Daily Current Affairs Quiz: August 21, 2023

ANSWER: C

ANSWER: B

ANSWER: D

ANSWER: B

• Reserve Bank of India has revised norms Infrastructure Debt Fund-NBFCs.
• This has been done in order to enable them play a greater role in financing of the infrastructure sector.

ABOUT IDF-NBFC

• An IDF-NBFC is a company registered as NBFC to facilitate the flow of long- term debt into infrastructure projects.
• They can finance toll operate transfer (TOT) projects as the direct lender.
• IDF-NBFCs are non-deposit-taking entities.

GUIDELINES

• IDF-NBFCs will now be required to have a net owned fund (NOF) of at least Rs 300 crore
• They should have a capital-to-risk weighted assets ratio (CRAR) of minimum 15% (with minimum Tier 1 capital of 10%).
• With a view to facilitating better asset-liability management (ALM), IDF-NBFCs can raise funds through shorter tenor bonds and commercial papers (CPs) from the domestic market to the extent of up to 10 per cent of their total outstanding borrowings.
• It raises resources through issue of rupee or dollar-denominated bonds of minimum 5-year maturity.
• IDF-NBFCs are prohibited from sourcing the External Commercial Borrowings (ECB) loans from the foreign branches of Indian banks.
• The requirement of a sponsor for an IDF-NBFC has now been withdrawn and shareholders of IDF-NBFCs would be subjected to scrutiny as applicable to other NBFCs, including NBFC-IFCs, RBI said.
• All NBFCs would be eligible to sponsor IDF-MFs with prior approval of RBI subject to certain conditions.

ANSWER: D

• National Thermal Power Corporation Ltd has started a trial run of a hydrogen bus in Leh.

• NTPC is setting up a hydrogen fuelling station, solar plant(1.7 MW) and providing five fuel cell buses for operation on intracity routes of Leh.
• This is India’s first ever deployment of hydrogen buses on public roads.
• The fuel cell buses are designed for operation in sub-zero temperatures in rarefied atmosphere, which is typical for high altitude locations.

ANSWER: A

• The first-ever trilateral summit between the three countries- USA, Japan and South Korea was held in the US.
• A joint statement titled ‘The Spirit of Camp David’ expressed support for their collective alliance.
• They issued a sharply worded joint statement about Beijing’s actions in the South China Sea and nuclear threats from North Korea.
• The three countries also reiterated their commitment to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
• The three countries will agree to “significant steps” to enhance security cooperation among them.

ANSWER: B

• After Russia broke away from The Black Sea Grain deal, a ‘new’ trade route via the Sulina Channel is an available alternative for Ukraine.
• It is a 63 km long distributary of the Danube, connecting major Ukrainian ports on the river to the Black Sea, lying completely within the borders of Romania, a NATO member.
• Near Tulcea, Romania, the Danube river begins to spread out into its delta which has three major channels – Chilia, Sulina and St George.
• Of these, the Sulina Channel, which has been dredged and straightened, is the only one deep and wide enough for freight transport.

ANSWER: D

• Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has started the construction of 64-km long Likaru-Mig La-Fukche road close to Hanle in Eastern Ladakh’s Demchok sector.
• Once completed, it will be the world’s highest motorable road at a height of 19,400 ft in Mig La.
• Reportedly, an all-woman unit of the BRO began the construction of the Likaru-Mig La-Fukche road. A five-member team of women combat engineers headed by Colonel Ponung Doming is supervising the road construction.
• Currently, Umling La in Ladakh at a height of 19,024 ft holds the record of being the highest motorable road in the world.
  • It is a 52-km road that connects Chishumle to Demchok, which is right on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), and a friction point between India and China.

ANSWER: C

• Spain secured their maiden FIFA Women’s World Cup title with a 1-0 win over England.
• FIFA Women’s World Cup final was held in Sydney.
• The tournament was hosted jointly by Australia and New Zealand.

ANSWER: C

• World Mosquito Day is observed annually on August 20^th.
• It is done to commemorate the contributions of British doctor Sir Ronald Ross, who was the first person to discover the connection between malaria and female anopheles mosquitoes.

ANSWER: C

• An NDRF team conducted a brave operation at the Kol Dam Hydel Project in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district and saved 10 people trapped at the dam following a failure of their boat.
• The Koldam Hydropower Station commonly known as Koldam, is an embankment dam on the Sutlej River.