Current Affairs Quiz - January 2022

Notes:
World Customs Organization (WCO) has been issuing the Harmonised system of Nomenclature (HSN) codes, to classify and regulate global trade since 1988. It maintains and periodically updates the codes in line with the changing nature of global trade.
From January 1, 2022 onwards, the HSN codes that are used to classify the internationally traded items are set to be updated. The latest set of codes (HSN 2022) will be used to capture the trade in several of new fields.

Notes:
Iran has launched a satellite carrier rocket ‘Simorgh’ bearing three research devices into space, as per the country’s media.
‘Simorgh’ translates to ‘Phoenix’ in Iran language. The country has launched the devices at an altitude of 470 kilometres (290 miles). United States unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear deal in May 2018 and re-imposed sanctions against Iran.

Notes:
China’s Shanghai has maintained its position as having the longest metro rail network in the world by adding two new lines that went into operation recently.
The new lines took the total length of the city’s metro network to 831 km, also bringing the total number of fully automatic driverless metro lines in the city to five.  Shanghai city now includes 508 stations. Shanghai’s Metro network is followed by Beijing, and Delhi was ranked third

Notes:
Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest economy, will likely ratify its membership of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
China-backed RCEP, the world’s biggest trade association, entered into force on January 1, 2022. Seven nations in Southeast Asia, as well as Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea ratified the pact earlier this year.

Notes:
The GST Council decided to defer the increase in the rate for textiles to 12% from 5%. It has referred the matter to a panel of Ministers, to review Rate Rationalisation.
The GST on all readymade textile items, except those made with cotton, was earlier hiked to 12 per cent. The GST on footwear, except those below Rs 1,000, was also hiked to 12 per cent from 5 per cent. State representatives from Gujarat, West Bengal, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu opposed the hike.

Notes:
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren announced concession of Rs 25 per litre on petrol and diesel prices for two-wheelers owned by the poor.
The concession will be given for 10 litres of petrol for every month. An amount of Rs 25 per litre would be transferred to the bank account of poor ration card holders.

Notes:
The Pakistan Government has confirmed the purchase of at least 25 Chinese J-10C fighter jets for the Pakistan Air Force.
Pakistan claims these jets as an alternative to France’s Rafale fighter jets owned by India. Pakistan also has a fleet of US-made F-16s jets.

Notes:
The National Commission for Women (NCW) has received a total of 31,000 complaints of crimes committed against women in the year 2021, which is the highest in number since 2014. There is an increase in complaints by 30% in the year 2021 in comparison to 2020.
Among the total complaints, more than half of them have been received from Uttar Pradesh state which has the highest number of complaints, followed by Delhi.

Notes:
The Pakistan Ministry of Religious Affairs has formed a Hindu Temple Management Committee, to act as a bridge between the non-Muslim population and the state.
As per media reports, the Committee will look after matters related to Hindu places of worship. The formation of the committee will help in resolving the issues of the Pakistan’s Hindu community.

Notes:
SMILE (Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise) is an umbrella scheme being formulated by Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
It includes two sub-schemes for the welfare of transgender persons and persons engaged in begging. The scheme will include rehabilitation, medical facilities, counselling, education, skill development and economic linkages.