Tnpsc Current Affairs in English – 31st March 2023
1. Which city is the host of the second edition of ‘The Africa-India Field Training Exercise’ AFINDEX-2023?
[A] Pune
[B] Panaji
[C] Cairo
[D] Nairobi
Answer : [A] Pune
AFINDEX-2023, the second edition of The Africa-India Field Training Exercise concluded recently in Pune. It was held from March 16 to 29 this year. A total of 25 countries of the African continent with 124 participants and Indian troops from the Sikh, Maratha and Mahar Regiments participated in the multinational exercise.
2. ‘New India Literacy Programme’ will be implemented as which type of scheme?
[A] Central Sector Scheme
[B] Centrally sponsored Scheme
[C] Core Scheme
[D] Core of the Core Scheme
Answer : [B] Centrally sponsored Scheme
New India Literacy Programme is a centrally sponsored scheme launched by the Indian government. It will be implemented over five years from the FYs 2022-23 to 2026-27. The financial outlay is Rs. 1037.90 crore out of which Rs 700.00 crore is Central share and Rs. 337.90 crore is State share. The scheme aims to cover a target of 5.00 crore non-literates in the age group of 15 years and above.
3. Which state/UT recently released the ‘Lake Development Programme’?
[A] Tamil Nadu
[B] Telangana
[C] Odisha
[D] West Bengal
Answer : [B] Telangana
Lake Development Programme was launched recently by the Telangana government. It aims to rejuvenate and develop 50 water bodies in and around Hyderabad. Of the 50 lakes, 25 are in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits and the remaining 25 in Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) limits.
4. A ‘Space System Design Lab’ has been recently inaugurated in which state/UT?
[A] Gujarat
[B] Karnataka
[C] Andhra Pradesh
[D] Kerala
Answer : [A] Gujarat
A Space System Design Lab has been inaugurated in Ahmedabad, Gujarat recently. It aims to promote growth and increase contribution of private sector space firms in India. It is an initiative of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe). The lab has computing resources comprising 16 workstations and high-performance computing multi-core servers.
5. India recently signed a ‘Defence Cooperation Agreement’ with which European country?
[A] Malta
[B] Romania
[C] Finland
[D] Denmark
Answer : [B] Romania
India-Romania Defence Cooperation Agreement, was recently signed by the two countries. It will set the foundation for the practical cooperation between the armed forces. It will help expand the military relationship between the two signatories.
6. Which country’s researchers have taken pictures of ‘Upward Lightning’ phenomenon?
[A] India
[B] USA
[C] Israel
[D] Brazil
Answer : [D] Brazil
Upward lightning or upward flashes is the event involving the development of the self-initiated lightning streak from a tall object to travel upward toward an overlying electrified storm cloud. Brazilian researchers have taken pictures of this phenomenon recently.
7. ‘Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz and Others v. Switzerland’ is a famous case related to which field?
[A] Greenhouse gas emissions
[B] Adultery
[C] Cryptocurrency
[D] Defence
Answer : [A] Greenhouse gas emissions
Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz and Others V. Switzerland is the case that set a precedent for all 46 states of the Council of Europe to decide to what extent a country must reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to protect the human rights of its citizens. This development comes days after the release of the Sixth Synthesis Report of the IPCC.
8. What is the expansion of GRB Jets, which are luminous explosions that pierce through the stars?
[A] Gamma Ray Burst
[B] Galaxy Radio Burst
[C] Gamma Radio Burst
[D] Galaxy Ray Body
Answer : [A] Gamma Ray Burst
GRB (Gamma ray burst) jets are luminous explosions that pierce through the star, emitting gamma rays and X-rays as they stream through space. The highest gamma ray radiation was recorded by astronomers from across the world, creating a potential for overturning decades-long theory of gamma ray burst (GRB) jets. It is referred to as the BOAT, short for ‘brightest of all time’ as this is expected to be the brightest gamma-ray burst to hit Earth since human civilization began.
9. Defence Ministry signed a contract with which institution for the communications satellite GSAT 7B?
[A] ISRO
[B] DRDO
[C] NSIL
[D] BEL
Answer : [C] NSIL
The Union Defence Ministry signed a ₹ 3,000-crore contract with NewSpace India Limited for the advanced communications satellite GSAT 7B. It is built to support the communication requirements of the Indian Army.
10. Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed has been named the crown prince of which country?
[A] Israel
[B] Iran
[C] UAE
[D] Saudi Arabia
Answer : [C] UAE
Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed, the eldest son of the UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has been named the crown prince of Abu Dhabi. This puts him next in line to take over as the leader of the federation. He has served as a member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and as Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office.
11. Which country’s Scientists have found about the ancient marsupial named ‘Mukupirna fortidentata’ which lived 25 million years ago?
[A] USA
[B] China
[C] Australia
[D] Greece
Answer : [C] Australia
Mukupirna fortidentata is an ancient marsupial that roamed the Earth 25 million years ago. Its fossil remains were found by scientists in Australia. Described as a cross between a wombat and a marsupial lion, Mukupirna fortidentata is thought to have weighted up to 50kg. Skull, bone and jaw fragments from the animal were recovered from a site near Alice Springs in central Australia.
12. Scientists have reported evidence of the Piezoelectric Effect in which material?
[A] Ice
[B] Liquids
[C] Diamond
[D] Cotton
Answer : [B] Liquids
Piezoelectric Effect is a phenomenon that involves a body developing an electric current when it is squeezed. For the first time, scientists reported evidence of this effect in liquids. As researchers applied pressure with a piston to a sample of an ionic liquid in a cylinder, it led to the release of electricity.
13. Competition (Amendment) 2022 Bill, which was passed recently, allows CCI to impose penalties on entities based on their which turn-over?
[A] Global turnover
[B] Market turnover
[C] Domestic Turnover
[D] Aggregate Turnover
Answer : [A] Global turnover
Competition (Amendment) 2022 Bill was passed recently at the Indian Parliament. It allows the Competition Commission of India to impose penalties on entities based on their global turnover as opposed to the current mechanism of taking into account only relevant market turnover.
14. Defence Ministry has signed a contract with which company for procuring ‘Project Akashteer’ for the Army?
[A] DRDO
[B] ISRO
[C] BEL
[D] HAL
Answer : [C] BEL
The Defence Ministry signed a contract with Bharat Electronics Limited for the procurement of the Automated Air Defence Control and Reporting System ‘Project Akashteer’ for the Army. It enables the monitoring of low-level airspace over the battle areas of the Indian Army and effectively control the ground-based air defence weapon systems.
15. Which Union Ministry is associated with ‘Metro Railways Act 2002’?
[A] Ministry of Finance
[B] Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
[C] Ministry of Home Affairs
[D] Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
Answer : [B] Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
Metro Railways (Operation & Maintenance) Act 2002 is the law that governs the operations of metro rail systems across India. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs recently proposed amendments to this Act to ensure that no asset of any metro rail can be attached.
16. Which state has the lowest ratio of police personnel per 1 lakh population?
[A] Jharkhand
[B] Bihar
[C] Assam
[D] Chhattisgarh
Answer : [B] Bihar
According to the data compiled by the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) on police organisations, Bihar has the lowest ratio of police personnel per 1 lakh population. Police-population ratio in Bihar is 115.08 and in West Bengal, it is 160.76.
17. Which Union Ministry implements the ‘National Handloom Development Programme’?
[A] Ministry of MSME
[B] Ministry of Textiles
[C] Ministry of Commerce and Industry
[D] Ministry of Science and Technology
Answer : [B] Ministry of Textiles
‘National Handloom Development Programme’ aims to promote sustainable development of handloom weavers in and outside identified handloom clusters. The Central Government recently informed that an assistance of more than Rs. 201 crore has been provided under this initiative over the last four years.
18. Humza Yousaf has been confirmed as the new First Minister of which country?
[A] Denmark
[B] Finland
[C] Scotland
[D] South Africa
Answer : [C] Scotland
Scotland’s Parliament confirmed Humza Yousaf as the new First Minister. He becomes the youngest First Minister and the first Muslim leader of a government in western Europe. He made history by becoming the first non-White head of the Scottish government, following his election as leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP).
19. PM SHRI scheme is associated with which field?
[A] Sports
[B] Education
[C] MSME
[D] Women and Child Development
Answer : [B] Education
The Education Ministry has shortlisted around nine thousand schools across the country for its flagship Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme. They were selected from over two lakh fifty thousand government schools including Kendriya Vidyalaya’s and Navodaya Vidyalaya. It stated that a total of six parameters including curriculum, access and infrastructure, human resources and gender equity were assessed for the selection.
20. Which football player recently scored his 100th international goal for his country and his 800th career goal?
[A] Cristiano Ronaldo
[B] Kylian Mbappe
[C] Lionel Messi
[D] Neymar
Answer : [C] Lionel Messi
Argentina captain Lionel Messi scored his 100th international goal for his country in a friendly match against Curacao. He added to his tally by scoring his 101st and 102nd goals to bag a first-half hat-trick. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, who led Argentina to a World Cup win in Qatar, also scored his 800th career goal.