Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2024

Notes:
Sikkim has been declared the partner state for the Hornbill Festival 2024. The Hornbill Festival is an annual cultural event in Nagaland, named after the Indian hornbill bird featured in tribal folklore. It is held at Naga Heritage Village, Kisama, 12 km from Kohima, Nagaland. The festival is organized by Nagaland’s Tourism and Art & Culture Departments. Its objective is to promote cultural heritage and foster inter-tribal interaction in Nagaland.

Notes:
National Pollution Control Day is observed annually on December 2 in India. It commemorates the lives lost in the Bhopal Gas Tragedy and raises awareness about pollution. The Bhopal Gas Tragedy occurred on December 2, 1984, due to a methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas leak from a pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. The incident killed around 2,259 people immediately, with fatalities rising to 25,000 over time, as per government reports. Around 500,000 people suffered severe health issues, including respiratory and reproductive problems, blindness, and nervous system diseases.

Notes:
A tiger from Kanha Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh traveled 400 km to Achanakmar Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh. Achanakmar Tiger Reserve is located in Bilaspur district, Chhattisgarh. It was established in 1975, and declared a tiger reserve in 2009. It is part of the Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve and connects to Kanha and Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserves via a corridor. The Maniyari River flows through the reserve, sustaining the forest. The reserve hosts the Baiga tribe, a “Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG),” with 25 villages in its core area.

Notes:
An Ajmer court has admitted a petition to survey the Ajmer Sharif Dargah, leading to calls for a similar probe into the Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra. It is located in Ajmer, Rajasthan. It is one of India’s oldest mosques and the second oldest in North India, after Delhi’s Quwwat ul Islam mosque. The Deputy Mayor claims it was initially a Sanskrit college and Jain temple before being converted into a mosque in the 12th century. Commissioned by Qutubuddin Aibak in 1199 CE, it was later enhanced by Iltutmish in 1213 CE. The structure showcases early Indo-Islamic architecture.

Notes:
National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET), Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE), Government of India, recognized IN-SPACe as a dual awarding body to strengthen vocational education in the space sector. IN-SPACe, under the Department of Space, promotes and enables space activities like satellite manufacturing and space services. The collaboration aligns IN-SPACe training with global standards, supporting initiatives like Skill India Mission. Six National Occupational Standards (NoS) for space-related training were approved, covering areas like satellite manufacturing, orbital mechanics, and space propulsion. NCVET ensures quality standards in vocational training, fostering a skilled workforce for industry demands.

Notes:
Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya inaugurated the International Gita Mahotsav on 5 December 2024 in Kurukshetra, Haryana. The festival celebrates the birth of the ‘Srimad Bhagwat Gita,’ where Lord Krishna advised Arjuna during the Mahabharata war. This year, Tanzania is the foreign partner country, and Odisha is the State partner.

Notes:
A study in Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Conservation Area explored the human-Cape buffalo conflict in sub-Saharan Africa. Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is an aggressive species and one of the four subspecies of African buffalo. They are stocky with short, thick legs and have distinctive horns with fused bases, forming a “boss.” Cape buffalo live in swamps, floodplains, grasslands, and forests across southern and eastern Africa, preferring dense cover. They are herbivores, feeding on grasses, leaves, and plants, and are excellent swimmers. The species is classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN.

Notes:
China launched the world’s first self-driving satellites, Siwei Gaojing-2 03 and Gaojing-2 04, marking a milestone in its commercial space program. Developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST), these satellites can autonomously adjust their flight paths without ground control. They feature synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and high-precision radar, allowing them to return to orbit with 100-meter accuracy and perform formation-flying at sub-meter precision. The satellites will provide all-weather radar imagery for industries like natural resource management, disaster response, agriculture monitoring, and urban safety.

Notes:
The Hornbill Festival, celebrated annually since 2000 in Nagaland, marks its 25th year. Named after the Hornbill bird, symbolizing boldness in Naga folklore, it takes place at Kisama Heritage Village, showcasing 17 indigenous houses representing Nagaland’s tribes. The festival promotes inter-tribal interaction, preserving the state’s rich heritage. Nagaland, known as the “Land of Festivals,” is home to 17 major tribes, each with its unique traditions. The festival highlights India’s unity in diversity, where diverse cultural practices coexist, strengthening the nation’s identity.

Notes:
India has been chosen to chair the 68th Session of the UN’s Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND). Ambassador Shambhu S Kumaran, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Vienna, has officially assumed the role. CND is the main policy-making body for global drug-related issues under the UN. It monitors global drug trends, supports balanced policy-making, and oversees major drug conventions. CND operates under the UN Economic and Social Council and governs the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). This is India’s first time chairing the CND, showcasing its growing leadership and commitment to global issues.