Current Affairs Quiz - May 2022

Notes:
As per the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a higher ‘Species threat abatement and restoration (STAR)’ score indicates greater presence of threatened species.
India’s total national STAR score was 41,817, of which 11,585 was for mammals, 10,843 for birds and 19,389 for amphibians. Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka host 51 per cent of the country’s STAR score. India’s national STAR score represented 3.4 per cent of the global STAR.

Notes:
‘World Veterinary Day’ is annually observed on the last Saturday of April. This year, it fell on April 30. The day aims to highlight and promote the work performed by veterinarians all over the world.
In 1959, World Veterinary Association (WVA) was founded in Madrid, Spain. In 2001 the WVA proposed to celebrate the World Veterinary Day. WVA deals with issues related to animal safety and environment. It also ensures the availability of necessary natural resources to raise livestock.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released the ‘Report on Currency and Finance (RCF)’ for the year 2021-22.
As per the report, price stability is a necessary precondition for strong and sustainable growth. It also proposed a seven-point blueprint for reforms. The Indian economy may take 12 years to overcome the losses emanating from the COVID-19 pandemic, which account to Rs 52 Lakh Crores.

Notes:
Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) launched M15 petrol on a pilot basis in Assam’s Tinsukia district. It has a 15 per cent blend of methanol with petrol.
Methanol is being manufactured by Assam Petrochemical Ltd near the Digboi refinery. The government had earlier extended the timeline for the disbursement of loans and completion of projects related to ethanol. The Government also provides financial assistance in the form of interest subvention.

Notes:
Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Anurag Singh Thakur inaugurated 2nd Khelo Masters Games Delhi-2022 in New Delhi.
In this game, over 3000 master players of the age group over 30 to 95 years, from 23 State and Union Territories are participating in eight category of games. It concludes on May 3.

Notes:
According to the RSF 2022 World Press Freedom Index, India’s ranking has fallen down to 150th position from last year’s 142nd place.
This year, Norway (1st) Denmark (2nd) and Sweden (3rd) were ranked at the top positions, while North Korea remained at the bottom of the list of 180 countries and territories. Reporters sans frontieres (RSF) or Reporters without Borders, a global media watch-dog releases the report every year.

Notes:
The Maharashtra Department of Prisons has launched first kind of credit scheme for prisoners in jails across the state.
The loan scheme titled Jivhala is offered by the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank for inmates who are undergoing a prison sentence of more than three years. The pilot was introduced at Yerawada Central Jail in Pune, and will be extended to nearly 60 prisons. Inmates can use the loans for education of their children, medical treatment of family members, legal fees, or other expenses.

Notes:
The Delhi Cabinet had passed an ambitious Delhi Startup Policy which aims to turn the capital into an international startup hub.
The vision is to enable Delhi to emerge as a “Global Innovation Hub and the most preferred destination for Startups by 2030”. The government intends to encourage, facilitate and support 15,000 startups by 2030. A Startup Policy Monitoring Committee will be formed to oversee the Policy. It will be headed by the Finance Minister of the Delhi Government.

Notes:
Construction and engineering major Larsen & Toubro (L&T) announced the merger of its two software companies, Larsen & Toubro Infotech (LTI) and Mindtree.
The combined entity will be known as “LTIMindtree” and will be headed by the Head of Mindtree. By market capitalisation, the combined entity will surpass Tech Mahindra to become the fifth-largest IT services provider. Currently, TCS ranks first among IT firms with the highest market valuation, followed by Infosys, HCL Tech, Wipro.

Notes:
MIT astronomers have recently discovered a “black widow binary”, a rapidly spinning neutron star circling and slowly consuming a smaller companion star.
It has been found 3,000 light-years from Earth. The newly discovered black-widow binary named ZTF J1406+1222, is the tightest black-widow binary known as the pulsar and the companion locked in an orbital motion with a period of just 62 minutes.