Current Affairs Quiz 15th and 16th April 2023 Quiz

Exp. Telangana CM KCR unveils 125-ft-tall Ambedkar statue in Hyderabad

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has unveiled the 125-ft tall bronze statue of BR Ambedkar in Hyderabad, to mark the 132nd birth anniversary of the architect of the Indian Constitution.

The statue in Hyderabad is India’s tallest statue of Ambedkar.

The statue was built using 360 tonnes of stainless steel and 114 tonnes of bronze, at a cost of ₹ 146.50 crore.

Telangana govt also instituted an Award in the name of Dr. B R Ambedkar.

The award will be given every year on the birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar to anyone who contributes to Dalit Welfare.

About Telangana

• Established – 2 June 2014
• Capital – Hyderabad
• Chief Minister – K. Chandrashekar Rao
• Governor – Tamilisai Soundararajan

Exp. MRF emerges as ‘second strongest tyre brand in the world’

MRF Ltd has emerged as the second-strongest tyre brand in the world according to the latest report by Brand Finance on the ‘Most Valuable and Strongest Tyre Brands’ in the world.

MRF has scored high in almost all parameters and is also featured as the second fastest-growing tyre brand in the world.

It has scored 83.2 out of 100 in brand strength and was awarded a AAA- brand rating.

Exp. Tamil Nadu govt formed a panel to assess the functioning of juvenile homes

The Tamil Nadu government has formed a one-man committee to recommend measures for the effective administration of the homes functioning as per the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act of 2015.

The committee will be headed by Retired judge K. Chandru

The committee will look into various aspects of running the institutions including infrastructure, health and medical facilities, qualification of staff among others and provide recommendations to the government for improvement.

The period of the committee will be for four months and extendable up to six months.

A government order issued by the department in this regard had stated that a high-level committee would be formed to improve the functioning and administration of observation homes, special homes and places of safety functioning under the JJ Act, 2015.

Exp.G20 MACS Meeting of agri chief scientists to be held in Varanasi

The 12th Meeting of Agricultural Chief Scientists (MACS) in G20 is scheduled to be held on April 17-19, 2023 in Varanasi.

The theme of the 12th MACS conference is “sustainable agriculture and food systems for healthy people and the Planet”

The MAHARISHI (millets and other ancient grains international research) Initiative will also be discussed in the meeting.

There are four priority areas on which focused discussions will take place: food security and nutrition, sustainable agriculture through approaches of climate resilient agriculture, digitisation for agricultural transformation and public-private partnerships for research and development in the sector.

G20 in News (Note – All Meetings are Under the Presidency of G20 by India)

• 2nd Women 20 (W20) international Meeting – Jaipur, Rajasthan (13 – 14 April 2023)
• 2nd meeting of G20 Development Working Group – Kumarakom, Kerala (7 April 2023)
• Youth20 (Y20) Consultation Meeting – IIT Kanpur (5 – 6 April 2023)
• 4th Business 20 (B20) Meeting – Kohima, Nagaland (4 – 6 April 2023)
• 2nd G20 Employment Working Group (EWG) Meeting – Guwahati, Assam (3 – 5 April 2023)

Exp. NHAI signs MoU with Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve

National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has signed an MoU with the Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve, spread across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to facilitate seamless and efficient entry process for vehicles entering into the forest area.

The initiative aims to provide FASTag based payment system at Forest entry points.

It will extend the benefit of collection of Ecosystem Management Coordination fee through FASTag at various entrance points of the Tiger Reserve.

The benefit of collection of Ecosystem Management Coordination Fee through FASTag will be extended to various entry points of the Tiger Reserve.

Exp. Purushottam Rupala launches Animal Epidemic Preparedness Initiative (APPI)

Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Parshottam Rupala has launched the Animal Pandemic Preparedness Initiative to address animal pandemics in a holistic manner.

This initiative aims at enhancing the country’s preparedness and response to animal pandemics, with a focus on zoonotic diseases that pose a threat to both animal and human health.

It will also help to improve veterinary services and infrastructure, disease surveillance capabilities and awareness among farmers through community outreach.

Rupala also launched World Bank-funded Animal Health System Support for One Health, which aims at creating an ecosystem for a better animal health management system covering five states.

Exp. Bharat Gaurav tourist train flagged off on the occasion of Dr. BR Ambedkar’s birth anniversary

Union Tourism Minister G Krishan Reddy and Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Dr. Virendra Kumar have flagged off Bharat Gaurav Tourist train to mark the birth anniversary of Dr. B R Ambedkar from Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station in New Delhi.

Bharat Gaurav Tourist train will not only showcase India’s rich cultural heritage but also the life of B R Ambedkar.

During the 8-day tour, the train will cover cities including, New Delhi, Mhow, Nagpur, Varanasi and sacred Buddhist sites like Sanchi, Sarnath, Gaya, Rajgir and Nalanda.

The theme-based tourist circuit trains, Bharat Gaurav Train is in line with the Government of India initiative “Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat” and DekhoApnaDesh to promote domestic tourism.

Exp. Bihu performance in Guwahati creates Guinness World Record

The state of Assam created history by entering the Guinness World Records for “the largest Bihu performance” at a single venue.

The grand event of the traditional dance was held at the Sarusajai Stadium in Guwahati.

A total of 11,304 folk dancers presented Bihu Dance and over 2,500 drummers performed with the dancers in the presence of Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma at the event.

The Bihu performance set two world records, one for the largest traditional dance, and the second record was for the largest musical instrument group.

The previous record for the largest traditional dance was for 7,700 participants in China set in 2015.

Bihu dance is a traditional folk dance performed especially during Bohag Bihu or Rongali Bihu, the spring festival of Assam that marks the beginning of the Assamese New Year.

About Assam

• Capital – Dispur
• Chief Minister –Himanta Biswa Sarma
• Governor – Gulab Chand Kataria

Exp. S Jaishankar inaugurates Buzi Bridge in Mozambique

India’s External Affairs Minister Dr. Jaishankar has inaugurated the Buzi Bridge, constructed as part of 132 km Tica-Buzi-Nova-Sofala Road project.

The bridge has been by built by India. The Buzi Bridge connects the towns of Chibabava and Mafambisse.

The project was executed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in collaboration with the Mozambique government.

About Mozambique

• Capital- Maputo
• Currency- Mozambican metical
• Official language- Portuguese
• Continent – Africa

Exp. YES Bank becomes first Indian company with over 50 lakh shareholders

Private sector lender YES Bank has become the first Indian company to have over 50 lakh shareholders.

Tata Power was a far second with 38.5 lakh shareholders, followed by Reliance Industries with 33.6 lakh shareholders, according to the December 2022 shareholding disclosures.

The bank had 50.6 lakh shareholders as of March 31, 2023, all of whom were public shareholders.

This was an increase from 48.1 lakh shareholders as of December 2022, most likely owing to the end of the three-year lock-in period for shareholders that held equity shares of the bank when it underwent the reconstruction scheme in March 2020.

About Yes Bank

• Founded – 2004
• Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
• MD & CEO – Prashant Kumar
• Chairman – Sunil Mehta
• Tagline – Experience our Expertise

Exp. Fasal ties up with SBI to help farmers get easy access to loans

Agri-tech company Fasal signed a partnership agreement with the State Bank of India (SBI) to provide farmers with easy access to capital.

The partnership will help solve cash-flow constraints during key cycles in farming by providing quick, easy, and collateral-free loans at very competitive rates.

These ties will help to fulfill Fasal’s larger objective of solving the many challenges across the entire horticulture value chain.

In the 2023 budget, the government announced raising the agriculture credit target by 11% to Rs 20 lakh crore for FY24.

The launch of Fasal’s latest financing solution echoes the government’s focused efforts toward increasing financial support for farmers across the country.

Recent MoU in Banking Sector

• HDFC Bank signs with Export-Import Bank of Korea for $300 million
• Citi Bank and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have joined hands to provide a co-financing loan to IndusInd Bank Limited, a private commercial bank.
• Aditya Birla Health Insurance partnered with UCO Bank for health insurance products
• HDFC Bank signs with Export-Import Bank of Korea for $300 million
• Citi Bank and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have joined hands to provide a co-financing loan to IndusInd Bank Limited, a private commercial bank.

Exp. Kagiso Rabada becomes the fastest player to take 100 wickets in IPL

Punjab Kings paceman Kagiso Rabada has become the fastest bowler to take 100 IPL wickets during the match against Gujarat Titans at the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali.

He became the fastest bowler to reach the mark in terms of matches played.

The right-arm pacer completed the milestone in his 64th IPL match with the wicket of Wriddhiman Saha, going well clear of Lasith Malinga, who picked his 100th wicket in his 70th match.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the fastest Indian to scalp 100 wickets in the IPL, is the third quickest to reach the mark overall. Rashid Khan (83), Amit Mishra (83) and Ashish Nehra (83) are tied on fourth position, while Yuzvendra Chahal (84) rounds off the top five.

Exp. 16 April – World Voice Day

World Voice Day (WVD) is celebrated annually on April 16.

Objective – To promote the proper care and training of the human voice, particularly among those who use their voice for professional or recreational purposes

The voice is critical to effective and healthy human communication. World Voice Day helps bring global awareness to the need to prevent voice problems, rehabilitate troubled voices, train artistic voices, and research the function and application of the human voice.

The concept of dedicating a special day to the voice was first introduced in 1999 by the Society of Laryngology & Voice in Brazil, which selected April 16 as the annual date.

Exp. 15 April – World Art Day

World Art Day is observed every year on 15 April.

Objective – To commemorate Leonardo da Vinci’s birthday, recognizing the importance of art in promoting creativity, cultural diversity, and information exchange.

World Art Day was officially established on April 15 during the General Assembly of the International Association of Art in 2012.

This was the first year of celebration, and the date was chosen in honor of the renowned artist, Leonardo da Vinci’s birthday.

Exp. National Award-winning actress Uttara Baokar passes away

Veteran film and television actress Uttara Baokar passed away at 79 in Pune, Maharashtra.

In 1984, she won the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, India’s National Academy for Acting.

She also appeared in Marathi films like Doghi (1995) with Sadashiv Amrapurkar and Renuka Daftardar, Uttarayan (2005), Shevri (2006) and Restaurant (2006), with Sonali Kulkarni. She came in the limelight following her role in Govind Nihlani’s movie Tamas.

She has played various roles in different plays such as Padmavati in Mukyhamantri and Mena in Mena Gurjari.