Current Affairs - December, 2022

1 .

With reference to the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), consider the following statements:

1. It works under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

2. It represents India in International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A)

1 Only

B)

2 Only

C)

Both 1 and 2

D)

Neither 1 nor 2

Correct Answer : Option (B) - 2 Only

The Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, recently informed that to date 21,890 Standards for products, process specifications, service sectors, code of practice, and methods of test terminology have been published by the BIS.

Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the National Standards Body of India established under the BIS Act 2016.

Objective: Harmonious development of the activities of standardisation, and quality assurance of goods and articles.

To date, 21,890 Standards for products, process specifications, service sectors, code of practice, and methods of test terminology have been published by the BIS.

It works under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.

BIS represents India in International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

What is ISO?

It is an independent, non-governmental international organization with a membership of 167 national standard bodies.

Through its members, it brings together experts to share knowledge and develop voluntary, consensus-based, market-relevant International Standards that support innovation and provide solutions to global challenges.

What is IEC?

The IEC is a global, not-for-profit membership organization, whose work underpins quality infrastructure and international trade in electrical and electronic goods.

The IEC brings together more than 170 countries and provides a global, neutral and independent standardization platform to 20 000 experts globally.

It administers 4 Conformity assessment systems whose members certify that devices, systems, installations, services and people work as required.

Published On : December 24, 2022

2 .

With reference to the Great Lakes of North America, consider the following statements:

1. They drain into the Gulf of St Lawrence in the North Atlantic Ocean.

2. Lake Michigan lies entirely in the USA.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A)

1 Only

B)

2 Only

C)

Both 1 and 2

D)

Neither 1 nor 2

Correct Answer : Option (C) - Both 1 and 2

Recently, a study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Ocean, Coastal, and Great Lakes Acidification Research Plan said, by 2100 even the Great Lakes of North America might approach acidity at the same rate as the oceans.

* It is a known fact that the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide has caused the world’s oceans to turn more acidic, but the new finding that the freshwater bodies are also turning acidic is a shock.

* Scientists are building a sensor network to measure the carbon dioxide and pH levels of the Lakes, starting with developing a system to detect the water chemistry trends of Lake Huron, one of the five Great Lakes.

What is Acidification? It is a phenomenon resulting from the release of protons from certain substances into the ecosystem. These emissions increase the acidity (decrease in pH) of water and soils.

What makes the Acidification of water bodies?

* Acidification of oceans or freshwater bodies takes place when excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere gets rapidly absorbed into them.

* The absorption of carbon dioxide leads to a lowering of the pH, which makes the water bodies more acidic.

Consequences of acidification

* It will decrease native biodiversity,

* It will create physiological challenges for organisms,

* There are possibilities of permanently altering the structure of the ecosystem.

Great Lakes

* The Great Lakes of North America, or simply the Great Lakes, are five interconnected bodies of water straddling the US-Canada border.

* They are the largest group of freshwater lakes in the world.

* They drain into the Gulf of St Lawrence in the North Atlantic through the St Lawrence River.

* The Great Lakes are Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario.

* The US-Canada border passes through Lakes Superior, Huron, Erie, and Ontario.

* Lake Michigan lies entirely in the US.

Formation - The Great Lakes are believed to be formed some 20,000 years ago when the Earth started to warm and water from melting glaciers filled the basins on its surface, according to NOAA.

Significance :

* Today, the Great Lakes contain a fifth of the world’s total freshwater and are a crucial source of irrigation and transportation.

* The Great Lakes also serve as the habitat for more than 3,500 species of plants and animals.

Hence both statements are correct.

Source : Indian Express

Published On : December 24, 2022

3 .

Former PepsiCo India chairman, PM Sinha when did passes away?

A)

19th Dec 2022

B)

20th Dec 2022

C)

21st Dec 2022

D)

22nd Dec 2022

Correct Answer : Option (C) - 21st Dec 2022

PM Sinha, 82, popularly known as Suman, former chairman of PepsiCo, India, and South Asia, passed away on Wednesday(21st Dec 2022) in Gurugram.

* Sinha, who was ailing for sometime, worked with Hindustan Unilever for more than a decade before joining PepsiCo India in 1993 and is credited with mentoring a generation of professionals who went on to head successful companies in the consumer space.

* Though Sinha was PepsiCo India’s second chairman – the company entered India in 1989 – he was credited with laying its strong foundation in the country and successfully steering it through several agitations and opposition by several interest groups opposed to the entry of multinational companies then.

* Sinha’s farewell at Pepsi in 2002 was a grand affair, attended by Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan.

* Sinha joined Bata as chairman in 2004 and is credited with restructuring the company.

* Paying tributes to Sinha, MK Sharma, former vice-chairman of Hindustan Unilever said, “Extremely saddened to hear about the demise of Suman, a friend, philosopher and guide for me over four decades..

Source : Financial Express

Published On : December 24, 2022

4 .

Who has been appointed as the MD & CEO of SBI Funds Management Limited (SBIFML)?

A)

Sandeep Bakhshi

B)

Shamsher Singh

C)

Rishi Gupta

D)

Venugopal Dhoot

Correct Answer : Option (B) - Shamsher Singh

SBI Funds Management Ltd on Thursday(22nd Dec 2022) said it has appointed Shamsher Singh as managing director and chief executive officer of the company.

Singh, who was deputy managing director at State Bank of India (SBI), has taken over the charge from Vinay M Tonse following his repatriation to the public sector lender,

the asset management company said in a statement.

Singh has more than 32 years of rich experience working with SBI in various verticals, including investment banking, treasury, corporate banking and branch banking.

He had joined SBI as probationary officer in June 1990 and moved up the ranks to become deputy MD by successfully managing leadership roles across domains besides serving international stints in the US, Bahrain and UAE.

"Its a huge responsibility to manage the growth dynamics of the No. 1 mutual fund house in the country... As a market leader our aim is to ensure that more domestic investors consider mutual funds when planning for their financial goals while we reach out to investors for our offerings across portfolio management services, alternative investment funds and offshore funds," Singh said..

Source : Business Standard

Published On : December 23, 2022

5 .

Which state has approved the warehousing and logistic policy 2022 recently?

A)

Karnataka

B)

Bihar

C)

Madhya Pradesh

D)

Uttar Pradesh

Correct Answer : Option (D) - Uttar Pradesh

The Uttar Pradesh government’s Cabinet on Thursday(22nd Dec 2022) approved the ‘UP Warehousing and Logistics Policy-2022’, state’s industrial development minister Nand Gopal Gupta said, stressing that the move will help it become a “USD 1-trillion economy”.

The policy’s approval comes ahead of the Global Investors’ Summit scheduled to be held in Lucknow in February 2023.

“The objective of this policy is to create a strong transport infrastructure network, upgrade and improve the existing warehousing and logistics infrastructure,” Gupta said.

He said the ‘Uttar Pradesh Warehousing and Logistics Policy 2022’ will prove to be very useful in creating an international-level business environment and developing logistics ecosystem in the state in view of the development of new technologies in the rapidly changing global economy.

“On the other hand, the infrastructure of facilities like storage facilities, logistic park, dry ports and cargo terminal etc. will get an expansion. It will help in making the state a USD 1-trillion economy,” the cabinet minister said..

Source : The Print

Published On : December 23, 2022

6 .

Which state/UT has recently granted Industry status to its tourism sector?

A)

Assam

B)

Goa

C)

Gujarat

D)

Karnataka

Correct Answer : Option (A) - Assam

The Assam cabinet has approved the proposal for grant of industry status to the tourism sector in the state, to boost investments and generate employment.

With this grant, restaurants, cafeterias, health clubs, spas and wellness centers, among others, in the state are eligible for incentives under the industrial policy.

Published On : December 23, 2022

7 .

Which female wrestler has been nominated for the United World Wrestling Rising Star of the Year honour?

A)

Antim Panghal

B)

Anshu Malik

C)

Sakshi Malik

D)

Vinesh Phogat

Correct Answer : Option (A) - Antim Panghal

Indian female wrestler Antim Panghal has been nominated for the honour of United World Wrestling Rising Star of the Year(2022).

In addition to Panghal, the five women nominated for the award include Nonoka Ozaki of Japan, Amit Elor of the US, Emma Malmgren of Sweden, and Andreea Ana of Romania.

Published On : December 23, 2022

8 .

When is National Farmers Day or Kisan Diwas celebrated across India?

A)

December 21

B)

December 22

C)

December 23

D)

December 24

Correct Answer : Option (C) - December 23

National Farmer's Day or Kisan Diwas is celebrated across the country on December 23 to honor and recognise farmers as the backbone of this country.

To honor the birth anniversary of Choudhary Charan Singh, the fifth Prime Minister of India, this day was chosen.

In states like Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, and Madhya Pradesh, where farmers are actively engaged in agriculture, National Farmer's Day is celebrated every year.

In order to ensure people don't starve to death and don't die of hunger, farmers work around the clock and year-round, but they struggle to eat at least 2 square meals per day. The reason Farmer's Day is celebrated every year is to promote awareness of the contribution farmers make to society and to reward them for it.

National Farmer's Day History :

* The Kisan Leader, Chaudhary Charan Singh, served as president from July 28, 1979, until January 14, 1980. His books on farmers and their problems presented various solutions to improve the lives of farmers throughout the country.

* He also introduced several welfare schemes for farmers. In 2001, the government declared Kisan Diwas in honor of Charan Singh's birth anniversary.

* As the second Prime Minister of India, Lal Bahadur Shastri, gave the farmers the famous slogan, "JAI JAWAN JAI KISAN", Chaudhary Charan Singh followed it..

Source : India Today

Published On : December 23, 2022

9 .

Which Union Ministry organizes the AI Pe Charcha (AI Dialogue) event?

A)

Ministry of Finance

B)

Ministry of Electronics and IT

C)

Ministry of Corporate Affairs

D)

Ministry of Science and Technology

Correct Answer : Option (B) - Ministry of Electronics and IT

National eGovernance Division (NeGD) under the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) recently organized an AI Pe Charcha (AI Dialogue) wherein the panelists discussed the importance of and approaches for enabling access to quality datasets for AI.

* The session was chaired by Shri Abhishek Singh, President & CEO, NeGD and had speakers from diverse backgrounds leading to an engaging session for Government officials, AI enthusiasts, AI practitioners, youth, and those who want to understand the role of data in catalyzing the AI innovation ecosystem.

* Panellists for this AI Pe Charcha included Shri Srikanth Velamakanni, Group CEO of Fractal Analytics, Shri Gaurav Godhwani, Director & Co-founder, Civic DataLabs, Mr. Umakant Soni, Co-founder & CEO, ARTPARK.

* In his opening remarks, Shri Abhishek Singh noted the importance of data for artificial intelligence, shedding light on some of the key initiatives of the government of India to enhance access to quality datasets, including the National Data Governance Framework policy.

* The AI Pe Charcha series has been initiated as a part of Responsible AI for Social Empowerment (RAISE), India's first global AI summit, which was organized by MeitY in 2020. .

Source : Indiaai

Published On : December 23, 2022

10 .

Who to Inaugurate National Youth Conference in Karnataka on 12 January 2023?

A)

Amit Shah

B)

Narendra Modi

C)

Droupadi Murmu

D)

Rajnath Singh

Correct Answer : Option (B) - Narendra Modi

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday(21st Dec 2022) said that a National Youth festival is poised to be hosted at Hubballi-Dharwad twin cities, which will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“The National Youth Festival will be organized on 12th January 2022 in connection with the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, and it will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” said Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

The meeting was attended by Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, Karnataka ministers Narayanagowda, R Ashok, Byrati Basavaraj, Dr. CN Ashwath Narayana, Chief Secretary Vandita Sharma, and other dignitaries..

Source : The Print

Published On : December 23, 2022