Tnpsc Current Affairs in English – 24th June 2023

1. Which country announced the ‘Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant scheme’?

[A] France

[B] Ireland

[C] Germany

[D] UK

Answer: [B] Ireland

Ireland announced the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant scheme recently for those who own a desolate house in one of its 20 islands on the western coast. It offers a maximum of USD 92,000 to those people who want to develop and refurbish vacant and derelict homes and live in one of its 20 islands on the western coast. The scheme is part of a 10- year strategy for islanders.

2. India gifted indigenously-built in-service Missile Corvette INS Kirpan to which country?

[A] Sri Lanka

[B] Vietnam

[C] Myanmar

[D] Nepal

Answer: [B] Vietnam

India recently gifted indigenously-built in-service Missile Corvette INS Kirpan to Vietnam. Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced after bilateral talks with his visiting Vietnamese counterpart General Phan Van Gang.

3. A Mesolithic period rock painting depicting a person tilling a piece of land has been found in which state?

[A] Tamil Nadu

[B] Andhra Pradesh

[C] Kerala

[D] Karnataka

Answer: [B] Andhra Pradesh

A Mesolithic period rock painting depicting a person tilling a piece of land has been found in Orvakallu village in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. While surveying the lower River Krishna Valley to ascertain the architectural features of shrines, researchers identified a new prehistoric rock painting on the walls and ceiling of natural rock shelters on a hillock at Orvakallu.

4. TRAI has recently recommended ‘essential services’ status which entity?

[A] Submarine cables

[B] Unmanned Air Vehicles

[C] Broadband Cables

[D] OTT plantforms

Answer: [A] Submarine cables

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) recommended adding a section in the Indian Telecommunication Bill, 2022, to promote, protect and prioritise submarine cables and cable landing stations (CLS) since they are critical assets. It also suggested that the operation and maintenance of CLS and submarine cables should be accorded ‘essential services’ status.

5. Which Indian institution nudged Google and Apple to secure mobile devices for financial transactions?

[A] Reserve Bank of India

[B] Securities Exchange Board of India

[C] NPCI

[D] NASSCOM

Answer: [A] Reserve Bank of India

The Reserve Bank of India has prepared a 10- point action plan for strengthening cyber security in financial transactions. This includes talks with tech companies Google and Apple to secure mobile devices and adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in cyber security design.

6. As per a recent report, 75% of snow in which region will vanish completely?

[A] Hindu Kush Himalaya

[B] Mir Samir

[C] Saraghrar

[D] Koyo Zom

Answer: [A] Hindu Kush Himalaya

The Hindu Kush Himalaya region extends over a distance of 3,500 km (2,175 miles), spanning across Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. According to a recent report, it is projected that 75% of the snow in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region will vanish entirely, leading to severe consequences such as hazardous floods and water scarcity for the 240 million inhabitants residing in the mountainous area.

7. Who has been appointed as the new Chief of Research and Analysis Wing (RAW)?

[A] Ravish Agarwal

[B] Ravi Sinha

[C] Nitin Agarwal

[D] K F Rustamji

Answer: [B] Ravi Sinha

IPS officer Ravi Sinha was recently appointed as the new Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief. He takes up this position from Samant Goel, who has completed his four-year tenure with the external spy agency. Sinha is currently the special secretary at the Cabinet Secretariat. He is a 1988 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the Chhattisgarh cadre.

8. ‘Sikh Gurdwara Act’ is associated with which state/UT?

[A] Uttarakhand

[B] Jammu and Kashmir

[C] Punjab

[D] Gujarat

Answer: [C] Punjab

The Punjab Cabinet led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann approved to amend the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925. It seeks to insert Section 125 A in the Act thereby making it incumbent on the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to ensure free-to-air live telecast of the holy Gurbani from Sri Harmandir Sahib.

9. As per MOHUA data, which state/UT tops the country with 100% rate of recycling and reusing C&D waste?

[A] Goa

[B] New Delhi

[C] Andhra Pradesh

[D] Sikkim

Answer: [B] New Delhi

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs revealed that half of the construction and demolition (C&D) waste in the country is being efficiently recycled and repurposed. Delhi tops the country with an impressive 100% rate of recycling and reusing C&D waste. The nationwide estimate for daily C&D waste production stood at 30,000 tonnes.

10. Gonkoken nanoi is the newly discovered species of herbivorous dinosaur found in which country?

[A] India

[B] Greece

[C] Chile

[D] Australia

Answer: [C] Chile

Gonkoken nanoi is the newly discovered species of herbivorous dinosaur found in Chile. It dates back to 72 million years and lived in the extreme south of what is now Chilean Patagonia. Measuring up to 13 feet in length and weighing a ton, Gonkoken nanoi duck-billed dinosaurs lived 72 million years ago in the extreme south of what is now Chilean Patagonia.

11. Who has been chosen for the Professor Kothapalli Jayashankar Award?

[A] Perumal Murugan

[B] Acharya N.Gopi

[C] Vaikom Basheer

[D] Arundhati Roy

Answer: [B] Acharya N. Gopi

Eminent poet, literary critic and Sahitya Akademi Award recipient Acharya N. Gopi has been selected for Prof. Kothapalli Jayashankar Award. It was instituted by Bharat Jagruthi, a cultural organisation and extended arm of Bharat Rashtra Samithi. Acharya Gopi has so far penned 56 books including 26 compilations of poems.

12. Which famous personality has been conferred the prestigious German peace prize?

[A] Narendra Modi

[B] Salman Rushdie

[C] Kamala Harris

[D] Venus Williams

Answer: [B] Salman Rushdie

British-American author Salman Rushdie has been conferred the prestigious 2023 Peace Prize of the German Book Trade. It recognizes individuals who “oppose in word and deed what endangers peace, understanding and equality among nations.” The announcement was made on June 19, the day when Rushdie turned 76.

13. Which company has signed MoU with India’s Tourism Minister to showcase heritage stays?

[A] Makemytrip

[B] Airbnb

[C] GT Holidays

[D] Expedia

Answer: [B] Airbnb

Airbnb has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Union Ministry of Tourism to showcase India’s heritage stays and promote cultural tourism. The company will partner with the ministry to promote inbound tourism as part of the ‘Visit India 2023’ initiative.

14. Bhavani Devi, who was seen in the news, is associated with which sports?

[A] Tennis

[B] Fencing

[C] Shooting

[D] Archery

Answer: [B] Fencing

Bhavani Devi recently became the first Indian fencer to win medal in Asian Championships. The Asian fencing championships was held in Wuxi, China. Bhavani Devi is 29 years old. Earlier in Tokyo Olympics, she was the first Indian fencer to ever compete at an Olympics.

15. Which institution launched the ‘Diet and Biomarkers Survey’?

[A] FSSAI

[B] NABARD

[C] FCI

[D] NIN

Answer: [D] NIN

The ‘Diet and Biomarkers Survey’ was launched in December 2022 by the National Institute of Nutrition. It will map the diet, nutrition and health status across India. The survey will define food and nutrient adequacy by collecting individual dietary intake data of different age groups of people from 28 States and eight Union territories.

16. Which country is set to adopt the IMF mandated method to calculate its Forex reserve?

[A] India

[B] Bangladesh

[C] USA

[D] UK

Answer: [B] Bangladesh

Bangladesh is set to adopt the International Monetary Fund (IMF) mandated method to calculate its foreign reserves. The calculation of foreign exchange holdings of the country will now be In line with the IMF’s 6th edition of the Balance of Payment and International Investment Position Manual (BMM6). Moving to the IMF methodology would take out the amount committed by the government to the export development fund worth USD 6 billions.

17. Which country’s football team clinched the Intercontinental Cup in 2023?

[A] India

[B] Malaysia

[C] Bangladesh

[D] Sri Lanka

Answer: [A] India

Indian Men’s Senior Football Team recently defeated Lebanon 2-0 to clinch Intercontinental Cup in Bhubaneshwar. Indian captain Sunil Chhetri and Lallianzuala Chhangte scored goals. This is India’s second title in the tournament, following their win in the inaugural edition in 2018. This is Chhetri’s 87th international goals in 137 appearances. He is only behind Portuguese ace Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi of Argentina.

18. Abhishek Verma, who was seen in the news, is associated with which sports?

[A] Archery

[B] Shooting

[C] Tennis

[D] Cricket

Answer: [A] Archery

India’s compound archer Abhishek Verma clinched a gold medal at the Archery World Cup 2023 stage 3 in Medellin, Colombia. The 33-year- old Abhishek Verma defeated the 2019 world champion James Lutz of the USA 148-146 in the final. This is Abhishek Verma’s third individual gold medal in the Archery World Cup.

19. Which Indian state hosted the ‘G20 Tourism Working Group and Tourism Ministerial Meetings’?

[A] Tamil Nadu

[B] Goa

[C] Assam

[D] West Bengal

Answer: [B] Goa

The fourth and concluding G20 Tourism Working Group meeting began in Goa. It was followed by Tourism Ministerial Meeting Ministry is pleased to announce the upcoming launch of the G20 Tourism and SDG Dashboard, a pioneering initiative developed in collaboration with UNWTO, our esteemed knowledge partner for co-creating the GOA Roadmap for tourism, under India’s G20 Presidency.

20. Which is the first country other than India, to promote itself using Yoga?

[A] Oman

[B] UAE

[C] USA

[D] Indonesia

Answer: [A] Oman

Oman creates history as first foreign government to promote country through yoga. The Indian Embassy in the Sultanate of Oman has introduced a video called ‘Soulful Yoga, Serene Oman’ on the eve of the International Day of Yoga 2023. The Indian Embassy partnered with ‘Visit Oman,’ a subsidiary of Oman’s Ministry of Tourism, to produce the video.