Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2023

Notes:
Minister of Tourism G. Kishan Reddy launched the Visit India Year – 2023 initiative. He also unveiled its logo, kicking off plans and activities for promoting tourism in the country.
Over one lakh foreign delegates will visit India this year and they will be showcased the entire arena of India’s culture, including monuments and festivals.

Notes:
Jharkhand governor Ramesh Bais sent the ‘1932 Khatiyan Bill’ back to the Hemant Soren government for reconsideration.
The Governor described it to be violative of Article 16 of the Constitution and court rulings. The state government had passed the ‘Jharkhand definition of local persons and for extending the consequential, social, cultural and other benefits to such local persons Bill, 2022’.

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:
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), issued the E-Waste (Management) Amendment Rules, 2023.
It seeks to amend the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022, by adding Cadmium and lead in Solar panels, solar Photovoltaic panels among others. They will come into force from April 01, 2023.

Notes:
In the Union Budget 2023, the Government enhanced the outlay for Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana by 66 per cent to 79000 crore.
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana is an initiative by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The Finance Minister also proposed to use Permanent Account Number (PAN) card as a common identifier for all digital systems of government agencies.

Notes:
NAMASTE is a Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) as a joint initiative of the MoSJE and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
NAMASTE stands for National Action Plan for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem). This year’s Union Budget has allotted Rs 100 crore to the scheme. Finance Minister announced that the government is looking to enable 100% mechanical de-sludging of septic tanks and sewers in all cities and towns.

Notes:
Bihar Deputy Chief minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav inaugurated the MV Ganga Vihar at NIT Ghat in Bihar.
The floating restaurant operated by the Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation (BSTDC). The two-storied floating restaurant has a restaurant on the ground floor with a seating capacity of 48 people along with a VIP lounge and a private lounge on the top floor.

Notes:
The government has agreed to convert Vodafone Idea’s accrued interest worth over Rs 16,000 crore on deferred adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues into equity at Rs 10 a share.
Earlier In October 2022, market regulator SEBI approved the conversion of Vodafone Idea dues into equity.

Notes:
Google has invested nearly USD 400 million in artificial intelligence start-up Anthropic AI. The two companies announced a partnership that will see the AI start-up use Google’s cloud computing services.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei announced that they would use Google Cloud to build reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems and to create a robust AI platform.