Current Affairs Quiz - March, 2023

Notes:
Assam created a Guinness World Record for the highest number of essays written about a single person.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma received a Guinness certificate for almost 43 lakh essays on Ahom general Lachit Borphukan on his 400th birth anniversary.

Notes:
Governor R.N. Ravi returned to the State government the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Bill, passed by the Assembly.
It was cited that the House did not have “legislative competence” to frame it. The state Cabinet has decided to table the Bill again, which intends to ban online gambling in Tamil Nadu. As per Article 200, if a Bill is passed by the House a second time, with or without any amendments, and presented to the Governor for assent, the Governor shall not withhold assent.

Notes:
Atmospheric river is a narrow and elongated region in the atmosphere that carries a substantial amount of water vapor outside the tropics. It is also known as tropical plume, tropical connection, moisture plume, water vapour surge, and cloud band.
Atmospheric rivers can be thousands of kilometers long and transport water vapor equivalent to the average flow of water at the mouth of the Mississippi River. California is currently bracing for the arrival of atmospheric rivers, which are expected to bring heavy rain, flooding, and heavy snowfall.

Notes:
The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) was a telescope mounted on a Boeing 747 SP aircraft that used infrared light to observe the universe. It is a joint effort between NASA and the German Aerospace Center and was cancelled in 2022 due to its high cost and inadequate scientific output.
For the first time, Oxygen-18 was detected in Earth’s mesosphere and lower-thermosphere using the data collected by the GREAT instrument on SOFIA observatory. This is the first time that the heavy oxygen has been detected outside a laboratory.

Notes:
The state government of Madhya Pradesh has launched a new scheme called Mukhyamantri Ladli Bahna Yojana to empower women financially.
Under this scheme, women aged 23 to 60 years with an annual family income of less than Rs.2.5 lakh or less than 5 acres of land will receive Rs.1,000 per month. The funds under this scheme will be distributed from June 10 this year.

Notes:
RadioGPT is the world’s first-ever radio platform powered by artificial intelligence. Developed by Ohio-based media company Futuri, it uses TopicPulse technology to detect local market trends and create scripts for radio broadcasts.
These scripts are delivered on air by Artificial Intelligence-generated personalities using GPT-3 technology, like ChatGPT. Spotify has also launched a similar Artificial Intelligence feature called DJ, which provides a curated selection of music with AI-powered spoken commentary.

Notes:
The safe harbour principle of the IT Act, 2000 relieves the internet intermediaries from responsibility for third-party content on their platforms.
This provision ensures that social media platforms are not liable for posts published by users. The newly introduced Digital India Act, 2023, which seeks to replace the IT Act, has proposed the revision of the safe harbour clause. The legislation seeks to make social media sites accountable for user-generated contents.

Notes:
The Kinzhals are Russian-made nuclear-capable hypersonic air-launched ballistic missile. It can carry a nuclear warhead or a conventional warhead.
The missile is launched either from a MiG-31K interceptor or a Tu-22M3 bomber. It was unveiled in 2018. Russia recently launched 6 Kinzhals, which the Ukrainian forces failed to intercept and destroy. This is part of the largest aerial strike against Ukraine in weeks. The missile was launched for the first time against Ukraine in 2022.

Notes:
India won an Oscar for The Elephant Whisperers which won in the Best Documentary Short film category. The documentary, which tells the story of a couple who care for an injured baby elephant after it gets separated from its herd, is the first Indian document to win in this category.
The song Naatu Naatu from the Telugu-language film RRR also became the first Indian film song to win an Oscar.

Notes:
‘INS Sahyadri’ is a Shivalik-class stealth multi-role frigate constructed at the Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) in Mumbai.
It was commissioned on July 21, 2012, joining the Eastern Naval Command based in Visakhapatnam. INS Sahyadri recently participated in a two-day maritime partnership exercise with two French warships in the Arabian Sea.