Daily Current Affairs Quiz: January 13, 2024

ANSWER: C

ANSWER: A

ANSWER: D

ANSWER: C

• The Henley Passport Index, which ranks the world’s most travel-friendly passports, has released its list for 2024.
• Rankings
• European nations of France, Germany, Italy and Spain, and Asia’s Japan and Singapore share the number one spot.
• Finland, Sweden and South Korea shared the second rank, while Austria, Denmark, Ireland and Netherlands occupied the third spot.
• India, meanwhile, has improved its ranking and moved up to the 80th position from the previous year’s ranking of 84.
  • Those holding an Indian passport have visa-free access to 62 destinations.
• Ranking lowest on the index are Pakistan (101), Iraq (102), Syria (103) and Afghanistan (104).

ABOUT HPI

• HPI was released by Henley & Partners, a global leader in residence and citizenship planning.
• It covers 227 destinations and 199 passports.
• The rankings are based on data provided by International Air Transport Association.

ANSWER: A

• NASA has invited people to send their names to the surface of the Moon aboard the agency’s first robotic lunar rover VIPER– short for Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover.
• In its mission to the lunar South Pole, the rover will study the Moon’s water and understand the environment where it plans to land the first woman and first person of color under its Artemis program.
• In late 2024, Astrobotic Technologies’ Griffin Mission One is scheduled to deliver VIPER to the lunar surface after launching aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
• Once there, VIPER will rely on its solar panels and batteries for its roughly 100-day mission to survive extreme temperatures and challenging lighting conditions, while powering a suite of science instruments designed to gather data about the characteristics and concentrations of lunar ice and other possible resources.
• NASA will use the data the rover collects to show where the Moon’s ice is most likely to be found and easiest to access, making VIPER the first-ever resource mapping mission on another celestial body.

ANSWER: C

• Denmark recently unveiled the Green Fuels Alliance India (GFAI)
• It is a pivotal initiative under the Green Strategic Partnership (GSP) signed between India and Denmark in 2020.
• GFAI’s primary objective is to promote sustainable energy growth in India by establishing an ecosystem that encourages collaboration among businesses, government entities, research institutions, and financial stakeholders from both the Indian and Danish sectors.
• Key features of the GFAI include-
  • featuring a Steering Committee comprised of Danish businesses and coordinated by the Secretariat at the Danish Consulate in Bangalore.
  • Advisory Board comprising industry experts and thought leaders that will ensure the initiatives remain innovative and aligned with industry trends.
  • Inspired by Collaborative Initiatives such as the India-Denmark Energy Partnership, the Nation Green Hydrogen Mission, and joint R&D efforts on Green Fuels, including Green Hydrogen

ANSWER: B

• The President of India conferred Swachh Survekshan awards 2023 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi hosted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
• 110 awards were bestowed during the
• The theme for the year 2023 “Waste to Wealth”.

MAJOR WINNERS AMONG DIFFERENT CATEGORIES

• The cleanest city award showcased joint winners- Port city Surat alongside Indore
• In the category of cities with a population of less than 1 lakh, Sasvad, Patan and Lonavala secured the top three spots.
• Mhow Cantonment Board in Madhya Pradesh was adjudged the Cleanest Cantonment Board.
• Varanasi and Prayagraj won the top two awards amongst the Cleanest Ganga Towns.
• Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh won the top three awards for Best Performing State.
• Chandigarh walked away with the award for the Best Safaimitra Surakshit Sheher.

ANSWER: D

• Indian Navy’s multi-national exercise, MILAN 24 is all set to be held in Visakhapatnam in Feb ‘24.
• MILAN 24 exercise would comprise two phases – ‘Harbour phase’ and ‘Sea phase’.
• The harbour phase, aims to promote cultural sharing amongst the participating Nations and the Sea phase includes ships with Maritime Patrol aircraft and submarines of Friendly Foreign Countries.
• MILAN is a biennial multi-national naval exercise which started in 1995 with participation of four foreign countries (Indonesia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand) in consonance with India’s ‘Look East policy’.

ANSWER: A

• Sri Lanka’s Education minister Dr. Susil Premajayantha recently said that a new campus of IIT Madras would be started in Kandy in Sri Lanka.
• This initiative aligns with Sri Lanka’s vision for educational advancement and strengthens India’s internationalization efforts in the education sector.
• This venture follows IIT Delhi’s planned campus in Abu Dhabi and IIT Madras’ existing presence in Zanzibar, Tanzania.

ANSWER: A

• Manipur Chief Minister recently launched the College Fagathansi Mission at a grand function organised at the Moirang College, Bishnupur District.
• The mission had been taken up to develop infrastructures of colleges and provide better higher education facilities as a follow up initiative of School Fagathansi Mission.

ANSWER: D

• General V.K. Singh (Retd), Union Minister of State, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and Ministry of Civil Aviation recently released the book ‘Sanskriti ke Ayaam’ written by Manorama Mishra.
• This book, written in Hindi language, has been published by the National Book Trust, India, working under the Ministry of Education (MOE).
• The book talks about Indian knowledge, tradition and culture.