Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2023

Notes:
SEBI decided to set up a corporate debt market development fund in the form of an Alternative Investment Fund.
Corporate Debt Market Development Fund will be set up with an initial corpus of Rs 3,000 crore. It will function as a backstop facility for buying investment grade corporate debt securities during stressful times.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took part in the Combined Commanders’ Conference in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
He will also flag off a Vande Bharat Express service to Delhi. Combined Commanders Conference is a biennial event that brings together India’s top military brass to discuss issues related to military and national security.

Notes:
‘Coastal Kerala Geckoella’ is a newly discovered species of ground-dwelling gecko. It is endemic to the low hills and coastal forest in northern Kerala.
Chengodumalaensis is a small, nocturnal species that is found on the ground among leaf litter and rocks in forests. Scientists have discovered the new species of ground-dwelling gecko, from the coastal forests of northern Kerala.

Notes:
As of 2023, there is no fees levied on regular bank-to-bank UPI transactions, as per the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
NPCI, which owns and runs the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), said that it has implemented fees on UPI transactions on only Prepaid Payment Instrument (PPI) merchant transactions.

Notes:
Sarbat Khalsa is a deliberative assembly of all factions of Sikhs that dates back to the 18th century. It is held twice a year on the occasion of Baisakhi and Diwali.
The last “Sarbat khalsa” was held on February 16, 1986. It was recently announced that the convening of a Sarbat khalsa congregation is the sole prerogative of the Akal Takht chief.

Notes:
The First-Ever Anti-Spyware Declaration was issued recently by the United States and 10 other countries. It includes Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Denmark, France, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
This is in recognition of the misuse of the commercial spyware and the need for a stringent domestic and international controls on the proliferation and the use of spyware technology.

Notes:
The government has raised the interest rates across all small savings schemes except the post office savings deposit and the Public Provident Fund (PPF) for the April-June 2023 quarter.
The Sukanya Samriddhi Account Scheme too will enjoy a higher rate of interest – up from the existing 7.6 percent to 8 percent. The interest rate on the National Savings Certificate (NSC) has been hiked from 7 percent to 7.7 percent for the April – June 2023 quarter.

Notes:
International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action is observed annually on April 4. It raises awareness about landmines and promote steps towards removing them.
The theme for this year is ‘Mine Action Cannot Wait’. On this day, UN Departments, specialised agencies, funds, and programs come together to play a significant role in to work on mine action program.

Notes:
A new genus and species of bagworm moth Capulopsyche keralensis has been discovered from the coffee plantations of Kerala.
Researchers have discovered the new species of bagworm moth, from Idukki district and Palakkad district.

Notes:
In the financial year 2022-2023, procurement of goods and services from government portal Government e Marketplace (GeM) has crossed the Rs 2 lakh crore mark.
After the GeM portal was launched in 2017, business worth about Rs 400 crore was done and the business tripled last year to Rs 1 lakh crores, while it reached the 2 lakh crore-mark in 5 years.