Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2023

Notes:
Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry has set up a committee headed by Amitabh Kant to examine stalled real estate projects.
It seeks to examine the issues related to legacy stalled real estate projects in the country and recommend ways to complete them.

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”.

Notes:
As per the report released by US-based Global Energy Monitor, the operating coal fleet grew by 19.5 gigawatt in 2022 globally.
As per the report, the war between Russia and Ukraine resulted in a slowdown of coal retirements. China accounted for 59 per cent of the new coal capacity while Bangladesh ranked the 9th among the rest of the countries after India, Pakistan, Vietnam and Indonesia, among others.

Notes:
‘National Maritime Day’ is celebrated on April 5 across the country to commemorate the sailing of the first Indian commercial vessel, SS Loyalty.
The ship sailed from Mumbai to London. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the ‘Maritime India Vision 2030’ in November 2020 at the Maritime India Summit. It is a 10-year blueprint for the development of the Indian maritime sector.

Notes:
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Vietnam have signed a joint declaration of intent to launch talks on establishing a comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) between the two countries.
The UAE is Vietnam’s largest trade partner in the Arab countries, accounting for 39% of its total trade, and the volume of non-oil trade between the two countries reached USD 8 billion in 2022.

Notes:
Rayyanah Barnawi is set to become the first woman astronaut from Saudi Arabia. Barnawi and Ali Al-Qarni will take off from Florida on a private mission to the International Space Station.
There are two other astronauts who will join Barnawi and Ali Al-Qarni in their voyage. They are Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut and John Shoffner, a businessman from Tennessee who will serve as pilot.

Notes:
The Ministry of Corporate Affairs had appointed 10-Member Committee on Digital Competition Law, consisting of lawyers representing the Big Tech.
It is set to meet shortly to discuss provisions of the draft Digital Competition Law. The committee is responsible for examining the need for an ex-ante regulatory mechanism for digital markets via a separate legislation.

Notes:
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman arrived in Washington DC to attend the 2023 Spring Meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), along with G20 meetings, Investor/ Bilateral meetings, and other associated meetings.
Finance Minister Sitharaman and RBI Shaktikanta Das will jointly chair the 2nd G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting.

Notes:
Scientists at the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), a Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) facility, reported the presence of rare-earth elements (REEs) in Anantapur district in Andhra Pradesh.
These elements are key components in many electronic devices and whose industrial applications span sectors like imaging, aerospace, and defence.