Current Affairs Quiz-December, 2019

Notes:
Veteran Tamil actor and theatre artist Bala Singh passed away at the age of 67 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu due to illness. Bala, an alumnus of National School of Drama (NSD) started his career as a theatre artiste. He rose to fame in actor Nasser’s Avatharam(1995), where he played the role of a villain. It was also his debut film.

Notes:
Union Minister of Human Resource Development (HRD) Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has launched 3 books for children namely Kumbh, Garam Pahad and Dilli ki Bulbul (Sindhi edition)in New Delhi. The 3 books, penned by Dr. Anita Bhatnagar Jain (an officer of Indian Administrative Services (1985 batch), are a collection of stories for children and have documented the environmental issues & topics like socio-cultural unity, cultural heritage along with the message of save environment in a very lucid manner.

Notes:
Steve Smith has become the fastest man to score 7,000 Test runs in the ongoing second Test against Pakistan. He broke English great Wally Hammond’s record that had stood since 1946. Smith also passed Bradman’s 6,996 Test runs.  It took Smith 70 Tests to do so, while Bradman needed only 52.

Notes:
The fish species, that has a scientific name Schistura syngkai, has been discovered in  West Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya. It was discovered at Twahdidoh stream (a tributary of Wahblei river) by a team of scientists led by Prof Khlur Mukhim of Shillong’s Lady Keane College. Both sexes of the fish have golden-brown bodies with blackish lateral stripes and slightly emarginate tail fins. Earlier, Mukhim had discovered a blind fish species that lives 1,600 feet inside a limestone cave in East Jaintia Hills district of the state.

Notes:
Former deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), H R Khan has been appointed as the first chairman of the steering committee of the Code for Responsible Lending (CRL) in micro-credit. The CRL is a self-regulatory step for the micro-credit industry making diverse entities like banks, NBFC-MFIs and NBFCs adhere to standards of customer protection.

Notes:
Recently released United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Emissions Gap Report-2019 warns that the Earth’s average temperature may rise by 3.2 degrees Celsius by 2021. Moreover, despite all scientific warnings and political commitments emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) couldn’t decrease globally. The report was released prior to United Nations Climate Conference (COP-25) to be held in Spain from 2 December 2019. It states that GHG emissions have increased by 1.5% since last decade and that carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions have reached an all-time high figure of 55.3 gigatons. China, United States of America (USA), European Union (28) and India are among the top four greenhouse gas emitters.
UNEP report highlights that India is regularly considering deadlines and targets to curb carbon emission. As per the report, India’s per capita emission is one of the lowest within G20 countries. Also, India is one of the leading countries that are looking for electric vehicle development.

Notes:
The Indian Navy has commissioned its sixth Dornier aircraft squadron in the Porbandar town of Gujarat. It aims to give a fillip to coastal security near the sea border with Pakistan. It was commissioned by Deputy Chief of Naval Staff Vice-Admiral M S Pawar. Dornier aircraft squadron: The Indian Naval Air Squadron 314 is called Raptors. It will operate with four newly-inducted, next-generation Dornier aircraft.

Notes:
The Government of India has proposed increasing the fine for illegal and improper use of national emblems for commercial gains from Rs.500 to Rs.1 lakh. It also suggested change also includes jail time and a fine of Rs.5 lakh for repeat offenders. The aim is to crack down on their misuse. The Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950 of India prohibits the misuse of the national flag, the Ashoka Chakra, the official seal of the President or Governor, the coat-of-arms used by a government department, the pictorial representation of Mahatma Gandhi and the Prime Minister.

Notes:
BlackBuck, the online trucking platform, has partnered with private lenders IDFC Bank and Yes Bank on 28 November. The partnership aims to provide FASTags to truck owners free of cost. With this partnership, the Truck owners can order FASTags on BlackBuck’s Boss App. It will be delivered at their doorstep free of cost until 31 December 2019. The initiative will help over 3 million trucks in India become FASTag compliant.

Notes:
Congress MLA Nana Patole has been elected as Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly. Mr Patole’s election came after the BJP took back the name of Kisan Kathore as the party’s nominee with minutes to go before the 10 am deadline. It is a tradition in the Maharashtra Assembly for the Speaker to be elected unopposed.