Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2023

Notes:
India and the USA have agreed to constitute task force to boost cooperation in semiconductor industry.
The task force will involve India’s Semiconductor Mission, India Electronics Semiconductor Association and the US Semiconductor Industry Association.  This was announced during the inaugural meeting of the initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET).

Notes:
First G20 Sustainable Financial Working Group meeting was recently inaugurated in Guwahati, Assam.
Guest delegates visited several places of importance like Kaziranga National Park, Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, Gorbhanga Reserve Forest, Brahmaputra’s River Island and Brahmaputra Heritage Centre.

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:
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) designated the first seven days of February as World Interfaith Harmony Week in 2010.
The idea of World Interfaith Harmony Week was first proposed at the United Nations in 2010 by Jordan’s King Abdullah II. UNGA encourages all countries to voluntarily disseminate the message of interfaith tolerance and goodwill in accordance with their religious traditions.

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:
Maharashtra tops the list in sales of electric vehicles across all segments which have availed of the FAME II subsidy.
It is followed by Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Rajasthan. The top five states collectively account for over 56 per cent of the 0.85 million electric vehicles bought through the scheme, according to government data. Under the FAME II scheme, the government earmarked Rs 10,000 crore as a subsidy to electric vehicles. The scheme has been extended till March-end 2024.

Notes:
The United Nations food agency, the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) price index tracks the most globally traded food commodities.
As per the recent FAO Food Price Index (FFPI), World food prices decline for 10th month as recorded in January- FAO Food Price Index (FFPI). The index averaged 131.2 points in January against 132.4 for December.

Notes:
India jumped to the third spot in the International Boxing Association’s (IBA) latest world ranking.
Indian boxing teams consistently finished amongst the top 5 countries at global multi-nation tournaments such as World Championships, Asian Games and the Common wealth games.

Notes:
Ministry of Heavy Industries implements the ‘FAME (faster adoption and manufacturing of electric vehicles) scheme’.
The government has nearly doubled its budgetary allocation for the FAME scheme to subsidise the purchase of electric vehicles. As per the budget, the subsidy under FAME scheme for fiscal 2024 is projected at Rs 5,172 crore, compared to the revised estimate of Rs 2,897 crore in the current fiscal year. This is the highest allocation under the scheme since its launch in 2020.

Notes:
Coal India arm, Mahanadi Coal Fields (MCL) MCL has introduced drone technology in coal mines for environmental monitoring, volume measurement and digital mapping of mines.
The technology has been introduced through the launch of a web-based portal ‘VIHANGAM’ along with a drone and ground control system. The portal allows an authorised person to access real time drone video from the mine through a dedicated internet lease line near the mines.