This is the current affairs of 19 & 20 July 2023. Here are 10 questions and answers of daily current affairs for better preparation of competitive exams for government jobs.
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1. Which state has launched a pension scheme for bachelors and widowers?
a. Bihar
b. Uttar Pradesh
c. Uttarakhand
d. Haryana
Answer: d. Haryana
– After Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s announcement, the Haryana government has issued a notification related to the pension given to unmarried individuals in the state.
– Unmarried and widowed individuals between 40 and 60 years of age in Haryana will receive a pension.
– The number of such individuals is 71 thousand.
– They will receive a monthly pension of 2750 rupees.
– After reaching the age of 60, this pension will automatically convert into an old-age pension.
– The pension scheme will cost 20 crore rupees every month.
Those living in live-in relationships will not be eligible for the pension.
– The notification clearly states that individuals in divorced or live-in relationships will not receive this pension.
– If anyone is already receiving a pension, they will not be eligible for the benefits of this scheme.
– The government has stated that these solid rules have been made to maintain transparency in the pension scheme.
Without informing, recovery of the amount along with interest will be made for secret marriages.
– The government notification specifies that if any unmarried or widowed individual gets married without informing the government and continues to receive the pension secretly, strict action will be taken against them.
– The government will recover the pension amount with 12% interest from such individuals.
Haryana:
– Chief Minister: Manohar Lal Khattar
– Governor: Bandaru Dattatreya
– Capital: Chandigarh
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2. Who became the youngest person (Indian) in the world to cross the North Channel?
a. Sameer Wankhede
b. Ayushmann Makhija
c. Rakhi Singhcha
d. Anshuman Jhingaran
Answer: d. Anshuman Jhingaran
– 18-year-old open water swimmer Anshuman Jhingran from Navi Mumbai has achieved the feat of becoming the youngest person to cross the North Channel.
– His journey was completed on 17th July 2023.
– His name has now been officially recorded in the Guinness World Records.
– Anshuman is the son of Sandeep and Kiran Jhingran, and he is a student in the 12th grade pursuing commerce.
The North Channel:
– The North Channel is a strait located between Scotland and Northern Ireland. Swimming here is highly perilous.
– The water in this channel is extremely cold.
Additionally, it is filled with hundreds of jellyfish.
Crossing this challenging route is considered one of the toughest swims in the open water swimming world.
– Flowing into the Atlantic Ocean from the northwest, this channel is famous as one of the seven toughest ocean swims in the world.
Oceans Seven:
– Oceans Seven is a marathon swimming challenge that includes swimming in seven open water channels.
First Indian to cross the English Channel:
– In 1958, Mihir Sen swam from Dover to Calais and crossed the English Channel in 14 hours and 45 minutes.
– He was the first Indian to achieve this feat.
Similarly, Elvis Ali Hazarika was the first Indian to cross the North Channel.
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3. Who became the new Director General (DG) of Railway Protection Force Service (RPF)?
a. Sushil Bedi
b. Hariharan Khattar
c. Manoj Yadav
d. Anil Solanki
Answer: c. Manoj Yadav
– The Central Cabinet Appointments Committee has appointed Manoj Yadav as the new Director-General of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) on 18th July 2023.
– He is a former Director-General of Police (DGP) of Haryana.
– Manoj Yadav will now serve in this position until his retirement date, which is 31st July 2025.
RPF:
– Established: 2nd July 1872
– Headquarters: New Delhi
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4. In which two countries the Women’s FIFA World Cup 2023 started from 20 July?
a. Australia and Norway
b. New Zealand and Australia
c. New Zealand and USA
d. USA and Australia
Answer: b. New Zealand and Australia
– This is the first time when two countries are co-hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
– The match on 20th July 2023 took place in Auckland, New Zealand.
– This is the ninth edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
– A total of 32 teams are participating in the FIFA Women’s World Cup this time.
– The title match will be played on 20th August at the Olympic Stadium in Sydney, Australia.
– In the last two editions, the USA team has won the championship. They have won the title a record 4 times.
– This time the team will be aiming for a hat-trick.
– The prize money this time is more than 110 million dollars, which is over 900 crore rupees, to be distributed among all the teams.
– The winning team will receive the trophy along with a cash prize of 86 crore rupees.
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5. Which two wrestlers have been exempted from the trials for the Asian Games by the Indian Olympic Association?
a. Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat
b. Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik
c. Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik
d. Babita Phogat and Vinesh Phogat
Answer: a. Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat
– The Wrestling Committee appointed by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has granted direct entry to wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat to participate in the Asian Games without the need for trials.
– The committee made this decision on 18th July 2023.
However, several wrestlers are opposing the committee’s decision to exempt Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat from the trials for the Asian Games.
– Wrestlers Antim Paghwal and Vishal Kaliramana have filed a petition in the Delhi High Court against the committee’s decision.
– In fact, wrestlers Bajrang (65 kg) and Vinesh Phogat (53 kg) had accused former President of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of sexual harassment.
– Along with several other female wrestlers at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, these wrestlers had staged a protest for a long time.
Now, they have been exempted from the trials.
19th Asian Games 2022:
– Dates: 23rd September to 8th October 2023
– Venue: Hangzhou, China
– This event was originally scheduled for September 2022 but was postponed to 2023 due to the risk of COVID-19 in China.
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6. Which country has refused to renew the Black Sea Grain Agreement, raising fears of a rise in world grain prices?
a. Ukraine
b. Russia
c. Turkiye
d. USA
Answer: b. Russia
– United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed deep regret over Russia’s decision to stop the extension of the Black Sea Grain Deal, which aimed to prevent interruptions in the export of wheat between Russia and Ukraine.
– India also reacted to this development. India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ruchira Kamboj, supported the efforts of the UN Secretary-General to continue the Black Sea Grain Initiative and hopes for a swift resolution to the current conflict.
What was the Black Sea Grain Deal?
– Russia and Ukraine are major producers of wheat, but due to the 2022 war, they were unable to export it.
Passing through the Black Sea, there was a risk of Russian attacks on its grain ships.
– This weakened the food chain and supply, leading to food crises in several European and African countries, with the risk of people dying of hunger.
– In July 2022, a deal was reached through Turkey and the UN, which stated that both Russia and Ukraine would not attack each other’s cargo ships.
– In addition, UN officers would inspect each ship to prevent the transportation of weapons.
This deal expired on 17th July 2023, and Russia refused to renew it.
– This means that now those grain-carrying ships could also become targets.
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7. When is World Brain Day celebrated?
a. 20 July
b. 21 July
c. 22 July
d. 23 July
Answer: c. 22 July
The theme for 2023 is:
– Brain Health and Disability: Leave No One Behind
– This day is organized by the ‘World Federation of Neurology’.
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8. Which state has launched the Sashakt Mahila Loan Scheme?
a. Himachal Pradesh
b. Uttar Pradesh
c. Uttarakhand
d. Haryana
Answer: a. Himachal Pradesh
– On 20th July 2023, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu initiated a scheme to empower women economically.
– This scheme, called the “Empowered Women Loan Scheme,” is a first of its kind by the Himachal Pradesh State Cooperative Bank (HPSCB).
– Through this scheme, women will be provided loans to support their entrepreneurial activities, livelihood pursuits, meet their daily needs, and uplift their families.
– Beneficiaries will receive credit facilities of ₹21,000, ₹51,000, and ₹1,01,000 at significantly lower interest rates of 8.51%.
– There is no requirement for the beneficiaries to provide any collateral for this loan.
Himachal Pradesh:
– Chief Minister – Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu
– Governor – Shiv Pratap Shukla
– Capital – Shimla
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9. Who became the 10th cricketer in the world to play 500 international matches?
a. Rohit Sharma
b. Virat Kohli
c. Hardik Pandya
d. Shubman Gill
Answer: b. Virat Kohli
– Virat Kohli achieved this feat in July 2023 during India’s second and final Test match against West – Indies at Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain.
He became the fourth Indian to play 500 international matches. The other Indian players in this elite group are Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and MS Dhoni.
– Most International Matches Played:
– Player: Total Matches
1. Sachin Tendulkar: 664
2. Mithali Raj: 652
3. Kumar Sangakkara: 594
4. Sanath Jayasuriya: 586
5. Ricky Ponting: 560
6. MS Dhoni: 538
7. Shahid Afridi: 524
8. Jacques Kallis: 519
9. Rahul Dravid: 509
10. Virat Kohli: 500
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10. Who has been appointed as the fourth Managing Director (MD) of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC)?
a. Rajendra Mahato
b. Vivek Yadav
c. Raju Singh
d. Satpal Bhanu
Answer: d. Satpal Bhanu
– In LIC (Life Insurance Corporation of India), there are already MDs (Managing Directors) named IP Mini, M Jagnnath, and Tablesh Pandey.
– Now, the fourth MD will be Satpal Bhanu.
LIC
– Chairman: Siddharth Mohanty
– Headquarters: Mumbai
– Establishment: 1956
