DAILY GK 25-26 APRIL

 DAILY GK 25-26 APRIL

1.       RAMBAAN, ASIA’S 1ST MOBILE BIOSAFETY LEVEL-3 LABORATORY

·         India’s and Asia’s first mobile biosafety level-3 (BSL-3) laboratory named ‘Rapid Action Mobile BSL-3 Advanced Augmented Network (RAMBAAN)’, designed to investigate emerging viral infections was showcased at the second G-20(Group of 20) Health Working Group meeting held in Panaji ,Goa.

·         The made-in-India mobile clinic RAMBAAN (Rapid Action Mobile BSL3+ Advanced Augmented Network) can be used to reach remote regions to carry out testing.

 

2.       SIPRI REPORT: WORLD MILITARY EXPENDITURE IN 2022

·         According to the SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) Fact Sheet April 2023 ‘Trends In World Military Expenditure, 2022’, World military expenditure grew for the 8th consecutive year in 2022 by 3.7% in real terms (i.e. when adjusted for inflation) to an all-time high of US$2240 billion.

·         With a military expenditure of US$81.4 billion, India was the fourth largest spender in the world in 2022.

·         Its spending increased by 6.0% from 2021 and 47% from 2013.

·         The United States, China, Russia, India and Saudi Arabia, were the five biggest spenders in 2022,  which together accounted for 63% of world military spending.

 

3.       RBI’S 60TH OBICUS

·         The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has conducted the 60th round of quarterly Order books, Inventories and Capacity Utilization survey (OBICUS) covering 762 manufacturing companies.

·         In Q3FY23, New order book of companies recorded a decline to 8.4% indicating a slowdown in demand in the manufacturing sector.

·         The average amount of new order books has dipped from its peak of Rs 307.9 crore in Q2 FY23 to Rs 212.2 crore in Q3FY23.

·         Capacity Utilization (CU) at manufacturing facilities was at a robust 74.3% in Q3 FY23, up from 74% in Q2.

 

4.       22ND PRESIDENT OF BANGLADESH

·         Mohammed (Md) Sahabuddin was sworn in as the 22nd president of Bangladesh in Durbar Hall of Bangabhaban, Dhaka in Bangladesh.

·         Md Shahabuddin, the 73-year-old politician, an Awami League candidate, was elected uncontested on February 13 2023.

 

5.       SPACEX STARSHIP EXPLODES DURING 1ST FLIGHT TEST

·         SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft, the most powerful and biggest rocket ever built, exploded during its first flight. The uncrewed Starship was launched from Starbase, the SpaceX spaceport in Boca Chica, Texas.

·         The separation of the first-stage rocket booster failed to occur and the rocket experienced multiple engines out during the test and lost altitude.

·         National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has chosen Starship to ferry astronauts to the Moon in late 2025 for the first time since the Apollo programme ended in 1972.

 

6.       14TH NATIONAL PANCHAYATI RAJ DAY – 24TH APRIL 2023

·         National Panchayati Raj Day (NPRD) is annually observed across India on 24th April to mark the day of the decentralisation of power to the grassroots, with the institutionalisation of Panchayati Raj.

·         The day marks the establishment of the 1st Panchayati Raj system with constitutional status in India back in 1993.

·         On the occasion of NPRD 2023, The Ministry of Panchayati Raj, in collaboration with the Government of Madhya Pradesh(MP), has organised a major event as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM) – Samaaveshi Vikaas (Inclusive Development) adopting Whole-of-the-Government approach.

·         Prime Minister(PM) Narendra Modi graced the event as the Chief Guest and launched the AKAM campaign for the theme “Inclusive Development” – “Samaaveshi Vikas” during the event.

·         PM Modi also handed over the SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas) Property Card to select beneficiaries

 

7.       WORLD BOOK AND COPYRIGHT DAY 2023-APRIL 23

·         World Book and Copyright Day is annually observed across the globe on 23rd April to honour the role of books and reading and to promote a reading culture worldwide, particularly among young people.

·         The annual observance is led by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

·         The theme of World Book and Copyright Day 2023 is “Indigenous Languages”, which is centred around the native languages of a particular country.

·         Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, has named Accra (Ghana) as UNESCO World Book Capital for 2023

·         UNESCO Director General – Audrey Azoulay

·         Headquarters – Paris, France

 

8.       INDIA’S 1ST WATER METRO IN KOCHI

·         Kochi Water Metro is a Made in India project and the ports for the project were developed by the Cochin Shipyard.

·         PM laid the foundation stone for the India’s first Digital Science Park in Thiruvananthapuram which will give a boost to Digital India

 

9.       GOLDMAN ENVIRONMENTAL PRIZE 2023

·         The award is also known as the “Green Nobel Prize”.

·         Alessandra Korap Munduruku of Brazil (South & Central America) - Drilling & Mining.

·         TeroMustonen from Finland (Europe)- Climate & Energy.

·         DelimaSilalahi from Indonesia (Islands & Island Nations)- Forests.

·         Chilekwa Mumba from Zambia (Africa) - Environmental Justice.

·         Zafer Kizilkaya of Turkey (Asia) - Oceans & Coasts.

·         Diane Wilson from United States (North America) -Pollution & Waste.

 

10.    RATAN TATA HONOURED WITH ORDER OF AUSTRALIA

·         Ratan Tata was awarded the Officer of the Order of Australia (AO), Australia’s highest civilian honour, in recognition of his contribution to strengthening the bilateral ties between India and Australia particularly in trade, investment, and philanthropy.

·         The announcement was made by the Australian Ambassador to India Mr. Barry O’ Farrell.

·         In March 2023, Ratan Tata  was appointed as an Honorary Officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia.

 

11.    ARUN SINHA APPOINTED CHAIRMAN OF NTRO

·         The Government has appointed Arun Kumar Sinha, a 1984 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of Kerala cadre, as the appointed Chairman of the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO).

·         Arun Sinha has been an advisor in NTRO for 2 years.

 

12.    ISRO COMPLETES PMD OPERATION OF GSAT-12 SATELLITE

·         The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) completed the post-mission disposal (PMD) operation of the communication satellite GSAT-12.

·         GSAT-12 is the 23rd GEO (Geosynchronous Earth Orbital) satellite to undergo PMD before decommissioning and it carried 12 extended C band transponders was launched on July 15, 2011 and served for more than a decade.

 

13.    JAIDIP MUKERJEA AUTOBIOGRAPHY “CROSSCOURT”

·         Jaidip Mukerjea, a retired professional tennis player from India, launched his autobiography titled “Crosscourt”

·         Crosscourt” is co-authored by Papri Sen Sri Raman, a journalist-writer and translator

 

14.    WORLD MALARIA DAY 2023 – APRIL 25

·         World Malaria Day is annually observed across the world on 25th April to create awareness about the importance of investment and commitment toward the prevention and control of Malaria.

·         The theme of World Malaria Day 2023 is  “Time to deliver zero malaria: invest, innovate, implement”.

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DAILY GK 23-24 APRIL

 DAILY GK 23-24 APRIL

1.       5TH PHASE OF REGIONAL CONNECTIVITY SCHEME UDAN 5.0

·         The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has launched the fifth phase of the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) – UdeDeshKaAamNagrik (UDAN) or UDAN 5.0, to improve the connectivity of the country’s regional territories, after four successful rounds of bidding.

·         The earlier stage length constraint of 600 km has been eliminated and there are no restrictions on the distance between the origin and destination of the trip in UDAN 5.0, which concentrates on Category-2 (20-80 seats) and Category-3 (>80 seats).

·         Airlines are required to commence operations within 4 months of the award of the route. Earlier, this deadline was 6 months.

·         UDAN schemewas launched on 27 April 2017 by the Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi-led government with the goal of making air travel accessible to the common people of the country.

·         PM Narendra Modi launched the first aircraft from Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) to Delhi under the UDAN scheme in April 2017.

 

2.       PM MODI TO RELEASE RS 100 COIN TO COMMEMORATE 100 EPISODES OF MANN KI BAAT

·         On 21st April 2023, the Ministry of Finance announced that the Government will release a new commemorative coin of Rs 100 denomination on 30th April 2023, for the 100th episode of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s radio show Mann Ki Baat.

·         The coin’s obverse side will have the Lion Capital of Ashoka Pillar at the centre with “Satyamev Jayate” inscribed below it. “Bharat” in Devanagari script and “INDIA” in English will be inscribed on the left and right peripherals, respectively. The coin will also feature the Rupee symbol “₹” and “100” denomination.

·         On October 3, 2014, PM Modi made his radio debut with “Maan Ki Baat“(Words from the Heart) which is a monthly radio program aired on All India Radio, at 11 am on the last Sunday of each month.

 

3.       IGGL COMPLETES ASIA’S LARGEST UNDERWATER HYDROCARBON PIPELINE

·         This pipeline, with a diameter of 24 inches, has been laid below the Brahmaputra river, connecting Jorhat and Majuli in Assam by using the Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) method.

·         The total length of this single HDD crossing is 4,080 metres across the main water channel of the Brahmaputra river, making it the longest river crossing by any hydrocarbon pipeline of size 24-inch diameter and above in Asia and the second longest in the world.

 

4.       INDIA’S TALLEST AMBEDKAR STATUE OF 125-FT IN HYDERABAD

·         On the occasion of the 132nd birth anniversary of DrBhimrao Ramji (BR) Ambedkar(14th April 2023), Telangana Chief Minister (CM) K Chandrashekhar Rao unveiled the 125-ft tall bronze statue of BabasahebBhimrao Ramji (BR) Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution, in Hyderabad, Telangana.

·         This is the tallest statue of BR Ambedkar in India.

 

5.       WORLD BANK’S LPI 2023 REPORT: INDIA RANKED 38

·         According to the World Bank’s (WB) report titled Connecting to Compete 2023: Trade Logistics in an Uncertain Global Economy – the Logistics Performance Index (LPI) and its indicators”, India’s rank increased by 6 places to 38 in the index, from 44 in 2018.

·         Singapore topped the ranking followed by Finland at second, and Denmark at third.

·         India shares the 38th rank with Lithuania, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye.

·         GoI (Government of India) had announced a National Master Plan, PM Gati Shakti for multi-modal connectivity,in October 2021 to reduce logistics cost and boost the economy by 2024-25.

·         World Bank Group President – David Malpass

·         Headquarters – Washington, DC, USA

·         Establishment – 1944

 

6.       PM’S AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION 2022 FOR INNOVATION

·         The National COVID-19 Vaccination Programme of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoH&FW) received the Prime Minister’s (PM) Award for Excellence in Public Administration 2022 under the innovation (centre) category.

·         RajeshBhushan, Secretary, MoH&FW received the award for National COVID-19 Vaccination Programme from PM Narendra Modi at a function organized on the occasion of 16th Civil Services Day at VigyanBhawan, New Delhi, Delhi.

 

7.       NEW DEPUTY PM OF UK

·         The British government named Oliver Dowden Deputy Prime Minister(PM), replacing Dominic Raab, who resigned following an inquiry into bullying allegations.

·         Prior to this appointment, Oliver Dowden had been serving in Rishi Sunak’s (PM of the United Kingdom) government as the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Cabinet Office secretary.

 

8.       8TH CJ OF TRIPURA HC

·         Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh, Judge, High Court (HC) of Jharkhand has sworn in as the 8th Chief Justice(CJ) of the Tripura High Court.

·         SatyadeoNarain Arya, Governor of Tripura, administered the oath of office in a function at Raj Bhavan.

 

9.       ISRO LAUNCHED 2 SINGAPOREAN SATELLITES

·         The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has launched PSLV-C55 with two Singaporean satellites – TeLEOS-2 as the primary satellite and Lumelite-4 as a co-passenger satellite, as a part of the PSLV-C55/TeLEOS-2 mission, from Satish Dhawan Space Center(SDSC)-Sriharikota Range(SHAR), Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

·         This marks the 57th flight of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle(PSLV) and the 16th mission using the PSLV Core Alone configuration (PSLV-CA).

·         ISROChairman– S Somanath

·         Headquarters– Bengaluru, Karnataka

 

10.    INTERNATIONAL MOTHER EARTH DAY 2023 – APRIL 22

·         The United Nations(UN)’s International Mother Earth Day, also known as “Earth Day” is annually observed across the globe on 22nd April to create awareness about humanity’s relationship with the natural world. 

·         Since 1970, 22nd April has been observed as Earth Day by the EARTHDAY.ORG in more than 190 countries.

·         According to the State of the Global Climate 2022, the annual report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), released ahead of Earth Day 2023(April 22), the 8 years, 2015-2022 were the warmest in the instrumental record back to 1850, despite the cooling impact of three consecutive years of a cooling La Niña. 2022 was the 5th or 6th warmest year.

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DAILY GK 21-22 APRIL

DAILY GK 21-22 APRIL

 1.       WISDEN CRICKETERS OF THE YEAR 2023

·         160th edition of the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack 2023, the cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom(UK), has announced the Five Wisden Cricketers of the Year 2023.

·         Tom Blundell (New Zealand), Ben Foakes (England), Harmanpreet Kaur(India), Daryl Mitchell (New Zealand) and Matthew Potts (England) were named the Five Wisden Cricketers of the Year 2023.

·         Indian Women’s cricket team Captain Harmanpreet  Kaur becomes the 1st India Women’s cricketer to be named a “Wisden Cricketer of the Year”.

·         England’s Ben Stokes and Australia’s Beth Mooney have been named the Leading Cricketers in the World.

·         India’s Suryakumar Yadav picked up the Leading Twenty20 (T20) Cricketer in the World title.

 

2.       CUBAN PRESIDENT MIGUEL DIAZ-CANEL RE-ELECTED

·         The National Congress of Cuba re-elected Miguel Diaz-Canel as president for a second 5 year term as the country faces one of the biggest social and economic crisis since Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution.

·         Miguel Díaz-Canel,91, leader of the Communist Party, the country’s only recognized political movement, won a landslide vote of 97.66% of the Cuba-aligned National Assembly, all of whose 470 members are aligned with the party.

·         The assembly also re-elected Salvador Valdes as Cuba’s vice-president Esteban Lazo as the president of the National Assembly of People’s Power (ANPP) and Manuel Marrero as prime minister.

·         Cuba Capital – Havana

·         Currency – Cuban Peso (CUP)  

 

3.       SATHI: SEED TRACEABILITY PORTAL AND MOBILE APP

·         The Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW) launched the first phase of SATHI (Seed Traceability, Authentication and Holistic Inventory) portal and mobile application.

·         It is a centralized online system to address seed production challenges, seed quality identification, and certification.

·         It has been developed on the theme of Uttam Beej – Samriddh Kisan.

·         It was developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare

 

4.       AIM, NITI AAYOG & UNCDF JOINLY LAUNCHED WHITEPAPER

·         A whitepaper has been jointly launched by Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) which is aimed at making India a global leader in Agri-Tech innovation and expanding these innovations to the least developed countries in Asia and Africa.

·         The whitepaper provides practical solutions to support the growth of Agri-Tech start-ups at both national and international levels, by addressing the challenges they face.

·         UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF):Headquarters– New York

 

5.       1ST-EVER WATERBODY CENSUS

·         According to the “Water Bodies – 1st Census Report” released by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, West Bengal(WB) has topped the list of states with the most number of ponds and reservoirs, Tamil Nadu has the highest number of lakes while Andhra Pradesh (AP) has the highest number of tanks and Maharashtra is the leading state with water conservation schemes.

·         India has 24.24 lakh water bodies such as ponds, tanks and lakes with West Bengal accounting for the most (7.47 lakh) and Sikkim the least (134).

·         The top 5 states (in number of water bodies) are, West Bengal ,Uttar Pradesh ,Andhra Pradesh, and Assam

·         South 24 Parganas of West Bengal is ranked as the top district with the highest number of water bodies across India.

 

6.       IIT MADRAS TO SET UP ITS FIRST INTERNATIONAL CAMPUS IN TANZANIA

·         Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras is set to establish its first International campus in  Zanzibar, Tanzania and plans to start the classes in October 2023.

·         This will be the first IIT established in Africa.

 

7.       AIIB TO OPEN FIRST OVERSEAS OFFICE IN ABU DHABI, UAE

·         The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) signed a host member agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to establish its first overseas office, an Interim Operational Hub, at Abu Dhabi Global Market, Abu Dhabi, UAE.

·         The United Arab Emirates is one of the founding members of AIIB.

·         AIIB began operations in 2016 with 57 founding Members (37 regional and 20 non regional).

·         Headquarters– Beijing, China

 

8.       EASE REFORMS INDEX FOR Q3 FY23

·         As per the report on Enhanced Access & Service Excellence (EASE) Reforms Index for Q3 FY23 published by Indian Banks’ Association (IBA), the Union Bank of India, for the first time, secures 1st rank among all PSB (Public Sector Banks) for adopting various reforms prescribed for PSBs.

·         EASE is an initiative by the Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance

 

9.       1ST WOMAN OFFICER OF IAF TO RECEIVE GALLANTRY AWARD

·         Wing Commander (WgCdr) Deepika Misra became the first woman officer in the Indian Air Force (IAF) to be presented with Vayu Sena Medal(VM) for Gallantry.

·         The award was presented by Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari

·         Wg Cdr Deepika Misra is a trained helicopter pilot, qualified flying instructor and an instrument-rated instructor and examiner.

·         CAS presented Presidential Awards to a total of 58 persons, 57 from the IAF and one from the Army received the awards.

·         CAS presented Two Yudh Seva Medals, 13 Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry), 13 Vayu Sena Medals (devotion to Duty) and 30 Vishisht Seva Medals.

·         Vayu Sena Medal (VM) was Instituted on January 26, 1960, it recognises exceptional devotion to duty or acts of courage by Air Force personnel. In 1994, the award was spilt into VM (Devotion to duty) and VM (Gallantry).

 

10.    KARNATAKA BAGS NATIONAL AWARD FOR PRADHAN MANTRI FASAL BIMA YOJANA

·         Karnataka has bagged the national award for the best implementation of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), a crop subsidy insurance scheme, for the year 2022-23.

·         PMFBY scheme is a crop insurance scheme launched by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India in 2016 to provide comprehensive coverage to farmers for any loss/damage to crops due to natural calamities, pests or diseases.

·         Kharif  Crops that mainly grow during summer are called kharif crops. They are sown at the beginning of the rainy season around June and are harvested around October. Rice, maize and groundnuts are examples of kharif crops.

 

11.    16TH NATIONAL CIVIL SERVICES DAY – 21ST APRIL 2023

·         The National Civil Services Day is annually observed across India on 21st April to recognize and celebrate civil service officers who are engaged in various public service departments across India.

·         21st April 2023 marks the observance of the 16th National Civil Services Day.

·         The theme of the National Civil Services Day 2023 is “Viksit Bharat: Empowering Citizens and Reaching the Last Mile”. 

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