Current Affairs in English – April 9, 10 2023

April 9-10, 2023

National Events:

Tulip Garden:

• Lieutenant governor (LG) Manoj Sinha on 9 April 2023, inaugurated a Tulip Garden in Jammu at Ramban’s Hill Resort of Sanasar.
• The LG’s administration is developing 75 new destinations for fulfilling the aspirations of the people.
• The government informed that after two years the Tulip bulbs will no more be imported from Holland as they will be grown in Jammu & Kashmir only.

Bharat Biotech:

• At the World Vaccine Congress 2023 held in Washington, USA from April 3-6, Bharat Biotech was awarded the Best Production/Process Development award as a part of the Vaccine Industry Excellence (ViE) awards.
• Bharat Biotech, headquartered in Hyderabad, was the sole Indian company among the nominees for the VIE awards in multiple categories such as the best clinical trial company, best clinical trial network, best central/specialty laboratory, best contract research organisation, and best production/process development, among others.
• Bharat Biotech is known for developing the world’s first intranasal Covid-19 vaccine, iNcovacc, and its intramuscular vaccine, Covaxin, which is used in India’s public vaccination programme and has also been exported.

‘Vibrant Villages Programme’:

• Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah is on a two-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh from 10 April 2023.
• He launched the ‘Vibrant Villages Programme’ in Kibithoo, a border village in the Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh.
• He also inaugurated nine Micro Hydel Projects of the Arunachal Pradesh govt constructed under the “Golden Jubilee Border Illumination Programme” in Kibithoo.

DMA:

• The Department of Military Affairs (DMA) has set up a panel to look into the increase of disability pensions among armed force personnel.
• This inter-service panel will be headed by the Adjutant General (AG) of the Army. Under disability pension, according to their disability, jawans are paid more up to 30 percent over their total pension.

NFSU:

• External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar will be on official visits to Uganda and Mozambique from 10-15 April 2023. He will inaugurate the transit campus of the National Forensic Science University (NFSU) in Jinja.
• A bilateral MoU between the Government of India and the Government of Uganda, on setting up the first-ever campus of NFSU outside India, will be signed during the visit.

“Pocket money”:

• The Himachal Pradesh Assembly has approved a bill that aims to provide shelter, education, and Rs 4,000 monthly allowance as “pocket money” to destitute children and orphans.
• The bill is called the Himachal Pradesh Sukhashraya (Care, Protection and Self Reliance of Children of the State) Bill 2023. It defines destitute children and orphans as “children of the state”.

Calyampudi Radhakrishna Rao:

• The 2023 International Prize in Statistics, which is regarded as the equivalent of the Nobel Prize in statistics, has been awarded to Calyampudi Radhakrishna Rao, an Indian-American statistician.
• The prize, established in 2016, is presented once every two years to an individual or team that has made significant contributions to science, technology, and human welfare through the use of statistics.
• The award is given out by a collaboration of five major international statistics organizations and recognizes major accomplishments by an individual or team.
• Rao will be honored with the prize, which carries an $80,000 cash award, at the International Statistical Institute World Statistics Congress in Ottawa, Canada, in July.

World’s first conservation and breeding center:

• The world’s first conservation and breeding center for the critically endangered Asian king vulture is set to open in Uttar Pradesh’s Maharajganj district.
• The center, named Jatayu Conservation and Breeding Centre (JCBC), is spread over 1.5 hectares and is designed to maintain a sustainable population of the species by breeding king vultures in captivity and releasing them into the wild.
• The JCBC, worth approximately Rs 15 crore, features multiple aviaries, including breeding and holding aviaries, nursery aviaries for juveniles, hospital and recovery aviaries, a food processing center, and an incubation center.

International Yoga Mahotsav:

• Sarbananda Sonowal, the Union Minister for AYUSH, inaugurated the International Yoga Mahotsav at the Dibrugarh University Playground to mark the upcoming International Day of Yoga 2023, which is just 75 days away.
• The event aims to promote yoga practices globally, which has gained immense popularity under the initiatives of the Prime Minister.
• Last year, 125 Cr people participated in yoga practices, and this year the plan is to make it even bigger.
• As part of the 100-day countdown to the event, several events were initiated, and this event marks the remaining 75 days. Additionally, students from 12 foreign countries studying at Dibrugarh University are also participating in the event.

Tiger census data:

• According to the latest tiger census data released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the tiger population in India has reached 3,167 in 2022, which is a significant increase compared to the previous census figures of 1,411 in 2006, 1,706 in 2010, 2,226 in 2014, and 2,967 in 2018.
• During the inauguration of the commemoration of 50 years of ‘Project Tiger’, the Prime Minister also launched the ‘International Big Cat Alliance’ that aims to protect and conserve seven major big cats worldwide, including tigers and lions.
• The Prime Minister emphasized that wildlife protection was a universal issue and that the IBCA was India’s contribution to protecting and conserving big cats. Additionally, he released a booklet named ‘Amrit Kaal Ka Tiger Vision’, which outlines the vision for tiger conservation in the next 25 years.

Guwahati Tea Auction Centre:

• The Guwahati Tea Auction Centre, on 9 April 2023, announced to organize of a long-year-program to celebrate 200 Years of Assam Tea.
• The Guwahati Tea Auction Centre (GTAC) is one of the busiest tea trading facilities in the world. It is located in Guwahati and its primary commodity is Assam tea. It was established in 1970. It has seen the largest volume of tea auctions in the world.

“Seven Decades of the Constitution of India”:

• Union Minister of Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs, Kiren Rijiju released the first edition of the Dogri version of the Constitution of India on 9 April 2023.
• On 28th March 2023, the Ministry of External Affairs had organized a seminar on “Seven Decades of the Constitution of India” in coordination with the Parliamentary Research & Training Institute for Democracies (PRIDE).

Tamil Nadu Events:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi:

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new integrated international terminal at the Chennai International Airport at a cost of Rs 1,260 crore on an area of 1.36 lakh square meters.
• The new integrated terminal building will increase the airport’s passenger handling capacity from 23 million to 30 million passengers annually. It is also set up with traditional features like kolam, saree, temples and natural surroundings to reflect the Tamil culture.

Helipads:

• More than 80 unused helipads across Tamil Nadu will soon be put to use with helicopter services planned by the State government.
• An institution mechanism (Tamil Nadu Regional Aerial Connectivity through Helicopters TN REACH) will be formulated to use helicopters for travel between cities and towns. The proposed mechanism has been developed by Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation.

International Events:

World Homeopathy Day:

• On April 10th every year, World Homeopathy Day is celebrated to honor the birth anniversary of Samuel Hahnemann, the founder of homeopathy and a German physician.
• This day is dedicated to recognizing the valuable contributions of homeopathy to the field of healthcare. This year marks the 268th birth anniversary of Samuel Hahnemann.

US Navy:

• The U.S. Navy has deployed a guided-missile submarine capable of carrying up to 154 Tomahawk missiles to the Middle East, following recent tensions with Iran.
• The guided-missile submarine USS Florida (SSGN 728) transits the Suez Canal in Egypt in support of the Bahrain-based U.S. Fifth Fleet. Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from ships or submarines can hit targets up to 2,500 kilometers.

DEWA:

• United Arab Emirates’s Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) will launch its second nanosatellite to enable remote sensing applications in April 2023.
• The SAT-2 6U nanosatellite will be launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The new satellite features a high-resolution camera (4.7 meters) that will be used for Earth observation missions.

TEMPO:

• NASA’s Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) instrument has successfully launched, marking a significant step forward in the monitoring of major air pollutants.
• The instrument will provide unprecedented resolution, allowing scientists to observe air quality from space with accuracy down to just four square miles. The TEMPO mission aims to revolutionize the way air quality is monitored, helping to improve life on Earth.

Israel:

• Israel carried out artillery strikes in southern Syria, in response to six rockets that were launched fromon Golan Heights.
• In response to the rockets, the Israeli army announced that it is firing artillery towards the area from which the rockets were fired. The Israeli army also announced that it is using drones to attack the rocket launchers.