Current Affairs Quiz 6th April 2023 Quiz

Exp. India Justice Report 2022: Karnataka tops among 18 large states

According to the India Justice Report 2022, Karnataka tops the list of states and Union Territories in providing access to justice and three other southern states figure among the best five.

The report considers several parameters such as police, judiciary, prisons, and legal aid to assess the overall performance of each state.

According to the report, as of December 2022, the high courts were functioning with only 778 judges as against the sanctioned strength of 1,108.

The subordinate courts were functioning with 19,288 judges as against the sanctioned strength of 24,631 judges.

Tamil Nadu is second and Telangana is third. Uttar Pradesh is at the 18th position, which is at the bottom.

Among small states, Sikkim topped the list of seven small states with less than one crore population, followed by Arunachal Pradesh. Goa is at the bottom, at seventh position.

About India Justice Report

• Tata Trusts launched the India Justice Report (IJR) in 2019.
• This is the third edition.
• Center for Social Justice, Common Cause, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, Daksh, TISS-Prayas, Vidhi Institute for Law Policy, and How India Lives, data partner of IJR, are among its partners.

Exp. Mumbai to soon get fifty 24×7 Food Trucks across seven zones

Mumbai city will soon get at least 50 food trucks that would function round the clock across all seven zones in the city.

Each of the six zones can now operate as many as seven food trucks, and the seventh zone would be permitted to operate eight food trucks.

These food trucks can operate 24×7 and sell any kind of food. They would require permission from health and fire brigade officials and the approval of a monitoring committee at the ward level.

The spot for the food truck should preferably be near a high football area or a university. They cannot be set up within 200m of a restaurant. The food trucks will not sell any raw vegetables or fruits.

Last year, Manish Sisodia, the then Deputy CM of Delhi has announced that Delhi would be the first in the country to bring a food truck policy on the lines of US and the UK.

Exp. IIT Kanpur host Y20 Consultation under G20 Presidency of India

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur organized the Youth20 (Y20) Consultation under the G20 Presidency of India.

The two-day event was attended by more than 1,200 youth delegates from across India and abroad.

The Y20 Consultation is a platform that brings young people together to connect, share ideas and experiences, and deliberate on finding innovative solutions to pressing global concerns.

The Y20 Consultation, under the aegis of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, is a pan-India activity in the run-up to the final Youth-20 Summit to be held in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

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

• 4th Business 20 (B20) Meeting – Kohima, Nagaland (4 – 6 April 2023)
• 2nd G20 Employment Working Group (EWG) Meeting – Guwahati, Assam (3 – 5 April 2023)
• 2nd Tourism Working Group (TWG) Meeting – Siliguri & Darjeeling, West Bengal (1-3 April 2023)
• 1st Tourism Working Group (TWG) Meeting – Dhordo in Rann of Kutch, Gujarat (7 – 9 February 2023)
• First G20 Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group Meeting – Gandhinagar, Gujarat (30 March – 1 April 2023)

Exp. UP govt to set up UP Education Service Selection Commission for appointment of teachers

Uttar Pradesh government has decided to set up the Uttar Pradesh Education Service Selection Commission for the recruitment of teachers in the state.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath gave necessary guidelines regarding the setting up of the autonomous commission which will select teachers in basic, secondary, higher and technical colleges in the state.

The new commission will also conduct the UP Teachers Eligibility Test (UPTET) exam.

The Vice-Chancellor of Universities or a person with long experience in the Indian Administrative Service will be the chairman of the new integrated commission.

Senior judges and experienced educationists will be its members.

Other backward classes, scheduled castes/tribes, women and minorities will also be represented in the commission.

About Uttar Pradesh

• Capital – Lucknow
• Chief Minister – Yogi Adityanath
• Governor – Anandiben Patel

Exp. Chhattisgarh’s Nagri Dubraj rice variety gets GI tag

The Geographical Indications Registry has granted Geographical Indication (GI) tag to Nagari Dubraj, a fragrant rice from Chhattisgarh, to give a unique identity to the brand.

The Morena and Rewa Mango (Madhya Pradesh) have also been given the GI Tag.

The origin of Dubraj is believed to be from Shringi Rishi Ashram area of Sihawa. Its reference is found in Valmiki Ramayana. Sihawa area is considered to be the source of Dubraj in various research papers.

About Chhattisgarh

• Capital – Raipur
• Chief Minister – Bhupesh Baghel
• Governor – Anusuiya Uikey

Recent GI Tag

• Nagri Dubraj Rice – Chhattisgarh
• Morena and Rewa Mango – Madhya Pradesh
• Kangra Tea – Himachal Pradesh
• Tandoor Red Gram – Telangana
• Raktsey Karpo Apricot – Ladakh
• Gamocha – Assam

Exp. Paris to ban e-scooters

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo pledged to ban rented e-scooters from the French capital after a huge majority of residents backed the move.

In a non-binding referendum, 89.03% of 103,084 votes cast were opposed to the freestanding scooters, which are booked on a short-term basis through apps. There were only two options, “for” or “against.”

E-scooters launched in Paris in 2018, but in 2020 the number of firms with operating licenses was cut to just three: Lime, Dott, and Tier.

The city also added conditions such as a 20-kilometer per hour speed limit and designated scooter parking areas. Customers who leave scooters outside these areas face a fine.

Critics of the scooters say they clutter up pavements and roads, but also raise safety concerns. There were 459 accidents involving e-scooters or similar vehicles in Paris last year, including three fatalities.

Exp. Kenya to launch its first operational satellite on 10 April

The Kenya Space Agency is set to launch the country’s first operational earth observation satellite on 10 April 2023.

Taifa-1, or one nation in Swahili, is scheduled to be launched on board the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

The observation satellite is “fully designed and developed” by Kenyan engineers and will be used to provide data on agriculture and food security, among other areas.

Egypt was the first African country to send a satellite into space in 1998.

In 2018, Kenya launched its first experimental nanosatellite from the International Space Station.

About Kenya

• Capital- Nairobi
• Currency- Kenyan Shilling
• Continent – Africa
• President- William Ruto
• Official languages- Swahili, English

Exp. Canara Bank launches Premium Payroll Account

Canara Bank has introduced a “Premium PayrollPackage” for Salary account holders with competitive features.

This product has been designed to meet all Banking requirements of Salaried Customers.

The features such as free Term Life Insurance, Insta over Draft, free Personal & Air Accident Insurance coverage, Premium Cards are some of the unique features of the product apart of the other various features offered.

About Canara Bank

• Founded – 1906
• Headquarters- Bengaluru, Karnataka
• MD & CEO – K Satyanarayana Raju
• Tagline – Together with Can

Recent Facilities Launched in Banks & Insurance Sector

• Axis Bank and VISA have jointly launched a mobile application ‘Digital Dukaan’
• Axis Bank launched ‘MicroPay’ based on ‘Pin on Mobile’ technology for digital payments
• ICICI Prudential Life Insurance launched ‘ICICI Pru Gold’

• Suryodaya Small Finance Bank launched Blossom Women’s Savings Account
• Bank of Maharashtra launched its own private cloud platform ‘MAHABANK NAKSHATRA’

Exp. ADB cuts India GDP growth forecast to 6.4% for FY24

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has slashed its India growth forecast for FY24 to 6.4 percent from 7.2 percent estimated earlier, citing risks arising from global and domestic factors.

ADB has also highlighted that India’s GDP will rise in FY25 to 6.7%.

While inflation will likely moderate to 5% in 2023-24, assuming moderation in oil and food prices. Inflation will be at 4.5% in FY25.

Updated GDP List

• World Bank – 6.3% (FY24)
• MOODY’S. – 5.5% (FY23)
• S&P – 7% (FY23), 6% (FY24)
• IMF – 6.1% (FY23), 6.8% (FY24)
• ADB – 6.4% (FY24), 6.7% (FY25)
• RBI – 6.8% (FY23)
• India Ratings – 6.9% (FY23)
• FITCH RATING – 7% (FY23), 6.7% (FY24)
• FICCI – 7% (FY23), 6.4% (FY24)
• OECD – 6.6% (FY23), 5.7% (FY24)
• CRISIL – 6% (FY24)

Exp. RBI keeps repo rate unchanged at 6.5%

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced that there will be no change in repo rate, which is to remain at 6.5%.

The RBI monetary policy committee (MPC) announced the first bi-monthly policy for FY24 concluding a three-day meeting.

Many experts anticipated the RBI will increase key interest rates by 25 basis points (bps) to 6.75% to tackle persistently high inflation, which has remained above the RBI’s comfort zone of 6% for most of the time

The GDP is expected to jump 6.5% in the current financial year.

Retail inflation is expected to moderate to 5.2% in FY2023-24.

The standing deposit facility (SDF) would remain unchanged at 6.25%, and the MSF rate and the bank rate at 6.75%.

In Q1FY24, CPI-based inflation is expected to be 5.1%.

The real GDP growth in 2022-23 was 7%.

Monetary Policy Current Rates

• Standing Deposit Facility (SDF) – 6.25%
• Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) – 6.75%
• Bank Rate – 6.75%
• Repo Rate – 6.50%
• Reverse Repo Rate – 3.35%
• Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) – 4.50%
• Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) – 18%

Exp. Kiran Nadar conferred with France’s highest civilian award

Philanthropist and art collector Kiran Nadar was conferred “Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur” (Knight of the Legion of Honour) by French Ambassador to India Emmanuel Lenain.

The highest French civilian award comes in recognition of Nadar’s outstanding contribution in the field of art, her commitment to providing greater access to culture both nationally and internationally, and her leading role in fostering Indo-French cultural ties.

Nadar, chairperson of the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) — a philanthropic initiative in art — and a trustee of the Shiv Nadar Foundation has played a vital role in advancing Indo-French cultural ties, and artistic cooperation.

Recent Awards

• ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ by University of Texas – Naveen Jindal
• Wildlife Conservation Award 2023 – J&K’s Aliya Mir
• Conferred Special literary award – Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
• Abel Prize for maths – Luis Caffarelli
• Kerala’s highest civilian honour Kerala Jyothi- M T Vasudevan Nair

Exp. India-U.S. air exercise ‘Cope India’ to begin from 10 April

The Air Forces of India and the U.S. are set to conduct the Cope India exercise from 10 to 21 April 2023 at the Kalaikunda airbase in West Bengal, with Japan as an observer.

The `Cope India’ exercise will “further enhance operational capability and interoperability between the two air forces”.

Japan, significantly, will also take part as an “observer” in the exercise, which will witness “air combat and mobility elements” operating from multiple air bases like Kalaikunda, Panagarh, Agra and Hindon.

The Japanese Air Self-Defence Force (JASDF) participated in Cope India as an observer for the 1st time in Dec 2018.

Recent Exercise

• Konkan Exercise between India & UK – Arabian Sea
• AFINDEX 2023 Exercise between Africa & India – Pune
• 3rd Sea Dragon Exercise between India & USA – Guam, USA
• 13th Bold Kurukshetra Exercise between India & Singapore – Jodhpur Military Station
• 3rd La Perouse Multilateral Exercise between India, US, Japan, France, UK and Australia – Indian Ocean Region

Exp. Skyroot Aerospace successfully test-fires 3D-printed cryogenic engine

India’s top private aerospace company, Skyroot Aerospace has successfully fired an advanced fully 3D-printed cryogenic engine, Dhawan-II.

The engine roared to life for 200 seconds as the endurance test demonstrated the agility of the 3D-printed structure est to power the company’s Vikram-II rocket.

The test was conducted at Solar Industries propulsion test facility in Nagpur using Skyroot’s indigenously developed mobile cryogenic engine test pad.

The cryogenic rocket engine uses two high-performance rocket fuels, Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) and Liquid Oxygen (LoX), which require cryogenic temperatures (below -150° Celsius) for storage and operation. LNG is more than 90 percent Methane, and LoX is a green burning fuel that is environmentally friendly.

A cryogenic upper stage instead of a solid fuel stage enhances the payload-carrying capacity of a rocket.

In 2022, Skyroot Aerospace became the first Indian private company to send a rocket into space.

Co-founder and CEO of Skyroot Aerospace – Pawan Kumar Chandana

Exp. Weightlifter Sanjita Chanu banned for four years for failing dope test

Two-time Commonwealth Games champion Indian weightlifter Sanjita Chanu has been handed a four-year ban by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) for failing a dope test.

Sanjita had tested positive for an anabolic steroid — Drostanolone Metabolite — that features in the World Anti-doping Agency’s (WADA) prohibited list.

Sanjita had won gold in 48kg ahead of Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Mirabai Chanu at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

At the 2018 edition of the CWG in Gold Coast, she was crowned champion in the 53kg category.

Exp. 5 April – International Day of Conscience

International Day of Conscience is observed every year on 5 April to mark the value of the human conscience.

It came into existence on July 25, 2019, by UN General Assembly under UN resolution 73/329.

Theme 2023 – Building a Culture of Peace

According to the United Nations, peace is more than just the absence of disagreements and conflicts; it is a constructive, dynamic, participatory process that is intimately linked to democracy, justice, and development for everyone.