Tnpsc Current Affairs in English – 1st September 2023
1. ‘Operation Muskaan’, which was seen in the news, was implemented in which city?
[A] Indore
[B] Mumbai
[C] Ahmedabad
[D] Guwahati
Answer: [B] Mumbai
Over 5,000 minors rescued by Mumbai Police so far this year under ‘Operation Muskaan’, a Ministry of Home Affairs project. It aims to find missing children, and rescue and rehabilitate them. More children were rescued by the Mumbai Police till August of this year than those rescued in the past five years combined.
2. What is the transaction limit for small value digital payments in offline mode, as of September 2023?
[A] Rs 1000
[B] Rs 500
[C] Rs 200
[D] Rs 100
Answer: [B] Rs 500
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced to enhance transaction limits for small value digital payments in offline mode to ₹500 from the earlier cap of ₹200. These can be made using any channel or instruments such as cards, wallets, mobile devices in face-to-face mode only. Although the upper limit of an offline payment transaction shall be 500, the total limit on a payment instrument will be 2,000 at any point in time.
3. Which state implements the ‘Ladli Behna Scheme’?
[A] Maharashtra
[B] Madhya Pradesh
[C] Goa
[D] Odisha
Answer: [B] Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh raised the financial aid given to women in the Ladli Behna Scheme from 1,000 to 1,250 per month. About 1.25 crore women will be benefited from this decision. Women in the 23-60 age group get the assistance if they are not income tax payees and the annual income of their families is less than 2.5 lakh annually. The Chief Minister also announced 35 percent reservation for women in government jobs.
4. Cabinet declared which day as ‘National Space Day’ in India?
[A] August 20
[B] August 23
[C] August 25
[D] August 27
Answer: [B] August 23
Union Cabinet has declared August 23 as ‘National Space Day’ to commemorate Chandrayaan-3’s successful landing on the Moon. The Cabinet also applauded the designation of two moon locations as ‘Tiranga Point’ (the imprint of Chandrayaan-2) and Shiv Shakti Point (the landing site of Chandrayaan-3) in the release.
5. Archaeologists have unearthed 3,000-year- old priestly tomb in which country?
[A] Peru
[B] Argentina
[C] Greece
[D] Japan
Answer: [A] Peru
Archaeologists have recently unearthed 3,000- year-old priestly tomb, which had lain undisturbed, in northern Peru. The occupant of the grave was dubbed as the Priest of Pacopampa by archaeologists after the highland area where it was found.
6. Which country’s military force has unveiled the artificial intelligence robot ‘Valkyrie’ for aerial combat?
[A] USA
[B] UK
[C] Germany
[D] UAE
Answer: [A] USA
The Valkyrie, a next-generation drone, is a prototype, has been introduced by the United States military force. It will serve as a supplement to the fleet of traditional fighter jets. The robot is powered into flight by a rocket engine and it can fly a distance equal to the width of China. It has a stealthy design and is capable of carrying missiles that can hit enemy targets far beyond its visual range.
7. Which state/UT inaugurated India’s first Artificial Intelligence (AI) school?
[A] Telangana
[B] Kerala
[C] Karnataka
[D] Punjab
Answer: [B] Kerala
President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated India’s first Artificial Intelligence (AI) School called as Santhigiri Vidyabhavan in Kerala’s capital city, Thiruvananthapuram. The AI school is a result of a collaboration between iLearning Engines (ILE) USA and Vedhik eSchool.
8. Muhammed Anas and Amoj Jacob, who were in the news, are associated with which sports?
[A] Javelin Throw
[B] Weight lifting
[C] Relay
[D] Shotput
Answer: [C] Relay
Indian men’s 4x400m relay team consisting of Muhammed Anas Yahiya, Amoj Jacob, Muhammed Ajmal Variyathodi and Rajesh Ramesh broke the Asian record. The team qualified for the final round of the World Championships, for the first time. The earlier Asian record of 2:59.51 was in the name of Japanese team. The earlier national record was 3:00.25 set in 2021.
9. Which racing driver clinched the Dutch Grand Prix for the third year in a row?
[A] Lewis Hamilton
[B] Max Verstappen
[C] Charles Leclerc
[D] Sebastien Vettel
Answer: [B] Max Verstappen
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen clinched the Dutch Grand Prix title for the third year in a row. He was followed by Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly. Verstappen secured his ninth consecutive victory in Formula One, matching Sebastian Vettel’s 2013 record.
10. Simone Biles, who was seen in the news, is a popular gymnast of which country?
[A] Russia
[B] China
[C] Ukraine
[D] USA
Answer: [D] USA
Simone Biles wins a record eighth all-around title at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships, a full decade after her first national title. She won her first world title at the 2013 championships and she has won 25 medals at world championships, including 18 golds higher than any men’s or women’s gymnasts in history.
11. An Se Young, who won the badminton world championships, is from which country?
[A] China
[B] Japan
[C] South Korea
[D] Singapore
Answer: [C] South Korea
An Se-young defeated Carolina Marin to become the Republic of Korea’s first women’s singles world champion. The world number one played in her 11th final from 12 tournaments this year. Kunlavut Vitidsarn made history by becoming Thailand’s first men’s singles world champion after a final against Naraoka Kodai. He is now the sixth man to win both junior and senior world singles titles.
12. A postage stamp was released in memory of Dadi Prakashmani, who is associated with which institution?
[A] Brahma Kumaris
[B] Goonj
[C] Pratham
[D] Give India Foundation
Answer: [A] Brahma Kumaris
The President of India, Droupadi Murmu released a postage stamp in memory of Dadi Prakashmani, former chief of Brahma Kumaris at Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre. This stamp was released under the ‘My Stamp’ initiative of the Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications to mark the 16th death anniversary of Dadi Prakashmani.
13. Which state/UT launched a clean district ranking drive called MODI (Most Outstanding District Initiative)?
[A] West Bengal
[B] Assam
[C] Odisha
[D] Telangana
Answer: [B] Assam
Assam launched a clean district ranking drive called MODI (Most Outstanding District Initiative), to boost solid waste management and sanitation. Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that the most outstanding district will be awarded Rs 100 crore towards infrastructure development and the results will be tentatively declared by the first week of April 2024. The cabinet also approved installation of 2,000 CCTV cameras across the state.
14. The world’s first hundred percent Ethanol fuelled Car has been developed by which company?
[A] Maruti Suzuki
[B] Toyota
[C] Mahindra and Mahindra
[D] Tata Motors
Answer: [B] Toyota
Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari unveiled the prototype of the world’s first Bharat Stage (BS)-VI-compliant electrified flex-fuel car, developed by Toyota Kirloskar Motor. The car, which runs on 100 per cent ethanol (E100), is based on the Toyota Innova HyCross. It can cover 40 per cent of its distance on ethanol and the remaining 60 per cent on electric, with the petrol engine shut off.
15. Which Union Ministry launched the sixth edition of Smart India Hackathon (SIH) 2023?
[A] Ministry of Education
[B] Ministry of Home Affairs
[C] Ministry of Science and Technology
[D] Ministry of Electronics and IT
Answer: [A] Ministry of Education
Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell and the All-India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) have launched the sixth edition of Smart India Hackathon (SIH) 2023. Since its inception in 2017, the Smart India Hackathon has become a global model for hackathons and innovation frameworks. This event presents 239 problem statements, including 182 software challenges and 57 hardware challenges.
16. What is the name of India’s first space- based observatory, to be launched in September 2023?
[A] Arun-L1
[B] Aditya-L1
[C] Kathir-L1
[D] Surya-L1
Answer: [B] Aditya-L1
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to launch Aditya-L1 on September 2 to study the sun. The Aditya-L1 mission is the first space-based observatory-class Indian solar mission to study the Sun. It will be placed in a halo orbit around the Lagrangian point (L1) of the Sun-Earth system.
17. Thiruvonam is a festival prevalently celebrated in which state?
[A] Kerala
[B] Andhra Pradesh
[C] Tamil Nadu
[D] Karnataka
Answer: [A] Kerala
Thiruvonam, the most auspicious day during the Onam festival, is celebrated throughout Kerala. Onam is a harvest festival that celebrates the return of King Mahabali/Maveli to his beloved state. The festival is celebrated for ten days and each day holds a lot of significance. Onam also marks the beginning of the Malayalam year, called Kolla Varsham.
18. When is the National Sports Day celebrated in India?
[A] August 21
[B] August 23
[C] August 25
[D] August 29
Answer: [D] August 29
Every year on August 29, India celebrates National Sports Day to commemorate the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand. It is also called Rashtriya Khel Divas. The day is dedicated to the country’s sports heroes and champions for their contribution and dedication towards bringing pride to the nation. It aims to raise awareness about the values of sports.
19. Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) directed which state to release Cauvery water?
[A] Kerala
[B] Tamil Nadu
[C] Karnataka
[D] Andhra Pradesh
Answer: [C] Karnataka
Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) has recommended Karnataka to release 5,000 cusecs of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu for the next 15 days. While Tamil Nadu sought 24,000 cusecs to be given, Karnataka had indicated it would be able to supply 3,000 cusecs.
20. Which city hosted the recent meeting of Western Zonal Council?
[A] Mumbai
[B] Gandhinagar
[C] Jodhpur
[D] Amritsar
Answer: [B] Gandhinagar
Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently chaired 26th meeting of Western Zonal Council at Gandhinagar, Gujarat. He also inaugurated an e- Resource web portal of Inter State Council Secretariat, Ministry of Home Affairs. This portal will facilitate functioning of Zonal Councils. The meeting was attended by Chief Ministers of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa and Administrator of Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu.