Daily Current Affairs for Competitive Examinations: December 13, 2022

General Awareness Section can be the easiest and most qualifying section in most competitive exams with the right focus. To bag a good score in these sections one must follow the current affairs for at least a few minutes on a daily basis. Current affairs are vastly diversified with topics from politics, finance, sports, etc and getting lost in this vastness might be confusing sometimes.

Whether you are preparing for a written test or an interview for any competitive exam, you have come to the right place to enhance your GK knowledge.

Current Affairs: Defence

39th Edition of India-Indonesia Coordinated Patrol

• The 39th edition of India-Indonesia Coordinated Patrol (IND-INDO CORPAT) between the Indian Navy and the Indonesian Navy is being conducted from 08–19 December 2022. 
• Indian Naval Ship (INS) Karmuk, an indigenously built Missile Corvette, participated in the pre-deployment briefing at Belawan, Indonesia. 

About CORPAT:

• The CORPAT will be executed along the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) from 15 to 16 December 2022 and will conclude with a debrief at Port Blair. 
• Along with INS Karmuk, L-58 (indigenously built Landing Craft Utility vessel) and Dornier Maritime Patrol Aircraft will be participating in the CORPAT. 
• KRI Cut Nyak Dien, a Kapitan Pattimura Class Corvette, would represent the Indonesian side.

CORPATs in Line With SAGAR:

• The Indian Navy has been proactively engaging with other countries in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) to tighten maritime security keeping in line with the Government of India’s vision SAGAR (Security And Growth for All in the Region). 

Aim and Objective:

• India and Indonesia have been carrying out CORPATs twice a year since 2002, with the aim of keeping this vital part of the IOR safe and secure for commercial shipping, international trade and conduct of legitimate maritime activities. 
• CORPATs help build understanding and interoperability between navies and facilitate the institution of measures to prevent and suppress Illegal Unreported Unregulated (IUU) fishing, drug trafficking, maritime terrorism, armed robbery and piracy. 
• It further helps enhance the operational synergy by exchange of information for the prevention of smuggling and illegal immigration and for the conduct of Search and Rescue (SAR) operations at sea.

About India-Indonesia Relation:

• India and Indonesia have traditionally enjoyed a close and friendly relationship covering a wide spectrum of activities and interactions. 
• The 39th edition of IND-INDO CORPAT seeks to bolster maritime cooperation between the two navies and forge strong bonds of friendship between India and Indonesia. 

Question:

India-Indonesia Coordinated Patrol (IND-INDO CORPAT) between the Indian Navy and the Indonesian Navy was first Initiated in which of the following years?

A. 2002

B. 2006

C. 2010

D. 2022

Answer: A

Current Affairs: Environment and Ecology

Three Himalayan Medicinal Plants Enter the IUCN Red List

• In a recent assessment, three medicinal plant species found in the Himalayas have been added to the IUCN ‘Red List’ of Threatened Species, providing them with conservation status.

The species are as follows:

1. Meizotropis pellita as ‘critically endangered’ 
2. Fritillaria cirrhosa as ‘vulnerable’
3. Dactylorhiza hatagirea as ‘endangered’

Areas in which the Plants are Found:

• The Himalayan region is spread across Nepal, India, China, Sikkim, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

The Associated Threats:

• Deforestation, habitat loss, forest fires, illegal trade, and climate change.

Details about All Three Species:

• Meizotropis pellita:
  • Commonly known as ‘Patwa’, it is a perennial shrub with a restricted distribution that is endemic to Uttarakhand.
  • The species is listed as ‘critically endangered’ based on its limited area of occupancy (less than ten square kilometres).
  • The essential oil extracted from the leaves of the species possesses strong antioxidants and can be a promising natural substitute for synthetic antioxidants in pharmaceutical industries.
• Fritillaria cirrhosa (Yellow Himalayan fritillary): 
  • It is used for the treatment of bronchial disorders and pneumonia. The plant is also a strong cough suppressant and a source of expectorant drugs in traditional Chinese medicine.
• Dactylorhiza hatagirea(Salam Panja): 
  • It is extensively used in Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, and other alternative systems of medicine to cure dysentery, gastritis, chronic fever, cough, and stomach aches.
  • It is a perennial tuberous species endemic to the Hindu Kush and Himalayan ranges of Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan.

What Is the International Union for Conservation of Nature-IUCN?

• IUCN is an international organisation (NGO) working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.
• It is involved in data gathering and analysis, research, field projects, advocacy, lobbying, and education. 
• The organisation is best known for compiling and publishing the IUCN Red List, which assesses the conservation status of species worldwide. 
• Its headquarters are in Gland, Switzerland.

What Is Red List:

• The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, founded in 1964, is the world’s most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species.
• When discussing the IUCN Red List, the official term “threatened” is a grouping of three categories: Critically Endangered, Endangered, and Vulnerable.

Fact:

• The pink pages in the IUCN document include the critically endangered species. 
• As the status of the species changes, new pages are sent to the subscribers. 
• Green pages are used for those species that were formerly endangered but have now recovered to a point where they are no longer threatened.

Question: 

In a recent assessment, three medicinal plant species found in the Himalayas have been added to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Which of the following is not included in that list?

A. Meizotropis pellita

B. Fritillaria cirrhosa 

C. Dactylorhiza hatagirea

D. Pinus roxburghii

Answer: D

Current Affairs: Science and Technology

Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre Gets a New Trisonic Wind Tunnel

• The new trisonic wind tunnel at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) was inaugurated recently by successfully conducting the first blow-down.
• The massive structure, which can perform tests in three-speed regimes, equips the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) with a robust in-house support system for space missions. 
• For the country as a whole, it is a big step towards self-reliance in the aerospace sector, the VSSC says.

What Is a Trisonic Wind Tunnel?

• Wind tunnels are devices used to study the effects of air flows on solid objects—in this case, scale models of ISRO rockets and spacecraft. 
• The trisonic wind tunnel is used to study the aerodynamic behaviour of flying objects, such as aeroplanes, artillery projectiles or missiles, in all three-speed regimes:
  • Subsonic
  • Transonic
  • Supersonic
  • This is how it got its name, Trisonic Wind Tunnel
• This system aids the aerodynamic design of rockets and re-entry spacecraft by characterising a scaled model by evaluating forces, moments, load distribution, unsteady pressures, acoustic levels etc.

• Maximum length: 160 m
• Maximum cross-section: 4 m

Importance of this Tunnel:

• The trisonic wind tunnel was implemented through M/s Tata Projects India Ltd with the assistance of industries across the country.
• The trisonic wind tunnel is a major step towards India’s increasing self-reliance in the Aerospace sector.
• For years, ISRO had depended on the trisonic wind tunnel at the National Aerospace Laboratory (NAL), and now it has its own.

The tunnel Can Be Used for Testing Various Space Vehicles in Three Flight Regimes:

• Below the speed of sound(Subsonic)
• At the speed of sound (Transonic)
• above the speed of sound (Supersonic)
  • The tunnel can simulate flight conditions from 0.2 times the speed of sound (68 m/s) to 4 times the speed of sound (1360 m/s)

Question:

The new trisonic wind tunnel was recently inaugurated, and its first blow-down test was successfully conducted at which of the following facilities?

A. Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre

B. Satish Dhawan Space Centre

C. North Eastern Space Application Centre

D. Human Space Flight Centre

Answer: A

Current Affairs: Important Days and Events

International Day of Neutrality 2022

• International Day of Neutrality is commemorated on 12 December. 
• It is a day when people look at the possibility of a world of armed and other types of conflicts.
• The day was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2017. 
• Its focus was on advocating and campaigning for intra-state peaceful relations. Switzerland serves as the perfect example of neutrality.

Theme: 

• While there is no fixed theme for the International Day of Neutrality, the United Nations focuses on “Preventive diplomacy”, which is the diplomatic action taken to prevent disputes from escalating into conflicts, as well as limiting the spread of conflicts; as well as “mediating” in inter and intra-state conflicts at all stages, and “peacekeeping” that has flourished in the decade following the end of the Cold War in 1991.

History:

• On 2 February 2017, the United Nations General Assembly decided to establish, without a vote resolution 71/275, 12 December as the International Day of Neutrality proposed by Turkmenistan. The country has been recognised by the United Nations as a permanently neutral state since December 1995.
• According to the Peace and Cooperation official website, Neutrality is defined as “the legal situation derived from the abstention of a State from any participation in a war between States, the maintenance of an attitude of impartiality towards the belligerents and the recognition by the belligerents of this abstention and impartiality, is extremely important for the United Nations to gain and maintain the trust and cooperation of all to operate independently and effectively, especially in politically charged situations.”

Significance:

• The International Day of Neutrality is a reminder of how important neutrality truly is, especially for humanitarian reasons. 
• During armed conflicts, it is neutrality that NGOs and other humanitarian agencies are able to care for casualties in a proper way. 
• The day is also a reminder to strive towards peace. It asks people to aim for a world without conflict and how the world by putting their efforts together can achieve this.
• Another importance of the International Day of Neutrality is that it asks us to look at the neutral countries as an example of model states. These countries can be looked up to learn how war is not the answer.

Question:

International Day of Neutrality is commemorated every year on which of the following dates?

A. 29 January

B. 19 June 

C. 28 September

D. 12 December

Answer: D

Current Affairs: Environment and Ecology

Tamil Nadu Became the First State to Launch Its Own Climate Change Mission

• Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin launched the Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission recently to protect the natural resources in the state besides restoring them on a long-term basis.
• Tamil Nadu became the first state to launch its own Climate Change Mission. 
• It had launched the Green Tamil Nadu Mission last September and the Tamil Nadu Wetlands Mission this August. 
• A Special Purpose Vehicle—the Tamil Nadu Green Climate Company (TNGCC)—will implement the State Climate Action Plan.

Key Goals of the Mission:

• The key goals of the Tamil Nadu Climate Change mission are to formulate plans to reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions in the state, increase the use of public transport, develop strategies to cut emissions by using green and renewable energy, increase forest cover, and manage waste effectively. 
• The goals also embrace ways to develop ways to mitigate the impact of climate change, access financial resources for adaptation, initiate climate education in educational institutions, focus on climate action for women and children, and adopt a ‘One Health’ approach that includes human, animal, and ecological health to understand health disruptions caused by climate change.

Efforts Made by Tamil Nadu Government to Achieve Climate Targets:

• Stalin’s government also set up the Tamil Nadu Governing Council on Climate Change, the first such to be headed by a Chief Minister. 
• The council will provide policy guidance to the Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission, provide advice on adaptation to climate change and mitigation of climate change impacts, formulate the Tamil Nadu State Climate Change Action Plan and provide appropriate guidelines for its implementation.

Question: 

Which of the following became the first state/UT in India to launch its Climate change mission?

A. Kerala

B. Andaman and Nicobar

C. Tamil Nadu

D. Assam

Answer: C

Current Affairs: Environment and Ecology

India’s First Carbon Neutral Farm

• Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan recently declared a seed farm located in Aluva as the first carbon-neutral farm in the country.
• A significant reduction in carbon emission has helped the seed farm, under the Agricultural Department, achieve carbon neutral status, he said, making the announcement.
• The total amount of carbon emission from the farm, located at Thuruthu in Aluva, in the last one year was 43 tons, but its overall procurement was 213 tons, he said.

What Is Carbon Neutrality?

• Carbon neutrality means having a balance between emitting carbon and absorbing carbon from the atmosphere in carbon sinks. Removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and then storing it is known as carbon sequestration.
• A person, company or country is carbon neutral if they balance the carbon dioxide they release into the atmosphere through their everyday activities with the amount they absorb or remove from the atmosphere.

Efforts by Kerala in Particular:

• Carbon-neutral farms will be set up in all 140 Assembly constituencies. Efforts have already been launched to make 13 farms in Kerala carbon-neutral.
• Carbon-neutral agricultural methods would be implemented through women’s groups, and such interventions would be made in the tribal sector as well.
• Even as the state moves towards the goal of achieving food self-sufficiency, plans to maintain ecological equilibrium are also equally important.
• As many as 30 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture, and this can be prevented, and climate change can be regulated through carbon-neutral agricultural practices.

Question: 

India’s first carbon-neutral farm was recently declared in which of the following states/UTs?

A. Andhra Pradesh

B. Himachal Pradesh

C. Puducherry 

D. Kerala

Answer: D

Current Affairs: Awards and Recognitions

Ex-Vice President Naidu Receives SIES Award for Public Leadership

• Former vice president Venkaiah Naidu has been conferred the 25th Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswati National Eminence Award (SIES) for public leadership. 
• Other awardees in various categories included the Governor of Kerala Arif Mohammed Khan, eminent industrialist Ratan Tata, renowned cardiologist and Padma Vibhushan awardee Dr Marthanda Varma Sankaran Valianathan, Scientific Advisor to the Government of India Ajay Sood and famous Harikatha artiste Vishakha Hari. 

About the Awards:

• The awards were instituted by the South Indian Education Society in 1998 in memory of the late Seer of Kanchi, Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati.
• The awards are given in the fields of public leadership, community leadership, science and technology, and social thinkers who have made outstanding contributions in their respective fields.
• Each award carries a cash prize of ₹2.5 lakh, a citation, an ornamental lamp and a scroll.

Eminence Awards – Details

Question: 

Who among the following recently received the 2022 Chandrasekharendra Saraswati National Eminence Award (SIES) in the public leadership category?

A. Venkaiah Naidu

B. Yogi Adityanath

C. Nitin Gadkari

D. Subramanian Swamy

Answer: A

Fact Book – 12 December 2022

U.S. prints first banknotes with women’s signatures

• The U.S. Treasury (United States of America’s Finance Ministry) has printed the first U.S. banknotes (currency notes) with two women’s signatures.  
• The new currency notes of $1 and $5 value carry the signature of the Secretary of Treasury (American Finance Minister) Janet Yellen and Lynn Malerba. 
• The United States currency notes are popularly called Greenback.
• Lynn Malerba is Native American and is the chief of the Mohegan Tribe. She holds the position of Treasurer of the United States within the Department of Treasury, United States government.
• Janet Yellen is a former chairman of the United States Central Bank, Federal Reserve of New York. She was the first female head of the Federal Reserve.

International Universal Health Coverage Day 2022

• Universal Health Coverage Day is marked to promote the importance of building robust, resilient, world-class healthcare systems globally. 
• Having access to high-quality, reasonably priced healthcare is important for global growth. On this day, the disparities within the healthcare system’s various divisions are emphasised, endangering global social and economic development. 
• Additionally, it is a day devoted to “Health for All”, and it reflects on achievements and identifies areas in need of improvement to progress toward a more just and healthier society without suffering significant financial hardship.
• This year’s theme, “Build the world we want: A healthy future for all,” emphasises the importance of equity, trust, healthy surroundings, investments, and accountability in order to build strong health systems.

A hot test of the scramjet engine was conducted successfully

• In a quest to launch satellites in predetermined orbits at a low cost, India has crossed a key milestone by successfully conducting a hot test for its scramjet’s engine.
• ISRO has conducted a hot test for its air-breathing scramjet engine.
• A hot test system is a 100% production test used to check all the engine operating parameters as they would function in real time.
• The test was conducted at its Propulsion Research Complex at Mahendragiri in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu.
• The test lasted for 11 seconds.
• A scramjet engine is an improvement over the ramjet engine.
• India is the fourth country to demonstrate the flight testing of a Scramjet Engine.
• Thus, it is known as Supersonic Combustion Ramjet or Scramjet.
• In scramjet engines, the combustion takes place in supersonic airflow.
• Such engines use oxygen from the atmosphere in the combustion of fuel.

India ranked 5th in the list of valuable companies of Hurun Global 500 rankings

• India, with 20 of the most valuable companies in the world, has moved into the fifth position among countries that are home to the world’s top 500 firms. 
• Last year, it ranked ninth with eight companies. The US continued to top the charts, according to the 2022 Hurun Global 500 list. 
• The list, released by the Hurun Research Institute, is a compilation of the 500 most valuable non-state-controlled companies in the world. Companies were ranked according to their market capitalization (for listed companies) and valuations for non-listed companies.

• Globally, Apple retained the title of the most valuable company in the world with a market cap of $2.4 trillion< and Microsoft came second ($1.8 trillion), while Alphabet, the parent company of Google, displaced Amazon to take third place.
• China came in second with 35 companies, followed by Japan (28) and the UK (21). India and Canada moved to fifth place with 20 companies each, adding eight and three companies, respectively, overtaking France and Germany.

Renewable Energy (RE) Report 2022

• This Report was recently released by the International Energy Association (IEA). 
• Key findings of Report RE will comprise 90 per cent of global electricity capacity expansion in the next five years, and much of it will be in India. 
• RE’s installed power capacity addition will grow to 2,400 gigawatts (GW) between 2022 and 2027. With the addition of 145 GW, India is forecast to almost double its renewable power capacity over 2022-2027. 
• Solar photovoltaics accounts for three-quarters of this growth, followed by onshore wind (15 per cent) and hydropower providing the rest of it.

Bengaluru is set to host the first meeting of G20 Finance Track

• Bengaluru is all set to host the first meeting of the G20 Finance Track under India’s G20 Presidency. 
• First G20 Finance and Central Bank Deputies Meeting are scheduled to be held in Bengaluru on 13-15 December 2022.
• The Finance Track meeting is organised by the Union Ministry of Finance, and it will organise a number of such meetings in the areas of international financial architecture, financial inclusion and sustainable finance, financing for infrastructure, climate finance and tax matters.
• According to the Union Finance Ministry, the  Indian G-20 Presidency’s theme of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” or “One Earth, One Family, One Future” will guide the G-20 Finance Track discussions. 

World Bank’s flagship Gender Toolkit launched

• The World Bank recently launched a “Toolkit on Enabling Gender Responsive Urban Mobility and Public Spaces in India” with the aim of suggesting ways to make public transport in Indian cities more inclusive of women’s travelling requirements.
• The toolkit emphasises the importance of integrating a gender lens in transport policies and infrastructure, making various recommendations on interventions that can help make urban transport safer, especially for women.

The toolkit will help in:

• Bridging the knowledge gaps
• Integrating a gender lens
• Reflecting the concerns of women in development plans
• Building gender sensitivity
• Investing in better infrastructure and services
• Disfavouring Pink tax

Country’s largest business jet terminal commissioned at Cochin International Airport

• Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan recently inaugurated the country’s first chartered gateway and a business jet terminal at the Cochin International Airport. 
• With this, Cochin airport has become the fourth airport in the country to operate a private jet terminal.
• The new facility at the airport will boost tourism as well as the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) sector in the state. 
• It will propel the airport to the forefront of the aviation industry in the country. 
• The facility will also serve as a platform to integrate the hospitality and aviation sectors.
• Post-Covid, the state achieved 114 per cent growth in the hospitality sector and 75 per cent growth in the aviation sector.
• The terminal was built at the cost of ₹40 crores by renovating the old domestic terminal. 
• It covers an area of 40,000 sq ft with comfortable lounges, customs and immigration counters, a business centre and other modern facilities.

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