Current Affairs Quiz - February 2022

Notes:
The Ministry of Defence has signed up a design and development contract with NewSpace Research & Technologies, to develop a High Altitude Pseudo Satellite (HAPS).
The Bengaluru-based company was mentored under the ministry’s Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) initiative. The HAPS aims to conduct surveillance operations and support communications by staying airborne for months.

Notes:
Medaram Jatara is the second-largest fair of India, after Kumbh Mela, celebrated by Koya Tribal Community of Telangana, for four days
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has sanctioned ₹2.26 Crores for various activities related to Medaram Jathara 2022.  At present, the Jathara festival is biennially celebrated by the Koya Tribes in collaboration with the Tribal Welfare Department, Telangana.

Notes:
The Tata Group has appointed Ilker Ayci, former Turkish Airlines Chairman, as Air India’s Managing Director and CEO.
The decision is in line with the Tata Group’s plans to appoint an expatriate chief to run Air India, which it took over from the Indian government recently.

Notes:
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman allocated ₹48,000 crore towards completion of 80 lakh houses under Prime Minister Awas Yojana (PMAY) in rural and urban areas during 2022-23.
Recently, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs approved project proposals for over 60,000 houses across five states — Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Rajasthan.

Notes:
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the setting up of a G20 Secretariat and its reporting structures. It aims to handle work related to various aspects of India’s G20 Presidency starting from December 1, 2022 to November 30, 2023.
The Secretariat will be guided by an apex committee headed by Prime Minister, and comprising the Finance Minister, Home Minister, External Affairs Minister, and G20 Sherpa (Commerce & Industry Minister).

Notes:
The Indian Embassy in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, issued advisory, saying Indian nationals particularly students whose stay is not essential, may consider leaving temporarily.
It also advised them to avoid all non-essential travel. This came at the backdrop of repeated warnings from US officials that Russia could launch an invasion of Ukraine. There are more than 20,000 Indians in Ukraine, including professionals, businessmen and some 18,000 students.

Notes:
India reported an outbreak of highly contagious H5N1 bird flu virus on a poultry research farm in Bihar.
The Paris-based World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) announced that the virus killed 787 out of 3,859 birds on the farm in Patna and all of the remaining birds were slaughtered.

Notes:
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said February 15 would be commemorated as “Shahid Diwas” in memory of the 34 freedom fighters who were killed by police in Tarapur town of Bihar 90 years ago.
The Chief Minister said the Tarapur massacre was the biggest carried out by the British police after the one in Jallianwala Bagh in 1919. Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to the Tarapur massacre in his Mann ki Baat radio address of January 2021.

Notes:
The Karnataka bench of Authority for Advance Ruling (AAR) has ruled that the Income earned from providing guest lectures will attract 18 per cent goods and services tax (GST)
The AAR said the said service falls under the category of other professional, technical and business services and does not fall under the exempted category of services. The service professionals whose turnover exceeds Rs 20 lakh will have to pay 18 per cent GST on the said income.

Notes:
The Falklands War took place four decades ago between the United Kingdom and Argentina, ended in victory of the UK.
Argentina has been claiming the Falkland Islands, located off the coast of Argentina in the South Atlantic Ocean. Recently, China recently released a statement in support of Argentina’s claim to the Falkland Islands.