This is the current affairs of 31 August & 1 September 2023. Here are questions and answers of daily current affairs for better preparation of competitive exams for government jobs.
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1. Who became the first woman chairperson and CEO of Railway Board?
a. Jaya Kishori
b. Amrita Verma
c. Indira Singh
d. Jaya Verma Sinha
Answer: d. Jaya Verma Sinha
– The Appointment Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has appointed Jaya Varma Sinha as the first female Chairperson and CEO of the Railway Board.
– Jaya Varma Sinha assumed this position on September 1, 2023, and her tenure will continue until August 31, 2024, replacing Anil Kumar Lahoti.
First Female Chief of the Railway Board
– She is the first woman to become the head of the board in the 118-year history of the railways.
– The Railway Board is an organization responsible for making top decisions for the Ministry of Railways.
– The Railway Board was established in 1905.
About Jaya Varma Sinha:
– She is a former student of Allahabad University.
– She is an officer of the Indian Railway Management Services (IRMS).
– Before becoming Chairperson, she was a member of the Railway Board.
– She was at the forefront of managing the situation after the Balasore accident, in which 291 people lost their lives.
– She has also worked as a Railway Advisor in the Indian High Commission in Dhaka, Bangladesh, for four years.
– During her tenure in Bangladesh, in the year 2008, the Friendship Express was inaugurated from Kolkata to Dhaka.
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2. In the first quarter of the fiscal year 2023-24, what was India’s GDP growth rate?
a. 8.5%
b. 7.8%
c. 7.2%
d. 6.8%
Answer: b. 7.8%
First quarter of 2023-24: April to June 2023
Who released the GDP growth rate figures?
– The National Statistical Office [NSO] released this data on 31 August 2023.
GDP Level
– In the first quarter of the financial year 2023-24 (April-June 2023), the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate is 7.8%.
– According to the NSO, India’s economy grew at its fastest pace in a year in the April-June quarter due to growth in services and manufacturing sectors.
– Although the RBI had estimated a GDP growth rate of 8.5%, it has fallen short of that target.
– The GDP growth rate was higher than this in the first quarter of the previous year, 2022-23 (April-June 2022), when it stood at 13.1%.
What is GDP?
– Gross Domestic Product (GDP) refers to the total value of all goods and services produced in a country during a year or a quarter.
– GDP is the largest measure of a country’s economic development.
– A higher GDP indicates that the economy is growing, creating more employment opportunities.
– A lower GDP implies economic stagnation or even recession, leading to increased unemployment.
This calculation is done as follows: GDP = C + I + G + (X-M)
C = Consumer Expenses
I = Industrial Investment
G = Government Expenditure
X = Exports
M = Imports
GDP Growth Rate for Previous Quarters
# April – June 2023: 7.8%
# January – March 2023: 6.1%
# October – December 2022: 4.4%
# July – September 2022: 6.3%
# April – June 2022: 13.1% (Revised Data)
Growth Rate in the First Quarter
Sector – FY23 – FY24 – Growth (+/-)
Agriculture: 5.5%, 3.5%, -2.0%
Mining: 4.3%, 5.8%, 1.5%
Manufacturing: 4.5%, 4.7%, 0.2%
Electricity and Public Utilities: 6.9%, 2.9%, -4%
Construction: 10.4%, 7.9%, -2.5%
Financial Services and Real Estate: 7.1%, 12.2%, 5.1%
Trade, Hotels, and Transport: 9.1%, 9.2%, 0.1%
Concerns About GDP Growth in the Next Six Months
– Development has gained momentum due to reasons such as services, private consumption, and fixed investment.
– India’s economy is currently grappling with high inflation, which the central bank hopes will be temporary.
– However, the threat of below-average monsoons and concerns about inflation are increasing.
– It is estimated that a tight monetary policy and weak exports may impact GDP growth in the second half of the financial year.
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3. In the first quarter of the fiscal year 2023-24, what was India’s GVA growth rate?
a. 7.8%
b. 6.5%
c. 5.5%
d. 4.5%
Answer: a. 7.8%
What was the GVA in the first quarter of 2023-24?
– GVA, which stands for Gross Value Added, was 7.8% in the first quarter (April-June 2023-24) as per the development rate of 2022-23.
– Whereas, it was 6.5% in the previous quarter (January-March 2023).
What is GVA?
– Gross Value Added, or GVA, in simple terms, reveals the total output and income generated in an economy during a specified period.
– It indicates how much production of goods and services occurred after deducting input costs and the cost of raw materials.
– It also reveals the level of production in specific sectors, industries, or sectors.
– From the perspective of national accounting, GVA is what remains in GDP after removing subsidies and taxes at the macro level.
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4. In India, in August 2023, the lowest rainfall in the past 100 years occurred. How much below the average was it?
a. 16%
b. 26%
c. 36%
d. 46%
Answer: c. 36%
– In August 2023, rainfall in India was the lowest in more than a century, with a 36% deficit compared to the usual rainfall in this month.
– In July 2023, there was 28 centimeters of rainfall, whereas in August, there was only 25.4 centimeters of rainfall.
– The last time India recorded such low rainfall in August was in 2005 when there was nearly a 25% deficit from the normal rainfall.
– This data was released by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Why the Reduced Rainfall?
– Due to the strong presence of La Niña and adverse conditions in both the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, except for parts of northeastern India, Himalayan states, and some parts of Tamil Nadu, most of India witnessed a significant deficiency in rainfall in August.
– La Niña indicates warmer conditions in the central Pacific region, often leading to below-average monsoon rains in India.
Director-General of the India Meteorological Department – Mr. M. Mohapatra
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5. When was World Sanskrit Day celebrated in the year 2023?
a. 30 August
b. 31 August
c. 1 September
d. 2 September
Answer: b. 31 August
– World Sanskrit Day, also known as Vishwa Sanskrit Diwas.
– It is celebrated on the occasion of Shravan Purnima.
– In the year 2023, the date of Shravan Purnima was from the morning of August 30th at 10:59 AM to the morning of August 31st at 7:06 AM.
– Sanskrit is one of the oldest languages in the world and is considered the mother of all Indo-Aryan languages.
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6. When is the National Nutrition Week celebrated?
a. 1 to 7 August
b. 1 to 7 September
c. 1 to 7 October
d. 1 to 7 November
Answer: b. 1 to 7 September
– National Nutrition Week is observed every year in India during the first week of September.
– The main objective of observing Nutrition Week in the country is to raise awareness about the benefits of nutrition among people and promote healthy and clean eating habits.
– National Nutrition Week was first recognized in India in 1982.
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7. When is World Coconut Day celebrated?
a. 30 August
b. 31 August
c. 1 September
d. 2 September
Answer: d. 2 September
– This day is announced by the International Coconut Community (ICC), an intergovernmental organization of coconut-producing countries.
– It serves as an opportunity to raise awareness about the economic, nutritional, and cultural significance of coconuts in various parts of the world.
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8. Who won the title of Miss Earth India 2023?
a. Priyan San
b. Rashmi Priya
c. Priya Rastogi
d. Praveena Anjana
Answer: a. Priyan San
– She is 20 years old and hails from Jaipur, Rajasthan.
– She is a student, dancer, and a taekwondo player.
– Now, she is preparing to represent India in the Miss Earth 2023 pageant in Vietnam in December 2023.
– She received her crown from Miss Earth 2022, Mina Soo Choe from Korea, who was invited as a special guest along with Miss Earth Air, Sheridan Mortlock from Australia, in the same program.
– In the same event, Pravina Anjana was named Miss International India 2023, while Pema Choden Bhutia and Tejaswini Srivastava were both announced as runner-ups.
Note: Miss India 2023 is Nandini Gupta. Therefore, Miss India and Miss Earth India are separate competitions.
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9. When did the Blue Supermoon occur, which will not occur until 2037?
a. 27 and 28 August 2023
b. 29 and 30 August 2023
c. 30 and 31 August 2023
d. 1 and 2 September 2023
Answer: c. 30 and 31 August 2023
What is a Blue Supermoon?
– When two supermoons occur in the same month, the second supermoon is referred to as a “Blue Supermoon.”
– In August 2023, there were two supermoons, one on August 30th and another on August 31st.
– Therefore, the supermoon on August 30th and 31st was called a Blue Supermoon.
– According to The Hindu newspaper, during the Blue Supermoon, the distance between Earth and the Moon was only 357,344 kilometers.
– Generally this farthest is 4,05,000 kilometers
When does a Supermoon occur?
– During a supermoon, the distance between Earth and the Moon is at its closest.
– This makes the Moon appear larger and brighter.
– It gives the illusion that the Moon is coming closer to Earth.
– There are typically three to four supermoons in a year.
– As the Moon orbits Earth, it comes closest to its orbit class.
– This point is called perigee.
– When the Moon is farthest from Earth in its orbit, it is called apogee.
– Astrologer Richard Nolle first coined the term “supermoon” in 1979.
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10. Which former Chief Justice of India was appointed as a member of the International Mediator Panel of the Singapore International Mediation Centre (SIMC)?
a. Justice NV Ramana
b. Justice Vs Kabir
c. Justice SV Gautam
d. Justice Rakesh Verma
Answer: a. Justice NV Ramana
– George Lim, the Chairman of the Singapore International Mediation Centre (SIMC), handed over the appointment letter to Justice N.V. Ramana.
– This center facilitates the resolution of disputes through mediation.
– It was established with the vision of promoting mediation as a preferred method of resolving international commercial disputes.
