Current Affairs Quiz-December, 2019

Notes:
On December 8, 1985 at the first SAARC Summit in Dhaka, the leaders of the seven South Asian states – the Maldives, India, Bhutan, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka – signed a charter to establish the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). Afghanistan became the eight SAARC member in 2007.

Notes:
All India Conference of Director Generals /Inspector Generals of Police was organised in Pune from December 6 to 8, 2019. IISER, which is under the Human Resource Development Ministry, was declared an institute of national importance in 2012. The theme of the conference was scientific and forensics-based investigation and technology-enabled policing. A number of sessions on these subjects were held during the three-day conference and the home minister also held sessions with the top brass of police.

Notes:
Human Rights Day is celebrated annually across the world on 10 December every year. The date was chosen to honour the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption and proclamation, on 10 December 1948, of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the first global enunciation of human rights and one of the first major achievements of the new United Nations. The formal establishment of Human Rights Day occurred at the 317th Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly on 4 December 1950, when the General Assembly declared resolution 423(V), inviting all member states and any other interested organizations to celebrate the day as they saw fit.

Notes:
Top blockchain experts and thought leaders from around the world will take part in a two-day conclave, ‘BlockHash Live 2019’ to be held at Kochi from December 12,2019. The experts will share ideas and lead discussions on collaborative opportunities in leveraging the technology for public good, and positioning Kerala as the country’s blockchain hub. As a prelude to the event, KBA has planned BlockHack2019 on December 10 and 11 at Integrated Startup Complex (ISC), Kerala Technology Innovation Zone, Kalamassery.

Notes:
A three-day TECH (Transforming Education Conference for Humanity) 2019, being organised jointly by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP), is being held at Novotel hotel in Vishakhapatnam from December 10. As a prelude to TECH 2019, the organisers brought together policy makers on digital learning, representatives from educational technology companies and other stakeholders at a Policy Forum on Digital Learning.

Notes:
Veteran opener Wasim Jaffer on December 9,2019 became the first player in Indian cricket to feature in 150 Ranji matches. The 41-year-old from Maharashtra, who has been an important part of the title-winning Vidarbha team in the last two years, achieved the rare distinction during their Group A opener against Andhra Pradesh. The former India opener is now just 853 runs away from completing 20,000 runs in first class cricket. Jaffer is followed by Madhya Pradesh batsman Devendra Bundela (145 matches) and Amol Muzumdar (136 matches), who have played for Mumbai and Assam.

Notes:
Bharti Airtel launched the Wi-Fi calling service for its subscribers. The service is currently rolling out in Delhi-NCR, gradually implemented in other cities. This service will significantly enhance indoor calling services without incurring any extra charges. Airtel Wi-Fi to enhance voice calling experience for Airtel smartphone customers, especially when they are indoors. The ‘Airtel Wi-Fi Calling,’ customers with Wi-Fi at home or office will get excellent signal quality indoors.

Notes:
On December 9, 2019, the India Skills Report was released jointly by the CII (Confederation of Indian Industry), AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education), UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) and AIU (Association of Indian University). The report provides employability of citizens in the country across the states and. The report also ranked the cities based on the availability of employment.The report was prepared based on a survey that assessed 300,000 candidates from 35 educational institutes across 28 states and 9 Union Territories.
According to the report, Maharashtra topped the list with the highest employable talent. Following Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh ranked second and third respectively.

Notes:
Universal Health Coverage Day is celebrated annually on December 12 and is promoted by the World Health Organization.December 12,2019 is the anniversary of the first unanimous United Nations resolution calling for all nations to provide for their citizens affordable, quality health care.UHC is promoted as an instrument to help advance the more broadly conceived human right to health, which is based upon a number of international agreements, or widely affirmed international documents.Universal health coverage has been included in the new Sustainable Development Goals for 2015-2030, adopted by the United Nations. In many nations, inclusive healthcare is very rudimentary and does not include heroic interventions or long-term care.

Notes:
Senior diplomat Vikas Swarup is appointed as the Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs. The Appointments Committee (ACC) of the Cabinet has approved the appointment. Swarup is a 1986 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer. As the Secretary (West), he will be responsible for India’s affairs with the UK and other European nations.