Current Affairs Quiz - January 2022

Notes:
A joint maritime exercise Paschim Lehar was conducted by the Indian Navy concluded off the West Coast recently.
The Exercise aims to enhance the inter-service synergy among the Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, Indian Army and Coast Guard.  It was conducted over a duration of 20 days with participation of various equipment of the armed forces.

Notes:
The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has revised the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for adopting and implementing the Integrity Pact.
It has been revised for the second time in eight months. The step aims to ensure transparency in public procurements and to provide a large number of of Independent External Monitors (IEMS) to examine government contracts.

Notes:
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy launched AP Seva Portal 2.0 (Citizen Service Portal), to deliver better services for the people.
The public can track the status of their application themselves without any hassles. All the applications can be approved online and the officials can provide certificates and documents online with digital signature.

Notes:
The European Union launched a case against China at the World Trade Organization over its forced practices against Lithuania and some exporters from other member states.
China, the EU’s main trade partner, started blocking Lithuanian products and some other European goods that contained Lithuanian components last December. This was done after Taiwan opened a representative office in Vilnius (capital of Lithuania) under the country’s name instead of Taipei.

Notes:
Veteran Author Ruskin Bond released his latest book titled, “A Little Book of India: Celebrating 75 years of Independence”
The 87-year-old Indian author of British descent has depicted the physical and spiritual attributes of India. It is a record of some of the author’s memories and impressions of the country. Ruskin Bond is the recipient of Sahitya Akademi Award, Sahitya Akademi’s Bal Sahitya Puraskar, Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan.

Notes:
Telineelapuram International Bird Sanctuary is located in Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam district. Recently, mass deaths of migratory spot-billed pelicans happened at the Bird Sanctuary.
According to government data, about 113 species of exotic birds come to these areas each year from Siberia, Russia, Malaysia, Hungary, Singapore and Germany for breeding. This year, over 100 birds that prey on nearby water bodies have died.

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:
The United Kingdom Police began a formal probe on the ‘partygate’ controversy which was seen in the news for weeks.
It is said that a birthday party of Prime Minister Borris Johnson was conducted amidst the coronavirus restrictions in 2020. The scandal is being investigated by senior civil servant Sue Gray, and her report is seen as the future of the Prime Minister.

Notes:
The Government has appointed V Anantha Nageswaran as its Chief Economic Advisor (CEA). He was Dean of IFMR Graduate School of Business.
He was also a part-time member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister from 2019 to 2021.The upcoming Survey has been drafted by a team led by Principal Economic Advisor Sanjeev Sanyal.

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.