Current Affairs 13 March 2023

ANS : C 

• PM Narendra Modi on 11 March 2023, inaugurated the longest railway platform in the world in Hubballi-Dharwad.
• With this, the city has registered its name in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the longest railway platform in the World at Shree Siddharoodha Swamiji station.
• The 1,507-metre-long platform has been built at a cost of about ₹20 crore.
• PM also flagged off the Hubballi-Secunderabad Junction Express train with electric engines, inaugurated new campus of IIT in Dharwad city. 

ANS : D 

• The first Supreme Audit Institution 20 (SAI20) Senior Officers Meeting (SOM) is going to begin in Guwahati, Assam on 13 March 2023.
• The themes of the meeting are, ‘Blue Economy’ and ‘Responsible Artificial Intelligence’.
• The SAI20 is aimed at bringing together an ecosystem wherein SAIs are active partners in governance, promoting transparency and accountability.
• SAIs of Australia, Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Oman, the Republic of Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and UAE will be participating in person.
• SAI20 Engagement Group of G20 was established in 2022 during Indonesia’s Presidency of the G20 to enhance economic governance through collaborative oversight. 

ANS : A 

• China’s Parliament on 11 March 2023, appointed Li Qiang as the country’s new Premier or Prime Minister.
• He succeeded Li Keqiang who held the post for the last 10 years.
• The annual session of the National People’s Congress (NPC), a ceremonial body that passes the proposals of the Communist Party of China (CPC), approved Li Qiang’s candidature.
• Li Qiang, stated to be a pro-business politician in Xi’s inner circle, will be the number two ranked official of the CPC and the government after Xi, who was Friday confirmed for an unprecedented third five-year term.

ANS : B 

• Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee have discovered a new antibacterial small molecule (IITR00693) that could help in the fight against drug-resistant infections.
• The molecule has shown potent antibacterial activity against a wide range of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, including some of the most problematic drug-resistant strains.
• IITR00693 acts like a dual sword.
• It prevents the emergence of resistance, ensuring that it remains effective for generations to come, said the statement.
• The research was led by Prof Ranjana Pathania, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Roorkee. 

ANS : C 

• Central Railway achieved 100% railway electrification on all Broad Gauge routes which is almost 3825 Kilometres in March 2023.
• The last non-electrified section of Central Railway, Ausa Road- Latur Road on Solapur Division was electrified in Feb 2023.
• The electrification has helped in reducing carbon footprints of 5.204 lakh tons every year and also saves Rs. 1670 crores annually.
•  It enhances the activity of antibiotics that are used in the treatment of bacterial infections.
• It potentiates the activity of polymyxins against two notorious multidrug-resistant skin-infecting pathogens, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

ANS : D 

• India’s Trap shooter Prithviraj Tondaiman won a bronze medal at the ISSF Shotgun World Cup 2023 in Doha, Qatar on 11 March 2023.
• Oguzhan Tuzun, a two-time world champion from Turkey, shot 33/35 to win gold, and Matthew John, a bronze medalist from Great Britain at Tokyo 2020, won silver with a score of 30/35.
• It was India’s first medal at the ongoing ISSF World Cup.

ANS : C 

• In the 95th Academy Awards ceremony, India’s ‘Naatu Naatu song’ from SS Rajamouli’s film RRR made history by becoming the first Indian film to win an Oscar for best original song.

• The film inspired is from the lives of freedom fighters Komaram Bheem and Alluri Sitarama Raju.
• Another Indian entry ‘The Elephant Whisperers‘ also won an Oscar in the Best Documentary Short Film category.
• The 95th Academy Awards were held on 12 March 2023 in Los Angeles.
• Everything Everywhere All At Once won Best Picture.
• Michelle Yeoh won Best Actress for Everything Everywhere All at Once.
• Brendan Fraser won Best Actor for The Whale.
• Daniel Kwan and Daniel Schienert won Best Director for Everything Everywhere All at Once.
• All Quiet on the Western Front won Best International Feature Film.

ANS : A 

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 11 March 2023, inaugurated the Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway in the Mandya district of Karnataka.
• The 118 Km long project has been developed at a total cost of around Rs 8480 crores.
• It will reduce the travel time between Bengaluru and Mysuru from around 3 hours to about 75 minutes.
• It will act as a catalyst for socioeconomic development in the region.
• The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for Mysuru-Kushalnagar 4 lane highway.

ANS : C 

• Yes bank and Aadhar Housing Finance Ltd made co-lending partnership in March 2023.
• Under a strategic co-lending partnership, housing loans will be offered to homebuyers.
• It is based on RBI framework which enable banks and non-banking companies to collaborate and provide credit to unserved and underserved society.
• Both firms will offer home finance solutions to customers from low and middle-income groups.
• Under this both firms will disburse loans together.

ANS : A 

• Amit Shah virtually inaugurated development projects in Ahmedabad in March 2023.
• He unveiled multiple development works worth Rs154 crore of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority.
• Among these, the biggest work is the inauguration of a new over-bridge at Sanathal Junction on Sardar Patel Ring Road at a cost of Rs100 crore project.
• Smart schools have been inaugurated in Chandkheda, Sabarmati, Shela, Thaltej and Sarkhej under the municipal project
• The other development works include:
  • Senior Citizen Park at Chandkheda and Nawadaj at a cost of Rs. 62 lakh
  • Pedestrian subway near Ahmedabad-Viramgam broad gauge line at a cost of Rs. 4.39 crore
  • 5 Anganwadis at a cost of Rs. 40 lakh.