Daily Current Affairs Quiz 22 January 2023

a) Tennis

17-year-old Shang Juncheng created history by becoming the first male Chinese player to win an Australian Open main draw singles match.
China, aside also earned his first tour-level win in four tries, besides clinching his first major win. There are seven Chinese women in the singles draw, led by the veteran Zhang Shuai, who is ranked at 22nd place in the world.

d) Egypt

The first ever joint exercise between the special forces of the Indian Army and the Egyptian Army named “Exercise Cyclone-I” is in progress at Jaisalmer in Rajasthan since 14 January 2023. The exercise aims to bolster defence co-operation between the two nations and focus on sharing professional skills and interoperability of Special Forces in desert terrain while undertaking counter terrorism, reconnaissance, raids and other special operations.

Inaugural Edition of Indo-Egypt Joint Training Exercise Cyclone – I Commenced in Rajasthan.

c) Meghalaya

The Minister of State for Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Rajeev Chandrasekhar announced that India’s first Centre of Excellence (CoE) of online gaming will be set up in Shillong, Meghalaya by March 2023.
The CoE will be set up under Digital India Startup Hub through the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI). The STPI is an autonomous society in the field of Science and Technology under the MeitY.

c) Neither 1 nor 2

Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZ), also known as Ecologically Fragile Areas (EFAs) are areas in India notified by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) around Protected Areas, National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries. Though the Environment Protection Act (EPA) 1986 does not mention the word “Eco-Sensitive Zones”, it has been effectively used by the government to declare ESZ. Hence, statement 1 is incorrect.

Activities in ESZs have been classified into three kinds. Prohibited Activities: Commercial mining, saw mills, industries causing pollution (air, water, soil, noise etc), establishment of major hydroelectric projects (HEP), commercial use of wood. Tourism activities like hot-air balloons over the National Park, discharge of effluents or any solid waste or production of hazardous substances. Regulated Activities: Felling of trees, establishment of hotels and resorts, commercial use of natural water, erection of electrical cables, drastic change of agriculture system, e.g., adoption of heavy technology, pesticides etc, widening of roads. Permitted Activities: Ongoing agricultural or horticultural practices, rainwater harvesting, organic farming, use of renewable energy sources, adoption of green technology for all activities. Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.

The state of Kerala recently petitioned the Supreme Court for a relaxation of its earlier order mandating a minimum 1 Km Ecologically Sensitive Zone (ESZ) around all protected forests in the state, which sparked protests in the state.

b) Ministry of Commerce and Industry

Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry with the support of Zone Startups India held the MAARG Mentor Masterclass.
MAARG (Mentorship, Advisory, Assistance, Resilience, and Growth), the National Mentorship Platform is a one stop platform to facilitate mentorship for Start-Ups across the country.