Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2022

Notes:
Indian shuttler Manisha Ramadass has been named the Badminton World Federation (BWF) female Para-Badminton Player of the Year.
The World Champion in the SU5 section, Manisha Ramadass won 11 gold and five bronze medals overall in 2022. BWF Male Para-Badminton Player of the Year went to WH2 world champion and reigning Paralympic champion Daiki Kajiwara. Viktor Axelsen and Zheng Si Wei/Huang Ya Qiong won the BWF Player of the Year Awards.

Notes:
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released the ‘Global status of black soils’ Report on the occasion of World Soil Day, December 5, 2022.
As per the report, Black soils, which feed the global population, are under threat, with most losing at least half of their soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks. As per the FAO, the reasons are Land-use change, unsustainable management practices and excessive use of agrochemicals.

Notes:
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations organized an opening ceremony for the International Year of Millets 2023 (IYM2023) in Rome, Italy.
An Indian delegation led by Sushri Shobha Karandlaje, Minister of State, Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and other senior officials were present at the opening ceremony. Raising awareness to create ‘Millet Mindfulness’ is an important part of this movement.

Notes:
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Economics of Land Degradation (ELD) Initiative jointly released ‘State of Finance for Nature 2022 ‘ Report.
It shows that current finance flows to nature-based solutions (NbS) are at USD 154 billion per year, which is less than half of the USD 384 billion per year needed by 2025.

Notes:
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) will launch India’s first-ever surety bonds insurance product to boost liquidity in the infrastructure sector, as per Union minister Nitin Gadkari.
The surety bonds will help in boosting the liquidity in the infrastructure sector by providing relief to the contractors’ working capital stuck in bank guarantees.

Notes:
India’s largest botanical garden, Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden in Howrah, West Bengal, is under threat due to severe land erosion by Ganga River.
During a recent site visit, experts warned that parts of the fencing and inner plantation may get washed away by the swelling river. The garden is under the jurisdiction of the Botanical Survey of India (BSI).

Notes:
A Gender Toolkit based on ‘Enabling gender responsive urban mobility and public spaces’ was launched by Greater Chennai Corporation.
The toolkit was launched at a session conducted by the World Bank and the Chennai Urban Metropolitan Transport Authority.  It aims to highlight the gender issues surrounding mobility and city design.

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:
University Grants Commission (UGC) announced new norms for undergraduate degrees. The draft regulations are mentioned in ‘Curriculum and credit framework for four-year undergraduate programmes'(FYUP).
Under this new system students will get a UG degree in three years on completion of 120 credits and a UG honours degree in four years on completion of 160 credits.

Notes:
The Singapore Declaration was adopted at the 17th Asia and the Pacific Regional Meeting of the International Labour Organisation (APRM of ILO).
The Declaration urges countries to ensure labour protection. It noted that social dialogue is essential to address labour market challenges and finding solutions in crisis situations such as COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters, and economic uncertainty.