Current Affairs Quiz - July 2022

Notes:
Under ‘Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana’, the States were asked to propose at least 15% of the length of annual projects using any of the new technologies or materials.
The step aims to promote cost-effective and fast construction technologies in the construction of rural roads. The ‘Vision document on New Technology Initiatives, 2022’ has been launched in May 2022.

 

Notes:
Former Supreme Court judge Vineet Saran has taken over as the BCCI’s ethics officer and ombudsman, filling the dual posts which were lying vacant for a year.
Vineet Saran has succeeded Justice (Retd) D K Jain, whose term ended in June last year. He is a former Chief Justice of Odisha High Court, and also served as a judge in Karnataka and Allahabad High Court.

Notes:
L&T Technology Services has become the first tech company to publicly express its interest in the government’s direct allocation of spectrum for captive 5G networks.
It will obtain spectrum to set up a 5G non-public network to build use cases on the technology. Apart from this, the firm will also deploy 5G solutions globally for parent Larsen & Toubro. L&T is specialised in engineering and research and development services.

 

Notes:
The Supreme Court has accepted the report of the Banthia Commission and directed the Maharashtra State Election Commission to hold elections as per the report.
It paves way for political reservation for candidates belonging to Other Backward Classes in the Local Bodies’ Elections in the state. The candidates will get 27 percent political reservation in local self-government elections in the state.

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:
NITI Aayog launched E-AMRIT (Accelerated e-Mobility Revolution for India’s Transportation) mobile application to raise awareness on electric mobility, in collaboration with UK.
It also launched a report on Advanced Chemistry Cell Battery Reuse and Recycling Market in India. NITI Aayog has been collaborating with the UK Government in the areas of e-vehicles, charging infrastructure and battery storage.

Notes:
The running and maintenance of ships of the Union Territory (UT) of Lakshadweep have been handed over to the Shipping Corporation of India to improve shipping operations.
The administration of the Union Territory (UT) announced that out of the five ships in service for the people of Lakshadweep and connecting between islands and Kochi, two are undergoing repairs.

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 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.

Notes:
Lok Sabha has recently passed the Indian Antarctic Bill, 2022 moved by Minister of Earth Sciences Dr Jitendra Singh.
The Bill aims to have India’s own national measures for protecting the Antarctic environment as the dependent and associated ecosystem. It also aims to ensure de-militarization of the region and stopping mining or illegal activities. It also aims for prohibition of nuclear test or explosion in the region.