Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2023

Notes:
The ‘zero-draft’ of the pandemic treaty was launched recently by the World Health Organization’s Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB).
The international treaty is expected to be presented at the World Health Assembly in 2024. The aim of the pandemic treaty is to strengthen national and international-level preparedness against future pandemics.

Notes:
The Yuva Sangam is an initiative which was launched to build close ties between the youth of the North East Region and rest of India under the spirit of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat.
The Yuva Sangam registration portal was launched in New Delhi recently. Under the initiative over 20 thousand youth will travel across the country and gain opportunity of cross-cultural learning.

Notes:
The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Reserve Bank of India hiked the key policy rate, the Repo rate by 25 basis points to 6.50 per cent in a bid to control the retail inflation.
The RBI has increased the repo rate by a cumulative 250 basis points to 6.50 per cent since May this year. The RBI has projected GDP growth for the next fiscal (FY2024) at 6.4 per cent.

Notes:
The state government of Gujarat has recently announced a 100 percent increase in Annual Statement of Rates.
The Annual Statement of Rate (ASR), also known as the Jantri rate, is the minimum rate set by state governments for registering real estate property when it changes ownership. These rates differ between cities and places based on the type, location, and size of the property.

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:
The Union Ministry of Mines announced that lithium reserves have been found in Jammu and Kashmir, a first in the country.
The Geological Survey of India established 5.9 million tonnes of inferred lithium resources in the Salal-Haimana area of Reasi District in Jammu and Kashmir. This could boost the manufacturing of rechargeable batteries for electric cars, smartphones, and laptops and cut India’s dependence on lithium imports. ​​

Notes:
As per YouGov’s latest report, over a third of urban Indians have claimed that their disposable income has decreased in the last 12 months.
Putting money in their savings (33 per cent), paying for health insurance (26 per cent) and investments in stocks and shares (21 per cent) were the top three financial activities done in the past 12 months, as per the report.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off two Vande Bharat trains in Maharashtra high-speed rail connection.
The Mumbai-Solapur and Mumbai-Sainagar Vande Bharat Express were flagged off from Mumbai. With this, the number of Vande Bharat Express trains running from Mumbai will increase to three and the count will go up to 10 for the country.

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 Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), also known as the Tamil Tigers, was a militant organization in Sri Lanka that fought for an independent Tamil state called Tamil Eelam.
The militant group was founded in 1976 by Velupillai Prabhakaran. It engaged in armed clashes against the Sri Lankan government and armed forces. The LTTE was widely regarded as the most dominant Tamil militant group in Sri Lanka and a feared guerrilla force.