Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2021

Notes:
India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully flight-tested the stand-off anti-tank (SANT) missile from Pokhran range.
The indigenously designed and developed helicopter-launched missile has the ability to neutralise targets in a range of up to 10 kilometres. It also has a millimetre wave (MMW) seeker which provides high precision strike capability from distance.

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:
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:
Keechant Sewell has been named the New York City’s next police commissioner, making her the first woman to lead the nation’s largest police force.
Keechant Sewell was a Long Island police official. The 49-year-old will also be the third Black person to serve as New York Police Department commissioner. Among about 35,000 uniformed members of the department, around 45% are white, 30% are Hispanic, 15% are Black and 10% are Asian.

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.

Notes:
The Government of India has decided to notify the Najafgarh Jheel, which is the second largest water body in Delhi-NCR as a transboundary wetland for its restoration and rejuvenation.
Najafgarh Jheel is fed by Sahibi River and was a vast lake in south west Delhi and was connected to the river Yamuna by a drain called the Najafgarh nullah.

Notes:
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will install new surveillance cameras at Iran’s Karaj nuclear facility under an agreement between the two sides.
The cameras will replace those that were removed from the Karaj centrifuge component manufacturing workshop earlier this year. Iran and the agency will exchange information and assessments in this regard.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently inaugurated the All India Mayors’ Conference at Varanasi via video conferencing.
As many as 120 mayors from various states of the country participated in the conference, which was conducted with the theme of ‘New Urban India’.

Notes:
‘Arabic Calligraphy: Knowledge, Skills and Practices’ has been officially added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
This was done after collaboration between 15 Arab countries, led by Saudi Arabia and under the supervision of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization. The calligraphy has contributed to the transfer and spread of Arab culture.

Notes:
India and Vietnam have signed a letter of intent for enhanced cooperation in the field of postal sector.
It includes cooperation in the field of posts and telecom, cooperation in HR development and postal designated operators and service providers. The two countries also signed MoU for cooperation in marine science and ecology.