Current affairs 27 April 2023

Australia to host Quad leadership summit in Sydney.

• Australia will host the third in-person Quad Summit in Sydney on May 24, 2023.
• It will be the first time when Australia will host the meeting.
• The meeting will be attended by PM Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, Japanese PM Kishida Fumio, and Australian PM Anthony Albanese.
• The leaders will discuss issues on critical and emerging technologies and high-quality infrastructure, etc.
• The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue comprises India, the US, Japan, and Australia.

India to host SCO Defence Ministers’ Meeting on April 28.

• The Chair of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), India will host the SCO Defence Ministers’ Meeting on 28 April 2023 in New Delhi.
• Aim: To discuss amongst other issues matters concerning regional peace and security, counter-terrorism efforts within SCO, and effective multilateralism.
• SCO 2023 theme under India’s Chairmanship: SECURE-SCO
• SCO was established in 2001.
• Members: Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, India, and Uzbekistan.

PM Modi to attend 20th anniversary of SWAGAT initiative in Gujarat.

• PM Modi will attend the 20th anniversary of the State Wide Attention on Grievances by Application of Technology (SWAGAT) initiative in Gujarat via video conferencing on April 27.
• This scheme was started by PM Modi in April 2003 during his tenure as the Chief Minister of Gujarat.
• Aim: To act as a bridge between the citizens and the government using technology by solving their day-to-day grievances in a quick, efficient, and time-bound manner

Uttar Pradesh received HUDCO award for cleanliness drive.

• The Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) Uttar Pradesh has been awarded the country’s prestigious HUDCO Award for 2022-2023.
• It was awarded in the Best Practices to Improve the Living Environment 2022-23 category for cleanliness.
• The award was presented by the secretary of MoHUA, Manoj Josh to Neha Sharma (State mission director, UP).
• Cash Prize: 1 Lakh Rupees
• This campaign was organized by the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) Uttar Pradesh from January 14 to 24, 2023.

DRDO organizes Conference on Optimising Human Capital of Armed Forces.

• The Defence Institute of Psychological Research (DIPR), a Delhi-based laboratory DRDO, has organized a four-day International Conference on Optimising Human Capital of Armed Forces: Psychological Perspective in Delhi on April 25, 2023.
• Aim: To deliberate recent advances, emerging trends, and challenges of psychology with respect to the human capital of the Armed Forces upon world over
• The conference has participation from the three Services, DRDO labs, and academia.