Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2022

Notes:
The Economic Advisory Council to Prime Minister (EAC-PM) along with Institute for Competitiveness and Social Progress Imperative today released the Social Progress Index (SPI) for States and Districts of India.
Puducherry has the highest SPI score of 65.99 in the country. It was followed by Lakshadweep, and Goa. The top three performing districts are Shimla in Himachal Pradesh, Solan in Himachal Pradesh, and Aizawl in Mizoram.

Notes:
Project Lion is being implemented by the State Government of Gujarat and other stakeholders like Central Zoo Authority.
It is implemented in the Gir landscape in Gujarat which is the last home of the Asiatic lion. Project Lion document titled ‘Lion @ 47: Vision for Amrutkal’ has been prepared to secure and restore lions’ habitats for managing its growing population.

Notes:
Israel’s longest-serving Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu has secured a deal to form a new government.
Netanyahu has managed to form a government after tough negotiations with far-right coalition partners.  Though Netanyahu’s Likud and like-minded religious-nationalist parties won a comfortable majority, the agreement to form a government was held up by several political disputes.

Notes:
Flipkart and PhonePe announced the full ownership separation of PhonePe, India’s largest digital payments platform.
The PhonePe Group was acquired by the Flipkart Group in 2016 and is one among India’s largest digital payments platform. PhonePe has over 400 million registered users, as it builds products and offerings tailored to the Indian market.

Notes:
Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Anurag Singh Thakur inaugurated the Sports Science Centre in Udupi.
This Sports Science Centre will bring together sports scientists and athletes. The Government has spent 2700 crore rupees to enhance sporting infrastructure as well as 3,136 crore rupees for Khelo India Games, for a period of five years.

Notes:
India-assisted 720 Megawatts Mangdechhu Hydroelectric Power Project has been recently handed to Druk Green Power Corporation (DGPC) in Bhutan.
With this project, India and Bhutan have successfully completed four mega hydroelectric power projects. The commissioning of the project has increased Bhutan’s Electrical Power Generation Capacity by 44 per cent.

Notes:
Ladakh is celebrating Losar Festival on December 24, to mark the Ladakhi New Year. The Losar festivities continue for nine more days from the new year.
This is the major socio-religious festival of Ladakh celebrated in winter. The New Year is welcomed with dough Models of Ibex Sun and Moon and flour-painted lucky signs on the walls of the kitchen.

Notes:
In India, the minimum wage for labourers has been fixed at Rs 178 per day. The labour ministry is considering a shift from the minimum wage to a living wage.
As per reports, India could seek help from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to arrive at living wages. A minimum wage is the amount required for subsistence and is set by law while the living wage is necessary for workers to meet their basic living requirements. The difference between the two may range from 10 to 25 per cent.

Notes:
The Indian Army has offered the first 3D printed houses for soldiers at Ahmedabad Cantt. They are constructed by the Military Engineering Services (MES) in collaboration with MiCoB Pvt Ltd.
The dwelling unit, with a ground floor plus one configuration are not only cheap but can be constructed in less time. Construction work of the dwelling unit with garage space and first floor was completed in 12 weeks.

Notes:
British Indian Army Memorial is set to be built in the Scottish city of Glasgow, to commemorate the sacrifice of millions of Indian soldiers who fought for the British during the two World Wars.
The memorial is visualised as Scotland’s first permanent memorial wall to recognise the service and sacrifice of the British Indian Army. Approximately 1.3 million Indian soldiers served in World War One, and over 74,000 of them lost their lives.