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:
Australia’s Online Safety Act, which was passed in July 2021, has come into effect recently. It allows adults to report cases of online bullying in the country to the eSafety Commissioner.
The act empowers the eSafety commissioner to order social media websites to take down content related to bullying against Australian adults within 24 hours and impose fines if not followed. This Act addresses bullying against adults as well as children.

Notes:
A Decacorn is a company whose valuation crosses the milestone of USD 10 billion. Food-Delivery Giant Swiggy has raised USD 700 million in Invesco-led new funding, which has made it a decacorn, doubling its valuation to USD 10.7 billion.
Another Food Delivery Leader Zomato was valued at $5.4 billion before its recent IPO. Budget hospitality company Oyo’s valuation is at USD 9 billion in 2021. The Top 3 positions are held by Flipkart, Byju’s and Paytm.

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.

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:
The United Nations General Assembly designated January 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day or International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust.
It is the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. It is an annual day of commemoration of six million Jewish Holocaust victims and millions of other victims of Nazism. On this day, the UN urges every member state to develop educational programs to help prevent future genocides.

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.

Notes:
The Delhi cabinet approved ex-gratia relief of Rs 20,000 per acre to farmers whose lands were damaged by rains last year.
In September-October 2021, several acres of farmland were damaged due to heavy rain and water-logging in fields. If the damage is found to be 70% or less, the compensation will be 70% of the amount. If the assessed loss is more than 70%, Rs 20,000 per acre will be paid.

Notes:
French Polynesia is an overseas collectivity of France, comprising more than 100 islands in the South Pacific in Oceania.
Scuba divers with the UNESCO have discovered a massive reef of giant rose-shaped corals off the coast of Tahiti, the largest island in French Polynesia. The structure is in pristine condition and has remained healthy despite recent coral bleaching events.