Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2023

Notes:
As per the ‘United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)’s State of World Population 2023’ report, India’s population is expected to reach 1.429 billion by the end of the year, according to the U.N. China will be at second place, with 1.426 billion people.
This will make India the most populous country in the world for the first time. This number is expected to be 2.96 million more than the population of China.

Notes:
Cycas pectinate is a plant species of Genus Cycas which is the found in the north-eastern part of India, Nepal, Bhutan, South China etc. It is the only ‘Cycas’ species found in Bhutan.
It usually grows at an elevation of 300 m to 1200 m and in difficult terrains. A new study has found that this vulnerable species is threatened in the Himalayan country due to habitat loss and its overcollection as an ornamental plant.

Notes:
In 2018, Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud read down the law that criminalized homosexuality, citing the idea of indirect discrimination where seemingly neutral laws could disproportionately disadvantage a group.
This marked the first time that indirect discrimination was recognized in the equality jurisprudence by the Supreme Court.

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:
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:
National Climate Vulnerability Index, developed by the Department of Science and Technology, is used by the Indian government to estimate the impact of heatwaves.
A new study has revealed that more than 90 percent of the population is at risk of heatwaves and India has been underestimating the impact of heatwaves on its development.

Notes:
Scientists from the Houston Methodist Academic Institute have recently developed a tiny nanofluidic device named Nanofluidic Drug-Eluting Seed (NDES) that delivers cancer drugs directly to pancreatic tumors.
The Nanofluidic drug-eluting seed (NDES) delivers low-dose immunotherapy via CD40 monoclonal antibodies (mAb) — which encourage the immune system to fight tumor cells — directly to pancreatic tumors to treat the aggressive form of pancreatic cancer.

Notes:
The Indian Government has invited Expression of Interest (EOI) for the development of hydrogen valley innovation clusters (HVIC) in the country.
According to the DST guidelines, a hydrogen valley is a specific geographic region where hydrogen serves more than one end sector or application.

Notes:
The National Highways Logistics Management (NHLML), a fully-owned special purpose vehicle of the Indian Government, is set to develop a digital highway network by setting up integrated utility corridors along national highways.
As part of this initiative, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has designed 1,367 km of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway and 512 km of the Hyderabad-Bangalore Corridor as pilot routes for digital highway development.

Notes:
The state government of Kerala launched the Safe Kerala Project to minimize the number of on-road accidents and prevent traffic violations in the state.
As part of this project, Artificial Intelligence-based cameras will be used to identify traffic violations and impose fines.