Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2023

Notes:
The Ministry of Defence has signed a contract with Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) for procurement of 16 Upgraded Super Rapid Gun Mount (SRGM) along with associated equipment/ accessories for Indian Navy under Buy (Indian) category at a total cost of ₹2956.89 Cr.
The upgraded SRGM, which will be manufactured by BHEL is a medium caliber anti-missile/anti-aircraft point defence weapon system which provides a sustained rate of fire and high accuracy.

Notes:
World AIDS Day is observed on December 1st every year. The theme for 2023 is “Let Communities Lead”. This theme highlights the importance of communities in the HIV response and the goal of ending AIDS by 2030. World AIDS Day is an international day that raises awareness of the AIDS pandemic and mourns those who have died from the disease. It also celebrates victories, such as increased access to treatment and prevention services.

Notes:
A Goa government appointed committee has determined that the deadly Sattari landslides in July 2021 were caused by a combination of geological factors, human activity, and extreme rain. Their report states that deep chemical weathering of rocks creating structural weaknesses, combined with naturally steep slopes, made the terrain prone to landslides during heavy precipitation. Additionally, anthropogenic activities like unscientific road cutting, construction, mining, etc further aggravated slope instability in protected forest areas of Sattari such as Satre, Karmali-Budruk, Karanzol-Savarde, and Maushi-Zarme.

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India aims to reach 500GW non-fossil energy capacity by 2030 under “Panchamrit” pledge made at COP26 to combat climate change. Half of India’s energy requirement will come from renewables while reducing carbon emission intensity of GDP by 45% over 2005 levels. The targets underscore India’s commitment to fight climate crisis through clean energy even as a developing economy. At COP28, India outlined plans to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030 in collaboration with nations like the UAE. PM Modi presented the Panchamrit (five nectar elements), five time-bound climate pledges to: (1) Reach 500 gigawatts (GW) of non-fossil energy capacity by 2030 (2) Meet 50% of India’s energy requirement from renewable energy (RE) sources by 2030 (3) Reduce the carbon intensity of the economy by 45% below 2005 levels by 2030 (4) Reduce total projected carbon emissions by 1 billion tonnes by 2030 (5) Achieve the target of net-zero emissions by 2070.

Notes:
Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, considered the most dominant American statesman of the Cold War period, passed away at age 100. As National Security Advisor and Secretary of State, the German-born Kissinger was the primary architect of historic rapprochement with China, landmark nuclear arms control talks with the Soviets, the 1973 Israel-Arab peace deal, and the eventual Vietnam War exit. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973 for the Vietnam negotiations. However, Kissinger’s legacy also prompts sharp criticism over his backing of controversial policies in places like Latin America, South Asia and Africa that allegedly violated human rights.

Notes:
As per a report by the Environment ministry and UNDP, India has successfully phased out ozone depleting and climate warming chemical HCFC 141b (1,1-Dichloro-1-fluoroethane) and is ahead of schedule in eliminating another such gas in new equipment manufacturing.
As against the 35 per cent phase-out target for HCFCs, India has achieved an impressive 44 per cent reduction.

Notes:
A total of 4,45,256 cases of crime against women were registered across India in 2022, up from 4,28,278 in 2021 and 3,71,503 in 2020. The rate of crime against women per lakh population stood at 66.4 while the charge sheeting in such cases was logged at 75.8, showed the data in the annual crime report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
NCRB functions under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. The majority of crimes against women under the Indian Penal Code were of cruelty by husband or his relatives (31.4 per cent) followed by kidnapping and abduction of women (19.2 per cent). Delhi registered the highest rate of crime against women in the country at 144.4, while the country’s average rate was 66.4. Uttar Pradesh (65,743) registered the maximum FIRs in cases of crime against women in 2022.

Notes:
Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers delivered the largest survey vessel built in India, INS Sandhayak to the Indian Navy on Navy Day 2023.
INS Sandhayak is the first in a series of four Survey Vessels (Large) being built by GRSE. INS Sandhayak is the first of four advanced Survey Vessels (Large) or SVLs. It is a new version of a previous ship with the same name, which was a survey vessel in the Indian Navy from 1981 to 2021. These survey ships are capable of full-scale coastal and deep-water hydrographic survey of port and harbour approaches as well as the determination of navigation channels and routes.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered to host the 33rd Conference of Parties (COP33) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in India.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of high-level segment at COP 28 in UAE, PM Modi expressed his desire to host the summit in India. India has hosted the UNFCCC COP8 was held from October 23-November 1, 2002, in New Delhi.

Notes:
On the occasion of International Day of Persons with Disabilities (PwD) on 3rd December, 2023, a new Accessibility Widget was launched at the iGOT Karmayogi Platform.
The Widget currently offers user-friendly features such as: Screen Reader, Smart Contrast, Text Spacing, Dyslexia Friendly, Saturation, Pause Animations, and Page Structure. iGOT’s Accessibility Widget seeks to create an inclusive and equitable learning experience for all. iGOT Karmayogi is a comprehensive online learning portal to guide government officials in their capacity-building journey.