Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2023

Notes:
Time magazine named Taylor Swift as its person of the year. The singer beat out eight other finalists, including King Charles III and Barbie.
Time awards the title to “the individual, group, or concept that has had the most influence on the world throughout the previous 12 months. Last year, when Russia invaded Ukraine, the magazine awarded the distinction to Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, and the “spirit of Ukraine.”

Notes:
The National Asset Reconstruction Company (NARCL) has finalised the acquisition of the two SREI companies namely SREI Equipment Finance and SREI Infrastructure Finance.
The acquisition is made under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), paving the way for resolution of a Rs 32700-crore debt. NARCL emerged the winning bidder under the IBC process. NARCL was formed by the government in 2021 with public sector banks owning a majority stake in NARCL, while the balance is with private banks. Canara Bank is the sponsor bank.

Notes:
India’s Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has launched the Indian Forest & Wood Certification Scheme.
This national forest certification scheme offers voluntary third-party certification designed to promote sustainable forest management and agroforestry in the country. The scheme includes forest management certification, tree outside forest management certification, and chain of custody certification. The Indian Forest and Wood Certification Scheme, will be overseen by the Indian Forest and Wood Certification Council.

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:
The PM-DevINE (Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North-East Region) scheme is a new venture of the Modi government exclusively targeted for infrastructure projects in Northeast India with a total outlay of ₹6,600 crores for the 4-year period from 2022-2023 to 2025-2026.

Notes:
The Lunar Anthropocene is a proposed new geological phase in the evolution of Earth’s only natural satellite, the Moon. Proposed by researchers from the University of Kansas, it denotes the era of major human impact on the lunar environment through activities like spacecraft landings, installing scientific equipment, astronauts’ footprints etc. By arguing these anthropogenic effects have overtaken natural lunar processes, the researchers state it’s time to designate a new Anthropocene epoch specifically for the Moon similar to Earth’s age.

Notes:
India will assist Saint Lucia, an island country in the Caribbean, under the Tax Inspectors Without Borders (TIWB) initiative coordinated by the United Nations Development Programme and OECD. Indian tax experts will work with Saint Lucia tax authorities under this program expected to last 12-18 months and focus on effective utilization of automatic exchange of tax information systems. It aims to aid capability advancement for resource mobilization.

Notes:
China has marked a significant achievement in physics by inaugurating the world’s deepest and largest underground laboratory, known as the Deep Underground and Ultra-low Radiation Background Facility for Frontier Physics Experiments (DURF). Situated at a remarkable depth of 2,400 meters, DURF is a collaborative effort between Tsinghua University and Yalong River Hydropower Development Company, Ltd. The facility offers exclusive testing conditions unavailable elsewhere, aiming to contribute substantially to the global exploration of dark matter—a mysterious substance that exhibits limited interaction with light or the electromagnetic field.

Notes:
Kashi Tamil Sangamam is an initiative by the Ministry of Education, government of India aimed at celebrating the civilizational connect between Kashi (Varanasi) and Tamil Nadu. Being held from December 17-31 this year, it involves cultural groups from Tamil Nadu showcasing various art forms in Kashi. The objectives are to revive ancient bonds between the two knowledge and cultural centres, and provide a platform for exchange of literature, philosophy, spirituality, music, dance and more. 27 shops showcasing special products of both regions have also been set up.

Notes:
Recently, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj, addressed the UNSC Open Debate on Small Arms to highlight India’s suffering from cross-border terrorism executed using smuggled weapons. A veiled critique of Pakistan, she emphasized that such illicit arms trafficking by non-state actors necessitates coordinated efforts to identify points of diversion. Her remarks also urged zero tolerance for state sponsors of terror entities.