This is the current affairs of 5 January 2023. Here are questions and answers of daily current affairs for better preparation of competitive exams for government jobs.
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1. Elon Musk’s company Space-X got the responsibility of launching which ISRO satellite?
New Space India Limited (NSIL) announced the launch of which satellite of ISRO with the help of Space-X rocket Falcon-9?
a. GSAT-18 / GSAT-N1
b. WSAT-20 / WSAT-N4
c. GSAT-20 / GSAT-N2
d. MSAT-20 / MSAT-N2
Answer: c. GSAT-20 / GSAT-N2 (New name GSAT-N2)
– ISRO’s commercial partner NSIL announced this on January 3, 2024.
– This will be the first time ISRO will use Elon Musk’s company ‘Space-X’ to launch its satellite.
– GSAT-20 (newly named GSAT-N2) is a telecommunication satellite.
– Space-X’s Falcon-9 rocket will be used for its launch.
– NSIL mentioned that the launch is scheduled for the second quarter of the year 2024.
Why did ISRO seek help from Space-X?
– The satellite GSAT-20 (newly named GSAT-N2) weighs 4700 kilograms.
– In reality, India’s rockets are not capable of launching satellites heavier than 4 tons.
– Therefore, a decision was made to collaborate with Elon Musk’s space agency.
– Prior to this, ISRO was dependent on the ArianeSpace consortium led by France to launch heavy satellites.
Satellite services will now reach the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
– GSAT-20 (newly named GSAT-N2) is a telecommunication satellite designed specifically to enhance communication systems in remote areas.
– It will provide broadband internet access in remote regions and offer satellite internet services at a speed of 48 Gbps.
– This satellite will facilitate communication services in distant Indian regions, including the Andaman-Nicobar Islands, Jammu and Kashmir, and Lakshadweep.
About NSIL:
– NSIL (New Space India Limited) is ISRO’s commercial arm responsible for commercial activities.
– NSIL enters agreements for commercial work, and ISRO fulfills its requirements.
About SpaceX:
– Elon Musk founded SpaceX in 2002.
It is a space transportation services company.
– SpaceX was the first private company to send a liquid-propellant rocket into space in 2008.
– On May 30, 2020, SpaceX’s Dragon-2 rocket sent two astronauts to the International Space Station for the first time, followed by several subsequent space missions.
– Falcon-9 rocket is reusable.
– Chairman of ISRO: S. Somanath
– Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of NSIL: Radhakrishnan Durairaj
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2. Who became the first woman Director General of Police (DGP) of Maharashtra?
a. Priyanka Kumari
b. Rashmi Shukla
c. Richa Kumari
d. Vandana Verma
Answer: b. Rashmi Shukla
– Rashmi Shukla is an IPS officer from the 1988 batch.
– On January 4, 2024, the Maharashtra government appointed her as the Director General of Police (DGP) for the state.
– She is the first woman police officer to reach this position.
– She succeeded the former DGP Rajnish Seth.
– Before becoming DGP, she was on central deputation with the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).
– In February 2021, she also worked as the Additional Director General of CRPF.
Maharashtra:
– Chief Minister: Eknath Shinde
– Governor: Ramesh Bais
– Capital: Mumbai, Nagpur (winter)
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3. Who became the new Vice Chief of the Indian Navy?
a. Rakesh Kumar Verma
b. Vijay Patel
c. Hari V Sharma
d. Dinesh Kumar Tripathi
Answer: d. Dinesh Kumar Tripathi
– Vice Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi has been appointed as the Vice Chief of the Indian Navy.
– Admiral R. Hari Kumar, the Chief of Naval Staff, is set to retire on April 30. At that time, Vice Admiral Tripathi will become the most senior naval officer.
– He joined the Indian Navy in 1986.
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4. In which city was the 7th India-Nepal Joint Commission meeting held in January 2024, in which External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar participated?
a. New Delhi
b. Kathmandu
c. Mumbai
d. Pokhara
Answer: b. Kathmandu
– Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar embarked on his first foreign trip of the year in 2024, reaching Nepal.
– On January 4, 2024, he held the 7th meeting of the India-Nepal Joint Commission with his Nepali counterpart NP Saud.
– During this visit, both countries reached four important agreements.
– Before this, Jaishankar met with President Ramchandra Poudel and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda.
– During the meetings, leaders of both countries frequently referred to the age-old “roti-beti” (bread and daughter) relationship between the two nations.
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5. With which neighboring country did India sign an agreement to import 10 thousand MW electricity in the next 10 years?
a. Pakistan
b. China
c. Nepal
d. Bangladesh
Answer: c. Nepal
– During the 7th India-Nepal Joint Commission, four major agreements were reached between the two countries.
These agreements include:
– Implementation of community development projects.
– Long-term electricity trade (import of 10,000 megawatts of electricity over 10 years).
– Collaboration in renewable energy development.
– Munak satellite.
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6. In which country the volcano ‘Mount Levotobi Laki-Laki’ erupted and thousands of people were evacuated from the area?
a. America
b. Indonesia
c. India
d. Australia
Answer: b. Indonesia
– Several eruptions occurred here in January 2024.
– Mount Levolobi Laki-Laki is a twin volcano located in the southeastern part of the Flores Island in Indonesia.
Number of people evacuated:
– Amid increasing volcanic activities, more than 2,000 residents were relocated to temporary shelters.
Impact of the eruption:
– The volcano experienced multiple eruptions.
– The impact of the January 2024 eruption was so intense that volcanic ash reached 1.5 kilometers (4800 feet) above its summit.
– Another eruption was recorded in Levolobi Laki-Laki on January 2, 2024.
– The ash from the volcano had such an impact that it led to the closure of the France Seda Airport, located 80 km away.
Indonesia is home to the most active volcanoes globally.
– There are approximately 1500 active volcanoes worldwide.
– Indonesia leads with the highest number, having around 130 active volcanoes.
– Among these, seven volcanoes have been consistently erupting in the past two years: Krakatoa, Merapi, Levololok, Karangetang, Semeru, Ibu, and Dukono.
– In December 2023, Mount Marapi (Fire Mountain) on Sumatra Island erupted, causing the death of 23 people.
– Additionally, in November 2023, Anak Krakatoa, located in the waters of the Sunda Strait in Indonesia, erupted.
– In January 2024, Mount Levolobi Laki-Laki erupted.
Ring of Fire:
– Indonesia is situated above the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area with the highest geological and seismic activities.
– In this region, significant tectonic and volcanic activities occur.
– Indonesia is positioned where the Eurasian tectonic plate is sliding southward, the Indian-Australian tectonic plate is sliding northward, and the Philippine plate is moving westward.
– The interactions and collisions among these plates result in frequent volcanic eruptions.
What is a volcano and how does it erupt?
– A volcano is an opening or rupture in the Earth’s surface that allows magma – which is hot molten or semi-fluid rock – along with volcanic ash and gases to escape.
– The Earth’s mantle (one of the Earth’s three main layers) contains a weak region known as the asthenosphere, and magma is present in it.
– Volcanic hotspots are locations where such weak regions are found, typically where the Earth’s tectonic plates meet.
– There are approximately one million estimated underwater volcanoes, with most of them located near tectonic plate boundaries.
– When tectonic plates collide, it increases temperature and pressure. Subsequently, magma is formed, which is molten material beneath the Earth’s surface.
– When this magma rises to the Earth’s surface from the interior layer, it is called lava.
Indonesia:
Capital – Jakarta
President – Joko Widodo
Currency – Indonesian Rupiah
Population – Approximately 280 million
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7. Who has been appointed by the President as the acting Chairman of ‘National Legal Services Authority’ (NALSA)?
a. Justice DY Patil
b. Justice SK Kaul
c. Justice Sanjeev Khanna
d. Justice DY Chandrachud
Answer: c. Justice Sanjeev Khanna
– The appointment was made to fill the position of Justice S.K. Kaul, who retired on December 25.
– It is a tradition in the Supreme Court to appoint the second senior-most judge as the Executive Chairman of NALSA when the current Chairman retires.
National Legal Services Authority (NALSA):
– NALSA was established under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, to provide free legal services to the weaker sections of society.
– Its objective is to organize Lok Adalats for amicable settlement of disputes.
– NALSA’s functions include providing free legal services, organizing Lok Adalats, and conducting legal awareness programs.
– The leadership of NALSA is usually held by the Chief Justice of India, who serves as the Chief Patron, along with a senior judge of the Supreme Court serving as the Executive Chairman.
Persons eligible to receive free legal services from NALSA include:
– women and children
– SC/ST members
– industrial workers
– Victims of mass disaster, violence, flood, drought, earthquake, industrial disaster
– Persons with Disabilities
– person in custody
– Persons whose annual income does not exceed Rs 1 lakh. (The limit in Supreme Court Legal Services Committee is Rs. 5,00,000/-).
– Victims of human trafficking or forced labor
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8. In which island group did PM Modi inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of projects worth Rs 1,156 crore in January 2024?
a. Andaman Nicobar
b. Lakshadweep
c. Dadar Nagar Haveli
d. Wheeler Island
Answer: b. Lakshadweep
– On January 3, 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for various projects in the Union – Territory of Lakshadweep.
– The total cost of these projects is 1,156 crore rupees.
Submarine Optical Fiber Cable:
– The most significant project among them is the Kochi-Lakshadweep Submarine Optical Fiber Cable (KLI – SOFC) project, which the Prime Minister inaugurated.
– The announcement for this project was made by the Prime Minister in his Independence Day speech at the Red Fort in August 2020.
– This project has increased the internet speed in the islands by more than 100 times. The speed has increased from 1.7 Gbps to 200 Gbps (gigabytes per second).
– This enhancement will lead to growth in internet services, telemedicine, e-governance, education, digital banking, currency usage, and literacy on the islands.
Other projects
-The Prime Minister also inaugurated a low temperature thermal de-salinization (LTTD) plant at Kadmat, which will produce 1.5 lakh liters of clean drinking water every day.
– Other projects include solar power plant at Kavaratti, the first battery supported solar power project in Lakshadweep.
Lakshadweep:
– Capital: Kavaratti
– Administrator: Praful Patel
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9. Under which law has the Home Ministry declared Goldie Brar, the alleged mastermind of the murder of singer Sidhu Moosewala, as a terrorist?
a. IPC
b. TADA
c. POTA
d. UAPA
Answer: d. UAPA (Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act)
– The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) is an Indian law designed to prevent unlawful activities by organizations in India.
– In amendments introduced in 2019, provisions were included whereby the central government can designate individuals, not just organizations, as declared terrorists. It is explained here how this process works.
– Goldy Barad (Satvinder Singh, alias Satinderjit Singh) is associated with the Khalistani organization Babbar Khalsa International. Currently, he is residing in Brampton, Canada.
– The central government maintains that Goldy Barad is involved in terrorism and has designated him as a terrorist under the fourth schedule of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
– The government asserts that Goldy Barad, who has received support from the Border Security Agency, is involved in several killings and claims to adhere to extremist ideologies.
– Apart from this, he is also involved in making threatening calls to Indian political leaders, demanding extortion, and posting claims of murder on various social media platforms.
– Goldy Barad and his associates are conspiring to disrupt peace by creating an atmosphere of barbarity, terrorism, engaging in targeted killings, and carrying out various anti-national activities in Punjab.
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10. Name the first woman in the world to achieve wealth of 100 billion dollars according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index?
a. Bannu Bernadette
b. Warren Bath
c. Francois Bettencourt Meyers
d. Kirsten Parry
Answer: c. Françoise Bettencourt Meyers (Vice-Chairperson of L’Oréal Company)
– Her total wealth is 100.1 billion U.S. dollars as of December 2023.
– She is the 12th richest person in the world.
Francoise Bettencourt Meyers:
– She is 70 years old.
– Serving as the Vice-Chairperson of the Board of L’Oréal.
– Her sons, Jean-Victor Meyers and Nicolas Meyers, are also directors in the company.
L’Oréal:
– This company was founded in 1909 by Bettencourt Meyers’ grandfather, Eugène Schueller, for the production and sale of the hair dye he developed.
– It is a company valued at 241 billion pounds (268 billion dollars) and has a global presence.
Top 5 Richest People in the World (December 2023):
1. Elon Musk: $222 billion (USA)
2. Jeff Bezos: $171 billion (USA)
3. Bernard Arnault: $169 billion (France)
4. Bill Gates: $134 billion (USA)
5. Larry Ellison: $129 billion (USA)
