Daily GK and Current Affairs Quiz – 16th February 2023

Correct Answer:  B. 2030

Explanation:  The public sector oil refineries in India are estimated to build green hydrogen capacity of 1.37 lakh tonnes per annum (TPA) by 2030. Indian Oil would first put up a seven thousand TPA electrolysis plant at its Panipat refinery. Hydrogen has the highest energy content of any common fuel by weight (about three times more than gasoline). Hydrogen has the lowest energy content by volume (about four times less than gasoline).

Correct Answer:  D. Canada, Mexico and the USA

Explanation:  The FIFA Council confirmed that, in line with the long standing tradition of having all hosts competing at the FIFA World Cup, as well as sporting and operational considerations, the hosts of the FIFA World Cup 2026, namely Canada, Mexico and the USA, will qualify automatically for the final round of the competition. The upcoming World Cup will be the first that features three nations as co-hosts, while the 2002 event was the only one in men’s history with matches taking place in more than one country. Both Japan and South Korea qualified as co-hosts in 2002.

Correct Answer:  C. Marburg disease

Explanation:  The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed the first-ever outbreak of Marburg disease in Equatorial Guinea saying that the Ebola-related virus is responsible for at least nine deaths in the tiny Western African country. There are no authorized vaccines or drugs to treat Marburg, but rehydration treatment to alleviate symptoms can improve the chances of survival. What is Marburg disease? Marburg virus disease is a highly virulent disease that causes haemorrhagic fever, with a fatality ratio of up to 88%. It is in the same family as the virus that causes Ebola virus disease. The rare virus was first identified in 1967 after it caused simultaneous outbreaks of disease in laboratories in Marburg, Germany and Belgrade, Serbia. Founded: 7 April 1948; ; WHO, Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.

Correct Answer:  A. USA

Explanation:  US Scientists have recently discovered a new type of quasicrystal, one with 12-fold symmetry, in the Sand Hills of north central Nebraska, USA. Quasicrystal is essentially a crystal-like substance. However, unlike a crystal, in which atoms are arranged in a repeating pattern, a quasicrystal consists of atoms that are arranged in a pattern that doesn’t repeat itself regularly. It was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Although quasicrystals can be easily produced, they are rarely found outside of the laboratory.

The first one was identified in a meteorite, found in 2009 near the Khatyrka River in Chukhotka, Russia. The second one was discovered in 2021 during the study of debris from the site of the world’s first nuclear explosion, which took place in 1945 in New Mexico. Scientists suggest that in both instances, for the formations of quasicrystals, materials were subjected to extremely high-pressure and high-temperature shock events.

Correct Answer:  E. Both A & C

Explanation:  Hyundai Motor India Ltd has signed on two more women cricketers named Yastika Bhatia and Renuka Singh Thakur, to its roster of brand ambassadors. Bhatia and Thakur will join Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues. The company recognises these women as rising sport stars and that they will be a catalyst in this women’s cricket calendar of 2023. For this, it has announced the next edition of its ‘The Drive Within’ campaign with the five women cricketers. It celebrates world-renowned women cricketers and is a testament to years of gruelling training and hardships.

The five individual stories will demonstrate their motivation and serve as a platform for encouraging budding sports talent in the country to win more accolades for India. This campaign marks the celebration of these world-renowned women cricketers and a testament to years of gruelling training and hardships. The five individual stories will demonstrate their motivation and serve as a platform for encouraging budding sports talent in the country to win more accolades for India at the global level, making our great country proud.

Correct Answer:  D. Maharashtra

Explanation:  Maharashtra cabinet has decided to implement Pradhan Mantri School for Rising India (PM Shri) in the state. 856 schools will be upgraded in the first phase. 1 crore 88 lakh rupees will be provided to each school for 5 years.  For this, the share of Centre and State will be 60:40 for 5 years. These schools will be upgraded primarily on the 6 pillars.

PM-SHRI Scheme is a centrally sponsored scheme by Government of India. It will cover 14,500 existing schools, which will be redeveloped to reflect the key features of the  National Education Policy, 2020. The institutions developed under this, will become ‘model schools’ under NEP. These schools will adopt a modern and holistic approach of imparting education.

Correct Answer:  C. Actor

Explanation:  Veteran theatre and film actor Javed Khan Amrohi, best known for his roles in the popular DD serial Nukkad and films such as Lagaan and Chak De! India, passed away at the age of 70s. After graduating from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Amrohi appeared in smaller yet pivotal roles in over 150 films and close to a dozen TV shows. He is best known for playing the barber Karim in the late 1980s TV show Nukkad; Anand Akela, one of the suitors of Raveena Tandon’s character in Andaz Apna Apna; the cricket commentator in Lagaan, and a support staff of the Indian Women’s Hockey team in Chak De! India.

Correct Answer:  C. Sania Mirza

Explanation:  Sania Mirza has been roped in as mentor of Royal Challengers Bangalore for the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL), to be played in Mumbai from March 4 to 26. The franchise also announced the signing of Australian Ben Sawyer as head coach. Sawyer is the head coach of New Zealand Women and was part of the Women’s World Cup-winning side with Australia last year as the assistant coach. Royal Challengers put together a star-studded line-up at the inaugural auction, headlined by Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Sophie Devine, Dane van Niekerk and Richa Ghosh. The team will open its WPL campaign on March 5, the second day of the tournament, against Delhi Capitals at Brabourne Stadium.

Correct Answer:  C. Kota

Explanation:  A Science Center and Planetarium will be constructed in Kota, Rajasthan. It will be one of the world’s best science centers and planetariums. It will be constructed with a cost of 35.25 cores rupees. The National Council of Science Museums and the Science and Technology Department of the Government of Rajasthan have a signed an MoU for building science centers and planetariums. Birla Planetarium in Jaipur is one of the most famous Planetariums in Rajasthan.

Planetarium is a theatre for showing educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky. Birla Planetarium, Kolkata is the largest planetarium in Asia and the second-largest planetarium in the world. The Shanghai Astronomy Museum is the largest planetarium in the world in terms of building scale. Nehru Science Centre (NSC) in Mumbai is the largest interactive science centre in India.

Correct Answer:  C. 3235.54 Lakh Tonnes

Explanation:  Government expects a record foodgrain production of 3235.54 Lakh Tonnes in 2022-24. The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has released the second advanced estimate of the production of major crops. The production of nutritious and coarse cereals is expected to be 527.26 Lakh Tonnes which is 16 lakh tonnes more than in 2021-22. The production of wheat is expected to be 1121.82 Lakh Tonnes.

The government expects a record production of 278.10 Lakh Tonnes of pulses. Rice production is expected to be 1308.37 Lakh Tonnes. Production of Maize in the country during 2022-23 is estimated at 346.13 lakh tonnes which is 8.83 lakh tonnes more than the previous year’s production. The production of Soybean and Rapeseed & Mustard is estimated at 139.75 LMT. Production of Cotton is estimated at 337.23 lakh bales and production of Jute & Mesta is estimated at 100.49 lakh bales.

• Rice –37 Lakh Tonnes
• Wheat-82 Lakh Tonnes
• Nutri / Coarse Cereals-26 Lakh Tonnes
• Maize-13 Lakh Tonnes
• Barley-04 Lakh Tonnes
• Total Pulses-10 Lakh Tonnes
• Groundnut-56 Lakh Tonnes
• Cotton-23 Lakh bales
• Sugarcane-89 Lakh Tonnes
• Jute & Mesta-49 Lakh bales

Correct Answer:  A. Kerala

Explanation:  The Chief Minister of Kerala recently launched the Stipend scheme for lawyers in the state. The scheme is to be implemented by the Bar Council of the state. The council will be joined by the Advocates Welfare Trust. Under the scheme, the junior lawyers in the state will be paid three thousand rupees every month. Only junior lawyers are eligible to receive the benefits of the scheme. Also, the lawyers should have at least three years of practice experience. Their annual income should be less than one lakh rupees.

Junior lawyers are law graduates who work under attorneys or legal associates. They mostly do the documenting work in a case. They do research and prepare notes for their seniors. He is mostly a helping hand. The payment received by the junior lawyers is very less. Apart from this, the training they receive is also very less. After legal education, it is essential for every lawyer to get trained under a senior to learn practical experiences. Rather than five years of study, this training period is crucial to them. However, they struggle financially as all the seniors do not pay enough.  Thus, Kerala Government has launched this scheme to help the junior during their struggle period.

Correct Answer:  C. 250,220

Explanation:  Tata group, Air India placed an order for 470 planes: 250 with European plane maker Airbus & 220 with American giant Boeing –the world’s largest ever single-tranche aircraft purchase. The order comprises 40 Airbus A350s, 20 Boeing 787s & 10 Boeing 777-9s widebody aircraft. The narrow-bodies include 210 Airbus A320 and 321 Neos and 190 Boeing 737 MAX single-aisle aircraft. At list price the aircraft deal is valued at over $70 billion. Along with the aircraft order, Air India has signed deals with engine manufacturers: CFM International (for narrow-body A320/B737s), GE (for Boeing 777x/787), and Rolls-Royce for A350 type planes.

The first aircraft to arrive will be 25 Boeing 737s and six Airbus A350-900s in the second half of 2023. Air India had last ordered planes in 2006, when it had booked 111 aircraft: 68 from Boeing and 43 from Airbus. Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran; Airbus Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Guillaume Faury;Air India CEO Campbell Wilson. By doing this it has eclipsed American Airlines’ 2011 order for 460 planes.

Correct Answer:  A. ‘Inclusive Digital Services’

Explanation:  RBI is organising its 2nd global hackathon – “HARBINGER 2023 – Innovation for Transformation”. The Hackathon invites participants to develop solutions that have the potential to make digital financial services accessible to the differently abled, facilitate efficient compliance, extend the reach of Central Bank Digital Currencies and enhance the scalability of blockchains. HARBINGER 2023 invites innovative ideas for the following problem statements: Innovative, easy-to-use, digital banking services for differently abled (Divyaang).

RegTech solutions to facilitate more efficient compliance by Regulated Entities (REs). Exploring use cases/solutions for CBDC-Retail transactions, including transactions in offline mode. Increasing Transactions Per Second (TPS)/ throughput and scalability of blockchains. The Reserve Bank of India launched its first global hackathon – “HARBINGER 2021 – Innovation for Transformation” with the theme ‘Smarter Digital Payments’ which was communicated. HARBINGER 2023 theme– ‘Inclusive Digital Services’.

Correct Answer:  B. Karnataka Bank

Explanation:  Karnataka Bank was awarded with ‘Prathista Puraskar’ under ‘Digidhan Awards 2021-22’ by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), government of India for achieving target with highest percentage in BHIM-UPI transactions in private sector bank category. Labelled as ‘KBL-NxT’, the bank is currently undertaking an accelerated digital drive under its transformation journey ‘KBL VIKAAS 2.0’. This award is an ideal tribute to the founding fathers of this great institution as Karnataka Bank is stepping into its 100th year of its fruitful existence.”