ALL EXAM QUIZ 3.04.2024

Explanation:

• A proposal to sell a 100% stake in its subsidiary HDFC Education and Development Services Private Ltd. made by HDFC Bank.
• On March 30, HDFC Bank said in a regulatory filing that the transaction would be done through the Swiss challenge method.
• HDFC Bank has entered into a binding term sheet with an interested party.

• The offer contained in such a term sheet will serve as an anchor/base bid to receive counter offers from other parties interested in participating in the above Swiss challenge process.

Explanation:

• Hardik Singh and Salima Tete named Player of the Year men and women at the Hockey India Awards 2024.
• On 31 March, Hardik Singh and Salima Tete were named Player of the Year 2023 among men and women respectively at the sixth annual Hockey India Awards.
• Hardik, who was also the FIH Player of the Year, was awarded the Balbir Singh Senior Trophy and a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh.
• With a total prize money of Rs 7 crore 56 lakh, the awards honored teams and individuals for their achievements over the past year.
• The 2016 Junior World Cup-winning men's team was also honored at the event, eight years after their victory.
• The federation also announced the revival of the Hockey India League (HIL) in January 2025.
• Last held in 2017, the HIL will be a five-week competition with eight men’s and six women’s teams with auctions for the same likely to be held after the Paris Olympics.
• The Indian teams that won the Junior Asia Cup and the men's and women's Asian Champions Trophy were also rewarded along with the men's Asian Games winning team.

Explanation:

• Microsoft and OpenAI are planning to invest $100 billion in the Stargate AI supercomputer.
• Microsoft and OpenAI are working on a data centre project.
• It would contain a supercomputer to power OpenAI’s artificial intelligence models. The cost of the project will be $100 billion.
• Microsoft is financing the project. The Stargate supercomputer will be the fifth phase of a series of supercomputers.
• The fourth phase supercomputer for OpenAI is likely to be launched around 2026.
• At present, Nvidia is one of the largest suppliers of high-end chips.
• The high cost of building the supercomputer is one of the factors for bottlenecks in the supply of high-performance GPUs.

Explanation:

• Katchatheevu Island issue emerged after PM Modi blamed the Congress Party for giving it to Sri Lanka in 1974.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched an attack against the Congress party for giving Katchatheevu Island to Sri Lanka in 1974.
• Katchatheevu Island is an uninhabited island spanning 285 acres in the Palk Strait between India and Sri Lanka. It is 1.6 km in length and more than 300 m wide.
• St. Anthony's Church is the only structure on Katchatheevu Island. It was built in the 20th century.

When did the Katchatheevu controversy begin

• Sri Lanka claimed sovereignty over Katchatheevu due to the Portuguese occupation of the island from 1505 to 1658.
• India claimed it due to possession by the Raja of Ramnad as part of its estate.
• Katchatheevu has been a disputed territory between India and Sri Lanka since the British era.

• The island was ceded to Sri Lanka by the government of India through an agreement in 1974.

Explanation:

• Fifteen products from Uttar Pradesh have been recently added to the list of Geographical Indication (GI) certified products.
• This has made Uttar Pradesh number one state in India in terms of GI-tagged products.
• UP now has 69 GI-tagged products. It has surpassed Tamil Nadu, which current has 58 GI-tagged products.
• Varanasi is the leader in GI-tagged goods production. It has 30 certified products.

• This is the maximum number from a single geographical area.

Explanation:

• A notice has been issued by the Supreme Court to the Election Commission (EC) on a writ petition.
• The plea had sought a direction to mandatorily cross-verify the counts in electronic voting machines (EVMs) with the votes cast by counting all VVPAT slips.
• In contrast to the current procedure, the petitioner's advocate argued in favor of a full count of VVPAT slips during elections.
• Under the current procedure, verification is carried out of only five randomly selected EVMs through VVPAT paper slips.
• Simultaneous Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) verification was suggested in the petition.
• Almost ₹5,000 crore had been spent by the government to buy almost 24 lakh VVPATs.
• There were only about 20,000 VVPAT slips that could be verified.
• The petitioner requested that the EC should be directed to make the VVPAT machine's glass transparent.

Explanation:

• Defence exports from India reached to Rs 21,083 crore in FY 2023-24.
• In FY 2023-24, Defence exports from India registered a growth of 32.5%.
• Defence exports touched to a record Rs 21,083 crore (approx. US$ 2.63 Billion) in the Financial Year (FY) 2023-24.
• Private sector and Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) made significant contributions in achieving the highest-ever defence exports.
• DPSUs and the Private sector contributed 60% and 40% respectively in the defence export.
• The number of export authorisations issued to the defence exporters during FY 2023-24 has also increased to 1507.
• Between 2004-05 to 2013-14 and 2014-15 to 2023-24, the defence export has grown by 21 times. The defence export in the period 2014-15 to 2023-24 has gone up to Rs 88, 319 crore.

• The growth has been achieved due to the policy reform and ‘Ease of Doing Business’.

Explanation:

• SKOCH ESG Award 2024 has been conferred to the REC Limited in Renewable Energy Financing Category.
• REC Limited has received the SKOCH ESG Award 2024 in the Renewable Energy Financing Category.
• REC has emerged as a significant player to India's clean energy transition and actively contributing in the sustainable future of India.
• REC has committed to numerous sustainable projects and signed various MOUs for green projects.
• The SKOCH ESG Awards recognize organizations that show outstanding performance in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practices.
• The SKOCH ESG Award and Assessment is an important benchmark for evaluating organizations' commitment to India 2047.

Explanation:

• Bulgaria and Romania partially joined the Schengen area of Europe.
• Bulgaria and Romania have partially joined Europe’s Schengen area of free movement.
• In 2023, both countries reached an agreement to join the Schengen area. It will allow free movement by air, and sea.
• However, land border checks will remain in place due to opposition primarily from Austria.
• The Schengen Area formed in 1985 allows more than 400 million people in the European Union to travel freely without internal border controls.
• The Schengen zone now comprises 29 members, of which 25 are EU members. Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein are also part of the Schengen area of Europe.
• Austria voted against Romania and Bulgaria’s admission into the Schengen zone at the end of 2022 but allowed Croatia to become a full member of the Schengen area.
• Bulgaria and Romania joined the EU in 2007 and Croatia in 2013.

Explanation:

• Top Indian tennis player Rohan Bopanna along with his Australian partner Matt Ebden won the Miami Open men's doubles title.

• Bopanna broke his own record of becoming the oldest ATP Masters 1000 champion. Earlier this year, Bopanna won her first doubles Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.