Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2023

Notes:
Smart Cities Mission is the Indian Government’s urban renewal program that seeks to create sustainable and citizen-centric smart cities.
It is being implemented by the Union Ministry of Housing Urban Affairs in collaboration with the state governments. As many as 22 smart cities are expected to complete all projects under the Smart Cities Mission. The remaining 78 smart cities under this mission are expected to complete their projects in the next 3 to 4 months.

Notes:
The Indian government announced that retail inflation increased to 6.52% in January from 5.72% in December 2022, mainly due to the rise in food prices.
Retail inflation is measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The Reserve Bank of India’s household survey on inflation expectations forecasts that retail inflation will remain elevated in the next year due to a general increase in prices across different sectors.

Notes:
MobiKwik has become the first fintech app to support RuPay Credit Cards on UPI. The facility will help millions of customers who use UPI for their daily transactions.
With RuPay Credit Cards now linked directly to UPI IDs, customers can easily make payments to merchants by scanning the UPI QR code and using UPI PIN for payment authentication.

Notes:
Samsung Semiconductor India Research (SSIR) and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have recently announced a partnership.
The partnership aims to promote research and development in an on-chip electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection.

Notes:
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot announced an inflation relief package of Rs 19,000 crore in the state’s Budget for 2023-24.
The package aims to provide relief to the masses from rising prices. The package includes free food packets every month to poor families, LPG cylinders for Rs 500 under the Ujjwala Scheme and free electricity up to 100 units per month to domestic consumers. The coverage amount was raised from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 25 lakh Chiranjeevi Swasthya Bima Yojana.

Notes:
The Kala Ghoda Association’s Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2023 was recently organised in Mumbai, Mahrashtra.
The festival began in 1999 and has evolved into a first-of-its-kind multi-disciplinary street art festival. The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival was held after two years at its iconic venue in Mumbai. It includes a number of verticals such as children, food, dance, literature, heritage walks among others.

Notes:
The government has launched a mobile app namely ‘Khanan Prahari’ and a web app Coal Mine Surveillance and Management System (CMSMS) for reporting unauthorized coal mining activities.
The objective of the CMSMS application was to detect participation against illegal mining by receipt of citizen’s complaints through mobile app.

Notes:
Among the big States in the country, Chhattisgarh allocated the most proportion of their budget towards education in FY23.
Chhattisgarh allocated 18.82 per cent of the State’s estimated net budget expenditure to education, while Bihar allocated 18.3 per cent. States that spent a higher portion of their budget expenditure on education are Delhi, Assam, and Himachal Pradesh, which allocated 22 per cent, 20 per cent and 19 per cent, respectively.

Notes:
The IT Department recently launched surveys at the BBC’s offices under Section 133A and other provisions of the IT Act, 1961.
The Act allows the IT Department to conduct surveys to gather hidden information. Under Section 133A of the IT Act, an authorized officer is allowed to enter any place of business or profession or charitable activity within their jurisdiction to verify accounting books and other documents as well as stocks, cash and other assets.

Notes:
National Productivity Day is observed on February 12 every year in India. It is coordinated by the National Productivity Council (NPC), an autonomous government body that comes under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
The day commemorates the founding of the NPC, which was set up in 1958 to promote the productivity culture in India.