Daily Current Affairs Quiz: April 24, 2024

Answer- A

• The President Droupadi Murmu has appointed professor Naima Khatoon as the first woman vice-chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU).
• Prof Khatoon has been appointed for five years from the date on which she enters his office or the date on which she completes seventy years of age, whichever is earlier.

ABOUT AMU

• The founding chancellor of the university was Sultan Jahan, the Begum of Bhopal, and at least three alumnae of AMU went on to helm prestigious universities, it took more than 100 years for the university court to propose the name of a deserving woman from a modest family from Jaipur district in Odisha.
• The Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) is a major university in the town of Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India.
• It was originally founded by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan in 1875, as the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College (better known as MAO College). It became a full university in 1920.

Answer – C

• Indian squash player Saurav Ghosal announced his retirement from professional squash.
• During his career, Ghosal won 12 Professional Squash Association (PSA) titles and multiple medals at the Commonwealth Games (CWG) and Asian Games.
• He was also a former top 10 athlete in world squash rankings in April 2019 and remained there for six months, the only Indian man to enter the top 10 in the World rankings.
• The nine-time Asian Games medallist played a significant role in leading India to gold medals in the team’s event at 2014 and 2022 editions of the Asian Games.
• He also became the first Indian male player to secure a CWG squash medal in a singles competition.
• He has also won the World Doubles Championships gold medal after partnering compatriot Dipika Pallikal Karthik in the mixed event at the 2022 Glasgow competition.
• In 2007, Saurav Ghosal became the first ever squash player to be awarded country’s second highest sport award, Arjuna Award.

ABOUT PSA

• The PSA World Tour is a professional circuit for squash players, similar to the ATP and WTA in tennis and BWF in badminton.
• Ghosal’s final PSA title win was Malaysian Open Squash Championships back in November 2021, where he beat Colombia’s Miguel Rodriguez.
• His final PSA Tour appearance was back in the 2024 Windy City Open where he lost to USA’s Timothy Brownell in the round of 64.

Answer – D

• Rajasthan Royals spinner Yuzvendra Chahal took his 200th IPL wicket to become the first bowler to achieve the feat in the franchise tournament.
• Chahal dismissed Mumbai Indians all-rounder Mohammad Nabi caught and bowled for 23 with his leg-spin as he celebrated the achievement at Rajasthan’s home ground in Jaipur.
• He has taken 13 wickets in IPL 2024 so far and is currently tied with Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel at the top of the wicket-takers’ list.

Answer- B

• National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) on the occasion of Earth Day unveiled its Climate Strategy 2030 document which aims to address India’s need for green financing.
• NABARD’s Climate Strategy 2030 is structured around four key pillars which include:-
• Accelerating green lending across sectors
• Playing a broader market-making role
• Internal green transformation
• Strategic resource mobilisation
• According to NABARD, India requires approximately $170 billion annually to reach a cumulative total of over $2.5 trillion by 2030, the current green finance inflows are critically insufficient.

LEADING REAL ESTATE DEVELOPERS: –

• DLF the only Indian real estate company featured in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the past three years, it exemplified commitment to environmental, social, and governance excellence.
• Remsons Industries Ltd., an auto ancillary manufacturer had received Gold Medal in the Ecovadis Sustainability Assessment. This medal recognises Remsons Industries as one of the top 5% of all evaluated companies globally, reaffirming its commitment to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) excellence.

Answer- B

• Indian Bank has entered into a strategic partnership with Tata Power Solar Systems Ltd. (TPSSL) to boost solar energy adoption by providing financial support to residential consumers for installations.
• The collaboration aims to provide financial support under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana scheme for installations up to 3 KW, and from 3-10 KW under the regular scheme.
• Residential consumers can avail loans up to ₹2 lakh at an annual interest rate of 7%, with a nominal margin money requirement of 10% and collateral-free financing. The repayment tenure is 10 years.
• For installations exceeding 3-10 KW, eligible applicants can avail loans up to ₹6 lakh with a margin money requirement of 20%. Interest rate ranges from 8.4% to 10.8% per annum.
• This initiative is poised to make a profound impact on the widespread adoption of solar solutions.

ABOUT PM SURYA GHAR MUFT BIJLI YOJANA SCHEME

• It aims to provide free electricity to households in India.
• The PM-Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana provides a CFA of 60% of system cost for 2 kW systems and 40% of additional system cost for systems between 2 to 3 kW capacity.
• The scheme envisaged to generate up to 300 units of free electricity every month which would translate to benefits of ₹15,000-18,000 annually for households.
• India had aimed to install 40 GW of rooftop solar by 2022 but has only achieved approximately 12 GW thus far.

Answer- A

• The Government of India, in collaboration with SBI Cards and Payment Services Ltd (SBI Card) and telecom operators, is developing an innovative solution to combat the growing threat of cyber fraud and phishing attacks involving stolen one-time passwords (OTPs).
• The Centre is testing a solution that will allow banks to track the registered address as well as geolocation of a customer and where an OTP is getting delivered. In case of any discrepancy between the two locations, the customer can be alerted of a possible phishing attack.

ABOUT INDIA’S CYBER SECURITY

• India has the second-largest telecom market in the world, with over 1.16 billion subscribers.
• The Government of India has taken several steps to strengthen cybersecurity, including the establishment of The National Cyber Security Coordinator (NCSC) and The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In).

ABOUT THE NATIONAL CYBER SECURITY COORDINATOR (NCSC)

• Established in 2014 under the National Security Council Secretariat.
• It Coordinates with international partners to enhance global cyber security cooperation.

ABOUT THE INDIAN COMPUTER EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM (CERT-IN)

• Operational since 2004 under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
• It Serves as the national nodal agency for responding to cyber security incidents.
• Monitors and analyses cyber threats, vulnerabilities, and incidents.
• Provides alerts, advisories, and guidelines to enhance cyber security preparedness.
• Conducts cyber security drills and training programs for government and critical sector organizations.

Answer – A

• India successfully launched a new version of Medium-Range Ballistic Missile capable of striking targets at distances exceeding 250 km.
• The new variant of a Medium-Range Ballistic Missile was carried out under the aegis of the Strategic Forces Command.
• The user launch has proven the operational capability of the Command and validated new technologies.

ABOUT MEDIUM-RANGE BALLISTIC MISSILE

• A medium-range missile is defined by having a maximum range of between 1,000 and 3,000 kilometres.
• Agni-I is the medium range missile of India.

Answer – C

• Bengaluru to witness Zero Shadow Day on April 24, a celestial event where the sun reaches its peak and casts no shadows.
• In the Silicon Valley of India, this unique astronomical event is expected to occur between 12:17 pm and 12:23 pm.
• The event spanning 6- 8 minutes involves the disappearance of shadows.

ABOUT ZERO SHADOW DAY

• Zero Shadow Day occurs when the sun is positioned directly overhead, resulting in objects casting no shadows at noon. This phenomenon typically occurs in regions located near the equator, where the sun’s angle is almost perpendicular to the Earth’s surface.

Answer- D