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:
In an initiative touted at aiming to leverage data for social good, the Foundation for Science Innovation and Development (FSID) within the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) announced the launch of the Centre of Data for Public Good (CDPG).
CDPG will serve as a hub for multidisciplinary research, bringing together experts from academia, industry, and government to harness the power of data to benefit the public.

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:
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:
Several nations are witnessing outbreaks of a bacterial lung infection or pneumonia among children, which antibiotics are unable to treat effectively. In China, such cases being reported likely involve the mycoplasma pneumoniae pathogen. The ‘white lung’ syndrome leads to distinctive marks on scans. Beyond China, rise in the US, Netherlands and Denmark point to a wider spread.

Notes:
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin unveiled a statue of pioneering anti-caste activist Iyothee Thass Pandithar in Chennai in December 2023. The statue and memorial cost Rs 2.49 crores to build. Stalin hailed Iyothee Thass as the forerunner to Periyar in politically popularizing ‘Tamizhan’ and ‘Dravidian’ identity terms. Born in 1845 in Madras, Iyothee Thass promoted Dravidian ideology through the Dravida Mahajana Sabha he founded in 1891 with Rettamalai Srinivasan. In 1876, Thass had set up the Advaidananda Sabha and launched the magazine ‘Dravida Pandian’ alongside Rev. John Rathina. A prominent activist and Siddha medicine practitioner, he organized Nilgiri Hills tribes into the freedom movement in the 1870s. His most revolutionary declaration in 1886 was that Scheduled Castes were not Hindus, inspiring their separate socio-political mobilization. This declaration laid the grounds for the later Dravida Kazhagam. Thass urged Dalits to register as ‘Casteless Dravidians’ in the 1891 census. His anti-caste activities inspired Sri Lanka’s Anagarika Dharmapala as well. After a life dedicated to social justice, Iyothee Thass passed away on May 5, 1914.

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:
China’s regulator wants provinces to come up with their own plans to handle financial risks, according to a report.
‘One Province, One Policy’ comes after officials previously committed to establishing a mechanism to tackle local debt issues. China has struggled for traction this year as a bounce-back from restrictive Covid Zero policies proved to be softer than expected and a property crisis dragged on.

Notes:
The third edition of the IIGF is being conducted under the overarching theme “Moving Forward – Calibrating Bharat’s Digital Agenda”.
The India Internet Governance Forum is an initiative associated with the UN Internet Governance Forum (UN IGF). It is a hybrid event and the event is being held at Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. The event is an effort to focus on issues such as building a secure, trusted and resilient cyberspace for, Enabling Innovation for India’s Developmental Goals etc.