-memorial for Sant Ravidas and along with that also inaugurated developmental works which are worth Rs 4,000 crore in Madhya Pradesh in Aug 2023 __________ PM Narendra Modi.
Note:
➢ The memorial is steeped in the spirit of ‘Samrasta’ as the soil of more than 20,000 villages and 300 rivers have been used in it
➢ Sant Ravidas was an Indian mystic poet-saint of the bhakti movement and founder of the Ravidassia religion during the 15th to 16th century CE
Important News– World
1. According to two official’s privy to the latest assessment made for submission to the United Nations, India’s greenhouse emissions rate dropped by a faster-than-expected what percent in 14 years __________ 33%.
Note:
➢ Reason: Renewable energy generation rose and forest cover increased
➢ India is well on the way to meeting a commitment to the UNFCCC, to reduce emissions intensity by 45% from the 2005 level by 2030.
➢ India’s average rate of reduction in emissions increased to 3% annually during 2016-2019.
2. Which online travel company has joined hands with the Ministry of Tourism to launch a microsite, ‘Traveller’s Map of India ____________ MakeMyTrip(MMT).
Note:
➢ Aim: To showcases 600-plus destinations beyond the popular travel spots in the country
➢ Objective: To discover lesser-known tourism gems that lie within the country’s borders based on their preferences
➢ According to MMT “This microsite has been designed in line with the Government of India’s visionary ‘DekhoApnaDesh’ program,”
Honor & Awards
1. Which State Road Transport Corporation has won Asia’s Best Brand Employer Award 2023 under the category ‘Organisation with Innovative HR Practices’ ___________ Karnataka.
Note:
➢ It was announced at the 14th edition of the 18th Brand Congress and would be presented on August 17 in Singapore.
➢ KSRTC:
➢ It was inaugurated by the Mysore Road Transport Department on 12 September 1948.
➢ Later it was converted to an independent corporation and renamed Karnataka Road Transport Corporation.
2. Who was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award 2023 at the first-ever RICS South Asia Awards __________ Chairman Subhash Runwal.
Note:
➢ Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors is a global industry body representing professionals across the country.
➢ Aim: To acknowledge outstanding accomplishments in both global and Indian industries, showcasing the commitment to the highest levels of professionalism and ethics by individuals and teams working within built and natural environments.
3. Who was named as the recipient of the ‘Union Home Minister’s Medal of Excellence in Investigation’ for the year 2023 ___________ Kanwardeep Kaur.
Note:
➢ She was given the award for her outstanding investigative work in a minor’s rape case, which resulted in the accused being sentenced to death within 11 months of committing the crime.
➢ She worked the case when she was the SSP of Kapurthala district.
4. How many police personnel have been awarded Police Medals on the occasion of the 76th Independence Day ____________ 954.
Note:
➢ The President’s Police Medal for Gallantry (PPMG) has been awarded to the Central Reserve Police Force’s Assistant Commandant Loukrakpam Ibomcha Singh
➢ The Police Medal for Gallantry (PMG) has been awarded to 229 police personnel
➢ President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service (PPM) to 82 and Police Medal for Meritorious Service (PM) has been awarded to 642.
5. Which district has been conferred with the award for the “Best Performer District 2023 in UT of J&K under PMAY-G” by Manoj Sinha, Lieutenant Governor J&K UT, held at Srinagar _________ District Kupwara.
Note:
➢ Kupwara has received the award in recognition of the construction of 4723 PMAY houses out of a target of 4902 houses for FY 2022-23
➢ PMAY-G is successfully fulfilled the dream of several poor and vulnerable families having their own Pucca house in frontier Kupwara district.
6. Which team won Gold Award under Excellence in Government Process Reengineering for Digital Transformation Category-1 by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Complaints in Aug 2023 ____________ National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS) Team.
Note:
➢ ABOUT NAFIS
➢ NAFIS helps in the quick and easy disposal of cases with the help of a centralized fingerprint database.
➢ It assigns a unique 10-digit National Fingerprint Number (NFN) to each person arrested for a crime.
Sports News
1. In the Four Nations Para-Badminton International 2023 held in England, which men’s doubles duo clinched a gold medal in the SL3-SL4 category ___________ Pramod Bhagat and Sukant Kadam.
Note:
➢ They achieved this victory by defeating Ranjan Bisoyee and Manoj Sarkar.
➢ Bhagat secured a silver medal in the singles SL3 category, and he also teamed up with Manisha Ramdass to claim a silver medal in the mixed doubles SL3-SU5 category.
➢ Kadam won a bronze in the singles SL4 category.
2. Which Indian shuttler won silver at the Australian Open Badminton 2023 final in Sydney _________ HS Prannoy.
Note:
➢ He went down fighting against World No. 24 Weng Hong Yang of China.
➢ He also bagged the silver medal in Boys’ singles at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics.
➢ He followed it up with another silver, this time at the Bahrain International Challenge, in 2011.
3. Which Indian wrestler entered the event as the defending champion, won the only gold medal for India in the women’s 61kg weight division in World aCadet Wrestling Championships 2023 in Turkey _____________ Savita.
Note:
➢ India bagged a total of 11 medals, including 1 gold, 7 silver and 3 bronze at the World Cadet Wrestling Championship 2023 at Istanbul.
➢ It was the women’s freestyle where India showed best by finishing third, only behind Japan and USA.
4. Which edition of the famed Nehru Trophy Boat Race 2023 would be held at the picturesque Punnamada Lake in Alappuzha district in Kerala __________69th.
Note:
➢ 72 boats, including 19 Chundan Valloms or Snake Boats vying for the coveted trophy, will be participating in the boat race, held every year on the second Saturday of August.
➢ Chief Minister of Kerala PInarayi Vijayan would inaugurate the event.
➢ The current champion, Pallathuruthy Boat Club from Alappuzha, has bagged the Trophy thrice
5. Which country appointed veteran all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan as its ODI captain for both the Asia Cup and the 2023 ODI World Cup _________ Bangladesh.
Note:
➢ He had also led Bangladesh in 49 ODIs between 2009 and 2011, when he first became captain, and won 22 of those.
➢ He later captained Bangladesh in three more ODIs in 2015 and 2017, each time standing in for Mashrafe.
➢ Shakib has so far led Bangladesh in 19 Tests and 39 T20Is, and the last of his 50 ODIs as captain was in 2017.
6. Which ountry’s hockey team defeated Malaysia and won for the fourth time at the Asian Champions Trophy 2023 final at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium in Chennai _______ India.
Note:
➢ With four Asian Champions Trophy titles, India is in the first spot in the history of the tournament.
➢ Pakistan, with three titles, is in the second spot now.
➢ Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin lauded Team India on their Asian Champions Trophy win and announced a cash prize of ₹1.1 crore for the winning team
7. Who won the Women’s British Open to claim her second major title of 2023 by defeating Charley Hull _____________ American golfer Lilia Vu.
Note:
➢ She also won the Chevron Championship in April 2023, became the first female player to win two majors in the same year since Jin Young Ko in 2019, and the first American woman since Juli Inkster in 1999.
➢ Three of the five women’s majors have been won by American this year 2023 Allisen Corpuz won the Women’s U.S. Open title at Pebble Beach
Books and Authors
1. Who authored the new book, titled How Prime Ministers Decide _________Veteran journalist Neerja Chowdhury.
Note:
➢ A new book also claimed that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had good relations with several RSS leaders but carefully kept a distance between the organisation and herself.
Science and Defence
1. Indian Army inducted the lighter and more compact version of the developed Weapon Locating Radar (WLR-M). What is the name of WLR-M ________ Swathi Mountains.
Note:
➢ Aim: To enhance the Army’s battlefield surveillance capabilities, enabling it to effectively monitor and respond to threats in mountainous regions.
➢ Developed by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) in Bengaluru, and designed for operations in mountainous and high-altitude areas, catering to the unique challenges posed by such terrains.
2. Which INS was Deployed in the Red Sea Undertook Passage Exercise (Passex) with Royal Saudi Naval Ship HMS Al Jubail _________ INS Chennai.
Note:
➢ The Indian Navy’s indigenously designed and constructed guided missile destroyer INS Chennai is Mission Deployed in the Red Sea.
➢ Aim: To reinforcing mutual trust, cementing operational understanding and enhancing Interoperability between navies, to boost defence co-operation between India and Saudi Arabia, INS Chennai’s visit to Jeddah
3. Government has approved the setting up of research parks at how many Indian Institute of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institute of Science Bangalore in August 2023 _________ Eight.
Note:
➢ Aim: To strengthen the research ecosystem in the country
➢ Objectives: To enable entrepreneurship and incubation of students and building strong academic linkages for the same, to increase outreach of academic content to industry and enabling industry to add value to academic programme through close collaborations.
4. Which country launched its first lunar landing mission on August 11 2023 after almost 5 decades _________ Russia.
Note:
➢ A Soyuz 2.1v rocket carrying the Luna-25 craft will blast off from the Vostochny cosmodrome targeted to the south polar region of the Moon.
➢ Aims: To study the composition of the polar regolith, and to study the plasma and dust components of the lunar polar exosphere.
➢ According to Russia’s space chief Yuri Borisov the spacecraft is expected to reach the lunar world on Aug 21 2023.
5. Minister of State Science & Technology Jitendra Singh has approved the establishment of a new spaceport in Kulasekarapattinam, which is located in which Indian state __________ Tamil Nadu.
Note:
➢ Aims: To carrying out the launches of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicles developed by ISRO.
➢ The Indian Space Policy 2023 has the provision for utilisation of a spaceport for carrying out launch activities by Non-Government Entities, subject to technical feasibility and range safety constraints.
6. The first space-based Indian observatory Aditya-L1 is getting ready for its launch in September 2023, this space programe would study which star ___________ Sun.
Note:
➢ The spacecraft is expected to be placed in a halo orbit around the Lagrange point – L1 of the Sun-Earth system, which is about 1.5 million Km from the Earth and has advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without any eclipses.
➢ This will provide a greater advantage of observing the solar activities and its effect on space weather in realtime.
7. Health Minister, Mansukh Mandaviya, declared the goal of suppressing Lymphatic Filariasis by which year during the inauguration of the second phase of the Annual Nationwide Mass Drug Administration initiative __________ 2027.
Note:
➢ The second phase, targeting 81 districts across nine endemic states, including Assam and Uttar Pradesh.
➢ He highlighted the “Whole of Government” and “Whole of Society” approach as pivotal to successfully eliminating the disease.
8. The Union Ministry of Defense has informed that the ministry would install a secure operating system (OS), indigenously developed. what is the name of this OS _________Maya OS.
Note:
➢ This OS would replace the existing OS, ‘Microsoft Windows’.
➢ About Maya OS:
➢ It is based on open-source Ubuntu software.
➢ It would shield against cyber threats, offering a familiar interface while boosting security.
➢ It uses Chakravyuh, a protective feature inspired by ancient Indian defence tactics.
9. Two Indian Navy ships named INS Visakhapatnam and which INS have arrived at Port Rashid in Dubai, United Arab Emirates ____________ INS Trikand.
Note:
➢ Reason: For a bilateral exercise ‘Zayed Talwar 2023’ with the UAE Navy
➢ The exercise is being organized from August 8 to 11, 2023.
➢ Aim: To share best practices and increase synergies between the two navies
➢ Led by Captains Ashok Rao and Pramod G Thomas, INS Visakhapatnam, and INS Trikand showcase advanced maritime capabilities.