Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2020

Notes:
The United States Treasury named Switzerland and Vietnam as Currency manipulators. It also added India in the watch list of Currency manipulators.
As per the U.S. Treasury, Switzerland and Vietnam had intervened heavily in currency markets to prevent balance of payments (BoP) adjustments. The ‘Monitoring list’ of countries has reached ten, with the additions of Taiwan, Thailand and India.

Notes:
The Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) is a pan-India database of crimes and criminals that is implemented by the National Crime Records Bureau, under the National e-Governance Plan of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
This system is presently being used by 95 per cent of police stations in India. It has been reported that more than 93% of the police stations in the country are filing FIRs using this system.

Notes:
The Union Minister for Oil and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan has stated that India has set a target of 15% for natural gas in the total energy mix of the country by 2030.
The existing share of natural gas in energy mix is 6.2%. The government has aimed to create a natural gas infrastructure with an investment of USD 60 billion by the year 2024.

Notes:
The staple food of the North African region, Couscous has been included in the UNESCO list of the world’s intangible cultural heritage.
The rival countries Algeria and Morocco along with Tunisia and Mauritania had submitted the petition to add the dish in the UNESCO list, in March 2019. Couscous is also known as Seksu, Kusksi and Kseksu, in the North African region.

Notes:
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered the keynote address at ASSOCHAM Foundation Week 2020 via video conferencing.
During the occasion, he presented the ‘ASSOCHAM Enterprise of the Century Award’ to Ratan Tata, who received the award on behalf of the TATA Group. Ratan Tata served as the Chairman of Tata Sons and Tata Group. He is now heading various Charitable Trusts of the Group.

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.

Notes:
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the advanced Hypersonic Wind Tunnel (HWT) test facility to Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO’s) Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex in Hyderabad.
India is the third country to have such a large HWT Test facility. The system, which has been developed in collaboration with Indian industries, will play a major role on futuristic Aerospace and Defence Systems.

Notes:
International Human Solidarity Day is celebrated every year across the world on December 20, to celebrate Unity in Diversity.
The day has been observed since December 2002, when the United Nations General assembly established the World Solidarity Fund, to fund the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), The United Nations connects Solidarity and Poverty Eradication.

Notes:
‘District Development Council (DDC)’ is a local government body of the Jammu and Kashmir Union territory.
It was first introduced by the Ministry of Home Affairs in October 2020. It is facilitated by the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act, 1989 and created under Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Rule, 1996 of the constitution of India. Recently, the first DDC polls of the UT was held successfully.

Notes:
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Limited has commenced crude oil production from the Asokenagar-1 well, Bengal Basin.
With this, the Bengal basin becomes India’s eighth producing basin, after Krishna-Godavari (KG), Mumbai Offshore, Assam Shelf, Rajasthan, Cauvery, Assam-Arakan Fold Belt and Cambay. ONGC discovers and produces crude oil from seven out of the eight producing basins.