Current Affairs Quiz - February 2022

Notes:
Ministry of Electronics and IT published a “Draft India Data Accessibility & Use Policy 2022” for public consultation.
It says that all data collected, generated, and stored by every government ministry and department will be open and shareable, besides some exceptions. It proposes a regulatory authority called the Indian Data Council (IDC) and an agency named India Data Office (IDO).

Notes:
The Ministry of Education (MoE) has approved the continuation of the National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMSS) till 2025-26.
Some changes in eligibility criteria have been introduced such as increasing income ceiling from Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 3.5 lakh per annum. It aims to deter meritorious students from dropping out at class 8 and encourage them to continue their education at secondary stage.

Notes:
‘Central Excise Day’ is observed every year on February 24 in India. It commemorates the Central Excise and Salt Act which was enacted on 24th February 1944.
Central Excise Day honours the contribution of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) in the industrial development of the country.

Notes:
Under the directions from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), packaged food items are set to bear a ‘Health Star Rating’.
The number of stars will indicate how healthy or unhealthy the item is. The rating will be based on the amount of fats, sugar and salt present in the food item. The supporting study was conducted by the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

Notes:
A team of Thailand and French astronomers found an asteroid system with three satellites, named (130) Elektra.
The asteroid was first found in 1873 and it measured about 200 km in diameter and weighs approximately 7 x 10^18 kg. It has captured its three orbiting smaller asteroids, known as S/2003 (130) 1, S/2014 (130)1, and S/2014 (130)2.

Notes:
The 2nd South Asian Athletic Federation (SAAF) Cross-Country championship and the 56th National Cross Country Athletics Championship will be held in Kohima on March 26.
The tournament will be the first ever international athletics event in Nagaland. More than 600 athletes will participate in the event from all the AFI-affiliated states and UTs of the country and also South Asian countries.

Notes:
The third Saturday in February is celebrated as World Pangolin Day across the world, to raise awareness of this endangered mammal.
Pangolins, also called anteaters, are illegally trafficked for the bogus medicinal powers given to their scales, which are made of keratin. Since 2019, six of the eight pangolin species have been classified as ‘Endangered or Critically Endangered.

Notes:
All India Chess Federation Bharat Singh organises the 58th Senior National Chess Championship-2022 at Kanpur. It is participated by 184 players, including 23 grandmasters and 30 international masters in the field.
It will be a selection platform for the Indian squads for the Chess Olympiad and Asian Games. The 7th National Women Chess Championship-2022 is held at Bhubaneswar.

Notes:
The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) of India is chaired by the Prime Minister. It also includes the Defence Minister, the Home Minister, the External Affairs Minister.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting of the CCS after Russia launched its attack on Ukraine. He also spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and called for an immediate cessation of violence.

Notes:
Anoop Kumar Mendiratta became the first Union Law Secretary to be appointed as a High Court judge.
In 2019, Anoop Kumar Mendiratta became the first serving judge to be appointed Union Law Secretary. In July 2021, Delhi High Court made 8 recommendations for judges. In February 2022 the Supreme Court collegium recommended 6 from that list. Ministry of Law and Justice released a notification appointing four judges of the High Court.