Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2023

Notes:
Recently, India and Oman have adopted the India Oman Joint Vision Partnership For the Future, setting the stage for bilateral cooperation and charting pathways for future collaboration between the two countries.

This Vision Document focuses on building partnerships in broadly 8 to 10 areas. These include maritime cooperation and connectivity, energy security, space, digital payments, health, tourism, hospitality, agriculture and food security. The Joint Military Cooperation Committee (JMCC) is the highest forum of engagement between India and Oman in the field of defence.

Military Exercises:

• Army exercise: Al Najah
• Air Force exercise: Eastern Bridge
• Naval Exercise: Naseem Al Bahr

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:
Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes to Sikh Guru Teg Bahadur recalling his martyrdom. He was the ninth of ten Gurus of the Sikh religion and was the youngest son of Guru Hargobind. He was born to Mata Nanki and Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh guru, who raised an army against the Mughals and introduced the concept of warrior saints.
After Guru Ram Das, the fourth Sikh guru, the guruship became hereditary. His writings are housed in the sacred text, ‘Guru Granth Sahib,’ in the form of 116 poetic hymns. During one such mission, he founded the town of Chak-Nanki in Punjab, which later became a part of Punjab’s Anandpur Sahib. He was publicly killed in 1675 on the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Delhi for refusing Mughal rulers and defying them. Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib and Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib in Delhi mark the places of execution and cremation of his body.

Notes:
To enhance cybersecurity, the government of India has implemented a secure e-mail system for 10,000 users across 17 ministries and departments. This system, developed by the National Informatics Centre, employs Zero Trust Authentication, including two-factor authentication with biometrics or facial recognition. It’s a response to increasing cyberattacks, such as the AIIMS Delhi incident in November 2022. Additionally, the government is migrating e-mail services to the cloud with a private provider, possibly Zoho. The government also acknowledged a probe into a massive data leak of Aadhaar and passport details in Parliament. This is part of a broader strategy to strengthen cybersecurity, including adopting e-office in 75 out of 84 ministries and issuing National Information Security Policy and Guidelines to prevent cyber intrusions.

Notes:
Mercer’s 2023 Quality of Living Index ranks Hyderabad as India’s best city for quality of life. Globally, Hyderabad is 153rd, Pune is 154th and Bengaluru 156th. Vienna, Zurich, and Vancouver lead globally. The index assesses living conditions for expatriates and is based on factors like climate, education, health, safety, and infrastructure. Additionally, in India’s Cost of Living City ranking 2022, Pune was the least expensive among major cities.

Notes:
Researchers from Visva-Bharati University discovered a new plant growth-promoting bacteria species which they named Pantoea Tagorei, in homage to Rabindranath Tagore’s agricultural promotion efforts. The bacteria has unique properties that enhance soil nutrients.

Notes:
The Dalai Lama inaugurated the three-day International Sangha Forum 2023 on Bridging Traditions, Embracing Modernity: A Dialogue on the Buddha’s Teaching in Today’s World at the International Convention Centre in Bodh Gaya, Bihar.
It was organised jointly by the Office of the Dalai Lama and the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC). The ISF aims to foster dialogue on the intricate aspects of Vinaya rules and explore the evolving role of Buddhism in the 21st century. Earlier, in December, about 5,000 monks and nuns from around the world, including India, gathered in Bodh Gaya for the 18th International Tipitaka Chanting Programme, from December 2 to 12.

Notes:
Tamil Nadu maintained its “achiever” status within the coastal group in the Logistics Ease Across Different States (LEADS) 2023 rankings by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. LEADS, which was launched in 2018, evaluates states and union territories on three critical dimensions: Infrastructure, services, and operating and regulatory environment, encompassing both perception-based and objective indicators.

Notes:
Raimati Ghiuria, a tribal farmer from Odisha’s Koraput district, has preserved 30 varieties of millets and trained hundreds of women in cultivating rare millets. She was invited to the G20 Summit held to commemorate the ‘International Year of Millets’. At the G20 Summit she was called the ‘Queen of Millet’. She has been recognized as a pioneer in native seed conservation.

Notes:
The Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance (RAMP) Scheme is a World Bank-supported program that aims to improve the performance of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in India. The scheme was launched on July 30, 2022.  The scheme’s objectives include:

• Increasing access to credit and the market
• Bolstering institutions
• Enhancing center-state partnerships
• Offering financial aid to MSMEs affected by COVID-19
• Boosting the productivity of the MSME sector for the next five years

The scheme will complement the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Mission by fostering innovation, encouraging ideation, and incubating new businesses.