Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2021

Notes:
Lok Sabha has passed the Central Vigilance Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2021 and the Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Bill, 2021 for consideration and passage.
These Bills intend to provide enabling power to the government to extend tenure of the Chiefs of Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) up to five years. At present, both the officers are given a term of two years.

Notes:
Kerala recently reported bird flu cases in the Alappuzha district and a total of 12,000 ducks were culled in Thakazhi gram panchayat, which has been declared as a containment zone.
More samples from different areas have also been sent to ICAR-National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases, Bhopal for testing and the identification of bird flu cases.

Notes:
The Pinaka MLRS has been successfully developed by two DRDO laboratories in Pune – Armament Research & Development Establishment (ARDE) and High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) – in partnership with two private sector firms, L&T and Tata Power Company Ltd (TPCL).
Recently, Pinaka Extended Range (Pinaka-ER) Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS), was successfully tested with rockets built by the two private firms.

Notes:
‘Swarnim Vijay Parv’,  being celebrated to commemorate 50 years of India’s historic victory in the 1971 war and the Indo-Bangladesh friendship.
Union Minister Rajnath Singh attended an event on the occasion of ‘Swarnim Vijay Parv’. A pre-recorded message of Late CDS General Bipin Rawat was broadcast at the event. At the event, major weapons used during the 1971 war were displayed along with snippets of major battles.

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:
OSCAR 1 (Orbiting Satellites Carrying Amateur Radio) is the world’s first non-governmental satellite, first amateur Radio Satellite. It was launched successfully on December 12, 1961.
It was also the first satellite built by a collection of private individuals. OSCAR 1 operated for nearly 20 days, testing radio reception from space.

Notes:
The UNESCO has added Durga Puja to its ‘Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’.
The 16th Committee of UNESCO for safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) at its meeting held in Paris added Durga Puja in Kolkata on the Representative List. This is the first festival of Asia, to be included in the prestigious list.

Notes:
The Union Cabinet headed by the Prime Minister of India has approved the construction of the Lakhwar Multipurpose Project in Uttarakhand, on the Yamuna River.
The project includes construction of a dam and a underground power house, to be constructed by Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd. This project would benefit Uttarakhand, Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh.

Notes:
The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) has named Aditya Birla Group Chairman, Kumar Mangalam Birla, as the Global Entrepreneur of the Year in Business Transformation, for his leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic.
He is also the first Indian industrialist to receive this award. Other awardees are Elon Musk (Global Entrepreneur of the Year-Immigrant Entrepreneur), Jeff Bezos (Global Entrepreneur of the Year-First Generation) and Satya Nadella (Global Entrepreneur of the Year – Entrepreneurial CEO).

Notes:
Typhoon Rai hit Philippines and rapidly intensified to a Category 5 storm and made landfall in the southern Philippines.
Rai is the 15th typhoon to enter Philippines this year. It has hit the island of Siargao with sustained winds of up to 195 km (121 miles) per hour. This is set to be the second-most powerful typhoon to strike the nation this year.