Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2023

Notes:
Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar 2019, 2020 and 2021 have been awarded by the Sangeet Natak Akademi to 102 artists.
Sangeet Natak Akademi, the national academy of Music, Dance and Drama, is the apex body of the performing arts in the country. The Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar is given to artists up to the age of 40 years, aims to encourage outstanding young talents in diverse fields of the performing arts.

Notes:
India is ranked at 47th position in Services Trade Restrictiveness Index (STRI) conducted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) for the year 2022.
The index includes sectors like air transport, road freight cover and government regulations. The STRI indices takes into consideration the government policies in several sectors that define the ease of trading in those sectors and industries. Based on these factors, STRI indices assign value to countries between zero and one.

Notes:
A bipartisan resolution was introduced in the US Senate to recognise Arunachal Pradesh as an integral part of India.
The resolution commends India for taking steps to defend itself against aggression and security threats from China.

Notes:
The Munich Security Conference is an annual conference that focuses on global security issues. It brings senior politicians and military leaders from across the world to Germany’s Munich.
In the 2023 conference, which was held recently, a major focus was given to the war in Ukraine. For the first time in many years, Russia did not send a delegation to this event.

Notes:
Kuno National Park is a wildlife sanctuary and national park located in Madhya Pradesh. It is named after the Kuno River and was initially established in 1981 as a wildlife sanctuary. In 2018, it was granted national park status.
As part of the Cheetah Reintroduction Project, 12 more cheetahs were released into the Kuno National Park, bringing the total number of cheetahs to 20.

Notes:
Israel has passed a new Citizenship Law that allows the deportation and stripping of citizenship of individuals who received funding from the Palestinian Authority or an associated organization.
This legislation amends Israel’s 1952 Citizenship Law. The new law applies to Israeli citizens and permanent residents, who are imprisoned after being convicted for terror, aiding terror, harming sovereignty, inciting war and assisting the adversary during the times of war.

Notes:
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has developed an indigenous data link communication named ‘Vayulink’. It uses the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) that is also known as NAVIC, to send radio communication to the base station when the signals are low.
The Vayulink system also prevents aircraft collision, provides better combat teaming and helps plan real-time basis.

Notes:
The Government has given in-principle approval to nine more ethanol projects under its ethanol interest subvention scheme.
The projects are expected to add to the additional capacity of about 35 crore litres. The government is extending financial assistance in the form of interest subvention at 6 per cent per annum or 50 per cent of the rate of interest charged by banks, whichever is lower, on the loans to be extended by banks for five years.

Notes:
The United States and South Korea recently conducted a simulated table-top exercise called DSC TTX.
It is aimed at determining actions to be taken in the event of a possible nuclear attack by North Korea. The exercise was the eighth edition of the US and South Korean deterrence strategy committee table-top exercise.

Notes:
The Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) is a division of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that provides financial assistance to the world’s most impoverished countries.
It was established in 1999, to replace the Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility. The IMF recently sought urgent action from the international community to strengthen the global financial architecture, including global financial safety net and the debt resolution.