Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2022

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is set to introduce additional features to the existing Unified Payments Interface (UPI) platforms to allow multiple debits.
The central bank will roll out single-block and multiple debit functionality that will enable users to block funds in their accounts. With the added feature, merchants can make multiple debit transactions within a permitted limit.

Notes:
Bharti Airtel announced its partnership with Facebook parent Meta to jointly invest in global connectivity infrastructure that would extend a subsea cable ‘2Africa Pearls’ to India.
Last year, Meta announced a new segment of 2Africa Pearls in collaboration with regional partners. The 37,000-km subsea cable connected 23 countries, when it was launched in 2020. The cable would connect Africa, Europe, and Asia.

Notes:
The USA’s White House has supported Congress to pass a legislation that seeks to eliminate the per country quota on green cards.
This seeks to allow U.S. employers to focus on hiring people based on merit, not their birthplace. The bill if passed would benefit several hundreds of thousands of immigrants specially Indian-Americans. A Green Card, or a Permanent Resident Card, is a document issued to immigrants to the U.S. as evidence of grant of privilege of residing permanently.

Notes:
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that search engines must dereference information if the person making the request can demonstrate that the material is inaccurate.
People in Europe have the right to ask Google and other search engines to delete links to outdated or embarrassing information, even if it is true, under a principle known as the right to be forgotten.

Notes:
The Union Ministry of new and renewable energy extended the rooftop solar programme till March 31, 2026.
With this, subsidy under the programme will be available until the target for the scheme is achieved. All residential consumers are advised not to pay any additional charges to any vendor on account of fee for application on the National Portal or any additional charges for net-metering or testing.

Notes:
Three medicinal plant species found in the Himalayas have been added to IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Meizotropis pellita, commonly known as Patwa and endemic to Uttarakhand, has been assessed as ‘critically endangered’, Fritilloria cirrhosa as ‘vulnerable’, and Dactylorhiza hatagirea as ‘endangered’.

Notes:
‘World Soil Day’ is being observed annually on 5 December to focus on the importance of healthy soil and to advocate for sustainable management of soil resources.
The theme of this year’s World Soil Day is ‘Soils: Where food begins’. An international day to celebrate soil was recommended by the International Union of Soil Sciences in 2002. The Food and Agriculture Organisation FAO Conference endorsed World Soil Day in June 2013.

Notes:
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan declared a seed farm, located in Aluva  in Kerala, as the first carbon neutral farm in the country.
Reduction in carbon emission has helped the seed farm under the Agricultural Department achieve the carbon neutral status. The total amount of carbon emission from the farm in the last one year was 43 tons but its overall procurement was 213 tons.

Notes:
The Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said in Lok Sabha that 30 River-linking components have been identified.
National Water Development Agency (NWDA) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti identified 16 links under peninsular rivers component and 14 links under Himalayan component of National Perspective Plan (NPP) for inter basin transfer. Ken-Betwa river link project has been approved with estimated cost of ₹44,605 crore with central support of ₹39,317 crore.

Notes:
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin launched the Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission to protect the natural resources in the state as well as to restore them.
The State’s Climate Action Plan will be implemented by the Tamil Nadu Green Climate Company (TNGCC). Tamil Nadu has decided to stop any additions to its existing coal power capacity as the mission sought to generate half of electricity through renewable sources by 2030.