Daily Current Affairs Quiz: April 28, 2023

ANSWER: B

ANSWER: C

ANSWER: D

ANSWER: A

• Quasars — the brightest and the most powerful objects in the universe — have a violent origin story.
• A recent study revealed that merger of galaxies ignites quasars.
• Quasars are very bright, distant and active supermassive black holes that are millions to billions of times mass of the
• The quasi-stellar radio sources (Quasars) were first discovered six decades ago.
• Typically located at the centers of galaxies, they feed on infalling matter and unleash torrents of radiation.
• A quasar’s light outshines that of all the stars in its host galaxy combined.
• Most quasars are larger than our solar system.
• A quasar is approximately 1-kilo parsec in width.
  • 1 parsec is a unit of distance used in astronomy, equal to about 3.26 light years.

ANSWER: C

• A petition was filed in Orissa High Court regarding minimum eligibility criteria set by Archaellogical Survey of India for photographers who can operate inside Sun Temple.

About Sun Temple at Konark:

• Located in Puri,
• Built by King Narasimha Deva I of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty in 1244.
• Declared a World Heritage Site in 1984 by UNESCO.
• Also called the Surya Devalaya, the temple is dedicated to the Hindu god Surya.
• It is a classic example of the Odisha style of Architecture or Kalinga Architecture.
• The temple complex has the appearance of a 100-foot high solar chariot, with 24 wheels and pulled by six horses, all carved from stone.
• The wheels of the temple are sundials, which can be used to calculate time accurately to a minute.
• Around the base of the temple, there are images of animals, foliage, warriors on horses and other interesting structures.
• It is built using Khondalite rocks which are a sub-type of Metamorphic rocks.
• Also known as ‘Black Pagoda’ due to its dark colour.
• The temple remains a site of contemporary worship for Hindus, during the annual Chandrabhaga Festival, around the month of February.
• Konark together with Puri and with Bhubaneshwar completes the Golden Triangle of Odisha, which is a major pilgrimage route for the Hindus in the state of Orissa.

ANSWER: A

• The Union Minister for Women and Child Development and Minority Affairs opened a Mahila Samman Savings Certificate (MSSC) account.

About Mahila Samman Savings Certificate Scheme

• It is a new small savings scheme launched specifically for female investors and was announced in Budget 2023 to promote investment among women.
• Accounts opened under this scheme will be single-holder accounts that can be opened at the Post Office or any registered bank.
• The two-year tenure scheme offers an attractive interest rate of 7.5 per cent compounded quarterly.
• The scheme is valid for a two-year period upto 31^stMarch 2025.
• A woman for herself or a guardian on behalf of a minor girl can open a Mahila Samman account.
• A time gap of three months shall be maintained between the existing account and the opening of other account.
• The minimum investment amount is Rs 1000, and the maximum investment authorised under the plan is Rs 2 lakh.
• After two years from the date opening eligible balance will be paid to the depositor.
• The account holder may withdraw up to 40% of the balance after the first year from the date of account opening but before the account matures.
• Premature closure of account: The account shall not be closed before maturity except in the following cases, namely:
  • On the death of the account holder
  • On extreme compassionate ground
    • Life threatening disease of account holder
    • death of the guardian on production of relevant documents.
  • When an account is closed prematurely, interest on the principal amount is payable at the rate applicable to the Scheme for which the account was held.

ANSWER: C

• Delegates of G20 summit visited Hemis and Thiksey Monasteries.

About Hemis Monastery

• Hemis Monastery is the largest monastic institution in Ladakh.
• It is situated on western banks of the Indus River.
• It belongs to Dragon Order of Mahayana Buddhism (or the Drupka Lineage).
• Hemis has more than 200 branch monasteries in the Himalayas.

About Thiksey Monastery

• It is a Tibetan Buddhist gompa (monastery) linked with the Gelugpa sect.
• It is located on top of a hill in Thiksey hamlet, Ladakh.
• It is notable for its resemblance to Tibet’s Potala Palace.
• It is also known for its annual Gustor Festival.

ANSWER: D

• Recently Manamadurai pottery of Sivagangai district, Tamil Nadu got the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
• A unique type of clay is sourced from water bodies like Nedunkulam, Nathapurakki, Sundaranadappu, Seikalathur to make these pots.
• Vaigai River which runs through the Manamadurai village enriches the clay used for the pottery.

ANSWER: B

• Popular Malayalam actor Mamukkoya passed away. He was 76 years old.
• He made his acting debut in the theatre in 1979.
• In his four-decade-long career, Mamkukkoya acted in over 450 Malayalam films.
• He also appeared in a French film titled Flammens of Paradise.

ANSWER: A

• It is India – UK Joint Company Level Military Training exercise being conducted at UK’s Salisbury Plains.
• Ajeya Warrior is a biennial training event with the UK which is conducted alternatively in both countries.
• The last edition was held at Chaubatia, Uttarakhand in October 2021.

ANSWER: B

• The small heritage town of Haripur in Kangra district is in a state of neglect.
• Situated on the banks of the Beas river, the 600-year-old cultural heritage of the ‘Guler Riyasat’ needs maintenance and refurbishing to save it from further degradation.
• The town is best known for the ancient Haripur fort.
• It is surrounded by the Banganga rivulet on three sides.
• Founded in 1464, it is said to be the place where the famous Kangra miniature paintings originated.
• The town was known as the ‘cradle of the Kangra School of Paintings’ before the art form saw a dip at the end of 19th century.