Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2020

Notes:
The Union Finance Minister chairs the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) meeting. FSDC was constituted as a non-statutory apex body under the Ministry of Finance in 2010.
Recently, the 23rd FSDC meeting was chaired by the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman via video conferencing. The meeting discussed India’s efforts to economic recovery and the policy measures taken by the government.

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 North Eastern Region Power System Improvement Project (NERPSIP) was approved in 2014 as a Central Sector Scheme and is being funded with the assistance of World Bank fund.
It is being implemented through POWERGRID, a Public Sector Undertaking under Ministry of Power in association with six beneficiary North Eastern States namely, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura. The Union Cabinet has approved the Revised Cost Estimate of the scheme at Rs 6700 crore.

Notes:
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has set up a dedicated control centre for Space Situational Awareness (SSA).
It has been named as Netra” and is aimed at monitoring, tracking and protecting India’s space assets. It is set up at ISTRAC campus at Peenya, Bangalore.

Notes:
Chinese lunar capsule of the Chang’e 5 probe has returned to Earth with the first samples of rock and debris from the moon.
The modules of the probe landed on the moon and collected about 2 kilograms of samples by drilling the surface of the moon. After Soviet Union’s Luna 24 robot probe in 1976, only this probe brought fresh samples of lunar rocks.

Notes:
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by the Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, has cleared a set of proposals for military equipment procurement amounting Rs.27,000 crore.
The proposal includes indigenously designed airborne early warning aircraft and patrol vessels. Most of these procurements are to be made from the domestic industry.

Notes:
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has launched ‘One Stop Shop’ (OSS) facility, to make available over 100 types of clearances and services, required by investors.
The Chief Minister also launched Public Welfare Portal (PWP) or Jan Kalyan Portal, to consolidate the information of eligibility, benefits of the state schemes, useful circulars and orders etc. It also highlights the efforts of the Government in two years.

Notes:
The famous industrialist Ratan Tata has been chosen to be awarded with “Global Visionary of Sustainable Business and Peace” honour, for innovations that promotes sustainability and peace in the Indo-Israel region.
This award would be presented to Ratan Tata during the launch of Indo-Israel Chamber of Commerce’s international chapter in Dubai.

Notes:
Department of Telecommunication, Ministry of Communication presents the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Telecom Skill Excellence Awards.
The Award scheme was originally launched in the year 2017, to recognise the successful telecom skilled people and to enable them apply telecom related solution in various fields like health and Education. This year’s awards were recently presented by the Communications Minister.

Notes:
The first spokesperson of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Madhav Govind Vaidya recently passed away.
The 97-year-old leader had earlier recovered from coronavirus infection. He also served as the former Chief Editor of the daily Tarun Bharat. He has a eight decade-old association with RSS, since he joined the movement in 1943.