Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2023

Notes:
Karnataka government on signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with tech firm Meta to launch two initiatives aimed at raising awareness among students and educators about online safety and digital citizenship.
The state government plans to train 1 lakh teachers and 10 lakh students in digital safety and AR/VR skills by 2025 through this partnership with Meta.

Notes:
India’s Union Ministry of Tourism hosted an industry round-table on developing the country as a MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) tourism destination in New Delhi.
During India’s G20 Presidency, more than 200 meetings have been organized in 56 cities across the country.

Notes:
The government has approved a five-year extension of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), its flagship free foodgrain scheme for the poor, beyond December 2023. Launched in 2020 to provide relief during the COVID-19 crisis, the PMGKAY supplies 5 kgs of free ration monthly to over 800 million beneficiaries covered under the National Food Security Act. The scheme will now continue till 2028 at an estimated expenditure of Rs 1.18 lakh crore annually.

Notes:
India is aiming to expand its clean energy capabilities by proposing 13 new hydroelectric projects in Arunachal Pradesh, which would contribute 13,000 megawatts to the national grid. The state government signed MoUs with central public sector undertakings to construct these ventures, which require an investment of Rs 1.4 lakh crore and would quadruple the region’s per capita income. This supports India’s goal to better utilize its hydropower potential, currently at only 35% of capacity. The 2,000 megawatt Subansiri dam, the largest hydroelectric project underway in India, will also boost Arunachal Pradesh through its environmentally friendly run-of-river model that maintains downstream river flow.

Notes:
The concept of Special Category States (SCS) emerged in 1969 when the Indian government recognized that certain states faced more developmental challenges than others. The criteria for SCS classification includes hilly terrain, low population density, sizable tribal population, strategic border locations, and economic backwardness.

Initially in 1969, Jammu & Kashmir, Assam and Nagaland were granted SCS status. Currently, 11 states hold this status – Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Telangana and Uttarakhand.

The preferential categorization aims to channel additional funds and incentives to remote, underdeveloped regions facing geographic handicaps. SCS states receive central assistance for programs tailor-made to their unique needs. The classification also enables access to separate Center-State funding mechanisms and industrial promotions to spur growth.

Notes:
The Assembly of the International Maritime Organisation has elected the Members of its Council for its assembly for the 2024–25 biennium. India has been re-elected to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Council with the highest tally
India’s re-election falls under the Category of 10 states with “the largest interest in international seaborne trade”, alongside Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Notes:
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar recently inaugurated the 5th edition of Global Ayurveda Festival in Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala. The Global Ayurveda Festival (GAF) 2023 with the theme ‘Emerging Challenges in Healthcare and a Resurgent Ayurveda’ was held from 1 – 5 December.
The conclave witnessed the participation of Kerala Governor, Chief Minister of Kerala, Union Ayush Minister, Union Minister of Animal Husbandry Parshottam Rupala, President of the Republic of Mauritius, Minister of State for Indigenous Medicine of Sri Lanka, among others.

Notes:
The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has enabled two-factor authentication for all e-waybill and e-invoice systems to further enhance the security of the goods and services tax systems.
The feature was enabled on December 1 and was rolled out on Monday. Currently the pilot rollout has been done for a state of Haryana and after seamless operation of the same in the state, it is being rolled out for Punjab, Chandigarh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Delhi taxpayers in the first phase. In the second phase, it will be rolled out across the country.

Notes:
Africa Green Industrialisation Initiative (AGII) was launched at the 28th Conference of Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
The ambitious programme to upscale and accelerate green industries and businesses across Africa was launched by presidents and representatives from Kenya, Angola, Burundi, Djibouti, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal and Zambia, as well as COP28 President Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber. The initiative underscores the importance of green industrialisation to harness Africa’s vast and quality resources to secure prosperity for all.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered to host the 33rd Conference of Parties (COP33) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in India.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of high-level segment at COP 28 in UAE, PM Modi expressed his desire to host the summit in India. India has hosted the UNFCCC COP8 was held from October 23-November 1, 2002, in New Delhi.