Correct Answer :   Kerala

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The Kerala government on Wednesday (20th April 2023) launched a project for reviving the sports culture in the State by opening quality playgrounds in every panchayat of the southern state.

* The 'One Panchayat, One Playground' project was inaugurated by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at Kallikkad here where he said that a good sports culture was essential for building a healthy and happy society.

* The playgrounds would serve as a hub of local gatherings and social interactions. "It is with this goal in mind that the 'One Panchayat, One Playground' project has been devised," the Chief Minister said at the event.

* The project will address the lack of quality playgrounds in around 450 local bodies in the State, Vijayan said.

* Within three years, the playgrounds will be built and for the first phase of the project, a list of 113 panchayats has been prepared, the Chief Minister said.

* Each playground would cost around Rs one crore, half of which would be footed by the Sports department and the rest would be raised from the MLA and local body funds, through CSR, public private partnerships, etc,..

Source : Business Standard

Correct Answer :   Manohar Lal Khattar

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Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar Wednesday (20 April 2023) announced three online services to digitally empower people, and said that Persons With Disabilities (PwDs) will now get their pensionary benefits at home.

The newly launched online services are : Pro-active Divyang Pension Service, ‘Tau se Poochho’ WhatsApp chatbot and online booking of government rest houses.

These IT initiatives will prove to be a milestone in the state government’s vision of paperless and transparent governance, Khattar said here. About the Pro-active Divyang Pension Service for the physically challenged, Khattar said the government is committed to deliver all services for them at doorsteps.

Now, we have decided to give automated pension benefits to Persons With Disabilities (PwDs) and such beneficiaries will not have to visit the offices to get their benefits.

Khattar told reporters that data of PwDs having more than 60 percent disability that is available under the Parivar Pehchan Patra (family id) scheme will be certified by the Haryana Parivar Pehchan Authority every month.

The data of all such PWDs found eligible after verification will be shared with the SEWA Department, he said, adding if all beneficiaries give their consent, pension benefits will start from next month.

Referring to another service, he said the Haryana Parivar Pehchan Authority has created a WhatsApp Chatbot called ‘Tau Se Poochho’ along with a web-based chatbot solution..

Source : The Print

Correct Answer :   Radha Iyengar Plumb

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The US Senate on Tuesday (18th April 2023) confirmed Indian-American "Radha Iyengar Plumb" as the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense.

* She won by a vote of 68-30. "By a vote of 68-30, the Senate confirmed Executive Calendar #19 Radha Iyengar Plumb to be a Deputy Under Secretary of Defense".

* US President Joe Biden had nominated security expert Radha Iyengar Plumb to the post of Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, the latest Indian-American to be named for a key position.

* She is currently serving as Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary of Defense & was nominated for the top Pentagon position in June 2022.

* Prior to her appointment as Chief of Staff, she was the Director of Research and Insights for Trust & Safety at Google and had previously served as Global Head of Policy Analysis at Facebook.

* Before her Silicon Valley work, Plumb was a senior economist at the RAND Corporation where she focused on improving the measurement and evaluation of readiness and security efforts across the Department of Defense...

Source : The Print

Correct Answer :   Sandeep Singh

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Former Vice-Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Sandeep Singh (Retd) has been appointed as the new Military Advisor to the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS).

The officer is expected to take over his new appointment on 24 April 2023.

Air Marshal Sandeep Singh was commissioned in the IAF as a fighter pilot on December 22, 1983. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy and National Defence College, Singh is an Experimental Test Pilot and Cat ‘A’ Qualified Flying Instructor.

He has flown several aircraft and has nearly 4900 hours of operational and test flying experience on Su-30 MKI, MiG-29, MiG-21, Kiran, AN-32, AVRO, Jaguar and Mirage 2000.

He has played a key role in the induction, production and weaponisation of the Su-30 MKI aircraft in India.

He held several important field assignments in his career, including Project Test Pilot of the Su-30 Project Team at Moscow, Commanding Officer of a frontline Su-30MKI Sqn, Chief Test Pilot at ASTE, Commander of two Flying Bases, Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Plans), Commandant ASTE, Senior Air Staff Officer of Eastern Air Command and Deputy Chief of the Air Staff. Singh was also the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of South Western Air Command before taking over as the VCAS.

In recognition of his meritorious services of an exceptionally high order, the Air Marshal was awarded Vayu Sena Medal in 2006, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2013 and Param Vishisht Sewa Medal in 2022. He was appointed as honorary Air ADC to the President of India on 30 September 2021...

Source : India Today

Correct Answer :   Bangkok

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The 8th India-Thailand Defence Dialogue being organized in Bangkok 20th April 2023. Special Secretary in the Ministry of Defence Nivedita Shukla Verma will co-chair the meeting with Deputy Permanent Secretary for Defence, Thailand General Nuchit Sribunsong.

During the dialogue, they will review the defence cooperation between the two countries and explore new initiatives to further strengthen bilateral engagements.

Both sides will also exchange views on regional and global issues of shared interest. India and Thailand share a strategic partnership and defence is a key pillar of this cooperation. ..

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   325 million dollars

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S President Joe Biden's administration announced 325 million dollars as the 36th security package in new military aid for Ukraine on Wednesday, 19 April 2023.

It will help its military in its war against Russia. The package also includes additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) which is a missile launcher mounted on a truck that can fire multiple guided missiles in quick succession, advanced missiles and anti-tank mines, and also Patriot air defense system.

The current aid brings a total of US military assistance for the Kyiv government to more than $35.4 billion.

The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken briefed in a statement that this will strengthen Ukraine’s defenders on the battlefield and will include more ammunition for US-provided HIMARS and artillery rounds, as well as anti-armor systems, small arms, logistics support vehicles..

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Tezpur University Assam

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A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Indian Army and Tezpur University on Wednesday (19th April 2023) for training the Indian Army personnel in the Chinese language.

Lt Col Mahendra Rawat, Defence PRO of Guwahati said that the course will be for a duration of 16 weeks and will be conducted at Tezpur University.

“The MoU was signed by HQ 4 Corps on behalf of the Indian Army and The Registrar, Tezpur University in presence of the Vice Chancellor Prof SN Singh,” Lt Col Mahendra Rawat said.

Tezpur University established in 1994 by an act of parliament as a central university is one the pioneers in the North East in the teaching of foreign languages including Chinese with highly qualified faculty.

He further said that this Chinese language course will improve the in-house Mandarin expertise and empower the army personnel to engage with the Chinese Military personnel as and when the situation demands...

Source : The Print

Correct Answer :   Cuba

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Cuba’s President Miguel Diaz-Canel clinched a second five-year term Wednesday (19th April 2023) in a parliamentary vote for which he was the sole candidate in a country where political opposition is illegal.

* Diaz-Canel’s bid was confirmed by 97.66 percent of votes cast in the Communist Party of Cuba-aligned National Assembly, its president Esteban Lazo announced in the chamber.

* Diaz-Canel, 62, took over the reins in 2018 as Cuba’s first civilian leader after nearly 60 years of hegemony by the Castro brothers, vowing to “always defend the party" even as he set out in pursuit of cautious economic liberalization.

* His first five years in office were marked by the worst economic crisis in three decades and a widely criticized response to historic anti-government protests which triggered a tightening of US sanctions..

Source : News18

Correct Answer :   Narendra Singh Tomar

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* Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar 19th April 2023 launched the SATHI (Seed Traceability, Authentication and Holistic Inventory) Portal and Mobile App to deal with the challenges of seed production, quality seed identification, and seed certification.

* AIRIt has been developed on the theme of Uttam Beej - Samriddh Kisan.

* Mr. Tomar said that the government is constantly trying to overcome the challenges and difficulties faced by agriculture sector through various schemes and programmes and SATHI portal is a revolutionary step.
 
* Mr. Tomar said that seeds, pesticides, fertilizers and irrigation play a major role in agriculture. Inferior quality or spurious seeds affect the growth of agriculture and it also affects production..

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Virat Kohli

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HSBC India has roped in Indian cricketer Virat Kohli as their Brand Influencer.

* As per the company, Virat Kohli will help to amplify HSBC’s purpose of ‘Opening up a world of opportunity’ as it strives to support the ambitions of an aspirational India going global.

* The company mentioned that as part of the association, a multi-media campaign featuring Virat Kohli will also be launched.

* Commenting on this association, Hitendra Dave, CEO, HSBC India said “We are looking forward to having Virat Kohli as our Brand Influencer and see him as a perfect fit for our values of taking responsibility, collaborating and succeeding together as a team as well as getting things done.”..

Source : Financial Express