Current Affairs Quiz - January 2022

Notes:
Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare launched a Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM) in 2014-15, to increase the reach of farm mechanization to small and marginal farmers and to the regions where farm power availability is low.
As per recent guidelines of SMAM, a grant of up to 100 percent of the cost of agriculture drone or Rs 10 lakh is provided for purchase of drones by the Farm Machinery Training & Testing Institutes, ICAR institutes, KVKs and State Agriculture Universities for demonstrations of this technology the farmers’ fields. FPOs can get up to 75 percent of the cost of agriculture drone.

Notes:
India ace badminton player PV Sindhu won the women`s singles title at the Syed Modi International tournament.
The top-seed Sindhu defeated Malvika Bansod 21-13, 21-16 in the final clash. The men`s singles final of the Syed Modi India International 2022 was declared a `No Match’ as one of the finalists was declared Covid positive.

Notes:
China has published trial rules for the approval of gene-edited plants. Gene editing involves altering the genes of a plant to change or improve its performance.
It is seen as less risky than genetically-modifying them. This move aims to promote the seed industry of China and ensure food security to its huge population. China has also passed regulations for approval of genetically modified (GM) crops.

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:
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:
Nagaland state was carved out of Assam in 1963 and the two states share a 512.1-km-long border.  Nagaland has been demanding Naga Hills and all Naga-dominated areas in the then North Cachar and Nagaon districts of Assam, to be part of the state.
The Governments of Nagaland and Assam announced that they are ready for out-of-court settlement of the long pending inter-state boundary dispute.

Notes:
James Webb Space Telescope reached its final destination, at around 15 lakh km from Earth. The telescope will orbit in an area of space known as a Lagrange point, where the gravitational pull from the Sun and Earth will be balanced by the centrifugal force of the rotating system.
The points were first theorized by Italian French mathematician Joseph-Louis Lagrange. Webb will go around it in a halo at a distance similar to that between the Earth and Moon

Notes:
The Kerala Bird Atlas released recently is said to be Asia’s largest bird atlas in terms of geographical extent, sampling efforts, and species coverage.
It is also the first-of-its-kind state-level bird atlas in India, and was conducted as a citizen-driven exercise with the participation of over 1000 volunteers. The Atlas has provided data about the distribution of various bird species across major habitats.

Notes:
The 2022 Winter Olympics, officially the XXIV Olympic Winter Games is scheduled to take place from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beijing and its neighbouring town in China.
A report released by Sport Ecology Group and Save Our Winters has stated the dangers of artificial snow to be produced in the Olympics on athletes’ bodies. It also warned on water wastage that happens for the snow at these games.