Test: May 2022 Weekly Current Affair - 4 - UPSC MCQ

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will transfer Rs 30,307 crore as surplus to the government for 2021-22.
The decision was taken by the RBI board to maintain the contingency risk buffer at 5.50 per cent of its balance sheet. This year’s transfer is lower than the surplus transferred in the previous financial year Rs 99,126 crore for a nine-month period ended March 2021.

The second in-person Quad Leaders’ Summit is hosted by Japan. The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue comprises India, the US, Japan and Australia.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the Quad Leaders’ Summit. The leaders of four countries review the progress of the group’s initiatives. The newly-elected Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also joins the Quad Leaders’ Summit for the first time.

India and the United States recently signed the Investment Incentive Agreement (IIA) in Tokyo. It is a legal requirement for US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to continue providing investment support in India.
The IIA was signed in Tokyo by India’s Foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra and Scott Nathan, CEO of DFC. This agreement will lead to enhanced investment support from the development finance institution in several sectors.

The World Economic Forum (WEF), during its Davos meeting has announced that it is building a “Global Collaboration Village” as the virtual future of public-private cooperation.
The initiative is being launched in collaboration with Accenture and Microsoft. WEF launched the initiative for Defining and Building the Metaverse and it will bring together key global stakeholders to address critical global issues.

The 17th edition of the Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short Fiction and Animation Films (MIFF-2022) is being held from May 29 to June 4, 2022 at Films Division Complex, Mumbai. Bangladesh is the ‘country of focus’ at the festival which will include documentaries, short stories and animation films from around the world.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has launched the first public outreach programme, ‘Lok Milani’, which started in Chandigarh on May 16, 2022. The objective of this program is to provide a single window platform to the people for redressal of their grievances.

The iconic rifle and soldier’s war helmet, which were part of the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate, were taken to the National War Memorial on May 27, 2022. It was a symbol of the soldiers who died in the 1971 war, up to the param warrior site at the National War Memorial. The Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate was merged with the eternal flame at the National War Memorial (NWM) in January 2022. NWM is about 400 meters from India Gate. The Amar Jawan Jyoti was built as a memorial to the Indian soldiers who died in action in the Indo-Pak war of 1971, which India won, and thus led to the creation of Bangladesh. It was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on 26 January 1972.

The Department of Posts delivered mail using a drone as part of a pilot project in Gujarat’s Kutch district, for the first time. The project covered a distance of 46 km in 25 minutes, from Bhuj taluk to Bhachau taluk of Kutch district by the postal department under the guidance of the Union Ministry of Communications. The pilot project studied the cost of delivery by drones and geographical location between the two centres.

Anti-Terrorism Day is observed on May 21 in India every year. It was on this day in the year 1991 that former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated.
The objective of this day is to sensitise the youth about terrorism and violence by highlighting the suffering of common people. This year commemorates Rajiv Gandhi’s 30th death anniversary as India observes Anti-Terrorism Day. This year, the Ministry of Home Affairs proposed ‘Anti-Terrorism Pledge”.

The fourth edition of the Indian Navy-Bangladesh Navy Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) commenced in the Northern Bay of Bengal recently.
Indian Navy and Bangladesh Navy will undertake joint patrolling along the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL). Two indigenously built ships INS Kora and INS Sumedha are participating in the exercise along with Bangladesh Navy Ships. Maritime Patrol Aircraft of both navies would also participate in the Patrol.

UNICEF recently released a report titled “Child Alert”. It highlighted that 600,000 more children may miss out on essential treatment. An increasing number of children may die from severe wasting as the price of food and life-saving treatment rises.
The effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and ongoing damage due to climate change, are causing a spiraling global food crisis.

Union Government has launched the 8th Edition of Swachh Survekshan – SS-2023 under Swachh Bharat Mission Urban 2.0.
Swachh Survekshan- 2023 has been designed with the theme of ‘Waste to Wealth’ as its driving philosophy. The survey would also give priority to the principle of 3 Rs- Reduce, Recycle and Reuse. In SS-2023, the evaluation will be conducted in four phases, instead of three phases in earlier editions.

On May 28, 2022 Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Nano Urea (Liquid) Plant manufactured at IFFCO, Kalol (Gujarat). He also addressed the leaders of various cooperative institutions on ‘Sahakar Se Prosperity’ at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar. The Nano Urea (Liquid) Plant, approximately Rs.175 crore, will provide the means to help farmers increase productivity and increase their income. The plant will produce around 1.5 lakh bottles of 500 ml capacity per day.

The Department of School Education and Literacy has released the National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2021 report which provides a comprehensive assessment of the learning ability of children in classes 3, 5, 8 and 10 in the country by conducting a comprehensive assessment survey with a cycle duration of three years. Assess the health of the system.
The last National Achievement Survey was conducted in 2017. Whereas NAS 2021 was conducted on November 12, 2021 at all India level which included government schools, government aided schools and private unaided schools. Around 34 lakh students from 1.18 lakh schools in 720 districts, both rural and urban, had participated in NAS 2021. The objective of NAS 2021 is to evaluate children’s progress and learning ability as an indicator of the efficiency of the education system, to take appropriate remedial actions at various levels.

The National Security Advisors of Tajikistan, India, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Kyrgyzstan and China meet in Dushanbe, Tajikistan for the 4th Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan on May 26, 2022. India’s National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval said it will continue to guide India’s approach.

Bandhan Express, which runs between India and Bangladesh, recently resumed service after two years, which was earlier stopped due to the Covid pandemic.
Maitree Express also resumed services after a long gap of more than two years. Bandhan Express between Kolkata and Khulna runs two days a week, Maitree Express connects Kolkata with Dhaka running five days a week.

According to a statement issued by the commerce and industry ministry, India has recorded highest ever annual FDI inflow of USD 83.57 billion in the Financial Year 2021-22.
FDI equity inflow in manufacturing sectors has increased by 76 per cent in 2021-22. Singapore was the topmost investor in India last fiscal year, accounting for 27% of the FDI, followed by the US at 18% and Mauritius at 16%. In 2020-21, the inflows were USD 81.97 billion.

19th century social and religious reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy founded Brahmo Samaj a reformist movement of Hindu religion.
It aimed to fight the social evils that were prevalent in the society, such as superstitious practices, customs such as Sati, child marriage, caste inequalities. He was born on May 22, 1772 in the then Bengal Presidency. Ministry of Culture held the inaugural ceremony to commemorate the yearlong celebrations of Raja Ram Mohan Roy’s 250th birth anniversary in Kolkata.

International Labour Organization (ILO) released the 9th edition of the ILO Monitor on the World of Work.
As per the report, multiple global crises are causing deterioration in the global labour market recovery, with increasing inequalities within and between countries. The number of hours worked globally dropped in the first quarter of 2022, to 3.8 per cent below the pre-crisis benchmark. This is equivalent to a deficit of 112 million full-time jobs.

Meenakshi Lekhi, Minister of State for Culture and External Affairs participated in the 7th BRICS Culture Ministers’ Meeting.
It was hosted by the People’s Republic of China through video conference with participation from all BRICS Member Nations. Discussion was held under the theme “Establishing a Cultural Partnership Featuring Inclusiveness and Mutual Learning among BRICS”. The Ministers adopted the BRICS Action Plan 2022-2026 to strengthen the cultural cooperation.

INS Gomti (a guided missile frigate) was decommissioned at sunset on 28 May 2022 at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai after 34 years of service. INS Gomti takes its name from the vibrant river Gomti and was commissioned on 16 April 1988 by Defense Minister KC Pant at Mazagon Dock Limited, Bombay.

According to NAS-2021, at least 48 percent of students across the country walk to school, while nine percent of them use school transportation. According to the survey, at least 25 percent of schools face a lack of parental support in students’ learning.

The Uttarakhand government has announced a drafting committee to implement the Uniform Civil Code. The state committee is headed by retired SC judge Ranjana Desai and includes retired Delhi HC judge Pramod Kohli, former state chief secretary Shatrughan Singh, Manu Gaur and Surekha Dangwal as members.

The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers is celebrated on 29 May annually to pay tribute to the contributions of uniformed and civilian personnel.
It aims to honour around 4,200 peacekeepers who had lost their lives serving under UN since 1948. Last year, as many as 135 personnel lost their lives last year. This year, the United Nations observed the day under the theme, “People Peace Progress: The Power of Partnerships”.

The Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) re-elected Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus for a second five-year term as Director-General of the agency.
His re-election was confirmed during the 75th World Health Assembly in Geneva. A Director-General can be re-appointed once, in accordance with World Health Assembly rules and procedures.