Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2023

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:
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Ministry of Cooperation, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, NABARD and CSC e-Governance Services India Limited.
It aims to enable Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) to provide services offered by Common Service Centers. Over 300 services will be made available to the rural population including 13 crore farmer members of PACS.

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 India-EU Trade and Technology Council was jointly established by the European Union and India.
Under this new council, three working groups have been set up with the focus on strategic technologies, digital governance, and digital connectivity; green and clean energy technologies; and trade, investment, and resilient value chains. The working groups will be responsible for preparing for the TTC meeting, which is set to take place before the next bilateral India-EU summit.

Notes:
The eXperiential Technology Innovation Centre (XTIC) is a newly established research institute in IIT Madras.
It is India’s research and product innovation centre focusing on extended reality and haptics technology. An MoU was signed recently between ISRO and the IIT Madras to develop a training module for the Indian spaceflight programme at the XTIC. It will be developed using the augmented reality, virtual reality and mixed reality.

Notes:
Bangladesh recorded a 7.10 percent GDP growth rate for the Financial Year (FY) 2022 which marks an increase from 6.94 percent in FY 2021 and 3.45 percent in FY 2020.
As per the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), the per capita income of Bangladesh is USD 2793. The service sector in the Bangladesh economy has the highest share of 51.48 percent.

Notes:
Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton announced a Global Climate Resilience Fund of 50 million dollars for women to fight climate change.
She announced the fund while addressing salt pan workers near Kuda village in Gujarat’s Surendranagar district. The fund will empower women and communities to fight climate change and help provide new livelihood resources and education.

Notes:
The government has set up a special committee to examine the need for a separate competition law for digital companies.
Chaired by Corporate Affairs Secretary Manoj Govil, the committee will review whether existing antitrust laws in the country are equipped to deal with the challenges that have emerged from the digital economy, and submit to the government a draft Digital Competition Act within three months.

Notes:
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is a union of six Arab states namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
The Indian Government revealed that around half of India’s migrant population works in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Most of the migrants are semi-skilled or unskilled workers, while 20-23% are white-collar professionals such as doctors, engineers, architects, chartered accountants, and bankers.

Notes:
The One District One Product (ODOP) initiative is aimed at promoting balanced regional development across all districts of the country.
ODOP has been merged with ‘Districts as Export Hubs Initiative’ being run by the Department of Commerce (DoC) with Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) as a major stakeholder. Under the ODOP- Districts as Export Hubs initiative, products with export potential have been recently identified from all 765 districts of the country.