ALL EXAM QUIZ 30.12.2023

Explanation:

• For the first time, a Hindu woman files a nomination for the 2024 Pakistan general election.
• Dr Saveera Parkash, a member of the Hindu community in the Buner district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan, has filed her nomination papers for a general seat in the upcoming general elections in the country.
• She had submitted her nomination papers on 23 December.
• Parkash is expected to contest the elections on the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) ticket.
• His father, Om Parkash, a retired doctor, was an active member of the party for the last 35 years.
• Parkash, a 2022 graduate from Abbottabad International Medical College, holds the post of general secretary in the PPP women's wing in Buner.
• Under recent amendments by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), it is now mandatory to include 5% of women candidates in general seats.
• General elections are to be held in Pakistan on February 8, 2024, to elect members of the 16th National Assembly.

Explanation:

• First rupee payment for oil is made by India to UAE.
• India made its first payment to the UAE for the purchase of crude oil in rupees.
• In July, India and UAE signed an agreement for the rupee settlement.
• Earlier, the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) made payments for the purchase of a million barrels of crude oil from Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) in Indian rupees.
• Reserve Bank of India has allowed more than a dozen banks to settle trades in rupees with more than 18 countries.
• India has been encouraging big oil exporters such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia to accept the Indian currency for trade settlements.
• The internationalization of the rupee will help reduce the demand for the dollar and make the Indian economy less vulnerable to global currency shocks.
• India meets 85% of the demand for oil from imports.

Explanation:

• Veer Bal Diwas is observed to mark the supreme sacrifice made by the four sons of Guru Gobind Singh and his mother.
• Guru Gobind Singh’s younger sons, Sahibzada Zorawar Singh (9) and Sahibzada Fateh Singh (7) were killed during an attack on Anandpur Sahib by the Mughals.
• They were held captive by the Mughal army and were forced to convert to Islam.
• Guru Gobind Singh’s mother Mata Gujari and his two elder sons, Sahibzaada Ajit Singh (18) and Sahibzaada Jujhar Singh (14), were also killed.
• Veer Bal Diwas is observed in honour of the “Sahibzadas”, the four sons of Guru Gobind Singh Ji.
• Fatehgarh Sahib is the name of the location where they were martyred.
• The central government declared 26 December as Veer Bal Diwas in 2022.
• PM Modi addressed this year’s Veer Bal Diwas programme in New Delhi.

Explanation:

• India's current account deficit (CAD) declined to 1% of the GDP or $8.3 billion in Q2 of the Financial Year 2023-24.
• CAD declined chiefly because of lower merchandise trade deficit and growth in services exports, as per RBI data.
• CAD was 3.8% of GDP or $30.9 billion in the July-September quarter of 2022-23.
• In the Q1 of FY24, CAD was $9.2 billion or 1.1% of GDP.
• According to the data on Developments in India's Balance of Payments during the second quarter (July-September) of 2023-24, the merchandise trade deficit declined from $78.3 billion in Q2:2022-23 to $61.0 billion in Q2:2023-24.
• RBI said services export increased by 4.2% on a y-o-y basis with the increase in exports of software, business and travel services.
• RBI also stated that net services receipts grew both year over year and sequentially.

Explanation:

• India and Oman will likely sign a free trade agreement in early 2024.
• This free trade agreement will benefit export sectors such as motor gasoline, iron and steel products, electronics, machinery, etc.
• Currently, these goods face a 5% import duty in Oman.
• Oman's import duty ranges from 0 to 100%. A duty of 100% is on specific items such as meats, wines, and tobacco products.
• Both sides have concluded the negotiations on most of the issues.
• India has the potential to export products like light oils and preparations of petroleum and bituminous minerals, medicaments, parts and accessories for motor vehicles, etc. to Oman.
• Oman is India's third-largest export destination among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
• India has already signed similar agreements between India and other GCC countries like UAE.
• India's merchandise imports from Oman are around USD 250 million.

Explanation:

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi becomes first world leader to reach 2 crore subscribers on YouTube channel.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has become the world's first leader to have 20 million subscribers on the YouTube channel.
• He has surpassed global leaders in terms of both subscribers and video views.
• Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro is second on the list of subscriber numbers with around 64 lakh.
• In terms of views, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in second spot with 22.4 crore views.
• US President Joe Biden has 7.89 lakh subscribers while his Turkiye counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan has 3.16 lakh.
• Among the Indian leaders, Rahul Gandhi's channel has more than 35 lakh subscribers.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi set up his YouTube channel in 2007.

Explanation:

• India’s fiscal deficit is likely to breach the target of 5.9% of the GDP in FY 24.
• According to the India Ratings and Research, India's fiscal deficit will surpass the 5.9% target due to high revenue expenditure and lower budgeted nominal GDP.
• The central government has recently got parliamentary approval for the first supplementary demand for grants of this year.
• It has increased total spending commitment for 2023-24 to ₹45.6 lakh crore including ₹35.6 lakh crore of revenue expenditure and ₹10.1 lakh crore of capital expenditure.
• The main reason for the increased expenditure would be the higher expenditure by some Ministries.
• The government demanded more funds for priority areas like food, fertilizer, and LPG subsidy, and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in the first supplementary demand for grants.
• The Central government's fiscal deficit in the first four months of 2023-24 touched 33.9% of the full-year target.
• Fiscal deficit is the difference between the government's total expenditure and its total revenue.

Explanation:

• International Day of Epidemic Preparedness is each year observed on 27 December.
• The first-ever International Day of Epidemic Preparedness was observed on 27 December 2020.
• United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution on 7 December 2020 and declared 27 December as the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness.
• The day was called to advocate the importance of the prevention of, preparedness for, and partnership against epidemics.
• An epidemic is the fast spread of a disease to a large number of people in a given population within an area in a short time.

Explanation:

• ISRO will launch its first polarimetry mission, X-Ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat), likely on January 1.
• It will become the country's third space-based observatory after the recently launched solar mission Aditya-L1 and Astrosat, launched in 2015.
• The mission aims to study the "polarization" of astronomical X-rays, which could provide insight into the processes that result in their emission.
• It is a method of studying astronomical phenomena in which, in addition to imaging them, fluctuations in light from a source and the energy emitted by celestial bodies are studied.
• The observatory can help understand emission mechanisms from sources such as black holes and neutron stars (the collapsed core of a giant star).
• The planned duration of the mission is five years.
• It will carry two payloads–POLIX (Polarimeter Instrument in X-rays) and XSPECT (X-ray Spectroscopy and Timing)– in a low earth orbit.
• POLIX is designed to make observations in the 8–30 keV.
• According to ISRO, it is expected to observe about 40 bright astronomical sources of various ranges during the planned lifetime.
• XSPECT uses a method of observation called spectroscopy, which studies the electromagnetic spectrum produced by various substances.
• In 2021, the US space agency NASA had launched its polarimetry satellite Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE).

Explanation:

• The Indian Railway Conference Association has issued a statement announcing the change of name of the railway station located in Uttar Pradesh from "Ayodhya Junction" to "Ayodhya Dham".
• This railway station will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 30 December. The previously allotted station code 'AY' has been retained.