Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2021

Notes:
India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin became the first player in the 143-year history of Test cricket to take 200 wickets against left-handed batsmen.
He achieved the feat during the second day of India’s second Test against England at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. With 391 wickets, he is also the second highest wicket taker in the country.

Notes:
Theodore Baskaran, a leading Writer, historian, naturalist, and activist has been awarded with the Sanctuary Nature Foundation’s “Sanctuary Lifetime Service Award 2020”.
This award has been conferred upon him for his dedicated works in wildlife conservation and for his writings in Tamil – English regarding the same.

Notes:
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has recently launched the ‘Pey Jal Survekshan’ survey under the Jal Jeevan Mission- Urban.
This survey is conducted on a pilot basis in 10 cities- Agra, Badlapur, Bhubaneswar, Churu, Kochi, Madurai, Patiala, Rohtak, Surat and Tumkur. The survey would assess distribution of water, reuse of wastewater and mapping of water bodies.

Notes:
Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu has granted recognition to Mallikarjun Kharge as the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.
The Indian National Congress Leader succeeds Ghulam Nabi Azad whose term has ended recently. Mallikarjun Kharge was a former Union minister and had been Congress leader in the Lok Sabha, earlier.

Notes:
The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres proposed that the G-20 association set up an emergency task force to prepare a “Global Vaccination Plan” against Covid-19.
As per the UN, this task force should include all countries that are capable of developing vaccines or to produce them, along with vaccination organisations, other technical organisations and international financial institutions.

Notes:
The International Solar Alliance (ISA) has proposed to launch World Solar Bank (WSB).
This is proposed to be launched at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow that is scheduled to be held in November 2021. The ISA is an intergovernmental treaty-based organization headquartered in India.

Notes:
India’s leading investment professional, Usha Rao-Monari, has been appointed by the UN chief Antonio Guterres as Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator of the UNDP.
She has served in several senior positions in the area of infrastructure investment, including Director of the Sustainable Business Advisory Group at the International Finance Corporation, part of the World Bank Group.

Notes:
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the United States would pay the World Health Organization (WHO) USD 200 million.
The U.S. is the largest funder of the World Health Organisation, contributing over 15% of its total funds. Former U.S. President Donald Trump had begun the process of withdrawing from the WHO, which has been stopped now by the incumbent President.

Notes:
25-year-old Manika Batra defeated Reeth Rishya to win the 82nd Senior National Table Tennis Championship.
The top-ranked Indian player and the World no 63 is set compete at two WTT Contender events this month followed by the World and Asian Olympic qualifiers in Doha in the month of March. She received Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award in 2020.

Notes:
The Arbor Day Foundation and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have recognised Hyderabad as the 2020 Tree City of the World.
This is the only city in India to have earned this honour, along with 51 cities globally. Haritha Haram is the tree plantation drive of the Telangana state, which made the city to grow and maintain urban forests.