Current Affairs Quiz - March 2022

Notes:
The renowned hydrologist Wilfried Brutsaert is awarded the Stockholm Water Prize 2022 for his outstanding work to quantify environmental evaporation.
Professor Emeritus Wilfried Brutsaert, fondly known as Mr Evaporation, is the world’s leading authority on terrestrial evaporation. His works help to make accurate predictions of the impact that climate change has on local rainfall patterns and water sources.

Notes:
Bulgaria has recently abolished its controversial “Golden passports” scheme, which offers citizenship of the EU member state in return for substantial investment.
The scheme made it possible for foreigners to acquire residency when they invested a minimum of 500,000 euros in Bulgaria, and citizenship when they invested one million euros. The European Commission has called for the abolition of such schemes as they provide ways for money laundering.

Notes:
Earth Hour was observed from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m on March 26. It is the world’s largest movement for the environment where people across the globe unite to take a stand against climate change by turning off non-essential lights for one hour.
It commenced as a symbolic lights-out event in Sydney in 2007, and then was observed every year on the last Saturday of March in more than 180 countries. It unites millions of people in the effort to decarbonise the planet. The theme for this year’s global event is “Shape our Future”.

Notes:
The ILO Governing Body has elected Gilbert F. Houngbo as the Organization’s 11th Director-General. Houngbo, who is currently President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), will assume office in October 2022.
He is also the first African to hold the Director-General post of ILO. The current Director-General, Guy Ryder, from the United Kingdom, has held the office since 2012.

Notes:
Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar released a book titled Indian Agriculture towards 2030: Pathways for Enhancing Farmers’ Income, Nutritional Security and Sustainable Food and Farm Systems.
The book captures the outcomes of the dialogue by NITI Aayog and the Ministries of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare; and Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, and facilitated by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN.

Notes:
As part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations, the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) organized Yamunotsav, at ITO Yamuna Ghat to celebrate the glory of Yamuna with a pledge to keep it clean.
NMCG is funding the construction of sewerage infrastructure for River Yamuna amounting to around Rs. 2300 crore.

Notes:
Ministry of MSME, Government of India and the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), Ahmedabad, organised a ‘Mega International Summit on MSMEs’ at the India International Centre, New Delhi.
The two-day summit was attended by entrepreneurs, academicians, policymakers, industry leaders,  industry associations, start-ups, social impact organizations, MSMEs and self-help groups from India and across the world.

Notes:
The Defence Forces of the United States and Philippines launched their largest joint military drills in the Philippines named ‘Balikatan 2022’.
The 12-day war games involve nearly 9,000 Filipino and American soldiers. It will cover maritime security, live-fire training, amphibious operation and counter-terrorism, as well as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

Notes:
The Karnataka government has announced Vinaya Samarasya Yojana, an awareness programme meant to eradicate untouchability in Gram Panchayats across the state.
The scheme has been named after a three-year-old Dalit boy Vinay, whose family was slapped a fine of Rs 25,000 by the village leaders last year for the boy’s act of entering into a local temple.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes to Shyamji Krishna Varma on his death anniversary. He was born in the year 1857 in Mandvi, Gujarat, and passed away on March 30 in 1930 in Geneva.
Shyamji Krishna Varma founded the Indian Home Rule Society, India House and The Indian Sociologist in London.