Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2021

Notes:
President of India Ram Nath Kovind unveiled of the statue of P.N. Panicker at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
P.N. Panicker started the ‘Granthashala Sangam’ in 1945 to promote literacy movement and libraries in the state. He was famous for the message of – “Vayichu Valaruka” which means “Read and Grow”. He made the literacy movement into a popular socio-cultural movement

Notes:
The National Stock Exchange (NSE) has launched a new corporate governance initiative named ‘NSE Prime’.
It is a framework that prescribes higher standards of corporate governance for listed companies. All the NSE-listed companies can adopt NSE Prime voluntarily. The initiative enables investors to identify companies that have voluntarily signed up for better standards of corporate governance.

Notes:
During the Second World War, the British built the Trincomalee oil tank farms adjacent to the Trincomalee port in Sri Lanka, to serve as a refuelling station.
Sri Lanka will ink deal with India to jointly develop the Trincomalee oil tank farms. The negotiations are underway for over 16 months. 35 years ago, a proposal was sought regarding the project in the Indo-Lanka Accord. The facility has 99 storage tanks with a capacity of 12,000 kilolitres each.

Notes:
A team of international scientists has presented the “world’s oldest family tree”, by conducting archaeological and genetic analysis of the remains of 35 individuals who lived about 5,700 years ago.
The remains have been found in a place where farming was first introduced in Britain about a century ago. The study provides new information on burial and kinship practices present in the Neolithic times.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation of the Rs 6,700-crore Renukaji Dam project from Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi.
Once completed, the project on the Giri river is expected to generate 200 million units of energy in a 40 MW surface power house. The storage capacity of the dam would be 498 million cubic meters which would fulfil about 40 per cent of drinking water requirement of Delhi.

Notes:
‘Golan Heights’ is a geo-political region captured from Syria by Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced that the country intends to double the amount of settlers living in the Golan Heights.
This was announced during a special Cabinet meeting in the Golan Heights. The territory was captured more than five decades ago, in the 1967 Mideast war.

Notes:
Uttar Pradesh has recently observed Sahibzada Day in remembrance of martyrdom of four sons (Sahibzadas) of Guru Gobind Singh.
Uttar Pradesh is the first state in India to observe Sahibzada Diwas since the year 2020 when chief minister Yogi Adityanath announced that the sacrifice of the Sikh Gurus should be part of the school curriculum.

Notes:
Scientists have recently identified ”quantum entangled” microscopic multicellular organisms known as – frozen tardigrade. These organisms are found to tolerate extreme physiochemical conditions, by being in a latent state of life known as cryptobiosis.
Under extreme conditions, tardigrades curl up into shrunken, dehydrated balls and suspend their biological functions indefinitely in order to endure extreme environmental conditions.

Notes:
Surya Regional Water Supply Project is being implemented in Mumbai, which will provide 403 million litres per day (MLD) water supply to two Municipal Corporations, at the western sub-region of Mumbai.
Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) has achieved the first tunnel breakthrough of the project. The project is expected to be completed in phases till 2023.

Notes:
December 27 is observed as the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness. The first International Day of Epidemic Preparedness was marked in 2020 based on the proclamation of United Nations General Assembly.
According to WHO, the day marks the significance of preventing, preparing for and partnering against epidemics.