Current Affairs Quiz - February 2022

Notes:
NITI Aayog inaugurated the first-of-its-kind initiative of ‘Fintech Open month’, to bring together regulators, Fin-tech professionals, industry leaders, start-up community on a common platform.
The overarching theme is ‘OPEN’, to achieve three objectives namely 1) encourage Open ecosystem across the Fin-Tech industry; (2) promote co-innovation and growth; (3) ensure financial inclusion and leverage new models like Account Aggregator.

Notes:
A US woman is said to have become the third person in the world to be cured of HIV. She is also the first woman to be cured.
The woman is a leukaemia patient and received a stem cell transplant from someone with natural resistance to the Aids-causing virus.  An umbilical cord blood transplant was done, as a part of her cancer treatment.

Notes:
NITI Aayog has partnered with leading digital payments platform PhonePe to host the first-ever open-to-all hackathon, ‘Fintech open hackathon’.
Participants can use data sources like PhonePe Pulse (open-data API), the Open Government Data Platform and RBI reports on payments to build on their submission.

Notes:
The Second Advance Estimates of production of major crops for 2021-22 have been released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
A record foodgrains production of 316.06 million tonnes is estimated, which is higher by 5.32 million tonnes than the production of foodgrains during 2020-21. Total production of Rice during 2021-22is estimated at record 127.93 million tonnes while Production of Wheat at record 111.32 million tonne.

Notes:
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel unveiled the Gujarat Biotechnology Policy 2022-27, with an expected capital investment of over Rs 20,000 crore, providing assistance to more than 500 industries in the state.
The policy aims at providing capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operation expenses (OPEX) assistance to special projects. Assistance will also be provided on term-loans. It will also provide support to preclinical testing, genome sequencing, lab-vaccine development, manufacturing and testing.

Notes:
Indian traders have imported a record 100,000 tonnes of Soy Oil from the United States, because of limited supplies from drought-hit South America.
This import has been undertaken amidst the high prices of its rival Palm Oil. The higher purchases are expected to support U.S. soy oil prices, which have already climbed nearly 20% this year.

Notes:
Bihar’s Sakibul Gani became the first player in the history of the game to score a triple century on his first-class debut.
He scored 341 off 405 balls, hitting 56 fours and two sixes, in the Plate Group Ranji Trophy fixture against Mizoram in Kolkata.

Notes:
Cyrtodactylus exercitus, is a new species of Gecko which has been identified by researchers in the state of Meghalaya, at Umroi Military Station. It is locally called “Army’s Bent Toed Gecko”.
Exercitus means “Army” in Latin. The name has been so given to honour the Indian Army for their services to defend the country.

Notes:
As per the recently released Hurun Report, the number of Dollar millionaires in India have increased by 11% at the end of 2021, with current numbers at 4.58 lakh. The report has also stated that the number of such Dollar millionaires who consider themselves happy in personal and professional life has come down to 66%.
Individuals who possess a personal wealth of over Rs 7 crore are called Dollar millionaires.

Notes:
Synthetic Biology is the branch of Science, which uses genetic sequencing, editing, and modification to create unnatural organisms or organic molecules that can function in living systems.
A draft foresight paper on synthetic biology has been released by the Department of Biotechnology. It has stressed the need for a ‘National Policy’ on the issue.