Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2023

Notes:
Minister of Tourism G. Kishan Reddy launched the Visit India Year – 2023 initiative. He also unveiled its logo, kicking off plans and activities for promoting tourism in the country.
Over one lakh foreign delegates will visit India this year and they will be showcased the entire arena of India’s culture, including monuments and festivals.

Notes:
Dholavira is believed to have been occupied around 3500 BC (pre-Harappan) till around 1800 BC. It was also named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2021.
The first G20 Tourism Working Group meeting will be held in Rann of Kutch, Gujarat.  During the occasion, delegates will be taken on an excursion to Dholavira, the southern centre of the Harappan Civilisation. Representatives from United Nations’ World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), and International Labour Organisation (ILO) will also participate in the meeting.

Notes:
Dust particles in Jamshedpur and adjoining areas in Jharkhand have a heavy concentration of toxic metals.
Though they are not carcinogenic, the particles pose a high health risk, especially for children. Thgis was revealed at a conference held by the state pollution control board and Ranchi Municipal Corporation in association with ASAR, an organisation working on clean air and environment. As of now, Ranchi does not have any government-operated continuous air quality monitoring system.

Notes:
For the next fiscal year 2023-24, the Union Budget has pegged disinvestment revenue at Rs 51,000 crore.
The government has also scaled down the disinvestment target for the current fiscal to Rs 50,000 crore, from Rs 65,000 crore budgeted last year. The Government expects divestment processes initiated in the current fiscal to be closed by the next fiscal year, including IDBI, Shipping Corporation of India and NMDC Steel.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India issued Master Direction – Reserve Bank of India (Acquisition and Holding of Shares or Voting Rights in Banking Companies) Directions.
As per the directions, permission to acquire shares or voting rights in a banking company for non-promoter will be limited to 10 % in case of individuals, non-financial institutions, and financial institutions connected with large industrial houses. The limit is 15 % in case of financial institutions, PSUs and government. RBI recently allowed DSP Investment Managers to hike its stake in DCB Bank to 9.99 per cent.

Notes:
As per the Union budget 2023-24, the government proposed to increase the agricultural credit target to ₹20 lakh crore with a focus on animal husbandry, dairy and fisheries.
The target has been increased from Rs 18 lakh crore, with an increase of 11.11% year on year. An Agriculture Accelerator Fund will be set up to encourage agri-startups by young entrepreneurs. The agriculture sector has been growing at an average annual growth rate of 4.6 per cent in the last six years.

Notes:
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a grant of ₹5,300 crore for the Upper Bhadra Irrigation Project in Karnataka in the Union Budget 2023.
The fund will be used to provide sustainable micro irrigation and filling up of surface tanks for drinking water. Karnataka was the only state mentioned in the budget.

Notes:
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi named as the world’s most popular leader with an approval rating of 78 per cent.
The Global Leader Approval survey, carried out by the USbased Morning Consult, featured 22 global leaders. PM Modi stood on top of the list with 78% approval rating. The second most popular leader as per the survey is Andres Manual Lopez Obrador ( Mexico ), while Alain Berset (Switzerland ) stood third. US President Joe Biden came seventh while UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was placed 12th.

Notes:
A new species of frog known as the Ukaguru spiny-throated reed frog has been discovered in African country Tanzania.
The frog has an uncommon characteristic of being completely silent, unlike other frogs that croak, sing, or ribbit. This frog belongs to the ‘spiny-throated’ group. They are only found in small populations, making them vulnerable to extinction.

Notes:
The Eagle 44 (Oghab 44) is the first underground air force base of Iran. It is capable of housing fighter jets equipped with cruise missiles.
The unveiling of the Oghab 44 is seen as a display of Iran’s aerial military strength in response to a joint drill conducted by the US and Israel. It will host jets and drones equipped with long-range cruise missiles to destroy adversary targets in case of attack.