Current Affairs Quiz: 8 December 2023

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1. Which of the following personalities from India is ‘not’ listed among the Forbes’ 2023 World’s 100 Most Powerful Women published in December 2023?
   1) Nirmala Sitharaman
   2) Roshni Nadar Malhotra
   3) Nita Ambani
   4) Soma Mondal
   5) Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw
   
   Answer & Explanation

   Answer-3) Nita Ambani
   Explanation:
   Forbes’ 20th annual ranking of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women (2023)  features a total of 4 Indian women. Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Ministry of Finance and Corporate Affairs is ranked 32nd on the list.
   i. The other 3 Indians are Roshni Nadar Malhotra(rank 60), Chairperson of HCLTech; Soma Mondal(rank 70), former Chairperson of Steel Authority of India Limited(SAIL) and Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw(rank 76),  Founder and Executive Chairperson of Biocon India Private Limited.
   ii. vonder Leyen, the President of the European Commission, European Union (EU) topped the list for the second consecutive year.
   
   
   
2. Which of the following points is/are “correct” with respect to the QS World University Rankings: Sustainability 2024 published by Quacquarelli Symonds(QS) in December 2023?
   A) The University of Delhi (DU), ranked 220th (globally), has topped among the 56 Indian Universities featured on the list.
   B) The University of Toronto, Canada, has topped the list as the world’s most sustainable University.
   C) IIT Bombay, IIT Madras, IIT Kharagpur, and IIT Roorkee are ranked among top 400 globally.
   1) All A, B & C
   2) Only A & B
   3) Only B & C
   4) Only A & C
   5) Only A
   
   Answer & Explanation

   Answer-1) All A, B & C
   Explanation:
   According to the QS World University Rankings: Sustainability 2024, the 2nd edition of the list published by Quacquarelli Symonds(QS), a global higher education analyst, the University of Delhi (DU), ranked 220th (globally), has topped among the 56 Indian Universities featured on the list.
    DU is ranked 30th among Asian Universities.
   i. The University of Toronto, Canada, has topped the list as the world’s most sustainable University, followed by the University of California (UCB), Berkeley, the United States of America(USA) at 2nd and the University of Manchester, the United Kingdom (UK) at 3rd place.
   ii. Among the 56 Indian universities 22 are ranked in the top 700, but none in the top 100.
   iii. IIT Bombay, IIT Madras, IIT Kharagpur, and IIT Roorkee are ranked among top 400 globally.
   
   
   
3. As per the 2023 World Malaria Report by the World Health Organization (WHO) in December 2023, India constituted __________ of malaria cases in the WHO’s South-East Asia region in 2022. 
   1) 60%
   2) 54%
   3) 50%
   4) 66%
   5) 58%
   
   Answer & Explanation

   Answer- 4) 66%
   Explanation:
   As per the 2023 World Malaria Report by the World Health Organization (WHO), India constituted 66% of malaria cases in the WHO’s South-East Asia region in 2022.
   i. Despite an overall decrease of 11.9% in estimated cases between 2021 and 2022 in the region, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Myanmar and Thailand recorded an increase in cases.
   ii. Plasmodium vivax(P. vivax), a protozoan parasite, contributed to almost 46% of cases in the region.
    Notably, India and Indonesia accounted for about 94% of all malaria deaths in the South-East Asia region in 2022.
    Around 249 million malaria cases have been reported around the world(in 85 malaria endemic countries and areas) which exceeded the pre-pandemic count of 233 million in 2019.
    The WHO South-East Asia Region, including India, managed to contain malaria over the last two decades, with a 77% reduction in cases and deaths since 2000.
   
   
   
4. Name the organisation that has recently (in Dec ‘23) signed an MoU with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to promote sustainable infrastructure development.
   1) Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
   2) International Monetary Fund
   3) United Nations Development Programme
   4) Asian Development Bank
   5) World Bank
   
   Answer & Explanation

   Answer-1) Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
   Explanation:
   The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to promote sustainable infrastructure development and address development challenges in Asia and beyond.
    The MoU recognises the shared objectives of AIIB and UNDP in supporting national climate goals and the 2030 Agenda through financing sustainable development initiatives in common members of operations.
   i. Under this partnership, AIIB will leverage its respective strengths and resources to drive positive change and make a lasting impact on the lives of people in Asia and beyond.
   ii. With this partnership, UNDP can unlock new opportunities for financing sustainable development projects and promote innovative solutions that address pressing global challenges.
   
   
   
5. Which company has recently (in Dec ‘23) received multiple orders worth Rs. 3,915 crore for the supply of various defence equipment?
   1) Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited
   2) Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
   3) Bharat Dynamics Limited
   4) Bharat Electronics Limited
   5) BEML Limited
   
   Answer & Explanation

   Answer-4) Bharat Electronics Limited
   Explanation:
   The Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), a Navratna Public Sector Undertaking (PSU), has received multiple orders worth Rs. 3,915 crore for the supply of various defence equipment.
   i. It received an order worth Rs 580 crore from the Indian Army for supplying an artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) of radars.
   ii. It also received the orders worth Rs 3,335 crore since its last disclosure on September 15, 2023.
   iii. The orders include AMC for an Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C)system, Uncooled TI (thermal imager) sights, Software-Defined Radios, SWIR (Shortwave Infrared) payload, AMC for the IACCS (Integrated Air Command and Control System), and Passive Night Vision Binoculars.
   
   
   
6. In December 2023, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) projected India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to grow at ___________ in Financial Year 2023-24 (FY24).
   1) 6.4 %
   2) 6.8 %
   3) 6.5 %
   4) 6.6 %
   5) 6.7 %
   
   Answer & Explanation

   Answer-2) 6.8 %
   Explanation:
   The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has projected India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to grow at 6.8 % in Financial Year 2023-24 (FY24) supported by infrastructure development and promotion of ease of doing business.
   i. The projected economic growth is higher than the earlier projection of  6.5-6.7% which was made in June 2023.
   ii. CII also projected that the growth will further accelerate to 7% in FY25.
   
   
   
7. In November 2023, the government of India proposed to sell ___________ stake in Ircon International Limited (IRCON) through an offer for sale (OFS).
   1) 20%
   2) 8%
   3) 10%
   4) 15%
   5) 5%
   
   Answer & Explanation

   Answer-2) 8%
   Explanation:
   The government of India has proposed to sell 8% stake in Ircon International Limited (IRCON), a Navratna Central Public Sector Unit (CPSU) under the Ministry of Railways (MoR), through an offer for sale (OFS).
   i. As of September 2023, the government holds 73.18% stake in IRCON.
   ii. Initially, the government will sell 3.76 crore shares at Rs.2 per share (representing a 4% stake) through the OFS and the additional 4% will be sold if the offer is oversubscribed.
   iii. Details of IRCON OFS:
    The offer will take place on a separate window of the stock exchanges under the T+1 period.
    The offer will take place on December 7, 2023 (T Day) and continue till the next day(8th December 2023).
    OFS is open for Non-retail investors on 07th December 2023 (T day).
    The retail investors can participate in the OFS on 08th December 2023 (T+1).
   
   
   
8. Name the company that has recently (in Dec ‘23) acquired the Sanghi Industries Limited (SIL) at an enterprise value of Rs 5,185 crore.
   1) JK Cement Limited
   2) UltraTech Cement Limited
   3) JSW Cement Limited
   4) Ambuja Cements Limited
   5) Ramco Cements Limited
   
   Answer & Explanation

   Answer-4) Ambuja Cements Limited
   Explanation:
   Adani Group-owned Ambuja Cements Limited (ACL) completed the acquisition of Gujarat-based Sanghi Industries Limited (SIL) at an enterprise value of Rs 5,185 crore by holding a controlling stake of 54.51%.
    The acquisition will be fully funded through internal accruals.
    The deal will boost Ambuja Cements’ capacity to 74.6 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) from 68.5 MTPA .
    ACL bought about 141 million shares of SIL. Each share is priced at Rs. 121.9 by the Promoters.
    Whereas, 7.3 million shares of SIL were bought through off-market trade.
   
   
   
9. Name the company that has recently (in Dec ‘23) launched the largest and most capable multimodal Artificial intelligence (AI) model called ‘Gemini’.
   1) Lenovo Group
   2) Microsoft
   3) Google
   4) IBM
   5) Samsung
   
   Answer & Explanation

   Answer-3) Google
   Explanation:
   Google launched its largest and most capable multimodal Artificial intelligence (AI) model, ‘Gemini’, which comes in three sizes: Gemini Ultra, Gemini Pro, and Gemini Nano.
   Variants of Gemini:
    Gemini Ultra: The largest and most capable model for highly complex tasks and it is the first model to outperform human experts on MMLU (massive multitask language understanding) with a score of 90.0%.
    Gemini Pro: The best model for scaling across a wide range of tasks
    Google Bard integrated with Gemini Pro for more advanced reasoning, planning, and understanding.
    Gemini Nano: The most efficient model for on-device tasks It is expected to launch Bard Advanced with Gemini Ultra in early 2024.
   
   
   
10. When was the United Nations (UN) International Civil Aviation Day 2023 observed across the globe with the theme of “Advancing Innovation for Global Aviation Development”?
    1) 7th December 2023
    2) 4th December 2023
    3) 6th December 2023
    4) 3rd December 2023
    5) 5th December 2023
    
    Answer & Explanation

    Answer-1) 7th December 2023
    Explanation:
    The United Nations (UN) International Civil Aviation Day 2023 was observed across the globe on 7th December 2023 with the theme of “Advancing Innovation for Global Aviation Development”.
    i. The day also highlights the role of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), a UN agency, in helping countries to cooperate and realise a truly global rapid transit network at the service of all mankind.