Correct Answer :   10,000 Km

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NHAI is working towards development of around  10,000 km of Optic Fibre Cables (OFC) infrastructure across the country by FY2024-25.

National Highways Logistics Management Limited (NHLML), a fully owned SPV of NHAI, will implement the network of Digital Highways by developing integrated utility corridors along the National Highways to develop OFC infrastructure.

Around 1,367 km on Delhi - Mumbai Expressway and 512 km on Hyderabad - Bangalore Corridor have been identified as pilot routes for the Digital Highway development.

Providing internet connectivity to remote locations across the country, the OFC network will help to expedite the roll out of new age telecom technologies like 5G & 6G.

Recently inaugurated, 246 km long Delhi – Dausa – Lalsot section of the Delhi - Mumbai Expressway features a three-meter-wide dedicated utility corridor used to lay Optical Fibre Cables, which will serve as the backbone for the roll out of the 5G network in the region. OFC laying work along the National Highways has started and is targeted for completion in about a year.

OFC network will allow direct plug-and-play or ‘Fibre-on-demand’ model for the Telecom / Internet Services. The network will be leased out on a Fixed Price Allotment mechanism on ‘Open for All’ basis through a web portal to eligible users. OFC allotment policy is being finalized in consultation with DoT and TRAI.

Creation of Digital Highways will not only have a catalytic impact on the growth and development but will also contribute to the digital transformation of our country...

Source : PIB

Correct Answer :   Angela Merkel

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Former Chancellor "Angela Merkel" received Germany's highest Order of Merit on Monday (17th April 2023).

* The Grand Cross award was handed to her by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

* The award has only been given twice before, to former chancellors Konrad Adenauer and Helmut Kohl. All three former leaders belong to the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

* The Order of Merit entails no financial reward.

* Merkel led Germany from 2005 to 2021, totaling four terms in office. She did not seek a fifth term.

* She was the first woman to take the post of chancellor and the first German head of government to have grown up in socialist East Germany..

Source : DW

Correct Answer :   IIT Roorkee

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Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT Roorkee) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Science and Technology Centre for Disaster Reduction (NCDR), Taiwan, while the scientists and faculty members of NCDR, along with their Director Dr. Hongey Chen visited the institute.

This MoU Aims : To develop scientific and academic cooperation and scientific research to promote relations and mutual understanding between NCDR and the Centre of Excellence in Disaster Mitigation and Management (CoEDMM) of IIT Roorkee.

The key objective of the MoU is mutually developing technology solutions to natural hazards, including earthquakes, landslides, floods, debris flow, and compound disasters.

IIT Roorkee and NCDR Aim : To co-establish an early warning sensor network equipped with P-Alert sensors at selected locations in Uttarakhand.

Prof K K Pant, Director IIT Roorkee, highlighted, “Disaster risk reduction (DRR) is an integral part of social and economic development, and this would be a lasting cooperation of IIT Roorkee with the National Science and Technology Centre for Disaster Reduction (NCDR), Taiwan in development of sustainable mitigation of natural hazards for the future. We recognize building resilient infrastructure and reaffirm the interrelationship between disaster risk reduction and sustainable development."

Dr. Hongey Chen, Director, National Science and Technology Centre for Disaster Reduction (NCDR), Taiwan, emphasized, “It is important to work in tandem with the South Asia Alliance of Disaster Research Institutes (SAADRI), and we are thankful to IIT Roorkee in promoting disaster risk management and capacity-building programs by introducing advanced science and technology.”

The MoU signing ceremony is followed by a Technical workshop on Earthquake Early Warning Systems (EEWS). In India, the nation’s first Earthquake Early Warning System (EEWS), namely Uttarakhand Earthquake Early Warning System (UEEWS), is established at the IIT Roorkee. At present, the alert system is active only within Uttarakhand, India. The EEWS should be extended to other regions within and outside India. This being the motivation of SAADRI and CoEDMM IIT Roorkee, Prof. K. K. Pant congratulated the organizers and wished the event a grand success..

Source : The Print

Correct Answer :   New York

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New York City has emerged as the wealthiest city in the world, with 340,000 resident millionaires, according to a new report published by Henley & Partners and New World Wealth 2023.

* The report analysed the number of high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) with investable wealth of over USD 1 million, and found that cities in the USA and China dominated the Top 10 list.

* Only one European city, London, made it onto the list, dropping down to 4th place with 258,000 resident HNWIs.

* Tokyo, which was the wealthiest city ten years ago, fell to 2nd place with 290,300 millionaires.

* The San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles came in 3rd and 6th places, with 285,000 and 205,400 resident HNWIs, respectively.

* Singapore, widely regarded as the most business-friendly city in the world and a top destination for migrating millionaires, ranked 5th with 240,100 resident millionaires. While Sydney comes in 10th place with 126,900 millionaires.

* China had three cities in the Top 10, with Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shanghai taking 7th, 8th, and 9th places, respectively.

* Hangzhou in China topped the charts as the fastest-growing city for resident millionaires, with 105 percent growth between 2012 and 2022..

Source : CNBC

Correct Answer :   Assam

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Assam and Arunachal Pradesh governments will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in the presence of Union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday (20th April 2023) to end border disputes along the boundaries of both northeastern states, Assam tourism minister Jayanta Malla Baruah said on Wednesday (19th April 2023).

* Baruah said the proposals made by regional committees of both states to address the long-pending issue were approved by the Assam cabinet on Wednesday (19th April 2023).

* Assam shares an 804 km long boundary with Arunachal Pradesh.

* Though there was no dispute initially, over the years, the allegations of residents of one state encroaching on land on the other have led to disputes and violence. A suit on the issue has been pending in the Supreme Court since 1989.

* In 2021, following the insistence of both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Shah, both states resolved to settle their border dispute out of court through talks, people familiar with the matter said...

Source : Hindustan Times

Correct Answer :   Randhir Thakur

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Former Intel Foundry Services President Randhir Thakur has been appointed Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Tata Electronics Pvt Ltd on April 18, 2023.

Thakur has worked with Intel for more than 5 years and has been a global innovator in the semiconductor industry. According to the company, he has over 40 years' experience in global manufacturing and research and development.

He has previously held leadership and technical positions at Applied Materials Inc., SanDisk Corp, as well as STEAG Electronic Systems and Micron Technology Inc.

Tata Electronics Pvt Ltd (TEPL) was founded in 2020 as a greenfield venture of the Tata group with expertise in manufacturing precision components and has a roadmap that extends to semiconductor fabrication and packaging segments...

Source : Money Control

Correct Answer :   April 19

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World liver day is observed on April 19 every year, across the world. The day aims to raise awareness about liver-related diseases and diseases. As per the World Health Organisation (WHO), liver ailments remain the 10th most common reason for death in India.

The liver is the second largest and most complex organ, performing all vital functions. The liver plays an important role in the body’s immunity, digestion, and metabolism. It is responsible for the conversion of glucose into glycogen, amino acid regulation, production of proteins for blood plasma and more.

World Liver Day 2023 theme : The theme for World Liver Day 2023 is "Be Vigilant, Do Regular Liver Check-Up, Fatty Liver Can Affect Anyone.".

Source : Zeebiz

Correct Answer :   Rs 638 Crore

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The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has approved eight projects worth around 638 crore rupees. The projects were approved at the Executive Committee meeting of NMCG chaired by its Director General G Asok Kumar.

* The four projects amounting to around 407 crore rupees were approved for pollution abatement in the Shamli district with an aim to clean River Hindon, which is a tributary of River Yamuna.

* Ministry of Jal Shakti in a statement said that these projects are part of the comprehensive Hindon Rejuvenation Plan as this river is identified as Priority-I polluted river stretch.

* As part of preparations for the Mahakumbh in Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh in 2025, one project for development of seven ghats was approved.

* The ghats include Dashashmedh Ghat, Quila Ghat, Gyan Ganga Ashram Ghat and Saraswati Ghat. These ghats will have amenities such as area for bathing, universal access ramp and drinking water points.

* For Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, one sewerage management project each was approved at the meeting.

* In Bihar, a project to construct three  Sewage Treatment Plants among other works was approved at a cost of nearly 77 crore rupees. These projects will prevent the flow of polluted water into River Kiul which is a tributary of Ganga.

* In Madhya Pradesh, a  project to construct 22 Million Litres per Day Sewage Treatment Plant and other works, was approved at a cost of about 93 crore rupees.

* It will prevent the flow of polluted water into River Kshipra, sub-tributary of Yamuna.

* Another project for ghat development was approved for Haridwar in Uttarakhand where Akhand Param Dham ghat will be constructed at a cost of over two crore rupees..

Source : News on Air

Correct Answer :   Rs 6,003 crore

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* The Centre on Wednesday (19th april 2023) approved the National Quantum Mission (NQM) with an estimate of Rs 6,003 crore for eight years.

* Announcing the decision, Science & Technology Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh said, "the decision is going to give India a quantum jump in the field."

* India is going to be at par with six global countries researching quantum technology. Most countries are in the research and development phase.

* The US, China, France, Austria, and Finland are in the R&D stage and are yet to venture into the application stage of the technology, and India will be the latest entrant in the elite club.


What is quantum technology?

* Quantum technology is a field of physics and engineering that studies and applies the principles of quantum mechanics to the development of new technologies. Quantum mechanics is the branch of physics that describes the behavior of matter and energy at a microscopic scale, where the classical laws of physics do not apply.

* Quantum technology includes various types of technologies, such as quantum computing, quantum cryptography, and quantum sensing.

* While the classical computer is transistor-based, quantum computers are going to work on atoms. Quantum computers use quantum bits (qubits) instead of classical bits to perform calculations. The advantage of quantum computing is that it can solve problems much faster with more authenticity.

Source : India Today

Correct Answer :   Rowan Wilson

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* The New York Senate has confirmed (17th Apr 2023) Judge Rowan Wilson (62) as the new chief judge of the Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court.

* He is also New York’s first Black chief judge.

* He was appointed by the 57th governor of New York, Kathy Hochul.

* Since 2017, he has been an associate judge of the Court of Appeals, New York's highest court.

* He studied at Harvard College, and graduated from Harvard Law School in 1984.

Source : Ny Times