Tnpsc Current Affairs in English – 24th August 2023

1. What is ‘NBRI Namoh 108’, which has been developed by CSIR-NBRI?

[A] Cotton

[B] Lotus

[C] Rice

[D] Mango

Answer: [B] Lotus

Union Minister of State (IC) Science and Technology Jitendra Singh unveiled the new variety Lotus flower which has 108 petals. The lotus named ‘NBRI Namoh 108’ is developed by the CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), based in Lucknow.

2. Who has been conferred with the first ever ‘Udyog Ratna’ award instituted by Maharashtra?

[A] Ratan Tata

[B] Lakshmi Mittal

[C] Mukesh Ambani

[D] Gautam Adani

Answer: [A] Ratan Tata

Indian Veteran industrialist and former chairman of Tata Sons- Ratan Tata was recently conferred with the ‘Udyog Ratna’ award instituted by Maharashtra. The state’s first ‘Udyog Ratna’ award was presented to Ratan Tata for his outstanding work in the industry sector.

3. Which country is the host of the 15th BRICS Summit in 2023?

[A] India

[B] China

[C] South Africa

[D] Brazil

Answer: [C] South Africa

The BRICS group of major emerging economies – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa is holding its 15th heads of state and government summit in Johannesburg between August 22 and August 24. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa also invited the leaders of 67 countries to the summit, including 53 other African Countries, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Indonesia and Iran.

4. Which Union Ministry notified the ‘Green hydrogen standards’ for India?

[A] Ministry of Power

[B] Ministry of New and Renewable Energy

[C] Ministry of Science and Technology

[D] Ministry of Coal

Answer: [B] Ministry of New and Renewable Energy

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy notified the green hydrogen standard for India, outlining the emission thresholds for production of hydrogen that can be classified as ‘green’. The notification also specifies that the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) under the ministry of power will be the nodal authority for accreditation of agencies for the monitoring, verification and certification for green hydrogen production projects.

5. ‘Luna-25’ is the Lunar Mission of which country?

[A] Israel

[B] UAE

[C] Japan

[D] Russia

Answer: [D] Russia

Russia’s first lunar mission in nearly five decades, Luna-25, crashed into Moon a day after it had spun into uncontrolled orbit. The lunar mission was Russia’s first since 1976, when it was part of the Soviet Union. Only three governments have managed successful moon landings: the Soviet Union, the United States and China.

6. Which Union Ministry is associated with ‘Bio- Trace Minerals Project’?

[A] Ministry of Power

[B] Ministry of New and Renewable Energy

[C] Ministry of Science and Technology

[D] Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers

Answer: [C] Ministry of Science and Technology

The Technology Development Board (TDB), operating under the Department of Science & Technology (DST), announced its strategic partnership with Chemlife Innovations headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka. This collaboration marks a significant stride in advancing the project titled “Commercialization and Manufacturing of Bio-Trace Minerals used in Feed for Animals”.

7. Which state government declared incessant rain as ‘State calamity’ recently?

[A] Himachal Pradesh

[B] Uttar Pradesh

[C] Gujarat

[D] Meghalaya

Answer: [A] Himachal Pradesh

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu declared the state as a ‘Natural Calamity Affected Area’. Torrential rains, floods and landslides have killed around 330 people, with over 12,000 houses damaged. The State has suffered a loss of over 10,000 crore.

8. ‘P.R. Seshadri’ has been appointed as the new MD & CEO of which bank?

[A] South Indian Bank

[B] City Union Bank

[C] Yes Bank

[D] Federal Bank

Answer: [A] South Indian Bank

The Reserve Bank of India has approved the appointment of P. R. Seshadri as the Managing Director and CEO of the Thrissur based South Indian Bank. The appointment will be for a period of three years with effect from October 1. He has served as MD & CEO of The Karur Vysya Bank Limited (KVB), MD & Regional Sales and Distribution Head, Citibank and other positions.

9. Evergrande Group, which was seen in the news, is based in which country?

[A] China

[B] USA

[C] Russia

[D] Germany

Answer: [A] China

The China Evergrande Group is a Chinese property developer, and the second largest in China by sales. China’s Evergrande Group officially filed for bankruptcy in New York. The company has been facing substantial borrowing and debt defaults since 2021. This triggered an ongoing property crisis within China.

10. As per the ‘Mission Amrit Sarovar’, what is the target of Amrit Sarovars aimed to set up per district?

[A] 10

[B] 50

[C] 75

[D] 100

Answer: [C] 75

Mission Amrit Sarovar has been launched by the Prime Minister in 2022 with an objective to provide sustainable water sources wherein every district is expected to construct and rejuvenate a minimum of 75 Amrit Sarovar. Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Application and Geo- informatics (BISAG-N) has been engaged as technical partner for the Mission. So far, out of 1,12,277 number of identified Amrit Sarovars, the work has been started for 81,425 number of Amrit Sarovars.

11. Global Maritime India Summit 2023 is scheduled to be held in which state/UT?

[A] Maharashtra

[B] New Delhi

[C] Uttar Pradesh

[D] Gujarat

Answer: [B] New Delhi

The Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal unveiled a vision for India’s maritime sector, outlining key initiatives at the 19th Maritime States Development Council meeting in Kevadia, Gujarat. Global Maritime India Summit 2023 is scheduled to be held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, from 17th-19th October 2023.

12. Which Union Ministry unveiled the ‘Wedding Tourism Campaign’?

[A] Ministry of Tourism

[B] Ministry of Culture

[C] Ministry of External Affairs

[D] Ministry of Home Affairs

Answer: [A] Ministry of Tourism

Ministry of Tourism unveiled an ambitious campaign aimed at showcasing India as a premier wedding destination on the global stage. This campaign seeks to explore avenues of great potential, for scaling tourism in India to new heights. The campaign seeks to expand India’s wedding industry, by enticing couples from around the world to celebrate their special day in India.

13. Tenerife, which was seen in the news, is located in which country?

[A] Spain

[B] Australia

[C] Philippines

[D] Indonesia

Answer: [A] Spain

A wildfire on the Spanish island of Tenerife that has forced thousands of people to flee their homes remained out of control. More than 26,000 people have been evacuated. It covered an area of over 8,000 hectares with a perimeter of 70 km, spreading from 5,000 hectares and a perimeter of 50 km.

14. Which state is set to conduct ‘Comprehensive survey of state’s disaster- prone cities’?

[A] Gujarat

[B] Uttarakhand

[C] Assam

[D] West Bengal

Answer: [B] Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand government is set to conduct a comprehensive survey of disaster-prone cities and towns. Uttarakhand Landslide Mitigation and Management Centre announced that Geophysical and geo-mapping investigation of cities will be part of the survey. In January this year, the land subsidence crisis in Joshimath grabbed national attention.

15. Which bloc is set to announce a new University ranking system?

[A] ASEAN

[B] BRICS

[C] G-20

[D] SAARC

Answer: [B] BRICS

The BRICS nations, Brazil, Russia, India, and China, are planning to launch a new university ranking system. BRICS Education Ministers, gathered in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa, have come to an agreement to establish an autonomous university rating system. The decision follows concerns raised about the current rankings, which faced criticism for their failure to encompass impartial data.

16. Which state/UT recently launched a dedicated ‘Solid Waste Management Project’?

[A] Kerala

[B] Odisha

[C] Jharkhand

[D] West Bengal

Answer: [A] Kerala

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the Rs 2,400-crore Kerala Solid Waste Management Project (KSWMP) as part of the second phase of ‘Malinya Muktham Navakeralam’ campaign. According to certain reports, at least 90 per cent of the state’s population will be urbanised by 2035. State Industries Ministry unveiled a new design for material collection facilities (MCFs) and resource recovery facilities (RRFs).

17. What is the recent rating on India, as per Moody’s Investors Service?

[A] BBB

[B] Baa3

[C] Ba2

[D] BB

Answer: [B] Baa3

Moody’s Investors Service affirmed its Baa3 rating on India and maintained the stable outlook, but warned of political issues and even cited the example of the ongoing violence in Manipur. The rating agency said the affirmation of India’s rating and stable outlook was driven by its view that the economy is set to grow rapidly by international standards, although potential growth has declined in the last 7-10 years.

18. ‘Bharat New Car Assessment Programme’ is set to come into effect from which date?

[A] October 1, 2023

[B] December 1, 2023

[C] January 1, 2024

[D] March 1, 2024

Answer: [A] October 1, 2023

Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari launched the Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (Bharat NCAP). It is an indigenous star-rating system for crash testing cars under which vehicles will be assigned between one to five stars indicating their safety in a collision. The rating system will be voluntary and will come into effect from October 1, 2023.

19. Kuttippuram is an archaeological site located in which state/UT?

[A] Kerala

[B] Gujarat

[C] Punjab

[D] Rajasthan

Answer: [A] Kerala

A large number of megalithic hat stones were found from a single site during a recent excavation at Kuttippuram, in Malappuram, Kerala. The excavation was conducted by the State Archaeology Department at Nagaparamba in Kuttippuram village, near Tirunavaya. Hat stones, popularly called Thoppikkallu in Malayalam, are hemispherical laterite stones used as lid on burial urns during the megalithic period.

20. Which country’s women’s football team won the FIFA World Cup title in 2023?

[A] Japan

[B] Spain

[C] Germany

[D] EnglandSS

Answer: Spain

The Spanish women’s football team put up a dominant performance against England to win their maiden FIFA World Cup title. Spain’s Aitana Bonmati was the player of the tournament. Spain also joined Germany as one of only two nations to have secured both the men’s and women’s titles.