Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2020

Notes:
Taxi hailing app Uber recently announced that it has integrated with the Himmat application of Delhi Police.
Under this partnership, Uber and Delhi Police distributed nearly 1,000 Himmat QR Verification Cards to driver partners. The passenger can report their journey directly to the Delhi Police, by scanning the QR card via the app. They can also access details of the diver and vehicle. Sharing the ride information is optional to passengers.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Soil Health Card (SHC) Scheme on 19th February, 2015 at Suratgarh in Rajasthan. Fifth year of the launch of the scheme is being observed on the ‘Soil Health Card (SHC) Day’, this year.
The scheme aims at issuing soil health cards to all farmers every two years. The card would provide details about the nutritional deficiencies in soil, so that the farmers can supplement the soil with suitable fertilizers and increase the yields.

Notes:
Bill moots setting up a dedicated fund of Rs 50,000 crore, raised from the fines charged from the defaulting pesticides companies and contributions from the Central and state governments.

Notes:
Cobalt is a critical element for not only cell phones but also electric vehicles that might be good for the environment. Roughly 60% of mined cobalt is sourced from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Its continued availability is becoming an issue due to political environment of DRC.

Notes:
National Population Register (NPR) is a list of “usual residents” of the country, defined as a person who has resided in a local area for the past six months or more or a person who intends to reside in that area for the next six months or more. It is a register having both biometric and demographic details of every resident in India from village to district to state to the national level.

Notes:
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently approved the Phase II of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) till the financial year 2024-25.
The second phase will be implemented from 2020-21 to 2024-25, with main focus on Open Defecation Free sustainability and Solid and Liquid Waste Management, collectively called as ODF Plus. The total outlay of the scheme is Rs. 1,40,881 Crores.

Notes:
The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Edappadi Palaniswami recently announced in the state assembly that Tamil Nadu will celebrate the birth anniversary of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa (February 24) as the Women and Children Protection Day.
He also announced several welfare schemes for Muslims of the state, including doubling the pension of Muslim scholars (Ulemas) to Rs.3000.

Notes:
A report titled ‘A Future for the World’s Children’ was recently released by a World Health Organization (WHO) Commission, UNICEF and the Lancet journal.
The report included a new ‘Global Flourishing index’, which compares the countries in measures of child survival and well-being. Out of the total of 180 countries assessed, India is placed at 131st rank in flourishing index and 77th rank in sustainability index.

Notes:
According to the recent research done by the researchers of Harvard University, a new prehistoric reptile species was discovered, which was claimed to be an ancestor to modern-day lizards and snakes.
The ancient lizard is called as ‘Vellbergia bartholomaei’ and this discovery is expected to reveal several details about the revolution of four-legged creatures.

Notes:
The Thai Mangur fish, which has a similar appearance like fresh water Mangur, is cultivated in highly unhygienic conditions in the state and it causes sickness to people on consumption.
Hence, the Maharashtra government has launched a special drive to destroy the cultivation centres of the exotic Thai Mangur fish. The Head of the state fisheries department has ordered a ban on sale of the fish. The National Green Tribunal had earlier banned the sale of the fish species in 2000.