Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2023

Notes:
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant announced that one-year work experience would be made compulsory for recruitment in state government departments.
The practice would help the government in getting skilled manpower. The Chief Minister also launched ‘Har Ghar Dhyan’ organized by the Directorate of Art and Culture in collaboration with Art of Living.

Notes:
The President of India Droupadi Murmu addressed the 31st Foundation Day of the National Commission for Women in Delhi.
The theme of the programme is ‘Sashakt Nari Sashakt Bharat’ aimed at acknowledging and celebrating the stories of women who have excelled and paved their journey to leave a mark. NCW was founded in January 1992 as a statutory body under the National Commission for Women Act, 1990.

Notes:
Netherlands emerged as India’s third largest exports destination after the US and UAE during April-December 2022.
The change is due to a surge in shipment of goods such as petroleum products, electronic items, chemicals, and aluminium goods. India’s trade surplus with the Netherlands has also increased from USD 1.5 billion in 2017 to USD 12.3 billion in 2022.

Notes:
WAPCOS is an engineering consultancy and construction services firm under the Jal Shakti Ministry. In September 2022, it filed draft papers with market regulator SEBI for launching an IPO by selling 3.25 crore shares held by the Government.
Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) announced recently that the Government is targeting to launch the initial public offering (IPO) of IREDA, and WAPCOS, in the next fiscal.

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:
Scientists from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal, have sequenced the draft genome of four native Indian cow breeds.
For the first time, the genetic makeup of four native Indian cow breeds — Kasaragod Dwarf, Kasaragod Kapila, Vechur, and Ongole has been unravelled.

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:
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:
The 36th Surajkund International Crafts Mela was inaugurated by Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar in Faridabad, Haryana.
For this year, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is the participating international entity while eight northeast states, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Sikkim, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura, are the theme states. The artists of these states will come together to showcase their art, handicrafts, and cuisines on a single platform.

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.