Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2021

Notes:
A Royal Bengal Tiger has been spotted in Buxa tiger reserve in West Bengal, after at least 23 years, as per the West Bengal government.
A picture of a tiger was captured on a trap camera in the forest of East Damanpur of Buxa tiger reserve.  It was in 1998 that images of a Royal Bengal Tiger were captured at the reserve earlier. The reserve had lost its identity as a tiger reserve from the National Wild Life Board.

Notes:
As per a new research, Quetzalcoatlus was the largest known flying animal to have ever lived on Earth.
The animal is claimed to have a 12-metre wingspan, as per a research collection published by the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. The research team found that the creature took flight like a fighter jet off an aircraft carrier after years of research.

Notes:
Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL), has collaborated with Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) to scale-up alkaline electrolyzer technology for green hydrogen.
This is a first of its kind initiative to increase renewable energy production and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. At present, electrolyzer plants are imported in India. The company plans to achieve Net Zero Emissions by 2040.

Notes:
The United States witnessed over 30 tornadoes ripped through at least six states (Kentucky, Arkansas, Illinois, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee).
As per the officials, the death toll could exceed 80 due to the tornadoes that hit across parts of the central and southern United States. More damages were found in the state of Kentucky, where over 70 people died and several buildings, factories and warehouses were damaged.

Notes:
Maharashtra tops the list of states with maximum number of beneficiaries under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana (ABRY).
It is followed by Tamilnadu and Gujarat. ABRY was announced as a part of Aatmanirbhar Bharat 3.0 package to boost the economy, increase the employment generation along with social security benefits.

Notes:
National Conclave on Natural Farming is being hosted in Anand, Gujarat. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the farmers during the valedictory session of the National Conclave.
Farmers will be provided with all requisite information detailing the benefits of adopting natural farming methods. The three day Summit is being attended by over 5000 farmers, and other farmers connecting Live through Central Institutes of ICAR, Krishi Vigyan Kendras and ATMA (Agricultural Technology Management Agency) network in the States.

Notes:
Malini Parthasarathy, the chairperson of The Hindu Group Publishing, is among four veteran journalists who are named by US-based Columbia Journalism School as the 2022 alumni award winners.
The other winners include Eric Marcus, founder and host of “Making Gay History” podcast, Stuart Schear, American Jewish World Service, and Thomas Maier, investigative journalist. Wendy Lu (HuffPost) and Mukhtar Ibrahim (Sahan Journal), jointly bagged the First Decade Award.

Notes:
Parker Solar Probe of NASA has successfully flown through the Sun’s upper atmosphere, the corona. It is an extreme environment that’s roughly 2 million degrees Fahrenheit.
The probe has sampled particles and magnetic fields from the corona. A key instrument on board the probe, the Solar Probe Cup, collects particles from the Sun’s atmosphere. the outer boundary, which scientists call the Alfven point.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) introduced a prompt corrective action (PCA) framework for large non-banking financial companies (NBFCs).
The PCA framework for NBFCs comes into effect on October 1 next year on the basis of their financial position on or after March 31. NBFCs not taking deposits and with an asset size of less than Rs 1,000 crore, primary dealers, government-owned NBFCs, and housing finance companies are exempt from this framework.

Notes:
The world’s largest natural corundum blue sapphire- named the “Queen of Asia”, was found from a gem pit in Ratnapura, Sri Lanka.
Ratnapura, also known as gem city, is situated around 85 km away from capital Colombo. The rare gem weighs around 310 kg. The National Gem and Jewellery Authority of Sri Lanka certified the gem stone and said that more tests are to be carried out on the gem stone.