Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2023

Notes:
India along with 10 ASEAN Member States (AMS) were represented by 200 participants, at the 4th edition of the annual ASEAN India Grassroots Innovation Forum (AIGIF) that was launched in Langkawi, Malaysia.
The AIGIF is an annual programme focused on fostering a strengthened relationship between India and AMS on the premise of cooperation in Science, Technology and Innovation (STI). Department of Science & Technology (DST) and National Innovation Foundation (NIF) of India and the Science and Technology Ministry of the host nation, Malaysia collaborated for the event.

Notes:
The Union Ministry of Tourism in association with Ministry of Culture, Sangeet Natak Academy and State Government of Andhra Pradesh successfully organised the prequel event of Krishnaveni Sangeetha Neerajanam.
It is a first of its kind festival to celebrate the rich heritage of classical music and promote lesser-known tourist attractions. The main event is to be organized in December 2023 in Vijayawada. The event will also feature spectacular display and sale of regional cuisine, local handicrafts and handlooms.

Notes:
The Ministry of Defence has signed a contract with Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) for procurement of 16 Upgraded Super Rapid Gun Mount (SRGM) along with associated equipment/ accessories for Indian Navy under Buy (Indian) category at a total cost of ₹2956.89 Cr.
The upgraded SRGM, which will be manufactured by BHEL is a medium caliber anti-missile/anti-aircraft point defence weapon system which provides a sustained rate of fire and high accuracy.

Notes:
French ambassador to India honoured Lalithambika, former director, Directorate of the Human Spaceflight Programme of ISRO with Legion d’Honneur.
Lalithambika has worked extensively on various ISRO rockets, especially PSLV. Lalithambika is the second ISRO scientist after former ISRO chairman A S Kiran Kumar to be awarded the Legion d’Honneur of France for promoting Indo-French space cooperation.

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:
A rare case of scrub typhus has been reported in Gujarat’s Narmada district, believed to be transmitted through insect bites. A 51-year-old tribal woman from Dediyapada, displaying symptoms like fever, swelling, headache, recovered after treatment at Surat hospital.
Doctors confirmed scrub typhus infection, which can be fatal without medical care. The disease is caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi bacteria from bites of larval mites or ‘chiggers’. Gujarat has prepared guidelines for tackling the disease that sees outbreaks after monsoons in UP, Bihar and Odisha. This first case has highlighted risks of neglecting flu-like symptoms after rural insect bites.

Notes:
A total of 4,45,256 cases of crime against women were registered across India in 2022, up from 4,28,278 in 2021 and 3,71,503 in 2020. The rate of crime against women per lakh population stood at 66.4 while the charge sheeting in such cases was logged at 75.8, showed the data in the annual crime report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
NCRB functions under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. The majority of crimes against women under the Indian Penal Code were of cruelty by husband or his relatives (31.4 per cent) followed by kidnapping and abduction of women (19.2 per cent). Delhi registered the highest rate of crime against women in the country at 144.4, while the country’s average rate was 66.4. Uttar Pradesh (65,743) registered the maximum FIRs in cases of crime against women in 2022.

Notes:
Developed jointly by the Union Ministry of Health, Ministry of Defence and the National Security Council, world’s first portable disaster hospital, consisting of 72 aid cubes, that can be deployed in mass casualty incidents was unveiled in India.
Designed indigenously under Project BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog, Hita and Maitri), the system is tailored to treat up to 200 casualties in areas affected by natural calamities.

Notes:
India announced a USD 250 million line of credit to Kenya for modernisation of its agricultural sector as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kenyan President William Samoei Ruto agreed to enhance bilateral ties in areas of defence, trade, energy, digital public infrastructure and healthcare.
The two sides signed five pacts providing for cooperation in a range of areas including sports, education and digital solution, and unveiled a joint vision document to scale up maritime engagement in the Indian Ocean region. The Kenyan side offered to provide land to Indian companies and institutions for cultivation of crops, including millets.

Notes:
Since 1947, Norway has sent an annual gift to Britain, expressing thanks for its support during World War Two.
This year, the symbol of historic gratitude has arrived in Trafalgar Square. At 20 meters tall and approximately 70 years old, this year’s “queen of the forest” was carefully selected from woodlands around Oslo, then ceremonially felled in November.