Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2023

Notes:
The Union Cabinet has approved the continuation of Fast Track Special Court (FTSCs) as, a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) from 01.04.2023 to 31.03.2026 with financial implication of Rs. 1952.23 crore (Rs. 1207.24 crore as Central Share and Rs. 744.99 crore as State share).
The Central Share is to be funded from Nirbhaya Fund. The Fast Track Special Court (FTSCs) Scheme was launched on 02.10.2019.

Notes:
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), in collaboration with partners finalised three Action Plans outlining conservation needs and priorities for threatened pollinator species in the European Union.
The first Action Plan focuses on pollinators endemic to the Canary Islands’ Laurel Forest zone, The second plan addresses the wild bees specialized in teasel plants and the third Action Plan is dedicated to six hoverfly species.

Notes:
The National Water Mission of Ministry of Jal Shakti is organizing ‘Jal Itihas Utsav’ at Shamsi Talab, Jahaz Mahal situated in Delhi.
It aims to raise public consciousness about safeguarding water heritage sites, creating a sense of ownership among the masses as well as promote tourism and restoration of such heritage structures. The Ministry of Jal Shakti has successfully implemented the ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain’ 2023 with the theme “Source Sustainability for Drinking Water”.

Notes:
French ambassador to India honoured Lalithambika, former director, Directorate of the Human Spaceflight Programme of ISRO with Legion d’Honneur.
Lalithambika has worked extensively on various ISRO rockets, especially PSLV. Lalithambika is the second ISRO scientist after former ISRO chairman A S Kiran Kumar to be awarded the Legion d’Honneur of France for promoting Indo-French space cooperation.

Notes:
The government has approved a five-year extension of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), its flagship free foodgrain scheme for the poor, beyond December 2023. Launched in 2020 to provide relief during the COVID-19 crisis, the PMGKAY supplies 5 kgs of free ration monthly to over 800 million beneficiaries covered under the National Food Security Act. The scheme will now continue till 2028 at an estimated expenditure of Rs 1.18 lakh crore annually.

Notes:
Hundreds of people displaced from Manipur due to ethnic clashes have taken refuge in Mizoram’s capital Aizawl since May 2022. They were given shelter, education for children, and healthcare by the previous MNF government. However, with Mizoram elections bringing a possible change in power, the Manipuri refugees housed in Aizawl’s Falkland camp grow uncertain about their future.
The 62 families appeal to the new government for continued support and being allowed to stay until stability returns back home. They do not want a change in government to alter the empathetic policy towards them. Their appeals come amid calls for a separate Kuki administrative division in Manipur following prolonged tensions between tribes and armed groups.

Notes:
India’s Aditya L1 satellite has begun unravelling solar wind enigmas as two cutting-edge particle spectrometers commenced data gathering in recent months. The SWIS and STEPS instruments on the Aditya Solar Wind Particle Experiment payload have detected protons, Helium ions and energy histograms exhibiting solar wind behavior fluctuations near Sun-Earth Lagrange Point L1.
SWIS’ 360-degree coverage and directional monitoring capacities will significantly further comprehension of solar wind properties, variability and links to space weather influencing Earth. Researchers eagerly anticipate more revelations to address enduring questions about the complex solar wind and corona heating as Aditya L1 nears L1 orbital point for uninterrupted solar observation.

Notes:
The researchers of NOAA Ocean Exploration, in a major discovery, found a massive underwater mountain, also known as a seamount, on the Pacific Ocean’s floor off the coast of Guatemala.
The seamount is likely to be a remnant of an extinct volcano, similar to other seamounts. The seamount found is 1,600 metres (5,249 feet) tall, which is nearly twice the height of Burj Khalifa in Dubai – the world’s tallest building.

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:
India announced a USD 250 million line of credit to Kenya for modernisation of its agricultural sector as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kenyan President William Samoei Ruto agreed to enhance bilateral ties in areas of defence, trade, energy, digital public infrastructure and healthcare.
The two sides signed five pacts providing for cooperation in a range of areas including sports, education and digital solution, and unveiled a joint vision document to scale up maritime engagement in the Indian Ocean region. The Kenyan side offered to provide land to Indian companies and institutions for cultivation of crops, including millets.