Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2023

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:
People celebrated the 554th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh faith. The Sikh community mark Guru Nanak’s Prakash Utsav with various rituals, including Asa di vaar, ardas, Nagar kirtan, Akhand Paath Sahib, langar, and cultural programs.
The festival includes worshipers singing hymns in procession during the pre-dawn hour. Pakistan issues 3000 visas to Sikh pilgrims to celebrate birth anniversary of Guru Nanak.

Notes:
Pressmud, a residual byproduct in the sugar industry often known as filter cake or press cake, has been acknowledged as a valuable resource for green energy production.
The byproduct can help Indian sugar mills generate extra revenue by utilising it as a feedstock for biogas production through anaerobic digestion and subsequent purification to create compressed biogas (CBG).

Notes:
India’s AstroSat space telescope has crossed a major milestone by detecting 600th Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB). The Gamma Ray Bursts represent either the death of a massive or merger of neutron stars.
AstroSat was launched in the year 2015 by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It was designed to last for five years. However, it has exceeded its lifespan and is still functioning fine making important observations.

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:
Brazil’s President Lula da Silva has clarified that Brazil is seeking OPEC+ membership to convince member nations to move away from fossil fuels, not to cap its own oil output. Lula said Brazil aims to persuade major oil producers to invest profits into renewable energy development assistance for poorer regions like Africa and Latin America instead.
Brazil seeks a leadership role in rallying OPEC+ oil economies to finance global south’s green transition through proceeds earned from essentially the last fossil fuel boom before inevitable decline. Joining the 23-member group controlling 40% of world’s oil reserves aligns with Lula’s climate justice advocacy, with rainforests protection another priority. Hence Brazil is eyeing OPEC+ as platform for climate action cooperation.

Notes:
The researchers at NASA, have been allowed to study the moon samples collected by China, in a first-of-its-kind collaboration between the space agencies of the two countries. The laws by the US have till now kept NASA and its counterpart the China National Space Administration (CNSA) at a distance, but now they have been allowed to work together.
As per the Wolf Amendment which was passed in 2011 by the US Congress, it places a ban on NASA from cooperating with China unless they have been authorised by lawmakers.

Notes:
Cab aggregator Uber announced the launch of its global flagship electric vehicle service Uber Green in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
The feature allows residents of the tech city to book sustainable, eco-friendly rides on the app. The riders can pick more sustainable means to travel in all quiet and clean Electric vehicles.

Notes:
The Indian Railways launched an AI-based surveillance system to prevent elephant deaths on railway tracks. ‘Gajraj System’ will be installed on 700 kilometres of route passing through forest areas.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said forest areas in Assam, West Bengal, Odisha, Kerala, Jharkhand and some parts of Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu which are home to elephants, are identified. The technology, which was created by the railroads in association with a few start-ups, was implemented on a 150-kilometer section of Assam last year.

Notes:
India saw a rise of 24 per cent in cybercrimes registered in 2022 compared to 2021, whereas other categories of crime – including economic offences (11%), crimes against senior citizens (9%), against women (4%), too recorded an increase, as per the latest data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
According to the report ‘Crime in India’, 65,893 cases were registered under cybercrime, showing an increase of 24.4 per cent compared to 52,974 cases in 2021. According to the NCRB data, a total of 1,93,385 cases were registered under economic offences, showing an increase of 11.1 per cent compared to 1,74,013 cases in 2021.