Current Affairs Quiz - June 2022

Notes:
Maharashtra has overtaken Uttar Pradesh (UP) to regain its position as India’s top sugar producer, in the year 2021-22, after five-year gap.
The state’s output for the 2021-22 crushing year-October-September- stood at 138 lakh tonnes (lt). That is highest ever beating the previous 107.21 lakh tonnes of 2018-19. Maharashtra is followed by Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka.

Notes:
Israel archaeologists have recently found a 2,100-Year-Old ancient farmstead at the archaeological site of Horbat Assad in Israel.
They also unearthed loom weights used for weaving garments, large ceramic storage vessels, and iron agricultural implements, including various picks and scythes. The ancient coins retrieved date the farmstead to the second half of the second century BCE.

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:
Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu is on a visit to Gabon, Senegal, and Qatar, the first visit from India at the level of Vice President to the three countries.
Libreville is the capital of the Central- African country Gabon. The Vice President reiterated the commitment of the Government of India to be Gabon’s reliable partner. The bilateral trade between the countries reached USD 1.12 billion in 2021-22.

Notes:
Bihar state government is set to conduct a caste-based census in the state. The decision was taken at an all-party meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
The exercise would be called Jaati Aadharit Ganana and the state government will publish the data related to the census through advertisements in newspapers. The aim of this exercise is to carry out developmental work for people who are deprived.

Notes:
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment launched “Scheme for Residential Education for Students in High Schools in Targeted Areas” (SHRESTHA).
It aims to provide quality education and opportunities for the poorest Scheduled Caste students. Under this scheme, a certain number of meritorious SC students per year will be selected through a National Entrance Test for SHRESHTA (NETS), conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). They will be admitted in the good private residential schools, affiliated to CBSE.

Notes:
The Supreme Court directed that every protected forest, national park and wildlife sanctuary across the country should have a mandatory eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of a minimum one km starting from their demarcated boundaries.
As per the Environment Ministry guidelines, the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) would act as a transition zone from areas of high protection to those involving lesser protection.

Notes:
Germany has recently hosted the 10-day meeting of parties to the Antarctic Treaty in Berlin. A majority of parties held the opinion that there is scientific evidence for the emperor penguins species to be put under the special protection.
It is said that China has blocked efforts to step up protection of emperor penguins in Antarctica. The species are threatened by the effects of global warming on their natural habitat in Antarctica.

Notes:
The Punjab and Himachal Pradesh governments announced to impose a ban on single-use plastic from July.
The Central government has decided to stop single-use plastic from July 1, 2022. Himachal Pradesh is the first state in the country to ban plastic envelopes.

Notes:
The Maharashtra State Board for Wildlife (MSBWL) has approved 12 new conservation reserves and three wildlife sanctuaries.
The new sanctuaries are the extension of the Lonar wildlife sanctuary, Kolamarka sanctuary and Muktai Bhawani sanctuary. These protected areas (PAs) will have an area of 1,000 sq km which is twice the size of Mumbai city. Maharashtra has 6 national parks, 50 sanctuaries, 15 conservation reserves and six tiger projects.