Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2021

Notes:
The Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon (SAAW) has been indigenously developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s research centre Imarat.
Recently, the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) successfully test fired a Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon (SAAW) from a Hawk-I aircraft, off the coast of Odisha. HAL deploys its Hawk-I platform for certification of systems and weapons.

Notes:
Technology major Google has signed a deal with a group of French publishers which will enable the company make digital copyright payments for online news content.
France became the first country to adopt new European Union copyright rules, which aims to ensure media are paid for original content, typically news, offered online by tech giants such as Google and Facebook.

Notes:
The United Nations agencies namely the UNICEF, FAO, WFP and WHO jointly released the ‘Asia and the Pacific Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition’ report.
It is the third annual report on progress of Sustainable Development Goals and World Health Assembly targets 2030 on nutrition in the Asia and Pacific region. 24 million in the Asia and Pacific region are likely to suffer food insecurity.

Notes:
Reserve Bank of India recently released a discussion paper on revised regulatory framework for Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs).
As per the paper, the regulatory and supervisory framework of NBFCs shall be based on a four-layered structure namely Base Layer, Middle Layer, Upper Layer and a possible Top Layer. RBI also recommended more power for the NBFC Boards on capital and risk management.

Notes:
Punjab is implementing a scheme named ‘Shagun’ under which financial assistance is provided for the marriage of daughter who belongs to the low-income family. It aims to prevent child marriages.
Recently, the Punjab government hiked the grant for the marriage of daughters of construction workers from Rs 31,000 to Rs 51,000.

Notes:
As per a recent publication of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) named “Birds of the Sundarban Biosphere Reserve”, the region is home to 428 species of birds.
The Indian Sunderbans one of the largest mangrove forests in the world, also comprises of the Sunderban Tiger Reserve. Some birds like Masked Finfoot and Buffy fish owl are found only in the Sunderbans.

Notes:
The International Monetary Fund released its latest World Economic Outlook Update recently. As per the report, Indian economy would grow 11.5 per cent in FY22. It has revised the earlier forecast of 8.8 per cent growth.
As per the IMF, India would be the only key country to record a double-digit growth and reclaim the status of the fastest-growing major economy of the world.

Notes:
As per media reports, the Government has appointed an expert panel to review industry’s objections to the proposed ban on 27 widely used pesticides.
Former assistant director general of ICAR, TP Rajendran is to chair the committee, which will submit the report in next three months. The Government has proposed to ban 27 pesticides, which are said to be harmful to animals and humans.

Notes:
START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) is a bilateral agreement signed in 2010 between the United States and Russia.
The treaty, which emphasised on the reduction and limitation of strategic nuclear arms by the two countries, is set to expire next week. Russia’s lower house of parliament approved the extension of the treaty.

Notes:
The third consignment comprising of three number of France manufactured Rafale fighter jets have arrived at India recently. They would be soon inducted officially into the Indian Air Force. This would move up the Rafael’s fleet to 11 aircrafts in the Indian Air Force.
In September 2016, India had signed an agreement with France for purchase of 36 Rafael fighter jets at a cost of Rs.59,000 crores.