Current Affairs Quiz - June 2022

Notes:
The Controller General of Accounts (CGA) released the fiscal deficit for 2021-22, which improved to 6.71 per cent of the GDP over the revised budget estimate of 6.9 per cent. The fiscal deficit in absolute terms was Rs 15,86,537 crore (provisional).
The increase was mainly on account of higher tax realisation. The tax receipts during the fiscal stood at Rs 18.2 trillion as against the revised estimates (RE) of Rs 17.65 trillion.

Notes:
NTPC Ltd, India’s largest integrated energy producer has issued renewed Biodiversity Policy 2022, aligned with environmental and sustainability policies.
NTPC was the first PSU to issue Biodiversity Policy in the year 2018. The Public sector undertaking, formerly known as National Thermal Power Corporation Limited, also became a member of the India Business & Biodiversity Initiative (IBBI) in the same year.

Notes:
The 118th meeting of the Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) comprising Indus Commissioners of India and Pakistan was recently organised.
During the meeting, the annual report for the year ending on March 31, 2022, was finalised and signed. The next meeting of the PIC would be held in Pakistan. According to the of the Indus Waters Treaty, around 33-million-acre feet water of eastern rivers- Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi is allocated to India for unrestricted use annually, and about 135 MAF of western rivers-Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab to Pakistan.

Notes:
Union Minister Jitendra Singh inaugurated the Lavender Festival, the first-of-its kind in India, in Bhaderwah, Jammu and Kashmir.
Bhaderwah in Doda district is the birthplace of the purple revolution and it is known for lavender cultivation in terms of land and climate. CSIR-Aroma Mission, under the Ministry of Science & Technology, aims to develop aroma-related science and technology to reach farmers, industry, and society.

Notes:
‘Frontier’ became the world’s fastest supercomputer, according to the Top500 list of world’s most powerful supercomputers with Linmark benchmark score of 1.1 exaflops.
It is a supercomputer built using Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) architecture and equipped with Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) processors. It surpassed Fugaku, Japan’s supercomputer jointly developed by RIKEN and Fujitsu Ltd., which topped the supercomputer benchmarking index in 2020.

Notes:
The ‘International Week of Solidarity with the Peoples of Non-Self-Governing Territories’ is observed from May 25 to May 31.
In the UN Charter, a Non-Self-Governing Territory is defined as a Territory “whose people have not yet attained a full measure of self-government.” At present, there are 17 Non-Self-Governing Territories remaining.

Notes:
The Global Day of Parents is annually celebrated on 1 June to appreciate the commitment of parents towards their children.
The UN General Assembly proclaimed 1994 as the International Year of the Family and 15 May each year as the International Day of Families. The UNGA later announced that 1 June will be observed as the Global Day of Parents. The theme for Global Day of Parents 2022 is ‘Appreciate all parents throughout the world.’

Notes:
The Union Cabinet expanded the scope of the public procurement portal Government e-Marketplace (GeM) to allow cooperative societies to register as buyers.
This would help cooperatives in getting competitive prices through an open and transparent process. Over 8,54,000 registered cooperatives and their 270 million members will be benefitted. The registration of cooperatives as buyers was not covered within the existing mandate of GeM, so far.

Notes:
Andhra Pradesh government’s Anti-Corruption Bureau has developed a mobile application named “ACB 14400” for lodging complaints against corruption.
The ‘ACB 14400’ application, once opened, will feature two categories – Live Report and Lodge Complaint. In the ‘Live Report’ section, users can click photographs, record audio or videos of live acts of corruption and submit complaints instantaneously.

Notes:
Punjab government has recently launched e-stamping facility after abolishing physical stamp papers of all denominations.
The move aims to bring efficiency and is expected to save Rs 35 crore annually. Stamp papers of any denomination can be obtained only through e-stamp from stamp vendor or from banks authorised by the state government. The facility has been started with the assistance of National e-Governance Services Limited.