This is the current affairs of 18 July 2023. Here are 12 questions and answers of daily current affairs for better preparation of competitive exams for government jobs.
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1. According to NITI Aayog’s report ‘National Multidimensional Poverty Index’, how many people came out of poverty between the years 2015-16 to 2019-21?
a. 10.5 crore people
b. 11.5 crore people
c. 12.5 crore people
d. 13.5 crore people
Answer: d. 13.5 crore people
– Name of the NITI Aayog’s report: National Multidimensional Poverty Index – A Progress Review 2023
– The report was prepared with the collaboration of: UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) and OPHI (Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative)
– NITI Aayog’s Vice-Chairperson, Suman Berry, released this report on 17th July 2023.
– The index is based on the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 2019-21.
Data on Reduction of Multidimensional Poverty in India:
– Multidimensional Poverty in 2015-16: 24.85%
– Multidimensional Poverty in 2019-21: 14.96%
– Decline in poverty rate: 9.89%
– Number of people lifted out of poverty in five years: 13.5 crore people
Statements by NITI Aayog’s Vice-Chairperson:
– NITI Aayog’s Vice-Chairperson, Suman Berry, said, “The reduction in poverty is due to the implementation of government schemes. The impact of the COVID-19 crisis on poverty has not been significant. However, around 15 percent (14.96%) of people are still grappling with multidimensional poverty.”
What is Multidimensional Poverty?
– In essence, most countries define poverty as a lack of financial resources. However, poor people themselves perceive their experience of poverty more broadly. This is known as multidimensional poverty.
– It is measured by the National MPI (Multidimensional Poverty Index).
– It includes 12 indicators across three categories (Health, Education, and Living Standards).
– The indicators are (1) Nutrition, (2) Child mortality, (3) Maternal health, (4) Years of schooling, (5) School attendance, (6) Cooking fuel, (7) Sanitation, (8) Drinking water, (9) Electricity, (10) Housing, (11) Assets, and (12) Bank account ownership.
– If a person is deprived in one-third or more of the weighted indicators, they are considered multidimensionally poor.
Improvements in the 12 Indicators:
– The NITI Aayog’s report highlights record improvements in these 12 indicators in the past five years.
– As a result, 13.5 crore people in the country have been lifted out of multidimensional poverty.
Key Facts from the Report:
– The report reveals that the highest reduction in poverty was observed in rural areas.
– In rural areas, poverty decreased from 32.6% (2015-16) to 19.3% (2019-21).
– In urban areas, the number of poor people declined from 8.65% to 5.27%.
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2. According to the NITI Aayog’s report ‘National Multidimensional Poverty Index’, which state has reduced maximum poverty?
a. Bihar
b. Madhya Pradesh
c. Uttar Pradesh
d. West Bengal
Answer: c. Uttar Pradesh
– Uttar Pradesh saw the highest number of 3.43 crore people lifted out of poverty.
– Following that, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh stand in the list.
– Odisha and Rajasthan also recorded significant declines in poverty rates.
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3. According to the NITI Aayog’s report ‘National Multidimensional Poverty Index’, which state has the highest poverty in proportion to its population?
a. Bihar
b. Jharkhand
c. Meghalaya
d. Uttar Pradesh
Answer: a. Bihar
Top 10 states with the highest percentage of multidimensional poverty:
– Bihar: 33.76%
– Jharkhand: 28.81%
– Meghalaya: 27.79%
– Uttar Pradesh: 22.93%
– Madhya Pradesh: 20.63%
– Assam: 19.33%
– Chhattisgarh: 16.37%
– Odisha: 15.68%
– Nagaland: 15.43%
– Rajasthan: 15.31%
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4. When is the International Nelson Mandela Day observed?
a. 10 July
b. 15 July
c. 18 July
d. 19 August
Answer: c. 18 July
Theme of 2023:
– Climate, Food, and Solidarity
– Nelson Mandela is known for his long fight against racial segregation.
– During this campaign, Mandela spent 27 years in prison.
– He was the first democratically elected non-white president of South Africa.
Nelson Mandela:
– He was born on 18 July 1918 in the Cape Province of South Africa.
– He was a human rights activist, lawyer, and promoter of peace internationally.
– He was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize in October 1993.
– He passed away in the year 2013 at the age of 95.
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5. Which state’s former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy passed away on 18 July 2023?
a. Assam
b. Kerala
c. Mizoram
d. Tamil Nadu
Answer: b. Kerala
– He was the former Chief Minister of Kerala and a senior leader of the Congress party.
– He was 79 years old.
– Oommen Chandy served as the Chief Minister of Kerala during two terms (2004-2006, 2011-2016).
– Oommen Chandy contested elections from his home constituency Puthupally in Kottayam district. He won 12 consecutive Assembly elections, setting a record for winning elections for such a long period.
Kerala
CM – Pinarayi Vijayan
Governor – Arif Mohammad Khan
Capital – Thiruvananthapuram
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6. Military exercise ‘Nomedic Elephant’ between India and which country was held in July 2023?
a. China
b. Japan
c. Mongolia
d. Australia
Answer: c. Mongolia
– Duration of Joint Military Exercise: July 17 to July 31, 2023
– Location: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
– This is the 15th edition of the joint exercise.
– 43 soldiers from the Indian Army participated.
Mongolia:
– It is a landlocked country.
– Capital: Ulaanbaatar
– President: Khurelsukh Ukhnaa
– Prime Minister: Luvsannamsrai Oyun-Erdene
– Currency: Tugrik (₮)
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7. When is world snake day celebrated?
a. 18th July
b. 17th July
c. 16th July
d. 15th July
Answer: c. 16th July
– The purpose of World Snake Day celebration is to raise awareness about India’s snakes, dispel myths about snakes, and highlight the importance of snakes in our ecosystem, thereby working towards their conservation.
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8. Who has become the first Indian to win the ‘Best Asian Under-20 Male Athlete of the Year’ award by the Asian Athletics Association (AAA)?
a. Praveen Chitravel
b. Keshav Maharaj
c. Eesh Sodhi
d. Selva Prabhu Tirumaran
Answer: d. Selva Prabhu Tirumaran
– He is an Indian triple jumper.
– The Asian Athletics Association (AAA) awarded him the “Best Asian U20 Male Athlete of the Year” award.
– This award was given during the AAA’s 50th-anniversary celebration in Bangkok on 10th July 2023.
Selva’s Career
– Selva Prabhu Tirumaran comes from a farming family in Madurai and is pursuing a degree in English literature in Trichy.
– His biggest achievement in his career was last year at the World U20 Athletics Championship in Columbia, where he made a leap of 16.15 meters.
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9. Which medal was won by the Indian pair of Abhinav Sao and Gautami Bhanot in the ISSF World Junior Shooting Championship held in Changwon?
a. Gold Medal
b. Silver Medal
c. Bronze Medal
d. None of these
Answer: a. Gold Medal
– They won a gold medal in the 10-meter air rifle mixed team event.
– 90 Indian shooters are participating in the Junior Shooting World Championship in Changwon, South Korea.
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10. Which medal did Shubham Bisla win in the ISSF World Junior Shooting Championship held in Changwon?
a. Gold Medal
b. Silver Medal
c. Bronze Medal
d. None of these
Answer: a. Gold Medal
– They won a gold medal in the 10-meter air pistol men’s category.
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11. Which medal did Sanyam win at the ISSF World Junior Shooting Championship 2023 held in Changwon?
a. Gold Medal
b. Silver Medal
c. Bronze Medal
d. None of these
Answer: a. Gold Medal
– They won a gold medal in the 10-meter air pistol women’s category.
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12. In which country was the rocket launched for the first time with methane-liquid oxygen?
a. India
b. China
c. USA
d. France
Answer: b. China
– China has successfully launched the world’s first liquid methane carrier rocket into space.
– On July 12, 2023, at 9 a.m. local time, the rocket took off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.
– The carrier rocket, named Jukyu-2, was developed by China’s private company LandSpace.
– Methane-liquid oxygen is considered a suitable propellant for pollution-free, safe, affordable, and reusable rockets.
– The rocket successfully achieved all its targets according to set standards. This was LandSpace’s second attempt at launching this rocket, which has now been successful.
– If China’s claims are to be believed, it is indeed an impressive achievement, as no other country has accomplished this so far.
– This step has put China ahead of its American competitor SpaceX in sending next-generation launch vehicles into space.
– Even SpaceX is attempting to launch a methane-liquid oxygen rocket.
Liquid methane-liquid oxygen fuel:
– Methane is denoted as CH4, commonly known as biogas.
– China has used its liquid form to propel its rockets into space.
– Interestingly, methane can also be produced using water and carbon dioxide in space.
– Methane has high density and boiling point, making it unnecessary to keep it extremely cold.
– Consequently, there is a lower risk of the rocket’s containers breaking.
– India is also working on constructing rockets that use liquid methane-liquid oxygen fuel.
