Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2023

Notes:
International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore (IIITB) has developed a platform to provide Aadhaar-like digital identities for nine countries.
The Modular Open-Source Identity Platform (MOSIP) is a digital identity platform. Citizens of Philippines, Morocco, Sri Lanka, Uganda, Ethiopia, Republic of Guinea, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso and Togolese Republic will enrol on the platform.

Notes:
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the proposal of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting regarding the Central Sector Scheme ‘Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development’ (BIND).
The BIND scheme aims to bring modernisation to the public broadcaster Prasar Bharati i.e. All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan (DD). The outlay of the scheme is Rs.2,540 crore for the time period up to 2025-26.

Notes:
The Union Cabinet approved the National Green Hydrogen Mission with a total initial outlay of Rs 19,744 crore.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the ‘National Hydrogen Mission’ on Independence Day in 2021. If the electricity used for the process of generating hydrogen comes from a renewable source then the hydrogen is referred to as green hydrogen.

Notes:
Cape Verde, a country in West Africa, was a colony of Portuguese. It became the first country to name a stadium after football Legend Pele.
Cape Verde Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva confirmed their Estadio Nacional de Cabo Verde would be renamed after Pele. After Pele’s death in December, FIFA chief Gianni Infantino proposed that each nation should name one stadium after Pele.

Notes:
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Microsoft signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote the growth of space-tech startups in India.
The MoU seeks to empower space tech startups across the country with technology tools and platforms, market support and mentorship. The space-tech startups identified by ISRO will be onboarded onto the Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub platform.

Notes:
The US Food and Drug Administration granted accelerated approval for the Alzheimer’s disease drug Lecanemab.
The drug has shown “potential” as an Alzheimer’s disease treatment by appearing to slow progression. Though it is not a cure, the drug works by binding to amyloid beta, which is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.

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:
Christmas is celebrated on December 25, according to the Gregorian calendar, in most of the Western world.
Orthodox Christians follow the Julian calendar and mark the festival on January 7. Russian President Vladmir Putin called for a temporary 36-hour ceasefire in Ukraine to allow Orthodox followers to attend Christmas services. Orthodox Christians are estimated to be between 200 and 300 million people globally.

Notes:
The United States has announced an additional USD 100 million to Pakistan for its recovery and reconstruction efforts.
The floods which occurred last year killed as many as 1,739 and affected 33 million people. The funding also includes humanitarian assistance to support flood relief and recovery efforts in refugee hosting areas.

Notes:
The child mortality or under-five mortality rate refers to the probability a newborn would die before reaching exactly 5 years of age. It is expressed per 1,000 live births.
As per the ‘Levels & trends in child mortality 2022’ released by UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME), an estimated 5 million children died before their fifth birthday and another 2.1 million children and youth aged between 5–24 years lost their lives in 2021.