Current Affairs Quiz - April 2022

Notes:
The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal for signing a bilateral MoU between Securities and Exchange Board of India and Financial Regulatory Commission, Mongolia.
The MoU will strengthen the information sharing framework leading to effective enforcement of securities laws, and also help in establishing a technical assistance programme.

Notes:
Hyderabad-based National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), one of the centres of the Indian Space Research Organisation, manages data from aerial and satellite sources.
Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and NRSC have signed a pact for technical collaboration. NRSC would be developing ‘Bhuvan-Aadhar’ portal providing information and locations of the Aadhaar centres across India.

Notes:
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in Washington DC as part of his five-day US visit which includes the India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue.
2+2 dialogue involves meetings between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar and their respective American counterparts. Ahead of the 2+2 dialogue between India and the US, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a virtual meeting with US President Joe Biden.

Notes:
India is the world’s second largest consumer of Gold, only after China. India’s gold imports rose by 33.34 per cent to ₹46.14 billion during the 2021-22 fiscal, due to high demand.
In the previous fiscal, Gold imports were worth ₹34.62 billion. The rise in gold imports during the last year contributed to the widening of the trade deficit to USD 192.41 billion, against USD 102.62 billion in 2020-21.

Notes:
Ministry of Home Affairs introduced the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill, 2022’. It was passed by both Houses of Parliament recently.
The bill was being brought as the ‘Identification of Prisoners Act, 1920’ became obsolete. The government turned down demands that the Bill should be referred to a Standing Committee for consideration.

Notes:
Veteran British author Jack Higgins, who wrote ‘The Eagle Has Landed’ and several bestselling thrillers and espionage novels, passed away at the age of 92.
In 1975, his “The Eagle Has Landed” book was published, which was about a fictional World War II plot to kidnap British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Some of his other titles include “The Eagle Has Flown”, “Angel of Death”, ”Day of Reckoning”, and “A Darker Place”.

Notes:
A recent study led by team from the department of Molecular Reproduction, Development and Genetics (MRDG), at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), found that Pollutants like microplastics may be causing growth defects in fish in the Cauvery River.
The study revealed that microplastics may cause growth defects in fish, including skeletal deformities. The researchers detected microplastics and toxic chemicals, using a technique called Raman spectroscopy.

Notes:
India and the USA finalized signing of a new Space Situational Awareness arrangement, during the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue being held at Washington.
The United States and India finalized major bilateral initiatives on information-sharing, liaison exchanges, and joint service engagements to support high-end, combined operations.

Notes:
An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.9 on the Richter Scale, hit Campbell Bay in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, as per the National Center for Seismology.
National Center for Seismology (NCS) is the nodal agency of the Government of India for monitoring earthquake activity in the country.

Notes:
The birth anniversary of Mahavir, the 24th and last Tirthankara of Jainism is celebrated as Mahavir Jayanti by Jains across the world.
This year, Mahavir Jayanti falls on April 14. Jains obey the five principles conveyed by Mahavir namely: Ahimsa, Satya, Astaya, Brahmacharya, and Aparigraha.