Daily Current Affairs Quiz: December 15-16, 2024

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the fourth National Conference of Chief Secretaries on December 14-15 in New Delhi. The conference strengthens Centre-state partnerships and reinforces cooperative federalism. Previous conferences were held in Dharamshala (June 2022) and New Delhi (January, December 2023). The 2024 conference focuses on a unified development agenda and strategic growth plan.

Notes:
François Bayrou, a 73-year-old centrist leader, was named French Prime Minister by Emmanuel Macron, succeeding Michel Barnier after a confidence vote ousted him. Bayrou leads the MoDem party, part of Macron’s centrist alliance, and is known as the “third man” in French politics for his centrist approach during the 2007 presidential election. He is the high commissioner of planning, mayor of Pau, and president of the European Democratic Party. Born into a wealthy farming family near the Pyrenees, he taught Latin and Greek before entering politics in the 1980s. He served as education minister and was a member of both the National Assembly and European Parliament.

Notes:
The white-winged wood duck, Assam’s state bird, was recently spotted in Neelmoni Beel, an artificial pond at Nameri Tiger Reserve. It is one of the world’s most endangered ducks, with only about 800 surviving globally and 450 found in India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. In India, it inhabits Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, preferring dense tropical forests and swampy areas. Known as ‘Deo Hans’ or Spirit Duck for its ghostly call, it has a black body, white-spotted head, red-orange eyes, and averages 81 cm in length. The duck is crepuscular, omnivorous, and listed as Critically Endangered by IUCN.

Notes:
The Archeological Survey of India (ASI) will submit a survey report to the Supreme Court on religious structures in Delhi’s Mehrauli Archaeological Park. Mehrauli Archaeological Park spans over 200 acres near the Qutb Complex and reflects India’s heritage from Pre-Islamic to Colonial periods. It contains 440+ monuments, including remains of Delhi’s first city, the Tomar rulers’ capital from the 11th century.

Notes:
African Swine Fever (ASF), a highly contagious pig disease, has been reported in Kerala’s Kottayam district, prompting culling measures and infected zone declarations. ASF has a 100% mortality rate in pigs and is caused by a large, double-stranded DNA virus of the genus Asfivirus in the family Asfarviridae. The virus can survive long periods in pork and meat products but poses no risk to human health or food safety. ASF originated in sub-Saharan Africa and has spread to Asia and Europe; it was first confirmed in India in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam in 2020. With no cure, vaccine, or prevention available, culling is the only effective control measure.