Current Affairs Quiz - March 2022

Notes:
North Korea has confirmed that it has test-fired its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) since 2017 named ‘Hwasong-17’.
Hwasong-17 flew 1,090 km at a maximum altitude of 6,248.5 km and hit a target. Hwasong-17 is claimed to be the largest road-mobile, liquid-fuelled ICBM in the world. Hwasong-15, which was tested in November 2017 reached an altitude of about 4,475 km and covered 950 km.

Notes:
Solomon Islands, a country of hundreds of islands in the South-Pacific, has confirmed that it is drafting a security deal with China.
As per media reports, a Chinese military base could potentially be set up on the island to Australia’s north. This step has triggered concern in neighbouring Australia and other Western allies in the Indo-Pacific.

Notes:
The Himachal Pradesh Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Mohali as knowledge partner for the upcoming Medical Devices Park at Nalagarh in Solan district.
NIPER, Mohali, is set to establish a Centre for Excellence in the Medical Devices Park to enable industry-academia linkage.

Notes:
HDFC Mutual Fund filed a scheme information document (SID) with SEBI for India’s first Defence Fund – HDFC Defence Fund.
It is an open-ended equity scheme, which will invest in defence & allied sector companies. The allied sectors include aerospace, explosives, shipbuilding, industries or stocks present on the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM) list.

Notes:
The ‘National Tuberculosis Prevalence Survey’ was recently released by Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya. He also released the country’s ‘annual TB report’
As per the report, Delhi had the highest prevalence (747) in 2019-2021 while Gujarat had the lowest (137). TB prevalence among India’s adults was 312 per 100,000 in 2019-2021. For every 2.84 persons with TB, only 1 was registered in the national surveillance system.

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:
The U.S. Senate approved a bill to provide USD 52 billion in subsidies for semiconductor chips manufacturing. The legislation was sent to the House of Representatives, to launch a formal process known as a “conference”
The chip shortage has disrupted production across the globe. The Senate earlier passed chips legislation in June that also authorized USD 190 billion to strengthen U.S. technology and research.

Notes:
Union Minister Anurag Thakur launched TEJAS (Training for Emirates Jobs And Skills) in Dubai, UAE. It is a Skill India International Project to train overseas Indians.
The programme aims to skilling, certification and overseas employment of Indians. During the initial phase, it aims at creating a 10,000 strong Indian workforce in UAE. He also invited UAE for collaboration in Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) Sector.

Notes:
Railway collisions were the second-largest reason for the unnatural deaths of elephants while Electrocution was the first most reason.
The Union Environment Ministry has constituted a permanent coordination committee that includes the Ministry of Railways and the Environment Ministry to prevent elephant deaths on railway tracks. 19 elephants were killed across the country on railway tracks in 2018-19, 14 in 2019-20 and 12 in 2020-21.

Notes:
Chinarak mines are located in the mountains of northern Afghanistan. Recently, three times as many men have come to work than before the Taliban takeover.
Thousands of men flocked to the dangerous mines, to sustain their livelihood amidst an economic crisis. For more than six months, Afghanistan has been gripped by a severe economic crisis that has wiped out incomes, raised food prices and left millions hungry.