Current Affairs Quiz - May 2022

Notes:
In the India leg of the annual Global Backyard Bird Count (GBCC) coordinated by Bird Count India, participants counted birds from a particular location.
Over 3000 birders uploaded 41,694 checklists and recorded 1,017 species, which is 75% of the total number of species known to occur in the country. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands recorded four new species in the top five namely the Andaman coucal, red-whiskered bulbul, white-throated kingfisher, and brown shrike.

Notes:
A person in the United Kingdom (UK) has been diagnosed with the rare viral infection Monkeypox. The patient recently came back from Nigeria and has been receiving treatment at the hospital.
Monkeypox occurs predominately in central and west Africa. Most of its infections last till two to four weeks and result in swelling of the lymph nodes as well as causes rashes on the body.

Notes:
Eminent Odia writer Rajat Kumar Kar, a Padma Shri awardee, passed away recently at the age of 88, due to heart-related ailments.
The veteran writer was conferred with Padma Shri in 2021 for literature and education. He was known for his commentary during the annual Ratha Jatra for six decades. He also played a huge role in the revival of Odisha’s dying art of Pala.

Notes:
Tamil Nadu has become the first state in the country to offer breakfast in government schools, along with the mid-day meal.
Chief Minister MK Stalin announced the breakfast scheme for students studying in Classes 1 to 5 in the state. The special nutritional scheme is based on a public health study by the government on the malnourished children in the state. Tamil Nadu was also a pioneer of the midday meal scheme.

Notes:
‘Romain Rolland’ Book Prize is awarded to the best translation of a French book into Indian language or English.
The Bengali translation of French novel “Meursault, contre-enquête” (The Meursault Investigation) has won the fifth Romain Rolland Book Prize. It was the debut novel of Algerian writer and journalist Kamel Daoud. The award was given to translator Trinanjan Chakraborty and publisher Patra Bharati.

Notes:
Union Minister for MSME Narayan Rane launched the second phase of MSME RuPay Credit Card during the National conference of MSME- Development Institutes, Testing Centres and Technology Centres.
The second phase of MSME RuPAY Credit Card has been launched in asociation with National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), Kotak Mahindra Bank, Bank of Baroda, SBM Bank (India) and HDFC Bank.

Notes:
Annada Shankar Smarak Samman is presented by the Pashimbanga Bangla Academy for literary works of Bengali language.
Recently, a Bengali folk culture researcher Ratna Rashid Banerjee returned the award as a mark of protest against the academy’s decision to confer a special award to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s book Kabita Bitan.

Notes:
The country’s first organic waste-powered EV charging station was recently inaugurated in the city of Mumbai.
The first-of-its-kind station will generate 220 units of electricity from food waste collected from its nearby areas.  Along with powering street lights, the plant will charge electric vehicles also. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is planning to set up organic waste-powered EV charging station all 24 administrative wards.

Notes:
The U.N. General Assembly voted for the Czech Republic to replace Russia in the UN Human Rights Council. Russia was earlier suspended over allegations of human rights violations by Russian soldiers in Ukraine.
Seats on the council are divided among regional groups and a replacement for Russia had to come from an East European country. The Czech Republic was the only candidate for the seat on the 47-member Human Rights Council.

Notes:
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has issued instructions to all CBSE affiliated schools regarding formation of Yuva Tourism Clubs.
The Ministry of Tourism has initiated ‘YUVA Tourism Clubs’ as part of the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ celebrations. It aims to nurture and develop young ambassadors of Indian tourism who would become aware of tourism possibilities in India, understand our rich cultural heritage and develop passion for tourism.