Current Affairs Quiz - March, 2023

Notes:
The report titled “Breaking the cycle of unsustainable food systems, hunger, and debt” was released recently by the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems.
According to a report, at least 21 countries are currently facing catastrophic levels of debt distress and rising hunger. As many as 60% of low-income countries and 30% of middle-income countries are at high risk of debt distress or already in it.

Notes:
Surekha Yadav, Asia’s first woman loco pilot has become the first female to operate the semi-high-speed Vande Bharat Express train.
Ms. Yadav piloted the Vande Bharat Express train between Solapur station and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in Mumbai.

Notes:
Pyre, the English translation of writer Perumal Murugan’s Tamil novel Pookkuzhi, has figured in the longlist for the International Booker Prize 2023.
The translator is Aniruddhan Vasudevan, who also translated Perumal Murugan’s Maathorubhagan into English as One Part Woman. This is the first Tamil novel that has found a place in the International Booker longlist.

Notes:
In 2022, emigration clearances were issued to 3,73,434 Indians, of which 10,654 were from Punjab, as per the recent data provided to the Lok Sabha.
The percentage share of population in Punjab in the age-group of 15 to 59 is 64% in comparison to 60.3% at all India level as per census 2011.

Notes:
Ministry for Road Transport and Highways has released Policy guidelines or standards for utilising eco-friendly materials in construction of National Highways.
Eco-friendly materials such as fly ash, iron and steel slag, construction and demolition waste, recycled asphalt pavement, geo-synthetics, waste plastic, emulsion based cold mix and warm mix asphalt are being used in construction of National Highways.

Notes:
Gujarat, the only home of Asiatic lions in India, is set to move 40 lions from Gir National Park to the Barda Wildlife Sanctuary.
The Barda Wildlife Sanctuary is expected to house 40 adult and sub-adult Asiatic lions. It is located some 100 km from the Gir National Park.

Notes:
Thiania indica is a newly discovered species of jumping spider from the Western Ghats. Thiania indica belongs to the Thiania C.L. Koch genus of jumping spider (that constitute the family Salticidae).
It was discovered during an expedition in the Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary in December 2021.

Notes:
The recently concluded Japan-South Korea Summit resulted in the two countries deciding to resolve a trade dispute, which is seen as a major step towards improving the bilateral economic and defence relations.
The summit was held in Tokyo, Japan and was attended by South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Notes:
The study titled “Pathways to Atmanirbhar Bharat” was released recently by the US Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
The study noted that India can achieve energy independence by 2047.

Notes:
The Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3), previously referred as the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV Mk3), is a three-stage medium-lift launch vehicle developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
The Indian space agency has announced that its largest rocket LVM3 will be launched on March 26 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.