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:
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 China National Nuclear Corporation has stated that it has begun commercial electricity production from its “Hualong One unit” which are the third-generation pressurised water nuclear reactors of the country.
The reactor constructed for more than five years at Fuqing in Fujian province was first connected to the grid in November.

Notes:
The 13-day long Khelo India Zanskar winter sports and youth festival concluded at Zanskar Valley of the Union Territory of Ladakh.
The festival was organized by the Department of Sports & Youth Services and the Ladakh Tourism Department, under the Khelo India scheme. It aims to promote the economic activities and winter tourism in Ladakh.

Notes:
China is the largest producer of silk, in the world. It is followed by India in the second place. India is the only country in the world which produces all four major varieties of silk namely – Mulberry, Eri, Tassar, and Muga.
Recently, the Textiles Minister Smriti Irani inaugurated India’s biggest silk fair, the 8th India International Silk Fair. It is held on the virtual platform of Indian Silk Export Promotion Council.

Notes:
Serum Institute of India has announced that it would launch a new COVID-19 vaccine under the brand name Covovax.
It would be developed in partnership with American vaccine developer Novavax, by the month of June. The company’s Covishield has been developed in partnership with the Oxford University and British-Swedish firm AstraZeneca.

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:
As per the Union Budget 2021-22, the threshold for paid up capital applicable for Small Companies has been revised from “not exceeding Rs 50 lakh” to “not exceeding Rs 2 crore”.
This enhancement in capital limit is expected to benefit more than 2 lakh small companies and would ease various compliance requirements for them.

Notes:
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh virtually launched the ‘Har Ghar Pani, Har Ghar Safai’ mission.
This scheme is a part of the government’s campaign to provide 100 per cent potable piped water supply in all rural households by March 2022. The Chief Minister also launched ‘Mega Surface Water Supply Scheme’.

Notes:
The Oxford group has selected ‘Aatmanirbharta’ as the Oxford Hindi word of 2020. In Hindi language, it means self-reliance.
Previous Hindi words of the year selected by Oxford are ‘Aadhar’ (2017), ‘Nari Shakti’ (2018) and ‘Samvidhaan’ (2019). Following the prime minister’s address, there was a significant increase in the usage of ‘aatmanirbharta’ following the Prime minister’s address.