Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2023

Notes:
Olive ridley sea turtles migrate in large numbers from November, every year, for mating and nesting along the coast of Orissa.
Odisha government announced the decision to stop missile-testing at Wheeler Island off Odisha coast during the Olive Ridley nesting season from January to March. The Odisha government has already banned fishing across that section of the coast from November 1 till May 31.

Notes:
The PM Vishwakarma Scheme, launched by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in September, has received over 21 lakh applications in two and a half months.
The scheme, aimed at supporting and providing skill-upgradation training to artisans and craftspeople. The highest number of applications had come from Karnataka (6.28 lakh), followed by West Bengal (4.04 lakh), Assam (1.83 lakh), Uttar Pradesh (1.53 lakh) and Andhra Pradesh (1.21 lakh).

Notes:
UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released a report on ‘Climate finance for agrifood systems in sharp downward trend’.
The new analysis revealed the amount of climate finance flowing to agrifood systems is strikingly low and continues to diminish compared to global climate finance flows. Another FAO published in the first week of COP28, stated that agriculture was the most climate-affected sector globally, with 40 per cent of countries reporting economic losses explicitly linked to it.

Notes:
The Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), also known as the Bonn Convention, is an environmental treaty of the United Nations.
Climate change and biodiversity loss is having catastrophic impacts on many migratory species population, impacting their habitats, food availability and reproduction cycles. This is directly affecting the important ecosystem services they provide to humans, a new report by the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), a UN biodiversity treaty stated.

Notes:
PABS stands for Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing System. It is mentioned in Article 10 of the draft pandemic treaty, which asks member countries to establish a multilateral system for access and benefit sharing under PABS. The PABS Standard Material Transfer Agreement shall include a monetary obligation whereby 10% of vaccines and antivirals would be provided to WHO at affordable prices during a pandemic. While developing countries agreed in principle, they sought clarity on its governance and raised doubts if it would disincentivize small vaccine makers that played a key role during COVID-19.

Notes:
Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber is an Emirati politician who is the minister of industry and advanced technology of the United Arab Emirates. He is also head of United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) state-owned oil company, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and the president of the 2023 UN Climate Change Conference COP28.

Notes:
In February 2023, a substantial lithium reserve of 5.9 million tonnes was found in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir by the Geological Survey of India (GSI). This discovery is crucial for India’s efforts to reduce its reliance on imported lithium. In addition to this domestic discovery, India is also actively seeking lithium sources abroad. Khanij Bidesh India Ltd (KABIL), a state-owned joint venture, is nearing the final stages of securing lithium blocks in Argentina. As per recent studies, over 5.9 lakh tonnes of lithium reserves can fulfil India’s entire lithium demand for EV batteries over the next 50 years domestically. This would enable self-reliance and reduce import dependency as the EV ecosystem expands.

Notes:
ASEAN-India Millet Festival was hosted by the Indian Mission in ASEAN in collaboration with India’s Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare. Organized in line with the International Year of Millets 2023, the festival opening on December 14th in New Delhi aimed to increase awareness and boost the market for millets and millet-based products. It saw participation from India and ASEAN nations like Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia etc. The festival underscores India’s push for greater production and consumption of nutritious and climate-resilient crops like millets.

Notes:
The settlement where evidence of the oldest domesticated yak along with domesticated cattle was found is called Bangga. It is located in the Shannan or Lhokha prefecture of China’s Tibet Autonomous Region near the Brahmaputra river. Archaeologists discovered remains of yaks, taurine cattle and their hybrids that were domesticated by humans in Bangga some 2,500 years ago. This provides the oldest known record of yak domestication, highlighting the region’s historical significance in livestock farming.

Notes:
Odisha’s Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik, prioritized temple redevelopment across the state to preserve its cultural identity. The flagship project, the Puri heritage corridor, aims to enhance the overall experience for devotees visiting the 12th century Jagannath Temple in Puri. Additionally, various places of worship, both small and large, are undergoing renovation with a budget of over Rs 4,000 crore. The government has completed the renovation of the 500-year-old Tara Tarini shrine in Ganjam district and launched the Lingaraj Ekamra Kshetra Amenities and Monuments Revival Action (EKAMRA) project in Bhubaneswar.