Current Affairs Quiz - April 2022

Notes:
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) released ‘Space Equity action plan’ to make space more accessible. It aims to provide opportunity in underserved and underrepresented communities in the federal government.
In 2021, NASA spent USD 19.6 billion on goods and services, but only 10% of the total expenditure was provided to small disadvantaged businesses.

Notes:
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent and bipartisan American government agency, recommended for the third year in a row that India be designated a ‘Country of Particular Concern’ (CPC). It is the category of governments performing most poorly on religious freedom criteria.
As many as 15 countries were recommended for this designation by the USCIRF in its annual report including Pakistan, China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, among others.

Notes:
Himachal Pradesh government has signed MoU for the development of seven ropeway projects in Kangra, Kullu, Chamba, Sirmour and Bilaspur districts of the state.
The MoU was signed between Ropeways and Rapid Transport System Development Corporation (RTDC) HP Limited and National Highways Logistic Management Limited (NHLML) for the development of ropeways as innovative transport solution in Himachal Pradesh.

Notes:
The World Health Organization (WHO) organises the World Immunization Week between 24-30 April, every year.
As per the WHO, Increasing awareness about vaccines and closing immunization gaps could protect millions of people worldwide from vaccine-preventable diseases, including polio. After global efforts, there were just six cases of polio caused by the wild poliovirus in 2021.

Notes:
The National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM), has announced the appointment of Krishnan Ramanujam, as its Chairperson for 2022-23.
He is currently serving as the President, Enterprise Growth Group, at Tata Consultancy Services and Vice-Chairman of NASSCOM. He succeeds Rekha M. Menon, chairperson and senior managing director of Accenture in India. Anant Maheshwari, President, Microsoft India, is appointed as NASSCOM Vice-chairperson for 2022-23.

Notes:
An H3N8 strain of bird flu has been detected in humans for the first time, in China’s Henan province. Avian influenza or bird flu is a highly contagious viral disease with the first reports of human cases in the 1990s.
As per the country’s National Health Commission, the four-year-old boy infected had been in contact with chickens and crows raised at his home. Some strains of the bird flu have been passed to humans in rare conditions. H3N8 viruses circulate in birds and in horses and have also been detected in dogs.

Notes:
The ‘Integrated Road Accident Database (iRAD)’ has been launched in the UT of Chandigarh. It is an initiative of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), with an objective to improve road safety in the country.
The Centralised Accident Database allows hosting and accessing all accident related data by various departments and stakeholders. The details include causes of road accidents, road engineering defaults, negligences of individuals, pattern in accidents. The data will be used by all departments to analyse cause of accidents and formulation of strategies.

Notes:
Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) is an autonomous body under Ministry of Education. The Education Ministry has scrapped quotas in several categories including that of Ministry of Education, Sponsoring Agency, MPs, and District Magistrate (DM) for admissions to Kendriya Vidyalayas. It will free up about 40,000 seats in KVs across the country.
Earlier, the KVS had put on hold all discretionary quotas for admissions to KV schools across the country, following a review of KVS functioning was carried out by the Education Minister and Chairman KVS Dharmendra Pradhan.

Notes:
Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), has directed all service providers, intermediaries, data centre providers, corporate and government organizations to report cyber incidents within six hours of their detection.
CERT-In, India’s nodal cyber-security agency also mandated virtual asset, exchange, and custodian wallet providers to maintain records on KYC and financial transactions for a period of five years. The directions have been issued under the provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000.

Notes:
The ‘World Day for Safety and Health at Work’ is observed annually on April 28. The day is dedicated to create awareness on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) management.
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) began to observe World Day in the year 2003 to prevent accidents and diseases at work. The theme for this year’s World Day for Safety And Health at Work 2022 is ‘Act together to build a positive safety and health culture’.