Current Affairs Quiz - February 2022

Notes:
The Archaeological Survey of India is an Indian government agency functioning under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture
ASI is the process of reviving its ‘Underwater archaeology wing’ that has not been functioning over recent years. ASI appointed Alok Tripathi, an expert in underwater archaeology, as its Additional Director General in 2021.

Notes:
Vedanta and Hon Hai Technology Group (also known as Foxconn) have formed a joint venture (JV) to manufacture semiconductors in India.
This is the first joint venture in the electronics manufacturing space after the Production Linked Incentive Scheme (PLI). In December 2021, the Centre cleared a PLI scheme for semiconductor and display board production targeting an investment of Rs 76,000 crore over the next five to six years.

Notes:
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc.)  is a public, deemed, research university, located in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
IISc Bengaluru has received its single largest private donation of ₹425 crore, which will be used to set up a postgraduate medical school along with a multi-speciality 800-bed hospital. The project aims to develop “physician-scientists.”

Notes:
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked a never-before-used emergency power to curtail protests demanding end of Covid restrictions.
This decision was taken after anti-government protests in the Canadian capital and blockades at border crossings with the US. The country is witnessing over two weeks of “Freedom Convoy” protests by Canadian truckers and their supporters, demanding an end to all Covid restrictions.

Notes:
In 2018, SEBI asked the top 500 listed companies to split the post of chairman and managing director by April 2020, after the recommendations of the Uday Kotak-led panel on corporate governance. In 2020, it extended the timeline by two years to April 1, 2022.
Recently, SEBI has made splitting of the post of chairman and managing director (CMD) in the top 500 listed companies voluntary.

Notes:
A molecule developed by researchers at the University of Helsinki, Finland named ‘TriSb92’can inactivate the coronavirus spike protein and offers short-term protection against the virus.
In contrast to vaccine protection, the effect of TriSb92 begins immediately after its administration. It protects against coronavirus infection for at least eight hours. In virus studies, TriSb92 was able to prevent even the spread of SARS. The product is nasally administered through sprays.

Notes:
Department of Fertilizers has sought comments from all stakeholders on the draft Integrated Plant Nutrition Management Bill, 2022.
Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers has proposed a law that empowers it to fix the maximum selling price of fertilisers and control its quality as well as distribution.

Notes:
Indonesia holds the Presidency of G 20 in 2022. The G20 second Finance and Central Bank Deputies (FCBD) meeting produced a communique draft containing a long-term economic recovery strategy to tackle future pandemics.
The communique draft would be further discussed in the first Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting. The theme of G20 this year is “Recover Together, Recover Stronger”.

Notes:
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development is an intergovernmental organisation, established in 1964 at Geneva, Switzerland, with an aim to promote trade among developing countries.
Recently, the organisation has stated that India’s trade deficit as a percentage of global trade has reduced to 0.6% in 2022 as against 0.7% in pre pandemic levels.

Notes:
The landlocked African nation – Malawi has recently declared a polio outbreak, after a case was identified in a young child.
As per the World Health Organisation, this outbreak is the first in the African continent in more than 5 years. This strain is of the type WPV1 (Type 1 Wild Polio Virus)