Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2020

Notes:
The International Mountain Day is celebrated across the world on December 11 every year. The day aims to encourage sustainable development in mountains. The theme of this year’s International Mountain Day is ‘Mountain biodiversity’.
United Nations General Assembly designated the Mountain Day in the year 2003. The UN also declared 2002 as the UN International Year of Mountains.

Notes:
India and Qatar have announced to set up a Task Force on Energy. This move aims to promote investments of Qatar in the Energy sector of India.
Earlier, Prime Minster of India has a discussion with the Qatar’s counterpart regarding FDIs in India. Both the countries have agreed to move beyond a buyer-seller relation to investment partnership.

Notes:
Gujarat is set to launch the country’s first online mechanism for approval and renewal of fire safety certifications for buildings.
A portal named ‘Fire Safety COP’ will be launched for implementing the process. Under the system, the state will train and empanel private ‘Fire safety officers (FSOs)’ to carry out periodic inspection and maintenance of fire safety systems.

Notes:
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla released a book on occasion of 19th anniversary of the Indian Parliament attack.
The book titled ‘The Shaurya Unbound’ (English Version) and ‘Samundar Samawe Boond Mein’ (Hindi Version) were released on the 2001 incident. As many as 14 people including the five terrorists died during the incident.

Notes:
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare conducts a national level health survey called as the ‘National Family Health Survey’.
So far four editions of the survey have been conducted, with the latest being conducted in 2015-16. The Health Ministry has released the phase 1 results of the Fifth edition of the survey. The Under 5 and infant mortality rate (IMR) has decreased in 18 states and UTs.

Notes:
Veteran aerospace scientist and Padma Vibhushan awardee Roddam Narasimha has recently passed away at the age of 87.
He served at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), teaching Aerospace Engineering from 1962 to 1999. He also served as the director of the National Aerospace Laboratories. He was conferred with the Padma Vibhushan award in 2013.

Notes:
Bangladesh marks Martyred Intellectuals Day on December 14 every year, to remember the teachers, journalists and poets killed on this day in 1971.
The Bangladesh Liberation War which began in 1971 grew into the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971, and ended with the victory of Bangladesh. After the victory, Bengali intellectuals and professionals were said to have been killed by Pakistani forces and their collaborators.

Notes:
T-Fiber, Telangana Fiber Grid Project is a state-wide project, which aims to establish optical fiber network and to provide high-speed broadband service in Telangana.
Recently, the Telangana state government has declared the T-Fiber project a ‘Vital Public Purpose Project’. This means, the project need not get permission from several state departments for implementation.

Notes:
The Prime Minister headed Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved a financial assistance amounting Rs.3500 crore to sugarcane farmers of the country.
The funds are to be credited directly into the bank accounts of the farmers. The decision is expected to benefit 5 crore sugarcane farmers and 5 lakh workers employed in the sugar mills.

Notes:
The State Bank of India in its recent Ecowrap report has lowered India’s GDP contraction for FY 21 from earlier 10.9% to 7.4%.
The report states that it would take nearly 7 quarters from Q4 for the current financial year, to reach the pre-COVID output and growth levels.