Tnpsc Current Affairs in English – 12th August 2023

1. Which state launched the ‘Gruha Jyothi scheme’?

[A] Kerala

[B] Karnataka

[C] Odisha

[D] Madhya Pradesh

Answer: [B] Karnataka

The Karnataka government launched the Gruha Jyothi free power scheme, which aims to provide free electricity up to 200 units for every household in the state. About 2.14 crore households will get benefited from the Gruha Jyothi scheme. Around 1.41 crore have already registered for the scheme. Applications have also been invited for the Griha Laxmi scheme under under which Rs 2,000 allowance will be given for all woman heads of BPL families.

2. Kuttikkanam Palace, which was seen in the news, is located in which state/UT?

[A] Karnataka

[B] West Bengal

[C] Kerala

[D] Tamil Nadu

Answer: [C] Kerala

The 130-year-old Kuttikkanam Palace, the summer residence of the kings of erstwhile Travancore, is set to be declared a historical monument. Kuttikkanam is a hill station lying between Wagamon and Thekkady. The State Archaeology department is set to declare the famed Kuttikkanam Palace, also known as Ammachi Kottaram, as a historical monument.

3. Where is the ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) located?

[A] Bengaluru

[B] Mahendra Giri

[C] Cochin

[D] Sikkim

Answer: [A] Bengaluru

The Indian Space Research Organisation (1SRO) completed the Lunar-Orbit Insertion (LOI) to successfully put the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft into the moon’s orbit. The LOI manoeuvre was performed from Mission Operations Complex (MOX) in the ISR0 Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bengaluru.

4. What is the outlay of the BharatNet project?

[A] Rs 0.59 lakh crore

[B] Rs 0.79 lakh crore

[C] Rs 1.39 lakh crore

[D] Rs 3.39 lakh crore

Answer: [C] Rs 1.39 lakh crore

The Union Cabinet approved an outlay of 1.39- lakh crore for BharatNet, a project to provide last-mile connectivity across 6.4 lakh villages. BharatNet is one of the biggest rural telecom projects in the world, implemented in a phased manner to all 2.5 lakh gram panchayats in the country for last-mile broadband connectivity.

5. Which institution signed MoUs with 35 institutions for promoting collaboration in standardization and conformity assessment?

[A] NITI Aayog

[B] BIS

[C] NASSCOM

[D] PIB

Answer: [B] BIS

Bureau of Indian Standards, the National Standards Body of India signed Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with 35 prestigious institutions across the country for fostering collaboration in standardization and conformity assessment. The institutions included some prominent NITs, Government and Private Engineering colleges from different states across the country.

6. Finance Ministry imposed anti-dumping duty on which product imports from China, South Korea and Indonesia?

[A] Optical Fibre

[B] Electronic products

[C] Medical Devices

[D] Plastic Toys

Answer: [A] Optical Fibre

The Finance Ministry has imposed anti-dumping duty on certain optical fibre imports from China, South Korea and Indonesia, based on the recommendations of the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR). It aims to give relief to the domestic optical fibre industry reeling under the adverse impact of low-price and low-quality imports.

7. Jeswin Aldrin, who was seen in the news, plays which sports?

[A] Squash

[B] Long Jump

[C] Javelin Throw

[D] Cricket

Answer: [B] Long Jump

Long jumper Jeswin Aldrin wins gold in World Athletics Continental Tour-Bronze event, recently held in Switzerland. He produced a 8.22 metre jump as he won the long jump gold at the Citius athletics meeting. Aldrin, who took the world lead with 8.42m in outdoor season-opener at Ballari in March.

8. Samdech Hun Sen, who was seen in the news, is the Prime Minister of which country?

[A] Thailand

[B] Singapore

[C] Cambodia

[D] South Korea

Answer: [C] Cambodia

Cambodia’s electoral body announced the final resuits of the recent election, sealing a landslide victory for the ruling party of long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen and a mandate for the next five years. The country’s National Election Committee said Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party won 120 of 125 available seats in the general election.

9. Which Indian chess player overtook Viswanathan Anand as the highest-rated Indian chess player in FIDE rankings?

[A] Praggnananda

[B] Gukesh

[C] Arjun Erigaisi

[D] Nihal Sarin

Answer: [B] Gukesh

Grandmaster D. Gukesh overtook Viswanathan Anand as the highest-rated Indian chess player in FIDE rankings. He is the second-youngest Grandmaster (GM) globally and the youngest Indian to achieve this feat. Gukesh becamne the number one chess player in India after posting a win against Misratdin Iskandarov of Azerbaijan in the World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan.

10. Which Union Ministry released the ‘Digital Portal of CRCS’?

[A] Ministry of Cooperation

[B] Ministry of Home Affairs

[C] Ministry of Finance

[D] Ministry of MSME

Answer: [A] Ministry of Cooperation

Recently, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation inaugurated the digital portal of the Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies (CRCS) office in Pune, Maharashtra, marking a significant step towards digitizing the operations of Multi State Cooperatives. As a result, all tasks related to cooperative societies, including opening new branches, expansion to other states, and audits, will now be conducted online.

11. River Rejuvenation Project Devika is being undertaken in which state/UT?

[A] Rajasthan

[B] Jammu and Kashmir

[C] Uttarakhand

[D] Goa

Answer: [B] Jammu and Kashmir

River Rejuvenation Project Devika is nearing completion. It is built at a cost of over Rs 190 crore on the lines of ‘Namami Ganga’. Urban Environmental Engineering Department (UEED) of the UT of Jammu and Kashmir is undertaking the project. Out of the 190 crore funds allocated for the project, the sharing of allocation is in the ratio of 90:10 by the Centre and UT respectively.

12. Which Union Ministry organised the ‘Digital India RISC-V’ Symposium?

[A] Ministry of Home Affairs

[B] Ministry of Electronics and IT

[C] Ministry of Science and Technology

[D] Ministry of MSME

Answer: [B] Ministry of Electronics and IT

‘Digital India RISC-V’ Symposium is set to be organized by IIT Madras and IIT-M Pravartak Technologies Foundation and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. It was organized to showcase the The future of Electronics in India through the RISC-V pathway’. Digital India RISC-V Microprocessor (DIR-V) Programme was launched with an aim to create Microprocessors for the future in India.

13. The foundation stone for ‘Iconic Site Museum’ was laid in which state?

[A] Kerala

[B] Tamil Nadu

[C] Andhra Pradesh

[D] Karanataka

Answer: [B] Tamil Nadu

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has recently laid foundation stone for the ‘Iconic Site Museum’ at Adichanallur archaeological site in Tamil Nadu. On the site, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has covered with glass excavated trenches with artefacts dating as far back as 3,800 years, The other four iconic sites proposed by the government are Rakhigarhi (Haryana), Hastinapur (Uttar Pradesh), Shivsagar (Assam), and Dholavira (Gujarat).

14. Which institution introduces a new online dispute resolution (ODR) system?

[A] RBI

[B] SEBI

[C] CBDT

[D] IRDAI

Answer: [B] SEBI

Recently, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the market regulator, issued a circular to streamline the existing dispute resolution mechanism in the securities market under the stock exchanges and depositories. This will establish a common ODR portal, utilizing online conciliation and arbitration to resolve disputes arising in the securities market.

15. A recently discovered coronavirus variant named Eris, also known as EG.5.1, is rapidly spreading in which country?

[A] Germany

[B] Italy

[C] USA

[D] UK

Answer: [D] UK

A recently discovered coronavirus variant named Eris, also known as EG.5.1, is rapidly spreading throughout the United Kingdom, causin9 concern among health authorities. This variant, which originated from the highly transmissible Omicron variant, was initialty identified in the country last month.

16. Which country has granted approval for a pill to address postpartum depression (PPD) in adults?

[A] India

[B] USA

[C] UK

[D] Australia

Answer: [B] USA

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted approval for the utilization of the Zurzuvae (zuranolone) pill to address postpartum depression (PPD) in adults. According to the FDA’s announcement, the pill should be taken once daily for a duration of 14 days during the evening, along with a fatty meal.

17. Which state/UT launched the ‘Athidhi Portal’?

[A] Kerala

[B] Karnataka

[C] Andhra Pradesh

[D] Odisha

Answer: [A] Kerala

‘Athidhi Portal’ was recently launched by Kerala government to register migrant workers. This comes in response to two recent incidents of sexual crimes against children reportedly involving migrant workers.

18. Gaddar, who passed away recently, was associated with which profession?

[A] Revolutionary Singer

[B] Sports person

[C] Business person

[D] Scientist

Answer: [A] Revolutionary Singer

Renowned Telangana folk singer and balladeer Gaddar, known for his revolutionary songs during the 1980s and later during the Telangana statehood agitation, passed away at the age of 77. A former naxalite, Gaddar had led an underground life, including in the forests. He was a fiery singer and a poet.

19. Which country created new varieties of sorghum varieties to address nutritional requirements of mothers and children?

[A] Finland

[B] Germany

[C] Australia

[D] USA

Answer: [D] USA

According to a recent study, scientists from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) have created new sorghum varieties that can address the nutritional requirements of mothers and children in sub-Saharan Africa. These advanced sorghum lines were developed by incorporating multiple traits into a single plant, offering great significance to the region where approximately 300 million people rely on sorghum as a crucial crop.

20. The Amrit Bharat Station Scheme is set to transform how many railway stations across the nation?

[A] 309

[B] 1309

[C] 2309

[D] 5309

Answer: [B] 1309

Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated the foundation stone-laying event for the redevelopment of 508 railway stations throughout the country, as part of the significant Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. The launch of the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme aims to revamp 1,309 stations nationwide.