Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2023

Notes:
As per the Economic Survey 2022-23, the central and state governments’ budgeted expenditure on healthcare touched 2.1 % of GDP in FY23 and 2.2% in FY22.
In FY21, the figure was only 1.6% in FY21. The Survey said that the share of expenditure on health in total expenditure on social services has risen from 21% in FY19 to 26 % in FY23 (BE). Out of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) as a percentage of total health expenditure has declined from 64.2% in FY14 to 48.2% in FY19.

Notes:
As per a recommendation made by the Department of Commerce, IIT Madras will be provided a grant of Rs 242 Crore over a period of five years to undertake research on Lab Grown Diamonds (LGD).
In the Union Budget 2023, Union Finance Minister said that Lab grown Diamonds (LGD) is a technology and innovation-driven emerging sector with high employment potential.

Notes:
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) releases the Digital Payments Index (RBI-DPI) twice a year, to measure the adoption of online transactions, digital payments across India.
As per the recent data, the digital payments registered a growth of 24.13% in a year through September 2022. RBI-DPI stood at 377.46 in September 2022 against 349.30 in March 2022 and 304.06 in September 2021.

Notes:
Equatorial Guinea has appointed Manuela Roka Botey as prime minister. She became the first woman in the country to hold the position. President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who has ruled the country since 1979, made the announcement.
Ms Rotey was previously the education minister and joined the government in 2020. She replaces former premier Francisco Pascual Obama Asue.

Notes:
According to a recent gazette notification, the government has revised the definition of broadband connectivity, specifying a higher minimum download speed of 2 megabits per second.
Earlier, the definition notified by the Telecom Department in 2013 had benchmarked it to 512 kbps (kilobits per second) as minimum download speed. As of November 30, 2022, India had about 825.4 million broadband subscribers, of which 793.5 million were wireless broadband users.

Notes:
In the Union Budget 2023, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has proposed to increase the tax rebate to Rs 7 lakh under New Tax Regime.
This means no tax will be levied on income up to Rs 7 lakh under New Regime. Standard Deduction under New Tax Regime for individuals with income up to Rs 15 lakh will be Rs 52,400. The Finance Minister has proposed to reduce the highest surcharge rate from 37 per cent to 25 per cent in the new tax regime, for individuals in the highest tax bracket.

Notes:
Australia’s central bank said that its new USD 5 bill would feature an Indigenous design rather than an image of King Charles III.
The King is still expected to appear on coins that currently bear the image of the late Queen Elizabeth II. The bank will consult with Indigenous groups in designing the USD 5 note.

Notes:
The First G-20 Energy Transition Working Group meeting was recently inaugurated in Bengaluru in the presence of Union Minister of Power and New and Renewable Energy R K Singh and Union Minister of Coal and Mines Prahlad Joshi.
India stands committed to reduce emissions intensity of GDP by 45 percent by 2030 from 2005 level. The country also aims to achieve close to 50 percent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030.

Notes:
The NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) is an Earth-observation satellite jointly developed by NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
The SUV-size satellite will be shipped to India in a special cargo container flight later this month. It is expected to be launched into outer space in 2024 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. NISAR will provide critical information on Earth’s crust, ice sheets, and ecosystems.

Notes:
India’s first Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine (H2ICE) technology was launched by Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) for heavy-duty trucks.
It was developed by RIL in collaboration with vehicle partners like Ashok Leyland and others and was launched during the India Energy Week 2023. The H2ICE technology minimizes carbon emissions and delivers better performance when compared with conventional diesel trucks.