Current Affairs Quiz - February 2022

Notes:
According to the Salesforce Global Digital Skills Index, among 19 countries, India has the Index’s highest digital readiness score at 63 out of 100.
In India, 72 per cent of respondents say they are actively learning digital skills to prepare themselves for future of work. 66 percent said they are equipped with resources to learn digital skills. The Index is based on a survey of over 23,500 workers in 19 countries, with an average global score of 33.

Notes:
A team discovered a new species of spider from the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala. Named Carrhotus tholpettyensis, the nocturnal jumping spider was found from the deciduous forest of Tholpetty range of the sanctuary in Western Ghats.
Another new species of millipede was discovered from the University of Calicut campus. Named as Delarthrum anomalans, belongs to the group of minute millipedes.

Notes:
Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar, who passed away recently, was laid to rest with full state honours. Her career spanned more than half a century and she recorded thousands of songs in 36 languages.
The singer was nominated to the upper house of India’s parliament in 1999. She received India’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna, in the year 2001.

Notes:
The Cyclone Batsirai has recently hit the towns of Madagascar. It killed 21 people and displaced more than 60,000 before moving away.
The UN Food Aid Agency announced that the cyclone also destroyed crops of rice, fruits and vegetable. The towns were already struggling with the consequences of a severe drought.

Notes:
‘Kanchoth festival’ is a religious and colourful events for the followers of Nag Culture. It was recently celebrated across erstwhile district Doda of Jammu and Kashmir.
The people celebrate marriage of Lord Shiva with Goddess Parvati and pray for their spouses’ long life. It is also called as Gauri-Tritya.

Notes:
The European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, announced ‘European Chips Act’ that will enable 15 billion euros (USD 17.11 billion) in additional public and private investments until 2030.
The European Commission has already allocated 30 billion euros of public investments for chip production. This aims to avoid supply chain disruptions down the line and become less dependent on foreign firms.

Notes:
The Haryana Cabinet approved the draft of The Haryana Prevention of Unlawful Conversion of Religious Bill, 2022. It will now be tabled in the Vidhan Sabha.
It aims to prohibit religious conversions made through ‘misrepresentation, force or by fraudulent means or by marriage or for marriage’ by making it an offense. The burden of proof lies on the accused and every individual converting from a religion to another will have to submit a declaration.

Notes:
One Ocean Summit is being organised by France in cooperation with the United Nations and the World Bank.
India supported the French initiative of a ‘High Ambition Coalition on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction’. Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the conference and said that India is committed to eliminating single-use plastic.

Notes:
A team of Indian Scientists has recently identified the next-generation probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus Plantarum JBC5.
The bacterium promoted healthy aging on a model organism called Caenorhabditis Elegans. The team from Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST), Guwahati, has also developed a yogurt using this probiotic bacterium.

Notes:
The number of killings as a part of ‘Witch Hunting’ is the second-highest in Odisha, after Jharkhand, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
The Odisha State Commission for Women (SCW) has recently sought stringent provisions in the Odisha Prevention of Witch Hunting Act 2013. It also demanded that branding of victims be treated as heinous crime and punishable in the State.