Daily Current Affairs Quiz : March 21, 2022

ANSWER: C

• Recently, the world’s most advanced Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) powered by Hydrogen, Toyota Mirai, was launched in India by the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) in New Delhi, Delhi. It runs on fully hydrogen generated electricity.
• This launch is a pilot project taking place in Delhi by Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt Ltd (TKM) and International Center for Automotive Technology (ICAT) to study and evaluate this FCEV on Indian roads and climatic conditions.
• This is also a first of its kind project in India aiming to create a Green Hydrogen based ecosystem by raising awareness about the utility of Green Hydrogen and FCEV technology.
• Green hydrogen can be generated from renewable energy and abundantly available biomass.
• FCEV is one of the best Zero Emission solutions.

About Toyota Mirai:

• Powered by a hydrogen fuel cell battery pack, it is capable of providing a range up to 650 km in a single charge, with a refuelling time of five minutes. The powertrain breaks the hydrogen into water and oxygen to generate energy from it. In Japanese, the word ‘Mirai’ means ‘future’.
• Toyota Mirai was launched in 2014 and was one of the world’s first hydrogen fuel EV.
• Now, this new launch in India is second generation (introduced globally in 2020), with a 30% increase in range, better handling and sharper styling. Its iteration will be built in TKM’s plant in Karnataka.
• The Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) will be supplying Hydrogen for this vehicle.
• The launch of the EV, and adoption of green hydrogen technology will cater to India’s initiative of becoming ‘Energy Self-reliant’ by 2047 as it will promote clean energy, affordable energy and environmental protection by reducing dependence on fossil fuels.
• It is completely environment friendly with no tailpipe emissions other than water.

ANSWER: A

• The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) have signed a new agreement to boost decent work and reinforce a humanistic-based revival from the COVID-19 pandemic in the aviation industry.
• The agreement has a five-year duration and is renewable.
• This agreement will renew the 1953 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) concerning the possible establishment of a joint aviation commission and acts as a follow-up to the request made by ILO constituents during the 2013 Global Dialogue Forum on the Effects of the Global Economic Crisis on the Civil Aviation Industry to refurbish cooperation between the two agencies.
• Significance:
• The renewed collaboration between the ILO and the ICAO focuses to guarantee a safe, strong, inclusive and sustainable COVID-19 recovery in the aviation industry.
• Given the serious challenges posed by the pandemic to workers and their rights in the aviation industry, this agreement will be a timely step toward establishing a socially sustainable recovery and decent work in the industry.
• The agreement complies with the ICAO Assembly’s Resolutions on the United Nations Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and gender equality and commits to collaborating with the UN system to enhance aviation’s contributions to sustainable development, forming a steadfast leadership and committing to advancing women’s rights.

About International Labour Organization (ILO):

• ILO is the only tripartite United Nations agency that brings together governments, employers, and workers from 187 member countries.
• India is a founder member of the International Labour Organization.
• ILO was established in 1919 and it is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.

About International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)

• A United Nations (UN) specialized agency established in the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention – 1944) to achieve long-term growth of the global civil aviation system.
• Established in 1947 and 193 Member States.
• Headquarters – Montreal, Canada.

ANSWER: C

• The State Bank of India (SBI) will set up an Innovation, Incubation and Acceleration Centre (IIAC) at Hyderabad, Telangana which will be operational in six to nine months of on-boarding a consultant.
• This Centre will be the bank’s in-house capability to enhance its current performance and drive higher top-line growth through innovation.
• Features of IIAC:
• It will help the bank to develop a set of technologies, knowledge, and skills for the introduction of new products and services.
• It will act as a central body to govern and drive fin-tech partnerships and implement change across the bank.
• It will explore emerging innovations, market shifts or technologies that could impact the bank’s status quo; pursue large-scale initiatives, will redefine the existing business or create a new business unit or division for the bank; and transfer innovation from prototype to project/product that can be monetised by the bank.

ANSWER: B

• Recently , American Astrophysicist Eugene Newman Parker (Eugene Parker), who contributed to the solar physics, has passed away at the age of 94 at a retirement community in Chicago, Illinois, United States of America(USA).
• He was born on 10th June 1927 in Houghton, Michigan, USA.

About Eugene Parker:

• Eugene Parker witnessed the launch of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s Parker Solar Probe in 2018, the first NASA Mission named after a living person and became the first person to witness the launch of a spacecraft named after them.
• He was a visionary in the field of heliophysics, which focuses on the study of the sun and other stars & he is well known for this theory on the existence of solar wind, a supersonic flow of particles off the sun’s surface.
• He virtually created the field of heliophysics in the 1950s.

ANSWER: D

• Telangana turned out to be the first state in India to adopt the Crop Diversification Index (CDI) by way of recording their crop diversification pattern in the form of an index. According to the CDI, Telangana grows 77 varieties of crops, out of which only 10 crops (mostly grains) are chosen for crop diversification.
• The districts of Nirmal, Vikarabad, and Sangareddy emerge as the most diverse, ranking in the top 3 in the state.
• The least diversified districts (bottom 3) in the state in terms of crop diversification would be Peddapalli, Karimnagar, and Suryapet, where paddy is the most cultivated crop, showing a decrease in the cropping areas of maize and an increase in the cropping areas of cotton.

About Crop Diversification Index (CDI)

• All the areas under the 77 different crops, which include food, non-food, and cash crops, as well as the areas under floriculture practices, have been considered to calculate the index.
• The index has a starting value of ONE representing the percentage of total cultivated area devoted to a single crop.
• Many districts in the state have index values ranging from 0 to 5, and the higher the value, the greater the agricultural diversification.
• The index would serve as the baseline for future crop diversification in the state.
• Next to paddy and maize, which are the traditionally grown crops in the state, pulses were the most preferred crops by the farmers.

ANSWER: A

• Recently West Bengal celebrated the ‘Dol Utsav’ or ‘Dol jatra, the festival of colors, marking the onset of spring season.
• The festival is dedicated to Lord Krishna and Radha and celebrated on the full moon day.
• It also marks the last festival of the year as per the Bengali calendar.
• The majestic festival is celebrated by throwing ‘gulaal’ or ‘aabir’ on others and by singing and dancing in cultural programs.
• In Eastern region of India, the festival of spring is celebrated as Dol Tatra, Dol Purnima, Dol Utsav and Basanta Utsay.
• Other Popular spring festival of India:
• Rongali Bihu – the spring festival of Assam,It signifies the onset of the Assamese New Year.
• Sarhul – the spring festival of Jharkhand

ANSWER: A

• The US Agency for International Development (USAID) and Mastercard have partnered to promote digital empowerment of women in India through ‘Project Kirana’, a digital financial literacy programme for women entrepreneurs in India.
• Objective: To increase the revenue of the women-owned-and-operated kirana shops and also expand their financial inclusion and enable them to adopt digital tools like digital payments etc.
• USAID and Mastercard will support women participants to build financial and digital literacy skills.
• The customized training on business and financial management, and leadership development will be provided to the beneficiaries.
• Mastercard and USAID will also address the gender gaps that limit the ability for women-owned businesses to flourish.

About Project Kirana:

• Project Kirana is a two year programme implemented by DAI and ACCESS Development Services started in November 2020.
• It is working in some selected cities like Kanpur, Lucknow and Varanasi of Uttar Pradesh.
• It provides assistance to women to prepare basic business management skills such as sales, accounting, budget management, and insurance to become successful kirana entrepreneurs.
• It witnessed the participation of more than 2,100 women in the project.

ANSWER: A

• An architect Diebedo Francis Kere from Burkina Faso ,West Africa became the first African to win the 51st Pritzker Architecture Prize 2022. It’s a most prestigious honour in the field of architecture.
• In 2021 Jean-Philippe Vassal, a French architect won the 50th Pritzker Architecture Prize.
• Balkrishna Doshi is the first Indian winner of the 2018 Pritzker Prize.

About Pritzker Architecture Prize:

• It is granted annually and is often referred to as “architecture’s Nobel”.
• It was first awarded in 1979.
• It is sponsored by Hyatt Foundation.

ANSWER: A

• Karolina Bielawska from Poland has won the title of Miss World 2021. She was crowned by 2019 Miss World Toni-Ann Singh of Jamaica.
• Indian-American Shree Saini from the United States bagged the first runner-up title, followed by Olivia Yace from Cote d’Ivoire.
• She beat the USA, Indonesia, Mexico, Northern Ireland and Cote d’Ivoire to clinch the coveted title.
• The70th edition of the Miss World international beauty pageant was held in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Miss World 2019 Toni-Ann Singh performed ‘The Prayer’ during the 70th Miss World pageant to express solidarity with Ukraine amid the Russia-Ukraine crisis.
• Indian Contender Femina Miss India World 2020 Manasa Varanasi represented India at the Miss World 2021. Manasa Varanasi reached the Top 13 contestants but could not make it to the Top 6 finalists.

ANSWER: B

• World Sparrow Day (WSD)is celebrated every year on March 20th. This day is meant to raise awareness about the house sparrow and the dangers it confronts. The purpose of World Sparrow Day is to raise awareness and protect the bird all across the world.
• A few years ago, house sparrows were commonly seen in people’s homes. As a result of rising noise pollution, the bird is now on the edge of extinction.
• The theme of World Sparrow Day is “Love Sparrows.”
• More individuals are likely to join in a range of events and campaigns geared at sparrow conservation as a result of focusing on this issue.
• World Sparrow Day was established by Mohammed Dilawar, the founder of The Nature Forever Society. He started several projects, including the biodiversity Photo Contest, the annual Sparrow Awards, Project Save Our Sparrows, and the Common Bird Monitoring of India programme.
• The first World Sparrow Day was held in the year  In 2011,the World Sparrow Awards were established. The award recognises persons who have made significant contributions to environmental conservation and ordinary species protection.

ANSWER: A

• Mahatma Gandhi Green Triangle’ has been unveiled in Madagascar to mark Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
• Ambassador of India to Madagascar, Abhay Kumar celebrated the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav by inaugurating a Green Triangle, along with Mayor of Antananarivo Naina Andriantsitohaina.
• The word green in the plaque signifies their commitment to sustainable development and saving the environment. The naming of this park as Mahatma Gandhi Green Triangle is an apt tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.

ANSWER: C

• Union Minister of State (MoS) for Science & Technology recently released India’s Arctic policy titled ‘India and the Arctic: building a partnership for sustainable development’ in New Delhi.
• India is one of 13 nations holding Observer status in the Arctic Council.
• Thirteen Non-arctic States have been approved as Observers to the Arctic Council. They are
• France, Germany, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, China, Poland, India, Republic of Korea, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom.

Objective:

• To promote the agenda of strengthening national capabilities and competencies in science and environmental protection, maritime and economic cooperation with the Arctic region.
• To enhance understanding of the impact of climate change in the Arctic and deepen India’s participation in climate, economic, and energy security related issues. It studies linkages between polar regions and the Himalayas.
• India’s Arctic Policy is based on six pillars:
• Strengthening India’s scientific research and cooperation,
• Climate and environmental protection,
• Economic and human development,
• Transportation and connectivity,
• Governance and international cooperation,
• National capacity building in the Arctic region.

Background

• India began its engagement with the Arctic region when it signed the Svalbard Treaty (originally the Spitsbergen Treaty) in 1920 in Paris, France.
• In 2007, India began its Arctic Research Program which focuses on climate change.
• India also set up a research station ‘Himadri'(2008) in the international Arctic research base at Ny-Alesund, Svalbard, Norway.
• India is actively participating in studies and research development related to the Arctic oceanography, atmosphere, pollution and microbiology.
• India established IndArc, which is the first multi-sensor moored observatory in Kongsfjorden in 2014 and the northernmost Gruvebadet Atmospheric Laboratory in Ny Alesund in 2016 were launched in the Arctic region.
• The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) in Goa under the MoES, is the nodal institution for India’s Polar research programme, which includes Arctic studies.

About Arctic Council:

• Founded in 1996, it is Headquartered in Tromso, Norway
• Council members (8)- eight Arctic states-Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Russia and the U.S
• Observer states (13)-France, Germany, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, China, Poland, India, Republic of Korea, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom