Current Affairs in English – April 5 2023

April 5, 2023

National Events:

Youth20:

• IIT Kanpur, one of India’s premier institutes of technology, will host the Youth20 Consultation under the G20 Presidency of India from April 5th-6th, 2023. The event will bring together over 1200 youth delegates from India and abroad to discuss innovative solutions to pressing global concerns.
• The Youth20 Consultation is a platform created by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India, to connect young people from around the world and help shape future policies.
• During the Y20 Consultation at IIT Kanpur, two of the five core themes will be discussed: “Future of Work: Industry 4.0, Innovation, & 21st Century Skills” and “Health, Well-being & Sports: Agenda for Youth”.

FLO:

• Sudha Shivkumar has been appointed as the 40th president of FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO), which is the oldest women-led and women-centric business chamber in Southeast Asia. The appointment took place during the 39th annual session.
• As the president of FLO, Shivkumar aims to focus on empowering women by promoting an enabling environment that fosters entrepreneurship, industry participation, and economic development for women.
• She intends to carry out several interventions towards achieving this goal. FLO plays a significant role in promoting and encouraging women’s participation in various fields, and the organization has been working towards the economic and social empowerment of women in India for many years.

Bandipur National Park:

• Bandipur National Park, located in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, recently completed 50 years as a Project Tiger Reserve. The park, which spans an area of over 874 square kilometers, is home to a diverse range of flora and fauna, including tigers, elephants, Indian bison, and several species of birds and reptiles.
• The park was initially established as a wildlife sanctuary in 1973, but it was later designated as a Project Tiger Reserve in 1974. Since then, it has played a vital role in the conservation of tigers and other endangered species in the region.

National Maritime Day:

• In India, the National Maritime Week begins on March 30 and culminates in the celebration of National Maritime Day on April 5.
• This year marks the 60th anniversary of the event, which aims to recognize India’s significant contribution to the maritime industry and its history as a seafaring nation. National Maritime Day plays a crucial role in promoting awareness about India’s maritime heritage and current role in supporting the country’s economy.
• The day is an opportunity to express gratitude to the sailors who work tirelessly at sea, often spending months away from their families, to ensure the smooth functioning of the industry.

IJR:

• According to the India Justice Report (IJR) 2022, which assesses the performance of states in terms of justice delivery, the state of Karnataka has achieved the top rank among the 18 large and mid-sized states with populations over one crore.
• The report considers several parameters such as police, judiciary, prisons, and legal aid to assess the overall performance of each state. The state of Tamil Nadu has secured the second position in the rankings, while Telangana has secured the third position.

Mukesh Ambani:

• Mukesh Ambani has been named the richest sports owner in the Forbes billionaire 2023 list, with a net worth of $83.4 billion, surpassing Steve Ballmer, the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, whose net worth is $80.7 billion.
• It’s interesting to note that despite a 3% fall in Reliance Industries’ share value over the past year, Ambani’s net worth has still increased, indicating the strength and diversity of his business interests.

GI:

• On April 3, 2022, the Benarasi Paan, which was featured in Amitabh Bachchan’s famous song “Khaike Paan Benaras Wala,” was granted the Geographical Indication (GI) tag. This means that these products have unique qualities specific to their respective regions.
• The Benarasi Paan, known for its distinct taste and unique blend of ingredients, has been awarded the GI tag along with three other Varanasi-based products: Banarasi Langda Mango, Ramnagar Bhanta (Brinjal), and Adamchini Rice. The expert Rajinikant, who is a Padma Awardee in GI, has confirmed the designation of these products.

India-Bhutan:

• PM Narendra Modi and King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck held a bilateral meeting in New Delhi on April 5.
• Both countries are examining and considering setting up the first Integrated Check Post along the India-Bhutan border, which would be near Jaigaon. India and Bhutan will also expedite the proposed Kokrajhar-Gelephu rail link project through Govt. of India support.

Jal Jeevan Mission:

• Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, 60% of rural households have access to clean drinking water through taps. It added 23.4 million households in the fiscal year ended 2022-23.
• Of India’s total of 190.4 million rural households, 116 million now have a functioning water tap.

Mircha’ rice:

• Mircha’ rice of Bihar’s West Champaran has been awarded the GI tag. The size and shape of the grain appear like that of black pepper, hence it is known as Mircha or Marcha Rice.
• The grains and flakes of this rice have a unique aroma that makes it different. This rice is famous for its aroma, palatability and its aromatic chura (rice flakes) making qualities.

UP Education Service Selection Commission:

• The UP government has decided to set up UP Education Service Selection Commission for the recruitment of teachers in the state.
• CM Yogi Adityanath gave necessary guidelines regarding the setting up of the autonomous commission which will select teachers in secondary, higher and technical colleges in the state. The new commission will also conduct the UP Teachers Eligibility Test (UPTET) exam.

Social audits:

• Government has successfully conducted Social audits in all the 4291 Gram Panchayats of the UT of Jammu and Kashmir to improve transparency and accountability in the implementation of various Government schemes and programmes.
• The Department has also widened the ambit of Social audit in the UT by including SBM (G) and PMAY (G) under its purview from 1st March, 2023.

Skyroot Aerospace:

• Skyroot Aerospace, on 4 April 2023, successfully test-fired a 3D-printed cryogenic engine for a record 200 seconds.
• The test of ‘Dhawan-II’ was carried out at a propulsion test facility in Nagpur, Maharashtra, using an indigenously developed mobile cryogenic engine test pad.
• Skyroot’s 1st privately developed fully-cryogenic rocket engine, Dhawan-I was successfully test-fired in Nov 2021.

ADB:

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on 4 April 2023 slashed its estimate for India’s economic growth for Financial Year (FY) 2024 to 6.4% from 7.2% forecast in December 2022.
• It estimates the growth rate to be 6.7 per cent in FY25. The report said that inflation will decrease to 5% in FY24 and further slow down to 4.5% in FY25 as inflationary pressures subside.

India & USA:

• India announced the purchase of Hellfire missiles and Mark 54 anti-submarine Torpedoes from the USA for its mh-60 Romeo multi-role helicopters in April 2023.
• It is also already inducted into the Indian Navy’s P-81 anti-submarine warfare and surveillance planes. India and the US signed a Rs 16,000 crore deal to buy 24 MH-60 Romeo helicopters from Lockheed Martin in 2020.

G20:

• The Ministry of Women and Child Development launched the 2nd G20 Empower meeting in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on 4 April 2023.
• It was launched under the theme “Women Empowerment: Win-win for Equality and Economy”. The meeting includes various side events that address important issues related to women’s safety, health, wages and insurance.

Tamil Nadu Events:

Tamil Nadu is ranked first:

• A geographical indication is used to identify agricultural products, natural products, handicrafts etc. that are traditionally produced in a particular place is provided. It stands as a testament to the pride of the place of manufacture, the heritage and high quality of the products.
• In Tamil Nadu, 45 products have been given geographical indication while 11 more products have been given geographical indication. Tamil Nadu is ranked first in India by getting GI tag for 56 products.

International Events:

Golden License:

• Bahrain launched the Golden License Initiative to encourage investment and job creation in the country on 4 April 2023.
• It offers various benefits, including priority land allotment for investment and streamlined access to government services such as business licensing and building permit approval. The license will also provide support from Tamkin and the Bahrain Development Bank.

OPEC:

• The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) members including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iraq, Kuwait, and Algeria have announced voluntary oil production cuts exceeding one million barrels per day from May 2023.
• They have described it as a precautionary measure aimed at supporting the stability of the oil market. The decision was made after a drop in oil prices in March 2023.

Paris:

• Paris banned e-scooters on its streets. The ban comes after months of intense debate on the subject as the number of accidents involving e-scooters or trottinette has continued to rise in the past few years.
• The reason being that people are recklessly riding the battery-powered vehicles, flouting traffic rules and causing severe accidents.

Four most distant galaxies:

• The James Webb Space Telescope has discovered the four most distant galaxies ever observed, one of which formed just 320 million years after the Big Bang when the universe was still in its infancy.
• The galaxies date from 300 to 500 million years after the Big Bang more than 13 billion years ago. The galaxy was named JADES-GS-Z13-0 and was formed 320 million years after the Big Bang.

International Conscience Day:

• International Conscience Day is celebrated on April 5 to promote peace. To lead a conscientious life, one must respect human rights and dignity as well as protect other living beings. Conscience is the ability of a person to distinguish between what’s right and what’s wrong.
• The ability guides the person to be compassionate, and be thoughtful of one’s actions. Conscience allows people to have a moral backbone and to protect those who are weak.

Sports Events:

Sanjita Chanu:

• Sanjita Chanu, a weightlifter from India who has won the Commonwealth Games twice, has been banned for four years by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) of India after she tested positive for banned drugs.
• The testing took place during the National Games held in Gujarat in September-October 2022, and the results showed the presence of drostanolone, an anabolic-androgenic steroid prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).