Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2022

Notes:
Most cervical cancers are associated with the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and the HPV vaccine can prevent most cases of if the vaccine is given before girls or women are exposed to the virus.
National Technical Advisory Group   for Immunization (NTAGI) has recommended introduction of HPV Vaccine in the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) with for 9-14 year-old adolescent girls. The Centre has written to all States and UTs to create awareness on prevention of cervical cancer and the importance of HPV vaccine.

Notes:
National Farmer’s Day is being observed on December 23 to commemorate the birth anniversary of the fifth Prime Minister of India, Chaudhary Charan Singh, and his contributions towards the upliftment of farmers in the country.
Various awareness campaigns and drives are organised across the country to educate people about the role of farmers and their contribution to the economy.

Notes:
National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) has received in-principle approval from the Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to set up a Social Stock Exchange (SSE) as a separate segment of the NSE.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her Union Budget speech of 2019-20, proposed the creation of a Social Stock Exchange, under the regulatory ambit of SEBI, for listing social enterprises and voluntary organisations.

Notes:
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin launched the Mananala Nallaadharavu Mandram (Mind Health Support Forum) at government medical colleges to offer counselling and support to school students.
A helpline 14416 was also introduced to reach out to psychiatrists at government medical colleges. In all medical colleges, the forum has been created to offer programmes to improve the mental health of students. The programme will be extended to all colleges and schools.

Notes:
Russia will begin supplying India with the third squadron of the S-400 air defence missile system in January or February of next year.
India has already deployed its first two missile system squadrons to patrol the Ladakh sector, West Bengal’s Chicken’s Neck Corridor and the entire north-eastern region. India and Russia have agreed to a three-year ₹35,000 crore deal to buy five squadrons of S-400 air defence missiles.

Notes:
The Delhi Metro has recently completed 20 years of operations, since it started its journey in December 2002 with a corridor of just 8.2 km spanning six stations on the Red Line.
The DMRC’s network span is nearly 392 km with 286 stations in 2022. An exhibition named ‘Tracing Delhi Metro’s Journey’ was launched to mark the 20^th year. Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) provided financial support for rapid expansion of the metro network in Delhi-NCR.

Notes:
As per a recent report by the Centre, Transport and highways sector has the maximum number of delayed projects.
Of the 769 projects of the sector, 358 projects are delayed. The total original cost of implementation of the projects when sanctioned, was ₹4,33,744 crore, but this was subsequently anticipated at ₹4,60,524 crore with a cost overrun of 6.2%.

Notes:
The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has constituted Customs, Central Excise and Service Tax Settlement Commission.
It aims to resolve and settle the show-cause notices issued under the Customs Act, Central Excise Act and Service Tax regime. This move would ensure speedy disposal of cases under the old indirect tax regime.

Notes:
HCL Corporation and World Economic Forum (WEF) launched the ‘Aquapreneur’ Global Fresh Water Innovation Challenge.
HCL Corporation partnered with UpLink, the open innovation platform of the World Economic Forum, to announce the five-year-long Aquapreneur Innovation Initiative. The USD 15 million ‘Aquaprenuer-Global Fresh Water Innovation Challenge’ is attracting interest from startups from regions like India and the rest of the world.

Notes:
According to a report by Save the Children, the number of people facing hunger in Afghanistan increased from 2.25 million people in 2019 to 6.6 million in 2022.
Afghanistan is suffering from a severe hunger crisis and is now counted amongst the top eight countries worst hit by hunger. The eight countries include Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, DRC, Haiti, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Yemen.