Current Affairs Quiz - February 2022

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:
India’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade announced that the import of drones is banned. The order exempted those used for research and development, defense, and security purposes.
This move also blocks the market for China’s SZ DJI Technology Co., the world’s top dronemaker, and encourages India’s local industry to increase production. Import of some drone components will be allowed.

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:
India is placed third in the globe on the US Green Building Council’s (USGBC) 2021 global list for sustainable spaces.
It is a ranking of the top 10 nations and areas outside of the United States for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) in 2021. India has 1,649 LEED certified buildings with a total area of 46.2 million gross square metres, with a 10% rise in LEED certified space since 2020.

Notes:
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is a regulatory authority established under the SEBI Act 1992. It is the principal regulator for Stock Exchanges in India.
SEBI has recently penalised the National Stock Exchange (NSE), its former CEOs Chitra Ramkrishna and Ravi Narain for governance lapses in hiring of its chief operating officer (COO) Anand Subramanian.

Notes:
Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog in collaboration with UNDP, India launched the Community Innovator Fellowship (CIF).
It was launched on the occasion of the “International Day of Women & Girls in Science”. It is a one-year-long fellowship program, developed as a pre-incubation model to guide innovators set up their social enterprise focusing on SDG based solutions.

Notes:
Every year, World Radio Day is celebrated on February 13 with an aim to highlight the importance of radio.
The member states of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) first declared this day in the year 2011. It was later adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012 as an International Day.

Notes:
Australian government announced a series of new initiatives to boost its education and cultural ties with India under the Maitri programme.
Under the Maitri Scholars Programme, Australian government will provide over 11 million dollars over four years to support Indian students to study at Australia’s top universities. The Maitri Fellowship Programme will provide 3.5 million dollars to support mid-career Australian and Indian professionals to collaborate on strategic research initiatives.

Notes:
‘Carnival of Hope’ is a famous annual celebration held in the city of Venice. It is also known as “City of Bridges” and “The Floating City”. This year’s edition is expected to attract thousands of people.
The 2020 Venice Carnival, which usually draws tourists from around the world, was curtailed when the pandemic broke out in Italy.  The festival got cancelled the following year to contain infections.