Daily Current Affairs for Competitive Examinations: April 21, 2023
This article covers the GK and Daily Current Affairs Quiz with MCQs on National Affairs, International Affairs, Economy, Banking Affairs, Polity, Geography, Environment, Sports, etc. for competitive examinations viz. UPSC, SSC, Bank PO, Bank Clerk, IBPS, Railways, Government Jobs, UPPSC, MPSC, and other state exams. This current affairs quiz will help you in the General Awareness section conducted in various Banking, SSC, Insurance, Railways, and other govt job entrance exams. The current affairs quiz will also help you outshine the crowd with all the information you gain from this article.
Current Affairs: Science and Technology
ISRO to launch Singapore’s TeLEOS-2 satellite
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch Singapore’s TeLEOS-2 satellite on 22 April from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
Details:
Singapore’s TeLEOS-2 satellite will be launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 22 April from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
The launch, which will be carried out by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), is scheduled to take place at 2.19 p.m.
This launch will be the PSLV’s 55th mission, and TeLEOS-2 is an Earth Observation Satellite developed by ST Engineering. This is the second satellite developed by ST Engineering to be launched by ISRO.
In 2015, ISRO launched TeLEOS-1, the first Singapore commercial Earth Observation Satellite, which was launched into a low Earth orbit for remote sensing applications. ISRO has so far launched nine satellites belonging to Singapore.
The PSLV-C55 is ISRO’s third launch this year, and the last PSLV mission was in November last year.
What isTeLEOS-2 satellite?
The Singaporean probe is an Earth Observation Satellite, which has been designed to capture round-the-clock, all-weather satellite imagery.
The 750-kilogram satellite, developed by ST Engineering, will provide imagery that could be used for hotspot monitoring and haze management, air crash search and rescue operations, and much more.
The XL variant of PSLV, which will be used during the C-55 mission, has six solid rocket strap-on motors to augment the thrust.
The rocket is capable of launching 1,750 kg of payload to Sun-Synchronous Polar Orbits at 600 km altitude and 1,425 kg into Geosynchronous and Geostationary orbits.
What is PSLV?
The PSLV is a third-generation launch vehicle developed solely in India and was first launched from India to be equipped with liquid stages.
The rocket is capable of placing multiple payloads into orbit and has been used to launch various satellites into Geosynchronous and Geostationary orbits.
Question: 1
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch the TeLEOS-2 satellite on 22 April from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. This satellite is associated with which country?
A. Singapore
B. UAE
C. Bangladesh
D. Australia
Answer: A
Check out the Highlights of the Economic Survey 2022-23 by clicking on the link given below: Economic Survey 2022-23
Current Affairs: National Interest
PM MITRA Park inaugurated in UP
The Government of India recently announced the sites for setting up of 7 PM Mega Integrated Textile Regions and Apparel (PM MITRA) Parks for the Textile industry.
The Parks will come up in Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.
The Ministry of Textiles also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for Integrated Textile Park in 1,000 acres in the Lucknow and Hardoi districts of UP.
What is PM MITRA?
PM MITRA aims to develop integrated large-scale and modern industrial infrastructure facilities for the entire value chain of the textile industry.
It is inspired by the 5F vision, i.e., Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign.
Special Purpose Vehicles owned by Centre and State Governments jointly to be set up for each park which will oversee the implementation of the project.
The setting up of the 7 PM MITRA Parks was announced in the Union Budget 2021-22.
Functioning:
The Ministry of Textiles will oversee the execution of these projects. An SPV owned by the Centre and State Governments will be set up for each park which will oversee the implementation of the project.
The parks will offer excellent infrastructure, plug-and-play facilities, as well as training and research facilities for the industry.
Benefits:
PM MITRA Parks represent a unique model where the Centre and State Governments will work together to increase investment, promote innovation, create job opportunities and ultimately make India a global hub for textile manufacturing and exports. Nearly ₹70,000 crore investment and 20 lakhs employment generation is envisaged through these parks.
Question: 2
PM MITRA (Pradhan Mantri Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel) Park was recently inaugurated in UP. Which of the following is not a part of its 5F vision?
A. Farm
B. Foreign
C. Fashion
D. Finance
Answer: D
Current Affairs: National Interest
Central Govt. notifies Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023
The Central Government notified the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023.
The rules have addressed the Supreme Court guidelines in a writ petition between the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) and the People for Elimination of Stray Troubles.
As per the Rules, the Animal Birth Control programme for sterilisation and immunisation of stray dogs will be carried out by local bodies, municipalities, municipal corporations and panchayats.
By effectively implementing the rules, the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme can be conducted by the local bodies, which will help reduce the stray dog population and address animal welfare issues.
The rules also provide guidelines on how to deal with human and stray dog conflicts without relocating dogs in an area.
The Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, replace the previous Animal Birth Control Rules, 2001.
Question: 3
Recently the Central Government notified the Animal Birth Control Rules. Which of the following is the implementation body for these rules?
A. Local Self-Governance Bodies
B. State Police
C. Self Helping Groups
D. National Animal Welfare Board
Answer: A
Current Affairs: National Interest
Govt launches ‘Sangathan se Samriddhi’ scheme to bring marginalised rural women into SHGs network
Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh has launched the ‘Sangathan se Samriddhi’ campaign.
It will empower marginalised rural households by bringing all eligible rural women into the fold of Self Help Groups (SHGs).
It aims to form over one lakh self-help groups (SHGs) in villages and mobilise nearly one crore women from eligible rural households to be a part of the groups till 30 June.
The national campaign under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav Samaveshi Vikaas is aimed at mobilising 100 million women from eligible rural households and aspires to bring all the vulnerable and marginalised rural households under the Self-Help Group (SHG) fold so that they can benefit from the programme.
The total number of SHGs stands at over 83 lakhs.
Current Affairs: Sports
Suryakumar Yadav named Wisden’s leading T20I cricketer
The Indian duo of Suryakumar Yadav and Harmanpreet Kaur have added another feather to their outstanding crown after bagging the Wisden Almanack’s leading cricketer in the World awards.
Suryakumar won the honour of Wisden Almanack’s leading T20I Cricketer, while Harmanpreet Kaur became the first Indian woman to win the Cricketer of the Year award.
His two centuries and nine half-tons—including three in the 2022 T20 World Cup alone—helped India win 28 of their 40 games last year.
Under the captaincy of Harmanpreet, India won the ODI series 3-0 on English soil for the first time since 1999 and won the silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
He scored 754 ODI runs in 2022, including a brilliant 143 not out against England. Apart from this, he scored 524 runs while performing well in T20 as well.
England captain Ben Stokes has been named Wisden’s leading cricketer in the world.
Question: 4
Who among the following has been named the leading T20I Cricketer of the Year in the 2023 edition of the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack?
A. Virat Kohli
B. Surya Kumar Yadav
C. Mohhamud Siraj
D. Shreyas Iyer
Answer: B
Check out the Highlights of Union Budget 2023 by clicking on the link given below: Union Budget 2023-24
Factbook: 20-April-2023
Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Scientists have identified small crustaceans, anemones, and other walks of life thriving along the Great Pacific Garbage Patch’s plastic debris.
Garbage patches are large areas of the ocean where litter, fishing gear, and other debris – known as marine debris – collects. They are formed by rotating ocean currents called “gyres”.
There are five gyres in the ocean—one in the Indian Ocean, two in the Atlantic Ocean, and two in the Pacific Ocean. Garbage patches of varying sizes are located in each gyre.
The most famous of these patches is often called the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch”. It is located in the North Pacific Gyre (between Hawaii and California).
“Patch” is a misleading nickname, causing many to believe that these are islands of trash.
Instead, the debris is spread across the surface of the water and from the surface all the way to the ocean floor.
The debris ranges in size from largely abandoned fishing nets to tiny microplastics, which are plastic pieces smaller than 5 mm in size.
This makes it possible to sail through some areas of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and see very little to no debris.
Centre Accepts National Quantum Mission
In order to escalate the Quantum Technology Industry, the centre approved the National Quantum Mission to make India a powerful country in the respective sector.
The objective of this mission is to accelerate scientific research and development. Also, this scheme will benefit tremendously to multiple sectors like Finance, Health and Communications.
With this, it will come up with intermediate-level quantum computers having 50 to 1000 qubits.
National Goddess Ganga Cleansing Mission
The Namami Gange Programme (NMCG) was introduced by the Jal Shakti Ministry. Along with this, several other missions have also been launched.
Worth ₹638 crore, the Clean Ganga mission will be implemented across many districts. The Hindon River Rejuvenation Programme will be taken in the Saharanpur district.
Eight projects have been approved for Clean Ganga and four projects worth ₹407 crore for the Hindon River.
8th India-Thailand Defence Dialogue
The 8th India-Thailand defence dialogue was held in Bangkok on 20th April.
The meeting was co-chaired by Nivedita Shukla, Special Secretary in the Ministry of Defence and General Nuchit Sribunsong, Deputy Permanent Secretary of Defence of Thailand.
They reviewed defence cooperation between the two countries and explored new initiatives to further strengthen bilateral ties.
The two sides also exchanged views on regional and global issues of common interest.
India and Thailand share a strategic partnership, and defence is a major pillar of this cooperation.
Question: 5
The 8th India-Thailand defence dialogue was recently held in which of the following cities?
A. Chiang Mai
B. Pattaya
C. Ayutthaya
D. Bangkok
Answer: D
Tea Mosquito Bug
Tea production in India is under threat due to the infestation of the Tea Mosquito Bug (TMB).
The Tea Mosquito Bug (Helopeltis theivora) is a common pest that sucks the sap from the tender parts of tea plants, leading to heavy crop losses.
It also damages plants by inserting eggs into their tissues. TMB has affected both low and high-elevation tea plantations.
Currently, only seven pesticides are approved for use in South India under the PPC, and tea growers are unable to achieve effective control of the pest.
The United Planters Association of Southern India (UPASI) has sought government approval to use effective molecules that have been evaluated and approved by the Central Insecticide Board and Registration Committee (CIBRC) for other crops in India and have minimum residue levels for tea.
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