Current Affairs Quiz - January 2022

Notes:
India and Israel launched a commemorative logo to mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
The logo has the Star of David and the Ashoka Chakra- the two symbols that feature in the national flags of both countries and forms the numeral 30 depicting the 30th anniversary of bilateral relations. Israel and India established diplomatic relations on 29th of January 1992.

Notes:
China-Russia-Iran Navies participate in the ‘CHIRU-2Q22’ is a Joint Drill. China announced that it has sent its naval missile destroyer Urumqi to the Gulf of Oman to participate in the drill.
The Chinese regime also sent helicopters and marines for the exercise. Russia sent its Pacific Fleet’s task force which included Nakhimov missile cruiser Varyag and anti-submarine warfare ship Admiral Tributs. The exercises are held in the waters of the Mediterranean and Okhotsk seas.

Notes:
The National Voters’ Day is celebrated every year on January 25 to encourage the country’s voters to participate in the electoral process.
The theme for this year’s National Voters’ Day (12th edition) is ‘Making Elections Inclusive, Accessible and Participative’. New voters completing 18 years  would be enrolled and be given the Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) on January 25 every year.

Notes:
Veteran archaeologist, art historian and Padma Bhushan awardee R Nagaswamy has passed away at the age of 91.
He was the first director of Tamil Nadu government’s Department of Archaeology. He played a key role in bringing back the Chola-era bronze Nataraja to Tamil Nadu Nagaswamy founded the Institute of Epigraphy and Archaeology in 1973. He had also excavated many sites in Tamil Nadu, including Korkai, the ancient Pandyan port.

Notes:
‘INS Khukri Memorial’ is a Indo-Pakistani War memorial commemorating a frigate attacked by a Pakistani submarine in 1976.
INS Khukri, the lead ship of the Indian Navy’s Khukri class corvettes and an indigenous surface-to-surface missile fitted vessel, was handed over to Diu administration.  Built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders, the ship was commissioned in 1989, in Mumbai. The ship was decommissioned in December 2021 and sent to Diu, for public display in INS Khukri Memorial.

Notes:
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) released its World Economic Outlook January 2022 assessment.
As per the update, India is estimated to grow at 9% in 2021-2022, down from 9.5% projected in October 2021. It also projects 9% growth for the Indian economy in 2022-23 Global economic growth will dip from 5.9% in 2021 to 4.4% in 2022.

Notes:
The scientific team at CSIR-CDRI, Lucknow along with their industry partner Biotech Desk have successfully developed the indigenous RTPCR Kit INDICoV-OmTM for specific detection of the Omicron variant.
Most of the RT-PCR-based diagnostic kits do not confirm whether Covid infection is caused by the Omicron variant. Also various current Omicron tests have several limitations.

Notes:
The International Monetary Fund’s board urged El Salvador to drop Bitcoin from its status as legal currency.
El Salvador last year sought a $1.3 billion IMF loan. IMF has urged the country to strip the legal tender status of Bitcoin due to its large risks. This is also said to be a major obstacle for the country’s efforts to get a loan from IMF.

Notes:
Pandit Jasraj (1930–2020) was an Indian classical vocalist, belonging to the Mewati Gharana. Recently the Pandit Jasraj Cultural Foundation was launched, presided over by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
It is a not-for-profit organisation set up with the objective of protecting and promoting national heritage, art and culture. The foundation aims to take forward the legacy of Pandit Jasraj.

Notes:
The Government has appointed V Anantha Nageswaran as its Chief Economic Advisor (CEA). He was Dean of IFMR Graduate School of Business.
He was also a part-time member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister from 2019 to 2021.The upcoming Survey has been drafted by a team led by Principal Economic Advisor Sanjeev Sanyal.