Current Affairs Quiz - January 2022

Notes:
‘Najafgarh jheel’ is a trans-boundary wetland between Delhi and Haryana. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) had earlier directed Haryana and Delhi to prepare an Environment Management Plan for the jheel.
The NGT has directed Delhi and Haryana to enforce the Environment Management Plans that the two governments have prepared for the rejuvenation and protection of the Najafgarh jheel.

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:
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:
India hosted first India-Central Asia Summit in a virtual format. Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed on the need for India and Central Asian countries to define an ambitious vision, as the relations completed 30 years.
The event that saw a participation of the Presidents of five countries, including Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

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:
As per the preliminary results of Nepal’s National Census 2021, the country’s population has reached 29,192,480, which is a growth of mere 0.93 per cent. This is also the lowest growth in the last eight decades.
The population growth rate in Nepal is less than the average growth rate of the global population. This is due to the outward migration of Nepalis for jobs and studies. In the last Census 2011, the average population growth rate was 1.35 percent.

Notes:
A total of 246 rebels from the Tiwa Liberation Army (TLA) and United Gorkha Peoples Organisation (UGPO), formally surrendered and laid down arms in Assam.
TLA was formed in 2014 and UGPO was formed in 2007. They deposited 277 types of arms, grenades and 720 rounds of ammunition. As many as 462 former militants of five different terrorist outfits had surrendered last year in the state.

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:
‘Great Barrier Reef’ is the world’s largest coral reef system located in Australia. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has recently announced a further one billion Australian dollars ( USD 703m) to protect the Great Barrier Reef.
The reef is under threat from global warming and the government is criticised for supporting fossil fuels.

Notes:
India-ASEAN Digital Work Plan 2022 was approved in the 2nd ASEAN Digital Ministers meeting held in the virtual mode.
The Work Plan focuses on tackling the use of stolen and counterfeit mobile handsets and WiFi Access network interface, for the public interest. It also includes knowledge sharing in emerging areas ICT such as Internet of Things, 5G, Advanced Satellite Communication and Cyber Forensics.