Current Affairs Quiz - January 2022

Notes:
India celebrates National Girl Child Day on January 24 every year. It is an initiative undertaken by the Ministry of women and child development, to create awareness and provide opportunities to the girls of India.
The government of India, in 2008, declared January 24 to be celebrated as the National Girl Child Day every year.

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:
India’s star opener Smriti Mandhana was named the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year for her contribution across all formats in 2021. She was short-listed for ‘the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy’
The Indian T20 Vice-Captain is only the second India woman player to bag an ICC award after veteran pacer Jhulan Goswami, who was named the ICC Player of the Year in 2007. England captain Root was named ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year for 2021 and Pakistan skipper Babar Azam named ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year for 2021.

Notes:
‘Koozhangal’ from India won the best film award in the Asian Film Competition section at the 20th Dhaka International Film Festival. It was directed by P S Vinothraj from Tamil Nadu.
Best Actor Award went to Jayasurya for Ranjith Sankar-directed film Sunny. The Best Script Writer Award went to Indranil Roychowdhury and Sugata Sinha for India-Bangladesh film Mayar Jonjal. The special audience award was given to Aimee Baruah Directed film Semkhor. India won 4 out of 17 awards.

Notes:
The Home Ministry announced the list of recipients of the Padma awards.128 people have been named this year for the Awards which are conferred in three categories – Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri.
The third highest award, Padma Bhushan will be conferred on Global  heads of tech giants Microsoft and Google Satya Nadella and Sundar Pichai; Vaccine makers – Cyrus Poonawalla of the Serum Institue and Krishna Ella and Suchitra Ella of Bharat Biotech. India’s first Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat was conferred the Padma Vibhushan posthumously.

Notes:
Scientists from IIT Kharagpur have developed a portable, inexpensive device for detecting oral cancer. The estimated cost per device is within USD500.
The new technology enables a clinician in a community health centre detect potential vulnerable cases early enough, during the first examination.

Notes:
January 26 marks the date the British fleet sailed into Sydney Harbour in 1788 to start a penal colony. For many Indigenous Australians, it is “Invasion Day”.
Prime Minister participated in the national flag-raising and citizenship ceremony in Australia’s capital, Canberra. While many protesters held rallies across the country with some carrying the Aboriginal flag and “change the date” signs.

Notes:
The drug regulator has granted Serum Institute of India’s Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin Covid-19 vaccines “conditional market authorisation”.
Since January last year, the two vaccines have been available under “Emergency Use Authorisation” (EUA). They have to submit the safety and efficacy data every six months, under the new authorisation against 15 days earlier. This is different from the Full Market Authorisation.

Notes:
Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar launched the Karnataka Brain Health Initiative, a first-of-its-kind plan in India.
The plan has been undertaken by NIMHANS (National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences) in association with NITI Aayog. Under the new programme, Doctors will be trained in screening and treating mental health patients.

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.