Q1. Who is behind Hindenburg Research?

1. Dustin Moskovitz
2. Eduardo Saverin
3. Nathan Anderson
4. John Knowles Fitch
5. None of These

Q2. In the budget 2023-24 fiscal deficit targeted to be below 4.5 per cent by

1. 2023-24
2. 2024-25
3. 2025-26
4. 2026 -27
5. None of These

Q3. In the budget 2023-24, the defence budget  has been increased by 13% to

1. Rs 5.94 lakh crore
2. Rs 5.25 lakh crore
3. Rs 4.21 lakh crore
4. Rs 3.25 lakh crore
5. None of These

Q4. Name fund which has been mentioned In the budget 2023-24  and which will be set up to encourage agri-startups by young entrepreneurs ?

1. Agriculture  Development Fund
2. Agriculture Accelerator  Bank
3. Agriculture  Research Fund
4. Agriculture Accelerator Fund
5. None of These

Q5. What amount has been allocated to the Health sector in the Union Budget 2023-24 ?

1. Rs 79,123 crore
2. Rs 81,122 crore
3. Rs 89,155 crore
4. Rs 95,333 crore
5. None of These

Answers

1----------------------3  Nathan Anderson

2----------------------3  2025-26

3----------------------1   Rs 5.94 lakh crore

4----------------------4  Agriculture Accelerator Fund

5----------------------3 Rs 89,155 crore

The Assam government will launch a massive crackdown from  Feb 3 on child marriage, arresting offenders and also undertaking extensive awareness campaigning, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

Police have registered 4,004 cases of child marriage in less than a fortnight.

Those having married girls below 14 years of age will be booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and cases under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 will be registered against those who have married girls in the 14-18 years age group.

They will be arrested and the marriages will be declared illegal.

If the boy is also below 14 years of age, he will be sent to a reform house as minors cannot be tried in the court.

Assam has a high rate of maternal and infant mortality, with child marriage being the primary cause as an average of 31 per cent of marriages registered in the state are in the prohibited age, according to reports of the National Family Health Survey.

Of the 4,004 cases of child marriage registered recently, the highest was reported in Dhubri (370), followed by Hojai (255) and Udalguri (235). Hailakandi district in Barak Valley registered only one case.

According to data shared by the minister in reply to AAP MP’s question in the Rajya Sabha, the Indian Railways (IR) have still the highest number of 2,93,943 posts vacant in its various wings while the defence (civil)  has the second highest number of 2,64,706 posts vacant for years.  According to the minister’s written reply, a total of 9, 79,327 posts are vacant in 78 ministries, departments and the Public Undertaking units of the central government.

The Ministry of Home Affairs comes on third in terms of having the third highest number of 1, 43,536 posts vacant in its different wings, followed by the department of posts with 90050 posts vacant and the revenue department with 80243 vacant posts.

In the Indian Audit and Accounts department of the Central government, 25,934 posts are vacant while the Atomic Energy department has existing vacancies for 9,460 posts. After the Atomic Energy department, the department of Science and Technology also runs with existing vacancies for 8,543 posts, followed by the department of Mines with vacancies for 7,063 posts.

The Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation of the Central government has also vacancies for 6,860 posts. 91 posts in the secretariat of the President and eight posts in the secretariat of the vice-president are vacant. The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) runs with vacancies for 657 posts and the space sector with 2106 posts vacant posts. Similarly, 2535 posts are still vacant in the Personnel, Public Grievance and Pensions.

Iran on  feb 2 blamed Israel for a drone attack that targeted a military workshop in its central city of Isfahan over the weekend, warning it "reserves its legitimate and inherent right" to retaliate.

Iran's mission to the United Nations, in a letter it published on its website, attributed the attack to Israel.

Israel has carried out a series of attacks targeting Iran's nuclear program and other sites since the collapse of its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers as part of a years long shadow war between the Mideast rivals.

Iran has supplied Russia with bomb-carrying drones that Moscow has used to target power plants and civilian sites in Ukraine in its war on the country.

An Air India Express flight bound for Calicut from Abu Dhabi was forced to make an emergency landing back at Abu Dhabi airport on  Feb 3 after a flame was detected in one of the engines.

The pilot of flight  IX348 decided to turn back after noticing the flame.

Meanwhile, Air India Express has informed the media that the aircraft landed smoothly with all the passengers safe and sound.

A total of 184 passengers were onboard when one of the engines developed a technical issue and caught fire according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

A day after Adani group was forced to withdraw its `20,000-crore follow-on public offering (FPO) of its flagship firm Adani Enterprises, banking and stockmarket regulators took note of allegations of irregularities against the conglomerate, while the National Stock Exchange (NSE) put group firms’ shares under surveillance.

On feb 2 , the Reserve Bank of India directed banks to provide details of their loans to Adani firms, the collateral used for these loans, and any other indirect exposure. 

RBI’s prime concerns is that the firms take loans by pledging their shares, which poses risk to the lenders as a sharp fall in the stock price could lower the value of the pledged shares. In all, the listed firms of the Adani group have lost as much as Rs 8.76 lakh crore in market capitalisation in just six trading sessions.

The Union finance ministry has not sounded any alarm yet on concerns related to group.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) is also looking into the allegations of irregularities levelled by Hindenburg Research against Adani group. The regulator is scanning all the transactions done by the group companies in the listed space. It is also checking whether the group failed to make any relevant disclosure required as per the regulations.

Meanwhile, the NSE on  Feb 2 placed Adani Enterprises, Adani Ports and Ambuja Cements under the Additional Surveillance Mechanism (ASM) framework, which will require 100% margin to trade in their shares. The ASM framework aims to protect retail investors from the sharp swings in the shares.

The move is also expected to reduce speculation and short selling. 

As many as three Adani group companies, including Adani Enterprises, have come under short-term additional surveillance measure (ASM) framework of the BSE and NSE, according to the latest data available with the exchanges on Feb 2.

Apart from Adani Enterprises, the other two firms listed by the exchanges are -- Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone and Ambuja Cements.

The parameters for shortlisting securities under ASM include high-low variation, client concentration, number of price band hits, close-to-close price variation and price-earning ratio.

The National Stock Exchange (NSE) and BSE said these companies have satisfied the criteria for inclusion in short-term additional surveillance measure or ASM.

Under the short-term ASM, the exchanges said, "applicable rate of margin shall be 50 per cent or existing margin whichever is higher, subject to maximum rate of margin capped at 100 per cent, with effect from February 6, 2023 on all open positions as on February 3, 2023 and new positions created from February 6, 2023".

The exchanges also noted that the shortlisting of securities under ASM is purely on account of market surveillance, and it should not be construed as an adverse action against the concerned company or entity.

Meanwhile, shares of Adani Enterprises tumbled over 26 per cent on Feb 2, a day after the firm said it has decided not to go ahead with its Rs 20,000-crore Follow-on Public Offer (FPO) and will return the proceeds to investors.

The counter had plunged more than 28 per cent on Feb 1.

Most of the other group firms also declined for the sixth day in a row on  Feb 2  and 10 listed Adani Group firms have faced a combined erosion of over Rs 8.76 lakh crore in past six days.

Swashbuckling Indian batter Suryakumar Yadav continued his stay at the top in the ICC rankings released on  feb 1 .

Suryakumar reached the rating of 910 points after he stroked a quick-fire inning of 47 during the first match of India's ongoing series against New Zealand in Ranchi as the exciting right-hander maintained his healthy lead at the top of the T20I rankings for batters.

While Suryakumar played a more composed knock of 26 not out in the second match of the series, the 32-year-old dropped back to a total of 908 rating points as a result.

It also means Suryakumar remains within striking distance of England batter Dawid Malan in the race to hold the highest rating of all time for men's T20I batters.

No other Indian featured in the top 10 of the batters or bowlers list while Hardik Pandya remained third among all-rounders.

India's Mohammed Siraj continues to be the top-ranked bowler in the ODI rankings.

Shubman Gill (sixth), Virat Kohli(seventh) and Rohit Sharma (ninth) remain static in the batters' list.