Tnpsc Current Affairs in English – 27th July 2023

1. Which Union Ministry launches an online portal to facilitate reporting of violations of ban on e-cigarettes?

[A] Ministry of MSME

[B] Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

[C] Ministry of Science and Technology

[D] Ministry of Women and Child Development

Answer: [B] Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

Union Health Ministry has launched an online portal (www.violation-reporting. in) to facilitate reporting of violations under the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage and Advertisement) Act (PECA). Despite the ban imposed by the Union government in 2019, e-cigarettes continue to be sold on e- commerce sites, even to children below 18.

2. Which organisation has asked schools to consider Indian languages as teaching medium?

[A] UGC

[B] NITI Aayog

[C] CBSE

[D] NCERT

Answer: [C] CBSE

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) asked its affiliated schools to consider providing the option of Indian languages mentioned in Schedule 8 of the Constitution as a medium of instruction, in addition to the existing options, from pre-primary classes to Class 12. The move is a part of the implementations of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which envisages the use of mother tongue or regional or Indian languages as the medium of instruction until at least Grade 5, and preferably till Grade 8 and beyond.

3. Aviation industry regulator DGCA granted conditional approval to which airline to resume flights?

[A] Go First

[B] Akasa

[C] Air India

[D] Jet Airways

Answer: [A] Go First

The civil aviation regulator, DGCA has granted conditional approval for Go First to resume flights with 15 aircraft or 114 daily flights Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) directed the airline to ensure compliance with all applicable regulatory requirements, implement continued airworthiness of the aircraft engaged in operations, and subject every aircraft to a satisfactory handling flight before deployment for flight operations.

4. ONDC starts learning academy for merchants called the ONDC Academy, with assistance from?

[A] NITI Aayog

[B] RBI

[C] SEBI

[D] National Stock Exchange

Answer: [D] National Stock Exchange

The Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), the government-backed e-commerce protocol, launched a repository of online training material for merchants called the ONDC Academy. ONDC, which was funded initially by banks, has been conceived as a counterweight against large e-retail, quick commerce and ride- hailing firms. The repository is stored on an ONDC website as well as on YouTube, with assistance from the National Stock Exchange.

5. Which Union Ministry released the ‘Manual For Disaster Management’?

[A] Ministry of Jal Shakti

[B] Ministry of Home Affairs

[C] Ministry of Science and Technology

[D] Ministry of MSME

Answer: [A] Ministry of Jal Shakti

The Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat released the Manual for Disaster Management Plan (DMP) during the two-day national conference of Rural WASH Partners Forum. The Manual is developed by Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation to ensure safety, uninterrupted supply and minimum loss of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) assets and services involving stakeholders at national, state, district, and village level.

6. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is associated with which party?

[A] Labour Group

[B] Conservative Group

[C] Liberal Democrat Group

[D] Independent Group

Answer: [B] Conservative Group

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party suffered significant losses in two of three parliamentary byelections. The next national election is due in the United Kingdom by January 2025. Sunak came to power in October following a year of political scandals, surging inflation and stagnant economic growth.

7. Which Indian becomes fifth highest run- scorer in international cricket, after surpassing South Africa’s Jacques Kallis?

[A] Ravindra Jadeja

[B] Rohit Sharma

[C] Virat Kohli

[D] Shubman Gill

Answer: [C] Virat Kohli

Indian cricketer Virat Kohli surpassed South Africa’s Jacques Kallis to become the fifth-highest run-scorer in international cricket history. Kohli achieved this feat in the batting charts during India’s second Test against West Indies at Port of Spain.

8. Which Chief Minister created a record as the second longest-serving Chief Minister in India?

[A] Mamta Banerjee

[B] Naveen Patnaik

[C] Pinarayi Vijayan

[D] Yogi Adityanath

Answer: [B] Naveen Patnaik

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik equals former West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu’s record as the second longest-serving Chief Minister in India. Mr Naveen Patnaik has held the position for 23 years and 138 days. The title of the longest-serving CM belongs to Pawan Kumar Chamling, the former CM of Sikkim, who held the position for 24 years and 166 days.

9. Which position was bagged by the Indian shooters as a team in the Junior World Championship?

[A] First

[B] Second

[C] Third

[D] Fifth

Answer: [B] Second

The Indian shooters failed to get among the individual medals in rapid fire pistol, but combined to bag the team silver behind China in the Junior World Championship in Changwon, Korea, Sameer Ghulia, Mahesh Pasupathy, and Rajkanwar Singh Sandhu, won the team silver in rapid fire pistol in the Junior World Championships.

10. Tele MANAS helpline, the toll-free digital arm of which scheme?

[A] District Mental Health Programme

[B] Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme

[C] District Tuberculosis Programme

[D] National Programme for Health Care of the Elderly

Answer: [A] District Mental Health Programnme

Tele MANAS helpline, the toll-free digital arm of the Centre’s District Mental Health Programme, has received over 200,000 calls since its launch in October 2022. The helpline available in 20 languages. Sadness, sleeplessness, stress, and anxiety top mental health concerns that were shared on Tele MANAS.

11. The Centralised aviation security control centre has been inaugurated in which state/UT?

[A] New Delhi

[B] Maharashtra

[C] Punjab

[D] Sikkim

Answer: [A] New Delhi

Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated a centralised aviation security control centre at New Delhi. The Centre will monitor all threats and social media chatter for the 66 civil airports currently under the CISF’s security cover. The aviation security control centre (ASCC) will access 24×7 real-time data monitoring and trend analysis of passengers and air traffic.

12. Indian Navy decommissioned INS Kirpan and handed over the corvette to which country?

[A] Sri Lanka

[B] Myanmar

[C] Vietnam

[D] Bangladesh

Answer: [C] Vietnam

Indian Navy decommissioned INS Kirpan and handed over the indigenously built missile corvette to Vietnam People’s Navy (VPN). INS Kirpan served for 32 years in the Indian Navy. Navy Chief R. Hari Kumar announced that this is the first-ever occasion that India is offering a fully-operational corvette to any friendly foreign country.

13. Ludwigia peruviana, an exotic aquatic weed, has been found in which Indian state?

[A] Kerala

[B] Goa

[C] Tamil Nadu

[D] Andhra Pradesh

Answer: [C] Tamil Nadu

An invasion of Ludwigia peruviana over the last decade is suppressing edible forage for elephants, gaurs and other herbivores, increasing the risk of man-animal conflict in the area. The aquatic weed is native to somne countries in Central and South America, including Peru. It is threatening elephant habitats and foraging areas in Valparai, a Tamil Nadu hill station close to the Kerala border.

14. Which Indian company has received claims worth INR 240 billion rupees (USD 2.9 billion) from creditors?

[A] Yes Bank

[B] Go Airlines

[C] IDBI Bank

[D] LIC

Answer: [B] Go Airlines

Go Airlines (India) Ltd has received claims worth INR 240 billion rupees (USD 2.9 billion) from creditors. The process is in line with procedural requirements under Indian law which allow every creditor a right to payment and remedy by submitting claims if a company is under bankruptcy. Go Airlines, which operated the Go First carrier, filed for bankruptcy protection in May.

15. Where is the International Seabed Authority (ISA) headquartered?

[A] Egypt

[B] Jamaica

[C] India

[D] Japan

Answer: [B] Jamaica

Jamaica-based International Seabed Authority’s member nations agreed on a two-year roadmap for the adoption of deep sea mining regulations. The ISA, an intergovernmental body tasked with protecting the seabed, and its member states have spent the last decade trying to hash out a mining code for the possible exploitation of nickel, cobalt and copper in deep seabed areas that fall outside of national jurisdictions.

16. Which Sea runs between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula?

[A] Yellow Sea

[B] Philippine Sea

[C] Red Sea

[D] Black Sea

Answer: [A] Yellow Sea

The Yellow Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. North Korea fired ‘several cruise missiles’ into the Yellow Sea between China and the Korean peninsula, the South Korean military reported.

17. Esther Vergeer and Rick Draney, who were seen in the news, are associated with which sports?

[A] Cricket

[B] Tennis

[C] Badminton

[D] Chess

Answer: [B] Tennis

Esther Vergeer and Rick Draney are to be inducted into Tennis Hall of Fame. 21-time Grand Slam singles champion and seven-time Paralympic gold medallist, Esther Vergeer began her career in an era when wheelchair tennis was not included in the top events. Rick Draney, who won 12 singles titles and six in doubles before the Grand Slam era of wheelchair tennis. Draney has been credited with bringing quad tennis – a classification that accounts for impairment in the arms as well to the Paralympics and other top tournaments.

18. Sarita and Rakesh Kumar, who won medals for India recently, play which sports?

[A] Chess

[B] Archery

[C] Shooting

[D] Table tennis

Answer: [B] Archery

Indian compound archers Sarita and Rakesh Kumar claimed the country’s first-ever gold medal in the World Archery Para Championships in Pilsen, Czech Republic. The duo claimed the mixed team world title, while 16-year-old armless archer Sheetal Devi bagged the compound women’s individual silver. Sarita bagged a second medal when she took the women’s team bronze with Jyoti.

19. Which Indian badminton duo won the Korea Open 2023 title?

[A] Dhruv Kapila and MR Arjun

[B] Satwiksairaj and Ashwini Ponnappa

[C] Satwiksairaj and Chirag

[D] Saina Nehwal and P V Sindhu

Answer: [C] Satwiksairaj and Chirag

Asian Champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty defeated world no.1 Indonesian duo Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto in a 3-game men’s doubles final to clinch the Korea Open 2023 title in Yeosu, Korea. The duo entered the summit clash after a win over the world number two Chinese pair of Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang. Satwik and Chirag have won the Indonesia Super 1000 and Swiss Open Super 500 titles this year.

20. Which state hosted the fifth Helicopter and Small Aircraft Summit?

[A] Maharashtra

[B] Madhya Pradesh

[C] Gujarat

[D] Goa

Answer: [A] Madhya Pradesh

The 5th Helicopter and Small Aircraft Summit, themed ‘Reaching the Last Mile: Regional Connectivity through Helicopters and Small Aircraft’ took place in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh. The event will be jointly organized by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of Madhya Pradesh, Pawan Hans Ltd., and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).