Daily Current Affairs and GK | 15 April 2023

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

1. India’s first underwater Metro trial has been started by Kolkata Metro.

• Kolkata Metro conducted India’s first underwater Metro trial below the bed of the Hooghly River.
• A Metro rake completed its journey through a tunnel of 32 metres under the Hooghly river bed.
• The metro rake must cover a 520-meter distance under the Hooghly River in 45 seconds.
• Metro trial is being conducted on the 4.8 km underground section from Howrah Maidan to Esplanade.
• The trials will be conducted for the next seven months. This section is likely to become operational in 2023.
• After the opening of this stretch, Howrah will become the deepest Metro station in India.
• This underwater stretch is a part of the East-West Metro Corridor in Kolkata.
• The Kolkata Metro started its operation in 1984, and it is now growing to cover the whole city and its suburbs.

Topic: Reports and Indices/Rankings

2. As per ADR report, Jagan Mohan Reddy is the wealthiest CM in India.

• According to the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) report, a total of 29 chief ministers are crorepatis in India with average assets of ₹33.96 crore.
• Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan Mohan Reddy is the wealthiest CM in India.
• Arunachal Pradesh's Pema Khandu (over ₹163 crores), and Odisha's Naveen Patnaik (over ₹63 crores) are in second and third positions.
• West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee is in the last position with total assets of ₹15 lakh.
• Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan (over ₹1 crore), and Haryana's Manohar Lal (over ₹1 crore) are also among the CMs with the lowest declared assets.
• Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Delhi's Arvind Kejriwal have assets of more than 3 crores.
• This report is based on the self-sworn poll affidavits of all the 30 current chief ministers of states and union territories.
• As per the ADR report, serious criminal cases including murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping, and criminal intimidation are on 13 (43%) CMs.
• At present, there is only one female Chief Minister i.e. Mamta Banerjee.

(Source: ADR)

Topic: State News/ Himachal Pradesh

3. Himachal Pradesh celebrated its 75th anniversary of formation on April 15.

• The main function on this occasion was organized at Kaza in the tribal district of Lahaul-Spiti.
• It was headed by Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu.
• In the event, cultural troupes from the districts of the state presented a colorful program which also included the famous Cham dance of Spiti.
• On this occasion, the Chief Minister also honored people for their excellent services in various fields.
• Himachal Pradesh came into existence on 15th April, 1948.
• It was declared a Union Territory on November 1, 1956.
• In 1966, the hilly areas of Punjab were also included in Himachal Pradesh.
• Himachal Pradesh was granted full statehood on January 25, 1971 and was the 18th state in the country.
• Hence, Himachal Pradesh celebrates Statehood Day on 25th January.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

4. NHAI signs MoU with Nagarjuna Sagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve.

• NHAI incorporated company Indian Highways Management Company Limited (IHMCL) signed an MoU with the Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve to carry out Electronic Tolling.
• Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve is spread across the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
• Its objective is to provide the facility for collecting the Ecosystem Management Coordination Fee through FASTag at the entry points of the tiger reserve.
• The FASTag system employs Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to enable automatic toll payments at toll plazas and affixation of FASTag on all 4-wheelers & above vehicles have been mandated across India.
• With this system, people will get rid of long lines and delays.
• This partnership between the IHMCL and the Forest Department is an important step towards promoting sustainable tourism.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Awards and Prizes

5. AIMA's 'Business Leader of the Decade' award presented to Kumar Mangalam Birla.

• On 11 April, Chairman of Aditya Birla Group, Kumar Mangalam Birla, has received the ‘Business Leader of the Decade Award’ at All India Management Association's (AIMA) 13th Managing India Awards ceremony.
• Birla won the award for his contribution to Indian industry over the past decade.
• 'AIMA-JRD Tata Corporate Leadership' award has been presented to the Tata Steel Chairman T V Narendran.
• 'MNC in India of the Year' award has been presented to the leading engineering services company ABB India.
• The contribution of several other leaders and institutions was also awarded at the annual event held in New Delhi.
• In 2010, the AIMA Managing India Awards were instituted to promote management in every sphere of life.

Topic: Biotechnology and Diseases

6. Ghana became the first country to approve the use of the Oxford malaria vaccine.

• The Oxford malaria vaccine, developed in the UK, has received regulatory approval for use in Ghana.
• Ghana's Food and Drugs Authority has granted clearance for the use of R21/Matrix-M vaccine.
• The vaccine has exceeded the World Health Organization's efficacy target of 75%, will be given specifically to children aged 5–36 months who are at highest risk of death from malaria.
• According to the WHO, an estimated 619,000 people died from malaria in 2021, most of them were children in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Ghana, a country where malaria is both endemic and perennial, has reported an estimated 5.3 million cases and 12,500 estimated deaths due to the disease.
• Phase 3 testing of the vaccine is ongoing, but earlier trials have shown efficacy levels of 77%.
• The Serum Institute of India, a leading biotechnology company, has stated that it has the capacity to produce over 200 million doses of the R21 vaccine on an annual basis.

Topic: International News

7. US and the Philippines have launched joint military exercise.

• This is the largest joint military exercise launched by the US and the Philippines.
• More than 17,600 military personnel are participating in the drill.
• The annual drill will run till April 28. It will involve live-fire exercises, which include a boat-sinking rocket assault in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait.
• The annual drill is called Balikatan. Balikatan is a Tagalog (a language) term for shoulder-to-shoulder. 
• 12,200 US military personnel, 5,400 Filipino forces, and 111 Australian soldiers are included in the drills.
• During the exercise, military helicopters will land on a Philippine island off the northern tip of the main island of Luzon, approximately 300 kilometers from Taiwan.
• Before the drill, the US 7th Fleet deployed a guided-missile destroyer within 12 nautical miles of Mischief Reef.
• Mischief Reef is a Manila-claimed coral outcrop that China seized in the mid-1990s.

Topic: National News

8. Millets Food Festival of the member countries of the SCO inaugurated in Mumbai.

• Union Minister of State for Tourism Shripad Naik inaugurated the festival.
• Ministry of Tourism, Government of India is organizing the seven-day festival at Hotel Taj Mahal Palace to commemorate the International Year of Millets (IYM 2023).
• The Minister said that millet consumption can help the world meet at least six UN-mandated sustainable development goals.
• He also congratulated Kazakhstan for the next Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Presidency.
• India is hosting the Presidency of the SCO for the year 2023.
• The Millet Food Festival is the fourth event being organised by the Ministry of Tourism to celebrate the Presidency.
• It is also the last event being organised by the Ministry of Tourism to celebrate the Presidency.
• Earlier, SCO Tourism Mart was organised from 9 to 11 February. SCO Expert Level Tourism Working Group Meeting and an SCO Tourism Ministers’ Meeting were also organised.

Topic: National News

9. UGC released new regulations for the grievance redressal of students.

• The new regulation proposed the establishment of the Students Grievances Redressal Committee(s) (SGRC) in all Higher Education institutions (HEIs).
• As per the regulations, the Universities are requested to appoint Ombudsperson within 30 days of notifications.
• The Vice-Chancellors/ Principals have been requested to take necessary measures for the publicity of Regulations.
• The regulations have a detailed mechanism for the constitution of SGRCs and their composition and the appointment of the Ombudsperson.
• These regulations will be called the University Grants Commission (Redressal of Grievances of Students) Regulations, 2023.
• The regulations will apply to all higher education institutions established under a Central Act or a State Act.
• The main objective of the regulation is speedy redressal of grievances of the students enrolled in any institution.
• University Grants Commission (UGC):
  • It was established in 1956.
  • It is responsible for maintaining higher education standards in India.
  • It is a statutory body set up under the UGC Act 1956.
  • Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar is the current chairman of the UGC.

Topic: State News/ Telangana

10. 125-ft-tall Ambedkar statue has been unveiled by Telangana Chief Minister.

• India's tallest statue of BR Ambedkar has been unveiled by Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.
• The statue has been unveiled on the 132nd birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar.
• The statue is located at the Hussain Sagar Lake of Hyderabad.
• The statue is made with more than 360 tonnes of steel and 100 tonnes of bronze. Its cost of construction is nearly 145 crores.
• Dalits from all the 119 Assembly constituencies were invited to the event.
• Telangana State Secretariat building’s name is ‘Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Telangana State Secretariat’.
• Telangana government is also implementing many schemes for the SC communities.
• The ‘Telangana Dalit Bandhu’ scheme was also launched on 16 August 2021 for the upliftment of Scheduled Caste people.

Topic: International News

11. A common platform announced by India, Japan and France for Sri Lanka creditors.

• Japan, India and France have announced a common platform for dialogue between bilateral creditors to coordinate debt restructuring of Sri Lanka.
• This will help in solving the debt crisis of middle-income economies.
• It is historic to start the negotiation process with such a broad-based group of lenders. The committee is open to all the lenders.
• As soon as possible, the group is ready to hold the first round of talks.
• Sri Lanka last month took a 2.9-billion-dollar loan from the International Monetary Fund to deal with the huge debt burden.
• Only low-income countries can apply for debt relief under the G-20's general framework.
• Countries with middle income economies cannot take advantage of this arrangement.
• This has put pressure on major economies to come up with an alternative plan, leading to the creation of new platform.
• Sri Lanka owes 7.1 billion dollars in debt to bilateral creditors.
• This includes $3 billion from China, $2.4 billion from the Paris Club and $1.6 billion from India.

(Source: News on Air)

Topic: National News

12. India's first 3D-printed post office will be set up in Bengaluru.

• Soon, India's first post office will be built using 3D printing technology in Bengaluru.
• Larsen & Toubro is implementing the project at Cambridge Layout in Ulsoor.
• Larsen & Toubro has a lot of experience building 3D-printed buildings.
• The construction work of the post office is expected to be completed in 30 days and its construction cost is about 30 to 40 percent less than the construction of a conventional building.
• The post office constructed at a cost of Rs 23 lakh will be of about 1100 square feet.
• In 3D printing, computer-aided designing is used to make prototypes or working models of objects by laying down successive layers of materials like plastic, resin, thermoplastic, metal, fiber or ceramic.

Topic: International News

13. Qatar and Bahrain announced to resume their diplomatic ties.

• Qatar and Bahrain have decided to restore diplomatic relations.
• The agreement came over two years after the AlUla Declaration in Saudi Arabia in 2021.
• AlUla Declaration had ended the four-year boycott of Qatar by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
• The decision to resume diplomatic relations was taken at the second meeting of the Bahraini-Qatari Follow-up Committee in Riyadh.
• The decision has been positively appreciated by foreign ministries of GCC countries, the Arab League, the United States, and Russia.
• Recently, the fourth joint meeting between United Arab Emirates and Qatar was held to follow up on the implementation of the AlUla Declaration.
• AlUla Declaration:
  • It was signed by Gulf countries on January 5, 2021 at the GCC Summit held in AlUla, Saudi Arabia.
  • It was signed to resolve the dispute with Qatar.
  • It called for unity and the strengthening of relations among GCC countries.
  • The declaration reaffirmed the GCC member states' commitment to achieving integration and coordination in all areas to form a federation of states.

Topic: Geography

14. A powerful Cyclone Ilsa hit the coast of Western Australia.

• Cyclone Ilsa hit a remote stretch of coast in Western Australia near Port Hedland.
• The speed of the wind was 218 kilometer per hour on Bedout Island just off the coast.
• It is the strongest cyclone to hit the region in the last 14 years.
• Australia uses a five-tier system to categorize cyclones. Cyclone Ilsa has been kept in category three.
• Cyclones are common on the west coast of Australia. Tropical Cyclone Monica was the strongest cyclone to hit Australia.
• A cyclone is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.