Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2024

Notes:
The “Prashasan Gaon Ki Ore” campaign, part of Good Governance Week, runs from December 19-24, 2024, across all districts, states, and union territories in India. The campaign focuses on addressing public grievances and improving service delivery, bringing governance closer to rural people. More than 700 districts organizes workshops on good governance practices and service delivery. A dedicated portal for the campaign was launched on December 10, 2024.

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India ranks 39th in the 2024 Travel and Tourism Development Index (TTDI) by the World Economic Forum, improving from its 54th rank in 2021, later revised to 38th due to methodology changes. The Ministry of Tourism provides financial aid under schemes like Swadesh Darshan, PRASHAD, and Assistance to Central Agencies for developing tourism infrastructure. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched the Advantage Healthcare India portal (www.healinindia.gov.in) to assist international patients seeking medical treatment in India. Union Minister for Tourism and Culture, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, shared this in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.

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Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh lead in rooftop solar installations under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana. The scheme was launched on February 15, 2024 by PM Narendra Modi. The scheme aims to install 10 million rooftop solar units by March 2027. More than Over 679,000 installations are completed as of December 9, 2024, benefiting 538,000 residential units and 141,000 homes in welfare associations. Gujarat leads with 302,000 installations, followed by Maharashtra (139,000) and Uttar Pradesh (56,000). Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Rajasthan also contribute significantly. This initiative is set to become the world’s largest domestic rooftop solar program, providing free electricity.

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Researchers at Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune developed a new aerogel capable of extracting gold from electronic waste, offering a solution to reduce e-waste and harmful mining practices. Aerogels were first invented in the 1930s and are made by combining a polymer with a solvent to form a gel, then replacing the liquid in the gel with air. They are the lightest solid materials, extremely porous, translucent, and have very low density. Aerogels are recognized for being among the finest insulation materials available due to their unique properties.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi was bestowed with Kuwait’s highest honour ‘The Order of Mubarak Al Kabeer’ on December 22. ‘The Order of Mubarak Al Kabeer’ is a knighthood order of Kuwait and the highest honour given by the country. This marks the 20th international honour that PM Modi received from a country.

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India will host the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Junior World Cup 2025 for Rifle, Pistol, and Shotgun events, marking the first time this event will be held in the country. This adds to India’s track record of hosting top ISSF events, including the 2023 Senior World Cup in Bhopal and the ISSF World Cup Final earlier this year. NRAI President Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo credited India’s hosting success to strong support from the government and the Ministry of Sports. Over the past decade, India has hosted nine major ISSF championships, highlighting its role in promoting shooting sports globally. The year 2025 will also feature the inaugural Shooting League of India alongside regular national competitions.

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Bihar will host the Women’s Kabaddi World Cup in March 2025 at the indoor hall of the Rajgir Sports Academy. Fourteen countries, including India, China, Japan, South Korea, and others, are expected to participate. Bihar is hosting the event for the second time, after the first edition in 2012 at Patliputra Sports Complex, Patna. The Women’s Kabaddi World Cup is an international competition organized by the International Kabaddi Federation (IKF).

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Recent research reveals three geological sites along the Denali Fault were once a single feature, later separated by tectonic activity. The Denali Fault is a significant right-lateral strike-slip fault in western North America, stretching from British Columbia, Canada, to central Alaska, USA. It marks the boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate, with the Pacific Plate actively subducting under the North American Plate. This subduction causes significant geological stress and deformation. The Denali Fault was the epicenter of a powerful 7.9 magnitude earthquake in 2002, highlighting its seismic activity.

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A three-year-old female tiger from Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) in Odisha wandered into the Bandwan area of Purulia district, West Bengal. Similipal Tiger Reserve is located in the Mayurbhanj District. It was declared a Tiger Reserve in 1956. It was included under Project Tiger in 1973 and became part of UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves in 2009. The reserve is known for its undulating terrain, grasslands, and a mix of tropical moist deciduous and semi-evergreen forests. This Tiger Reserve uniquely hosts melanistic (black) tigers.

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Shahu Tushar Mane won gold in the men’s 10m Air Rifle event at the National Shooting Championship, securing his first senior national title. Mane, representing Railways, triumphed in the 24-shot final by a narrow margin, defeating Telangana’s Dhanush Srikanth, who took the silver medal. Himanshu from Haryana won gold in the youth category, while Madhya Pradesh’s Yash Pandey and West Bengal’s Abhiav Shaw won silver and bronze, respectively.