Tnpsc Current Affairs in English – 4th July 2023

1. Which city is the host of ‘International Conference on Green Hydrogen’?

[A] Mysuru

[B] Bengaluru

[C] New Delhi

[D] Pune

Answer: [C] New Delhi

The International Conference on Green Hydrogen is scheduled to take place in New Delhi from July 5 to 7, 2023. The primary objective of the conference is to establish a comprehensive Green Hydrogen Ecosystem and accelerate progress towards global decarbonization goals by leveraging the potential of Green Hydrogen.

2. Which Union Ministry presented the inaugural report on “Critical Minerals for India”?

[A] Ministry of Mines

[B] Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers

[C] Ministry of Home Affairs

[D] Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

Answer: [A] Ministry of Mines

The Minister of Coal and Mines Pralhad Joshi, has officially presented the inaugural report on “Critical Minerals for India.” The report was prepared by a team of experts appointed by the Ministry of Mines. This list, for the first time in India, has identified the comprehensive list of critical minerals while considering the requirements of sectors like defence, agriculture, energy, pharmaceutical, telecom etc.

3. Which Union Ministry launched the ‘Report Fish Disease (RFD)’ App?

[A] Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying

[B] Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

[C] Ministry of Science and Technology

[D] Ministry of Defence

Answer: [A] Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying 

Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Parshottam Rupala launched the ‘Report Fish Disease (RFD)’ App. The app has been developed by ICAR-NBFGR under National Surveillance Programme for Aquatic Animal Diseases (NSPAAD), funded under Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana. It is a centralized platform that integrates fish farmers, field-level officers, and fish health experts.

4. Which state/UT hosted the ‘Vitasta’ program to spread its art culture and literature?

[A] Odisha

[B] West Bengal

[C] Jammu and Kashmir

[D] Jharkhand

Answer: [C] Jammu and Kashmir

The Vitasta program was conducted with the aim of spreading the diverse art, culture, literature, craft, and cuisine of Kashmir to every corner of the country. This series of events, which commenced in Chennai and concluded in Srinagar, witnessed a remarkable level of interest among the youth in understanding and embracing the vibrant Kashmiri culture.

5. Which institution approved the ‘6G Vision Framework’?

[A] NASSCOM

[B] NITI Aayog

[C] ITU

[D] IMF

Answer: [C] ITU

The 6G Vision Framework has been officially approved by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications, representing India, has played a pivotal role in formulating this framework. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had released India’s 6G Vision “Bharat 6G Vision” document on March 23, 2023

6. Which country has been removed from UNGA Security Council Children and Armed Conflict Report?

[A] Indonesia

[B] India

[C] Sri Lanka

[D] Afghanistan

Answer: [B] India

Since 2010, India has been included in the report of the Secretary-General on Children and armed conflict, alongside other countries such as Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Lake Chad basin, Nigeria, Pakistan, and the Philippines. As a result of the government’s efforts to enhance the protection of children, India is presently not mentioned in the United Nations General Assembly Security Council Children and Armed Conflict Report of the Secretary-General.

7. Which Union Ministry issued ‘Guidelines for Resource Adequacy Planning Framework’?

[A] Ministry of Science and Technology

[B] Ministry of Power

[C] Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

[D] Ministry of Commerce and Industry

Answer: [B] Ministry of Power

In consultation with the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), the Union of Ministry has released Guidelines for the Resource Adequacy Planning Framework for India. These Guidelines have been formulated in accordance with Rule 16 of the Electricity (Amendment) Rules, 2022. The guidelines will ensure that sufficient electricity is made available to power the country’s growth, by putting in place a framework for advance procurement of resources by DISCOMS to meet the electricity demand in a cost-effective manner.

8. Which Union Ministry is associated with ‘Urea Subsidy Scheme’?

[A] Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers

[B] Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare

[C] Ministry of MSME

[D] Ministry of Commerce and Industry

Answer: [A] Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi approved a unique package of innovative schemes for farmers with a total outlay of Rs.3,70,128 crore. The CCEA approved continuation of Urea Subsidy Scheme to ensure constant availability of urea to the farmers at the same price of Rs 242/ 45 kg bag excluding taxes and neem coating charges. Rs. 1451 crore approved for Market Development Assistance (MDA) Scheme to exemplify model of wealth from waste.

9. The Cabinet granted approval for ratification of Headquarters Agreement (HQA) between India and which institution/bloc?

[A] BIMSTEC

[B] CDRI

[C] ISA

[D] ASEAN

Answer: [B] CDRI

The Cabinet has granted approval for the ratification of the Headquarters Agreement (HQA) between India and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI). The ratification of the Headquarters Agreement between the Government of India (Gol) and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) will enable the granting of exemptions, immunities, and privileges as outlined in Section 3 of the United Nations (Privileges & Immunities) Act, 1947.

10. Pinanga subterranean, which city has ability to flower and fruit below ground, belongs to which plant species?

[A] Palm

[B] Mango

[C] Coconut

[D] Potato

Answer: [A] Palm

As per a recent scientific discovery, Pinanga subterranea is a member of palm species having the ability to flower and fruit below ground. This species is native to the tropical island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. This is one of a kind of palm species, out of the 2,500 species of palm known to science.

11. Jizai Arms is developed in which country?

[A] India

[B] Japan

[C] South Korea

[D] USA

Answer: [B] Japan

A team of scientists in Japan’s University of Tokyo have developed the ‘Jizai Arms’, named after a Japanese term that denotes autonomy and personal freedom. The arm can be attached to human’s body to create a man machine relationship. It is said that the technology takes inspiration from a quasi-horror traditional Japanese story named “The Arm”.

12. What is ‘MOVEit’, which was seen in the news recently?

[A] File transfer application

[B] Fitness App

[C] Technology hackathon

[D] Electric vehicle technology

Answer: [A] File transfer application

MOVEit is a managed file transfer application used throughout the financial sector to securely transfer large volumes of sensitive data between systems. Recently, hackers have gained access to personal data of more than 15.5 million individuals by exploiting a security vulnerability in the MOVEit file transfer tool. The victim organisation includes U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) among others.

13. ‘Pregnant Workers Fairness Act’ has been enacted in which country?

[A] USA

[B] India

[C] Japan

[D] China

Answer: [A] USA

Recently, Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) has been enacted and brought into effect in the United States. This legislation ensures that millions of pregnant workers throughout the country will benefit from enhanced social protections. The law mandates to offer “reasonable accommodations” to employees in the workplace for medical conditions related to the entire period from pregnancy to postpartum recovery.

14. Which is the 4th country to sign the Just Energy Transition Partnership deal?

[A] Ukraine

[B] Senegal

[C] Chile

[D] Sri Lanka

Answer: [B] Senegal

Senegal has become the fourth country after South Africa, Indonesia and Vietnam to sign the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JET-P) deal. “Just Energy Transition Partnership” (JETP) was evolved at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP 26) in Glasgow. JETPS are a financing cooperation mechanism, to help heavily coal-dependent emerging economies make a just energy transition.

15. Which is the world’s second-largest rainforest after the Amazon?

[A] Congo

[B] Western Ghats

[C] Australiasia

[D] Sundland

Answer: [A] Congo

The Congo, which is the world’s second-largest rainforest after Amazon, continues to retreat according to recent report. The forest is spread across six African countries, the largest of which is the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has lost half a million hectares (mha) of forest last year, according to the report.

16. Which festival is also called ‘The festival of Sacrifice’ in Islam?

[A] Ramadan

[B] Muharram

[C] Bakrid

[D] Arafat

Answer: [C] Bakrid

The festival of sacrifice, Eid al-Adha or Baqraeed is being celebrated in various parts of the country. It is a significant Muslim festival that billions of people observe across the world. During this festival, individuals of the Muslim faith come together in unity to offer Salah (prayer) simultaneously. It holds the distinction of being the second major festival among Muslims.

17. What is the GNPA ratio of Scheduled Commercial Banks in March 2023?

[A] 9.9%

[B] 7.9%

[C] 5.5%

[D] 3.9%

Answer: [D] 3.9 %

The Gross Non-Performing Assets (GNPA) of the scheduled commercial banks, which declined to a 10-year low of 3.9 per cent in March 2023. It is expected to fall further to 3.6 per cent by March 2024, as per the Reserve Bank of India. However, the report stated that nearly 10 per cent of retail borrowers are missing monthly payments.

18. Which country is the host of the ‘World Mining Congress 2023’?

[A] India

[B] Australia

[C] Canada

[D] Japan

Answer: [B] Australia

Coal secretary Amrit Lal Meena inaugurated the India pavilion featuring NLC India Ltd (NLCIL), Coal India Limited (CIL) and NMDC at the World Mining Congress (WMC) 2023 in Brisbane, Australia. The event, being held in Brisbane, brought together industry leaders, experts and organizations from around the world to share knowledge and advancements in the mining and power generation sector.

19. As per the Financial Incentive scheme, what per cent of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) is available to the States for borrowing? 

[A] 0.25%

[B] 0.5%

[C] 1 %

[D] 1.5%

Answer: [B] 0.5 %

The Department of Expenditure has given a boost to reforms by the States in power sector by providing financial incentives, under which an additional borrowing space of up to 0.5 percent of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) is available to the States annually for a four-year period from 2021-22 to 2024-25. A total of 12 states have received Rs. 66,413 crores in incentives for their efforts in implementing power sector reforms.

20. Which Union Ministry hosted the ‘Divya Kala Mela’ fair?

[A] Ministry of MSME

[B] Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment

[C] Ministry of Defence

[D] Ministry of Science and Technology

Answer: [B] Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment

Divya Kala Mela was recently organised at Jaipur, Rajasthan. During this event, 100 Divyang artisans/artists and entrepreneurs from around 20 states/UTs will showcase their products and skills. Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities is organizing the unique event showcasing the products and craftsmanship of Divyang entrepreneurs/artisans from across the country.