Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2023

Notes:
Chinese internet search major Baidu is planning to launch an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot service similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
The firm plans to launch the service as a standalone application and merge it into its search engine. ChatGPT’s technology works by learning from vast amounts of data how to answer prompts by users in a human-like manner, offering information like a search engine. Microsoft has a USD 1 billion investment in San Francisco-based OpenAI.

Notes:
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan recently launched the Ladli Bahina Scheme, to provide Rs 1,000 per month to women from financially poor background in the state.
A sum of Rs 60,000 crore will be spent on this scheme in five years. The Ladli Bahina Scheme will benefit poor women from lower and middle classes of all sections on the lines of the Ladli Lakshmi Scheme.

Notes:
Aryna Sabalenka from Belarus beats Elena Rybakina to secure the women’s singles title in Australian Open 2023.
Aryna Sabalenka is the first athlete without a flag to win a singles Grand Slam since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Sabalenka, seeded 5th, will regain her second ranking after winning her first major championship. Sabalenka has 11 victories and two titles, so far in the year.

Notes:
Odisha’s Health Minister Naba Kishore Das died after being shot by a policeman. He died after he was shot by a policeman at Gandhi Chhak in Brajrajnagar area of Jharsuguda district, where he had gone to attend an event.
The shooter was identified as Gopal Das, who was posted in the Gandhi Chowk police outpost of. He had earlier served the Minister in the capacity of his personal security officer.

Notes:
In Pakistan, the federal government has announced an increase in prices of petrol and diesel by 35 rupees.
With this, petrol has reached 249.80 rupees per litre, while diesel prices have been raised to 262.80 rupees per litre. The Kerosene oil and light diesel oil prices also hiked by 18 rupees per litre. Last week, the Pakistani rupee lost close to 12 per cent of its value.

Notes:
Germany beat Belgium 5-4 in penalty shootout to win the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup in Bhubaneswar.
Jean-Paul Danneberg, the German goalkeeper made three saves in the penalty shootout. Germany became the fourth team to have won three or more hockey World Cup titles. Pakistan has won the title four times and is the most successful team at the hockey World Cup. Earlier, the Netherlands beat Australia 3-1 to claim the bronze medal.

Notes:
As per a recommendation made by the Department of Commerce, IIT Madras will be provided a grant of Rs 242 Crore over a period of five years to undertake research on Lab Grown Diamonds (LGD).
In the Union Budget 2023, Union Finance Minister said that Lab grown Diamonds (LGD) is a technology and innovation-driven emerging sector with high employment potential.

Notes:
After floating over the US for days, a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon has been shot down by the US Defence officials.
The balloon is said to have a payload the size of several buses. China’s foreign ministry denied that the balloon was used for surveillance, and it said that it was a civilian airship used for meteorological and other scientific research

Notes:
Finance Minister stated that the Pradhan Mantri PVTG Development Mission will be launched, to  improve socio-economic conditions of the particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs).
Rs.15,000 crore will be made available to implement the Mission in the next three years under the Development Action Plan for the Scheduled Tribes.

Notes:
Union Finance Minister announced an initiative called MISHTI ‘Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats and Tangible Incomes’.
Under the scheme, mangrove plantations will be taken up along the country’s coastline apart from salt pans, wherever feasible, through the convergence of the job guarantee scheme MGNREGS, the Compensatory Afforestation Fund, and other sources.