Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2023

Notes:
Fiscal Deficit is the difference between the total revenue and total expenditures of a country in a year.
The Fiscal Deficit at the end of November touched 59 per cent of the full year budget estimate. According to data released by the Controller General of Accounts (CGA), the fiscal deficit was ₹978,154 crore in the April-November period 2022-23.

Notes:
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that XBB.1.5 has more than doubled its share of the Covid-19 figures each week.
In the Northeast region of the country, XBB.1.5 is causing 75% of new cases. The XBB.1.5 strain is a relative of the Omicron XBB variant, which is a recombinant of the Omicron BA.2.10.1 and BA.2.75 subvariants.

Notes:
The Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that no rhinos were poached in Assam in the year 2022.
Since 2000, it is for the first time there were no incidents of rhino poaching in the state. Assam’s Kaziranga National Park is the biggest habitat for one-horned rhinos globally. In 2021, the Assam government established a 22-member task force for containing the act of poaching.

Notes:
The 108th session of Indian Science Congress (ISC) has been launched in Nagpur, Maharashtra. Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually addressed the Indian Science Congress 2023.
The five-day event is being hosted by the Nagpur University with the focal theme of ‘Science and Technology for Sustainable Development with Women Empowerment’.

Notes:
The Centre has constituted a High Powered Committee to discuss measures to protect Ladakh’s unique culture, language and employment.
A 17 member committee has been set up under the Chairmanship of Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai. Other members include Ladakh Lieutenant Governor RK Mathur, MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, and nominee officials of Home ministry among others.

Notes:
As per the Minimum Public Shareholding (MPS) norm at least 25 per cent public float is mandated for all listed companies.
The government has recently exempted public sector entities from the Minimum Public Shareholding (MPS) norm. The exemption would apply on entities regardless of the government’s direct or indirect holding.

Notes:
Japan has planned to boost financial support to households to move away from the capital city Tokyo.
This move aims to combat depopulation in other areas of the country. Eligible families in the Tokyo metropolitan area will receive 1 million yen (USD 7,700) per child starting in the fiscal year 2023 if they move to a disadvantaged local area. The increased support for children comes on top of a 1 million yen scheme.

Notes:
Savitribai Phule is formally recognised as India’s first woman teacher. She was born on January 3, 1831, in Maharashtra’s Naigaon village.
Along with her husband and social activist Jyotirao Phule, Savitribhai opened the country’s first girls’ school in Bhidewada, Pune, in 1848. They challenged oppressive caste-based social norms and made the downtrodden to pursue education.

Notes:
Union Minister for MSME, Narayan Rane, inaugurated Intelligent Tray Retrieval System (ITRS) at MOPA (GOA) International airport.
ITRS is an Artificial Intelligence-based fully automatic machine that helps in providing enhanced passenger security with advanced screening technology. It is equipped with image analysis software with advanced tools to take correct decisions against baggages.

Notes:
The founder of cryptocurrency company FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried faces eight criminal counts, including wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy, among others
He recently pleaded not guilty Manhattan federal court, to charges of defrauding investors related to the collapse of the crypto exchange. He is accused of redirecting the deposits of FTX customers without their consent to his Alameda Research hedge fund.