Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2023

Notes:
The National Health Authority (NHA) is introducing a new system to measure and grade hospital performance under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY).
The new initiative will introduce the concept of ‘value- based care’, where payment will be outcome based and providers will be rewarded according to the quality of the treatment delivered. The providers will be rewarded for helping the patients improve their health.

Notes:
The Central government has extended the tenure of Dr Michael Debabrata Patra as Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India for one more year.
Michael Debabrata Patra took over as Deputy Governor of the RBI in January 2020. He was an Executive Director of India’s central bank before being elevated to the post of Deputy Governor.

Notes:
In March 2020, U.S. health authorities issued ‘Title 42’ to allow border agents to rapidly send migrants who were crossing the U.S.-Mexico border back to Mexico or other countries.
The Federal courts have prevented to lift the Title 42 public health order, and the US Government has announced new enforcement measures to increase security at the border and reduce the number of individuals crossing unlawfully between ports of entry.

Notes:
An Anthropological study conducted in rural China revealed that women worked much harder than men, and contributed most of the fruits of this labour to their families.
As per the study, women walked on average just over 12,000 steps per day, while men walked just over 9,000 steps. It also found that individuals who disperse at marriage to live away from their kin have higher workloads than those who stay with their natal families.

Notes:
Uganda declared an end to an Ebola virus outbreak that emerged almost four months ago and claimed lives of 55 people.
The disease was first detected in September in the district of Mubende. The outbreak was caused by the Sudan Ebola virus, one among six species of the Ebola virus. There is currently no confirmed vaccine for the virus.

Notes:
Lohri is a popular North Indian festival, which marks the end of winter solstice and the beginning of longer days.
It is celebrated every year during the month of Paush, a day before Makar Sankranti. The festival is predominantly celebrated in Punjab, and other parts of the country such as Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir. Punjabi folk songs and dances are performed in honour of Dulha Bhatti, a folk hero who led a revolt against Mughal rule.

Notes:
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will host this year’s annual climate change conference (COP 28 in November 2023).
The country has named Sultan Al Jaber, Minister for Industry and Advanced Technology, as the president of the conference. The decision has invited criticism from climate activists because Al Jaber is also the CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, the world’s 12th largest oil company by production.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the world’s longest river cruise ‘MV Ganga Vilas’ in Varanasi.
The cruise will begin its journey from Varanasi and sail around 3,200 km in 51 days to reach Dibrugarh in Assam via Bangladesh. The Prime Minister also inaugurated a ‘Tent City’ on the banks of the Ganga River in Varanasi via video conferencing.

Notes:
ReNew Power has installed India’s first 3x platform wind turbine generators (WTGs) in Gadag, Karnataka.
The new wind turbine generators will be a part of the country’s first ‘Round the Clock’ renewable energy project, combining wind, solar and a battery energy storage system (BESS). This project will produce energy to power over 1 million households in India annually.

Notes:
The Himachal Pradesh government decided to restore the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for government employees, who were covered under National Pension System (NPS).
Prior to this, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Punjab have also rolled out the Old Pension Scheme (OPS). This decision will benefit over 1.36 lakh NPS employees of the state.A cabinet Sub Committee has been constituted for the implementation of granting Rs 1,500 to the women of 18 to 60 years.