Daily Current Affairs Today MCQ : 11 March 2023 Quiz

The Indian Navy’s exercise, called the "Theatre Level Operational Readiness Exercise for 2023" (TROPEX-23), culminated in the Arabian Sea after running for four months from November 2022 to March 2023.

TROPEX-23 witnessed the participation of approximately 70 Indian Navy ships, six submarines and over 75 aircraft.

Key Points -

TROPEX is being is conducted in many phases to test Navy’s transition from peacetime to hostilities.

In the first phase, the Indian Navy had conducted coastal defence exercise "Sea Vigil" along the entire coastline and Island territories of India on 12-13 January 2021.

This exercise directed to authenticate the coastal defence setup of the country that was completely overhauled after the 26/11 terror attacks at Mumbai.

The exercise witnessed large-scale participation from Indian Navy, Coast Guard, Marine Police of 13 coastal States and Union Territories along with other stakeholders in the maritime domain.

Indonesia is all set to move its capital from Jakarta to Borneo over environmental issues such as being congested, sinking into seawater, and being prone to earthquakes.

The new metropolis city will be a "sustainable forest city", that puts the environment at the heart of the development and will be carbon neutral by 2045.

Key Points -

Jakarta, home to 10 million people has been described as the world’s most rapidly sinking city which is estimated to be completely submerged by 2050.

Officials claimed that the main reason behind moving the capital is uncontrolled groundwater extraction which has been exacerbated by the rising Java Sea due to climate change.

Borneo Island -

It is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia.

It is home to some of the world’s greatest tropical rainforests.

It is politically divided among three countries: Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.

Kalimantan is Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo and it comprises 73% of island’s geographic area.

Every year on March 10, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) Raising Day is observed to mark the CISF’s founding in 1969.

The CISF, is in charge of providing security protection for several public sector organisations, airports, seaports, power plants and other significant infrastructure projects across the nation.

This year, the 54th CISF Raising Day celebrated to appreciate the efforts and contributions of Central Industrial Security Force.

The CISF was established on March 10, 1969, under an Act of Parliament with a few battalions.

The force has expanded in number and power over time, becoming a multifunctional security force with specialised knowledge and instruction.

Initially, it was required to have a staff of at least 3,000 people.

It wasn’t an army until much later.

On June 15, 1983, a different act of Parliament was approved that enabled this to occur.

To emphasise the force’s rising significance in preserving national security, the government increased its sanctioned personnel strength in 2017 from 145,000 to 180,000.

Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has appointed Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani as the country’s new prime minister.

The decision to appoint Sheikh Mohammed, who was the deputy prime minister, came after the amir accepted the resignation of former Prime Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani.

Sheikh Khalid was appointed as Qatar’s prime minister and minister of interior in January 2020.

In Gulf Arab countries, the appointments of higher offices will be held by members of the ruling family. Sheikh Mohammed has served as foreign minister since 2016.

Thousands of women devotees gathered at the Attukal Bhagavathy temple on March 7 for Attukal Pongala, the ninth day of the annual 10-day women-centric festival.

About Attukal Pongala -

Attukal Pongala is said to be one of the largest gatherings of women in the world where we see women get together to celebrate the Goddess in the Attukal Bhagavathy temple.

Women set up brick hearths along the roads, across the city, and around the temple and prepare pongala (like kheer/ payasam — a mixture of rice, jaggery, scrapped coconut, cardamom) in metal or earthen pots on the hearth.

Pongala is a ten-day- long festival of Attukal Bhagavathy Temple.

The festival commences with the musical rendering of the story of the Goddess (Kannaki Charitam) during the “Kappu Kettu ceremony”.

The story invokes the presence of Kodungallur Bhagavathy and the slaying of the Pandyan King. This festival commemorates the victory of Good over Evil, by the slaying of Pandyan King.

Civic architect, urban planner and activist, Sir David Alan Chipperfield has been selected as the 2023 Laureate of The Pritzker Architecture Prize, the award that is regarded internationally as architecture’s highest honor.

Chipperfield’s storied career spans more than 40 years and includes 100-plus projects, ranging from civic, cultural and academic buildings to residences and urban masterplanning throughout Asia, Europe, and North America.

About the Pritzker Architecture Prize -

Established by the Hyatt Foundation in 1979, the annual award honors architects whose built work demonstrates a combination talent, vision, and commitment.

Last year, Francis Kéré became the first black architect to win the prize, while 2021 saw Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal honored for their collaborative practice.

The 23rd Commonwealth Law Conference was inaugurated by Goa Governor PS Sreedharan Pillai.

The five-day conference, which was held from March 5-9, 2023, was also attended by Union Minister for Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju and Chief Minister of Goa Dr Pramod Sawant.

The Conference has 500 delegates from 52 countries in attendance.

Government has started eCourts phase III with an aim of making the Indian Judiciary completely paperless.

On the Ease of Living and Ease of Doing Business front, he informed that about 13,000 compliance burdens have been simplified while more than 1,200 processes have been digitized.

Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Dr L. Murugan presented the 8th National Photography awards in New Delhi.

A total of thirteen awards were presented during the ceremony today including 6 each in the Professional and Amateur category.

The theme for the Professional category was "Life and Water", while in the Amateur category the theme was "Cultural Heritage of India".

Winners of the 8th National Photography Awards -

Lifetime Achievement Award - Ms Sipra Das

Professional Photographer of the Year Award - Shri Sasi Kumar Ramachandran

Special Mention Awards in the Professional category - Shri Dipjyoti Banik, Shri Manish Kumar Chauhan, Shri R S Gopakumar, Shri Sudipto Das, Shri Umesh Harishchandra Nikam.

Amateur Photographer of the Year Award - Shri Arun Saha

Special Mention Awards in the Amateur category - Shri C S Sreeranj, Dr Mohit Wadhawan, Shri Ravishankar S L, Shri Subhadip Bose, Shri Tharun Adurugatla.

Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das has announced that the Central Bank will encourage local entrepreneurs to enable digital payments across 75 villages in the country.

This Digital Village Program will be initiated with the help of merchants.

It started during Digital Payments Awareness Week.

Along with this, the "Har Payment Digital" mission was also launched.

Under this, Payment System Operators (PSOs) will select villages across the country and work to increase awareness of digital payments.

The International Day of Women Judges, which is celebrated every year on March 10, honours all female judges who have taken the lead in the fight against social injustice.

It serves as a day of symbolism for the fight for gender equality, equal access to opportunities and the elimination of gender-based discrimination, which persists in all spheres of society.

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) voted to observe an international day for female judges as a way to recognise the contributions made by female judges around the world to justice, equality, and fairness in society.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) hosted an international conference from February 24–27, 2020, in Doha, Qatar, which is to blame for this development.