Tnpsc Current Affairs in English – 16th & 17th April 2023
1. ‘Cumbum Panneer Thratchai’ grapes, which received G.I tag recently, is from which state/UT?
[A] Odisha
[B] Tamil Nadu
[C] Karnataka
[D] West Bengal
Answer: [B] Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu’s Cumbum grapes, also known as Cumbum Panneer Thratchai, recently received GI tag. It constitutes 85 percent of the grapes grown in Tamil Nadu. The Cumbum valley also called Kambam Valley, located at the Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu, is known as the ‘Grapes city of South India’.
2. Which country conduced the ‘International Aviation Safety Assessment?
[A] India
[B] USA
[C] Australia
[D] Russia
Answer: [B] USA
International Aviation Safety Assessment was conducted recently by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the US. It found that India meets every international safety standard. As per the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), India’s International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) category will continue to be published as Category 1.
3. Which country is the host of the first-ever ‘Global Buddhist Conference’?
[A] Thailand
[B] Singapore
[C] China
[D] India
Answer: [D] India
The first-ever Global Buddhist Conference will be hosted by India on April 20 and 21. It will be organized based on the theme ‘Response to Contemporary Challenges from Philosophy to Praxis”. It will cover subjects such as Buddhism and peace, environmental crisis, health and sustainability, and the preservation of the Nalanda Buddhist tradition, Buddhist pilgrimage, living heritage and Buddha relics.
4. Which armed force launched the Regional Pollution Response Exercise ‘RPREX-2023’?
[A] Indian Army
[B] Indian Navy
[C] Indian Coast Guard
[D] Indian Air Force
Answer: [C] India Coast Guard
The Regional Pollution Response Exercise, RPREX-2023, was launched recently by the Indian Coast Guard. It will assess the preparedness of the oil xploration companies to handle oil spills and marine pollutions.
5. Which country has declared a drug named ‘xylazine’ as an emerging threat?
[A] India
[B] USA
[C] China
[D] Sri Lanka
Answer: [B] USA
The United has declared that the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl combined with xylazine – an animal transquilizer is an “emerging threat” facing the United States. Xylazine is increasingly being used in illicit drugs and it is seen as a threat due to its role in the ongoing opioid crisis.
6. Bathinda military station, which was seen in the news, is located in which state?
[A] Punjab
[B] Assam
[C] West Bengal
[D] Sikkim
Answer: [A] Punjab
The Bathinda military station is the headquarters of the Corps of the Army, also called as the Chetak Corps). Recently, four Army jawans in this military station were killed. Bathinda Police arrested one solider in connection with a military station firing incident, who has confessed the crime.
7. Which state/UT recently unveiled the statue of “Teja Singh Sutantar’?
[A] Gujarat
[B] Punjab
[C] Uttarakhand
[D] Sikkim
Answer: [B] Punjab
Teja Singh Sutantar, a member of the Fifth Lok Sabha, was a national revolutionary who fought for Indian independence from the British colonialism. He also led the ‘PEPSU Muzara movement’ fighting for the liberation of Punjab peasantry from feudal lords. His statue was unveiled recently by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
8. Which act allows the Central Government to set up a fact checking unit?
[A] IT Amendment Rules, 2023
[B] Digital India Act 2022
[C] Digital Media Rules 2023
[D] Free Speech Rules 2023
Answer: [A] IT Amendment Rules, 2023
The Rule 3(1) (II) (A) and (C) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2023 allows the Central Government to set up a fact checking unit. There are concerns regarding its role in preventing free speech online.
9. ‘Ukraine Relief, Recovery, Reconstruction and Reform Trust Fund’ is associated with which institution?
[A] Asian Development Bank
[B] International Monetary Fund
[C] World Economic Forum
[D] World Bank
Answer: [D] World Bank
The World Bank announced USD 200 million grant financing for a project that will repair Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. This will be funded through the Ukraine Relief, Recovery, Reconstruction and Reform Trust Fund. It is a platform that allows the World Bank to support the Ukraine Government’s operations and reliefs amid the war.
10. Which state/UT hosted the ‘5th India-UK Home Affairs Dialogue’ in 2023?
[A] Mumbai
[B] New Delhi
[C] Ahmedabad
[D] Chennai
Answer: [B] New Delhi
The 5th India-UK Home Affairs Dialogue was held recently in New Delhi. The Indian delegation was led by Union Home Secretary. During this event, the Indian delegation pointed out concerns regarding the misuse of the UK’s asylum status by the Pro-Khalistani elements to assist and abet terrorist activities in India.
11. Indian Institute of Petroleum, a CSIR lab, is located in which state/UT?
[A] West Bengal
[B] Uttarakhand
[C] Gujarat
[D] Maharashtra
Answer: [B] Uttarakhand
Dehradun-based Indian Institute of Petroleum, a CSIR lab, recently launched its One Week One Lab (OWOL) campaign. The campaign marks the celebrations of Dr B.R.Ambedkar’s birth anniversary along with the CSIR-IIP’s 64th foundation day on 14th April at its campus in Dehradun.
12. Raman Research Institute, the autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology, is based in which city?
[A] Chennai
[B] Pune
[C] Bengaluru
[D] Hyderabad
Answer: [C] Bengaluru
The Raman Research Institute is an institute for scientific research located in Bangalore, India. It was founded by Nobel laureate C.V. Raman in 1948. The autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology recently signed an MoU with the Indian Navy’s Weapons and Electronics Systems Engineering Establishment (WESEE) for the development of secure maritime communications using quantum technologies.
13. Which institution launched the ‘Fair Lending Practice- Penal Charges in Loan Accounts’?
[A] RBI
[B] SEBI
[C] NPCI
[D] IRDAI
Answer: [A] RBI
‘Draft Fair Lending Practice-Penal Charges in Loan Accounts’ was recently released by the Reserve Bank of India. According to the guidelines, the quantum of penal charges should be comparative to the defaults/non-compliance of material terms.
14. Which state/UT is set to launch the ‘Mukhyamantri Vidhwa Evam Ekal Nari Awas Yojna’?
[A] Uttar Pradesh
[B] Himachal Pradesh
[C] Assam
[D] Gujarat
Answer: [B] Himachal Pradesh
Mukhyamantri Vidhwa Evam Ekal Nari Awas Yojna is set to be launched by the Himachal Pradesh Government. Under this scheme, financial assistance will be provided for windows and single women to construct houses.
15. Which telescope captured the ‘Cassiopeia A’ supernova remnant?
[A] Hubble
[B] James Webb
[C] Spitzer
[D] Chandra
Answer: [B] James Webb
Cassiopeia A is a supernova remnant situated in Cassiopeia constellation. It was nicknamed the Green Monster in honour of Fenway Park in Boston. The remnants of this supernova was captured with high detail by the James Webb Space Telescope.
16. ‘Urja Ganga Pipeline’ is an ambitious initiative of which country?
[A] Sri Lanka
[B] India
[C] Nepal
[D] Bengladesh
Answer: [B] India
Urja Ganga Pipeline is an ambitious project of India that seeks to take CNG to far-flung areas. This has helped expand the adoption of cleaner fuels to the hinterlands. In 2016, work on laying a 2655-km pipeline from Uttar Pradesh to West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha began. The line was extended to Assam from Bihar, a length of 726km, to take the fuel to unconnected states in the East.
17. What is ‘Vibrio vulnificus’, which was seen in the news recently?
[A] Animal
[B] Bird
[C] Bacterium
[D] Insect
Answer: [C] Bacterium
Vibrio vulnificus is a rare flesh-eating bacterium that can cause necrotizing fasciitis- a severe infection in which the flesh around an open wound dies. In the east coast of the United States, rising temperature as resulted in a surge in the presence of Vibrio vulnificus and associated infections.
18. Dr. Zafrullah Chowdhury, who passed away recently, was the public health pioneer of which country?
[A] India
[B] Nepal
[C] Bangladesh
[D] Sri Lanka
Answer: [C] Bangladesh
Veteran Liberation War fighter and public health activist Dr. Zafrullah Chowdhury passed away in Dhaka at the age of 81. Dr. Zafrullah Chowdhury set up the Gonoshasthaya Kendra in 1972 to provide affordable and quality treatment to underprivileged people. He won the Ramon Magsaysay Award in the Community Leadership category in 1985 and the Right Livelihood Prize in 1992. In 1977, he was awarded the Independence Award, the highest civilian award in Bangladesh.
19. Nisha Dahia, who was seen in the news, plays which sports?
[A] Cricket
[B] Hockey
[C] Wrestling
[D] Hockey
Answer: [C] Wrestling
Nisha Dahia has won a Silver medal in 68kg category in Asian Wrestling Championships in Kazakhstan. Nisha has defeated Chian’s Feng Zhou 7-6 in the semi-finals. Another Indian wrestler, Priya Malik clinched a bronze in 76kg category. She defeated Japan’s Mizuki Nagashima in the repechage round.
20. What is the growth forecast on India by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for 2023-24?
[A] 4.9 %
[B] 5.9 %
[C] 6.9 %
[D] 7.9 %
Answer: [B] 5.9 %
International Monetary Fund (IMF) has cut its GDP growth forecast for India for the financial year 2023-24 by 20 basis points to 5.98 per cent. In its latest bi-annual World Economic Outlook, RBI also announced that India’s retail inflation to ease from 6.7 per cent in FY23 to 4.9 per cent in FY24 and current account deficit to come down to 2.2 per cent of GDP from 2.6 per cent in FY23.