Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2023

Notes:
Union Finance Minister announced an initiative called MISHTI ‘Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats and Tangible Incomes’.
Under the scheme, mangrove plantations will be taken up along the country’s coastline apart from salt pans, wherever feasible, through the convergence of the job guarantee scheme MGNREGS, the Compensatory Afforestation Fund, and other sources.

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:
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:
Assam state government has initiated action on child marriage. The state police have so far arrested nearly 2,500 people for marrying minor girls or facilitating such marriages.
Assam Cabinet earlier decided to book men who marry girls aged below 14 under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. Those who marry girls in the age group of 14-18 years will be tried under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006.

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:
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) recently found 1,200-year-old idols in Nalanda in Bihar. They were found from a waterbody close to the ancient Nalanda University during desilting of a pond.
Nalanda Mahavihara is a world heritage site about 88 km from this place.  The idols were found during desilting under Bihar government’s ‘Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali’ project launched to protect and conserve water and the environment.

Notes:
Parli Vaijnath-Vikarabad Railway Electrification Project was completed recently, after which the entire route of 268 kilometers is now electrified.
Parli Vaijnath is a city of Maharashtra. The project will benefit the people of Telangana, Karnataka and Maharashtra.

Notes:
International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation is observed on February 6 each year to raise global awareness about the issue concerning the female genital mutilation (FGM).
This day was established in 2003 after the Campaign against Female Genital Mutilation officially declared “Zero Tolerance to FGM” in Africa on February 6.

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:
The India Energy Week is being organized from February 6 to 8 in India. The objective of this week-long event is to showcase India’s influence as a leader in the energy transition.
While inaugurating the 2023 India Energy Week, Prime Minister Modi launched Indian Oil’s ‘Unbottled’ initiative, which involves using recycled polyester and cotton for creating retail customer attendants and LPG delivery personnel uniforms. Indian Oil’s Indoor Solar Cooking System was also rolled out for commercial purposes.