Current Affairs Quiz - June 2022

Notes:
India hosted the SCO’s Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (SCO-RATS) Meeting in its capacity as chair of the SCO-RATS.
The meeting aims to deliberate on security challenges, including threats of terrorism. Delegations from China, Pakistan and other member nations of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) attended the meeting in New Delhi. India hosted a meeting of counter-terror experts from the SCO countries in May 2022.

Notes:
The first-ever girl Panchayat of India named ‘Balika Panchayat’ was organised in several villages of Gujarat’s Kutch district.
This is an initiative of the Women and Child Development Welfare department of the Gujarat Government under the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ campaign. Balika Panchayat is managed by people in the 11-21 age group and aims to promote the social and political development of girl children.

Notes:
A high-level committee (HLC) under the chairmanship of Union Home Minister Amit Shah approved an additional central assistance of over Rs 1,000 crore under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to Rajasthan and Nagaland.
The two states were affected by drought during 2021-22. The assistance of Rs 1,003.95 crore to Rajasthan and Rs 39.28 crore to Nagaland is over and above the funds released by the Centre to the states from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).

Notes:
During the launch of the Agnipath scheme, the Centre had said those between the of 17-and-a-half and 21 years would be inducted for a four-year tenure in the tri services of Army, Navy and Air Force.
As per the latest order by the Defence Minister, the age limit for recruitment has now been raised to 23 for the 2022 batch only. There have been nation-wide protests against the new model for recruitment of soldiers.

Notes:
The Central Institute of Educational Technology (CIET), a unit of the NCERT has been awarded with the UNESCO’s King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa Prize for the use of ICT (Information And Communication Technology) in Education for the year 2021.
The institution has used ICT under the ‘PM eVidya’ scheme during the Covid pandemic. The PM eVIDYA programme was launched as part of the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan’ in May 2020 to unify all efforts related to digital, online, on-air education Each prize-winner receives USD 25,000, a medal and a diploma.

Notes:
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced that the data bank of Expatriate Malayalees will be expanded by conducting the Kerala Migration Survey.
A ‘Pravasi data portal’ will be prepared for the survey while the state will conduct an extensive global registration campaign. The Chief Minister addressed online the valedictory meeting of the third edition of the Loka Kerala Sabha.

Notes:
Edakoodam is the name of a wooden puzzle toy, which was popular among children and was a part of every household in Kerala, during earlier times.
There are many efforts being taken in Kerala to popularise the wooden puzzle by teaching the art of making and solving Edakoodam popular among children and adults.

Notes:
Former Supreme Court Judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai has been nominated as Chairperson of the Press Council of India.
She replaced the retired Justice CK Prasad who vacated office in November 2021. Justice Desai has also served as the chairman of the Delimitation Commission on Jammu and Kashmir, Public prosecutor for the state of Maharashtra and as a Judge on the Bombay High Court.

Notes:
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) notified the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for telecom in 2021, aimed towards incentivising design-led manufacturing in the sector.
Recently the DoT has extended the PLI scheme by one year, and has amended the scheme to raise the incentive rate by an additional 1 per cent. The Centre will provide additional incentives of over Rs 4,000 crore.

Notes:
Noc Kupaly is celebrated by Poland and other Slavic countries during the shortest night of the year (summer solstice). This pagan festival celebrates the idea of fertility and purification. The celebrations involve bonfire lighting, herb collecting and bathing in a river.