ANS : B

• Public sector lender Indian Bank has unveiled new services under its digital transformation initiative- Project WAVE.
• Accordingly, the Indian Bank in collaboration with National E-Governance Services Ltd, has introduced an electronic bank guarantee (e-BG) service to ease traditional paper-based processes.
• This move will also reduce the turn-around time of the bank guarantee issuance and delivery to the beneficiary from an industry average of 3-4 working days to a few minutes.
• Indian Bank has launched a facility to avail pre-approved business loans, an end-to-end digital journey, for eligible individuals and proprietor firms to cater to their respective businesses.

ANS : D 

• Vice Admiral Atul Anand took over as Additional Secretary, Department of Military Affairs on July 03, 2023.
• The post was previously held by Lt Gen Anil Puri, who superannuated on February 28, 2023.
• Vice Admiral Atul Anand was commissioned into the executive branch of the Indian Navy on January 01, 1988.
• He is an alumnus of National Defence Academy (71st Course, Delta Squadron); Defence Services Command and Staff College, Mirpur (Bangladesh) and National Defence College, New Delhi. He has also attended the Advanced Security Cooperation course at Asia Pacific Centre of Security Studies, Hawaii, USA.

ANS : C

• Taking another step of strengthening marketing support for products made by women of Self-help Groups (SHGs), Deendayal Antyodaya Yojna- National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) launched eSARAS mobile App which will add to eCommerce initiatives for products made by the SHGs.
• The App was launched by Shailesh Kumar Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India at New Delhi.
• The eSARAS fulfillment centre will be managed by the Foundation for Development of Rural Value Chains (FDRVC – a Not for Profit Company constituted jointly by Ministry of Rural Development and Tata Trust) and will be used for processing, packaging and shipping of products that customers purchase through the eSARAS Portal and eSARAS mobile App.
  • It will handle the logistics required to bring an online order to a customer’s doorstep.
• eSARAS an e-commerce mobile app will be used as a more effective platform for marketing of the products made by women of self-help groups.
• It is an initiative conceptualized by the DAY-NRLM, Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), towards the marketing of the best, authentic handicrafts and hand-looms.

ANS : C 

• Max Verstappen won the Austrian Grand Prix to take another step towards a third successive world title.
• Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished second to split the Red Bulls at their home circuit with Sergio Perez completing the podium at Spielberg.
• This was double world champion Verstappen’s seventh win out of nine this season and his fifth successive victory.
• His win total lifted him to fifth in the all-time list of winners and clear of Ayrton Senna, with whom he had shared 41 victories since winning in Canada.

ANS : A 

• Indian tennis player, Yuki Bhambri won his first ATP Tour title in the Mallorca Open 2023 men’s doubles final.
• Bhambri partnered with South Africa’s Lloyd Harris to beat Robin Haase and Philipp Oswald in the final.
• Bhambri and Myneni also won their first Grand Slam match at the French Open 2023.
• Yuki Bhambri is a former junior world No. 1 in singles.

ANS : C 

• As many as 205 species of birds were found in Bihar in the latest census conducted in the state by the department of forests, environment and climate change in collaboration with the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) in January-February this year.
• In comparison to 2022 census, only 202 species of birds were found in the state.
• This year, the counting exercise was done in 26 districts of the state, covering 76 wetlands, comprising three river systems, Ganga, Kosi and Gandak.

ANS : A 

• Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu has been rewarded for her superb recent form by becoming the new No.1 ranked batter on the latest ICC Women’s ODI Batting Rankings.
• Athapaththu claims top billing from Australia opener Beth Mooney.
• Athapaththu become the first Sri Lankan women to top the women’s ODI rankings, joining male compatriot Sanath Jayasuriya as the only two players from the island nation to have held the No.1 spot in the history of the ODI rankings.

ANS : D 

• Some dedicated ‘monkey forests’ (Vanar Vans) will be created in the state capital during the proposed annual plantation drive for simian population.
• These Vanar Vans will be created in three categories—by nagar nigam, forest and rural development departments.
• The “Vanar Vans” will be located on the outskirts of the city so that monkeys may get food and water for their survival.
• The Ayush forest will be developed in Sushant Golf City by planting sapling of 980 species of medicinal plants.
• The ‘Nandan Van’ will come up in Kalli Pashchim.

ANS : B 

• Debadatta Chand has assumed charge as the managing director and chief executive officer of Bank of Baroda (BoB).
• He takes over from Sanjiv Chadha, whose tenure ended on June 30, 2023.
• Prior to his appointment as MD & CEO, Chand served as the executive director at Bank of Baroda since March 2021. 
• He began his career in 1994 as an officer at Allahabad Bank and later worked as a manager at the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) from 1998 to 2005. In 2005, he joined Punjab National Bank (PNB) as chief manager and steadily progressed to the position of chief general manager. 
• Chand also currently serves on the boards of BOB Capital Markets, India Infradebt, Baroda Financial Solutions, Bank of Baroda (Tanzania), Bank of Baroda (Uganda), and Bank of Baroda (Kenya). Previously, he served on the boards of PNB Principal Mutual Fund and SWIFT India Pvt. Ltd. as a nominee director of Punjab National Bank.

Bank of Baroda :

• It is an Indian public sector bank headquartered in Vadodara, Gujarat.
• It is the second largest public sector bank in India after State Bank of India, with 153 million customers, a total business of US$218 billion, and a global presence of 100 overseas offices.
• The bank was founded on July 20, 1908, by Sayajirao Gaekwad III, the Maharaja of Baroda.
• Bank of Baroda offers a wide range of banking products and services, including savings accounts, current accounts, loans, investments, and insurance.

ANS : D 

• In a significant development, Jammu and Kashmir Government has raised the age of superannuation for university professors in the union territory.
• The Administrative Council under the Chairmanship of Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, raised the retirement age of University Professors from 62 to 65 years.
• By extending the retirement age, the government hopes to retain qualified and dedicated faculty members who can continue to enrich the teaching, research, and administrative aspects of the universities.