Current Affairs Quiz - February 2022

Notes:
A team of archaeologists have found a 9,000-year-old shrine at a remote Neolithic site in Jordan’s eastern desert.
The ritual complex was found in a site near large structures known as “Desert kites”. They are mass traps which were used to cage wild gazelles for slaughter. The site is said to be very intact and had a unique preservation state.

Notes:
Iran has recently unveiled a new missile that is capable of hitting nearby US bases in the region and targets within Israel.
The Khaibar-buster is a reference to a Jewish castle overrun by Muslim warriors led by Prophet Mohammed. It has a range of 900 miles and runs on solid fuel. Iran has the largest arsenal of missiles in the Middle East.

Notes:
‘Vishaka Guidelines’  were passed by the Supreme Court of India, in Vishaka and others v State of Rajasthan case in 1997, regarding sexual harassment at workplace.
Recently, the first Workshop on Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace was held under the aegis of Department of Legal Affairs, Ministry of Law & Justice. Sexual harassment at workplace is the violation of the Fundamental Rights under Article 14, 21 of the Constitution.

Notes:
Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter has detected solar proton events, via its Large Area Soft X-ray Spectrometer (CLASS).
The proton events are said to increase the radiation exposure to humans in space. Earlier, the instrument also recorded coronal mass ejections (CMEs), a stream of ionised material and magnetic fields, leading to geomagnetic storms.

Notes:
International Air Transport Association (IATA) has partnered with global banking group Standard Chartered to launch a payment platform for airline industry in India.
In addition to existing payment options such as credit cards, IATA Pay will be a new payment option that enables the participating airlines to offer instant payment options such as UPI Scan and Pay and UPI Collect.

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:
The Union Ministry of Rural Development has developed an Ombudsperson App for MGNREGA scheme, with an aim to enhance transparency in reporting and categorization of grievances. The app would collate the grievances received from various sources like physical, digital and mass media, related to the scheme’s implementation.
The app was released by the Union Minister Giriraj Singh and it is seen as an important step in e-governance.

Notes:
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched the “ICMR/DHR Policy on Biomedical Innovation and Entrepreneurship” for Medical Professionals, scientists and technologists in India. The policy envisions to have an innovation-led entrepreneurial ecosystem in India.
As per the policy, Doctors can pursue entrepreneurial ventures by way of start-up companies and assume roles of adjunct positions like non-executive director or scientific adviser in companies.

Notes:
The Tamil Nadu Government began work to form India’s first Dugong Conservation Reserve in the Palk Bay region. Dugongs are endangered species protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
According to the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), only 200-250 dugongs are left in the wild, of which 150 are found in Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar in Tamil Nadu.

Notes:
The founder of the Hindu reform organisation Arya Samaj was Swami Dayanand Saraswati. He was born as Mool Shankar Tiwari on February 12, 1824, in Gujarat.
Dayananda Saraswati was an Indian philosopher and leader of reform movement of Vedic dharma. He was the one who first gave the call for Swaraj (India for Indians) in 1876, a call taken up by Lokmanya Tilak.