Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2022

Notes:
China’s National Health Commission will no longer be publishing daily data on COVID-19 case figures for the country.
The health agency has been publishing the numbers for the past three years. It is also not known how frequently China will now update Covid information. Relevant COVID information will be published by the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention for reference and research.

Notes:
The Ministry of Railways has formulated a new scheme to modernise over 1,000 small stations over the coming years.
Amrit Bharat Station Scheme is a part of its station redevelopment drive. The key features of the proposed stations include provisions for roof top plazas, longer platforms, ballast-less tracks, and 5G connectivity.

Notes:
The Union Mines Ministry approved the purchase of two new surveyor ships, to replace RV Samudra Shaudhikama and RV Samudra Kaustabh.
The new ships would conduct marine surveys for the Geological Survey of India (GSI). The RV Samudra Shaudhikama and RV Samudra Kaustabh were built in the Netherlands and commissioned in 1984.

Notes:
Former Central Railway General Manager Anil Kumar Lahoti has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Railway Board.
He will be taking over the chairmanship from Vinay Kumar Tripathi on January 1. The Railway board has been transitioning to a new integrated service named Indian Railway Management Service.

Notes:
Cricket Australia has named the men’s Test Player of the Year award after Shane Warne. The legendary cricketer Warne passed away earlier this year.
In 2006, Warne won the Test player of the Year award and finished as the second-highest wicket-taker in Tests by the end of his career. Warne clinched 708 wickets from 145 matches.

Notes:
Indian Energy Exchange (IEX) announced to set up a wholly-owned subsidiary, International Carbon Exchange Private Ltd (ICX).
ICX will enable participants to buy and sell voluntary carbon credits at competitive prices through its platform and facilitate reduction of global green house gases emission by 45% by 2030.

Notes:
Union Information and broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur released the Official Government of India Calendar for the year 2023.
It has 12 themes for the 12 months to highlight the efforts made by the Government towards public welfare. The calendar will showcase the achievements of the Government so far and the commitment for future, with the theme ‘Naya Varsh, Naye Sankalp’. It will be made available in 13 languages.

Notes:
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has ranked Indian-PSU company WAPCOS as top amongst consulting services firms in water and other infrastructure sectors.
In another report ‘Fact Sheet – 2022’ released by the ADB, WAPCOS was placed amongst the Top 3 consultants from India involved in consulting services contracts under ADB loan, grant, and technical assistance projects in energy, transport and water, and other urban infrastructure sectors.

Notes:
Leaders and people of Meghalaya paid rich tribute to the Freedom Fighter U Kiang Nangbah on his 160th death anniversary.
U Kiang Nangbah had revolted against the British when Khasi-Jaiñtia Hills region were not part of India. He was hanged publicly at in Jowai town on December 30, 1862.

Notes:
The newly-discovered species named ‘Solanum scalarium’ belongs to Solanum, a large genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae.
Solanum is the most species-rich genus in the family Solanaceae and among the largest in the angiosperms or flowering plants. Solanum includes the potato, the tomato and the eggplant (brinjal or aubergine).