Current Affairs Quiz - April 2022

Notes:
Telangana launched its Space Tech Framework to promote domestic production of launch vehicles, satellite systems and subsystems, ground equipment manufacturing and other facilities.
It was also the first ever official government event to be hosted on Meta-verse. A space-themed Meta-verse environment was developed along with avatars of key participants including Industries and IT Minister KT Rama Rao, Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, ISRO Chairman Somanath among others.

Notes:
The International Monetary Fund (IMF), in its latest World Economic Outlook report, slashed its forecast for India’s FY23 gross domestic product growth to 8.2 per cent.
Earlier, IMF had forecasted 9 per cent growth for India during the said year. The rate cut is due to higher commodity prices weighing on private consumption and investment. RBI earlier cut its FY23 GDP forecast to 7.2 per cent from 7.8 per cent.

Notes:
As per a recent report published, an imbalance in nitrogen availability has been reported across the globe, with some places having an excess and others a shortage of the element.
This situation hurts the aquatic and terrestrial life that feed on it. Without nitrogen, an essential nutrient, plants grow slowly and produce smaller flowers and fruits. Their leaves turn yellowish and are less nutritious to insects, birds and animals. Tropical and boreal forests may be particularly vulnerable to the problem.

Notes:
The managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Kristalina Georgieva held a meeting with India’s finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on the sideline of the annual spring meeting of the IMF and the World Bank in Washington.
During the meeting, both leaders discussed the current geopolitical situation and its economic impact on the economies. The IMF MD also lauded India’s high growth rate and noted India’s well-targeted policy mix has helped the economy to remain resilient.

Notes:
Mumbai’s first completely digital bus was recently inaugurated, on the Gateway of India – Churchgate route by the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST).
This is claimed to be the first-ever 100 percent digital bus service in the country, aiming at increasing the digitisation of the bus ticketing system. The bus has a unique tap-in tap-out feature wherein passengers can tap in using their smart card or using the ‘chalo’ app installed on their smart-phones.

Notes:
The Perseverance Mars rover of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has captured the eclipse involving Mars. It captured Phobos, Mars’ potato-shaped moon or satellite, crossing the face of the Sun.
The eclipse was captured with Perseverance’s Mastcam-Z camera. It lasted a little above 40 seconds, shorter than a solar eclipse involving Earth’s Moon, as Phobos is about 157 times smaller than Earth’s Moon. Deimos, Mars’ another Moon is still smaller.

Notes:
New Space India Limited, the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation has signed an agreement with OneWeb, a company backed by the Bharti group, for satellite launches.
New Space’s first launch is expected in 2022 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota. The launches will strengthen OneWeb’s in-orbit constellation of 428 satellites, to build a global network to deliver high-speed connectivity.

Notes:
Oxitec, a UK-based biotech firm initially founded at Oxford University, released genetically modified mosquitoes in an effort to curb wild mosquito populations.
Oxitec had already tested the genetically modified mosquitoes in the field in Brazil, Panama, the Cayman Islands and Malaysia, but this was the first open-air trial of genetically modified mosquitoes in the United States.

Notes:
The Indian Coast Guard Ship (Auxiliary Barge) named Urja Pravaha has been inducted into the Indian Coast Guard at Gujarat’s Bharuch.
It will be under the operational command of Coast Guard District Headquarters-4 (Kerala and Mahe), in addition to auxiliary barge Urja Shrota, which was based here since 2017. The ship is 36 meters long and is designed to carry Cargo Ship Fuel, Aviation Fuel and Fresh Water.

Notes:
The founder of educational charity ‘Bidyanando’, Kishore Kumar Das from Bangladesh has been chosen for the Commonwealth Points of Light Award, which recognises outstanding individual volunteers.
He has been selected for his exceptional work in improving access to education for children from marginalised backgrounds, said the British High Commission. Kishore Das setup Bidyanando in 2013, which runs five primary schools which provide free education and meal programme for vulnerable.