Current Affairs Quiz - March, 2023

Notes:
After receiving the no-objection letter from the Union Home Ministry, the Government of Maharashtra issued the notification to change the name of Aurangabad city to Chatrapati Sambhajinagar and Osmnabad city to Dharashiv.
Aurangabad is a city in Maharashtra state, which is known for 17th-century marble Bibi ka Maqbara shrine, styled on the Taj Mahal. Aurangabad Caves comprise ancient, rock-cut Buddhist shrines.

Notes:
PARAKH, India’s first national assessment regulator, aims to standardize assessment for over 60 boards in the country.
ETS (Educational Testing Service), which conducts key tests like TOEFL and GRE, has been chosen by the National Council for Education Research (NCERT) to set up the regulatory platform PARAKH. PARAKH will establish norms, standards, and guidelines for student assessment and evaluation.

Notes:
The second edition of the two-day Bird Survey Dharoi 2023 was recently conducted at the Dharoi wetland in Gujarat.
The wetland spreads over 107 square kilometres in north Gujarat. Dharoi reservoir was created by damming Sabarmati and Harnoi rivers in 1978 as a major irrigation scheme. The maiden Dharoi Bird Survey, 2022, recorded 193 species out of the 616 found in Gujarat.

Notes:
Karnataka and Gujarat are among the major states making the most progress in transition to clean electricity.
This is according to a new report on ‘Indian States’ Energy Transition’, prepared by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) along with EMBER. The report has analysed 16 states, which together account for 90% of India’s annual power requirement.

Notes:
Djokovic has defeated Tomas Machac at the Dubai Championships extends winning streak to 18 matches.
The 35-year-old Serb broke the record for the most time spent at No. 1 in the professional tennis rankings by a man or woman. His 378th week in the ATP’s top spot, surpassed Steffi Graf’s 377 leading the WTA.

Notes:
The Supreme Court said it will set up a six-member panel to look into regulatory mechanisms to protect investors’ interest after a report by a US short seller Hindenburg on the Adani conglomerate led to large investor losses.
The shares of Adani group firms nose-dived last month after the short seller Hindenburg Research alleged a massive financial fraud. The Adani group strongly denied the allegation and called Hindenburg’s report a “calculated attack” on India, its institutions and growth story.

Notes:
The Debt Forgiveness Plan was announced the US Government in August last year. This plan vowed to cancel 10,000 USD of student loan debt for individuals earning less than 125,000 USD or for households earning less than $250,000 per annum.
Under this plan, those who are receiving Federal Pell Grants will be given an additional 10,000 USD in debt forgiven.

Notes:
A report titled “More than a billion reasons: The urgent need to build universal social protection” was released recently by the International Labour Organization and UNICEF.
It revealed that only 26.4% of children between the ages of 0 and 15 are protected by social welfare programs. The report also found that 1.77 billion children aged 0 to 18 years do not have access to child or family cash benefits.

Notes:
The Great Pyramid of Giza, the tomb of Pharaoh Khufu, is the largest pyramid in Egypt and the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Built over a period of approximately 27 years in the early 26th century BC, it is located in the Pyramid Fields of Giza, Egypt. Scientists have discovered a hidden passage inside the Great Pyramid of Giza, as part of the ScanPyramids project. This passage is 9 meters in length and more than 2 meters in width.

Notes:
The Ministry of Culture’s flagship initiative, “Dhara: An Ode to Indian Knowledge Systems,” has completed its first year.
During this year, 10 successful conferences were organized on various themes highlighting India’s civilizational achievements. The next phase of Dhara will focus on metallurgical, agricultural, and ancient economic traditions of India.