Current Affairs - December, 2022

1 .

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several Union Ministers paid tribute to _________ on his 71st death anniversary on 14th Dec 2022.

A)

Bhagat Singh

B)

Subhas Chandra Bose

C)

Lal Bahadur Shastri

D)

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Correct Answer : Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several Union Ministers paid tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his 71st death anniversary on Wednesday (14th Dec 2022).

* Stating that the country will forever be grateful to Patel, PM Modi said, “Remembering Sardar Patel on his Punya Tithi. India will always be grateful to him for his monumental service, his administrative skills, and the untiring efforts to unite our nation.”

* Sardar, or Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel, was an Indian leader. From 1947 until 1950, he was India’s first deputy prime minister. He was a barrister and a prominent leader of the Indian National Congress who led the country’s independence movement and guided its integration into a single, independent nation. He was a member of the Indian National Congress’s conservative wing.

* Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, known as the “Iron Man of India,” was born in Nadiad village in present-day Gujarat on October 31, 1875.

* In India’s freedom struggle, he was a political and freedom leader.

* He is known as the Iron Man of India because of his strong views on the union of princely states into one nation, his good attitude toward women’s emancipation, and his active participation in shaping India into what it is now.

* Vallabhbhai Patel was given the title of ‘Sardar’ by Mahatma Gandhi.

* In 1991, he was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna. Since 2014, his birthday has been celebrated as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day). Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel joined the princely kingdoms in British Indian territory, preventing India from becoming divided.

* Due to his role in uniting the shards of princely kingdoms into a single nation, he is known as the ‘Bismarck of India.’

* Modern All India Services was founded by him.

* He served as India’s first Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister.

* Sardar Patel, 75, died of a major heart attack in Bombay on December 15, 1950.

Integration of Princely States :

* Sardar Patel, India’s first Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, was instrumental in the union of 565 princely kingdoms into the Indian Union.

* Travancore, Hyderabad, Junagadh, Bhopal, and Kashmir were among the princely kingdoms that refused to join India.

* Sardar Patel worked relentlessly to reach an agreement with the princely kingdoms, but he did not shy away from using Sama, Dama, Dand, and Bhed techniques when necessary.

* He had used force to acquire the princely realms of Junagadh, governed by the Nawab, and Hyderabad, ruled by the Nizam, both of whom had refused to join the Union of India.

Source : Indian Express

Published On : December 17, 2022

2 .

________ makes solar panels mandatory for new homes built after 2025.

A)

London

B)

Washington D.C

C)

Moscow

D)

Tokyo

Correct Answer : Tokyo

All new houses in Tokyo built by large-scale homebuilders after April 2025 must install solar power panels to cut household carbon emissions, according to a new regulation passed by the Japanese capital's local assembly on Thursday(15th Dec 2022).

* The mandate, the first of its kind for a Japanese municipality, requires about 50 major builders to equip homes of up to 2,000 square metres (21,500 square feet) with renewable energy power sources, mainly solar panels.

* Tokyo Governor "Yuriko Koike" noted last week that just 4% of buildings where solar panels could be installed in the city have them now.

* The Tokyo Metropolitan Government aims to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared with 2000 levels.

* Japan, the world's fifth-largest carbon emitter, has committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 but faces difficulty as it has relied heavily on coal-burning thermal power after most of its nuclear reactors were in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster..

Source : Reuters

Published On : December 17, 2022

3 .

Which edition of Youth Co:Lab, Asia Pacific's largest youth innovation movement was jointly launched by Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog and UNDP India December 15th 2022?

A)

5th edition

B)

6th edition

C)

7th edition

D)

8th edition

Correct Answer : 5th edition

The 5th edition of Youth Co:Lab, Asia Pacific’s largest youth innovation movement was jointly launched by Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog and UNDP India on Thursday (December 15th 2022).

The applications for this edition were launched by Dr. Chintan Vaishnav, Mission Director AIM, NITI Aayog and Mr. Dennis Curry, Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP India.

Speaking at the event Dr. Chintan Vaishnav, Mission Director Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog said “Entrepreneurs are a powerful force in leading social change and accelerating the movement in meeting the SDGs target actions.

Youth has exuberance, ideas and the zeal to change the world and providing them with every opportunity can create a sustainable change. Hence, I invite all of our young innovators and entrepreneurs to participate in this incredible opportunity to unleash their creativity and build their solutions through the Youth Co:Lab.”

Youth Co:Lab is an initiative launched in 2019 by UNDP India in partnership with Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog and aims to establish a common agenda for Asia-Pacific countries to invest in and empower youth to accelerate implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through leadership, social innovation, and entrepreneurship.

Atal Innovation Mission, along with UNDP India are driving this movement through the fifth edition of Youth Co:Lab India and have been supporting young social entrepreneurs who can be a powerful force in leading social change and furthering the implementation of SDGs target actions.

The Youth Co:Lab initiative, till date, has been implemented in 28 countries and territories, reaching over 200,000 participants, benefitting more than 11,000 young social entrepreneurs and supporting over 1,240 social enterprises.

Through Youth Co: Lab, 30 early-stage start-ups would be supported by the springboard programme, and the best would be provided a seed grant for scaling up their start-up.

The 5 focus thematic areas for Youth Colab 2022-23 are :

* Digital and Financial Literacy for Youth

* Gender Equality and Women Economic Empowerment

* Developing FinTech Solutions focused on Biodiversity Conservation

* Promoting Biodiversity-friendly Lifestyles through Technological Solutions in Finance

* Accelerating Circular Economy through Upcycling Innovations

* Behavioural Nudges for LiFE ( Lifestyle For Environment)

* Passionate young founders with solutions that solve real problems and/or create meaningful co-innovation opportunities aged 18-29 can apply and will be supported throughout the programme..

Source : PIB

Published On : December 17, 2022

4 .

Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Ko Kaam Karyakram (PMKKK) has now been Renamed as __________ Scheme.

A)

PM IND

B)

PM KVK

C)

PM VIKAS

D)

PM SWACHH

Correct Answer : PM VIKAS

The Minister of Minority Affairs, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha 15th Dec 2022 informed that the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Ko Kaam Karyakram (PMKKK) has now been named as Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS) Scheme.

The integrated scheme converges five erstwhile schemes of the Ministry viz. Seekho aur Kamao, USTTAD, Hamari Dharohar, Nai Roshni and Nai Manzil.

The scheme has been approved by the Cabinet for the period of 15th Finance Commission.

PM VIKAS aims : To improve livelihoods of the minorities, particularly the artisan communities, using the components of skill development, education, women leadership & entrepreneurship.

These components compliment each other in the ultimate objective of the scheme to increase the incomes of the beneficiaries and provide support by facilitating credit and market linkages..

Source : PIB

Published On : December 17, 2022

5 .

Which day does the India celebrate Vijay Divas to mark the victory in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War?

A)

15th December

B)

16th December

C)

17th December

D)

18th December

Correct Answer : 16th December

The Nation is celebrating Vijay Diwas 16th December to commemorate India's victory over Pakistan in 1971 Bangladesh Liberation war. On this day, the sacrifice of war heroes is remembered and rich tributes are being paid to them.

On 16th December 1971, the chief of the Pakistani forces, General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, along with 93 thousand troops, surrendered unconditionally to the allied forces led by Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora, in Dhaka after their defeat.

The end of the war resulted in the freedom of Bangladesh.

President "Droupadi Murmu", Prime Minister "Narendra Modi", Defence Minister "Rajnath Singh", and Army Chief General "Manoj Pande" attended the At Home reception at Army House on the eve of Vijay Diwas.

Prime Minister Modi along with Rajnath Singh also visited an exhibition on the occasion of Vijay Diwas in Delhi. The Prime Minister said, India will never forget the valour of our Armed Forces that led to the win in the 1971 war..

Source : AIR

Published On : December 17, 2022

6 .

_________ becomes India's first carbon-neutral power exchange.

A)

GMM Pfaudler Ltd.

B)

Indian Energy Exchange (IEX)

C)

Central Depository Services

D)

Computer Age Management Services

Correct Answer : Indian Energy Exchange (IEX)

Indian Energy Exchange (IEX) has become first carbon-neutral power exchange of India, using market based tradable instruments to offset its carbon emissions.

To reduce carbon footprint, IEX has voluntarily cancelled CERs (certified emissions reductions) from clean projects registered under the Clean Development Mechanism, UNFCCC.

As per the UNEP 2022 report, global greenhouse gas emissions must be cut 45% by 2030 to get on track to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees..

Source : Mint

Published On : December 17, 2022

7 .

Which government has signed an MoU with Hinduja group for an investment worth Rs 35,000 crore in 11 sectors?

A)

Maharashtra

B)

Gujarat

C)

Tamil Nadu

D)

Uttar Pradesh

Correct Answer : Maharashtra

The Maharashtra Government on Thursday(15th Dec 2022) said the Hinduja group will be investing Rs 35,000 crore in the state in 11 sectors.

The Chief Minister's Office tweeted that an MoU was signed between the state government and Hinduja group in the presence of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

G P Hinduja and Ashok Hinduja of the Hinduja group were present on the occasion. An official said the group has identified 11 sectors for investment in the state, including infrastructure, biotech, Electric Vehicles, manufacturing and health.

The Shinde government had come under fire earlier this year when Maharashtra lost some big-ticket projects including Vedanta-Foxconn semiconductor plant to other states.

Source : Business Standard

Published On : December 16, 2022

8 .

Harvard University has named ________ as the first black president to run an Ivy League university.

A)

Steven H. Kaplan

B)

Neal Smatresk

C)

Renu Khator

D)

Dr Claudine Gay

Correct Answer : Dr Claudine Gay

Harvard University has chosen its first black president. Dr Claudine Gay, the daughter of an immigrant, has been named the first president to run an Ivy League university. Dr Gay, who is a dean at Harvard and a democracy scholar, has been appointed as the university's 30th president.

* Dr Claudine Gay will replace Lawrence Bacow as president in July 2023, the university noted.

* Dr Gay will also be the second woman to head the elite college in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

* Notably, Dr Claudine Gay is the daughter of Haitian immigrants. She received her bachelor's degree from Stanford University in California in 1992.

* Dr Gay then went on to receive her doctorate degree in 1998 from Harvard, where she bagged the Toppan Prize for the best dissertation in political science.

* Dr Gay joined Harvard's faculty in 2006 as a government professor and became a professor of African and African-American Studies in 2007. Her work so far has centred on race and politics in America..

Source : Times Now News

Published On : December 16, 2022

9 .

Which Company has partnered with Viasat (global communications company) to deliver satellite internet access to 10 million people across the world by 2025?

A)