Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2022

Notes:
As per provisional estimates released by National Statistical Office (NSO), India’s gross domestic product (GDP) for the July-September quarter (Q2) of the financial year 2022-23 slowed to 6.3 per cent.
The GDP saw a growth of 13.5 per cent in the preceding April-June quarter of 2022-23. It was cut down mainly by the poor performance of manufacturing and mining sectors.

Notes:
An international team of scientists has discovered a new drought-resilient semi-dwarf wheat gene named ‘Rht13.’
It can be grown in drier soil conditions. The Reduced height gene seeds can be planted deeper in the soil, giving access to moisture.

Notes:
The mountain bush named ‘Rooibos’, which is endemic to South Africa, is used to prepare a red brew with a unique flavour.
The San and Khoi communities were the first to learn the health benefits of rooibos leaves. Today, Rooibos is widely exported commodity sold to over 30 countries.

Notes:
Mumbai is placed at 22nd rank in the ‘Prime Global Cities Index Q3 (July-September) 2022’, released by Property consultant Knight Frank.
It said that all three Indian cities namely Mumbai, Bengaluru and New Delhi registered an increase in average annual prices. The global index measures annual price appreciation of premium residential properties. Bengaluru moved up to 27th while New Delhi moved to 36th rank.

Notes:
The Indian Army is engaged in bilateral exercises with five countries under way in November 2022, to improve interoperability.
The 18th edition of India-U.S. Army exercise ‘Yudh Abhyas’ was held in Uttarakhand. Other ongoing exercises are ‘Ex Austra Hind’ with Australia in Rajasthan, ‘Ex Agni Warrior’ with Singapore at Deolali, ‘Ex Harimau Shakti’ with Malaysia and ‘Ex Garuda Shakti’ with Indonesia.

Notes:
In 2013, the Supreme Court had an all-woman bench for the first time, when Justices Gyan Sudha Misra and Ranjana Prakash Desai sat together.
The second occasion came in 2018. Recently, Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud has constituted an all-women bench comprising Justices Hima Kohli and Bela M. Trivedi to hear transfer petitions involving matrimonial disputes and bail matters. This is the third occasion in the history of the apex court of an all-women bench.

Notes:
The State Bank of India raised ₹10,000 crore through its maiden infrastructure bond issuance at a coupon rate of 7.51 per cent.
The tenor for the bond is set at 10 years and this is the largest single infra bond sale by any domestic lender. The proceeds of the bond will be utilised to enhance long- term resources for funding infrastructure and affordable housing segment.

Notes:
The Idol Wing of Tamil Nadu Police Department issued ‘Soulbound Tokens’ to its outstanding team members.
This is the first-of-its-kind initiative by a government department in India. The Tamil Nadu Police partnered with GuardianLink, a non-fungible token (NFT) start-up for this move. Soulbound Token, a variant of Non-fungible tokens, is a unique blockchain asset that cannot be bought, sold, or moved to another blockchain wallet.

Notes:
The World Health Organization (WHO) released the ‘Global report on health equity for persons with disabilities’.
As per the report, many people with disabilities have the risk of premature death, even up to 20 years earlier than others, due to systemic and pervasive health disparities. The report recommends 40 steps for governments to implement in the health sector.

Notes:
Rajeeva Laxman Karandikar, professor emeritus at Chennai Mathematical Institute (CMI), has been appointed as part-time chairperson of National Statistical Commission of India (NSCI) for three years.
The National Statistical Commission of India is an autonomous body which was formed in June 2005 under the recommendation of Rangarajan commission.