Current Affairs Quiz - January 2022

Notes:
According to the G20 People’s Climate Vote 2021 report, which was recently released by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), around 67 per cent of the youth in India consider the climate crisis as a global emergency.
The youth are also vocal about the need for urgent policy creation and change. Whereas, India has only about 58 per cent adults, who consider climate change a global emergency.

Notes:
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur launched ‘Apna Kangra’ app, to help the tourists and boost sale of local handicrafts by a e-Marketing platform.
The aim of ‘Apna Kangra’ is to empower rural women and provide job opportunities to youth through tourism. It also aims to enhance hospitality services such as hotels, homestays and transport.

Notes:
National Tourism Day is celebrated in India on January 25 every year. The theme for National Tourism Day 2023 was ‘Rural and Community Centric Tourism’. The Ministry of Tourism announced this theme to promote rural tourism and encourage community participation across the country.

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:
According to lawsuits by Washington, D.C., and three other states, Alphabet Inc.’s Google deceived consumers by recording their location even after users tried to turn off the company’s tracking on their smartphones and web browsers.
The suit alleges that Google tracks people’s movements using information from its search engine, Maps app, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth services. While Google said that it has  built privacy features into our products and provided robust controls for location data.

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:
Union Minister for Power R K Singh interacted with renewable energy developers, industry and various government representatives to discuss on the Draft policy on the energy storage system’.
The Minister also indicated that people may be free to set up standalone energy storage systems (ESS). The Government has planned to de-license the setting up of those systems, under the policy for ESS.

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:
Ain Sefra, also known as the ‘Gateway to the Sahara’, is located in northwest Algeria. The area is surrounded by the Atlas Mountains and is 1,000 metres above sea level.
Recently, the Sahara Desert, commonly known for its hot and dry climate, witnessed a rare snowfall. Temperatures dipped to -2 degrees Celsius near the town of Ain Sefra, which has a heat record of over 50°C. The occurrence of rare snowfall this time is due to climate change.

Notes:
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar announced that 150 villages around the Centers of Excellence will be converted into Villages of Excellence with technical assistance from Israel.
75 villages are being taken up in the first year to commemorate the 75th year of India’s independence. Both countries commemorated the completion of 30 years of diplomatic relations between India and Israel.