Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2023

Notes:
The Indian Army observes the 13th of April every year as Siachen Day to commemorate the anniversary of Operation Meghdoot. It was launched by the Indian Army on April 13, 1984 to secure the Siachen Glacier which is of strategic importance.
This year marks the 39th Siachen Day in which the Commander of Siachen Brigade laid a wreath on behalf of the General Officer Commanding (GOC) and paid respect to war heroes at the Siachen War Memorial, Base Camp.

Notes:
The blastomyces fungus is linked to the recent outbreak of “atypical” pneumonia among the employees of the Escanaba Billerud Paper Mill in the US.
The fungus is endemic to Michigan and is generally found in moist soil and decomposing wood. If disturbed, microscopic spores from the fungus can get dispersed in air and travel freely. Human beings can contract blastomycosis by inhaling the spores.

Notes:
The Coalition of Coastal Cities to Combat Marine Litter was launched recently by Delhi-based non-profit Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).
It is a coalition of coastal cities that will combat marine litter pollution across India. Of the 460 million tonnes (MT) of global plastic production, nearly 353 MT comes back as plastic waste; 8 MT (2.26 per cent) of which is leaked into the marine ecosystem.

Notes:
The National Health Authority (NHA) has recently invited contributors to test, contribute and become a participant in the Health Claims Exchange Ecosystem by onboarding the participants on the National Health Claims Exchange (HCX) – Sandbox Environment.
NHA announced HCX as an initiative under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) in September 2022 and subsequently worked with various groups to come up with Health Insurance Exchange specifications.

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:
HUN festival is an annual cultural festival celebrated in Manipur. It is celebrated by the Thadous community of Manipur to mark the arrival of the new year according to the community and it is a time for the community to offer prayers for a prosperous year ahead.
This year’s festival was inaugurated in the state by Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren.

Notes:
The National Quantum Mission was approved recently by the Union Cabinet. Its aim is to seed, nurture and scale scientific and industrial research and development and create an innovative ecosystem in quantum technology.
The Centre has approved Rs 6,003 crore for the National Quantum Mission, to fund scientific and industrial research development in quantum technology.

Notes:
Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launched the SATHI (Seed Traceability, Authentication and Holistic Inventory) Portal and Mobile App.
It is a Centralized Online System for seed traceability, authentication and inventory designed to deal with the challenges of seed production, quality seed identification and seed certification. It has been developed by the NIC in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

Notes:
The governments of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh have signed an agreement for the settlement of an inter-state boundary dispute between the two States.
It will end the dispute relating to 123 villages along the border. After the agreement, a detailed survey is to be carried out by the Survey of India to determine the boundaries of both states.

Notes:
Exercise INIOCHOS-23 is a multinational air exercise that will be hosted by the Hellenic Air Force, at the Andravida Air Base in Greece.
India’s air force is participating for the first time in the multinational air drill Iniochos 23. The exercise includes elements from Greece, France, the US, Italy, Saudi Arabia, India, Spain, Jordan, Slovenia, and Cyprus.