Correct Answer :   Bangladesh

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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

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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

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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

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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)

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* 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

Correct Answer :   IIT Hyderabad

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The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Industry Academia Centre of Excellence (DIA-CoE) has been inaugurated at the Indian Institute of Technology - Hyderabad 16th April 2023.

* This is the biggest such facility in the country. DRDO Chairman Dr Samir V Kamat inaugurated the facility at the campus of the IIT-Hyderabad at Sangareddy in Telangana.

* Speaking on the occasion, he said the centre will take up futuristic projects towards long-term directed research needed for DRDO. He said the DIA CoE IITH is the largest centre among all 15 CoEs in the country and DRDO team will work with IIT-H to identify the target projects in each of these domains and execute to complete in a period of 3-5 years.

* The research cell, which marked the beginning of the collaboration between DRDO and IITH three years ago, has now been transformed into a Centre of Excellence.

* The CoE will have seven verticals of technology projects that will be undertaken at DIA-CoE at IITH.IITH director, Professor B S Murty said, the centre is a major step towards Atmabibhar Bharat in the Defence sector...

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   17th April 2023 – 21st April 2023

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The Ministry of Panchayati Raj will be celebrating National Panchayat Awards Week during 17th April 2023 – 21st April 2023 as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM) 2.0 in the run-up to the National Panchayati Raj Day (24th April, 2023).

* To celebrate this monumental occasion in the right spirit and in line with the AKAM 2.0 directives of adopting “whole-of-society” and “whole-of-government” approach as well as enhancing the outreach of AKAM 2.0 to touch the lives of every Indian, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj has conceptualized a series of Thematic Conferences.

* The National Panchayat Awards Week on the Theme : “Panchayaton ke Sankalpon ki Siddhi ka Utsav” (पंचायतों के संकल्पों की सिद्धि का उत्सव) where the representatives of high performing Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) will not only receive their coveted Awards but will also deliberate and discuss their achievements in the presence of other stakeholders that can set examples for others to follow.

* The five-day National Panchayat Awards Week will commence with organizing ‘National Conference on Incentivization of Panchayats-cum-Award Ceremony’ in New Delhi 17th April 2023.

* The President of India has very kindly accorded her consent to inaugurate ‘National Conference on Incentivization of Panchayats-cum-Award Ceremony’ on 17th April, 2023 to flag off the National Panchayat Awards Week, confer the National Panchayat Awards and address the august gathering on this occasion.

* The National Conference on Incentivization of Panchayats-cum-Award Ceremony is expected to witness participation of more than 1,500 delegates from across the country...

Source : PIB

Correct Answer :   Russia

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Russia’s Gazprombank has expanded its links with banks in India to expedite trade between the two countries in national currencies, a key executive told Reuters on Monday (17th April 2023), as Russia this year has become the biggest supplier of oil to India.

* Trade between India and Russia has surged since the West imposed sanctions against Russia for its invasion last year of Ukraine, which has altered flows of oil and other goods.

* “We worked hard to establish our level of partnership with Indian banks and our representatives here worked hard,” Elena Borisenko, deputy chairman of the board of management of Gazprombank, told Reuters on the sidelines of an India-Russia business dialogue event in New Delhi on Monday (17th April 2023).

* Gazprombank is Russia’s third-largest lender by assets and a key conduit of the Russian energy trade.

* Due to higher purchases of oil, the trade balance is tilted increasingly in favour of Russia. That balance could be improved through Russian companies investing in infrastructure projects in India, Borisenko said.

* “We are hoping that it (trade) will be better, it will be improving, and … payments between Russia and Indian will be more and more in national currencies,” the executive said.

* India last year implemented a broader framework to facilitate overseas trade in rupees and since then many foreign banks, including Gazprombank and other Russian institutions, have opened vostro accounts with Indian banks..

Source : The Print

Correct Answer :   Syria

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Syria has witnessed a troubling transformation into the world's foremost narco-state, as its economic survival now depends heavily on the production and export of Captagon, also known as the "poor man's coke".

* This highly addictive amphetamine has become the primary lifeline of the country's economy, generating more than 90% of its foreign currency.

* The pervasive presence and profitability of Captagon in Syria have raised concerns about the devastating impact of drug trafficking on the country's social fabric, health, and security.

* Collins Dictionary provides a definition of a "narco-state" as a nation where a significant portion of the economy is reliant on the illicit trade of narcotic drugs.

* Captagon, a banned illicit drug recognized by the UNODC (2021), is a synthetic stimulant that combines amphetamine and caffeine.

* Originally introduced by a German pharmaceutical company in 1961 for medical purposes such as treating conditions like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, narcolepsy, and depression, Captagon was later found to be highly addictive and detrimental to mental and physical health, leading to its prohibition.

* Captagon, commonly known as "party pills," is a highly sought-after recreational drug among young people in the Gulf states. Additionally, it is favoured by armed individuals for the sense of invincibility it can induce, earning it nicknames like "Captain Courage" or “Jihadi magic potion."

Source : Mint

Correct Answer :   7.65%

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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 : Economic Times