Tnpsc Current Affairs in English – 31st August 2023

1. India is set to open a ‘Climate change and Health hub’ in which city, in partnership with Asian Development Bank (ADB)?

[A] Chennai

[B] New Delhi

[C] Pune

[D] Varanasi

Answer: [B] New Delhi

India is all set to open a climate change and health hub in New Delhi in partnership with the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The hub will facilitate knowledge sharing, partnerships, innovations, help developing countries; infectious diseases and natural disasters driven by climate change to challenge health systems.

2. Who is the first Indian to secure a gold medal at World Athletics Championships?

[A] Abhinav Bindra

[B] Anju Bobby George

[C] Neeraj Chopra

[D] Muhammed Anas

Answer: [C] Neeraj Chopra

Neeraj Chopra clinched the gold medal in the men’s javelin throw event at the World Athletics Championships held in Budapest, Hungary. He made history by becoming the first-ever Indian athlete to secure a gold medal at this prestigious championship.

3. ‘Kashi Culture Pathway’ document is associated with which bloc?

[A] ASEAN

[B] SAARC

[C] G-20

[D] BIMSTEC

Answer: [C] G-20

The G-20 nations arrived at a consensus on cultural issues and adopted the “Kashi Culture Pathway” document. It recognised threats to cultural heritage and cultural resources ‘including looting and illicit trafficking of cultural property, the intentional or collateral destruction of cultural heritage and sites, desecration of relics and shrines, illicit excavations, forgery and the misappropriation of cultural heritage’.

4. Which city is the host of ‘B20 Summit India 2023’?

[A] Chennai

[B] New Delhi

[C] Mumbai

[D] Gandhi Nagar

Answer: [B] New Delhi

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the B20 Summit India 2023 in New Delhi. B20 Summit India brings policymakers, business leaders and experts from across the world to deliberate and discuss the B20 India Communique. The B20 India Communique includes 54 recommendations and 172 policy actions for submission to G20.

5. Which Union Ministry has released the report on ‘Sixth census of minor irrigation (MI) schemes’?

[A] Ministry of Rural Development

[B] Ministry of Jal Shakti

[C] Ministry of Commerce and Industry

[D] Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

Answer: [B] Ministry of Jal Shakti

Ministry of Jal Shakti released the report on the Sixth census of minor irrigation (MI) schemes. It showed that the number of both groundwater and surface water schemes have increased at the national level. Out of 23.14 million MI schemes examined, 21.93 million (94.8 per cent) constitute groundwater schemes, while 1.21 million (5.2 per cent) are classified as Surface Water Schemes.

6. ‘Emmerson Mnangagwa’ was re-elected as the President of which country?

[A] Singapore

[B] Zimbabwe

[C] South Africa

[D] Argentina

Answer: [B] Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa has been recently elected for second and final five-year term. The South African country of 16 million population, has a history of election irregularities, and such tactics helped Robert Mugabe, a liberation leader turned autocrat, maintain power for nearly four decades.

7. As of August 2023, what is the number of accounts opened under the PM Jan Dhan Yojana?

[A] 5.09 crore

[B] 15.09 crore

[C] 50.09 crore

[D] 75.09 crore

Answer: [C] 50.09 crore

More than 50.09 crore accounts have been opened under the PM Jan Dhan Yojana in the last nine years and the deposit balance swelled to over Rs 2.03 lakh crore, the Finance Ministry said. Around 56% Jan-Dhan account holders are women and around 67% Jan Dhan accounts are in rural and semi-urban areas. 33.98 crore RuPay cards were issued to PMJDY accountholders.

8. ‘GH4India’, which was seen in the news, is a joint venture company set up for pursuing which projects?

[A] AI-based projects

[B] Green Hydrogen projects

[C] Electric Vehicle Projects

[D] Semi Conductor projects

Answer: [B] Green Hydrogen projects

Indian Oil Corporation, L&T and ReNew have set up a joint venture for pursuing green hydrogen projects. The JV company GH4India, has been formed for the purpose of development of green hydrogen and its derivatives, including green ammonia and methanol, besides production assets and associated renewable assets through any model of ownership and operatorship.

9. The Embassy of India in which country has launched a mobile application, ‘EoIBh-Connect’ to ease Consular Access?

[A] Singapore

[B] UK

[C] Canada

[D] Bahrain

Answer: [D] Bahrain

The Embassy of India in Bahrain launched a mobile application, EoIBh-Connect, designed to facilitate online appointment booking for a spectrum of consular and visa services, accessible through both the Indian Embassy at Manama, Bahrain. The app has swiftly broadened its capabilities, now enabling users to conveniently schedule appointments with IVS Global.

10. Parul Chaudhary, who was seen in the news, is associated with which sports?

[A] Steeplechase

[B] Javelin Throw

[C] Archery

[D] Shooting

Answer: [A] Steeplechase

India’s Parul Chaudhary finished 11th in the women’s 3000m steeplechase final at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary. She set a new National Record and also went past the entry standard for Paris Olympics. Parul clocked 9:15.31s and broke the record set during Rio Olympics in 2016 while also finishing under 9:23.00s, the qualification mark for Paris Olympics.

11. Which country is the host of the multilateral tri-service exercise BRIGHT STAR-23?

[A] South Africa

[B] France

[C] USA

[D] Egypt

Answer: [D] Egypt

An Indian Air Force (IAF) contingent is participating in Exercise BRIGHT STAR-23 a biennial multilateral tri-service exercise scheduled to be held at Cairo (West) Air Base, Egypt. This is for the first time that IAF is participating in Ex BRIGHT STAR-23 which will also see participation of contingents from the United States of America, Saudi Arabia, Greece and Qatar.

12. Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), is associated with which country’s space agency?

[A] USA

[B] UAE

[C] Russia

[D] Japan

Answer: [D] Japan

Japan’s space agency suspended a planned launch of an H-IIA rocket that was to carry a moon lander into space. The launch was cancelled because of unsuitable wind conditions in the upper atmosphere. The rocket is carrying JAXA’s Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), which would be the first Japanese spacecraft to land on the moon.

13. Which state implements the ‘shasan aplya dari’ (government at your doorstep) drive?

[A] Maharashtra

[B] West Bengal

[C] Assam

[D] Gujarat

Answer: [A] Maharashtra

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said 1.5 crore people in the state have benefitted from the ‘shasan aplya dari’ (government at your doorstep) drive and CM’s Relief Fund. The state has so far distributed 22,000 tractors and 22,50 rotavators (rotary tillers) to farmers. Around 4 lakh people have received Rs 1,351 crore under various schemes.

14. As per the data recently released by ISRO, what is the highest temperature recorded on the lunar surface in Chandrayaan mission?

[A] 20 degree centigrade

[B] 40 degree centigrade

[C] 50 degree centigrade

[D] 70 degree centigrade

Answer: [D] 70 degree centigrade

ISRO released a graph of the temperature variation on the lunar surface. The 70 degree centigrade recorded is higher than what was expected. The Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) payload onboard Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander measured the temperature profile of the lunar topsoil around the pole. ChaSTE payload was developed by a team led by the Space Physics Laboratory (SPL) of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in collaboration with Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad.

15. Which state/UT launched ‘e vanlekh’ portal to enhance public awareness about forest and sanctuaries?

[A] Uttarakhand

[B] Delhi

[C] Karnataka

[D] Punjab

Answer: [B] Delhi

Delhi Environment and Forest Ministry launched a portal to enhance public awareness about the forest and wildlife sanctuary areas that need protection. By knowing which regions are designated for conservation, Delhi residents can contribute to the preservation of their surroundings. It utilises a geographic information system (GIS) platform to visualize data effectively.

16. ‘Syama Prasad Mookherjee Port’ is located in which state/UT?

[A] Andhra Pradesh

[B] Maharashtra

[C] West Bengal

[D] Gujarat

Answer: [C] West Bengal

Kolkata Port, also known as Syama Prasad Mookherjee Port (SMP), is offering nearly 60 acres of its land in the city for the state’s first multi-modal logistics park (MMLP). None of the multi-modal logistics parks proposed across the country is in the port area. Here, more than 25 acres of warehousing space is available, there is a single window system. It is strategically located very close to highways, and it is well-connected to Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and North- Eastern India.

17. Which country hosted the ‘Tent Pegging World Cup’, in which India finished third?

[A] India

[B] Sri Lanka

[C] Egypt

[D] South Africa

Answer: [D] South Africa

A five-member Indian team achieved a historic first by finishing third in the Tent Pegging World Cup held in South Africa. Tent Pegging is a cavalry sport wherein the rider is supposed to pick a wooden block, placed on the ground, with a spear. India had finished at the sixth and the seventh spots in the last two editions of the Tent Pegging World Cup.

18. Which company launched AI models named ‘Qwen-VL and Qwen-VL-Chat’?

[A] Alibaba

[B] Huawei

[C] Meta

[D] Samsung

Answer: [A] Alibaba

Internet giant Alibaba has launched new artificial intelligence (AI) models that can understand images and perform more complex conversations. The two new models, called Qwen-VL and Qwen-VL-Chat, will be open source for researchers, academics and companies worldwide.

19. Which institution is set to develop ‘Local Area Management Plan’ (LAMP)?

[A] NITI Aayog

[B] CSIR-NEERI

[C] Ministry of Jal Shakti

[D] NABARD

Answer: [B] CSIR-NEERI

The CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) said it will develop a grid-based mitigation strategy to tackle the air pollution problem in Delhi. The plan was presented during the India Clean Air Summit (ICAS) 2023 in Bengaluru. LAMP will allow policymakers to devise tailored strategies for pollution control within their jurisdiction, aligning with the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) goals.

20. Which institution has developed India’s first Wheeled Armoured Amphibious Platform (WhAP) vehicles?

[A] DRDO and Tata Advanced Systems

[B] DRDO and L&T

[C] DRDO and HAL

[D] DRDO and BHEL

Answer: [A] DRDO and Tata Advanced Systems

Two Wheeled Armoured Amphibious Platform (WhAP) vehicles have been deployed in south Kashmir to aid anti-militancy operations by CRPF. The 8-by-8 vehicle is a state-of-the-art platform. It is India’s first vehicle that can be driven on road, marshy terrain, water and mountainous terrain. The vehicle has been developed by Vehicle Research and Development Establishment (DRDO lab) and Tata Advanced Systems Limited.