Current Affairs Quiz-December, 2019

Notes:
The book titled “The Legacy of Militancy in Punjab: Long Road to Normalcy” have been authored by civil rights activist Inderjit Singh Jaijee and journalist Dona Suri. The book provide details how militancy in Punjab affected judiciary by delaying trials, how it influenced the popular culture and how the youth today are still responding to conditions in the northern state. It also aims at holding up a mirror to developments in post-militancy Punjab regarding politics, government policies, and functioning of police and courts among other things.

Notes:
Eminent Malayalam poet Akkitham has been chosen for the 55th Jnanpith Award, the Jnanpith Selection Board announced on November 29. “The Jnanpith Selection Board has announced the recipient of the 55th Jnanpith Award for the year 2019. It went to Shri Akkitham, eminent Indian poet writing in Malayalam. Born in 1926, Akkitham Achuthan Namboothiri, popularly known as Akkitham is one of the most revered names in Malayalam poetry. Apart from poetry, his literary excellence has footprints in genres like drama, reminiscence, critical essays, children literature, short stories and translation.

Notes:
The Punjab Small Industries and Export Corporation (PSIEC) has launched the Estate Management System (EMS) and Web-based Geographic Information System (Web-GIS) on 28 November 2019. PSIEC launched it under the leadership of Capt. Amarinder Singh. The aim of the system is to ensure transparency. The system also promotes ease of doing business in the State.

Notes:
Reliance Industries (RIL) chief Mukesh Ambani ranked as the 9th richest person globally in the Real-Time Billionaires List of Forbes. His net worth was $60 billion. Ambani made it to the daily list of the top 10 richest people in the world because of the increase in the share price of his flagship firm Reliance Industries. Also, he became the first Indian firm to hit the Rs.10 lakh crore market valuation mark.
The list was topped by Amazon Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos with a net worth of $113 billion. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates ranked second with a net worth of $107.4 billion. Bernard Arnault & family Chairman and CEO, LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton ranked third with a net worth of $107.2 billion.

Notes:
A court in Suriname on November 29,2019 convicted President Desi Bouterse of murder for the execution of 15 opponents in 1982 following a coup to seize power, sentencing the man who has dominated the former Dutch colony’s recent history to 20 years in prison. Opposition parties called for Bouterse, currently in China on an official visit, to step down. The military court that found him guilty has not yet ordered his arrest.

Notes:
The National Pollution Control Day is observed on 2 December. It is celebrated every year. The day is observed in order to honor the lives that were lost because of the Bhopal gas calamity. On this day, the Pollution Control Department will organize several programs in this regard in the education institutions.The day aims to spread awareness among the people about pollution and its control measures. The day also creates awareness about the problem caused by increasing pollution. The Bhopal gas tragedy happened on the night of 2nd and 3rd December of 1984. The tragedy occurred because of the unintentional discharge of the poisonous Methyl Isocyanate (MIC) and some other chemicals released from the Union Carbide Chemical Plant in Bhopal.

Notes:
Centre launched the Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) 2.0 across the country. The government’s flagship scheme is aimed at immunizing children under the age of 2 years and pregnant women against eight vaccine preventable diseases. The IMI covers vaccines for diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, poliomyelitis, tuberculosis, measles, meningitis and Hepatitis B. Vaccines for Japanese encephalitis and hemophilus influenzal are also being provided in selected areas. The IMI 2.0 aims to achieve targets of full immunization coverage in 272 districts spread over 27 States. The IMI 2.0 will be carried out between December 2019 and March 2020.

Notes:
On December 3, 2019 the former arts and culture minister Pritivirajsing Roopun was elected as president of Mauritius. His predecessor Ameenah Gurib-Fakim resigned in March 2018 after being embroiled in a scandal over her use of a credit card to buy luxury personal items. In Mauritius, the prime minister is head of the government and holds most political power while the President is head of the state but has no executive role and is considered the guardian of the Constitution.

Notes:
India and Sweden has joined hands to set up a healthcare innovation centre to promote research, broadly in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and help scale-up Indian start-ups in the sector. Later, AIIMS, Delhi; AIIMS, Jodhpur, and Swedish Trade Commissioner’s Office in New Delhi signed a Memorandum of Intent (MoI) to cement cooperation, to set up a healthcare innovation centre. The signing of MoI marks 10 years of India-Sweden health cooperation.

Notes:
The world’s best loved species are being slaughtered by widespread and dangerous criminal networks. On December 4, 2012, the first time that World Wildlife Conservation Day was officially recognized around the world and calls on individuals around the globe to sign its Wildlife Pledge to respect and protect wild animals.