Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2023

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:
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has announced ₹9,698 crore-worth projects in the State Budget 2023-23 for comprehensive development of Bengaluru city.
Under the Amrutha Nagarothana Scheme, works worth ₹6,000 crore are being implemented in Bengaluru. Development of 108 km of roads has been taken up under the high-density corridors scheme.

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.

Notes:
Issues concerning ‘corrupt practice’ is dealt with by Section 123 of the Representation of People’s Act, 1951.
Recently, the Supreme Court observed that no individual in India cast their votes based on the education qualifications of the candidate. Therefore, false information regarding the electoral candidate’s education qualifications cannot be considered as corrupt practice.

Notes:
Researchers have discovered the fifth layer of the Earth by measuring seismic waves generated by earthquakes.
They revealed the presence of a solid “metallic ball” at the centre of the inner core, referred to as the ‘innermost inner core’. This is expected to reveal new insights into the deepest parts of the planet’s inner core.

Notes:
Agasthiyamalai Elephant Reserve is the fifth elephant reserve in Tamil Nadu. It is situated close to the Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR).
The Tamil Nadu government has recently issued an order to establish a biodiversity museum and a conservation center with eco-park in the Agasthiyamalai Elephant Reserve. It will be funded by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board.

Notes:
South Korea’s fertility rate is the lowest in the world. The average number of expected babies per South Korean women over her reproductive life declined from 0.81 in 2021 to 0.78 in 2022.
The country requires fertility rate of 2.1 to maintain a stable population. However, its number of deaths surpassed the births since 2020. The low fertility rate is causing major economic concerns in South Korea.

Notes:
During an El Nino event, the trade winds that usually blow from east to west across the Pacific weaken, causing warm water to move towards the central and eastern Pacific.
This year is expected to witness the setting in of the El Nino weather. Although El Niño is a natural occurrence, there are concerns that climate change may aggravate its frequency and intensity.

Notes:
The ‘Barisu Kannada Dim Dimava’ cultural festival will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi.
The festival is part of the ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ initiative of the Indian Government. The ‘Barisu Kannada Dim Dimava’ cultural festival celebrates the cultural heritage of Karnataka. It is organized under the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. This festival will feature various art forms from Karnataka such as dance, music, drama, poetry etc.

Notes:
Nepal is planning to develop the Phukot Karnali Hydropower Project, a semi-reservoir hydropower project with a capacity of 480 MW.
It is to be built through collaboration between India’s National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) and Nepal’s Vidyut Utpadan Company Ltd (VUCL). The surplus electricity from this hydroelectric project will be exported to India and Nepal will get 21.9% free energy monthly from the project.