Current Affairs Quiz - May 2022

Notes:
Beverage major PepsiCo and US Agency for International Development (USAID) have awarded six women farmers of West Bengal for breaking gender stereotypes and implementing best practices related to collaborative potato farming.
The awards were provided as a part of a programme for women farmers’ economic empowerment. PepsiCo procures around 70 per cent of its total potato requirement for food processing from nearly 27,000 farmers in West Bengal.

Notes:
Ministry of Electronics and IT launched the ‘GatiShakti Sanchar’ portal, which aims to accelerate approvals for laying of fibre and tower installations, ahead of the 5G roll-out in the country.
The portal will enable centralised right of way (RoW) approvals for telecom infrastructure projects and can be used by industries to apply for RoW approvals, including for 5G services. The portal brings down the time taken for approvals from nearly 100 days to around 22.

Notes:
Devasahayam Pillai, who was born in Tamil Nadu became the first Indian layman to be declared a saint by the Vatican.
Besides Devasahayam, the Pope proclaimed five other men and four women as saints. Devasahayam was born as a Hindu and converted to Christianity in the 18th century and assumed the name ‘Lazarus’. While preaching, he insisted on the equality of all people, despite caste differences.

Notes:
Gokulam Kerala FC retained the I-League crown by beating the Kolkata-based Mohammedan Sporting in the final round of the tournament, played at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata.
I-League is the professional league for the Indian men’s association football clubs which was started in 2007. Rishad and Emil Benny scored goals for the Gokulam Kerala FC while Marcus Joseph scored the only goal of the other team.

Notes:
A team of historians and archaeologists have recently discovered an ancient rock art site dating back to the Mesolithic era on a small hillock near Kasipeta village in Telangana.
Estimated to be at least 10,000 years old, this rock art has paintings of four bisons, two human figures, and an animal resembling a horse. The hillock is about 30 feet tall and many red ochre colour paintings on the inner side were identified.

Notes:
The Ramgarh Vishdhari Sanctuary in Rajasthan was notified as India’s 52nd tiger reserve, as announced by the Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav.
This is Rajasthan’s fourth tiger reserve after Ranthambore, Sariska and Mukundra. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) approved to make Ramgarh Vishdhari Wildlife Sanctuary as tiger reserves last year. Wild animals like Indian wolf, leopard, striped hyena, sloth bear, golden jackal, chinkara, nilgai and fox can be seen in the Reserve.

Notes:
Private insurer PNB MetLife India Insurance has recently launched a new dental health insurance plan.
This is the first such plan in India that covers outpatient expenses and provides financial assistance with costs related to overall dental health. PNB MetLife’s new Dental Care Plan will help customers ensure they do not have to dive into their savings in order to make space for dental treatment.

Notes:
The ‘International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia’ is observed on 17 May every year.
The Day celebrates diversity and raises awareness of the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTIQ+) people. This year’s theme has been chosen to be Our Bodies. Our Lives. Our Rights.  According to a recent data, an estimated two billion people live in environments where LGBTIQ+ people are treated as criminals.

Notes:
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann launched a first-of-its-kind public interaction programme, ‘Lok Milni’.
Under the programme, the Chief Minister hears grievances of people and issued directions for their redressal. This interactive programme is aimed at providing a single-window platform to the people for redressal of their complaints.

Notes:
India and France concluded their second joint patrolling in the South-Western Indian Ocean.
Indian Navy P-8I aircraft was deployed from the French island of La Reunion to carry out joint surveillance and patrolling operations with the French Navy in the South-Western Indian Ocean. An Australian P-8 maritime patrol aircraft is expected in India on a reciprocal visit.