ANSWER: D

ANSWER: B

ANSWER: A

ANSWER: C

• Press Information Bureau (PIB) marked its centennial anniversary.
• It is the nodal agency for government of India to disseminate information to the print and electronic media on government policies, programmes etc.
• It was originally set up as temporary cell (under then British government) in 1919.
• The first head of the cell was Dr LF Rushbrook Williams of Allahabad University who was designated as officer on special duty.
• In 1923, the bureau was made permanent as the Bureau of Public Information.
• In 1941, J Natrajan became the first Indian to head the bureau as principal information officer.
• It acquired its present name in 1946, and became a department of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting after 1947.
• It is headed by: Principal Director General (Media & Communication) who is assisted by a Director General and eight Additional Director Generals.
• Its activities can be broadly classified in three Categories:
  • Information, Education & Communication;
  • Feedback and Accreditation &
  • Special Services.

ANSWER: D

• The Indian Navy achieved a unique feat after an MH-60 ‘Romeo’ multi-mission helicopter landed on the indigenously-built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant.

ABOUT MH-60R HELICOPTER

• It is the world’s most advanced maritime helicopter and is the most capable naval helicopter available today designed to operate from frigates, destroyers, cruisers and aircraft carriers.
• Manufactured by Lockheed Martin.
• It is an all-weather helicopter designed to support multiple missions with state-of-the-art avionics and sensors.
• Main missions of the MH-60R Seahawk are Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) and Anti-Surface Warfare (ASuW).
• It can detect and track submarines and surface ships and attack with torpedoes and missiles.
• It carries advanced airborne active sonar, multi-mode search radar and nose-mounted forward-looking infrared (FLIR) turret.
• It has an integrated self-defense system.

ANSWER: B

• The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has released its 11th edition of the World of Work report.

MAJOR FINDINGS

• Uneven impact of the polycrisis (simultaneous occurrence of several catastrophic events like the war in Ukraine and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic).
• According to the ILO, the projected global unemployment rate for 2023 is expected to fall below pre-pandemic levels, reaching 3%.
• Latin America and the Caribbean, northern, southern, and western Europe, and central and Western Asia have demonstrated resilience in their labor markets, with unemployment rates ranging from 6.3% to 6.7%, showing a positive recovery trend.
• The ILO has introduced a new indicator called the jobs gap.
  • This encompasses all individuals who desire employment but are currently jobless.
• Developing countries also face additional challenges due to rising debt levels, which constrain their ability to implement effective policy interventions.
• The report advocates for global financial support for job creation and social protection to ensure a comprehensive recovery and bridge the employment gap.

ANSWER: A

• The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) celebrated 3 years journey of PM SVANidhi.
• The government also launched a PM SVANidhi mobile app for street vendors, to ease the loan application process.

ABOUT PRIME MINISTER STREET VENDOR’S ATMANIRBHAR NIDHI (PM SVANIDHI) SCHEME

• The PM SVANidhi is a micro credit scheme launched in 2020 to provide handholding support to street vendors, to tide over pandemic-induced economic stress.
• It is a Central Sector Schemee., fully funded by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs with the following objectives:
  • To facilitate working capital loan;
  • To incentivize regular repayment; and
  • To reward digital transactions
• The scheme facilitates a working capital collateral-free one-year loan of ₹10,000, with subsequent loans of ₹20,000 and ₹50,000 with 7% interest subsidy to approximately 50 lakh street vendors.
• The scheme aims to open new opportunities for street vendors to move up the economic ladder.
• The Scheme is available to all street vendors engaged in vending in urban areas.

ANSWER: D

• The Indian junior men’s hockey team maintained its continental supremacy by beating arch-rivals Pakistan 2-1 to become Asia Cup champions in Salalah, Oman.
• This was India’s fourth title having been crowned champions on three previous occasions in 2004, 2008 and 2015.
• Meanwhile, Pakistan has won the tournament in 1987, 1992 and 1996.

ANSWER: B

• The Bijli Mahadev Ropeway in Kullu is facing heavy opposition from residents of Kharal and Kashawari valleys.
• They demanded that the project should be shunned altogether.
• Villagers said that the deity Bijli Mahadev had orated through his oracle that any tampering with the barren mountain in the territory, from where the ropeway is proposed, will not be tolerated.
• A 7-km-long ropeway at a cost of Rs 240 crore is proposed from Pirdi near Kullu to Bijli Mahadev on top of the Kharal hill opposite Kulluk town.
  • Eight companies participated in the tenders invited by the National Highways Logistics Management Limited (NHLML), Company of the Government of India, which were opened on April 17 and were being technically examined.