Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2023

Notes:
Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project involves the setting up of India’ largest nuclear power station in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu.
A pressuriser was delivered for Reactor 5 of this power plant by AEM-Technologies Izhora, which is part of the machine-building division of Rosatom – Atomenergomash.

Notes:
Kerala Green Energy Corridor seeks to synchronize electricity produced from renewables with conventional power stations in the grid.
The state cabinet recently approved the agreement with the German development bank, KfW, for a loan to fund this project.

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:
The ‘Indian Space Policy 2023’ was approved recently by the Union Cabinet. It seeks to streamline the process of private participation in the Indian Space Sector.
The policy will see Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) focusing on research and development of advanced space technologies. It delineates responsibility to ISRO, New Space India Limited (NSIL, a space sector PSU), and Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center (IN-SPACe).

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:
France and China have signed several economic agreements involving major companies in sectors such as transport, energy, agriculture, culture and science during President Emmanuel Macron’s trip to China.
One of the deals will create a new assembly line in French aircraft manufacturer Airbus’ Tianjin factory so the company can double its production capacity of A320 models.

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:
Indian government approved a project to build an advanced gravitational-wave detector in Maharashtra at an estimated cost of Rs 2,600 crore.
In the US, there are already two such LIGO observatories. The third such cutting-edge gravitational-wave observatory will be LIGO-India. The facility is expected to be completed by 2030.

Notes:
A High-Level Conference on Accelerating Rail Digital Transformation in Asia and Pacific Region was held recently in New Delhi.
It was jointly organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the Union Ministry of Railways.

Notes:
National Panchayat Awards 2023 were conferred recently by Panchayati Raj Ministry to recognize best performing Panchayats in the areas that align with the 17 SHGs.
Telangana won 8 out of 27 various categories of the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Panchayat Satat Vikas Puraskar (DDUPSVP) for the years 2021 – 2022. It was followed by Kerala with 4, Jammu and Kashmir with 3, and Maharashtra with 3.