Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2023

Notes:
The Unified Portal of Central Bureau of Narcotics has been launched by the Central Bureau of Narcotics with an objective to simplify the licensing and ExIM authorizations issued by the Bureau. The portal was launched by the Revenue Secretary Shri Sanjay Malhotra.
The unified portal would enhance the efficiency, transparency and accountability in department users, with two-fold objectives: cater the need of pharma and chemical industry; ensure availability of the “essential narcotic drugs” and medicines.

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:
Cyclone Ilsa is a category 5 storm that recently made landfall into a remote stretch of coast in Western Australia.
Its high wind speeds broke previous records that were set around a decade ago in the same place. Severe Tropical Cyclone Ilsa struck the places close to Port Hedland, the world’s largest iron ore export hub.

Notes:
The Shawwal Moon is an important celestial event in the Islamic calendar that marks the start of the Eid Al-Fitr.
It occurs in the tenth month of the Islamic calendar, also known as the Hijri calendar. This year, it is likely to be either on April 20 or 21. Each month starts with the sighting of the moon.

Notes:
Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Parshottam Rupala has launched the Animal Pandemic Preparedness Initiative under the National One Health Mission.
He also launched the World Bank-funded Animal Health System Support for One Health to enhance India’s preparedness and response to potential animal pandemics, in line with the One Health approach.

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:
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 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:
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:
A team of researchers from Hong Kong have discovered a new species of box jellyfish in Mai Po Nature Reserve. This is said to be first discovery of the venomous species in China’s waters.
The jelly fist is named Tripedalia maipoensis. It has a cube-shaped, colourless body with 24 eyes, three tentacles up to 10 cm long which resemble boat paddles. It is said to swim faster than other kinds of jellyfish.