Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2023

Notes:
Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA) is a joint venture of Education Ministry, Government of India and Canara Bank for financing creation of capital assets in premier institutions.
A Parliamentary panel has recently directed the Education Ministry to fast track the process of disbursing sanctioned loans by the HEFA.

Notes:
The ALE, a Japanese company, is currently planning to create an “Artificial Meteor Shower”. The meteor shower will be created using pressure driven system of gas tanks.
ALE is sending satellites into space to create the world’s first human-made meteor shower. It is named ‘Sky Canvas’ and the project was initially scheduled for launch in 2020. It was delayed due to a satellite malfunction.

Notes:
The International Monetary Fund’s Extended Fund Facility is intended for countries experiencing serious medium-term BoP issues due to structural weakness that require time to address. It was recently approved for Ukraine to meet the urgent funding requirements amid the war with Russia.

Notes:
Salim Aziz Durani was an Afghan-born Indian cricketer who took part in 29 Test matches from the years 1960 to 1973. He passed away recently at the age of 88.
Durani was a part of India’s successful victory against England in 1961-62 where he picked up eight wickets against English team.

Notes:
Minister of Culture, Tourism and Development of North Eastern Region G. Kishan Reddy hosted the first India-Central Asia Culture Ministers’ Meeting virtually.
The Culture Ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan participated in the meeting. The India-Central Asia Summit hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2022.

Notes:
Australia, with gender pay gap of 13.3% as of 2023, has launched a new law that mandates firms with over 100 employees to reveal their gender pay gaps by early 2024.
This is expected to make businesses more accountable and improve working conditions of women in the country.

Notes:
NASA named the first woman and the first African-American ever assigned as astronauts to a lunar mission.
Christina Koch, an engineer who already holds the record for the longest continuous spaceflight by a woman, was named as a mission specialist, along with Victor Glover, a U.S. Navy aviator, who was selected as the Artemis II pilot.

Notes:
Caltoris bromus sadasiva is a newly discovered butterfly sub-species. It was discovered from the fringes of Akkulam and Vembanad lakes in Kerala.
Caltoris bromus sadasiva is the first Bromus swift butterfly to be documented in the Western Ghats.

Notes:
Czech player Petra Kvitova defeats Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina to win her first Miami Open crown. The 33-year-old Kvitova, had won Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014.
In the men’s game, Daniil Medvedev wins the Miami Open title and his 4th trophy of the season.

Notes:
Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell is the data backbone of the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
It recently celebrated its 22nd foundation day. After the dismantling of Administered Pricing Mechanism (APM) in petroleum sector, Oil Coordination Committee (OCC) was abolished and a new cell called Petroleum Planning & Analysis Cell (PPAC) was created effective 1st April 2002.