Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2023

Notes:
India for the first time invited bids for 20 critical mineral blocks, including lithium and graphite. This is not only seen to boost economic development but also a part of the nation’s strategy to ensure adequate domestic resources of essential raw materials for powering the green energy transition.
The auction will be held online, using a transparent two-stage ascending forward auction process. Eligible bidders will be chosen based on the highest percentage of the quoted value of dispatched minerals they offer.

Notes:
Leading automobile manufacturer Tata Motors has launched a registered vehicle scrapping facility (RVSF) in Punjab, which will be the company’s fourth such unit.
Named ‘Re.Wi.Re – Recycle with Respect, the facility uses environmentally friendly processes and has the capacity to disassemble 12,000 end-of-life vehicles safely and sustainably, each year. It is equipped to scrap both passenger and commercial vehicles, regardless of their brand.

Notes:
Zimbabwe announced that it will construct its first utility-scale geothermal energy Independent Power Producer (IPP) and support the reduction of greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions in the country.
Energy sector is the highest contributor of the emissions in the country. Zimbabwe’s total energy generation in 2021 comprised of 29 per cent from non-renewable sources and 71 per cent from renewable sources, with hydropower (69%) as the largest share.

Notes:
The annual Raas Mahotsav or Raas Leela has started in Assam’s Majuli, the world’s largest inhabited river island.
Majuli is the core of Assamese Neo-Vaishnavism. The river island over the river Brahmaputra has dozens of Vaishnavite monasteries, locally called Satras. Locals perform Bhaona, a traditional form of drama where artists play various mythological characters. Bhaona was started in the fifteenth or sixteenth century by a social-religious reformer and a figure of importance in the cultural and religious history of Assam, Srimanta Sankardeva.

Notes:
The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has constituted a taskforce to examine the impact of Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 on the insurance sector.
The Ministry of Law and Justice notified the Act in 2023. The insurance regulator formed a task force headed by Randip Singh Japal, Executive Director (Non-Life), IRDAI.

Notes:
The Union Cabinet has approved Central Sector Scheme for providing Drones to the Women Self Help Groups (SHGs), with an outlay of Rs. 1261 Crore for the period from 2024-25 to 2025-26.
The scheme aims to provide drones to 15,000 selected Women SHGs during the period 2023-24 to 2025-2026 for providing rental services to farmers for agriculture purpose. the scheme seeks to empower women Self Help Groups (SHGs) and bringing new technologies through drone services in agriculture sector.

Notes:
National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) launched Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) Quarterly Bulletin for July – September 2023
As per the report, the unemployment rate in urban areas of the country decreased from 7.2% in July-September 2022 to 6.6% in July–September 2023.

Notes:
Sri Lanka has reached an agreement in principle with India and the Paris Club group of creditors including Japan, on a debt treatment plan.
It will help the crisis-hit island nation tap the next tranche of the International Monetary Fund’s nearly-$3 billion recovery package.

Notes:
Russian President Vladimir Putin gave his official approval to a significant increase in military spending that will see around 30% of fiscal expenditure directed towards the armed forces in 2024.
The President signed draft budget plans into law. Russia is diverting ever more resources towards prosecuting its war in Ukraine. Spending on defence and security combined is set to reach around 40% of all budget expenditure next year.

Notes:
The UK will deploy surveillance aircraft over Israel and Gaza to locate over 130 people still held hostage by Hamas since its October attack on Israel. At least 5 missing British nationals are feared captive amid rescued hostages. The unarmed Shadow R1 drones conduct intelligence gathering for UK forces. While the offensive has resumed after a temporary Gaza truce, the reconnaissance flights starting soon will solely focus on hostage recovery without any combat role. The visuals and data obtained on captives’ whereabouts will be shared with Israeli authorities coordinating rescue operations. The UK move follows similar US aerial scanning assistance to pinpoint Hamas hostage locations through unarmed drones.