Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2020

Notes:
The Indian Navy has taken two MQ-9B Sea Guardian drones from an American defence company, on lease for 1 year.
The unmanned aerial vehicles, manufactured by US firm General Atomics, have been obtained on lease, to enhance surveillance over the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The vehicles arrived at the naval air station INS Rajali in Tamil Nadu.

Notes:
‘Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare’ is observed on November 30 every year, across the world.
United Nations observes the day to pay tribute to millions of lives lost round the globe in the wake of chemical warfare. ‘Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons’ (OPCW) is the implementing body for Chemical Weapons Convention. It is headquartered at the Hague, Netherlands.

Notes:
The festival named Dev Deepawali is celebrated in Indian city. This is a festival of lights and is celebrated in the Poornima day of the Karthik Month of Hindu calendar.
This year’s celebration is attended by the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi. During the event, 11 lakh earthern lamps were lit on both sides of river Ganga.

Notes:
The Municipal Bonds issued by Lucknow Municipal Corporation has been listed in the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).
The bonds amount to Rs.200 crore and offer 8.5 per cent interest per annum with a tenure of 10 years. Lucknow joins the 8 other smart cities whose Municipal Bonds have been listed in stock exchanges.

Notes:
Recently, the state Government of Jharkhand has accepted the Union Government’s alternative offer to meet the GST compensation shortfall for States. By this, all states and 3 UTs have joined the option 1.
To compensate the shortfall in GST, the central government has proposed two options – First, States can borrow ₹1.1 lakh crore out of the estimated ₹ 2.35 lakh crore shortfall or second, states could borrow the entire compensation shortfall through the issue of market debt.

Notes:
Nepal has recalculated the height of the world’s highest peak Mount Everest. The country along with China announced the revised height of the peak as 8,848.86 metres.
This height is almost 86 centimetres higher than the previous measurement done by the Survey of India in 1954. The new height is also four metres higher than the China’s recent measurement. The Nepal-China border passes through the summit.

Notes:
The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), an autonomous body under the administrative control of Ministry of External Affairs. It was founded in 1950 by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.
As per the ICCR president Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, the body is surveying the textbooks taught in the schools of more than 200 countries, under the “Global understanding of India project”, to understand what is taught about India globally.

Notes:
The technology major Nokia is set to lead the project Hexa X which is the European Commission’s 6G initiative.
The project aims to establish next generation wireless networks. It project would create a 6G network a unique capability to understand human intentions, anticipate needs, make interactions.

Notes:
The private space agency SpaceX has successfully launched a new Dragon resupply mission. Under the mission, the company sent a cargo space craft to the International Space Station, on behalf of NASA.
After the launch, the first stage booster of the rocket returned to Earth and landed on the company’s ship placed in Atlantic Ocean.

Notes:
In the Defence sector, FDI up to 74% is allowed under the automatic route for companies seeking new industrial licences. Investment above 74% and up to 100% is permitted only through the government route, subject to approval. This policy is intended to encourage foreign investment while retaining government oversight in a strategically sensitive sector. Hence, 74% is the correct limit under the automatic route.