Current Affairs Quiz - February 2022

Notes:
The Rajyotsava Awards are the second highest civilian honour of Karnataka. They are awarded on the occasion of establishment of the state, celebrated as the Kannada Rajyotsava.
The state announced that it will skip the process of calling applications for Rajyotsava awards. Rather, the state will set up a Committee and it will be tasked with finding achievers.

Notes:
A team of researchers has identified a new gecko species from the hills of Attappady, in the Western Ghats, Kerala.
The new species, named Hemidactylus easai, belongs to the genus Hemidactylus goldfuss. The gecko measures 105 mm and is a light brown to grey in colour. India has 48 species of geckos of genus Hemidactylus goldfuss.

Notes:
Sariska Tiger Reserve is located in Rajasthan’s Alwar district. Several measures for habitat management for tigers were launched about six months ago at the Reserve.
As a result, the tiger population in the wildlife sanctuary has gone up to 25. Grassland habitats were developed in dry patches of land, which will help animals feed and breed, thus enhancing the tiger’s feed. The forest administration created new water sources at 10 diverse habitats within the forest.

Notes:
‘International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation’ is observed on February 6, every year.
Female genital mutilation (FGM) includes all procedures that involve altering or injuring the female genitalia for non-medical reasons. It is recognized internationally as a violation of the human rights of girls and women. This year’s theme is ‘Accelerating Investment to End Female Genital Mutilation’

Notes:
Seven Indian Army personnel, who were part of a patrol team, were struck by an avalanche in the high-altitude area in the Kameng sector of Arunachal Pradesh.
All the seven personnel were later found deceased. The area is located at an altitude of 14,500 feet and had been witnessing heavy snowfall since the last few days. The Army had lost six personnel to avalanches and snow-slides in the Siachen Glacier in 2019, and 11 others in other parts of the country.

Notes:
Ministry of Earth Science’s System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting Research (SAFAR) recently announced that Mumbai has seen unusually high levels of pollution this week, with its air quality index reading frequently above 300.
An AQI between 301 and 400 is categorised as ‘red’ or ‘very poor’. Mazgaon, the most polluted area in the city had AQI of 495 in ‘severe’ category. The current high pollution is due to a second dust storm in less than two weeks that has hit Mumbai.

Notes:
Geo-location technology specialist TomTom has released the 11th edition of its annual TomTom Traffic Index. It is a report analysing traffic trends seen in 404 cities in 58 countries, during 2021.
India fared better than the global average of 10% decrease in congestion. But, four cities from India featured in the Index’s global top-25 list namely Mumbai (5th), Bengaluru (10th), and New Delhi (11th) and Pune (21st).

Notes:
According to figures released by the US Census Bureau, India-US bilateral goods trade was worth USD 113.391 billion from January to December 2021.
This is the largest volume of goods trade in a calendar year in India-US economic history. India exported goods worth over USD 73 billion, and imported goods worth over USD 40 billion dollars. In 2020 trade fell to USD 78.2 billion due to pandemic, from the high of USD 92.1 billion in 2019.

Notes:
‘World Pulses Day’ is celebrated on February 10 every year. The UN General Assembly in 2019 dedicated this day to increase awareness and access to pulses globally.
World Pulses Day 2022 is celebrated under the theme of “Pulses to empower youth in achieving sustainable agri-food systems”.

Notes:
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) launched the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evem Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM KUSUM) Scheme for farmers for installation of solar pumps and grid connected solar and other renewable power plants.
Recently, the Central government has set the target for replacing diesel with renewable energy in the agricultural sector by 2024.