Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2023

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:
Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) Mission is scheduled to be launched on April 13 this year. It will explore Jupiter and its satellites – Callisto, Ganymede and Europa.
The spacecraft will launch from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana to the biggest planet in the solar system. ‘Juice’ will monitor Jupiter’s complex magnetic, radiation, and plasma environment in depth and its interplay with the moons.

Notes:
The Union Finance Ministry notified the formation of a committee to review the pension system for government employees.
The four-member committee is headed by Finance Secretary T V Somanathan. It will also have Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT); Special Secretary, Department of Expenditure; and Chairman of Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) as its members.

Notes:
cVigil App was launched by the Election Commission of India to fast track complaints regarding the Model Code of Conduct violations.
It is currently playing a critical role in enforcing the Model Code of Conduct and preventing irregularities in the polling process.

Notes:
Tropospheric Emissions Monitoring of Pollution Instrument is a new NASA device that will track pollution over North America.
It will enable scientists to monitor air pollutants and their sources from space. The spectrometer designed to measure air pollution across greater North America at a high resolution and on an hourly basis.

Notes:
‘Mircha’ Rice from Bihar’s West Champaran recently received GI tag. Since this rice’s size and shape appear like a black pepper, it is known as Mircha or Marcha Rice.
This rice is famous for its aroma, palatability and its aromatic rice flakes making qualities. The cooked rice is fluffy, non sticky, sweet and easily digestible.

Notes:
The India-France Business Summit was organised to commemorate 25 years of India-France Friendship.
It will focus on themes like building a green future, emerging technologies, defence cooperation and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific regions. The Embassy of India, Paris, France, in association with India’s CII, France’s MEDEF and the Indo French Chamber of Commerce and Industry(IFCCI), organised the Summit and CEOs Roundtable.

Notes:
The 5th Cycle of India’s Tiger Census was released recently by Prime Minister Modi. This census revealed that India’s tiger population stands at 3,167 in the wild.
This figure is 200 more than it had four years ago. India is estimated to have more than 70% of the world’s tigers.

Notes:
Es Càrritx Cave, situated on the Spanish island of Menorca, was a funeral site for around six centuries until 800 BCE.
Researchers have found the presence of hallucinogenic drugs on this site, creating a possibility of people consuming them 3 millennia ago.

Notes:
State Energy Efficiency Index 2021-22 was developed by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency in collaboration with the Alliance for an Energy-Efficient Economy.
In SEEI 2021-22, 5 states – Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan and Telangana – are in the Front Runner category (>60 points) while 4 states are in the Achiever category. Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Assam and Chandigarh are the top-performing states in their respective state groups. Telangana and Andhra Pradesh showed the most improvement since the last index.