Current Affairs Quiz - January 2022

Notes:
Former Comptroller and auditor general of India Vinod Rai has been appointed as the independent chairman of Unity Small Finance Bank (SFB) and Reserve Bank of India has granted its approval in this regard.
The Bank has also onboarded Sandip Ghose (RBI veteran) and Basant Seth (former CMD of Syndicate Bank) into its business group.

Notes:
The UN General Assembly approved an Israeli-sponsored resolution condemning any denial of the Holocaust.
The resolution also urged all nations and social media companies to take active measures to combat anti-semitism and Holocaust denial or distortion. UN has an outreach program on the Holocaust and the UNESCO, has a program on Holocaust education and combating anti-Semitism.

Notes:
The World Bank has approved a loan of around Rs 1,000 crore (USA 125 million) for the West Bengal government.
The loan has been approved under the ‘West Bengal Building State Capability for Inclusive Social Protection’ operation. The loan is being given for several development projects related to social security.

Notes:
The Australian government has bought the copyright of the Aboriginal flag, to free the symbol of identity from fights over who can use it.
Indigenous artist Harold Thomas created the flag in 1971 as a protest image. It is used as the dominant Aboriginal emblem and an official national flag. Now, the flag can be reproduced by anyone without fear of legal threats.

Notes:
The 77 year-old Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee refused the Padma Bhushan award announced in 2022.
He served as the Chief Minister of West Bengal from 2000 to 2011. Legendary singer Sandhya Mukherjee and tabla exponent Anindya Chatterjee also refused the awards. Sandhya Mukherjee has a 70 year long career and has sung thousands of songs for Indian cinema.

Notes:
Sangolli Rayanna was at the forefront to fight the East India Company but was executed by the British in 1831. He was trusted lieutenant of Rani Kittur Chennamma.
The Karnataka government has decided to establish a school named after freedom fighter Sangolli Rayanna at his birthplace in Belagavi district, at a cost of Rs 180 crore.

Notes:
A joint maritime exercise Paschim Lehar was conducted by the Indian Navy concluded off the West Coast recently.
The Exercise aims to enhance the inter-service synergy among the Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, Indian Army and Coast Guard.  It was conducted over a duration of 20 days with participation of various equipment of the armed forces.

Notes:
Pakistan has raised USD 1 billion loan with Sukuk (Islamic Bond), at highest ever interest rate of 7.95%.
In return for the loan, Pakistan has also agreed to pledge a portion of the Lahore-Islamabad motorway, which is a national sset built in the 1990s. The last Islamic Bond issued by Pakistan was in 2017, which was a 5-year Sukuk at a rate of 5.6%.

Notes:
Former Finance Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg has authored a book titled , “The $10 Trillion Dream”.
It explores the policy issues that India faces today and suggests reforms for it to become a USD 10 trillion economy by the mid-2030s. S C Garg is an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and was appointed as Finance Secretary in 2019.

Notes:
France’s Justice Ministry has been hit by cyber-attack from a group known as LockBit 2.0. The group locked the ministry’s files and asking for ransom from the Government.
The country has launched investigation on the attack. As per government sources, no criminal records have been affected.