December 4th Week 2020 Current Affairs Online Test English

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to launch satellites of private players onboard PSLV C51. The first of its kind mission would launch an earth observation satellite ‘ANAND’, fully built by a start–up named Pixel India. Two more satellites named ‘SATISH SAT’’, built by ‘Space Kids India’, and ‘UNIT–SAT’, built by consortium of universities would also be sent.

• The Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa launched the ‘Bengaluru Mission 2022’, to enhance the infrastructure facilities in the city in next two years to mark 75 years of independence. The Focus areas in infrastructure renovation for Bengaluru will be providing Faster commute, Green City, Access to services and Culture and heritage. Facilities for Electric Vehicles, Suburban rail, Tree parks are also being planned.

• The Government of Pakistan has approved a legislation that permits chemical castration of rapists. This new legislation is applicable to repeat as well as first–time offenders. This provision has been added to the Anti–Rape Ordinance 2020. As per the ordinance, it is the discretion of the trial judge to order chemical castration.

• The central Government has released an e–book named ‘Putting Farmers First’. It is a 106–page book that portrays the success stories of farmers who have benefited from contract farming, after enactment of the three farm legislations / reforms. The book has been released in Hindi as well as in English.

• Every year, 18th of December is observed as the International Day of Migrants by the United Nations. This decision was made by the United Nation General Assembly in the year 2000, taking into consideration large and increasing number of migrants around the world. The theme for this year’s Migration day is “Reimagining Human Mobility”.

• The International Human Solidarity Day (IHSD) is observed every year on December 20 to raise public awareness of the importance of solidarity. This day aims to celebrate unity in diversity and remind people of the importance of solidarity in working towards eradicating poverty.

• India has been ranked 63rd among 190 countries, as per latest Doing Business Report (DBR, 2020) of World Bank (WB). As per report, the World Bank (WB) has recognized India as one of the top 10 improvers for the third consecutive year.
• India’s recovery rate under resolving insolvency has improved significantly from 26.5% to 71.6%. The time taken for resolving insolvency has also come down significantly from 4.3 years to 1.6 years. India has reduced the number of procedures in granting construction permits. Apart from this, India continues to maintain its first position among South Asian countries.

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh handed over three indigenously developed Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) systems to Army, Navy and Air Force. Rajnath Singh handed over the Indian Maritime Situational Awareness System (IMSAS) to the Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh, ASTRA Mk–I Missile to AirChief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria and Border Surveillance System (BOSS) to the Chief of Army Staff General MM Naravane.

• The staple food of the North African region, Couscous has been included in the UNESCO list of the world’s intangible cultural heritage. The rival countries Algeria and Morocco along with Tunisia and Mauritania had submitted the petition to add the dish in the UNESCO list, in March 2019. Couscous is also known as Seksu, Kusksi and Kseksu, in the North African region.

• Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has launched ‘One Stop Shop’ facility, to make available over 100 types of clearances and services, required by investors. The Chief Minister also launched Public Welfare Portal or Jan Kalyan Portal, to consolidate the information of eligibility, benefits of the state schemes, useful circulars and orders etc. It also highlights the efforts of the Government in two years.

• Department of Telecommunication, Ministry of Communication presents the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Telecom Skill Excellence Awards. The Award scheme was originally launched in the year 2017, to recognise the successful telecom skilled people and to enable them apply telecom related solution in various fields like health and Education. This year’s awards were recently presented by the Communications Minister.

• Union External Affairs Minister of India S Jaishankar recently launched a book titled ‘Reporting India’ in Delhi. It describes the history of India since independence. The book is written by Prem Prakash, Chairman of the Leading news agency, the Asian News International (ANI). He established the agency in the year 1971 and it was the first agency in India to syndicate video news.

• The Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered the keynote address at ASSOCHAM Foundation Week 2020 via video conferencing. During the occasion, he presented the ‘ASSOCHAM Enterprise of the Century Award’ to Ratan Tata, who received the award on behalf of the TATA Group. Ratan Tata served as the Chairman of Tata Sons and Tata Group. He is now heading various Charitable Trusts of the Group.

• The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s Shark Specialist Group conducted an assessment of sharks, rays and chimaeras in the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). As per the assessment, out of the 170 species found across the oceans of the country, 19 species, which is about 11%, are classified as Critically Endangered (CE) and are facing high risk of extinction.

• The Government of India has recently proposed to adopt E20 fuel in Indian automobiles. The E20 fuel is a blend of 20% ethanol and 80% gasoline. This move is aimed at reducing the vehicular emissions and at the same time bring down the crude oil import cost of the country.

• Recently, the Embassy of Japan in India has rolled out some images of E5 series Shinkansen – High speed bullet trains used in Japan, which would be modified for use in Mumbai–Ahmedabad High–Speed Rail (MAHSR) project. Once the project is completed, the travel time between Mumbai and Ahmedabad would be reduced to 2 hours. The project is expected to be completed by 2023.

• The new green field airport that is being constructed at Jewar of Uttar Pradesh has been named NOIDA international airport. The new logo of the airport contains a Sarus Crane, which is the state bird of Uttar Pradesh. The contract to construct the airport has been awarded to Zurich Airport International AG. The first phase of the airport is expected to be functional by 2024.

• The National Farmer’s Day is celebrated every year in India on December 23 to acknowledge the role of farmers in India’s socio–economic development and to mark the birth anniversary of 5th Prime Minister Late Chaudhary Charan Singh. He used to be referred to as the ‘Champions of India’s peasants’ for his strive for the betterment of farmer’s lives in the country. The day is popularly known as ‘Kisan Diwas’.

• The state government of Karnataka has inaugurated the ‘Farmer Registration and Unified Beneficiary Information System (FRUITS), an e–Governance Portal for farmers. It aims to create a single repository of all details of the farm lands and farm loans of all farmers of the state. Farmers will be given an identification number on the portal, using which banks can access the details before lending. Canara Bank is set to run FRUITS portal on a pilot basis.

• The Indian Government has decided to constitute a High–Level Committee to commemorate the 125th Birth Anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. The Committee headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah will work on the activities for a yearlong commemoration starting 23rd January, 2021. Other members of the Committee will include historians, authors, family members of Netaji, as well as persons associated with Azad Hind Fauj–INA.

• India and Israel have recently signed an agreement to cooperate in the fields of health and medicine, replacing the old agreement signed in September 2003. The two countries also agreed to share their expertise in building climate resilient infrastructure and support ‘Green healthcare’.

• The ‘Legion of Merit’ honour of the United States has been conferred on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The prestigious award has also been conferred on former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. It recognises the efforts of the people of India & the US to improve bilateral ties, reflected in the bipartisan consensus in both countries about the Indo–US Strategic Partnership.

• The National Consumer Day is observed on 24th December each year. Its objective is to highlight the importance of consumer movement and promote awareness about consumer rights and responsibilities. This year’s theme is “The Sustainable Consumer”. This was the day when the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 was enacted.

• The Good Governance Day is observed on 25th December each year. It was initiated in 2014 to honor PM Vajpayee. Its objective is to spread awareness to the public about the accountability of the government and governance.

• Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI) is the apex organisation, functioning under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. It is headquartered in Kolkata. It is involved in anthropological studies and field data research for human and cultural aspects. Recently AnSI in a policy document warned that any commercial activity in North Sentinel islands would be a threat to the tribals.

• After the collapse of the historic Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, China has opened the biggest radio telescope in the world to international scientists. The Five–hundred–meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) is located in Guizhou province of China. The construction of FAST Telescope was completed in the year 2016. Now, the telescope is being open to the doors to astronomers from across the world.

• An international team of scientists has recently collected the first possible radio signal from a planet beyond our solar system. Emission bursts have been observed which are originating from exoplanet ‘Tau Bootes’ star–system, which is about 51 light–years away. This was observed using the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR), a radio telescope in the Netherlands.

• Ministries of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences in association with Vijnana Bharati organise the India International Science Festival. Launched in the year 2015, the festival aims to promote scientific temper in the society and encourage students to take up scientific career. This year, the theme of the 4–day long India International Science festival is ‘Science for Self–Reliant India and Global Welfare’.

• Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) is a Central university in Aligarh. It was originally established by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan in 1875. After the Aligarh Muslim University Act, its original name of ‘Muhammadan Anglo–Oriental College’ was changed to Aligarh Muslim University in 1920. The Prime Minister addressed the Centenary celebrations of the University and also released a postage stamp dedicated to AMU.

• As per a recent study on Health and economic impact of air pollution in the States of India published in the Lancet journal, 1.7 million deaths were regarded to have caused due to air pollution in 2019 in India. This figure is 18% of the total deaths in the country. The economic loss due to the lost output was 1.4% of the GDP in India, which is equivalent to 260,000 crores. The study was funded by the UNEP, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and ICMR.

• Central Bank of India has recently launched contactless ‘RuPay Select’ debit card in association with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). Through this card, the users can avail membership and access to golf courses, gyms, spas and restaurants. The users can also avail discounted health check–ups with the National Common Mobility Debit Card (NCMC).

• The Government of Uttar Pradesh is set to establish India’s First Mega Leather Park in Kanpur. The Union Ministry of Commerce has given approval to the project. The project is set to be built across 235 acres in Ramaipur village, Kanpur at an expense of Rs.5850 crores.

• The 1st Lithium refinery of India is to be set up in Gujarat. It will process Lithium ore to produce battery–grade material. More than Rs 1,000 crore will be invested by Manikaran Power Limited to set up this refinery. India has set an ambitious goal of increasing the Electric Vehicle numbers to 30% by 2030.

• On December 22, 2020, Assam Cabinet headed by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal approved the ‘Assam Official Language Amendment Bill’ for making Bodo (Devanagari script) also known as ‘Boro’ as an associate official language of the state.
• According to the census 2011, There are ~ 14.16 Lakh Bodo speakers in Assam. It is one of the 22 languages listed in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution. It is spoken in the states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya & West bengal.

• The first rescue and rehabilitation center for monkeys was launched in Telangana’s northern district of Nirmal. The Forest department has spent Rs 2.25 crore in setting up the center, which is only the second such facility in the country after the one available in Himachal Pradesh.

• The Submarine Day is celebrated every year by the Indian Navy on December 08 to commemorate the induction of the first submarine, the erstwhile INS Kalvari, into the Indian Navy on this day in 1967. The Foxtrot class submarine was decommissioned on the 31st May, 1996, after 29 years of service.

• The International Anti–Corruption Day is observed every year on December 09 to raise public awareness about corruption and how to fight it. The day is also observed in recognition of the United Nations Convention against corruption which was signed in Mexico in 2003. This year’s theme is, “United Against Corruption”.

• The National Mathematics Day is celebrated every year in India on December 22 to commemorate the birth anniversary of great mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan and to recognize his contribution to mathematics. It was in 2012 that then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh declared December 22 as National Mathematics Day.

• India has successfully conducted the first Army version test of the Medium–Range Surface–to–Air Missile (MRSAM) from a test range off Odisha coast. This advanced missile has been jointly developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Israel Aerospace Industries. The new generation MRSAM can neutralise airborne threats including projectiles.

• National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) is a Central Public Sector Undertaking, based at Mumbai. It was incorporated in the year 1975. The objective of the agency is to promote the integrated development of Indian Film industry. Recently, the Union Cabinet has approved to merge four of its film media units, namely Films Division, Directorate of Film Festivals, National Film Archives of India, and Children’s Film Society, India with NDFC.

• The Union Cabinet has recently approved ₹59,000 crore Post Matric Scholarship for more than four crore Scheduled Caste (SC) students. In the scheme, which is to be implemented in the next five years, the total investment is ₹59,048 crore, out of which 60% will be borne by the Central Government. The rest will be spent by the state Government. Transfer of financial assistance to the students would be on DBT method.

• Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry had initiated the first National Start up Awards in 2019. The Award aims to reward outstanding start–ups that build innovative products or solutions and have a social impact. The second edition of the award NSA 2021 has been recently launched. The awards will be presented in 49 areas classified into 15 broad sectors.

• The International Human Solidarity Day is observed every year on December 20 to raise public awareness of the importance of solidarity. This day aims to celebrate unity in diversity and remind people of the importance of solidarity in working towards eradicating poverty. It is a day to encourage debate on the ways to promote solidarity for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including poverty eradication.

• On December 28, Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated India’s 1st ever Driverless Train Operations on Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line which connects Janakpuri West and Botanical Garden in Noida. Prime Minister Modi also inaugurated the fully operational National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) services on the Airport Express Line of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).

• Dr Hemant Kumar Pandey has been conferred ‘Scientist of the Year Award – 2018’ by Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO) for his contributions towards developing herbal medicines which includes ‘Lukoskin’ a drug for treatment of leucoderma. Pandey has been undertaking research at DRDO’s Defence Institute of Bio–Energy Research (DIBER) at Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand for 25 years.

• Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thaawarchand Gehlot launched a Mobile Application “Swachhata Abhiyan”. The application aims to identify and geotag the data of insanitary latrines and manual scavengers. With this, the insanitary latrines can be replaced with sanitary latrines and rehabilitate all the manual scavengers.

• The state government in Kerala has announced Rs 10,000 crore worth development projects would be completed or launched in the next 100 days. The Chief Minister also announced that nine new industrial units, including the Defence Park in Palakkad would be inaugurated. The state also targets job openings through poverty eradication mission, Kudumbashree.

• The State of the Mediterranean and Black Sea fisheries – 2020 (SoMFi 2020) was released by the Food and Agricultural Organisation’s General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM). As per the report, 75 percent of fish stocks in the Mediterranean and Black Sea marine ecosystems were subject to overfishing. But the number of such overfished stocks has decreased for the first time in the past decades.

• On December 24, 1986, the Consumer Protection Act received the approval of the President of India and came into effect. To mark the occasion, the National Consumer Day is observed every year on December 24 in India, to spread awareness about consumer importance, their rights and responsibilities. The theme of the National Consumer Day is ‘The Sustainable Consumer’.

• Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently flagged off the 100th Kisan Rail from Sangola in Maharashtra to Shalimar in West Bengal. The multi–commodity train service will carry vegetables and fruits. The Government of India has also extended a subsidy of 50% on transportation of fruits and vegetables. Kisan Rail enables the farmers to transport their agricultural produce across the country.