Daily Current Affairs for Competitive Examinations: April 20, 2023
The current affairs section needs to be given extra attention if you are preparing for competitive examinations. A candidate should constantly study fresh information about events in the globe, country, state, and all other sectors. To maintain a level of general knowledge, all you need to know are the essentials. Reading about current events is not difficult; it is really interesting. In order to help all the candidates score well in this section, we have analysed the most recent news from The Hindu, Indian Express, the Economic Times, and so on.
Current Affairs: National Interest
India to host two-day International Buddhist Conference
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate a two-day global conference in New Delhi of Buddhist monks, diplomats, and scholars from over 30 countries on 20 April.
Theme:
‘Responses to contemporary challenges, philosophy to practise’.
Key highlights:
The summit is being organised in conjunction with the International Buddhist Conference, a non-governmental organisation.
The International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), an umbrella group that serves as a platform for Buddhists worldwide, is organising the event.
About Buddhism:
Buddhism is a non-theistic religion (no belief in a creator god), also considered a philosophy and a moral discipline, originating in India in the 6th and 5th centuries BCE.
It was founded by the sage Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha 563 – 483 BCE) who had been a Hindu prince.
It remained a relatively minor school until the reign of Ashoka the Great (268-232 BCE) of the Mauryan Empire (322-185 BCE), who embraced and spread the belief, not only throughout India but also through Central and Southeast Asia.
Buddhism sites of pilgrimage:
Lumbini (birthplace of the Buddha),
Bodh Gaya (the site where the Buddha attained enlightenment)
Sarnath (the location of the Buddha’s first sermon)
Kushinagar (the location where the Buddha attained parinirvana)
Question: 1
India will host the two-day global conference of Buddhist monks, diplomats, and scholars from over 30 countries in which of the following cities?
A. Dharamshala
B. Gangtok
C. New Delhi
D. Itanagar
Answer: C
Check out the Highlights of the Economic Survey 2022-23 by clicking on the link given below: Economic Survey 2022-23
Current Affairs: International
Elon Musk’s SpaceX postpones the first test flight of the world’s biggest rocket Starship
Elon Musk’s company SpaceX has postponed the debut launch of the most powerful rocket ever built, Starship, due to pressurisation issues in the booster stage.
The uncrewed flight was scheduled to lift off from Boca Chica in Texas.
What is Starship?
Together, the Starship spacecraft and the Super Heavy rocket are collectively referred to as Starship.
Starship is a super-heavy-lift rocket and spacecraft that could ferry more than 100 people at a time to the Red Planet.
Starship, a rocket and spacecraft combination, consists of a 50-metre tall spacecraft designed to carry crew and cargo that sits atop a 70-metre first-stage Super Heavy booster rocket.
Important data:
The rocket is made of stainless steel.
The Starship spacecraft will be about 50 metres tall and 9 metres wide.
It will have a payload capacity of between 100 tonnes and 150 tonnes.
It will be powered by three normal Raptor engines and three Raptor engines specially modified for use in the vacuum of space.
This will give it a thrust capacity of 1,500 tonnes of force.
It is fueled with 10 million pounds of liquid methane and oxygen.
The new fuel can be stored at more manageable temperatures than liquid hydrogen, meaning it doesn’t need as much insulation and is less prone to leaks.
What is a Reusable transport system?
The system is designed to be fully and rapidly reusable.
Being fully reusable means the principal hardware elements are not discarded in the sea or allowed to burn up, as happens with some other launch systems, but return to the ground so they can be flown again.
Rapid reusability means that after coming back from space, Starship can be re-filled with propellant and be ready to launch again in a short period of time – like an aircraft. This reduces the cost of the whole enterprise.
Question: 2
Elon Musk’s SpaceX has recently postponed the debut launch of the most powerful rocket ever built due to pressurisation issues in the booster stage. What is the name of that rocket?
A. SLS Block-1
B. Falcon Heavy
C. Starship
D. Saturn-V
Answer: C
Current Affairs: Planet in Focus
First-ever census finds 179 mangrove pitta birds in two coastal Odisha districts
In a first-ever census of mangrove pitta birds carried out in two coastal districts of Odisha, 179 such birds were sighted.
Mangrove pitta birds are a nearly threatened species found in a few pockets of eastern India, including Odisha’s Bhitarkanika and West Bengal’s Sundarbans.
The first census of mangrove pitta (Pitta megharencha) birds was mainly focused on the mangrove patches all along the coasts of the Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur districts.
Facts about Pitta:
Scientific name: Pitta megharencha
It is a species of passerine bird in the family Pittidae.
Super-species: It is part of superspecies where it is placed with the Indian pitta, the fairy pitta and the blue-winged pitta but has no recognized subspecies.
Distribution: It is native to the eastern Indian Subcontinent And western Southeast Asia.
Its range extends from India to Malaysia and Indonesia.
It can be found in a few pockets of eastern India, including Odisha’s Bhitarkanika and West Bengal’s Sundarbans.
IUCN Status: These pitta species have fragmented distribution and are considered ‘Near Threatened’ by IUCN.
Features: A colourful bird, it has a black head with a brown crown, white throat, greenish upperparts, buff underparts and reddish vent area.
Question: 3
In two coastal districts of which of the following states is the first-ever census finds 179 mangrove pitta birds?
A. Gujrat
B. Odisha
C. Kerala
D. Maharashtra
Answer: B
Current Affairs: Person in News
Indian-American FedEX CEO Raj Subramaniam presented with Pravasi Bharatiya Samman
Raj Subramaniam, the Indian-American CEO of global transportation giant FedEx, has been presented with the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, the highest civilian award given by India to persons of Indian origin and the Indian diaspora.
Subramanian, 55, was presented with the award by India’s Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, at a ceremony at the India House.
Subramanian is the president and CEO of FedEx Corporation, one of the world’s largest transportation companies. His international leadership experience and keen business insights have contributed immensely to the success of FedEx.
Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award is the highest civilian award in India for overseas Indians.
The award acknowledges the contribution of the Indian diaspora for creating a better understanding of India abroad, supporting India’s causes and working for the welfare of the local Indian community.
Question: 4
Which of the following Indian-American has recently been presented with the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman?
A. Raj Subramaniam
B. Arvind Virmani
C. Kamala Harris
D. Laxmi Mittal
Answer: A
Current Affairs: Index and Ranking
Melbourne overtakes Sydney as Australia’s biggest city
Melbourne has become Australia’s most populous city, overtaking Sydney for the first time since the 19th century.
The latest government figures put the population of Melbourne at 4,875,400, which is 18,700 more than in Sydney.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) defines a city’s significant urban area as including all connecting suburbs with more than 10,000 people.
At the 2021 census, the population of Sydney was higher than that of Melbourne.
Melbourne, which has been growing rapidly, outpacing Sydney due to multiple patterns of migration, was ranked as Australia’s most liveable city and 10th in the world by the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Liveability Index for 2022.
The federal government of Australia estimates that Greater Melbourne will overtake Greater Sydney in 2031–32.
Question: 5
Which of the following cities has recently become Australia’s most populous city, overtaking Sydney for the first time since the 19th century?
A. Perth
B. Brisbane
C. Canberra
D. Melbourne
Answer: D
Check out the Highlights of Union Budget 2023 by clicking on the link given below: Union Budget 2023-24
Factbook:19-April-2023
Pralay ballistic missiles
India plans to acquire 250 more Pralay ballistic missiles to further bolster its own ‘rocket force’.
Pralay Ballistic Missile is an indigenous short-range ballistic surface-to-surface (SRBM) missile.
This conventional weapon has a range of 150 to 500 km.
It is propelled by a solid-propellant rocket motor and other novel technologies.
The Pralay missile project was sanctioned in 2015 and is a derivative of the Prahaar missile programme, which was first tested in 2011.
The missile guidance system has integrated avionics and cutting-edge navigation. The Indian Air Force would be the first to receive the missile, and then the Indian Army.
Cumbum grapes get the GI Tag
Cumbum grapes from Tamil Nadu received the Geographical Indication (GI) label.
Cumbum grapes are also known as the Cumbum Panneer Thratchai.
The Cumbum valley, located in Tamil Nadu’s Western Ghats, is regarded as the “Grapes City of South India” and grows the Panneer Thratchai.
This variety, sometimes known as Muscat Hamburg, accounts for over 85% of the grape-growing areas in Tamil Nadu.
Theni district is one of Panneer Thratchai’s highest grape-producing locations.
However, the ‘Panneer’ type is most closely linked with Cumbum Valley, where the agricultural area spans over 2,000 acres across ten villages.
The Cumbum region’s agroclimate and soil conditions are ideal for the cultivation of the Muscat varietal.
This grape quality is suitable for making wine, spirits, jams, canned grape juice, and raisins.
These grapes are high in vitamins, tartaric acid, and antioxidants, and they help to lower the risk of some chronic diseases. Apart from their purplish-brown colour, they are also noted for their exceptional taste.
These grapes were introduced in Tamil Nadu in 1832 by a French priest.
Utsa Patnaik wins Malcolm Adiseshiah Award 2023
Utsa Patnaik, a renowned economist of national and international repute, has been selected for the Malcolm Adiseshiah Award 2023.
The award is given every year by the Malcolm & Elizabeth Adiseshiah Trust.
The prestigious national award honours outstanding social scientists selected by a national-level jury specially constituted for this purpose from the nominations received.
‘India’s largest’ aquarium and aviary to come up at Telangana’s Eco-Park.
Hyderabad is all set to have the country’s largest aquarium, which will be housed at Echo Hill Park in Kothwalguda.
The Kothwalguda Eco-Park includes, in addition to gazebos and pergolas, a six-acre aviary, a 2.5-kilometre boardwalk, an aquarium, a butterfly garden, a sensory park, an open-air theatre, flora and landscaping.
Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam inaugurated
The ‘Saurashtra Tamil Sangam’ program has been inaugurated at the Somnath Mahadev.
The Saurashtra Tamil Sangam aims to rediscover, reaffirm and celebrate the over 1,000-year-old emigration and contribution of Saurashtrian Tamils.
It is a program that highlights the oneness of India’s culture by narrating untold histories of how a community emigrated to Tamil Nadu and their contributions to the country.
It will celebrate the civilisational links between people from the southern part of the country and those from Saurashtra and Kedarnath in the north.
The STS is the second such programme under the ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’ initiative.
The first one was the ‘Kashi Tamil Sangamam’.
Arab League
Delegates from nine Arab nations discussed the possibility of normalising relations with Syria and its return to the Arab League.
The Arab League is an alliance of states that currently has 22 member states in Northern Africa and on the Arabian Peninsula, which belongs geographically to Asia.
All member countries together cover an area of 13.15 million km² (8.7% of the world’s inhabitable area).
The origins of the Arab League go back to the Second World War. Large parts of the founding members belonged to the Ottoman Empire.
The aims of the Arab League were very similar to those of NATO and the Warsaw Pact.
India’s first DNA Database developed by Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is the first-ever state in India to officially create a DNA Database for unidentified bodies.
It has been recorded that about 150 DNA samples of nameless dead bodies. It is a big relief for those people who tirelessly look for the bodies of their families.
Over 100 bodies have been discovered across several parts of states in India. Through this step, the details of the bodies will be revealed or identified within seconds.
Question: 6
India’s First DNA Database was recently developed by which of the following states/UT?
A. Jammu and Kashmir
B. Delhi
C. Telangana
D. Himachal Pradesh
Answer: D
Tarlok Singh, designated as Himachal Pradesh’s Chief Justice
The Ministry of Law and Justice announced the promotion of the senior judge of the Himachal Pradesh High Court. Tarlok Singh Chauhan has been appointed as Acting Chief Justice from his former position.
Kiren Rijiju, the Minister of Law and Justice, congratulated him on his appointment, which will begin on April 20, 2023.
Mr Tarlok completed his schooling at Bishop Cotton School, Shimla, while he received his graduation degree from DAV College in Chandigarh. He has worked in many cases of Financial Institutions, Boards, etc.
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