December 2nd Week 2020 Current Affairs Online Test English

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has proposed to increase the limit for contactless card transactions to Rs 5,000 from Rs 2,000 per transaction from January 1, 2021.
• This announcement was part of the RBI’s Statement on Developmental and Regulatory Policies, announced during the RBI’s bi–monetary policy announcement. The limit for e–mandates for recurring transactions using cards and UPI is also raised to Rs 5000.

• During the India–Oman virtual dialogue recently held, Oman announced to establish first–of–its–kind Oman–India Friendship Association. This is the first such initiative in West Asia led by the Foreign Ministry. In December 2019, India and Oman signed a Maritime Transport Agreement during the visit of Foreign Minister Jaishankar to the country.

• The United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) is one of the commissions of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), headquartered at Vienna, Austria.
• Recently, during a reconvened session of CND, 53 member states voted for removing Cannabis from Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, where it was listed with deadly & addictive drugs. 27 members including India, voted for removing Cannabis from the convention.

• The Union Government has announced the post of a Deputy Chief of the Army Staff, or DCOAS, (Strategy), to bring about structural reforms in the army. The proposal for creating this post was initiated before two years. The DCOAS would oversee the work of the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) and the Director General Military Intelligence (DGMI), who would otherwise report to the Vice Chief f Army Staff.

• One of the two lesser florican birds that was tagged by the Gujarat forest department has flown all the way to the state of Telangana. The bird was tagged at the Blackbuck National Park (BBNP), Velavadar, in Bhavnagar. This has confirmed a research finding that lesser florican birds migrate to peninsular India from the western part of India after their breeding season.

• The National Institute of Naturopathy (NIN) is located in the city of Pune. The present building of NIN is called the “Bapu Bhavan”.
• Gandhiji performed many Naturopathy experiments and organised various national and International activities while staying here. The Ministry of Ayush has proposed to name the upcoming new campus of National Institute of Naturopathy (NIN), Pune as “Nisarg Gram”.

• Parkash Singh Badal, who is the former Chief Minister of Punjab and a leader of Shiromani Akali Dal party has returned Padma Vibhushan award back to the Government. He has returned the award to show his protest against Agriculture reforms brought by the Centre. He was honoured with the prestigious award in the year 2015.

• In the first–of–its–kind study by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the Malayan Giant Squirrel is at the verge of extinction.
• It has projected that the numbers of the Malayan Giant Squirrel could decline by 90 per cent in India by 2050. If steps are not taken by the Govt., the species could become extinct in the country.

• Every year December 5 is celebrated as World Soil Day across the world since 2014, to create awareness about the importance of healthy soil and sustainable management of soil resources. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) campaign, the theme of World Soil day 2020 is “Keep soil alive, protect soil biodiversity”. International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) recommended it in 2002 recommended to celebrate this day in 2002.

• Mamit district of the state of Mizoram has topped the rankings of aspirational districts by Niti Aayog for October. Banka of Bihar and Dhenkanal of Odisha have been placed at the second and third positions, respectively. NITI Aayog assesses the incremental progress made by over 112 aspirational districts across six developmental areas.

• In 2019, the United Nations General Assembly designated December 4 as the International Day of Banks. It is celebrated for the first time in 2020. The day is celebrated to recognise the importance of multilateral development banks and international development banks in financing sustainable development. It also recognises the role of the banking systems in improving the standard of living.

• Leading space start–up Pixxel has signed an agreement with the NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) to launch the country’s first private remote–sensing satellite. The satellite is to be launched on an ISRO PSLV rocket in early 2021. Earlier, regulatory body under the Department of Space called ‘IN–SPACe’ was established to enable private players undertake space activities in India.

• The Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has recently issued an advisory to all the private satellite channels to ensure that no advertisements that promote prohibited activities are telecasted. The advisory mentioned that advertisements on online gaming, betting and fantasy sports were misleading and are inconsistent with the Ministry’s Advertising Code.

• Waqf Boards and Waqf Council is administered under the Ministry of Minority Affairs. The central Waqf council has decided recently that the Waqf Boards will be set up in the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, soon. This is the first time, Waqf Boards will be established in the J&K and Leh–Kargil areas of India.

• The Madras High Court has the highest number of women Judges among all the High Count of India. Among the additional 13 Judges who sworn in recently, 4 were women. As of now, the total number of women judges in Madras High Court stands at 13. Justice AP Sahi is the present Chief Justice of Madras High Court.

• NASA astronaut Kate Rubins has for the first–time harvested radish crop at the International Space Station. This is a part of NASA’s planet experiment named Plant Habitat–02 (PH–02), which is aimed to understand the plant growth in micro gravity conditions. The crops have been harvested in a time of 27 days.

• India Empowerment Fund is set to be launched by the IIT Alumni Council for investing a sum of Rs.50,000 crore in India’s research system. The fund would be invested in a period of 10 years. The fund will be operated as IIT Angel Fund and would be regulated under Angel Investor Funds.

• The Government of India is set to inaugurate the construction of 1st phase of Agra Metro. The first phase of the metro would connect Sikandra to Taj Gate. The estimated project cost for the first phase construction is Rs.8379 crore. This project would have 6 stations.

• The India Mobile Congress (IMC) is organised by the Department of Telecommunications, Communication Ministry and the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI). Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered the inaugural address at the Mobile Congress. The event is to be held in virtual mode from December 8 to 10. The theme for IMC 2020 is “Inclusive Innovation – Smart, Secure, Sustainable”.

• The famous stone chariot in front of the Vijaya Vittala Temple in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Hampi, has been covered by a protective ring by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). This chariot is among three famous stone chariots in India while the other two are in Konark, Odisha, and Maamallapuram, Tamil Nadu. Hampi chariot, was built during the dynasty of Vijayanagara rulers who ruled from 14th to 17th century CE.

• The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) released the IUCN World Heritage Outlook 3. It uses the data of the previous reports from 2014 and 2017 to track whether the conservation efforts of the world’s 252 natural world heritage sites are on track. The report revealed that the conservation outlook of mountain chain of the Western Ghats is of great concern.

• The Chinese space agency has recently launched an optical stereo mapping Earth Observation satellite named Gaofen–14. The satellite was placed in its designated orbit using Long March–3B carrier rocket. The satellite can capture high resolution images of ground objects across the globe.

• Bihar state is set to organise the first ever migratory bird festival this year. This three–day long festival is aimed to enhance the awareness about migratory birds among common public and to check cases of poaching in the region. The festival would be jointly organised by Bhagalpur forest division, Bombay Natural History Society and Mandar Nature Club of Bihar.

• Every year 6th December is observed as Mahaparinirvana Diwas, which marks the death anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar. He died in this date in the year 1956 and this year marks the 64th death anniversary. Parinirvana is one of the important principles of Buddhism which means release or freedom after death.

• The World Economic Forum has announced that it will hold its 2021 annual meeting in Singapore instead of its traditional venue of Davos, Switzerland. As there is a surge in coronavirus infections observed in the country of Switzerland, the venue has been shifted. In the year 2022, the annual meeting will return to Davos–Klosters, Switzerland.

• Nepal has recalculated the height of the world’s highest peak Mount Everest. The country along with China announced the revised height of the peak as 8,848.86 metres. This height is almost 86 centimetres higher than the previous measurement done by the Survey of India in 1954. The new height is also four metres higher than the China’s recent measurement. The Nepal–China border passes through the summit.

• In its Global Economic Outlook, the Fitch ratings has raised India’s GDP forecast to –9.4 per cent in the current fiscal year. Earlier, Fitch had estimated that Indian economy would contract by 10.5 per cent in current fiscal 2020–21. Now, the firm says that the outlook is brighter due to an expected rollout of vaccines in 2021.

• The United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) works under the UN to mobilise the global efforts in SDGs. It is headquartered in New York. UN SDSN and the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) published the Europe Sustainable Development Report 2020. It reports the progress of the European Union, its member states, and other European countries towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

• India’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Manoj Mukund Naravane has undertaken a “historic” six–day visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia. This is first such visit by the Indian Army Chief to the two Gulf countries. This visit aims to strengthen the strategic and defence cooperation between the two countries. Saudi Arabia is India’s fourth–largest trading partner.

• The Defence Research and Development Organisation has developed the Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS). The indigenously made Howitzer, which was developed in partnership with a private sector industry, is undergoing trails in Maharashtra. As per DRDO, over 200 of these guns can be delivered to the Army within 18–24 months of the order.

• “Go for zero” is a policy proposal released by Grattan Institute, a non–profit think tank that advises the government. As a part of the policy, the Australian Government introduced several measures with the goal of eventually reaching zero new cases and not just to flatten the curve. As a result, the country passed three weeks without any local transmission of Covid–19.

• The Rajasthan state Tourism department has tied up with UNESCO and implementing a project by adopting ‘Art of Life’ methodology. Around 10 cultural tourism hubs are being created in Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Bikaner, and Barmer districts. The project aims to connect the performing artists and handicraft artists with the admirers of the art and culture.

• Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati claimed to have developed a new technology to harvest water from the air. The researchers have used the concept of hydrophobicity, which is the property of a material to repel water. Slippery liquid–infused porous surfaces or SLIPS material is chemically patterned and used.

Starship’ is the futuristic rocket–ship of SpaceX, the private space company owned by billionaire Elon Musk. It is being designed to carry people to Mars. The first high–altitude test flight of the Starship was aborted at the last second, due to an automatic engine abort just ahead of the count–down. SpaceX has conducted five Starship test flights but not at high altitude.

• The Department of Integrative Medicine has been proposed to be set up by the Union Ministry of AYUSH in association with AIIMS. The department is to be set up at AIIMS. Also, it has been decided to develop a protocol for “Study on Post COVID treatment” with Ayurveda and Yoga, by Centre for Integrative Medicine and Research – AIIMS.

• The companies of USA and China have dominated the global arms market in the year 2019, as per a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The arms industry of USA accounts for nearly 61% of the sales by top 25 arms manufacturers. Chinese firms account for 15.7% of the sales by top 25 arms manufacturers.

• Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has recently inaugurated the Koilwar bridge over Sone river in Bihar. This 1.5 km long bridge has been laid in parallel to the 138–year–old two–lane rail–road bridge. A six–lane bridge is being constructed with the outlay of Rs 266 crore. The three–lane carriageway has been opened for public.

• The Urban Governance Index–2020 has released by the Mumbai–based non–profit organisation Praja Foundation. As per the index, Odisha tops the list of states in urban governance followed by Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh. The study assessed the urban governance reforms across 40 cities in 28 states and NCT of Delhi.

• Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is ranked at 41st rank in the Forbes’ ranking of 100 most powerful women in the world, grabbing the highest place. HCL Corporation CEO and Executive Director Roshni Nadar Malhotra in the 55th spot and Biocon Founder Kiran Mazumdar–Shaw in the 68th rank. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is placed at the first spot.

• The United Kingdom became the first country in the world to start using the COVID–19 vaccine. The vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech was approved by the regulators. Several hubs across the country are vaccinating the people. The vaccine is given as two injections with 21 days apart. The complete immunity is said to be reached seven days after the second dose.

• The Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) has been released by Germanwatch and NewClimate Institute together with the Climate Action Network (CAN International). India came one rank down from ninth in 2019, to tenth position this year. No country bagged the first three ranks. The fourth rank is presented to Sweden, followed by the UK and Denmark. The index assesses the performances of 57 countries and European Union in four categories.

• The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), an autonomous body under the administrative control of Ministry of External Affairs. It was founded in 1950 by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. As per the ICCR president Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, the body is surveying the textbooks taught in the schools of more than 200 countries, under the “Global understanding of India project”, to understand what is taught about India globally.

• The cyber wing of the Maharashtra state Police has recently acquired the ‘Crawler’ software from Interpol. It is the first Indian agency to acquire the software, which will help them tackle Child pornography in the state.
• The software enables the Police to track down child pornography uploaded online, as it has advanced features to detect nudity, look for key–words and recognise age etc.

• Some Indian organizations are investigating “organochlorines” used as pesticides or in mosquito as the cause for a mysterious illness in Andhra Pradesh. The illness has led to the death of one person and more than 400 people being hospitalized. Organochlorines are cancer causing agents and researches have proved that it causes multiple human ailments.

• Human Rights Day is observed every year on 10 December across the world. It commemorates the day the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948. This year, the day was observed with the theme of ‘Recover Better – Stand Up for Human Rights’.

• In 1996 the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed that 7 December was to be the International Civil Aviation Day. The day has been celebrated by the International Civil Aviation Organization since 1994 December 7, the 50th anniversary of the signing the Convention on International Civil Aviation. The purpose of the day is to recognize the importance of aviation to the social and economic development of the world.

• At the recent meeting of Central Zoo Authority chaired by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Prakash Javadekar, two new zoos were granted recognition. They are the Rajgir Zoo Safari in Nalanda, Bihar and Shaheed Ashfaque Ullah Khan Prani Udyaan in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. With this, the state of Uttar Pradesh has a total of 9 zoos.

• Google India has recently released its annual ‘Year in Search’ results, which highlighted the most popular searches on Google. As per the report, US President–elect Joe Biden was the most searched personality on Google this year. The IPL was the top trending search of the year and Searches about Covid–19 pandemic featured the most in the list.

• NASA has named the 18 astronauts group half of them being women, who will train for its Moon–landing Mission by 2024, named ‘Artemis’. From this set of astronauts, the first woman to set foot on the moon and the next man on the moon will be picked up. The group includes Christina Koch and Jessica Meir, who performed the world’s first all–female spacewalk.

• Recently, Japan has exempted import inspection for the Indian black tiger shrimps. Japan is the second largest market for Indian black tiger shrimps after the US. This decision has been taken by the country after the export consignments were found totally free from any residue of synthetic anti–bacterial drug ‘Furazolidone’. This will enhance the farming and export of the shrimps from West Bengal and Kerala.
________________________________________