Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2023

Notes:
In the Union Budget 2023, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has proposed to increase the tax rebate to Rs 7 lakh under New Tax Regime.
This means no tax will be levied on income up to Rs 7 lakh under New Regime. Standard Deduction under New Tax Regime for individuals with income up to Rs 15 lakh will be Rs 52,400. The Finance Minister has proposed to reduce the highest surcharge rate from 37 per cent to 25 per cent in the new tax regime, for individuals in the highest tax bracket.

Notes:
The United Nations food agency, the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) price index tracks the most globally traded food commodities.
As per the recent FAO Food Price Index (FFPI), World food prices decline for 10th month as recorded in January- FAO Food Price Index (FFPI). The index averaged 131.2 points in January against 132.4 for December.

Notes:
Lucknow will host the first meeting of the G20 Digital Economy Working Group (DEWG). A Digital India Mobile Van has been introduced with respect to the meeting.
The Digital India Mobile Van will tour other cities in the country, enlightening citizens about G20 DEWG and Digital India’s key initiatives including PMJDY, DigiLocker, Aadhaar, UMANG, e-Way Bill, e-Aushadhi, Aarogya Setu, Co-WIN, e-Rupi, and India Stack Global.

Notes:
National Research Foundation is an autonomous agency that comes under the aegis of Ministry of Science and Technology (DST).
The Union Budget 2023-24 has earmarked Rs.2,000 crore as an outlay for the National Research Foundation to boost research and innovation within India.

Notes:
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the earthquake that hit Gaziantep in southern Turkey was the country’s worst disaster since 1939 Erzincan earthquake.
The 1939 Erzincan earthquake resulted in the deaths of around 33,000 individuals. It was caused by the movement of the North Anatolian Fault Zone, which resulted in a quake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale. This earthquake caused damage to the Erzincan Plain and the Kelkit River Valley.

Notes:
A new report ‘Teleconnections Among Tipping Elements in the Earth System’ Report, has found a direct link between deforestation of the Amazon rainforest and the temperature changes in Tibet.
Tibet is situated more than 15,000 km from the rainforest. It revealed the strong link between climate tipping elements. A tipping point is a threshold beyond which major, irreversible changes occur in a specific region.

Notes:
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs signed a MoU with Engineers India Limited to develop Waste to Energy and bio-methanation projects in cities with a population of million plus.
It was signed as a part of furthering the ‘Green Growth’ agenda. There are 59 million plus cities in India and EIL will assist them in developing such projects for larger quantum of waste integrating circularity in waste management.

 

Notes:
The Quad Cyber Challenge was launched by the QUAD member states (Australia, India, Japan, and the United States) to enhance the cyber security within their individual territories.
This campaigns calls on Internet users across the Indo-Pacific region and other places to join the pledge to practice safe and responsible cyber habits.

Notes:
Glacial Lake Outburst Floods, or GLOFs, are sudden and powerful releases of water from glacial lakes due to the failure of a dam made of glacial materials.
GLOFs are dangerous in mountainous areas, where they can lead to flash floods, landslides, and other environmental risks. According to a new study, over 3 million individuals in India are at risk from GLOF.

Notes:
In the fifth Khelo India Youth Games recently concluded in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra ranks first in the medal table with 161 medals including 56 gold medals. Maharashtra had already won the titles in 2019 and 2020.
Haryana claimed the first runners-up trophy with 128 medals, followed by the hosts Madhya Pradesh in the third place.