Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2024

Notes:
Gujarat CM Bhupendrabhai Patel launched the Mukhyamantri Paushtik Alpahar Yojana under the Suposhit Gujarat Mission to provide nutritious snacks to students. Daily breakfast will include sukhdi, chana chaat, and mixed beans, in addition to mid-day meals. The scheme will benefit 41 lakh students from Balwatika to Class 8 in 32,277 government and grant-in-aid primary schools. It aligns with PM Modi’s Padhai Bhi, Poshan Bhi programme and emphasizes calorie-protein-rich snacks made from Shree Anna (millets). The state government allocated ₹617 crore annually and increased honorariums by 50% for staff involved in preparing meals.

Notes:
Khelo India Winter Games 2025 will be held in Ladakh (ice events: Jan 23-27) and Jammu & Kashmir (snow events: Feb 22-25). The games mark the start of the Khelo India season, followed by Youth & Para Games in Bihar in April and University Games. The Winter Games began in 2020, with participation growing from 1,000 athletes in the first edition to more than 1,500 in 2022. In 2024, more than 1,200 participants, including 700 athletes, competed for 136 medals. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, with Sports Authority of India, managed the 2024 edition. These games aim to identify talent for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Notes:
A joint committee informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) about stone-crushing units altering the Chakki River’s course. The Chakki River is a tributary of the Beas River, flowing through Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, and merging with the Beas near Pathankot. It is fed by snow and rain from the Dhauladhar mountains. Unregulated sand mining is damaging the riverbed and banks. The Beas River is crucial for Punjab, one of the Five Rivers of the region, and was known as Arjiki or Hyphasis in ancient times.

Notes:
Israel’s military recently targeted several key Syrian military sites, including naval vessels at Latakia Port. Latakia Port is located on the East Mediterranean coast, with a good harbor and a vast agricultural hinterland to the west of Syria. It serves as Syria’s principal port, exporting products like bitumen, asphalt, cereals, cotton, fruit, eggs, vegetable oil, pottery, and tobacco. The port city’s local industries include cotton ginning, vegetable oil processing, tanning, and sponge fishing.

Notes:
The Homi Bhabha Chair Scheme was discussed in the Rajya Sabha by the Union Minister of State for Science & Technology. It is administered by the Department of Atomic Energy. The scheme benefits distinguished scientists, professors, and retired engineers working on sensitive or critical technologies. The duration of the scheme ranges from one to five years, decided by a Selection Committee. It provides an honorarium and allowances to the beneficiaries.

Notes:
The Malayan Night Heron, a migratory bird from Southeast Asia, was recorded in Madurai near the Alagar Kovil hills for the first time. This medium-sized heron has reddish-brown plumage, a black crown and crest, black underwings, a stout bill, and a short neck. It inhabits forests, streams, and marshes, migrating to India during the winter season. Although typically nocturnal, it can also be active during the day and is generally solitary. It roosts in trees and feeds in open areas. Its IUCN conservation status is Least Concern.

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:
The Indian women’s junior hockey team won the 10th Women’s Hockey Junior Asia Cup by defeating China 3-2 in the penalty shootout in Muscat, Oman, on December 15, 2024. India successfully defended their title, having also won the previous edition in 2023. The tournament, held from December 7 to 15, 2024, is for players under 21 and organized by the Asian Hockey Federation. The top five teams—India, China, Japan, South Korea, and Malaysia—qualified for the 2025 International Hockey Federation (FIH) Women’s Junior World Cup in Chile. The first Women’s Junior Asia Cup was held in 1992 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and won by South Korea.

Notes:
Mikheil Kavelashvili, a former Georgian national footballer, was elected unopposed as the President of Georgia on December 14, 2024, amid an opposition boycott. He is pro-Russian and anti-Western, replacing the pro-Western President Salome Zourabichvili, who condemned his election. The President’s role in Georgia is mostly ceremonial, with real power held by the Prime Minister. Kavelashvili, founder of the People’s Power Party, was supported by the ruling Georgian Dream Party and won 224 of 225 votes in the electoral college. The opposition boycotted the election, alleging rigging in the October 2024 parliamentary elections. He will take office on December 29, 2024.

Notes:
A Gujarat-based semiconductor company Suchi Semicon inaugurated Gujarat’s first OSAT (Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Testing) plant in Surat. The 30,000-square-foot facility provides assembly, testing, and packaging services for semiconductor components. It supports industries like automotive, consumer electronics, and industrial applications. The plant was inaugurated by Union Minister C.R. Patil and Gujarat’s Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi. This step strengthens India’s position in the global semiconductor supply chain and makes Gujarat a hub for high-tech manufacturing and innovation.