Current Affairs Quiz - July 2022

Notes:
As per the data provided by the Ministry of Home Affairs, over 1.63 lakh Indian nationals renounced their Indian citizenship during 2021.
This is the highest during the last three years. The US was the top choice with almost half of Indians preferring to become US citizens. After the US, Indians preferred to get citizenship in Australia, Canada and the UK.

Notes:
Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana was launched on July 21, 2017. The scheme recently completed five years since its launch.
Under the scheme, senior citizens above the age of 60 can make a lump sum investment and can monthly or a yearly pension. PMVVY has been extended up to 31st March, 2023. The amendment in 2020 allowed an assured rate of return of 7.40 % per annum for the year 2020-21 per annum and thereafter to be reset every year.

Notes:
Nasscom Foundation has set up a call centre to help women farmers scale up their business called the “DigiVaani Call Center”.
It has been set up in collaboration with non-profit Indian Society of Agribusiness Professionals (ISAP). The project is run on a pilot basis to initially reach out to 20,000 rural women entrepreneurs across six states- Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana and Rajasthan. The project has been funded by Google.

Notes:
India and the United Kingdom signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Mutual Recognition of Educational Qualifications including maritime education and a Framework agreement on the health care workforce.
India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations are expected to be concluded by 31st August, 2022.

Notes:
After African swine fever was detected in pigs in Wayanad district of Kerala, two districts of north Kerala have been put on high alert.
Samples sent to the National Institute of High Security Diseases in Bhopal confirmed the disease. The district authorities are planning to cull pigs within a two kilometer area in the vicinity where the first case was reported.

Notes:
India signed an ‘Agreement to curb trans-border crimes’ with Bangladesh. The countries also decided to complete pending developmental work within 150 yards of the international border.
The agreements were signed during the Director-General level border co-ordination conference between India and Bangladesh, held in Dhaka after two years.

Notes:
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma launched ‘Swanirbhar Naari’, an initiative of the Handloom and Textiles Department.
The scheme aims to empower the indigenous weavers of the State and to provide financial support to their families. Under the scheme, the government has decided to procure handloom items directly from the indigenous weavers without involving any middle men through Swanirbhar Naari web portal.

Notes:
The World Health Organisation has declared the global monkeypox outbreak a ‘public health emergency of international concern’ (PHEIC).
This classification is one step below that of a ‘pandemic.’ WHO says the expanding monkeypox outbreak in over 70 countries is now qualified as a global emergency.

Notes:
The winners of the 68th National Film Awards were announced in New Delhi. The prestigious awards are administered by the Government of India’s Directorate of Film Festivals.
This year, the ‘Best Feature Film’ award was given to the Tamil film Soorarai Pottru, while its actor Suriya and Aparna Balamurali won two awards. Ajay Devgn for Tanhaji also shared the Best Actor award. The Malayalam movie ‘Ayyappanum Koshiyam’ won several awards including Best Director.

Notes:
The migratory ‘Monarch butterfly’ has been listed in the endangered species category by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
IUCN listed the butterfly, a subspecies of monarch (Danaus plexippus) as endangered, which indicates that the subspecies is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. The main threats to the butterfly are habitat loss, pesticide and herbicide use and climate change.