Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2023

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:
The Maharashtra government has appointed former judge Sunil Shukre as the new chairman of the Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission. He replaces Anand Nirgude who resigned from the post last week, leaving the body responsible for reservation quotas in the state headless.

Notes:
The UK’s newly enacted Online Safety Act 2023 seeks to regulate online speech and media, with a primary goal of establishing the country as the safest online environment globally. The legislation emphasizes safeguarding children from online harm by assigning greater responsibility to tech companies for preventing and removing illicit content. Notably, Australia has its Online Safety Act, passed in July 2021.

Notes:
A top Chinese think tank warned of a potential “middle-technology trap” where China’s manufacturing sector gets hamstrung at low and mid-end technologies, struggling to catch up on core innovations retained by developed nations. This highlights worries that China may face economic stagnation challenges in transitioning to a high-income economy, as technological constraints persist despite industrial transfers reaping benefits from low-cost advantages so far.

Notes:
The Maharashtra state cabinet recently approved over Rs 7,370 crores to extend the Tembhu lift irrigation project, under construction since 1996. Water from the Krishna river will now reach drought-prone areas spanning 3 districts – Sangli, Satara and Solapur, covering over 1 lakh hectares. With Tembhu currently unable to meet needs in the summer, this approval will reduce dependency on tankers and harness allocated unused share of Krishna waters. It follows hunger strikes by MLA Sumantai Patil over the long-pending extension that has seen credit wars between parties. But with agriculture key for Maharashtra, it promises relief for farmers in parched regions.

Notes:
King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan recently unveiled plans for the Gelephu Special Administration Region (SAR), a 1,000 sq km mega city project near the Indian border. The $4.5 billion project aims to transform the southern border town of Gelephu into an economic hub and signals Bhutan’s ambitions to leverage connectivity with India to spur trade and investments. Positioned as a gateway between South Asia and Southeast Asia, the SAR would have its own laws and systems to attract foreign investments. During his recent visit to India, the King discussed the project with PM Modi, as India is expected to be a key partner in the endeavor through rail and road connectivity.

Notes:
Gujarat accounts for 31% of India’s total rooftop solar installation capacity, which is highest among states and UTs. According to data shared in Lok Sabha, Gujarat has 3,174 MW of rooftop solar capacity installed, which is 31% of India’s 10,406 MW total as of 2023. This shows Gujarat was the biggest beneficiary of the centre’s Phase II solar rooftop scheme with subsidies.

Notes:
Lithium, which is crucial for electric vehicle batteries, is called “white gold” and has been discovered in rich deposits worth an estimated $540 billion deep underground California’s Salton Sea in United States. This could position the US as a global lithium leader with reserves to supply millions of EVs. However, careful extraction is needed to prevent environmental impact on the inland lake and address community concerns. If harnessed responsibly, these lithium reserves could revolutionize clean energy storage and propel the transition to electric mobility.

Notes:
The coup attempt in Sierra Leone on November 26th stemmed from political instability following President Bio’s disputed re-election and economic hardships, such as a high cost of living and poverty. Sierra Leone is located on West Africa’s southwest coast, shares borders with Liberia and Guinea. Freetown serves as the capital and largest city.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with the participants of the Grand Finale of Smart India Hackathon 2023 through video conferencing on 19th Dec, 2023.
Smart India Hackathon 2023 was launched in August 2023 to inculcate a culture of product innovation and a mindset of problem-solving. Smart India Hackathon is a nationwide initiative to provide students with a platform to solve some of the pressing problems we face in our daily lives. It is an initiative by the Ministry of Education, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), Persistent Systems and Inter-Institutional Inclusive Innovation Centre (i4C). SIH has been conducted every year since 2017 in two formats, SIH Software and SIH Hardware Editions for higher education students.