Tnpsc Current Affairs in English – 30th August 2023

1. As per the ‘State of India’s Birds’ report, how many species were identified as being of high conservation concern?

[A] 78

[B] 178

[C] 278

[D] 378

Answer: [B] 178

As per the ‘State of India’s Birds’ report, 178 species of wild birds were identified as needing immediate priority for conservation. Of the 338 bird species studied in India for changes in numbers over the last 30 years, 60 per cent have experienced a decline. 40 percent (142) of the 359 species evaluated for change over the last seven years have declined.

2. Which country’s Prime Minister was granted the ‘Grand Cross of the Order of Honour’ by Greece in 2023?

[A] China

[B] USA

[C] Ukraine

[D] India

Answer: [D] India

The President of Greece, Katerina Sakellaropoulou conferred Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with The Grand Cross of the Order of Honour. The Order of Honour was established in 1975. The Honour is conferred by the President of Greece to Prime Ministers and eminent personalities who by reason of their distinguished position, have contributed to enhancing the stature of Greece.

3. Ministry of Defence signed 19,000 crore contract with which company for five Fleet Support Ships for Indian Navy?

[A] Hindustan Shipyard Limited

[B] Cochin Shipyard Limited

[C] Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers

[D] Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders

Answer: [A] Hindustan Shipyard Limited

Ministry of Defence signed a contract with Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL), Visakhapatnam for acquisition of five Fleet Support Ships (FSS) for the Indian Navy at an overall cost of Rs 19,000 crore. It would be a major boost towards achieving the goal of self- reliance in defence manufacturing as these ships will be indigenously designed and constructed by HSL, Visakhapatnam.

4. Who is the head of the Committee set up to ‘Onshoring the Indian Innovation to GIFT IFSC’?

[A] G Padmanabhan

[B] Viral Acharya

[C] Urjit Patel

[D] D Subbarao

Answer: [A] G Padmanabhan

A ‘Committee of Experts to ‘Onshoring the Indian Innovation to GIFT IFSC’ constituted by International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) submitted its report to Chairperson, IFSCA. The committee was chaired by G. Padmanabhan, Former Executive Director, RBI. The committee members comprised representatives from leading Venture Capital funds, Startups, Fintechs, Law firms, Tax firms. and other domain experts.

5. Which is the top state for exemplary performance in the Smart Cities Mission in 2022?

[A] Bihar

[B] Madhya Pradesh

[C] Tamil Nadu

[D] Karnataka

Answer: [B] Madhya Pradesh

Indore has been adjudged the best Smart City while Madhya Pradesh has been chosen as the top State for exemplary performance in the Smart Cities Mission. Surat and Agra are the second and third-place winners among cities, while Tamil Nadu is the second in the State category. It is followed by Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh in the India Smart Cities Award Contest (ISAC), 2022.

6. ‘Siebold’s water snake’ is endemic to which region?

[A] Africa

[B] Asia

[C] Australia

[D] Europe

Answer: [B] Asia

Siebold’s water snake, a mildly venomous species, is being sighted regularly on the Yamuna floodplain since the beginning of the monsoon in June this year, say ecologists. This suggests that the species has made its way back to its natural habitat. The species is endemic to Asia. The snake was said to have disappeared from Delhi for decades and its presence was later confirmed in 2015.

7. Which state launched the ‘Manav Sampada Portal’ to instill transparency in administrative procedures?

[A] Bihar

[B] Gujarat

[C] Uttar Pradesh

[D] Andhra Pradesh

Answer: [C] Uttar Pradesh

The Uttar Pradesh Government launched the ‘Manav Sampada Portal’ aiming to instil transparency in administrative procedures. This initiative, according to an official statement, intends to bring the “activities of officers and employees from various departments into the public domain through the portal”. Pertinent details concerning their appointments, leave management, transfers, and retirements will be accessible on the platform.

8. Magnus Carlsen, who won the Chess World Cup Title, is from which country?

[A] Norway

[B] France

[C] Spain

[D] Germany

Answer: [A] Norway

Top-ranked Magnus Carlsen of Norway has won the Chess World Cup by defeating India’s R Praggnanandhaa. The 32-year-old Norwegian, who has been ranked the world’s top player for more than 12 years, defeated the 18-year-old Indian in a final played over three days in Baku, Azerbaijan. In 2022, Praggnanandhaa was the youngest player ever to defeat Carlsen until October when another Indian teenager, D Gukesh, broke the record.

9. Which institution developed the Search and Rescue Kit (SARK) in India?

[A] ISRO

[B] ADRDE

[C] BHEL

[D] HAL

Answer: [B] ADRDE

Indian Navy successfully undertook the maiden test drop of an indigenous Search and Rescue Kit (SARK). The Indian Navy tested the Made-in-India SARK from the Boeing P-8I long-range patrol aircraft. The SAR kit has been developed by Agra- based Defence Research and Development Organisation’s laboratory, Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE).

10. ‘Emperor Penguins’ are endemic to which region?

[A] Antarctica

[B] Greenland

[C] Siberia

[D] Oceania

Answer: [A] Antarctica

Antarctica’s iconic symbol, the ‘Emperor Penguin’ is at the risk of ‘quasi extinction’ due to the abrupt reduction in sea ice. According to a study, 90% of the emperor penguins “will be quasi-extinct” by the end of the century under the current global warming trajectory. Emperor penguins are entirely dependent on sea ice for breeding, the satellite imagery showed that none of the penguin chicks are likely to have survived.

11. ‘Tomb of Unknown Soldier’ is located in which country?

[A] Russia

[B] Ukraine

[C] Greece

[D] South Africa

Answer: [C] Greece

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to Athens, Greece, for an official visit at the invitation of the Prime Minister of Greece. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid a wreath at the ‘Tomb of the Unknown Soldier’ outside the Greek parliament in Athens. Narendra Modi is the first Prime Minister in the last 40 years to visit Greece. The last Prime Ministerial visit from India to Greece was in 1983.

12. Which city is the host of the ‘G20 Trade and Investment Ministers’ meeting?

[A] Varanasi

[B] Jaipur

[C] Chennai

[D] Pune

Answer: [B] Jaipur

The G20 Trade and Investment Ministers’ meeting concluded at Jaipur, called the Pink City of India. The meeting was led by Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry. Under India’s Presidency, the G20 Trade and Investment Ministerial reached a groundbreaking consensus on five concrete and action-oriented deliverables which have been adopted in the Outcome Document of Trade Ministerial Meeting held in Jaipur. G20 Ministers also issued a Jaipur Call for Action for enhancing access to information for MSMEs.

13. Which Union Ministry launched ‘Tele-Law 2.0’ initiative?

[A] Ministry of Law and Justice

[B] Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment

[C] Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs

[D] Ministry of Rural Development

Answer: [A] Ministry of Law and Justice

The Tele-Law 2.0 initiative was launched under the Tele-Law program of the Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice. This program, operating under the DISHA Scheme, has achieved a significant milestone by delivering 50 lakh legal consultations. This version consists of fusion of Tele-Law Services with Nyaya Bandhu pro bono legal services, a merger to further enhance citizen accessibility to legal aid.

14. ‘NAMASTE’ is a scheme launched by which Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and?

[A] Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment

[B] Ministry of Defence

[C] Ministry of Women and Child Development

[D] Ministry of Rural Development

Answer: [A] Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment

To eliminate hazardous cleaning, stop deaths of sewer and septic tank workers and ensure their safety and dignity, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MOSJE) and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) have jointly formulated a scheme namely National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE). The scheme is to be implemented in all 4800+ Urban Local Bodies (ULBS) of the country, during the three years up to 2025-26 with an outlay of Rs. 349.70 crore.

15. Which country is the host of ‘Assembly ofthe Global Environment Facility (GEF)’?

[A] Canada

[B] Germany

[C] Finland

[D] Australia

Answer: [A] Canada

The Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF) was finally ratified and launched at the Seventh Assembly of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) in Vancouver, Canada. Governments, non- profits and the private sector can now contribute their funds here to ensure that the world meets the goals and targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) formulated by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) by 2030. Canada and the United Kingdom have already donated 200 million Canadian dollars and 10 million pounds respectively to the GBFF.

16. India and which country upgraded their relations to a strategic partnership recently?

[A] UAE

[B] Maldives

[C] Greece

[D] Thailand

Answer: [C] Greece

India and Greece upgraded their relations to a strategic partnership and pledged to double two- way trade by 2030 during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit. This is the first by an Indian premier to the European country in four decades. The two sides further decided to speedily finalise a mobility and migration partnership agreement to facilitate skilled migration.

17. Which country has developed a device for the visually impaired for playing the sports of shooting?

[A] India

[B] Germany

[C] USA

[D] China

Answer: [B] Germany

Germany has developed a device for the visually impaired for playing the sports of shooting. This device has been brought to India for the first time and given to the visually impaired in Pune. In shooting, the target is identified and aimed through binoculars. The same technique has been developed by these devices, one part of this device is in the rifle and the other part is on the headphones placed on the ear.

18. IIT Bombay partners with which financial institution to support Innovation-Led Green Hydrogen Initiatives?

[A] HSBC

[B] Citibank

[C] Barclays

[D] Standard Chartered

Answer: [A] HSBC

IIT Bombay has partnered with HSBC to pursue technological advancements towards making green hydrogen production more efficient, cost- effective, and scalable. The focus will be on innovative projects that will help position green hydrogen as a strategic alternate fuel; help in building a robust, green hydrogen economy and achieve the government’s vision of an energy- independent nation.

19. Which country emerged as the champions of the inaugural Women’s Asian Hockey 5s World Cup Qualifier?

[A] India

[B] Malaysia

[C] China

[D] South Korea

Answer: [A] India

In the finals held in Salalah (Oman), India’s women’s hockey team secured a 7-2 victory against Thailand, emerging as the champions of the inaugural Women’s Asian Hockey 5s World Cup Qualifier. With this win, India has also earned their spot in the World Cup set to take place in Muscat from January 24-27 next year.

20. Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) functions under the aegis of which Ministry?

[A] Ministry of Communications

[B] Ministry of Electronics and IT

[C] Ministry of Science and Technology

[D] Ministry of Defence

Answer: [A] Ministry of Communications

Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), the premier Telecom R&D centre of the Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications, Government of India, observed its 40th Foundation Day celebration. It analyses and mitigation of vulnerabilities and giving AI- enabled automated responses to the cyber threats.