Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2023

Notes:
The India-US Payment Security Mechanism (PSM) for e-buses is a joint initiative between the Indian and US governments to facilitate the deployment of made-in-India electric buses. It aims to incentivize manufacturers to set up hubs in India, address the financial challenges posed by e-buses, and drive widespread adoption to decarbonize the transport sector. It will serve as an incentive for Indian and international OEMs to establish manufacturing in India, growing the e-bus industry. It will help overcome e-buses’ high upfront costs and lower revenue realization that poses adoption challenges and unlock up to 10 billion in lending to manufacture 38,000 e-buses over 10-12 years. The mechanism will have contributions of 240 million from India and $150 million from the US to guarantee state bus company payments; and drive progress towards India’s goal of 50,000 e-buses and its net-zero emissions target.

Notes:
India’s fastest solar-electric boat launched on December 14th 2023 is named Barracuda. Built by Navalt Solar and Electric Boats based in Kochi, the 14-metre long Barracuda can attain a top speed of 23 kmph. It runs on twin electric motors powered by marine-grade batteries charged by 6 kW solar panels. With zero emissions and low noise, Barracuda signifies India’s increasing focus on eco-friendly transportation using renewable energy. It will be introduced by builder Mazagon Dock Limited at Mumbai port.

Notes:
India plans to establish a goods showcase and distribution facility named Bharat Mart spanning over 100,000 sq meters in the UAE by 2025. Modeled on China’s enterprises, it will integrate warehousing, retail and hospitality offerings under one roof in the Jebel Ali free trade zone. This aims to boost exports of Indian products to West Asia, Africa and Europe leveraging the UAE’s connectivity and stimulate two-way India-UAE trade eyed to reach $100 billion by 2030.

Notes:
Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology-Guwahati (IIT-G) formulated four novel fluorescent organic co-crystal systems with diverse functional applications. Their findings got published in the esteemed Nature Communications journal. Co-crystals are multi-component structures allowing enhanced material properties. The IIT-G team engineered co-crystals that can emit light efficiently, imagable cells, guide light signals, and advance optoelectronics. This demonstrates India’s rising expertise in co-crystal engineering to build innovative solutions.

Notes:
India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully test flew an indigenous autonomous stealth drone named Autonomous Flying Wing Technology Demonstrator from the Aeronautical Test Range in Chitradurga, Karnataka. Its maiden flight in 2022 was followed by additional developmental trials, including the recent pre-programmed autonomous take-off and landing. This highlights maturing aviation technologies within India through simulations and flight testing from advanced test infrastructure.

Notes:
The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has introduced the Indian Forest & Wood Certification Scheme. This voluntary national certification initiative aims to encourage sustainable forest management and agroforestry practices in India. The scheme encompasses forest management certification, tree outside forest management certification, and chain of custody certification.
The Indian Forest and Wood Certification Council will oversee the scheme, acting as a multistakeholder advisory body. The Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal, will serve as the scheme’s operating agency, managing its overall implementation.

Notes:
AMRIT Technology is a technology developed by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras to remove arsenic and metal ions from water. The technology uses nano-scale iron oxy-hydroxide. AMRIT stands for Arsenic and Metal Removal by Indian Technology. It addresses water quality issues.

Notes:
The first Indian Art, Architecture & Design Biennale (IAADB) 2023 was held from December 9–15, 2023 at the Red Fort in New Delhi. The event was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The IAADB is a cultural introduction to Delhi, and acknowledges the “invisible edges between reality and fiction, memory and design, and past and present”. The event also marked the launch of the student Biennale, Samunnati, and the “Aatmanirbhar Bharat Centre for Design”.

Notes:
Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) has released a report titled-The Global Status Report on Road Safety 2023, revealing critical findings and insights regarding road traffic fatalities and safety across the globe. Road traffic deaths worldwide decreased by 5% between 2010 and 2021, totaling 1.19 million fatalities annually. 108 UN member nations reported a drop in road traffic deaths during this period. India witnessed a 15% increase in fatalities, rising from 1.34 lakh in 2010 to 1.54 lakh in 2021.

Notes:
The G7 nations will ban imports of rough diamonds directly from Russia starting January 1, 2024. The ban will also include Russian diamonds that have been processed in third countries starting March 1, 2024. The G7 will also implement a full traceability system by the beginning of September. The restrictions will apply to diamonds of one carat and above, expanding to half a carat or lower from September with traceability systems.