Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2023

Notes:
The government launched a national protocol to provide for training of anganwadi workers to track and help children with disabilities.
The anganwadi eco-system reaches out to over eight crore children from birth to six years on a daily basis, according to a statement issued by the Women and Child Development Ministry. According to the Draft National Policy for Persons with Disabilities 2021, one-third of most disabilities in India are estimated to be preventable, if they are detected early enough and adequately addressed.

Notes:
India for the first time invited bids for 20 critical mineral blocks, including lithium and graphite. This is not only seen to boost economic development but also a part of the nation’s strategy to ensure adequate domestic resources of essential raw materials for powering the green energy transition.
The auction will be held online, using a transparent two-stage ascending forward auction process. Eligible bidders will be chosen based on the highest percentage of the quoted value of dispatched minerals they offer.

Notes:
Union Cabinet approved a special development mission for Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) with a total outlay of over ₹24,104 crore over a three-year period.
The scheme will focus on 11 critical interventions through 9 Ministries including Ministry of Tribal Affairs.An amount of Rs.15,000 crore will be made available to implement the Mission in the next three years under the Development Action Plan for the Scheduled Tribes (DAPST).

Notes:
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the Terms of Reference for the Sixteenth Finance Commission.
The 16th Finance Commission’s recommendations, upon the acceptance by the government, would cover the period of five years commencing April 1, 2026. Article 280(1) of the Constitutions lays down that the modalities for setting up of a Finance Commission. The Fifteenth Finance Commission was constituted in 2017, whose recommendations are valid up to the financial year 2025-26.

Notes:
Rahul Dravid has been reappointed as the head Coach of the Indian men’s cricket team till the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Paras Mhambrey (bowling coach), Vikram Rathore (batting coach) and T. Dilip (fielding coach) have also been reappointed.

Notes:
On December 1, 2023, R. Vaishali became India’s third female chess Grandmaster. She is also India’s 84th Grandmaster. Vaishali, 22, joined Koneru Humpy and D Harika as India’s female Grandmasters. Humpy was the first Indian woman to become a Grandmaster in 2002 at the age of 15. Harika received the title 12 years ago.

Notes:
Indian Navy will conduct its biggest ever multilateral exercise Milan-2024 in Vizag deploying both its aircraft carriers, INS Vikramaditya and new indigenous INS Vikrant. The event involving 50 friendly foreign navies aims to demonstrate India’s expanding military prowess as security provider in the Indian Ocean region.
Flagship participation of the carriers equipped with fighter jets and helicopters will showcase naval aviation capabilities across mission spectrums from combat preparedness to humanitarian aid.

Notes:
Methotrexate (MTX) is a widely used anti-cancer drug. The MTX value of more than 10 µM in blood plasma is hazardous if it remains in the system for more than 10 hours, resulting in poisoning effects on the lungs, ulcers of the stomach, and heart stroke.
A new highly fluorescent material with exceptional optical properties has been developed using phosphorene, cystine, and gold (Ph-Cys-Au) which can be used as a visual sensing platform for detecting anti-cancer drug MTX overdosage.

Notes:
The researchers at NASA, have been allowed to study the moon samples collected by China, in a first-of-its-kind collaboration between the space agencies of the two countries. The laws by the US have till now kept NASA and its counterpart the China National Space Administration (CNSA) at a distance, but now they have been allowed to work together.
As per the Wolf Amendment which was passed in 2011 by the US Congress, it places a ban on NASA from cooperating with China unless they have been authorised by lawmakers.

Notes:
A rare golden mole species called De Winton’s golden mole, presumed extinct since 1936, has been rediscovered after an extensive two-year survey in South Africa’s west coast sand dunes. The blind mole around mouse/hamster size burrows expertly underground and leaves no tunnels, making it extremely elusive. Advanced DNA sampling methods and sniffer dogs helped confirm traces matching the rare species.
Its rediscovery raises hopes for the survival of more thought-extinct species as biodiversity surveying improves. Protecting such rare endemic species is vital for conservation.