Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2020

Notes:
The state Government of Madhya Pradesh government has issued a directive to form Matru Sahyogini Samiti’ or Mothers’ Cooperation Committees.
These committees will comprise 10 mothers at each anganwadi, to ensure better monitoring of services delivered at anganwadis. This is ultimately aimed to check malnutrition among children in the state.

Notes:
Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has recently inaugurated the Koilwar bridge over Sone river in Bihar.
This 1.5 km long bridge has been laid in parallel to the 138-year-old two lane rail-road bridge. A six-lane bridge is being constructed with the outlay of Rs 266 crore. The three-lane carriageway has been opened for public.

Notes:
The Indian Space Research Organisation has announced that it is set to launch the communication satellite CMS-01 onboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C50).
The launch is scheduled on December 17 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota. PSLV-C50 is the 52nd mission of PSLV and the communication satellite will provide services to the Indian mainland, Andaman-Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands.

Notes:
Every year December 12th is observed as the International Day of Neutrality by the United Nations. Neutrality is defined as abstention of a state from all participation in a war and maintaining impartiality.
A resolution in this regard was adopted by the United Nations in the year 2017, which was introduced by Turkmenistan.

Notes:
The European Council President has declared after their recent summit that the EU leaders have agreed to set a target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent by 2030.
After long series of discussions, the EU leaders came to a consensus of the target. European Commission had set a target of achieving climate neutrality by 2050.

Notes:
The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami has recently launched a project to set up 2,000 mini-clinics across the state.
They will be known as ‘Amma Mini Clinics’, after the former late Chief Minister J Jeyalalitha. The clinics aim to provide essential healthcare services to the poor and downtrodden. Minor ailments will be treated and this step will reduce the burden of Government hospitals.

Notes:
The Department of Posts and India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) have launched a new digital payment application named ‘DakPay’.
It is a suite of digital banking services provided through their postal network, across the country. The features include Domestic Money Transfers – DMT, Virtual debit card, UPI payment, AePS and Bill payment.

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:
22 hatchlings of black softshell turtles that were reared at a temple in Assam have been released into the wetlands of Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve recently.
These species of turtles are considered ‘Extinct in the wild’, as per the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A very few numbers of them are left in some temple ponds, mostly in Assam.

Notes:
The United States of America (USA) has lifted Sudan off the list named “State sponsor of terrorism”. Earlier the two countries in October 2020 reached an agreement to lift Sudan’s name from the list.
As per the agreement, Sudan is required to pay a sum of USD 335 million to the victims of 1998 twin bombings on the US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya.