CURRENT AFFAIRS OF 26th APRIL, 2023

CURRENT AFFAIRS OF 26^th APRIL, 2023

1. World Intellectual Property Day is annually observed across the globe on 26 April with the objective of raising awareness about the importance of intellectual property rights such as patents, copyrights, trademarks, and industrial designs, in encouraging innovation and creativity. The theme of World Intellectual Property Day 2023 is “Women and IP: Accelerating Innovation and Creativity”. 
2. United Nations’ International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day is observed on 26 April annually, to mark the anniversary of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster and in memory of those who lost their lives. 
3. Van Vihar National Park in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, has announced a ban on single-use plastic in its premises.
4. Arun Sinha, a 1984 batch IPS officer of Kerala cadre, was appointed as the new Chairman of the National Technical Research Organization (NTRO) by the Government of India.
5. In a bid to improve the nutrition level of tribal children of Gadchiroli, a unique Artificial Intelligence-based machine has been installed at Todsa Ashram School of Etapalli in Maharashtra.
6. The legendary wrestler and coach, Mahavir Singh Phogat has been appointed as the Chairman of the Mixed Martial Arts Federation- MMA-1 Federation.
7. Himachal Pradesh has made history by becoming the first Indian state to establish a DNA database specifically for unidentified bodies.
8. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has declared Mana village, located at the Indo-China border in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district, as the ‘first Indian village’ by placing a signboard at its entrance. Previously, the village was known as the ‘last Indian village’.
9. PM Narendra Modi launched nine campaigns under Inclusive Development (Samaveshi Vikaas) theme as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav on 24 April, 2023 during the National Panchayati Raj Day at Rewa in Madhya Pradesh.
10. The Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration-2022, in the ‘Innovation (Central)’ category was awarded to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade.
11. Over 3000 participants from 38 countries – including, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Allies and partners – participated in the 2023 edition of the annual exercise ‘Locked Shields’, hosted by the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Tallinn (Estonia).
12. Canara Bank, in partnership with the Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH), has introduced a new customer-friendly service called ‘Digitalised Submission of Form 15G/15H’, which is aimed at enhancing customer satisfaction.
13. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Navy successfully conducted a maiden flight trial of sea-based endo-atmospheric interceptor missile off the coast of Odisha in the Bay of Bengal on 21 April, 2023.
14. Indian archer Jyothi Surekha Vennam won gold medals in the women’s individual compound and mixed team events at the Archery World Cup 2023 Stage 1 in Antalya, Turkey, on 22 April, 2023.
15. Operation Kaveri has been launched by the Ministry of External Affairs to bring back around 500 stranded Indian citizens from Port Sudan.
16. Tarek Fatah, a Pakistani-Canadian journalist who referred to himself as a ‘Midnight’s Child’ due to being born shortly after Pakistan’s independence in 1949, has passed away from cancer at the age of 73.