Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2020

Notes:
The Government of United States of America (USA) has recently terminated five cultural exchange programmes with China. USA has stated that these programmes had no benefit to the United States and they were being used for Chinese propaganda.
This decision follows the new Visa restriction imposed by USA on China where by individuals belonging to China’s Communist Party cannot stay in USA beyond a stipulated time.

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 United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has declared “Invest India” as the winner of ‘2020 United Nations Investment Promotion Award’.
Invest India is the Indian Government’s investment promotion and facilitation agency, which was set up in the year 2009 as a Nonprofit venture, under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Notes:
Ranjitsinh Disale, who is a primary school teacher from the state of Maharashtra, has been awarded the most prestigious “Global Teacher Prize 2020”.
He has been conferred with the USD 1 million Global Teacher Prize, for his contribution in the field of teaching and for injecting new ideas for girl education. This award was constituted by Varkey Foundation in partnership with UNESCO.

Notes:
Google launched a new health research app called the ‘Google Health Studies’. It enables the research institutions to connect with potential study participants.
Through this app, android users can take part in health studies by answering survey questions and providing relevant data. Its first study will focus on respiratory illnesses like COVID-19.

Notes:
The 9th of December is observed every year as the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide, by the United Nations.
This year marks the 72nd anniversary and a convention in this regard was held in the year 1948. It was at this convention the first Human Rights Treaty was adopted by the United Nations.

Notes:
The Union Cabinet headed by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved an expenditure of Rs.22,810 crore, for providing a wage subsidy through the employee’s provident fund organization (EPFO).
This is a part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana. This move is set to incentivize creation of new job opportunities during the Covid recovery phase of the economy.

Notes:
The 5th India Water Impact Summit (IWIS) has recently commenced with a focus on Arth Ganga – river conservation synchronised development.
The theme of the summit is comprehensive analysis and holistic management of rivers and water bodies. It is being organised virtually by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and the Centre for Ganga River Basin Management and Studies (cGanga).

Notes:
The Real Time Gross Settlement System (RTGS) transaction was introduced in India in the year 2004. Presently, RTGS handles a transaction volume of Rs 4.17 lakh crore per day and it is used by 237 participant banks.
Recently, Reserve Bank of India has permitted for round the clock RTGS facility in India, which makes India one among the very few countries offering this service.

Notes:
The India Workplace Equality Index has been launched in India by Keshav Suri Foundation in association with Pride Circle, Stonewall UK and FICCI.
This is the 1st benchmarking tool for employers to measure their progress on LGBT and their inclusiveness in work place. It was introduced in the United Kingdom in the year 2005.