Current Affairs Quiz - March 2022

Notes:
The Fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury (COP-4) was held recently at Bali, Indonesia.
It had been decided that 10 types of products contain mercury that can be phased out, while the use of four types of products with mercury should be reviewed at COP-5 in Geneva, Switzerland. ‘Bali Declaration’ was unveiled to prevent illegal mercury trade.

Notes:
The Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE) works under the aegis of Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE).
IIE has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) to promote entrepreneurship at a local level among the rural youth. Under the agreement, the Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP), will focus on promoting employment opportunities in rural India.

Notes:
During the 12th session of the Sansad Ratna Awards Committee, the inaugural Lifetime Achievement APJ Abdul Kalam Award given to 95-year-old veteran MLA of the Tamil Nadu assembly, Dr H V Hande, a former health minister. Former Karnataka chief minister Veerappa Moily, veteran MLA and MP, was also the recipient of this award.
Supriya Sule and Amar Patnaik are among 11 MPs who were honoured at the Sansad Ratna Awards 2022, awarded by the Prime Point Foundation.

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 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:
The Lok Sabha passed a bill to include Darlong, a tribal clan in Tripura in the list of Scheduled Tribes. The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2022, was an amendment to the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950.
The Bill, which was tabled in Parliament by Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda, sought to include the Darlong community as a sub-tribe of the Kuki tribal community.

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 Centre has initiated a project across the states of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Odisha to enhance climate resilience of coastal communitiesThe project has been undertaken at a total cost of USD 130.269 million (around Rs 1,000 crore) which includes a grant of USD 43.419 million by Global Climate Fund (GCF). It covers 24 ecosystems in these states, to protect and restore natural ecosystems like mangroves and seagrasses.

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.

Notes:
Tipu Sultan commissioned numerous significant paintings and many of those are being auctioned at huge sums.
A painting titled ‘The Battle of Pollilur’ is expected to fetch between £5,00,000 and £8,00,000. It is a 32-foot long monumental painting depicting the victory of the Mysore army led by Haidar Ali and his son Tipu, against the British troops of the East India Company in the Battle of Pollilur, 1780.