Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2021

Notes:
The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has signed an MoU with the Union Territory of Ladakh.
The purpose of the MoU is to establish knowledge partnership between the Ladakh UT and CSIR, focussing on the areas such as bioresource utilization, introduction of cash crops and exploration of natural resources.

Notes:
In the Economic Survey 2020-21 tabled in the budget session of the Parliament recently, the Government has pegged in the country’s GDP growth rate for FY 2021-22 at 11%. The GDP growth for the current financial year has been estimated at minus 7.7%.
Economic survey is an annual document prepared by the Ministry of Finance under the guidance of Chief Economic Advisor. Krishnamurthy Subramanian is the present Chief Economic Advisor.

Notes:
The National Statistical Office (NSO) recently released its revised national account data. As per the data, the economic growth rate for 2019-20 was revised downwards to 4 per cent.
The decrease from the previous estimate of 4.2 per cent was mainly due to contraction in secondary sectors like manufacturing and construction. Real GDP growth of 2018-19 is estimated at 6.5 per cent, against the 6.1 per cent revealed in January estimate.

Notes:
The Indian Government is to introduce a bill in Parliament to ban all private cryptocurrencies and create a sovereign digital currency by the Reserve Bank of India.
The bill is to allow certain exceptions to promote the underlying technology of cryptocurrency and its uses. A legislative framework on official digital currency is also expected to be created.

Notes:
The UN counterterrorism chief has urged countries to repatriate the children stranded in a massive camp in Al Hol.
Out of the 27,000 abandoned children, many of them are children of Islamic State extremists. Al Hol camp is the largest camp for refugees and displaced Syrians in the country, located in the north-eastern Syria.

Notes:
In Myanmar, the military has taken control of the country under a 1-year state of emergency. Major leaders of the country including Aung San Suu Kyi are said to be detained.
In a television release, the military has stated that Article 417 of the country’s constitution have been invoked which allows military to take over in times of emergency.

Notes:
The Ministry of Power is set to launch a domestic manufacturing programme for critical power and renewable energy equipment.
The scheme titled ‘Manufacturing Zones under Atmanirbhar Bharat Package’ was announced in the Union Budget. With an outlay of Rs 1,500 crore in the coming financial year, the scheme includes setting up three manufacturing zones per year.

Notes:
India’s apex rights body NCPCR – National Commission for Protection of Child Rights has identified 50 “religious places” for complete elimination of child labour.
These places include Taj Mahal and Shri Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya. The commission has stated that collaborative intervention would be made with stakeholders including child welfare police officers, anti-human trafficking unit etc in this regard.

Notes:
The Union Ministry of Commerce and Industries, has organized a series of sector specific webinar named Udyog Manthan. This is organized in association with Quality Council of India and supported by Bureau of Indian Standards, CII, FICCI and ASSOCHAM.
The webinar has a focus on quality and productivity in all major sectors of manufacturing and services.

Notes:
Researchers at the Atomic Minerals Directorate, a unit of India’s Atomic Energy Commission, have estimated deposits of Lithium in Mandya District, Karnataka.
Lithium is a rare metal which is used to build batteries for electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, lubricating grease, high energy additives, mobile phone components etc. As per preliminary survey, reserves of 14,100 tonnes of Lithium metal have been found in the place.