Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2021

Notes:
India’s Harnaaz Sandhu won the new Miss Universe title. The 21-year-old contestant from Punjab won the title 21 years after Lara Dutta won the title in 2000.
Harnaaz Sandhu represented India today at the 70th Miss Universe 2021, held in Eilat, Israel. Ms Sandhu claimed the crown edging out Paraguay’s Nadia Ferreira and South Africa’s Lalela Mswane. Only two Indians have won the title of Miss Universe – Sushmita Sen in 1994 and Lara Dutta in 2000.

Notes:
UN recognised the 38 degrees Celsius measured in Siberian region of Russia, as the new record high for the Arctic
The heat equivalent to 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit was seen on June 20, 2020 in the Russian town of Verkhoyansk. It marked the highest temperature ever recorded above the Arctic Circle, as per the World Meteorological Organization.

Notes:
India voted against a UN Security Council (UNSC) draft resolution that linked climate change with global security challenges.
Moved jointly by Niger and Ireland, the draft resolution called on “integrate climate-related security risk as a central component into comprehensive conflict-prevention strategies.”India argued that this resolution would only create friction among the UN membership.

Notes:
The Asian Development Bank trimmed its 2021 growth forecast for India to 9.7% from the earlier estimate of 10.0% made in September. However it left the 2022 growth forecast unchanged at 7.5%.
The growth forecasts for developing Asia for this year and next were also slashed to 7.0% and 5.3%, in order to reflect risks and uncertainty brought by the new Omicron coronavirus variant.

Notes:
India’s External Affairs Ministry, along with the Indian Council of World Affairs hosted the eighth Indian Ocean Dialogue.
The theme for this year’s edition was “Leveraging Digital Technologies for Health, Education, Development, and Trade in Indian Ocean Rim Association Member States”. The representatives discussed on the potential for IORA cooperation in health, education, trade, and development.

Notes:
World Trade Organization (WTO) panel has asked India to withdraw its subsidies under the ‘Production Assistance, the Buffer Stock, and Marketing and Transportation Schemes.’
Australia, Brazil and Guatemala raised complaints against India over its policy measures in the sugar sector, at WTO in the year 2019.  WTO also asked India to conform to its obligations under the Agreement on Agriculture and the SCM Agreement.

Notes:
The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was passed by Lok Sabha. It is an unusual amendment and seeks to rectify a drafting “anomaly” created by a 2014 amendment to the parent legislation.
The anomaly is just a sentence that alters numbering of the provisions. The 2021 Bill amends the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985. Section 27A of the NDPS Act, 1985, prescribes punishment for financing illicit traffic and harbouring offenders.

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:
As per a new study published, Bubbler is a breathalyzer, which performs viral RNA detection to diagnose SARS-CoV-2, just by making the patient exhale into the device.
Its name is derived from the bubbling sound that occurs when the patient exhales. The Bubbler reverse transcribes RNA from airborne virus particles into DNA to be tested via PCR. It can also barcode that DNA, allowing samples to be linked directly to the patient they have come from and be used for sequencing.

Notes:
The Union Cabinet approved the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) for 2021-26 with an outlay of Rs.93,068 crore. PMKSY was launched in 2015-16.
The three components: Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP), Har Khet ko Paani (HKKP) and Watershed Development components have been approved for continuation during 2021-26.  AIBP is implemented by Ministry of Jal Shakti; Per Drop-More Crop and Micro Irrigation scheme of Agriculture Ministry and Watershed Development by Rural Development Ministry.