Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2023

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:
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:
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu attended the annual Shar Amartala Torgya Festival at the Thegtse Sangye Choi Long monastery here at Balemu, a small hamlet at the trijunction of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Bhutan in West Kameng district.

Notes:
The Indian Air Force successfully test fired the SAMAR air defense system it has indigenously developed, with SAMAR expanded as Surface-to-Air Missile for Assured Retaliation. Composed of a twin-turret missile launcher based on repurposed vintage air-to-air missile infrastructure, it is equipped to neutralize aerial threats at up to 2.5 Mach speeds.

Notes:
Uttar Pradesh recently overtook Tamil Nadu to become the second largest economy among Indian states after Maharashtra. As per recent data, UP accounts for nearly 9.2% share of the national GDP, behind Maharashtra’s 15.7% share. Experts have credited UP’s feat to the Yogi Adityanath-led government’s industry friendly policies that have boosted investments. The state’s expanding economy highlights its success in ushering industrial growth.

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 Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP), a multi-purpose irrigation project is recognized as world’s largest multi-stage lift irrigation project. It extends its influence to the meeting point of the Pranahita and Godavari rivers. The Pranahita River, a convergence of several smaller tributaries including the Wardha, Painganga, and Wainganga, forms one of the largest drainage basins in the subcontinent.

Notes:
Recently, the Minister of State for Education, in a written response in the Lok Sabha, announced that the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education in collaboration with IIT Kanpur, has initiated the SATHEE (Self-Assessment, Test, and Help for Entrance Examination) portal. The objective of the portal is to provide quality education to every student who intends to participate in competitive education such as JEE, NEET and various State level Engineering and other Examinations.
To support students preparing for JEE and other engineering examinations, a 45 days crash course of JEE has been launched. Course is curated by IIT toppers, academicians and subject experts. This crash course is available in 5 languages including English.

Notes:
In December 2023, the Vijay Hazare Trophy, a domestic cricket tournament in India, concluded with Haryana defeating Rajasthan in the final at Rajkot’s Saurashtra Cricket Stadium. This victory marked Haryana’s first title and their debut final appearance in the competition, which began in the 1993-94 season. Tamil Nadu holds the record for the most titles, having won the trophy five times.

Notes:
The International Gender Equality Prize in 2023 was awarded to the Afghan Women Skills Development Center. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo of Finland presented the €300,000 award to Mahbouba Seraj, the Center’s Executive Director, in Tampere on December 11, 2023. The Center is recognized for its crucial work in defending women’s rights and promoting gender equality in Afghanistan, particularly under challenging conditions following the Taliban’s rise to power.
International Gender Equality Prize is a government prize administered by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Finland. Tampere has been a partner of the Prize and the host city for the award ceremony since 2017.