Daily Current Affairs for Competitive Examinations: December 14, 2022

Instead of reading books to prepare for the Current Affairs portion, use Embibe’s daily current affairs updates and continue the normal newspaper reading habit. A thorough review of The Hindu, Economic Times, and India Today is referred to present these questions to the aspirants. We have organised the most recent subjects for today’s current affairs into categories for general preparation.

Current Affairs:  Defence

The Indian Navy and Air Force Allows Women to Join Elite Special Forces 

• In a historic move, the Indian Navy and Indian Air Force have decided to allow women to be part of its elite special forces, the Marine Commandos-Navy(Marcos) and the Garud commando force-AirForce. 
• It will lead to promoting gender equality within its ranks, provided they meet the criteria for selection.
• Women officers and sailors who join the Navy as Agniveers next year will have the option to volunteer to become Marcos.
• The Army, Navy and Air Force have Special Forces comprising the toughest soldiers who have to undergo rigorous training to be able to conduct a swift and stealthy response in denied territories. Until now, only men were allowed to be part of the Special Forces.

Who are the Marcos?

• The Indian Navy raised the Marcos in 1987. 
• Initially, they were named the Indian Marine Special Forces (IMSF). 
• However, in 1991, the Navy changed the name to “sabotage forces of the marines” – Marine Commando Force (MCF), also known as Marcos in short.
• Earlier in 1954, a group of officers and foremen in the Indian Navy were trained by specialists from the Special Boat Service commando outfit of Great Britain to conduct special warfare at sea. 
• This was done so that these officers could independently train combat swimmers as instructors.

What do Marcos do?

• The Marcos are trained to carry out intense operations in the sea, air and on land. 
• They are capable of conducting clandestine attacks against enemy warships, specialised diving operations, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, installations of offshore and other vital assets, and supporting naval operations.
• Marcos operate under extreme secrecy and are capable of fighting terrorists in a maritime environment. 
• They have even been deployed in Kashmir’s Wular lake area to take part in counterterror activities.

Major Operations by Marcos:

• Marcos were part of Operation Tasha in 1991 on the Tamil Nadu coast, where they restricted the movement of LTTE militants between Sri Lanka and India and stopped the smuggling of arms.
• During the 1999 Kargil War, the Marcos assisted the Indian Army in carrying out covert operations.
• During Operation Rahat in 2015 in Yemen, they successfully evacuated thousands of Indians and foreign nationals who were struck in the civil war.

What Is the Garud Commando Force?

• The Garud Commando Force is the special forces unit of the Indian Air Force 
• It was formed in September 2004. It has a current strength of over 1500 personnel 
• The unit derives its name from Garuda, a divine bird-like creature in Hindu culture
• Headquarters location: Chandinagar Road
• Motto(s): ॥प्रहार से सुरक्षा॥ Defence by Offence
• Garrison: Hindan AFS; Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh
• Decorations: 1 Ashok Chakra, 4 Shaurya Chakras

What do Garud Commandos do?

• Garud forces are tasked with the protection of critical Air Force bases and installations, search and rescue during peacetime and hostilities and disaster relief during calamities. Presently, Garuds are deployed in Congo as part of the UN peacekeeping operations.

Question: 

Consider the following statements:

1. The Indian Navy and Indian Air Force has recently allowed women to be part of its elite special forces
2. The Indian Navy raised the Marcos in 1987
3. Macros did not participate in the kargil war

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

A. Only 1 and 2

B. Only 2 and 3

C. Only 1 and 3

D. All are correct

Answer: A

Current Affairs:  Science and Technology

UAE Successfully Launches the First-Ever Arab-Built Lunar Spacecraft

• A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket recently carried the first-ever Arab-built lunar spacecraft into space.
• It was launched from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. 
• The Rashid Rover was built by Dubai’s Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and is being delivered by the HAKUTO-R lander, engineered by Japanese lunar exploration company ispace.
• The UAE-Japan mission comprises a lander that is built by Japanese company ispace and called Hakuto-R (meaning “white rabbit”). 
• The craft will take almost four months to reach the Moon before landing in the Atlas crater on the Moon’s nearside. 
• It will then gently release the 10 kg, four-wheel Rashid (meaning “rightly guided”) rover to explore the lunar surface.

What Is Rashid Rover?

• The rover – built by the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre – contains a high-resolution camera and a thermal-imaging camera that will both study the composition of the lunar regolith. 
• They will also photograph dust movement above the surface, carry out the basic examination of lunar rocks as well as study surface plasma conditions.

About Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre:

• The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre is a Dubai government organisation working on the UAE space programme, which includes various space satellite projects, the Emirates Mars Mission, the Emirates Lunar Mission, and the UAE astronaut programme. 
• Founded: 6 February 2006
• Agency executive: Yousuf Hamad Alshaibani, Director General
• Headquarters: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Fact:

• If successful, the rover will make the UAE the fourth nation, after China, Russia and the US, to operate a spacecraft on the Moon.

Question: 

Recently UAE successfully launched its first-ever Arab-built lunar spacecraft in coordination with the ispace company of which country?

A. USA

B. Japan

C. India

D. China

Answer: B

Current Affairs:  Ecology

New Songbird Species Discovered in Arunachal Pradesh

• In a remarkable discovery, six birdwatchers trekked to a remote corner of Arunachal Pradesh to discover a potentially new species of Wren Babbler, which they have named Lisu Wren Babbler.
• It is named Lisu Wren Babbler after the Lisu community of the state. 
• Bird has a whitish belly, and songs were similar to that of Naga Wren Babb. 

About Wren Babbler:

• About 20 species of small Asian birds belong to the babbler family. 
• These include Grey-bellied Wren Babblers and long-tailed Wren Babblers. 
• They are 10 to 15 centimetres (4 to 6 inches) long, rather short-tailed, and have a rather short and straight bill. 
• They occur chiefly in southern Asia.
• IUCN Status: Least Concern

Question: 

Recently a new songbird species of Wren Babbler bird discovered in Arunachal Pradesh is named after which of the following communities of the state?

A. Mishmi

B. Momba

C. Lisu 

D. Singpho

Answer: C

Current Affairs:  National

Ministry of Culture Established Seven Zonal Cultural Centres to Develop Arts, Culture and Craft, Nationwide 

• For the conservation and development of art, culture and crafts across the country, the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, has set up seven Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCCs) with headquarters at Patiala, Nagpur, Udaipur, Prayagraj, Kolkata, Dimapur and Thanjavur. 
• These ZCCs organise various cultural activities (a minimum of 42 Regional Festivals) and programmes on a regular basis in their member States throughout the year. 

Rationale:

• These centres aim to conserve and develop art, culture and crafts across the country. 
• The government provides regular annual grant-in-aid for conducting various activities and programmes to ZCCs. 
• However, no State and Union Territory wise funds are released by the Ministry for the purpose.
• These centres also implement a number of schemes for the preservation and promotion of various folk arts and cultures of the country. 

Question:

The Ministry of Culture has set up seven Zonal Cultural Centers for the development of arts, culture and craft across the country. Which of the following cities is not a part of its centres?

A. Delhi

B. Udaipur

C. Prayagraj

D. Dimapur 

Answer: A

Current Affairs:  Environment

United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) – Aichi Targets

• Delegates from 196 countries — Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) — are being met in Montreal, Canada, from 7 to 21 December with the aim of hammering out a new global agreement on halting environmental loss.

What are Aichi Targets?

• The Aichi Targets, adopted during the 2010 CBD summit in Nagoya, located in Japan’s Aichi prefecture, included goals such as reducing deforestation by at least half during the coming decade and curbing pollution so that it no longer harmed ecosystems
• According to a September 2020 UN assessment, no single country met all 20 Aichi Targets within its own borders
• India is also a party to the Convention
• The Convention is legally binding on its signatories
• Only two member states of the United Nations are not Parties to the CBD: the USA and the Vatican
• The most notable Aichi objective and one of the few to include a numerical goal — aimed to protect or conserve 17% of all land and inland waters and 10% of the ocean by the end of the decade
• Today about 15% of the world’s land and 8% of ocean territories are under some form of protection, though the level of protection varies
• The Global Environment Facility, the primary source of financing for international biodiversity protection, has collected around $5 billion from 29 countries for the funding period from 2022 to 2026
• The Aichi Targets also failed to garner buy-in from governments beyond the environmental ministers who brokered the deal

About Global Environment Facility (GEF):

• The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is a multilateral environmental fund that provides grants and blended finance in developing countries for projects related to:
  • Biodiversity and climate change
  • International waters
  • Land degradation
  • Persistent organic pollutants (POPs)
  • Mercury
  • Sustainable forest management
  • Food security, and
  • Sustainable cities

Question: 

Consider the following statements 

1. Global Environment Facility serves as a financial mechanism for ‘Convention on Biological Diversity’ and ‘United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
2. The Aichi Targets were adopted during the 2010 CBD summit in Nagoya
3. The major objective of  Aichi Targets are aimed to protect or conserve 17% of all land and inland waters and 10% of the ocean by the end of the decade

Which of the following statements is/are correct

A. 1 and 2 only

B. 3 only

C. 2 and 3 only

D. 1, 2 and 3

Answer: D

Current Affairs:  Important Days and Events

Energy Conservation Day 2022

• National Energy Conservation Day is celebrated every year on 14th December 2022. The purpose is to showcase the achievements of the nation in energy efficiency and conservation.
• Smt Droupadi Murmu, Hon’ble President of India, will be the Chief Guest of the event. Shri R. K. Singh, Union Minister of Power, New and Renewable Energy, will address the occasion.

National Energy Conservation Award 2022:

• To raise awareness about energy efficiency and its conservation, the BEE, under the guidance of the Ministry of Power, recognises and encourages endeavours of industrial units, institutions, and establishments in reducing energy consumption by felicitating them with Energy Conservation Awards on the occasion of National Energy Conservation Day.

National Energy Efficiency Innovation Awards (NEEIA) 2022:

• NEEIA awards were started in the year 2021 to recognise outstanding work and innovative minds of India in the area of Energy Efficiency
• Category A: Professionals from the Industries, Building, and Transport sectors, and 
• Category B: Students and Research Scholars
• The awards are evaluated based on Replicability, Affordability, Reliability, Impact on Energy Savings and Impact on Environment and Sustainability.

Launch of ‘EV-YATRA PORTAL’ and Mobile App:

• The Bureau of Energy Efficiency has developed a Mobile Application to facilitate in-vehicle navigation to the nearest public EV charger, a website to disseminate information on various central and state-level initiatives to promote e-mobility in the country, and a web portal to enable CPOs to register their charging details securely into the National Online Database.
• The Mobile application titled “EV Yatra” has been designed and developed to facilitate in-vehicle navigation to the nearest public EV charger.

Current Affairs:  Economy

RBI Signs Currency Swap Agreement with Maldives Monetary Authority

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has recently signed an agreement to extend up to a $200 million currency swap facility to Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) under the SAARC Currency Swap Framework.
• This agreement will enable the MMA to withdraw multiple tranches up to a maximum of $200 million from the RBI.
• The facility is to provide swap support as a backstop line of funding for short-term foreign exchange liquidity requirements.
• In 2020, the RBI had signed a similar pact for extending up to a $400 million currency swap facility to Sri Lanka.

What Is a Currency Swap?

• A currency swap is a transaction in which two parties exchange an equivalent amount of money with each other but in different currencies. 
• The parties are essentially loaning each other money and will repay the amounts at a specified date and exchange rate. 
• The purpose could be to hedge exposure to exchange-rate risk, to speculate on the direction of a currency, or to reduce the cost of borrowing in a foreign currency.

Rationale:

• Central banks and Governments engage in currency swaps with foreign counterparts to meet short-term foreign exchange liquidity requirements or to ensure adequate foreign currency to avoid the Balance of Payments (BOP) crisis till longer arrangements can be made.
• These swap operations carry no exchange rate or other market risks as transaction terms are set in advance.

What Is the RBI’s Framework for Swap Facilities for SAARC?

• The SAARC currency swap facility came into operation on 15th November 2012
• The RBI can offer a swap arrangement within the overall corpus of USD 2 billion
• The swap withdrawals can be made in US dollars, euros or Indian rupees. The framework provides certain concessions for swap withdrawals in the Indian rupee

Question:

Recently the RBI signed a currency swap agreement of $200 million with which country under the SAARC Currency Swap Framework?

A. Maldives

B. Sri Lanka

C. Philippines

D. Ecuador

Answer: A

Fact Book-13 December 2022

Jos Buttler, Sidra Ameen win ICC Player of the month awards

• The ICC recently announced the winners of the ICC Player of the Month awards for November 2022 
• England captain Jos Buttler claims the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award after being at his remarkable best with the bat in his side’s charge to the T20 World Cup triumph in Australia last month, while Pakistan opening batter Sidra Ameen is named ICC Women’s Player of the Month for posting mammoth scores in the recent successful ODI series against Ireland on home soil
• Buttler and Ameen secured the awards following a global vote conducted among media representatives, ICC Hall of Famers, former international players, and fans registered at www.icc-cricket.com

Mopa International Airport

• The first phase of the Mopa Greenfield international airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Goa recently
• The new airport was named the Manohar International Airport after former Goa Chief Minister (late) Manohar Parrikar
• It has a capacity of about 40 lakh passengers who will use the Mopa airport every year, which could rise to 3.5 crore passengers
• The airport has been built on the theme of sustainable infrastructure and has a solar power plant, green buildings, LED lights on the runway, rainwater harvesting, and a state-of-the-art sewage treatment plant with recycling facilities

India is restoring Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia

• India is restoring the Angkor Wat temple complex in Cambodia because the civilisation of India is not limited to India but is spread across countries
• Angkor Wat temple complex is located in Angkor, Cambodia
• Angkor Wat is the world’s largest religious structure, covering some 400 acres
• The temple is dedicated to the Hindu God Vishnu
• The temple was built in the 12th century by King Suryavarman II, one of the greatest kings of the Khmer dynasty
• Angkor Wat has an unusual orientation of facing west rather than the traditional east
• Theravada Buddhist monks maintained Angkor Wat after it was abandoned in the early 15th century
• Angkor Complex, including Angkor Wat, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992
• Other Temples that India restores outside India are: 

• Thiruketheeswaram Temple in Mannar, Sri Lanka
• Shreenathji Temple in Manama, Bahrain

International Mountain Film Festival

• The 20th edition of the Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival concluded recently
• The festival resumed its physical screening after two years because of the pandemic and showcased numerous films from across the world 
• The key focus of the film fest was on the mountain communities and cultures for Nepali audiences 
• This year, the Theme of the Film Fest was ‘Sustainable Summits’ and featured documentaries, fiction, and shorts, as well as experimental and animated films
• Indian film Bandhua (Bonded), directed by Shobhit Jain, was also featured in the International Competitive Film category along with films like Ayena, Before You were my Mother, and Matto ki Saikil

Exercise Sanchaar Bodh

• Indian Army’s Airawat Division recently conducted Ex Sanchaar Bodh in the extensive obstacle-ridden terrain of Punjab 
• The exercise validated tactical communication capabilities 
• The formation reaffirmed its determination to win at any cost under adverse conditions
• The Indian 1 Armoured Division, under II Corps, is headquartered at Patiala 
• The 1 Armoured Division, nicknamed the “Black Elephant” or “Airawat” Division, is considered to be the pride of the Indian Army
• The 1 Armoured Division played a major role in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 

CJI inaugurates digitisation hubs in 10 districts of Odisha

• Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud recently virtually inaugurated District Court Digitisation Hubs (DCDH) in 10 districts of Odisha 
• The hubs at Angul, Bhadrak, Jharsuguda, Kalahandi, Keonjhar, Koraput, Malkangiri, Mayurbhanj, Nayagarh and Sonepur will take care of the digitisation work of all 30 districts of the state
• The objective of the Hub would be to digitise the disposed of case records of the nearby assigned districts
• Scanning work for the paperless courts of the nearby districts would also be taken up at the DCDH concerned
• The digitisation work done by the Orissa High Court has emerged as a model for all the High Courts in the country
• Chief Justice Orissa High Court is – S Muralidhar

Justice Dipankar Dutta took oath as a judge of the Supreme Court 

• Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud administered the oath to Justice Dutta in the swearing-in ceremony in the Supreme Court in the presence of all judges 
• With the appointment of Justice Dutta, the Supreme Court will have 28 judges out of the strength of 34 judges 
• Justice Dutta will have a term till 8 February 2030
• The Supreme Court Collegium, headed by then Chief Justice of India UU Lalit, in the meeting held on 26 September 2022, has recommended the elevation of Justice Datta to the Supreme Court
• Justice Datta, son of the late Justice Salil Kumar Datta, a former judge of the Calcutta High Court, was elevated as a permanent judge to the bench of the Calcutta High Court on 22 June 2006
• He was made the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court on 28 April 2020.

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