Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2021

Notes:
National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) has awarded a fuel-cell based Green Hydrogen Micro-grid Project at Simhadri in Andhra Pradesh.
According to the Power Ministry, this will be India’s first green hydrogen-based energy storage project and one of the world’s largest Green Hydrogen Micro-grid Projects. The hydrogen would be produced using the advanced Solid Oxide Electrolyser by taking power from Floating Solar project.

Notes:
The World Bank has announced a $93 billion package of the International Development Association (IDA) to help the poor countries tackle Covid crisis and boost economic growth.
The latest pledge includes $23.5 billion of contributions from 48 high- and middle-income countries, raised in the capital markets, repayments, and the World Bank’s own contributions.

Notes:
World Arabic Language Day is observed on 18 December to honour the language, which is spoken by over 400 million people globally.
It has been celebrated since 2012 to mark the adoption of Arabic as the sixth official language of the United Nations by the UN General Assembly. This year, the theme of the World Arabic Language Day is “Arabic Language, a bridge between civilisations”.

Notes:
The Government of India and the Germany Development Bank -KFW (Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau) signed a 442.26 million euro loan pact for Surat Metro Rail project.
The total cost of the project is estimated to be Euro 1.50 billion (₹12,020 crore), of which KfW bank is financing Euro 442.26 million. Surat Metro Rail Project was launched in January this year. The project is being co-financed by French Development Agency, AFD.

Notes:
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed a loan agreement with Assam Skill Development Mission for establishing Assam Skill University.
It will be set up under the external-aided project funded by the Asian Development Bank. The estimated cost of the project was USD 140 million, including the state’s share of 20 per cent. This will be first government skill university of Eastern India.

Notes:
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik recently inaugurated T-Setu, the State’s longest bridge over Mahanadi in Cuttack district
The 3.4 km long bridge is located in the middle of the river, has been built in the shape of English alphabet ‘T’ at a cost of Rs 111 crore. Out of the five bridges built over Mahanadi river so far, the T-Bridge is the longest.

Notes:
The Food and Drug Administration granted emergency authorization to Pfizer’s Covid treatment pill, for patients 12 and above. It is the first oral antiviral drug to be authorised by FDA.
The medication is recommended for people at a high risk of developing severe Covid-19, or those with mild to moderate Covid who are most likely to end up hospitalized or not survive.

Notes:
The Manipur State government instituted ‘Manipur Cine Commission’ to implement and monitor the enforcement of the Manipur State Cine Policy 2020.
The agency worked out the financial component required for effective implementation of the Cine Policy. The Manipur Cine Commission headed held meeting with the representatives of different stakeholders on the annual budgetary allocation.

Notes:
As per the latest report published by the World Anti-Doping Agency, 152 Anti-doping Rule Violations (ADRVs) were reported in India in 2019 and India is at third place in the list.
The 152 violations amount to 17% of the world total. Bodybuilding, weightlifting and athletics contribute majorly to the violations. India is only behind Russia (167) and Italy (157), while Brazil (78) is at fourth and Iran (70) at fifth.

Notes:
As per the data given by Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, 600 elephants have died due to electrocution across the country between 2009 and 2019.
Of this, 117 deaths have taken place in Odisha, 116 in Karnataka and 105 in Assam. Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura and Maharashtra are the only states which recorded zero elephant deaths due to electrocution.