Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2023

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.

Notes:
Vibrant Villages Programme has been launched by Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah during his visit to Arunachal Pradesh. It is implemented by the Home Ministry.
It is a centrally sponsored scheme that will provide for the comprehensive development of 2,967 villages situated at the northern border in the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh and UT of Ladakh.

Notes:
Spike Anti-Tank Missiles is a fire-and-forget anti-tank guided missile and anti-personnel missile developed by Israel.
Israel signed a defense deal with Greece to provide it with over USD 400 million worth of Spike anti-tank missiles. According to Rafael, the missiles can be launched from around 45 different platforms, on land, in the air, and at sea.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) regulates the Core Investment Companies. Core Investment Companies are specialized NBFCs that are involved in the business of acquisition of shares and securities.
The RBI has simplified the process of applying for registration of CICs, reducing the number of documents to be furnished from 52 to 18.

Notes:
The government has retained the interest rate payable on savings in General Provident Fund (GPF) at 7.1% for the April to June 2023 quarter.
Interest rates on General Provident Fund (GPF) are revised periodically according to the government’s issued notifications.

Notes:
Jyotirao Govindrao Phule was a social activist and an author from Maharashtra, known for his works in fields like eradication of untouchability, caste system and more. His birth anniversary is observed on April 11.
Satyashodhak Samaj was a social reform society founded by Jyotiba Phule in Pune, on 24 September 1873 with a mission of education and social rights for underprivileged groups with special focus on women.

Notes:
The United States of America and the Philippines have launched their largest combat exercise named Balikatan, meaning shoulder-to-shoulder. The exercise is launched in waters across the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait.
The exercise would witness participation of more than 17,600 military personnel and the drills will include live-fire exercises and a boat-sinking rocket assault.

Notes:
The Government of Maharashtra has decided to celebrate the birth anniversary of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar  – May 28^th as ‘Swatantraveer Gaurav Din’.
Vinayak Savarkar was born in Maharashtra’s Nashik district, on 28th May 1883. Year 2023 would mark his 140th birth anniversary. Various programs will be organised by the state to promote and propagate the thoughts and works of Veer Savarkar on Swatantraveer Gaurav Divas.

Notes:
Nisha Dahia has won a Silver medal in 68kg category in Asian Wrestling Championships in Kazakhstan.
Nisha had defeated China’s Feng Zhou 7-6 in the semi-finals. Another Indian wrestler, Priya Malik clinched a bronze in 76 kg category. She defeated Japan’s Mizuki Nagashima in the repechage round.

Notes:
The Digidog is a robot dog that was reintroduced by the NYPD recently after being discontinued nearly two years ago.
It was criticised due to its resemblance to the fictitious dystopian killer robot dog that was shown in a Black Mirror episode. The new devices also include a GPS tracker for stolen cars and a cone-shaped security robot.