Correct Answer :   Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan

---

Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan was on Tuesday (18th April 2023) appointed as the acting Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court as the incumbent acting Chief Justice demits office on April 19, 2023.

* Justice Sabina was appointed as the acting Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court in January.

* In February, the Supreme Court Collegium had recommended that she be appointed as the Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court.

* Apparently, her appointment has not come through as Justice Chauhan has been made acting Chief Justice of that high court.

* As per the provisions under the Constitution of India, Hon'ble President has appointed Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan, senior-most puisne Judge of Himachal Pradesh High Court as the acting Chief Justice of the same High Court with effect from April 20, 2023.

* Born in April 20, 1961, Justice Sabina demits office on Wednesday evening on attaining the age of 62.

* While Supreme Court judges retire at the age of 65, HC judges retire at 62.

* Justice Sabina was in news recently with her daughter Kalyani Singh being as an accused in the murder of national-level shooter and lawyer Sukhmanpreet Singh in Chandigarh in September 2015. .

Source : The Hindu

Correct Answer :   Jitendra Singh

---

Science and Technology Minister "Dr. Jitendra Singh" 17th April 2023 launched - YUVA PORTAL in New Delhi, which will help in connecting and identifying potential young Start-Ups. Dr Singh also launched the One Week - One Lab programme.
 
* Speaking on the occasion, he underlined that unless the stakeholders' participation is broad-based, particularly in the Industry, the StartUps may not remain sustainable for want of proper industry mapping and the right aptitude.

* Highlighting India's global excellence in technology, innovation and Start-Ups, Dr Jitendra Singh said, each of the 37 CSIR Labs is dedicated to a different exclusive area of work.

* The Minister said, the One Week - One Lab programme will offer the opportunity to the CSIR labs to showcase the work being done by them so that others can avail of it...

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Bengaluru

---

Bengaluru has topped the list of Indian cities in terms of highest digital transactions in the year 2022, a report by French payment and transactional services firm has stated.

* The city recorded 29 million transaction worth ₹6500 crore in 2022.

* Second on the list is Delhi which amounted 19.6 million transaction worth ₹5000 crore followed by Mumbai with 18.7 million transactions worth ₹4950 crore.

* On number 4 is Pune with 15 million digital transactions worth ₹3280 crore and Chennai with 14.3 million transactions worth ₹3,550 crore, the report has stated.

* In the report titled ‘India Digital Payments Annual Report,’ payment modes like UPI, Debit and Credit cards, Prepaid Payment Instruments – Mobile and Prepaid cards processed 87.92 billion transactions worth ₹149.5 trillion.

* As per the report, UPI clocked over 74.05 billion transactions in volume and ₹126 trillion in terms of value. Its transactions volume and value almost doubled since last year as it recorded 91 percent increase in volume and over 76 percent increase in value in Year 2022 as compared to Year 2021..

Source : Mint

Correct Answer :   USD 230 Million

---

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide a loan of USD 230 million to Bangladesh to help the rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts in the northeastern part of the country affected by devastating floods in May–June 2022.

* The agreement between ADB and the government of Bangladesh was signed in Dhaka on Monday (17th April 2023).

* Record rainfall in northeastern Bangladesh in May–June 2022 caused massive flooding, especially in the low-lying Haor region, affecting 7.2 million people.

* The assistance under the Flood Reconstruction Emergency Assistance Project will help in the reconstruction, improvement of resilience, and economic recovery of northeastern districts of Brahmanbaria, Habiganj, Kishoreganj, Moulvibazar, Mymensingh, Netrokona, Sherpur, Sunamganj, and Sylhet.

* The project will address the climate change impacts by developing innovative climate-resilient infrastructure under the build-back-better principles in line with the government’s national adaptation plan, said ADB Country Director Edimon Ginting.

* The project will also help improve living conditions, livelihoods, and climate resilience in the flood-affected northeast region of Bangladesh by reducing flood risk, and improving climate-resilient irrigation infrastructure and water delivery services. The loan will also help in rehabilitating rural roads, rail track,s and river embankments.

* In partnership with reputable national and international research institutes, the project will support climate-smart agriculture technologies and livelihood support to the flood-affected people. The improvement in agriculture value chains will enhance food security, nutrition, employment, poverty reduction, and rural livelihoods, said the ADB.

* The project will also support water management through alternative wetting and drying technology, direct seeded rice, and the use of solar irrigation for climate adaptation and mitigation...

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Arjun Munda

---

Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda launched (18th April 2023) Marketing and Logistics Development for Promotion of Tribal Products from North-Eastern Region (PTP-NER) scheme in Manipur.

* The scheme has been introduced for the benefit of Scheduled Tribes of the North-Eastern Region. It has the vision to strengthen livelihood opportunities for tribal artisans through increased efficiency in procurement, logistics and marketing of tribal products from North Eastern States.
 
* The scheme will apply to the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim.

* As part of the scheme, it is planned to initiate empanelment of tribal artisans from North Eastern Region by organizing 68 Tribal Artisan Melas from 18 April 2023 onwards in various districts of the region..

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Bangladesh

---

The High Commission of India opened its 16th Visa application centre in Kushtia town of Southwestern Bangladesh on Sunday (16th April 2023).

* The inauguration of the new Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) was done by High Commissioner Pranya Verma. Member of Parliament from Kushtia-3, Mahbubul Alam Hanif, was also present on the occasion.

* This IVAC will provide greater ease and convenience to the residents of Kushtia and its adjoining areas seeking visa services for visiting India.

* Speaking to the media after the inauguration of the new Centre, High Commissioner Pranay Verma underlined efforts being made to constantly improve visa facilities for the people of Bangladesh.

* He highlighted recent steps taken by the High Commission to facilitate smoother visa services for the citizens of Bangladesh. High Commissioner expressed hope that the new Centre will further strengthen the people-to-people contacts that bind the two countries and which are at the core of India-Bangladesh relations rooted in their shared sacrifices during the Liberation War of 1971.

* The new IVAC centre will serve as a new platform for promoting tourism, trade and people-to-people exchanges between India and Bangladesh. It reinforces our shared vision of a peaceful and prosperous region where our people can travel, collaborate and exchange ideas with ease and convenience, said the press release issued by the High Commission of India in Bangladesh.

* The Indian High Commission operates its largest visa operation centre in the world in Bangladesh. The highest number of foreign tourists to India come from Bangladesh including those who avail of the medical, tourist, business and student visa  facility. In the year 2019-20, more than 16 lakh visas were issued in Dhaka...

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   April 17th

---

World Hemophilia Day is celebrated every year on April 17th to honor the birth anniversary of Frank Schnabel.

* World Hemophilia Day was initially celebrated in 1989 with the objective of advocating for improved diagnosis and accessible care for individuals with hemophilia.

History and Significance : World Hemophilia Day is observed on April 17 in commemoration of Frank Schnabel's birthday, the founder of the World Federation of Hemophilia.

* The World Federation encourages people worldwide to illuminate in red as a symbol of solidarity with those affected by haemophilia.

World Hemophilia Day Aim : The day aims to raise awareness among individuals and caregivers about haemophilia and other blood-related disorders.

World Hemophilia Day Theme 2023 : The theme for World Hemophilia Day in 2023 is "Access for All: Partnership. Policy. Progress. Engaging Government, Integrating Inherited Bleeding Disorders into National Policy."..

Source : Mint

Correct Answer :   Germany

---

Germany began winding down its three remaining nuclear power plants Saturday (15th April 2023) as part of a long-planned transition toward renewable energy, drawing cheers from environmentalists who campaigned for the move.

* The shutdown of the reactors Emsland, Neckarwestheim II and Isar II, agreed to more than a decade ago, was being closely watched abroad.

* Other industrialized countries, such as the United States, Japan, China, France and Britain, are counting on nuclear energy to replace planet-warming fossil fuels.

* Germany's decision to stop using both has met some skepticism, as well as unsuccessful last-minute calls to halt the shutdown.

* Decades of anti-nuclear protests in Germany, stoked by disasters at Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima, put pressure on successive governments to end the use of a technology that critics argue is unsafe and unsustainable.

* Environmental groups planned to mark the day with celebrations outside the three reactors and rallies in major cities, including Berlin. Small, closed-doors ceremonies inside the plants were also organized.

* Defenders of atomic energy say fossil fuels should be phased out first as part of global efforts to curb climate change, arguing that nuclear power produces far fewer greenhouse gas emissions and is safe, if properly managed.

* As energy prices spiked last year due to the war in Ukraine, some members of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government got cold feet about closing the nuclear plants as planned on Dec. 31, 2022. In a compromise, Scholz agreed to a one-time extension of the deadline, but insisted that the final countdown would happen on 15 April 2023..

Source : NPR

Correct Answer :   United States

---

The United States has emerged as India's biggest trading partner in 2022-23 on account of increasing economic ties between the two countries.

* According to the provisional data of the commerce ministry, the bilateral trade between India and the US has increased by 7.65 per cent to USD 128.55 in 2022-23 as against USD 119.5 billion in 2021-22. It was USD 80.51 billion in 2020-21.

* Exports to the US rose by 2.81 per cent to USD 78.31 billion in 2022-23 as against USD 76.18 billion in 2021-22, while imports grew by about 16 per cent to USD 50.24 billion, the data showed.

* On the other hand, during 2022-23, India's two-way commerce with China declined by about 1.5 per cent to USD 113.83 billion as against USD 115.42 billion in 2021-22.

* Exports to China dipped by about 28 per cent to USD 15.32 billion in 2022-23, while imports rose by 4.16 per cent to USD 98.51 billion in the last fiscal. Trade gap widened to USD 83.2 billion in the last fiscal as against USD 72.91 billion in 2021-22.

* Experts believe that the trend of increasing bilateral trade with the US will continue in the coming years also as New Delhi and Washington are engaged in further strengthening the economic ties.

* Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) President A Sakthivel said that increasing exports of goods such as pharmaceutical, engineering and gems and jewellery is helping India to push its shipments to America..

Source : Mint

Correct Answer :   Confederate of Indian Industry (CII)

---

* Through a common digital framework, India aims to create and curate Digital Public Goods, enhance access to these tools by nations across the world and promote standards for interoperability, data privacy, and data security”, this was stated by Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar, Hon'ble Minister of State for Health & Family Welfarein the presence of Dr. Pramod Sawant, Chief Minister, Goa at the Digital Health Summit 2023.

* The event was organized by Confederate of Indian Industry (CII) and cobranded with Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, at Goa 16th April 2023.

* Theme : The theme of the event was ‘Building One Health together – Improving Health equity’, with the objective of bringing together policy makers, industry leaders, and global healthcare experts and thought leaders to deliberate upon key issues confronting the digital health space.

* Speaking on the occasion, Dr, Pawar thanked the participants and said that this event aligns with the India’s G20 Health Working Group agenda on Digital Health Innovations and solutions to aid Universal Health Coverage and improve healthcare service delivery towards One Earth, One Family, One Future...

Source : PIB