Current Affairs Quiz - January 2022

Notes:
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has asked television monitoring agency Broadcast Audience Research Council India (Barc) to release viewership ratings of news channels with immediate effect.
The Ministry has also set up a Sukant Vatsa under the chairmanship of Prasar Bharti CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati to study different aspects of capturing data and to strengthen television rating point (TRP) services.

Notes:
The Philippines has given a $374 million contract to BrahMos Aerospace to supply shore-based anti-ship missiles for the country’s navy.
BrahMos Aerospace, an India-Russian joint venture, produces Supersonic cruise missile ‘BrahMos’ that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft, or land platforms. India has already deployed a large number of the Brahmos missiles and other key assets in several strategic locations.

Notes:
The World Health Organization approved two new Covid-19 treatments. WHO experts said arthritis drug baricitinib can be used with corticosteroids to treat severe Covid patients.
They also recommended synthetic antibody treatment Sotrovimab for the elderly, people with immunodeficiencies or chronic diseases. Only three other treatments for Covid-19 have received WHO approval namely ‘corticosteroids’, ‘Arthritis drugs tocilizumab and sarilumab’ and Synthetic antibody treatment Regeneron.

Notes:
The Defence Ministry has set up an online portal named ‘Raksha Pension Shikayat Nivaran Portal’. It aims to resolve pension-related grievances of ex-servicemen (ESM) and their dependents.
The Minister also announced that the Ministry has allotted ₹320 crore to Armed Forces Flag Day Fund (AFFDF) to clear all backlog of pending applications for welfare schemes. The measures were announced on the occasion of Armed Forces Veterans Day, celebrated on January 14.

Notes:
The 47-day annual religious fair ‘Magh Mela-2022’ has been inaugurated with thousands of pilgrims taking holy dip on the banks of the Sangam in Prayagraj.
Sangam is a sacred confluence of the three rivers namely Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati. The fair is usually held to mark the occasion of Makar Sankranti.

 

Notes:
During a water bird census, an uncommon sea snake was spotted by a team of bird watchers. Hydrophis gracilis, the small-headed sea snake, was spotted at the Perumathura coast in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
Members of the Thiruvananthapuram-based forum of bird watchers and nature lovers, Warblers and Waders, were carrying out the survey as part of the yearly water-bird census.

Notes:
The Chhattisgarh government has decided to set up an employment mission headed by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.
The Chhattisgarh Rojgar Mission will have chief secretary and principal secretary as the Vice Chairman and CEO respectively. It aims to create around 15 lakh job opportunities in the state in the next five years, by leveraging expertise of premiere institutions such as IITs and IIMs.

Notes:
World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) is the flagship publication of United Nations. Recently the 2022 edition was launched.
As per the report, the global output is projected to grow by only 4 per cent in 2022 and 3.5 per cent in 2023. It also highlighted the robust recovery of 5.5 per cent in 2021.

Notes:
Global internet body ICANN-supported Universal Acceptance Steering Group has roped in Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma as UA Ambassador.
The Group works on developing and recommending standards for languages script that are not currently used to access the internet. He is also part of a working group formed by the Ministry of Electronics and IT to prepare a roadmap on universal acceptance and multilingual internet.

Notes:
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the Odisha government have joined hands to improve the food security of small and marginal farmers.
The agreement aims to strengthen the farmers’ resilience to climate change. The WFP and the Agriculture Department will develop toolkits and guidelines to provide services to small farmers. Small farmers, who constitute 90 per cent of the state’s farmers will be guided to adapt to the impact of the climate crisis.