Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2022

Notes:
Entomologists from the Travancore Nature History Society (TNHS) have recently identified the species, Anamalai Reed-tail (Protosticta anamalaica) from the Western Ghats in the Peechi Wildlife Sanctuary in Thrissur.
With this, the number of odonates in Kerala has grown to 182. The insect was first spotted at Ponmudi hills in the Peechi Wildlife Sanctuary of the Munnar landscape. The genus Protosticta Sels consists of slender-built damselflies commonly known as Reed-tails or Shadow-damsels.

Notes:
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about the recent attack on UN mission personnel in Democratic Republic of the Congo. He also called for an prompt investigation.
In the attack, two Indian peacekeepers were killed. In total, 177 Indian peacekeepers have made supreme sacrifice while serving in UN peacekeeping missions.

Notes:
Market regulator SEBI has named Ashish Chauhan as the new MD and CEO of the National Stock Exchange (NSE).
Ashish Chauhan is currently the MD and CEO of Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). He is known for reviving the exchange, which was on the edge of a shutdown in 2009. BSE and its subsidiary CDSL, launched successful IPOs under his leadership.

Notes:
As per researchers, two invasive species, the American bullfrog and brown tree snake have collectively caused USD 16.3bn in global damage between 1986 and 2020.
In addition to ecological harm, the invasive pair have also ruined farm crops and caused costly power outages. The brown tree snake caused damages by spreading uncontrollably across several Pacific islands. These findings will help officials to invest more in pest controls and bio-security measures.

Notes:
The Parliament has recently passed the Weapon of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill 2022.
Ministry of External Affairs introduced the bill. It seeks to amend the 2005 Act and to stop persons from financing any prohibited activity related to weapons of mass destruction and their delivery

Notes:
The Maldivian president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih arrived India on a four-day visit. India and Maldives signed six pacts to enhance bilateral ties in the fields of trade, defence and cyber security.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also announced a USD 100 million financial aid for infrastructure development of the island nation.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) launches the ‘Financial Inclusion Index (FI-Index)’. In the recent edition of the index, which captures the extent of financial inclusion for March 2022, stands at 56.4 compared to 53.9 in March 2021.
The Reserve Bank of India-designed FI-Index captures the extent of financial inclusion across the country, in consultation with the concerned stakeholders.

Notes:
India’s table tennis team retained its men’s team championship title with a win over Singapore in the final match in the Commonwealth Games 2022.
The team includes Harmeet Desai Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Sharat Kamal. The Indian mixed badminton team won a Silver Medal in the Games.

Notes:
Larsen & Toubro signed a MoU with the Gujarat state government to set up an IT and IT-enabled service (ITeS) Technology Park in Vadodara.
L&T will develop this IT Park in the next five years with an investment of Rs 7,000 crores. It will provide jobs for 2,000 engineers and other positions in a year and 10,000 direct and indirect employments in the next five years.

Notes:
Union Ministry of Minority Affairs launched the ‘Hamari Dharohar’ scheme to preserve rich heritage of minority communities of India.
The scheme provides for promoting rich heritage of minorities under concept of Indian Culture through exhibitions, preservation of literature among others. Preservation of minority heritage buildings has not been undertaken under the Hamari Dharohar Scheme, so far.