Correct Answer :   21st April 2023

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Noted economist and veteran BJD leader "Trilochan Kanungo" died due to old age-related ailments on friday (21st April 2023).

* The three-term MLA and one-time MP was undergoing treatment at a private hospital here since March 30.

* His younger brother Panchanan Kanungo is a Congress politician.

* Trilochan Kanungo was a former chairman of Cuttack Municipality and ex-chairperson of the state finance commission.

* Born on November 24, 1940 at Badamulei village in Cuttack district, Mr Kanungo was residing in Sheikh Bazaar area of Cuttack city for the last few years.

* Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan and others expressed grief over Mr Kanungo's demise.

* Patnaik said his funeral will be held with full state honours during the day..

Source : NDTV

Correct Answer :   Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas

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The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) has successfully completed the Bihar portion of the Barauni Guwahati pipeline (BGPL) under the ambitious Pradhanmantri Urja Ganga project.

The completion of the pipeline will connect six districts in Bihar to the National Gas Grid, transforming the energy landscape of India.

The Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, has applauded the MoPNG for the successful completion of the Bihar portion of the pipeline, stating that it will significantly contribute to the progress of Bihar.

Pradhanmantri Urja Ganga project Aim : To provide uninterrupted supply of environment-friendly and affordable natural gas across the country. With the completion of the Bihar portion of the BGPL, households, industries, and transportation sectors in the six districts of Bihar will have access to clean and affordable natural gas.

The project is not only expected to boost economic growth but also improve the quality of life for the people in the region. The successful completion of the Bihar portion of the pipeline is a significant milestone in the project, and it is expected to further accelerate the pace of development in Bihar.

The MoPNG has been working tirelessly to ensure the timely completion of the project, and the successful completion of the Bihar portion of the pipeline is a testament to their hard work and dedication.

The Pradhanmantri Urja Ganga project is set to transform the energy landscape of India and provide a major boost to the country's economic growth..

Source : PSU Connect

Correct Answer :   Mongolia

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Mongolia will have its first oil refinery up and running by 2025. The first phase of the $1.2 billion Indian soft loan-funded Mongol Oil Refinery will be finished by the end of the year.

Given that Russia is the only source of energy imports for Mongolia, the development has strategic ramifications.

Mongolia refinery to be built by India by 2025 :

* The refinery will enable Mongolia to satisfy 70% of its domestic demand.

* According to the nation’s ambassador, Dambajav Ganbold, the first oil refinery in Mongolia, which is being constructed on the outskirts of the capital city of Ulaanbaatar with funding from India, would be finished by 2025.

* Mongolia also intends to entice investment from India in its mining and metals industries with intentions to start shipping coking coal to India by 2024.


What all Mongolia have to offer?

* Important rare earth metals are also found in Mongolia, which may be essential to India’s plans to develop cutting-edge technical capabilities in semiconductors and sustainable transportation.

* Indian businesses have already travelled to Mongolia to investigate these possibilities. It is anticipated that regular direct flights between Mongolia and India will be established in order to enable these exchanges.

* India is Mongolia’s significant “third neighbour” in this area. This is one of the foreign policy’s key ideas, and it first came up because of Mongolia’s two large neighbours, Russia and China.

* So, in order for Mongolia to be an independent state, it is needed to establish contact with a third neighbour.

* This provides Mongolia the chance to expand and strengthen collaboration both locally and globally.

* Since Prime Minister Modi’s historic visit to Mongolia in 2015, the governments have agreed to build the country’s first oil refinery.

* This refinery project, which comprises four packages, is currently in full swing.

* Right now, the first package, or EPC 1, is more than 70% finished, and it will be finished this year.

* Following the tender procedure for the final three packages, Hyderabad-based Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Limited was chosen.

* Mongolia’s Independence and energy security will increase thanks to the refinery...

Correct Answer :   100

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The Health Ministry, in collaboration with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, has asked States and Union Territories to develop 100 food streets in 100 districts across the country.

Aim : The aim of this project is to encourage safe and healthy practices to reduce food-borne illnesses and improve overall health outcomes, said the Health Ministry.

* The initiative is being taken up as a pilot project to create an example for best practices for food businesses.

* In a letter to States, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan and Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary Manoj Joshi said that easy access to safe and hygienic food is vital for the good health of citizens.

* The communication further said that safe food practices would not only boost the “eat right campaign” and food safety but also improve the hygiene credibility of local food businesses. Other benefits would include local employment opportunities, improvement in tourism potential and a boost to the economy.

* The initiative will be implemented through the National Health Mission (NHM) in convergence with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and with technical support from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

* Financial assistance of ₹1 crore per food street/district will be given to States and Union Territories.

* The project envisages 100 such food streets in 100 districts across the country.

* Assistance will be provided under the NHM in the ratio of 60:40 or 90:10, with the condition that standard branding of these food streets will be done as per FSSAI guidelines..

Source : The Hindu

Correct Answer :   Sarbananda Sonowal

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Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has inaugurated National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts, IIT - Discovery Campus at Chennai in Tamil Nadu on 24th April 2023.

* Under the Sagarmala Programme, the centre has been established in IIT Chennai at a cost of 77 Crore rupees.

* The institute acts as a technological arm of the Ministry and develops cutting-edge technologies and application products to provide solutions to various challenges faced by the Ports and Shipping Sector.

* The Institute has world-class capabilities for undertaking 2D and 3D investigations of research and consultancy nature for the Port, Coastal, and Waterway sector across all disciplines.

* It also empowers Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiatives of the country...

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Narendra Modi

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the Government is working ceaselessly to bridge the gap between villages and cities.

* On the occasion of National Panchayati Raj Day celebrations, addressing all the Gram Sabhas and Panchayati Raj Institutions of the country 24th April 2023 from Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, Panchayats are being made smart in this age of the digital revolution. Technology is being harnessed in the projects being undertaken by the Panchayats, he added.
 
* Highlighting the importance of developing the social system, economy, and Panchayati Raj system in the villages of India to create a developed nation, the Prime Minister pointed out that the present Government is working tirelessly to create a robust system in place and expanding its scope, unlike the previous governments that discriminated with the Panchayats.
 
* Throwing light on the lack of efforts made by the previous governments before 2014, the Prime Minister informed that the Finance Commission granted less than 70,000 crore rupees which was a paltry amount when one considers the scale of the country, but after 2014, this grant was increased to more than two lakh crore rupees.
 
* He also mentioned that merely 6,000 Panchayat Bhawans were constructed before 2014, whereas the present Government constructed more than 30,000 Panchayat Bhawans in the last eight years.
 
* He also informed that less than 70 Gram Panchayats were connected with optical fiber compared to more than two lakh Gram Panchayats that got optical fibre connectivity after the present Government came to power.
 
* In this function, the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone and inaugurated projects worth more than 17 thousand crores.

* He has also inaugurated the integrated e-Gram Swaraj and GeM portal for public procurement at the Panchayat level.

* Objective : To enable Panchayats to market their goods and services through GeM

* With the handing over of around 35 lakh Swamitva Property Cards, about 1 crore 25 lakh property cards have been distributed under this scheme in the country.

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   April 23

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World Book Day is an annual event celebrated on April 23. The day is observed globally to promote the love for reading, writing, publishing, and copyright. It is also known as World Book and Copyright Day. On this day various activities are organized across the globe to promote the passion for books and reading. It also works toward creating awareness of and importance of education and literacy.

World Book Day 2023 Theme : The theme for World Book Day 2023 is 'Indigenous Languages.' It focuses on promoting the diversity in native languages of a country.

World Book Day History : The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization organized the first World Book Day on April 23, 1995. Several great writers have their birth anniversary and death anniversary on this date including William Shakespeare, Garcilaso de la Vega, and Miguel de Cervantes. This is the reason why April 23 was chosen as the date for World Book Day.

World Book Day Significance : World Book Day holds great significance. It promotes the importance of education and literacy around the world. Books are an important source of knowledge and reading is a fundamental skill that is needed for people from all walks of life.

This day is more significant as it focuses on publishing and copyright issues. With the rise of e-books and piracy, the publishing industry is facing a great challenge. World Book Day helps to raise awareness of these issues and protect intellectual property rights..

Source : Times of India

Correct Answer :   21st April 2023

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The co-founder and former CEO of Webchutney, Sidharth Rao passed away on friday (21st April 2023) evening due to a fatal cardiac arrest.

* In 1999, he founded India’s first and top digital agency WebChutney.

* In July 2021, Rao was chosen to serve as the global CEO of Dentsu McGarrybowen.

* In 2022, he stepped down as group CEO of dentsuMB India and joined hands and launched a new venture in the marketing technology (MarTech) space, called Punt Partners along with serial entrepreneur Madhu Sudan..

Source : India Times

Correct Answer :   Oliver Dowden

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The British government named Oliver Dowden Deputy Prime Minister on Friday (21st April 2023), replacing Dominic Raab who resigned earlier in the day following a report into claims that he bullied colleagues.

Dowden currently serves as cabinet office minister in Sunak's government and was previously chairman of Sunak's Conservative Party but resigned from that post last June after two crushing by-election defeats for the party.

It is alleged that Raab while working as a Cabinet minister across different UK government departments bullied a number of staff members.

Sunak had been handed the independent report into allegations made by several civil servants on Thursday (20th April 2023) and a decision on Raab was anticipated ever since. Raab held the portfolio of Ministry of Justice. .

Source : Outlook India

Correct Answer :   Madhya Pradesh

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Madhya Pradesh's Gandhisagar Sanctuary will be developed as a second home for cheetahs within six months to retain the tag of cheetah state, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced on Friday (21st April 2023).

* In a meeting with the Wildlife Advisory Board, the chief minister instructed the forest officials to develop the Gandhisagar Sanctuary as a habitat for cheetahs in the next six months.

* The move comes after experts suggested that Kuno National Park (KNP) does not have enough space for all cheetahs.

* In the meeting on Friday (21st April 2023), board member Abhilash Khandekar also suggested that after increasing the number of cheetahs in Kuno National Park in Sheopur, the area would not be sufficient for them, hence it is necessary to relocate a few.

* “Gandhisagar Sanctuary should be developed for Cheetah as soon as possible. If the sanctuary doesn’t get ready, Cheetah will be shifted to Rajasthan. Madhya Pradesh’s identity as ‘Cheetah State’ will end,” said the official.

* After Khandekar’s proposal, CM Chouhan immediately instructed the forest officials to develop Gandhisagar Sanctuary within six months.

* The CM said, “ ₹20 crore will be spent on the development.”

* The forest department had asked the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to take a decision in this regard.

* “In a fencing of 80sq km, grassland will be developed for cheetahs,” said a member of the Cheetah Task Force..

Source : Hindustan Times