Current Affairs Quiz - September, 2023

Notes:
Madhya Pradesh raised the financial aid given to women in the Ladli Behna Scheme from ₹1,000 to ₹1,250 per month.
About 1.25 crore women will be benefited from this decision. Women in the 23-60 age group get the assistance if they are not income tax payees and the annual income of their families is less than ₹2.5 lakh annually. The Chief Minister also announced 35 percent reservation for women in government jobs.

Notes:
Thiruvonam, the most auspicious day during the Onam festival, is celebrated throughout Kerala. Onam is a harvest festival that celebrates the return of King Mahabali/Maveli to his beloved state.
The festival is celebrated for ten days and each day holds a lot of significance. Onam also marks the beginning of the Malayalam year, called Kolla Varsham.

Notes:
Odisha’s javelin star Kishore Jena became the first from the state to represent India at the finals of the World Athletics Championship.
At the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, he finished fifth with a personal best of 84.77 metres.

Notes:
The Gujarat government has increased the reservations for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the state’s panchayats and urban local bodies from 10% to 27%.
This decision was made based on recommendations of the K.S. Jhaveri Commission, which was formed based on a 2022 Supreme Court order on deciding the level of OBC quotas in Gujarat.

Notes:
The Union government appointed Jaya Verma Sinha Chairperson of the Railway Board, becomes the first woman to head the Board.
Jaya Verma Sinha succeeded Anil Kumar Lahoti as chairman and chief executive officer of the Railway Board. Sinha is a seasoned member of the Indian Railway Management Services (IRMS).

Notes:
Tharman Shanmugaratnam is the president-elect of Singapore. He was born on February 25, 1957. He is a popular politician who has won several parliamentary elections. In 2023, he resigned from all government positions and the PAP to run for the Singaporean presidential election. He won the election with 70.4% of the votes.
Shanmugaratnam was previously the Senior Minister of Singapore from 2019 to 2023. He also served as Deputy Prime Minister for eight years. He studied at the London School of Economics, Cambridge University, and Harvard University.

Notes:
Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das has been ranked as the top central banker globally by US-based Global Finance magazine.
Das has been rated ‘A+’ in the Global Finance Central Banker Report Cards 2023.Das has been placed at the top of the list of three central bank governors who have been rated A+.

Notes:
The Union government has formed a committee under former President Ram Nath Kovind to assess the viability of the “one nation, one election” concept.
The members of the panel include Union home minister Amit Shah, ex-J&K chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, former Finance Commission chairman N K Singh, Constitution expert Subhash C Kashyap, senior advocate Harish Salve, and ex-Chief Vigilance Commissioner Sanjay Kothari.

Notes:
The Maharashtra Government has proposed to transform Gilbert Hill, a 200-foot monolithic column of black basalt rock in Mumbai, into a tourist attraction similar to Dubai’s Burj Khalifa. This geological wonder, formed around 66 million years ago during the Mesozoic Era, stands as a unique heritage site. Declared a National Park in 1952 and categorized as a Grade II heritage structure by the Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation in 2007, Gilbert Hill is one of only three volcanic rock outcrops globally. The site features temples and a small garden atop the rock, accessible via a steep carved staircase. This project aims to boost tourism and conservation efforts, preserving this ancient relic for future generations. The Mesozoic Era, during which Gilbert Hill was formed, spans from 252 million to 66 million years ago. It’s known as the “Age of Dinosaurs,” characterized by the emergence and domination of various dinosaur species across three periods: Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous. The era ended with a mass extinction event, marking a critical transition in Earth’s history.

Notes:
The Government of India’s patent office has granted a patent to the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) for the creation and manufacturing of a “reusable straw.”
This straw is developed from the endemic bamboo species known as Schizostachyum andamanicum, which is native to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The bamboo’s economic potential has received a significant boost with the patent issuance.