Weekly Current Affairs (8th to 14th March 2022) Part - 2 - UPSC PDF Download

Important News – India

Q.1. Partnering with which ministry the Ministry of Textiles organizing a programme called “Jharokha-Compendium of Indian handicraft/ handloom, art and culture” to celebrate the traditional Indian handicrafts, handlooms, and art & culture?

Correct Answer is Ministry of Art and Culture.

• Jharokha: PAN India programme that will be held at 16 locations in 13 states and UTs
• Its first event is organized in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh at Rani Kamlapati Railway Station from 8th March 2022 (Women’s Day)
• It will continue for 8 days and will include folk performances by local artists.

Q.2. What is India’s status in the “Freedom in the World 2022 – The Global Expansion of Authoritarian Rule” by Freedom House, a US-based NGO?

Correct Answer is Free, Partly Free.

• The report is published every year since 1973 by Freedom House (US NGO that assesses political-civil liberties)
• India was a free country till 2020 with 71 score
• In 2022, 85 countries were free, 56 as partly free, 69 as not free

Q.3. Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog has announced its partnership with which company to drive Augmented Reality (AR) skilling among the Indian youth?

Correct Answer is Snap.

• The partnership is initially for 2 years and is expected to train over 12,000 teachers affiliated with Atal Tinkering Labs on Augmented Reality, enabling the reach of the program to millions of students affiliated with ATL’s network of schools.
• Snap Inc also announced its partnership with Atal Incubation Centers (AICs).

Q.4. The Government of India (GoI) has approved the establishment of the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (WHO GCTM) in?

Correct Answer is Jamnagar, Gujarat.

• The WHO GCTM will be established in Jamnagar under the Ministry of AYUSH.
• This would be the first and only global outposted Centre (office) for traditional medicine across the globe.

Q.5. Under the administrative jurisdiction of which ministry, the Union Cabinet has approved to set up National Land Monetization Corporation (NLMC) as a wholly owned company of Government of India?

Correct Answer is Ministry of Finance.

• NLMC shall be a wholly-owned Government of India company.
• It will be set up under the administrative jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance.

Q.6. India`s largest reclining statue of Lord Buddha is being built at?

Correct Answer is Bodh Gaya.

• The giant statue is being built by Buddha International Welfare Mission, one of the top Buddhist Temples in West Bengal (also known as Kolkata Temple).
• Its construction started in the year 2019.
• Bodh Gaya is the place of enlightenment of Lord Buddha, and famous pilgrimage site for Buddhism, visited by devotees from all over the world.

Q.7. Which edition of the National Youth Parliament Festival (NYPF) was convened this year by Lok Sabha Secretariat and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports?

Correct Answer is 3rd.

• It is being held on 10th and 11th March 2022, in the Central Hall of Parliament, New Delhi.
• Objective: to hear the voice of the youth, between 18 and less than 25 years of age, who will join various careers in coming years.

Q.8. India’s first 100% women-owned industrial park was established in which city?

Correct Answer is  Hyderabad.

• Industrial park is promoted by FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) in partnership with the state government of Telangana.
• It is spread over a 50-acre area in Sultanpur near Patancheru industrial area.
• Estimated investment cost of the project: Rs 250 crores.

Q.9. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has signed a memorandum of understanding with which IIT for establishment of ‘BIS Standardization Chair Professor’?

Correct Answer is IIT Roorkee.

• This would be the 1st Standardization Chair established by BIS in an Institute for activities on Standardization and Conformity Assessment
• It will help in sensitizing students on how standards can encourage and facilitate innovation and will help in grooming students making them better prepared for their future challenges.

Q.10. Who has launched the MSME Innovative Scheme (Incubation, Design and IPR) along with MSME IDEA HACKATHON 2022?

Correct Answer is Narayan Rane.

• Details of the sub-schemes: 
  • Incubation: promote and support untapped creativity with assistance of up to Rs. 15 lakh per idea
  • Design: Bring Indian manufacturing sector and Design experts on a common platform with assistance up to Rs. 40 lakh for design project
  • IPR (Intellectual Property Rights): improve the IP culture in India.

Q.11. Recently published ‘UDISE+ report is associated with which field?

Correct Answer is Education.

• Ministry of Education (MoE) has released the report on Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 2020-21 on school education of India.
• Under UDISE+ system, improvements have been made in the data capture, data mapping and data verification areas.

Q.12. According to the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 2020-21 what is the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in 20-21 in higher secondary level?

Correct Answer is 53.8%.

• The current report relates to UDISE+ data for the reference year 2020-21 and states that total number of students enrolled in schools from primary to higher secondary stood at 25.38 crore in 20-21 which means there is an increase of 28.32 lakh enrolments as compared to the 25.10 crore enrolment in 2019-20.
• The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in 20-21 stand at 92.2% in upper primary, 99.1% in elementary, 79.8% in secondary and 53.8% in higher secondary respectively.

Q.13. According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-5 which state becomes the top state in the list of full immunization in India with 90.5 per cent coverage under Mission Indradhanush?

Correct Answer is Odisha.

• Intensified Mission Indradhanush 4.0 (IMI) was rolled out on 7 March 2022, in Odisha to provide preventive health care for mothers and children and for boosting full immunization coverage.
• 20 districts of Odisha were found above 90 percent in full immunization and remaining 10 districts were less than 90 percent.
• Districts such as Ganjam, Cuttack, Kendrapara, Jharsuguda, Koraput, Keonjhar, Malkangiri, Khurda, Sambalpur, Mayurbhanj, and Sundargarh districts were selected for inclusion under IMI.

Q.14. India’s first medical city ‘Indrayani Medicity’ to come up in which city?

Correct Answer is Pune.

• It will come up in 300-acre of land area in the Khed taluka of Pune.
• It is estimated to attract investment worth Rs. 10,000 crores.
• Indrayani Medicity will have hospitals, medical research centre, pharmaceutical manufacturing, wellness and physiotherapy.

Q.15. Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU) is located in which city where a new campus building complex has been dedicated to the nation by the PM Narendra Modi?

Correct Answer is Gandhinagar.

• It is an Institution of National Importance, that commenced its operations on 1st October 2020
• It provides different academic courses to meet the need for high quality trained manpower in various wings of policing, criminal justice correctional administration.

Q.16. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has organised ‘India Water Pitch-Pilot-Scale Start-up Conclave’ at India Habitat Centre in ?

Correct Answer is New Delhi.

• During the conclave, the minister also launched ‘India Water Pitch-Pilot-Scale Start-up Challenge’ under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0 scheme
• It has been launched on MyGov platform
• MoHUA Ministry will select 100 start-ups for funding support of Rs.20 lakhs as well as mentorship.

Q.17. What is the rank of in the RailTel Corporation of India Limited(RailTel) 8th Edition Fortune India The Next 500 (2022 edition) of top midsize companies operating in India?

Correct Answer is 124th.

• It was ranked 197 in the 2021 list of top midsize companies operating in India.
• RailTel is one of the largest neutral telecom infrastructure services providers in the country.
• Besides RailTel, there are five more private telecom players on the list.
• Apart from RailTel, IRCTC is the only Railway PSU featuring in the list, at the rank of 309.

Q.18. India ranked at what position in terms of market capitalization this year?

Correct Answer is 5th.

• India’s equity market has broken into the world’s top five club in terms of market capitalization for the first time.
• The country’s total market cap stands at $3.21 trillion, which is higher than that of the UK ($3.19 trillion), Saudi Arabia ($3.18 trillion), and Canada ($3.18 trillion).
• This year, India has climbed two positions, despite a 7.4 per cent drop in its market cap.

Q.19. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on Trends in International Arms Transfer, 2021, which country ranked first in terms of importers of arms between 2017-21?

Correct Answer is India.

• The report places India at the top of the list. Egypt, Australia and China were the next three largest importers with respective shares of 5.7%, 5.4% and 4.8%.
• Paradoxically, India was the only country among the top five whose imports had declined during the said period.

Q.20. The country’s first Digital Water Bank ‘AQVERIUM’ was launched in?

Correct Answer is Bengaluru.

• It is formed by AquaKraft Group Ventures.
• It is a very unique innovation combining sustainable & green technologies along with information technology, skill development & entrepreneurship.

Important News – State

Q.1. Which state government has launched 'Women@Work' programme to provide five lakh jobs within 2026 to women with necessary employable skills?

Correct Answer is Karnataka.

• The program aims to focus on the efforts of corporate programs on attracting women workforce.
• It has been developed by Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM) in association with KTECH, Karnataka Skill Development Corporation.

Q.2. Government of India, World Bank and which state government have signed $125 million IBRD loan to support efforts to help poor and vulnerable groups access social protection services in the state?

Correct Answer is West Bengal.

• WB runs more than 400 programs for social assistance, care services, and jobs under umbrella platform called Jai Bangla
• West Bengal Building State Capability for Inclusive Social Protection Project will support these interventions at the state level.

Q.3. Which state government has launched a new scheme titled ‘Kaushalya Matritva Yojana’ to give financial assistance of Rs 5000 to women on the birth of second girl child?

Correct Answer is Chhattisgarh.

• The scheme aims to give financial assistance of Rs 5000 to women on the birth of second girl child.
• During the launch of the scheme, CM Baghel gave away cheques of Rs 5,000 each to five women beneficiaries for safe motherhood.

Q.4. Which state government and the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) signed an agreement for the creation of fisheries infrastructure to boost fish production?

Correct Answer is Odisha.

• The agreement was signed between Principal Secretary, Finance, Vishal Dev and NABARD chief general manager C Udayabhaskar.
• The Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF) will help in creation of infrastructure facilities in marine and inland sectors of Odisha.
• For the development in the sector around Rs 119.8 crore initially approved.

Q.5. Which state bagged the number 1 spot in the SKOCH Governance Report Card for 2021?

Correct Answer is Andhra Pradesh.

• It ranks the states according to their performance in various projects at the state, district, and municipal levels.
• Andhra Pradesh bagged the number 1 spot for the 2nd consecutive year.
• Other states in the top five include West Bengal, Odisha, Gujarat, and Maharashtra.

Important News – World

Q.1. Which country successfully launched a military satellite, Noor-2, into orbit at an altitude of 500 kilometres (311 miles) from the earth?

Correct Answer is Iran.

• It was launched from three-stage Qased, or Messenger, carrier from Shahroud space port
• This is the 2nd military satellite launched by the Islamic Republic.
• First military satellite, 'Noor' was launched in April 2020 at an orbit of 425km (265 miles) above earth’s surface.

Q.2. Which is the most sanctioned country of the world?

Correct Answer is Russia.

• Russia faced 2,778 new sanctions since 22nd February 2022, led by the US and European nations, bringing the total sanctions to 5,530.
• It was already having 2,754 sanctions in place before February 22.
• Before this, Iran was the most sanctioned country, facing 3,616 sanctions against it over last decade.

Q.3. India signed MoU with which countries to implement the ‘BBIN’ Motor Vehicles Agreement?

Correct Answer is Bangladesh and Nepal.

• The two-day meeting held in Delhi.
• Bhutan participated in the meeting as an observer.
• This is the first meeting of the group since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
• The last meeting was held in February 2020 in New Delhi.

Q.4. As per the study conducted by International Finance Corporation (IFC) which country tops the list in terms of women on board of listed companies in South Asia?

Correct Answer is Bangladesh.

• According to data, there was an increase in the percentage of women who are independent directors on listed companies from 5% in 2020 to 6%, despite COVID-19
• 2020 IFC-DSE study showed at the time around 18% of listed company board directors were women, which has remained the same.

Honor & Awards

Q.1. Which film won the Best Film Award at the 75th British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA)Awards 2022?

Correct Answer is The Power of the Dog.

• Given below is the list of winners at the 2022 BAFTAs in main categories
  • Best Film – The Power of the Dog
  • Best Director – Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog
  • Best Actress in Leading Role – Joanna Scanlan, After Love
  • Best Actor in Leading Role – Will Smith, King Richard.
  • Best Supporting Actress – Ariana DeBose, West Side Story
  • Best Supporting Actor – Troy Kotsur, CODA.

Q.2. Syeda Rizwana Hasan belongs to which country who has been bestowed with the International Women of Courage Award 2022 by the US Department of State?

Correct Answer is Bangladesh.

• The US Department of State has decided to recognise Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (Bela) Chief Executive Syeda Rizwana Hasan with the International Women of Courage Award 2022.
• Rizwana Hasan is a lawyer who demonstrates exceptional courage and leadership in her mission to protect the environment and defend the dignity and rights of marginalized Bangladeshis.

Sports News

Q.1. S L Narayanan is associated with which sports?

Correct Answer is Chess.

• Meanwhile his compatriot R Praggnanandhaa came second.
• The 24-year old S L Narayanan from Thiruvananthapuram, earned the title of Grandmaster in 2015 and is the 41st Grandmaster from India.

Q.2. Who becomes the 23rd and latest Woman Grandmaster (WGM) of India ?

Correct Answer is Priyanka Nutakki.

• She became India’s twenty-third Woman Grandmaster. She is from Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh.
• Priyanka Nutakki scored her first WGM-norm in January 2019 and crossed the 2300 rating criteria in the next two months.

Q.3. Name the Indian cricketer who have announced his retirement from all form of cricketer in March 2022?

Correct Answer is S Sreesanth.

• He had played 27 Tests and 53 ODIs for India, taking 87 and 75 wickets respectively.
• He has also taken seven wickets in 10 T20 Internationals
• He was banned for alleged spot-fixing for a seven-year punishment in September 2020 that was originally meant to be for life and was aggressively contested by the flamboyant bowler.

Q.4. Name the Indian badminton player who settle for silver in in the German Open 2022 men’s singles final at Mulheim?

Correct Answer is Lakshya Sen.

• Lakshya Sen was chasing his second BWF title of the year, having won the India Open Super 500 title back in January.
• He bagged a bronze at the world championships late last year.
• Indian shuttlers will be next seen in action at the All England Open 2022.

Q.5. Pramod Bhagat is associated with which sports two silver and a bronze medal recently in an international event?

Correct Answer is Badminton.

• He won men’s singles SL3 Silver and mixed doubles SL3-SU5 Bronze at the Spanish Para-Badminton International 2022.
• Apart from him, Sukant Kadam won the Bronze medal in Spanish Para-Badminton International 2022, after losing to World no 1 Lucas Mazur from France.

Q.6. Who sets a new world record in pole vault with a 6.19-meter clearance at the Belgrade Indoor Meeting?

Correct Answer is Mondo Duplantis.

• Duplantis set the record of 6.18 in February 2020 indoors in Glasgow.
• With all of his opponents finished, Duplantis opened his series with 5.61, 5.85 and 6.00 all on his first tries.

Books and Authors

Q.1. Originally written as “Ullas Ki Naav” is biography of who among the following that has been translated in English as ‘The Queen of Indian Pop’?

Correct Answer is Usha Uthup.

• The book was originally written in Hindi titled “Ullas Ki Naav” by author Vikas Kumar Jha.“The Queen of Indian Pop:
• The Authorised Biography of Usha Uthup” is the English translation of the book, translated by the writer’s daughter Srishti Jha.

Q.2. Who has authored the book titled ‘The Blue Book: A Writer’s Journal’?

Correct Answer is Amitava Kumar.

• The Blue Book is the outcome of the diary-keeping by the author during the time of lockdown due to pandemics.
• The author has used watercolour drawings as well as words to depict the experience, both individual and collective, of the pandemic.

Science and Defence

Q.1. The joint military exercise, "Dharma Guardian-2022" was held between India and which country?

Correct Answer is Japan.

• It is being participated by 15 Maratha LIRC UNIT and Japan 30 Infantry regiment
• It covers platoon-level joint training on operations in the jungle and semi-urban and urban terrain.
• Insertion by helicopter into the ‘area of operation’ is being carried out in the Regimental Center.

Q.2. What is the name of the supercomputer designed and commissioned Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) at IIT Roorkee under Phase II of National Supercomputing Mission (NSM)?

Correct Answer is PARAM Ganga.

• PARAM Ganga has a supercomputing capacity of 1.66 Petaflops.
• NSM is a joint initiative of Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeiTY) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST).

Q.3. First Artificial Intelligence & Robotics Technology Park (ARTPARK) of India has been launched at which institution?

Correct Answer is Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru.

• It is promoted by a not-for-profit foundation set up by Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru, with a seed capital of Rs.230 crores from State and Central govt
• It intends to use futuristic technologies with a focus on creating a globally leading artificial Intelligence and Robotics Innovation ecosystem in India.