Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2023

Notes:
The Union Budget 2023 announced that the ‘National Data Governance Policy’ will be brought out to aid innovation and research by start-ups and academia.
It seeks for the formation of an India Data Management Office (IDMO) under the IT ministry. The new policy reform is that the anonymized datasets will be offered as part of the India datasets programmes to the Artificial intelligence ecosystem.

Notes:
In the Union Budget 2023, the Government enhanced the outlay for Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana by 66 per cent to 79000 crore.
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana is an initiative by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The Finance Minister also proposed to use Permanent Account Number (PAN) card as a common identifier for all digital systems of government agencies.

Notes:
Authorities in Western Australia announced that they have found a tiny radioactive capsule which went missing last month.
The capsule was found when a vehicle equipped with specialist equipment detected radiation. The object was lost while being transported along a 1,400 km route across the state. It contains a small quantity of Caesium-137, which could cause skin damage, burns or radiation sickness.

Notes:
India will be invited as the theme country at the Madrid International Book Fair in 2025, the Ambassador of Spain to the country Jose Maria Ridao.
Spain is the theme country at the 46th International Kolkata Book Fair, which began recently. As part of the cultural exchange between the two countries, Spain has donated books to five universities in Bengal.

Notes:
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said that the US has emerged as India’s top destination for merchandise exports during April-December this fiscal at USD 59.7 billion.
The US was followed by UAE (USD 23.31 billion); Netherlands (USD 14.1 billion); China (USD 11 billion); Singapore and Bangladesh (about USD 9 billion each).

Notes:
Medium-density Amorphous (MDA) Ice is a new form of ice that was recently discovered by scientists. This ice has same density and structure as water.
The ice was created by scientists in a container with stainless steel balls at a -200°C. The MDA ice does not have any ordered structure. It will provide the opportunity to improve the understanding of the properties of water.

Notes:
A new report ‘Teleconnections Among Tipping Elements in the Earth System’ Report, has found a direct link between deforestation of the Amazon rainforest and the temperature changes in Tibet.
Tibet is situated more than 15,000 km from the rainforest. It revealed the strong link between climate tipping elements. A tipping point is a threshold beyond which major, irreversible changes occur in a specific region.

Notes:
The Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offenses (ITSSO) was launched in 2019 by the Central Government to monitor police investigations of sexual assault cases. It is currently operated by the NCRB (National Crime Records Bureau).
Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest disposal rate of 97.6 percent, as it disposed of over 74,000 cases against 75,800 cases registered in relation to crime against women.

Notes:
A report titled ‘LiFE lessons from India’ was recently released by the International Energy Agency (IEA).
As per the report, the ‘Lifestyle for Environment’ or LiFE initiative of India for the adoption of energy-efficient behaviour can save the world USD 440 billion in 2030. As per the report, the saving would be equivalent to around 5% of all fuel spending across the global economy in that year.

Notes:
‘World Pulses Day’ is observed on February 10 to raise global awareness about the importance of pulses as a stable global food source that delivers nutritional and environmental security across the world.
The theme for World Pulses Day 2023 is ‘Pulses for a Sustainable Future’.