Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2023

Notes:
The JANUS-1 Satellite is the world’s first cloud-built demonstration satellite. It was fully conceived, designed, and manufactured with Antaris’ end-to-end cloud platform.
This satellite was successfully launched recently with the help of the SSLV-D2 rocket developed by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).

Notes:
The Shrama Shakthi Scheme was launched recently by the Karnataka Government. Under this scheme, the state government will provide a financial aid of Rs.500 per head every month to landless women farm labourers.
It will be implemented through the direct benefit transfer (DBT). Free bus passes for working women, school and college going girl students, Free skill training initiative for women are part of the scheme.

Notes:
India’s first ring metro corridor is expected to be operationalized in 2024 in Delhi. The Majlis Park-Maujpur corridor will be the first and only ring metro corridor in India.
The total length of this ring metro corridor is 71.15 km and it will have a total of 8 stations. This ring metro corridor is expected to ease travel for passengers from Faridabad, Noida, Ghaziabad, and Bahadurgarh.

Notes:
The government of Ireland has recently terminated the Immigrant Investor Programme. Under this initiative, citizens of the non-EU countries were permitted to acquire residency in Ireland if they make an investment of at least 1 million euros in the country.
This programme also provided visas to those donating 5 lakh euros to philanthropic causes. This programme has overseen investments of around 1.2 billion euros for almost 10 years. It was terminated as such initiatives are seen as a security risk.

Notes:
Indian Railways launches Rail Post Gati Shakti Express Cargo Service to provide logistics for services sector in country simultaneously on four sectors.
The Cargo Service is a joint parcel product of the two entities between Indian Railways and India Post. The service was among the announcements made by Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in last year’s Budget.

Notes:
The Special Marriage Act of 1954 (SMA) was passed by the Indian Parliament to govern the civil marriages that are sanctioned by the state instead of the religion.
It is designed to enable interfaith or inter-caste marriages without the couple giving up their individual religious identities. This law applies to people of all faiths, including Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Jains, and Buddhists living across India.

Notes:
The Vertiplane X3 drone was used to carry out a demonstration in Uttarakhand, where it transported 2 kg of anti-tuberculosis drugs from AIIMS Rishikesh to a district hospital in Tehri Garhwal.
The demonstration covered an aerial distance of around 40 km in just 30 minutes. The drone is a ‘made-in-India hybrid’ e-VTOL with a maximum speed of 120 kmph. It was developed by Tech-Eagle Innovations.

Notes:
A report titled ‘Fossil Fuel Prices and Inflation in India’ was released recently by Cambridge Econometrics. According to this report, fossil fuel-related items like transport and household energy contributed to 20 percent of India’s annual rate of inflation between April and May 2022.
Between January 2021 and August 2022, prices of fuel and power surged nearly 5 times faster than the overall consumer price in India. This has increased household expenses on fuel and electricity.

Notes:
World Pangolin Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in February, which aims to raise awareness about these unique mammals.
International non-profit organisation TRAFFIC has released a fact sheet on the eve of World Pangolin Day. It reported that 1,203 pangolins have been found in illegal wildlife trade in India from 2018 to 2022. The pangolin scales are used as an ingredient in traditional medicine in China and Southeast Asia.

Notes:
The third phase of ‘Sagar Parikrama’ initiative, which aims to resolve fishermen issues, is set to begin in Gujarat.
Sagar Parikrama is a journey across the coastal belt demonstrating solidarity with all fisherpersons, fish farmers as a spirit of 75th Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. It is an initiative of Government of India, aiming to resolve the issues of the fishers and other stakeholders and facilitate their economic upliftment.