Current Affairs Quiz - June 2022

Notes:
The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) and the Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar have jointly unveiled a new supercomputer called Param Ananta.
It was launched in phase two of the central government’s National Supercomputing Mission (NSM). The supercomputer is capable of offering peak performance of 838 teraflops. With this, India has 15 supercomputers disclosed to the public, with a combined performance capability of 24 petaflops.

Notes:
Israel has signed a free trade agreement with the United Arab Emirates, its first big trade pact with an Arab state.
The agreement, which aimed at boosting trade between the two Middle Eastern nations, would encourage more Israeli companies to set up offices in the UAE, particularly in Dubai. The deal with Israel is UAE’s second bilateral free trade agreement after a similar accord with India in February.

Notes:
Former State Bank of India Deputy Managing Director Natarajan Sundar has been appointed as the Managing Director and CEO of NARCL (National Assets Reconstruction Company Ltd) as MD & CEO.
NARCL is the joint initiative of Public and Private Sector Banks, and is expected to takeover bad loans from banks and focus on resolution and recoveries. NARCL has shareholding from 15 Indian Banks and Canara Bank is the sponsor bank.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed ‘Garib Kalyan Sammelan’ in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, marking the completion of eight years of the government.
The programme is organised across the country at state capitals, district headquarters, and Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs). The Prime Minister also released the 11th instalment of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme of around Rs. 21,000 crore to more than 10 crore beneficiary farmer families.

Notes:
‘Farishtey Dilli Ke’ scheme was launched in October 2019, to encourage people to rescue those who have met with road accidents.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that about 13,000 lives have been saved by good samaritans under the ‘Farishtey Dilli Ke’ scheme. Under the scheme, the Delhi government incurs the expenditure for treating eligible road accident victims and gives incentives to those who helped them.

Notes:
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin recently flagged off the luxury cruise liner “Empress” from Chennai port.
This is regarded as the first luxury cruise liner to be operated from the state. The eleven-storey tourist vessel can accommodate up to 2000 passengers and 800 crew members. The package also includes an anchor at Puducherry and Visakhapatnam harbours.

Notes:
Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang declared Blue Duke the state butterfly, on the occasion of World Environment Day.
Blue Duke whose scientific name is ‘Bassarona durga durga’, is endemic to Sikkim and the eastern Himalayas. Blue Duke falls in Schedule 2 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and is a protected species in the Himalayas. As many as 720 species of butterflies are found in Sikkim.

Notes:
India’s rank is 180 in the 2022 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) and has scored the lowest among 180 countries.
The report ranks the countries on 40 performance indicators across 11 issue categories on climate change performance, environmental health, and ecosystem vitality. India’s performance on these parameters in terms of policy action is considered to be poor.

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.

Notes:
The Chief Minister of Goa ‘Pramod Sawant’ recently launched the ‘Beach Vigil App’, for holistic management of the beaches.
The application aims to benefit both the travellers as well as those working in the tourism sector. People can file a complaint regarding any illegal activity or violation via the app. It can also be used by Drishti workers, police and other stakeholders to safeguard the interest of the travellers.