Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2023

Notes:
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a collection of marine debris in the North Pacific Ocean. It is also known as the Pacific trash vortex, spans waters from the West Coast of North America to Japan.
Marine debris is litter that ends up in the ocean, seas, and other large bodies of water. A recent study by Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) shows that this giant collection of plastic trash has also become home to thousands of marine life, creating a new kind of ecosystem.

Notes:
The Agriculture Production Department of Jammu and Kashmir will launch the Kisan Sampark Abhiyan programme, which seeks to ensure the overall welfare of farmers across the Union Territory. The scheme will cover 3565 panchayats in J&K.
To ensure that the programme is successful, nearly 2400 resource persons have been identified and trained for all districts.

Notes:
The Unified Logistics Interface Platform, which was launched under the national logistics policy, enables the tracking of all cargo containers exported or imported in domestic or international water.
It has recently been integrated with 33 systems of seven Union Ministries.

Notes:
Aragam village of North Kashmir’s Bandipora district is set to be converted into India’s largest book village to promote Kashmiri literature and culture.
The initiative is jointly implemented by Pune-based NGO ‘Sarhad’ and the Jammu and Kashmir Government.

Notes:
The State of World Population report titled ‘8 Billion Lives, Infinite Possibilities’ was released recently by the United Nations Population Fund.
According to this report released by UNFPA, India is now the most populous country in the world, as it has surpassed China’s population numbers.

Notes:
The Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved a proposal to bring in industry-friendly reforms related to Authority Holding Sealed Particulars or AHSP.
Authority Holding Sealed Particulars (AHSP) is responsible for holding of sealed particulars and patterns along with supply of certified copies of drawings & specifications in respect of defence related items.

Notes:
The Scientists of Indian Antarctic station, Maitri, have recently identified and studied the characteristics of Electromagnetic Ion Cyclotron (EMIC) waves, which are a form of plasma waves.
These waves are said to play an important role in precipitation of killer electrons (electrons having speed close to speed of light, which form the radiation belt of planet Earth), which are hazardous to our space-borne technology and instruments.

Notes:
Recently, a group of researchers from Tel Aviv University in Israel have reported that their team pick up distress noises – very distinct, high-pitched sounds in the ultrasonic range made by plants when they faced stress.
This phenomenon was stated a century ago by Indian scientist Jagadish Chandra Bose, who demonstrated that plants feel pain and have sensations just like animals.

Notes:
A “civil union” refers to the legal status that allows same-sex couples specific rights and responsibilities normally conferred upon married couples. These civil unions would be accompanied by rights such as inheritance rights, employment benefits to spouses, which are generally conferred upon married couples.
Recently, a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, began hearing a batch of petitions seeking legal recognition of same sex marriage.

Notes:
Hanuman Plover Bird has been reinstated as species after more than eight decades. This bird is endemic to India and Sri Lanka.
Hanuman Plover Bird was merged with the Kentish plover in the 1930s as both species were considered to be the same.