Correct Answer :   132nd

---

India is commemorating the 132nd birth anniversary of Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar on April 14, 2023, as Ambedkar Jayanti.

* This day has been declared a public holiday by the central government, underscoring the importance of Ambedkar’s contributions to Indian society.

* The occasion is an opportunity to remember and celebrate Ambedkar’s life and legacy, and to renew our commitment to the principles of social justice and equality that he championed throughout his career.


About Ambedkar Jayanti 2023 :

* Ambedkar Jayanti is the birthday of Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar is widely recognized as the “father of the Indian Constitution,” but his influence extended far beyond that role.

* He was a versatile individual who made noteworthy contributions in the fields of economics, law, and politics, and was also a prolific writer, delving deeply into subjects such as history, economics, political science, and sociology.

* As a social reformer, Ambedkar dedicated himself to promoting the betterment of the oppressed classes in India. He was an ardent supporter of women’s rights and gender equality, advocating for these issues throughout his career.


Ambedkar Jayanti 2023- The Inspiring Life Struggles of Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar :

* Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was born on April 14, 1891, in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, into a Mahar family, which was considered one of the lowest castes and discriminated against in India.

* Despite facing discrimination since childhood, he managed to get admission to the prestigious Elphinstone High School in Bombay, becoming the only member of his caste to do so.

* However, he faced oppression from the upper caste teachers and staff, as he and his Dalit friends were not allowed to sit inside the classroom with other students and were not permitted to drink water from the school’s earthen pot. Nevertheless, he persevered and overcame those hurdles to pursue postgraduate studies at Columbia University.

* He later obtained his doctoral degree from the London School of Economics, earning two doctorates from the institution..

Correct Answer :   Tamil Nadu

---

The Tamil Nadu government has formed a one-man committee to recommend measures for the effective administration of the homes functioning as per the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act of 2015.

* Headed by : Retired judge K. Chandru

* The committee will look into various aspects of running the institutions including infrastructure, health and medical facilities, qualification of staff among others and provide recommendations to the government for improvement.

* The period of the committee will be for four months and extendable up to six months.

* A government order issued by the department in this regard had stated that a high-level committee would be formed to improve the functioning and administration of observation homes, special homes and places of safety functioning under the JJ Act, 2015.

* As per the terms of the reference in the GO, the committee will study the existing procedures and practices followed in the homes with respect to admission, internment and discharge of inmates.

* It will also assess the existing infrastructure and amenities, modalities and methods currently adopted for training and education of inmates, including vocational training for staff in the homes, the norms for the quantity and quality of food and requirement and qualification of officers and staff employed in these homes..

Source : Indian Express

Correct Answer :   36.9%

---

According to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), India's labor market has witnessed an improvement with over 15 million people entering the workforce in the last three quarters.

* The country's employment rate increased to 36.9% in March 2023 from 36.6% in December 2022.

* The labor participation rate (LPR) declined from 40.5% in December to 39.8% in March 2023.

* While the unemployment rate saw a small decrease from 8.3% to 7.8% during this period..

Source : India Times

Correct Answer :   12th April 2023

---

Veteran film and television actress Uttara Baokar passed away at 79 in Pune, Maharashtra on Wednesday morning, 12th April 2023.

* In 1984, she won India's National Academy for Acting, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.

* She also appeared in Marathi films like Doghi (1995) with Sadashiv Amrapurkar and Renuka Daftardar, Uttarayan (2005), Shevri (2006), and Restaurant (2006), with Sonali Kulkarni.

* She has played various roles in different plays such as Padmavati in Mukyhamantri and Mena in Mena Gurjari.

* The veteran actress has appeared in popular TV shows like Udaan, Antaral, X Zone, Rishtey Kora Kaagaz, Nazarana, Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin, Kashmakash Zindagi Ki and Jabb Love Hua.

Born : 1944
Died : 12 April 2023.

Source : India Today

Correct Answer :   10,000 Metric Tonnes

---

India on Thursday (13th April 2023) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the World Food Programme (WFP) paving the way for sending 10,000 metric tonnes of wheat for the people of Afghanistan.

* The signing ceremony between officials of the Ministry of External Affairs and the United Nations WFP was held in Mumbai where the WFP assured that it had the required infrastructure on the ground to ensure speedy delivery of wheat to the most vulnerable sections of the Afghan population.

* “The fifth tranche [to be shipped through the Chahbahar port of Iran], builds upon assistance already delivered to those who need it most by the WFP in Afghanistan.

* India has delivered on its commitment, standing by the historical relations between the people of the two countries and the pressing needs on the ground,” said Joint Secretary of PAI division, Ministry of External Affairs, J.P. Singh.

* The WFP said it had a “massive supply chain” and logistics infrastructure in Afghanistan that could help in ensuring that the food supply reached “those who need it the most and no one is excluded.”

* Thursday’s (13th April 2023) MoU follows from the Indian declaration made last month at the India Central Asia Joint Working Group on Afghanistan saying that 20,000 MT of wheat would be sent through the Iranian port of Chahbahar. The decision indicated that India would not send humanitarian assistance such as food and medicines to Afghanistan through the transit route over Pakistan...

Source : The Hindu

Correct Answer :   Fasal

---

* Agri-tech company "Fasal" on Thursday (13th April 2023) announced its partnership with State Bank of India (SBI), aimed to provide farmers with easy access to capital.

* The partnership will help solve cash-flow constraints during key cycles in farming by providing quick, easy, and collateral-free loans at very competitive rates.

* This ties into Fasal’s larger objective of solving the many challenges across the entire horticulture value chain, thereby paving the way for India’s horticultural transformation..

Source : Economic Times

Correct Answer :   ATL

---

Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW) have come together to promote innovation in the agricultural sector among school students across India.

* The two government bodies have agreed to connect Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) with Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVKs) and Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMAs) under the initiative.

* The collaboration is a result of the vision of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi who seeded this idea during a conversation and proposed to connect the ATLs with the KVKs across the country. The Prime Minister also suggested both the government bodies to look into the idea of linking soil testing labs to ATL schools.

* KVKs function as a "Single Window Agricultural Knowledge Resource and Capacity Development Centre," and this collaboration will provide numerous stakeholders with necessary information, training, and inputs. KVKs, in partnership with ATMA, will collaborate with nearby ATLs to support agricultural-related innovation.

* During the first phase of the implementation, one KVK under each of the 11 Agricultural Technology Application Research Institutes (ATARIs) will be involved, providing technology backstopping and facilitating knowledge-sharing and skill-building exercises.

* KVK experts will also undertake need-based visits to nearby ATLs, while KVKs will provide literature, seeds, planting materials, and other inputs as required. The pilot project will be extended after assessing the positive outcomes after two years...

Source : PIB

Correct Answer :   Parshottam Rupala

---

Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Shri Parshottam Rupala will be launching the “Animal Pandemic Preparedness Initiative (APPI)” as well as the World Bank funded Animal Health System Support for One Health (AHSSOH) project under the aegis of National One Health Mission tomorrow i.e.on 14th of April 2023  at India Habitat Center, New Delhi.

Aim : To create an ecosystem for a better animal health management system using the One Health approach

* The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying has inked a collaborative project on the Animal Health System Support for One Health (AHSSOH).

* The project will be implemented in five States and it envisages improving capacity building of stakeholders involved in animal health and disease management.

* The project calls for participation by Human Health, Forest and Environment Department at the national, regional as well as local for creating and strengthening the One Health architecture including community engagement.

* The Project Aim : To cover 151 districts in five participating states, wherein it will target upgradation of 75 district/regional laboratories, upgradation/strengthening of 300 veterinary hospitals/dispensaries, aims to train 9000 para-veterinarians/diagnostic professionals and 5500 veterinary professionals.

* In addition to the above, the awareness campaign on prevention of zoonotic diseases and pandemic preparedness at community level by reaching out to six lakh households.

* The collaborative project will be implemented over a five-year period as Central sector scheme with a financial provision of Rs. 1228.70 Cr.

* In addition to this the project will develop an ecosystem for continuous training of veterinarians and para-veterinarians on innovative disease management practices apart from networking laboratories and integrating disease reporting system for enhanced surveillance of zoonotic and other animal diseases. These foundational activities will help in preparedness for pandemic diseases that impact animals.

The key activities under APPI which are at different stages of execution are as follows :

* Defined joint investigation and outbreak response teams (National & state)
* Design an overall integrated disease surveillance system (built on National Digital Livestock Mission)
* Strengthening the Regulatory system (e.g., Nandi online portal and Field trial guidelines)
* Creating disease modelling algorithms and early warning systems
* Strategizing Disaster Mitigation with National Disaster Management Authority
* Initiate targeted R&D to develop vaccines/diagnostics/therapies for priority diseases
* Build genomic and environmental surveillance methods to improve the timeliness and sensitivity of disease detection.

Source : PIB

Correct Answer :   Pushkar Singh Dhami

---

The Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Mr. Pushkar Singh Dhami launched ‘A-HELP’ (Accredited Agent for Health and Extension of Livestock Production) programme in the State of Uttarakhand.

* Addressing the gathering at Survey of India Auditorium Dehradun, Mr. Pushkar Singh Dhami, said that women have played a pivotal role in formulation and holistic development of livestock sector especially in Uttarakhand.

* Implementation of various schemes being run by state and central government is not possible without active participation of women. Already mid-day meal and vaccination program are being successfully operated by ‘ASHAS’/women in anganwadis and schools.

* In this context, women have been chosen to strengthen livestock related activities in remote rural areas, keeping in mind their important role for the same under A-HELP scheme, envisioned by Govt. of India.

* Under this program trained A-HELPs will give their vital contribution in preventing various infectious diseases of animals, artificial insemination under Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM), tagging of animals and animal insurance.

* He further said that “it will be an incomparable example of incorporation and involvement of women power, for socio-economic upliftment as per vision of the  Prime Minister of India ,Shri Narendra Modi Ji..

Source : PIB

Correct Answer :   Bengaluru

---

Bengaluru will soon have India’s first post office constructed using 3D printing technology. The project at Cambridge Layout in Ulsoor is being implemented by Larsen & Toubro, which has experience in constructing 3D-printed buildings.

* According to S Rajendra Kumar, chief postmaster general of the Karnataka circle, the Ulsoor Bazaar post office is being relocated to Cambridge Layout.

Aim : To reduce the construction cost. The 1,100 sqft building is expected to cost 30-40 per cent less than conventional buildings because of the technological intervention.

* The post office is being built at a cost of Rs 23 lakh.

Source : Indian Express