Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2021

Notes:
India records the highest number of Road crash deaths, across the world. The World Bank recently released a report titled “Traffic Crash Injuries and Disabilities: The Burden on Indian Society”.
Union Transport minister Nitin Gadkari released the report, which highlights the unequal impact of a road crash on poor households. Over 75% of the poor households in India reported a decline in their income after a road traffic crash.

Notes:
As per the press release issued by the Indian Embassy, India is to provide Nepalese Rupee 142 million to Nepal for the restoration and conservation of three cultural heritage sites.
These projects are being implemented under USD 50 million grant assistance committed by India earlier. The three sites in the Kathmandu Valley include Seto Machindranath Temple, construction of Dharamshala at Budhaneelkantha and conservation of Kumari Home.

Notes:
Malaria caused over 400,000 human deaths in the year 2019. It is said to be causing highest number of deaths among all vector-borne diseases.
Researchers from Tata Institute for Genetics and Society (TIGS), and Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology have released the detailed genome of the malaria mosquito vector.

Notes:
An unmanned Russian cargo ship launched successfully loaded with supplies for the International Space Station.
Named as ‘Progress MS-16’, the cargo ship blasted off from the Russia’s Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan. The ship is carrying water, propellant and other supplies. It is set to dock at the space outpost two days after the launch.

Notes:
N S Vishvanathan, former RBI Deputy Governor, chairs the expert committee to chart regulatory measures and study consolidation among urban cooperative banks. The 8-member panel was formed by RBI in 2021 and mandated to report within three months on stability and sector road map.

Notes:
Pi Beam – an IIT Madras-incubated start-up has recently launched a 2-wheeler named PiMo. This vehicle can be charged faster than a smart mobile phone.
It has a range of 50 km and is priced at Rs.30,000/-. This vehicle does not require registration and is targeted at personal and commercial users.

Notes:
Giant Leatherback turtle are the largest of the seven species of sea turtles. They are found in all oceans except the Arctic and the Antarctic.
In the Indian ocean, they nest at Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The Government’s proposal for tourism promotion and port development will threaten this species, which is accorded legal protection by listing in Schedule I of India’s Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

Notes:
The first day of the spring called ‘Pahela Phagun’ is celebrated in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The country’s top cultural organisations including the Bangladesh Shilpa Kala Academy held programmes to celebrate the beginning of the spring.
On account of the Covid pandemic, the traditional programme of ‘Basanta Utsab’ at the Fine Arts faculty in Dhaka university was cancelled.

Notes:
The Union Cabinet has approved signing of the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA) between India and Mauritius.
This is the first trade Agreement to be signed by India with any country in Africa. The agreement aims to liberalise norms covering Rules of Origin, Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures, Dispute Settlement, Telecom, Financial services and Customs Procedures among others.

Notes:
India is set to host a virtual South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) meet to discuss on management and response of Covid-19 pandemic.
This health secretary-level meet virtually with other SAARC countries, will be conducted as a virtual workshop to exchange best practices amid the pandemic. In 2014, Nepal hosted a SAARC leaders’ summit, which was the most recent meeting of the countries.