Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2023

Notes:
M Pranesh from Tamil Nadu recently became India’s 79th chess Grandmaster, after winning the title in Rilton Cup at Stockholm, the first tournament of the FIDE Circuit.
The 16-year-old Indian seeded 22^nd won eight games and finished a full point ahead of IM Kaan Kucuksari (Sweden) and GM Nikita Meshkovs (Latvia). The tournament saw participation from a total of 136 players from 29 nations.

Notes:
A team of Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune has designed a unique molecular sponge-like material, which can swiftly clean polluted water by soaking up sinister contaminants.
The macro/microporous ionic organic framework can remove the pollutants that are direct threat to humanity and living organisms.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank has announced the indicative calendar for the issuance of Sovereign Green Bonds. Accordingly, two auctions will be conducted for an amount of eight thousand crore rupees each.
The RBI has informed that five percent of the notified amount will be reserved for retail investors, with options of five years or ten years. The proceeds will be deployed in public sector projects which help in reducing the carbon intensity and mobilising resources for green infrastructure.

Notes:
Union Home Minister Amit Shah unveiled a 120-feet-tall statue of a polo player riding a pony at Marjing Polo Complex in Imphal, Manipur
Manipur is considered the birthplace of the game and it reached the British before 1850.  In November last year, the first Chief Minister’s Sagol Kangjei Championship was held during the Sangai festival to promote the indigenous game. The ponies in Manipur are becoming vulnerable due to lack of grazing grounds.

Notes:
Kumarakom in Kottayam and Beypore in Kozhikode from Kerala have been selected for development under the Swadesh Darshan 2.0 Scheme.
The two places are among 34 other destinations from 19 states and Union Territories selected under the scheme of the Ministry of Tourism. Kerala has many places declared under eco circuit, spiritual circuit, rural circuit, as part of the Swadesh Darshan scheme 1.0.

Notes:
Bhitarkanika National Park, located in Odisha, reported an increase in the number of birds to 1,39,959 birds this year compared to 1,38,107 last year.
While the number of bird count increased, the diversity of species has decreased compared to last year. This year the National Park saw 140 species of birds compared to 144 last year. Many rare and endangered species were spotted this time.

Notes:
India has deployed a women-only platoon of peacekeepers to the UN Mission in Abyei on the border of Sudan and South Sudan.
This is a part of the Indian Battalion in the United Nations Interim Security Force, Abyei (UNISFA). It is also the single largest deployment of women peacekeepers in recent years. India is among the largest troop-contributing countries to UN peacekeeping.

Notes:
Uttarakhand authorities declared ‘Joshimath’ as a landslide and subsidence-hit zone, after cracks appeared in many roads and hundreds of houses.
The exact reason behind Joshimath land subsidence is still unknown but unplanned construction, over-population, obstruction of the natural flow of water, and hydel power activities are cited as possible causes.

Notes:
The ‘Year of Enterprises’ project of Kerala has been regarded as the best practice model in the second Chief Secretaries National Conference.
It was selected in the ‘Thrust on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)’ category. The project by Kerala Government was started in the current fiscal year with the aim to create one lakh enterprises in a year, while the state achieved the goal in eight months.

Notes:
India Meteorological Department (IMD) under the Ministry of Earth Sciences released the ‘Statement on climate of India during 2022’ report.
As per the report, the annual mean land surface air temperature averaged over India during 2022 was +0.510C above the long-term average (1981-2010 period). The year 2022 was the fifth warmest year on record since nationwide records commenced in 1901.