Tnpsc Current Affairs in English – 19th April 2023
1. Uttaramerur inscription, which was seen in the news, is found in which state?
[A] Gujarat
[B] Tamil Nadu
[C] Karnataka
[D] Odisha
Answer : [B] Tamil Nadu
Uttaramerur inscription was mentioned by Prime Minister Modi recently. This inscription was created during the reign of Parantaka Chola I (907-953 AD) The walls of the Vaikunda Perumal Temple in Uttaramerur are inscribed with details revealing systems of local governance from the 10th century CE.
2. Buzi Bridge, which was inaugurated recently, was built by India in which country?
[A] Sri Lanka
[B] Maldives
[C] Mozambique
[D] Bangladesh
Answer : [C] Mozambique
The Buzi Bridge was inaugurated by Union External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar. The Minister also had a meeting with President of Assembly Esperanca Bias. It was built as part of 132 km Tica-Buzi-Nova-Sofala Road project by India in Mozambique.
3. ‘Incident Management Services’ is associated with which Union Ministry?
[A] Ministry of Home Affairs
[B] Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
[C] Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
[D] Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers welfare
Answer : [C] Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
The Union Ministry of road transport and highways is planning to extend its Incident Management Services (IMS) to all national highways. The purpose of this step is to minimize road fatalities and improve safety for road users. Incident Management Services (IMS) on national roads will be provided, run, and maintained by businesses.
4. Which institution has launched the ‘Mission 50K-EV4ECO’?
[A] RBI
[B] SIDBI
[C] SEBI
[D] NITI Aayog
Answer : [B] SIDBI
The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has announced the launched of a pilot phase of ‘Mission 50K-EV4ECO’ The pilot scheme aims at strengthening the EV ecosystem, including uptake for two, three and four-wheelers through direct and indirect lending.
5. ‘Satuani and Jur Sital’ are the festivals celebrated in which state/UT?
[A] West Bengal
[B] Bihar
[C] Assam
[D] Karnataka
Answer : [B] Bihar
Satuani is a festival related to nature. The traditional harvest festival will be celebrated in North India mainly in Bihar to mark the start of the summer season. It includes eating sattu made out of lentil flour. Jur Sital, also known as Maithili new year will be observed on the next day of Satuani.
6. Which institution released guidelines for assessment of child suspects in heinous offences?
[A] UNICEF
[B] NITI Aayog
[C] NCPCR
[D] NCW
Answer : [C] NCPCR
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) issued guidelines for the first time for conducting ‘preliminary assessment’ of child suspects. The guidelines will help to determine whether a child should be treated as a minor or not in criminal cases which come under the ‘heinous’ offences category of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. Juvenile Justice Board is responsible for conducting preliminary assessment.
7. Which company has built ‘Starship’, the most powerful rocket ever built to take humans to the Moon?
[A] NASA
[B] ISRO
[C] SpaceX
[D] Blue Virgin
Answer : [C] SpaceX
The first orbital flights test of the Starship was scheduled to be conducted. It is the most powerful rocket ever built to ferry humans to the Moon and beyond. The vehicle, known as Starship, has been built by entrepreneur Elon Musk’s SpaceX company. The uncrewed mission was called off minutes before the planned launch from Texas.
8. ‘Vegetable Production System (Veggie)’ is associated with which space agency?
[A] ISRO
[B] NASA
[C] ESA
[D] JAXA
Answer : [B] NASA
The Vegetable Production System (Veggie) is plant growth unit aboard the International Space Station. Tomatoes grown on this unit will return to Earth using SpaceX’s commercial resupply services. Veggie’s purpose is to help NASA study plant growth in microgravity, while adding fresh food to the astronauts’ diet and enhancing happiness and well-being on the orbiting laboratory.
9. Which city is the host of the ‘G20 Meeting of Agricultural Chief Scientists’?
[A] Varanasi
[B] Ahmedabad
[C] Jaipur
[D] Shillong
Answer : [A] Varanasi
The G20 Meeting of Agricultural Chief Scientists is set to be held on April 17 to 19 in Varanasi. It seeks to promote science-based solutions to achieve sustainable, resilient and profitable agri-food systems. Meeting of Agricultural Chief Scientists (MACS) is the 100th G20 Meeting during India’s G20 Presidency.
10. Bohag Bihu is celebrated in which state/UT?
[A] Assam
[B] West Bengal
[C] Rajasthan
[D] Gujarat
Answer : [A] Assam
Bohag Bihu is an ethnic festival celebrated in North-eastern India, especially in Assam. This year, this 7-day festival will be celebrated in Assam from April 14 to April 20. It celebrated the onset of the Assamese new year. It is also called as the Rongali Bihu. The first day of the Bihu is dedicated to cattle, which provides livelihood.
11. ‘Pohela BoishaKh’ marks the beginning of the new year in which state?
[A] Odisha
[B] West Bengal
[C] Uttarakhand
[D] Meghalaya
Answer : [B] West Bengal
Pohela Boishakh, also known as Bengali New Year, is a significant cultural festival in Bangladesh and the Bengali-speaking states of India including West Bengal. The festival is celebrated on the first day of the Bengali calendar, which usually falls in the month of April. This year, it is celebrated on April 15.
12. Which bloc has set up a set up a task force to monitor OpenAI’s ChatGPT?
[A] SAARC
[B] EU
[C] ASEAN
[D] G-20
Answer : [B] EU
The European Data Protection Board is an autonomous institute in charge of supervising data protection regulations within the European Union. It has recently decided to set up a task force to monitor Open AI’s ChatGPT. Italy last month imposed a temporarily ban on ChatGPT.
13. The Cabinet Committee on Security recently approved sector headquarters in which state/UT?
[A] Jammu and Kashmir
[B] Arunachal Pradesh
[C] Uttarakhand
[D] Punjab
Answer : [B] Arunachal Pradesh
The Cabinet Committee on Security recently approved the sanctioning of seven battalions of Indo-Tibetan Border Police and the one sector headquarters in Arunachal Pradesh. This is seen as a major push by the Indian Government to counter Chinese manoeuvres in the region.
14. ‘Metarhizium indicum’ which was seen in the news, belongs to which species?
[A] Bird
[B] Fish
[C] Fungus
[D] Bacterium
Answer : [C] Fungus
A team of scientists led by the Indian Institute of Spices Research (IISR), Kozhikode, have discovered a new species of Insect pathogenic fungus. The fungus, isolated from leafhopper pest of Malabar tamarind, has been named Metarhizium indicum to indicate its Indian origin. It is said to have a potential biocontrol application.
15. As per the ‘BanKing on Climate Chaos Report’ which is the top bank in financing fossil fuels globally from 2016-2022?
[A] Citi Bank
[B] JP Morgan Chase
[C] Wells Fargo
[D] Bank of America
Answer : [B] JP Morgan Chase
The ‘Banking on Climate Chaos Report’ was co-authored by several institutions including Rainforest Action Network, BankTrack, Indigenous Environmental Network among others. According to this report, world’s 60 largest banks have spent 5.5 trillion USD for funding fossil fuel projects since 2016, when the Paris Agreement came into effect. J P Morgan Chase is the top bank financing fossil fuels globally from 2016-2022.
16. The ‘World Chagas Disease Day’ observed across the world during which month?
[A] January
[B] February
[C] March
[D] April
Answer : [D] April
World Chagas Disease Day is observed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on April 14. It raises awareness about the Chagas disease. Chagas is a communicable parasitic disease that infected over 6 to 7 million people. The theme for 2023 is Time to integrate Chagas disease into primary health care.
17. The ‘Bharat Gaurav Tourist train’ was flagged off to mark birth anniversary of which leader in April?
[A] Jawaharlal Nehru
[B] Dr B R Ambedkar
[C] Subash Chandra Bose
[D] Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Answer : [B] Dr B R Ambedkar
Union Tourism Minister G Krishan Reddy and Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Dr. Virendra Kumar flagged off Bharat Gaurav Tourist tarin to mark the birth anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar from New Delhi. Government has developed Panchteerth, five place associated with Dr Ambedkar. During the 8-day tour, the train will cover cities including, New Delhi, Mhow, Nagpur, Varanasi and sacred Buddhist sites like Sanchi, Sarnath, Gayaand Rajgir and Nalanda.
18. Which country has confirmed financial support of USD 1 billion to PaKistan?
[A] Russia
[B] China
[C] USA
[D] UAE
Answer : [D] UAE
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has confirmed financial support of USD 1 billion to Pakistan. This was announced by the Finance Minister of Pakistan. Pakistan is tackling a major economic crisis as it awaits USD 1.1 billion tranche of funding from the Washington-based International Monetary Fund, part of a USD 6.5 billion bailout package the IMF approved in 2019.
19. Which space agency launched the ‘Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) project’?
[A] ISRO
[B] NASA
[C] ESA
[D] Rocosmos
Answer : [C] ESA
The European Space Agency has successfully launched its mission to Jupiter’s moons. The Ariane 5 rocket was launched from the ESA’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) project aims to send a satellite on an eight-year journey to reach the icy moons of the planet, gas giant.
20. ‘Nagarjunasagar – Srisailam Tiger Reserve’ is located in a region spanning across which states?
[A] Tamil Nadu – Kerala
[B] Andhra Pradesh – Telangana
[C] Andhra Pradesh – Tamil Nadu
[D] Maharashtra – Karnataka
Answer : [B] Andhra Pradesh – Telangana
Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve is the largest tiger reserve in India, spanning across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. To ensure smooth traffic flow, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has enabled FASTag- based payments at forest entry points across Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR).