Daily Current Affairs for Competitive Examinations: December 23, 2022
For most of the competitive exams current affairs section has always been pivotal. Almost all the banking exams have a section on general awareness in their paper. This section on general awareness is essential. It is considered to be the most scoring section in the paper. If candidates prepare well for this section, they can easily get these marks to uplift their overall marking.
We advise you to not take the general awareness section as a mere segment. If prepared well for this part, you can find it easy to score, as the section is scoring in nature. Just stay updated on the recent activities happening around you.
Book, Thoughts, Author
Book: The Art of War
Thought: “Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win”
Author: “Sun Tzu”
Current Affairs: Important Days and Events
National Mathematics Day 2022
22 December marks the birth anniversary of Indian Mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan and is celebrated as National Mathematics Day.
Ramanujan is regarded as one of the greatest mathematicians of all time, whose legacy includes as many as 4,000 theorems.
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, on 26 February 2012, declared 22 December to be celebrated as National Mathematics day.
About Ramanujan:
Srinivasa Ramanujan is an Indian Mathematician. He was born on 22 December 1887 in Tamil Nadu. Ramanujan is more commonly also known as the “man who knew infinity”.
Despite not having any formal education in Mathematics, he has been attributed as a mathematics genius. He has made a significant amount of contribution to the development and growth of Maths in India.
Srinivasa Ramanujan went to London to study, where he joined Trinity College, a few months before World War 1 (WWI) broke out.
Ramanujan went to Trinity College after a colleague of his recognised his mathematical ability and referred him to Professor GH Hardy.
In 1916, he was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree, and in 1917, he was elected to the London Mathematical Society.
The following year, in 1918, he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society for his research on Elliptic Functions and the theory of numbers.
In 1919 he made his way back to India due to poor health, and a year later, in 1920, at the age of 32, he passed away.
Facts:
Ramanujan used to solve Loney’s Trigonometry exercises at the age of 13 without any help.
He never had any school friends because his peers were intimidated by his mathematical genius.
He failed to get a degree since he could not crack the non-mathematical subjects and would fail their exams.
He was the second Indian to be honoured with the Fellow of the Royal Society in 1918. The first was Ardaseer Cursetjee, a marine engineer.
Ramanujan claimed his whole life that a Hindu Goddess called Namakkal used to give him questions and theories to prove during his sleep, and he would then proceed to solve them when he woke up.
Question:
National Mathematics Day is celebrated every year on 22 December to mark the birth anniversary of which Indian mathematician?
A. Aryabhatta
B. Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis
C. Varāhamihira
D. Srinavasa Ramanujan
Answer: D
Current Affairs: Art and Culture
UNESCO’s Tentative List of World Heritage Sites
Recently three heritage sites were added to the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage sites which includes
The Sun Temple at Modhera, Gujarat
Vadnagar town from Gujarat
Rock-cut relief sculptures of Unakoti of Tripura
With this, India now has 52 sites on UNESCO Tentative List.
The list indicates the rich cultural and natural wealth of India and shows the huge diversity of our heritage.
What Is Tentative List:
According to UNESCO, a Tentative List is an inventory of those properties which each nation intends to consider for nomination.
About All Three Sites:
The Sun Temple, Modhera, dedicated to Surya Dev, is the earliest of such temples which set trends in architectural and decorative details, representing the Solanki style at its best.
Vadnagar is a municipality under the Mehsana district of Gujarat.
A multi-layered historic town, the history of Vadnagar stretches back to nearly the 8th century BCE.
The town still retains a large number of historical buildings that are primarily religious and residential in nature.
Unakoti, located in the northeastern region of Tripura, is known as an ancient holy place associated with Shaiva worship.
The site is a massive gallery set in a forested area displaying a number of towering low-relief images in a unique style, making it a masterpiece of human creative genius.
This Is What It Means:
Once a site has been nominated and evaluated, it is up to the intergovernmental World Heritage Committee to make the final decision on its inscription.
Once a year, the Committee meets to decide which sites will be inscribed on the World Heritage List, the UNESCO site.
How Selection Is Done?
UNESCO is a specialised agency of the United Nations aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture.
As per information, any cultural or natural site needs to make its way to the tentative list to be on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
But, being added to the tentative list doesn’t guarantee the presence of the site on the main list.
According to UNESCO, for a site to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, it must first be nominated by the country where it is located.
International experts examine the nomination and decide whether the inclusion is justified.
Finally, the World Heritage Committee, a body of 21 UNESCO elected Member States, takes a vote.
In 2021, India Proposed to Add Six Sites to the List
Satpura Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh
The Megalithic site of Hirebenakal in Karnataka
The Historical city of Varanasi
Maratha Military Architecture in Maharashtra
Temples in Kanchipuram
Bhedaghat-Lametaghat in Narmada Valley at Jabalpur
Question:
Which of the following is not included in the recently published tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage sites of India for 2022?
A. Megalithic site of Hirebenkal in Karnataka
B. Sun Temple modhera in Gujarat
C. Rock Carvings of Unakoti in Tripura
D. Vadnagar multi-layered historic town in Gujarat
Answer: A
Current Affairs: Environment and Ecology
Asian Giant Tortoise Re-wilded in Nagaland to Bring Species Back from the Brink
In an attempt to boost conservation and bring the critically endangered Asian Giant Tortoise back from the brink, ten captive-bred juvenile tortoises were soft-released into Intanki National Park, inside a protected area in Nagaland, recently.
The pilot release of the Asian Giant Tortoise aims to boost conservation and repopulate the species.
Over-exploitation and lack of awareness which led to unsustainable use for consumption by local communities, have brought the species to the brink of functional extinction.
What Is Soft Realising?
Soft-released is the gradual return of captive-raised individuals to the wild.
Released into a large natural enclosure with native habitat for acclimation throughout the winters.
Facts:
Asian Giant Tortoises (Manouria emys) are the largest tortoises in mainland Asia.
They are found in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, and Malaysia, among other places.
Their diet includes Bamboo shoots, tubers, other juicy vegetation, and some invertebrates and frogs.
They are threatened by hunting for consumption, habitat loss, anthropogenic activities like construction and slash and burn.
Asian Giant Tortoises Conservation Status:
IUCN – Critically Endangered
CITES – Appendix II
Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972 – Schedule IV
Current Affairs: Awards and Recognitions
Digital India Awards 2022
The Smart Cities Mission, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has won the Platinum Icon in the Digital India Awards 2022 for their initiative “DataSmart Cities: Empowering Cities through Data”.
The award was announced yesterday under the ‘Data Sharing and Use for Socio-Economic Development’ category.
What Is ‘Digital India Awards’?
Digital India Awards (DIA) presents an opportunity to bring to the fore such digital initiatives.
These awards are instituted under the aegis of National Portal of India to encourage and honour innovative digital solutions by government entities at all levels.
DIA 2022 aims to inspire and motivate not only government entities but also startups in fulfilling the Digital India vision.
Categories:
Digital Initiatives at Grassroot Level
Digital Empowerment of Citizens
Digital Initiatives for Ease of Doing Business
Public Digital Platforms – Central Ministries, Departments and States
Data Sharing and Use for Socio-economic Development
Digital Initiatives in Collaboration with Startups
Best Web and Mobile Initiatives Complying with GIGW and Accessibility Guidelines
What Is the DataSmart Cities Initiative?
The DataSmart Cities Initiative is a key step in creating a robust data ecosystem that enables evidence-based decision-making in cities.
It aims to harness the power of data for better governance in India’s 100 Smart Cities.
Question:
Which of the following missions recently won the Platinum Icon in the Digital India Awards 2022?
A. Atal Innovation Mission
B. Smart Cities Mission
C. National Skill Development Mission
D. Ayushman Bharat -National Health Protection Mission
Answer: B
Current Affairs: Environment and Ecology
Scientistsze Great Barrier Reef Coral in a World-First Trial
Scientists working on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef have successfully trialled a new method forzing and storing coral larvae they say could eventually help rewild reefs threatened by climate change.
Scientists used the cryomesh toze coral larvae at the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences (AIMS).
The Great Barrier reef coral has suffered four bleaching events in the last seven years, including the first-ever bleach during a La Nina phenomenon.
What Is Cryomesh?
Cryomesh is a specially fabricated mesh used as a substrate in cryopreservation.
This is lightweight and can be manufactured cheaply.
It better preserves coral and has the properties of cryoplates.
The mesh technology will help store coral larvae at -196°C (-320.8°F).
Significance of Coral Cryopreservation:
Cryogenically frozen coral can be stored and later reintroduced to the wild. This could eventually help to rewild reefs threatened by climate change.
It can build a bigger, more diverse bank of frozen living corals, preserving biodiversity.
What Are Corals?
Corals are animals which live in a symbiotic relationship with microscopic algae called zooxanthellae (which live within the coral tissue).
The zooxanthellae convert sunlight into food, providing corals with up to 90 per cent of their energy needs. They also give corals much of their colour.
Question:
Cryomesh is the word recently seen in the news is associated with
A.zing of fuel on Mars
B.zing of pollutants in the air
C.zing of corals
D.zing of genes of Endemic species
Answer: C
Current Affairs: Defence
Navy Launches Indigenously-built Ship ‘Arnala’
Recently Indian Navy launched ‘Arnala’, the first of the eight indigenously-built Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC), at the shipbuilding facility of L&T in Chennai’s Kattupalli.
The ship has been named ‘Arnala’ to signify the strategic maritime importance accorded to the island of Arnala, located about 13 kilometres north of Vasai, Maharashtra, by Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
The Arnala class of ships will replace the Abhay class ASW Ships of the Indian Navy and are designed to undertake anti-submarine operations in coastal waters and Low-Intensity Maritime Operations (LIMO), including subsurface surveillance in littoral waters.
What Is the ASW SWC Project?
It is the Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft project under which many ships are being built for the Indian Navy
The ASW SWC ships will be capable of detecting and neutralising various underwater threats.
ASW SWC ships have a displacement of 900 tons with a maximum speed of 25 knots and an endurance of 1800 NM.
Make in India:
The defence ministry said that ASW-SWC ships would have over 80 per cent indigenous content, ensuring that Indian manufacturing units execute large-scale defence production, thereby generating employment and capability build-up within the country.
Current Affairs: Space Technology
Gaganyaan to Be Launched in Q4 2024
India’s maiden human space flight mission under the Gaganyaan programme is targeted to be launched in the fourth quarter of 2024, Union Minister of State for Space Jitendra Singh informed the Parliament yesterday.
The astronaut designates for human space flight missions have been identified. They are undergoing their mission-related training in Bengaluru.
What Is Gaganyaan Mission:
The formal announcement of the Gaganyaan programme was made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day address on 15 August 2018.
Modus Operandi:
Three flights will be sent into orbit.
There will be two unmanned flights and one human spaceflight.
The Orbital Module will have three Indian astronauts, including a woman. It will circle earth at a low-earth orbit at an altitude of 300-400 km from earth for 5-7 days.
With this launch, India will become the fourth nation in the world to launch a Human Spaceflight Mission after the USA, Russia and China.
ISRO’s heavy-lift launcher GSLV Mk III has been identified for the mission.
Objectives:
The Gaganyaan programme aims to demonstrate the capability to send humans to low earth orbit on board an Indian launch vehicle and bring them back to earth safely.
Factbook: 22 December 2022
Former athlete PT Usha was nominated to the panel of the Vice-Chairperson in Rajya Sabha
Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar has nominated legendary former athlete and MP PT Usha to the panel of Vice chairpersons in the Upper House.
This is the first time a nominated member has been appointed to the Vice Chairman panel. YSRC MP Vijai Sai Reddy has also been nominated along with her.
PT Usha was also elected as the president of the Indian Olympic Association recently.
PT Usha is one of India’s greatest athletes, often called the country’s “queen of track and field” 58-year-old Usha, a multiple Asian Games gold medallist and fourth-place finisher in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics 400m hurdles final.
Question:
Which sportsperson has recently been nominated to the panel of the Vice-chairperson in Rajya Sabha?
Karnam Malleswari
PT Usha
Kapil Dev
Sachin Tendulkar
Answer: B
Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, becomes the only University in India to get an A grade by NAAC
The Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, has got an A grade by scoring 3.85 points in National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) grading, thereby becoming the only University in India to get this score.
The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) was established in 1994 as an autonomous institution of the University Grants Commission (UGC), with its headquarters in Bengaluru.
The NAAC conducts assessment and accreditation of Higher Educational Institutions such as colleges, universities or other recognised institutions to derive an understanding of the ‘Quality Status’ of the institution.
Oscars 2023: RRR’s Naatu Naatu, Last Film Show, among others, shortlisted for the 95th Academy Awards
Four Indian films in different categories have been shortlisted for the Oscars 2023 awards.
The shortlisted entry includes:
RRR’s famous catchy number Naatu Naatu in the Best Original Song category
The Chhello Show is called The Last Show in English in the International Feature Film
All That Breathes in the Documentary Feature Film category
The Elephant Whisperers in the Documentary Short Film category
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the body behind the awards, announced the shortlists in ten categories: documentary feature film, documentary short film, international feature film, makeup and hairstyling, music (original score), music (original song), animated short film, live action short film, sound, and visual effects.
The nominations for the 95th Academy Awards will be announced on 24 January, while the Oscars ceremony will be held on 12 March at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles.
Bhanu Athaiya is the first person from India to win an Oscar. She is a famous costume designer who won an Oscar for the 1982 historical film Gandhi.
Kalyani Ferresta: Jyotiraditya Scindia launched the country’s first Green steel brand
Recently, steel minister Jyotiraditya Scindia unveiled Kalyani Ferresta, India’s first green steel brand, in New Delhi.
Green steel is the manufacturing of steel without the use of fossil fuels.
This first-of-its-kind steel was created by the Kalyani Group, a Pune-based steel manufacturer, utilising renewable energy resources, leaving no carbon footprints in the environment.
The minister stated the event was a paradigm change in the steel sector.
India is leading the countries that have committed to achieving carbon neutrality through green steel manufacturing.
US to provide its key Patriot missile defence system to Ukraine
The United States has announced that it would provide its key Patriot missile defence system to Ukraine.
The Patriot missile system can be used as a shield against short-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and incoming jets.
This will be the first-ever handover of such a defence system to Ukraine and strengthen the Ukrainian defence.
The White House stated that the Patriot missile system would be part of another 1.85 billion dollars in aid to Ukraine.
The package also includes military vehicles, mortars, ammunition for HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems), and small arms.
Patriot missile is a surface-to-air guided missile system that was first deployed in the 1980s.
It can target aircraft, cruise missiles and short-range ballistic missiles.
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