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:
Salar de Atacama is Chile’s largest salt flat. Much of the country’s lithium deposits are found in this region.
Chile is planning to collaborate with India to tap into the lithium value chain. The copper-producing nation- Chile, holds the world’s largest known lithium reserves.

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 a non-binding referendum held in France, 89.03% of the votes cast were opposed to the freestanding scooters, which are booked on a short-term basis through apps.
The rental e-scooters, which were introduced in 2018 to promote green alternative for cars. The city will completely ban these devices by September 1 this year.

Notes:
The Himachal Pradesh recently repealed the Loktantra Prahari Samman Act.
The Act provides a monthly pension of Rs 20,000 and Rs 12,000 to the people who lodged in jails during the Emergency from 1975 to 1977. The repeal of the Act shall not affect the previous operations of the said Act.

Notes:
Consumer price inflation in Pakistan jumped to a record 35.37% in March from a year earlier, the statistics bureau said.
At least 16 people were killed in stampedes for food aid. The inflation number was 31.5% in February. The food, beverage and transport prices surged up to 50% year-on-year.

Notes:
The International Monetary Fund recently released a working paper titled ‘Stacking up the Benefits Lessons from India’s Digital Journey’.
It credits India’s building black approach and its focus on promoting innovation for the success of the country’s digital public infrastructure.

Notes:
Japan’s Overseas Security Assistance (OSA) programme was announced recently. It will provide financial assistance to help foreign nations strengthen their defences.
As per the foreign ministry, since the help would be offered as grants, only poor nations will be able to receive it.

Notes:
Ladakh’s Wood Carving recently received GI (Geographical Indications) tag. In December last year, the government also granted GI Tag for Raktsey Karpo apricot of Ladakh.
Wood carving of Ladakh has been a vibrant art form in the Ladakh region, including the capital Leh and Kargil.

Notes:
In Japan, an estimated 1.5 million working-age people are living in isolation, a phenomenon known as hikikomori.
Due to the phenomenon, they avoid social contact, further raising worries about their mental health and social well-being. According to a survey, the COVID-19 pandemic has been linked to about one-fifth of the specific incidents, with the most common reason being “quitting jobs”.