Current Affairs in English – December 15 2022

National Events:

Pramukh Swami Maharaj Shatabdi Mahotsav:

PM attended the inaugural function of the Pramukh Swami Maharaj Shatabdi Mahotsav in Ahmedabad on 14th December 2022.
The event will be held from December 15, 2022 to January 15, 2023. Pramukh Swami Maharaj was widely respected and admired as a great spiritual leader. His life was dedicated to the service of spirituality and humanity.

National Maternal Health Workshop:

Union MoS for Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar inaugurated the National Maternal Health Workshop in New Delhi on 14 December 2022. Theme: “Striving for zero preventable maternal mortality”.
She also introduced the Maternal health guidance booklet for community health officers (CHOS). More than 3.6 crore pregnant women have received comprehensive antenatal care under this program.

NILP:

The Union government has allocated a total financial outlay of Rs 1037.90 crore for the five-year New India Literacy Programme (NILP) on December 12, 2022.
The government has announced a Centrally Sponsored Scheme. NILP for implementation during five years from 2022-23 to 2026-27.
The Central and State shares are in the ratio of 60:40 for all States other than North Eastern Region (NER).

Union Agriculture Minister Shri Tomar:

Union Agriculture Minister Shri Tomar chaired the 32nd meeting of the Board of Directors of the National Horticulture Board on December 2022. It was decided in the meeting that the process of approval of horticulture projects would be simplified for the farmers.
It will promote ease of doing business for the benefit of the farming community and generate more hi-tech commercial projects for NHB funding.

Union government’s approval:

The union government has approved NILP (New India Literacy Programme) for the next five financial years (2022-27). Launched in 2022, it aims to support the States and Union Territories in promoting literacy among non-literates in the age group of 15 and above.
The scheme has five components namely: Critical Life Skills, Vocational Skills Development, Basic Education, Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Continuing Education.

India and China troops:

On 9 Dec 2022, India and China troops clashed along the Yangtze river in Tawang sector in Arunachal Pradesh.
It is an important center of Tibetan Buddhism Tawang provides a strategic entry into India’s northeastern region.
It is a critical point in the corridor between Tibet and Brahmaputra Valley. It has the Galden Namgey Lhatse, the world’s second largest monastery of Tibetan Buddhism.

SpiceJet:

SpiceJet won the ‘Safety Performer of the Year’ award at the annual GMR Delhi Airport Awards in December 2022. It was awarded for being the top performer among the self-handling airlines, besides for “its success in reducing ground safety violations”.
Minimizing incidences of ground safety violations play a key role in ensuring compliance with safety guidelines and regulatory requirements.

Ex Sanchaar Bodh:

Indian Army’s Airawat Division conducted Ex Sanchaar Bodh in the extensive obstacle-ridden terrain of Punjab in December 2022.
Tactical communication capabilities were validated in the exercise and the determination to win at any cost in the face of adversity was also confirmed in practice. The Indian 1 Armoured Division, under II Corps, is headquartered at Patiala.

HUL:

Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) acquired the two digital-first brands-OZiva and Wellbeing Nutrition in December 2022. HUL plans to focus on high-growth areas such as sleep & stress, women’s health, gut health, beauty-from-within, and plant-based products.
OZiva Private Limited is a plant-based consumer wellness brand launched in 2016. HUL CEO: Sanjiv Mehta. HUL Headquarters: Mumbai.

Uttarakhand Government:

Uttarakhand Government is planning for genetic enhancement of Badri Cow through sex-sorted semen and embryo transfer technology with the aim to increase its productivity.The Badri breed derived its name from the holy shrine of Char Dham at Badrinath.
Her milk has rich medicinal content and high organic value as it grazes only on herbs and shrubs available in the mountains.

Shankar Chaudhary:

Shankar Chaudhary has been elected as the speaker of the Gujarat Assembly on 15 December 2022. While Jetha Bharwad will be the deputy speaker of the Assembly. S.Chaudhary won the assembly election from Tharad in north Gujarat.
He was a minister in the Anandiben Patel – led BJP government. He is also an important name in the dairy sector and headed the Dudhsagar Dairy in north Gujarat.

Gond Community:

Rajya Sabha passes a bill for recognising the Gond community hailing from four districts of Uttar Pradesh as a Scheduled Tribe on 15 December 2022.
It was introduced by tribal affairs minister Arjun Munda. The bill will include the ‘Gond community’ in four districts of Uttar Pradesh, including Sant Kabir Nagar, Sant Ravidas Nagar, Kushinagar and Chandauli to the ST list.

Krishi – DSS:

The Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Department of Space signed an MoU.
It has been signed to develop the Krishi-Decision Support System (Krishi – DSS) using geospatial technologies and related databases. Krishi – DSS is being developed on the lines of Gati Shakti using RISAT-1A and VEDAS of Department of Space.

Cervavac:

India will launch its quadrivalent vaccine called Cervavac in 2023 for the nationwide immunisation drive of girls aged 9-14 years.
Developed by the Serum Institute of India (SII), Cervavac offers protection against four strains of HPV 16, 18, 6, and 11. HPV (human papillomavirus) is a viral infection passed between people through skin-to-skin contact.

New Delhi International Arbitration Centre (Amendment) Bill, 2022:

Parliament has passed the New Delhi International Arbitration Centre (Amendment) Bill, 2022. It amends the New Delhi International Arbitration Centre Act, 2019.
The Bill renames the New Delhi International Arbitration Centre as the India International Arbitration Centre. It also allows the government to provide for removing any difficulties in implementing the Act for up to five years.

G20:

The first meeting of the Development Working Group of the G-20 was held in Mumbai on 13 December 2022.
The three – day Development Working Group meeting focused on G20 collective actions for accelerating progress on the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals).
Its aim is to support to developing countries in dealing with immediate concerns relating to food, fuel and fertiliser security.

International Events:

New Zealand:

In a remarkable step, New Zealand has adopted a measure that will prohibit the sale cigarettes to anybody born on or after January 1, 2009.
New Zealand is believed to be the first country in the world to implement the annually rising smoking age. The restrictions will take effect in 2023, with New Zealand aiming to be “smoke – free” by 2025.

Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism:

The carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism signed by European Union is the world-first carbon border tariff. The mechanism will impose a tariff on imports of polluting goods such as iron, steel, cement, fertilisers, aluminium and electricity.
It will require companies, both domestic EU industries and overseas ones, to buy certificates to cover their embedded CO2 emissions.

Sports Events:

Chahat Arora:

Indian swimmer Chahat Arora set a national record in the women’s 100-metre breaststroke at the FINA World Swimming Championships 2022 in Melbourne, Australia on 14 Dec 2022.
Chahat Arora completed the 100-metre breaststroke race in 1 min, 13.13 seconds.