Current Affairs Quiz - July 2022

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:
Draupadi Murmu, the NDA’s presidential candidate, emerged victorious in the presidential election with 64.03 percent votes.
She bagged a total of 6,76,803 votes over her rival Yashwant Sinha who got 3,80,177 votes. Draupadi Murmu also scripted history to become the first tribal leader to be elected as the President of India.

Notes:
The Government has prohibited import of human embryos in line with the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021 and The Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021.
This was announced by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade. Earlier, imports were prohibited except for research purposes based on the guidelines of the Department of Health Research. Surrogacy is a practice where a woman gives birth to a child for an intending couple with the intention to hand over the child after the birth to the couple.

Notes:
Australian authorities have killed millions of honeybees recently in an effort to stop a catastrophic parasite plague from spreading to other parts of the country.
Honey sector, which is Australia’s multimillion-dollar business, is under severe threat from the outbreak of the varroa mite. Varroa mite or Varroa destructor is a parasitic bug that attacks and feeds on honeybees.

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:
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.

Notes:
The Flag Code of India, which was brought into effect on January 26, 2002, is a set of conventions concerning the use, display, and hoisting of the Indian national flag in the country.
In July 2022, the Centre amended the Flag Code of India, allowing the national flag to be flown both in the day and at night. Earlier the flag could be hoisted only between sunrise and sunset. As part of the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign, citizens are encouraged to hoist the national flag on their houses between August 13 and 15.

Notes:
Sakurajima volcano is located on Japan’s major western island of Kyushu. The Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA) reported about the eruption of the volcano for two consecutive days.
Sakurajima is one of Japan’s most active volcanoes and eruptions are observed on a regular basis.

Notes:
‘World Drowning Prevention Day’ is observed annually on 25 July. The United Nations General Assembly recognised this day in April 2021.
According to the UN, around 236,000 people drown annually, which makes drowning a major public health problem all around the world. Drowning is also one of the major causes of death for children and young people aged between 1 to 24 years around the globe.

Notes:
The Union Ministry of Finance has set up a Multi-Agency Group consisting of representatives from various enforcement agencies and organizations for coordinated investigation of foreign asset cases like Panama paper leaks, Paradise paper leaks and the recent Pandora paper leaks.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in the Lok Sabha that there is no official estimate of the amount of money deposited by Indian citizens and companies in Swiss banks.