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

Correct Answer :   $500,000

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* India has contributed $500,000 to the UN Women - United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.

* Ruchira Kamboj, Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, on Monday (17th April 2023) handed over the cheque towards the Government of India's contribution to the core voluntary budget of UN Women.

* Sima Sami Bahous, Under Secretary General and Executive Director of UN Women, received the cheque.

* Ruchira Kamboj reaffirmed the Indian government's steadfast commitment to the goals of gender equality, the empowerment of women and gender mainstreaming, as mentioned in the mandate of UN Women, Permanent Mission of India to the UN...

Source : Business Standard

Correct Answer :   Karnataka

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For the first time, Karnataka has bagged the national award for the best implementation of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) in the country.

* According to the authorities, between the kharif season 2021 and 2022, the state recorded a 47.74% increase in the enrolment of farmers under the scheme.

* while the area covered under the scheme increased by 41.80%. The award was given to the state on 14 April 2023.

* According to the data shared by the officials of the department of agriculture, in the kharif season 2021, 16.15 lakh farmers had enroled under the scheme.

* It increased to 23.86 lakh in 2022. The extent of areas covered under the scheme increased from 13.35 lakh hectares to 18.94 lakh hectares.

* According to authorities, for kharif 2022 season, 5.60 lakh farmers whose fields were affected by natural calamities have already been compensated within the same year itself (which was not being done in the previous years) with crop insurance claims being settled to the tune of Rs 298.57 crore under add-on coverages such as prevented sowing, localized calamities, mid-season adversity and post-harvest loss claims.

* Meanwhile, with the idea of ensuring that farmers will come up in more numbers for the enrolment, for kharif 2023, the state has released an advance share of Rs 951 crore for the implementation of the PMFBY scheme.

* The common service centers have also seen an enrolment of 4.66 lakh non-loanee farmers over the last six years...

Source : India Times

Correct Answer :   Mangrove Pitta Bird

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The first-ever census of Mangrove Pitta Bird was conducted by the Odisha forest officials in the Bhitarkanika wildlife sanctuary.

* In the first census, 179 mangrove pitta birds were sighted.

* The habitats of these beautiful birds are confined to mangrove forest areas in Odisha’s Bhitarkanika and Sundarban in West Bengal.

* Mangrove pitta is a colorful bird that has a black head with a brown crown.

* The census was carried out for the first time in the country to study the population analysis of these birds, said Divisional Forest Officer, Rajnagar Mangrove (wildlife) Forest Division, Goipnath Sudarshan Yadav..

Source : Outlook

Correct Answer :   Kerala

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Kerala on Monday (17th April 2023) became the first state to adopt a water budget in a bid to come up with a solution to water scarcity in certain regions there. The first phase of the project would cover 94 gram panchayats and 15 block panchayats.

* The Public Water Budget was released by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday(17th April 2023), along with the launch of the third phase of the Ini Njan Ozhukatte (Let me flow now) project, for the rehabilitation of irrigation networks in the Western Ghats.

* The idea of a water budget was first mooted by the state in 2019. The current Budget was prepared based on the availability and consumption of water in the state.

* The budget gives data about the availability of water at a particular place and its consumption based on the population in the region.

* The move is intended to create awareness among people regarding the proper use of water, avoiding its wastage. The budget was prepared by the Centre for Water Resource Development Management and the state water department...

Source : Business Standard