ALL EXAM QUIZ 10.01.2025

Explanation:

• A $3 billion investment in India announced by Microsoft, along with plans to train 10 million individuals in AI skills.
• On January 7, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced a $3 billion investment to enhance the company's cloud and AI infrastructure in India.
• He said the company has made its biggest expansion ever by investing an additional $3 billion to expand its Azure capabilities in India.
• The efforts being made by Microsoft to expand its regional footprint across India were appreciated, and the company's mission to empower individuals and organisations in the country was reiterated.

Explanation:

• India and the US announced cooperation on co-production of US sonobuoys for Undersea Domain Awareness (UDA) for the Indian Navy.
• This is a high-end technology that enables tracking of submarines in deep seas and oceans.
• This is the latest step in a series of cooperation measures between the two countries, as both countries are concerned by the rapid expansion of China's naval presence in the Indian Ocean region.
• Ultra Maritime (UM) and Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) are advancing discussions to enhance undersea domain awareness through a unique partnership focused on the co-production of U.S. sonobuoys, supporting both U.S. and Indian defense industries.
• Under the U.S.-India ICET initiative launched in May 2022, Ultra Maritime and BDL will develop advanced sonobuoy technologies optimized for the Indian Ocean, enabling wide-area exploration with customized multi-static active solutions.
• They will jointly supply and manufacture sonobuoys for the Indian Navy as per US Navy standards, with production to be split between the US and India as per 'Make in India' principles.

Explanation:

• Asia's largest Shallow Wave Basin Research Facility has been launched by IIT Madras at its Thaiyur campus to meet both research and industrial needs.
• It will fulfil India’s growing technical and research needs in coastal and marine engineering.
• It has been developed under the National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways, and Coasts (NTCPWC).
• This facility will resolve challenges related to Indian ports, waterways, and coastal engineering.
• This facility will be used for testing the effects of 3D waves on structures for helping harbour, offshore, coastal, and inland waterways projects.
• It will also help in the study of sediment transport, wave impact loading, and structural stability in the face of climate change.

Explanation:

• Banded Royal butterfly has been discovered in Tripura.
• The Banded Royal butterfly (Rachana jalindra indra), a rare butterfly species, has been discovered in Tripura.
• It has been found in the Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary in Sepahijala district.
• Animesh Das of the research team said that the butterfly was first sighted on May 5, 2021.
• The species have been protected under Schedule II of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
• This butterfly has three subspecies in India.
• The study shows that previous works had not documented Tripura’s Rachana jalindra indra.

Explanation:

• Martin Guptill, a cricket player from New Zealand, declared his retirement from international cricket.
• He played for almost 14 years. He hit 23 international hundreds and scored over 14,000 runs in 367 games.
• Guptill participated in 47 Test matches, 198 ODIs, and 122 T20Is. In 2009, he made his debut against the West Indies.
• The record for the highest individual score in an ODI World Cup is held by Guptill.
• He played an innings of 237 not out from 163 balls during the 2015 World Cup.
• With 3531 runs which include two hundreds and twenty half-centuries, he was also New Zealand's top scorer in T20I cricket.
• In addition, he has 7,346 ODI runs, which puts him third on the record behind Stephen Fleming and Ross Taylor.
• Guptill will continue to play in T20 franchise cricket.

Explanation:

• First battery energy storage system of India will start in Kilokri, south Delhi in March this year.
• This will be India’s first commercial utility-scale battery energy storage system (BESS).
• This is the 20 MW (megawatt)/40 MWh (megawatt hour) cluster of batteries.
• This can supply power for four hours a day, two hours during the day and two hours at night.
• This is part of the BSES Rajdhani’s power sub-station in south Delhi’s Kilokri village.
• BSES Rajdhani is the largest power distribution company in Delhi.
• It is a joint venture between the Reliance Group and the Delhi government.
• The project has been approved by the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission.
• The project will cost $14 million, or around ₹120 crore, in total.
• Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), principal funders of the project, is a coalition of non-profits aimed at renewable energy investments.
• GEAPP is aiming at 1 GW of BESS commitments in India by 2026. India aims to deploy 47 GW [gigawatt] of BESS by 2032.

Explanation:

• John Mahama became President of Ghana for the third time.
• John Mahama won the presidential election last year after promising to tackle the economic crisis, corruption, and unemployment.
• He was previously Ghana’s president between July 2012 and January 2017.
• He will replace current President Nana Akufo-Addo. Mahama was first sworn in as president in July 2012.
• The ceremony was attended by several African leaders, including Rwanda’s Paul Kagame, Kenya’s William Ruto, and Congo’s Felix Tshisekedi.
• He will focus on economic restoration and stabilization of the macroeconomic environment, as well as on good governance.

Explanation:

• Karnataka Forest Department launched the ‘Garudakshi’ online FIR system.
• To stop forest encroachments, illegal tree-felling, and poaching, the Karnataka Forest Department has launched the ‘Garudakshi’ online FIR system.
• It has been developed in collaboration with the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI).
• It will enable the online handling of forest crime cases under the Forest and Wildlife Protection Acts.
• At present, this system is being implemented in five forest divisions: Bangalore City, Bangalore Forest Patrol, Bhadravati, Sirsi, and Malai Mahadeshwar Wildlife Division.
• The Garudakshi software will be gradually implemented across all divisions.
• This advanced alert system will help officials in monitoring illegal activities, including tree felling, by tracking changes in forest cover.

Explanation:

• Government is planning to launch a new credit guarantee scheme for MSMEs.
• The government will launch a new credit guarantee scheme for MSMEs providing free loans up to Rs 100 crore without any guarantee.
• The proposal is expected to be presented before the Union Cabinet for approval.
• The main aim of the scheme will be to provide term loans for MSMEs to purchase machinery and equipment without collateral or third-party guarantees.
• The scheme will be implemented by pooling MSMEs' credit risks, supported by a self-financing guarantee fund.
• The MSME sector is a crucial sector of the Indian Economy. It provides employment to 50 million people.
• MSMEs have boosted India’s GDP, their Gross Value Added (GVA) contribution has grown from 29.7% in 2017-18 to 30.1% in 2022-23.

Explanation:

• Flamingo Festival is set to begin on 18 January in Tirupati district.
• Flamingo Festival will be organized after a gap of five years in Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh from January 18 to 20.
• It will be spread over five locations including Nelapattu, B.V. Palem, Atakanithippa, Sri City and Sullurpeta.
• More than 200 varieties of birds are expected to fly to this region during this season.
• A three-day session will be conducted on eco-friendly biodiversity at Sri City, bird watching spots at Nelapattu and Atakanithippa.
• The government has developed infrastructure facilities also in the region by integrating it with Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).