Daily Current Affairs Quiz: December 20, 2024

Answer: a

Celebrated annually on December 21^st.

Significance:

• Commemorates the invention of basketballby Dr. James Naismith on December 21, 1891.
• Recognizes basketball’s role in promoting peace, development, human rights, and gender equality.
• The UN General Assembly declared December 21st as World Basketball Day in 2023.

Answer: b

Occurs on December 21st each year.

Significance:

• Northern Hemisphere: Winter solstice(shortest day, longest night).
• Southern Hemisphere: Summer solstice(longest day, shortest night).

Seasonal Transition:

• Marks the beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and summer in the Southern Hemisphere.

Answer: a

Current Context : Japanese startup Orbital Lasers and Indian robotics company InspeCity signed a memorandum of understanding to explore the development of laser-equipped satellites aimed at mitigating space debris.

Objectives:

• De-orbiting Defunct Satellites: Utilizing laser technology to remove inactive satellites from orbit.
• Extending Spacecraft Lifespan: Providing in-space services to prolong the operational life of active satellites.

About Space Debris:

• Space debris encompasses all non-functional, human-made objects in Earth’s orbit, including defunct satellites and fragments from disintegration.
• Current Statistics: Of the 35,150 tracked objects in orbit, only about 25% are operational satellites.

Global Initiatives to Mitigate Space Debris:

• RemoveDEBRIS Mission: Demonstrates active debris removal (ADR).
• LignoSat: A wooden satellite to reduce space debris.
• UN Liability Convention (1972): Deals with damage caused by space objects.
• UN Registration Convention (1976): Requires registration of space objects.

India’s Initiatives:

• Project NETRA (Network for Space Objects Tracking and Analysis) : Tracks space debris to protect Indian space assets.
• Goal for debris-free space missions by 2030.

Answer: c

Current Context : India conducted its first-ever satellite tagging of a Ganges River Dolphin in Assam.

Tagging involves attaching a device, marker, or tag to an animal for identification or tracking.

Aim : to study dolphins’ migratory patterns, habitat utilization, and distribution.

Implemented by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in collaboration with the Assam Forest Department and NGO Aaranyak.

About Project Dolphin:

• Launched in 2020by MoEFCC to conserve Ganges River Dolphins and their ecosystems.
• Modeled after Project Tiger.

About Ganges River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica):

• India’s National Aquatic Animal and an Endangered species (IUCN).
• Habitat: Freshwater systems like the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems in India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
• India hosts 90% of the global population.

Features:

• Blind: Relies on echolocation for navigation and hunting.
• Known as the “Tiger of the Ganges”, an umbrella species for riverine ecosystems.
• Locally called ‘Susu’ due to its breathing sound.

Answer: a

Current Context : Recently, a 31-member JPC was formed to review bills related to the ‘One Nation, One Election’ initiative. This committee comprises 21 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha.

About Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC)

• JPC is an ad-hoc committee set up for specific objectives and duration.
• Established through a motion passed in one house of Parliament and agreed upon by the other.
• Membership: Composition includes members from both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, as determined by Parliament.

Functions:

1. Conducts detailed scrutiny of bills and issues.
2. Collects evidence, examines witnesses, and submits reports with recommendations to Parliament.

Authority: Recommendations are not binding on the government, which may choose to accept or reject them.

Answer: b

Current Context : European Union recently launched Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite (IRIS²), as its third major space project.

Follows Galileo (satellite navigation system) and Copernicus (Earth observation program).

Objective:

• Provide secure communication and high-speed broadband in remote and underserved areas.
• Support government applications like border surveillance and crisis management.

Satellite Constellation:

• Comprises 290 satellites in low and medium Earth orbits.
• Full deployment expected by 2030.

Developing Partners:

• Supported by the European Space Agency (ESA)and SpaceRISE consortium (Eutelsat, Hispasat, SES).

Answer: b

Current Context : All 17,130 police stations in the country has been linked through Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS).

About Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS) project

• It is a significant e-Governance initiative by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) under the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP).
• Launched in 2009
• Aim : to create a comprehensive and integrated system to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of policing at all levels.
• Implementing Agency: The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) is responsible for executing the CCTNS project.

Objectives:

• Develop a national database of crimes and criminals.
• Facilitate pan-India search on criminal and crime records.
• Provide citizen-centric services through a centralized portal.

Answer: b

Current Context : Recently, India and China held a Special Representatives meeting to discuss their border issues.

• They confirmed the implementation of the October 2024 disengagement agreement, which has allowed for the resumption of patrolling and grazing in certain border areas.
• Positive outcomes: Resumption of Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, trans-border river data sharing, and border trade.

About Kailash Mansarovar Yatra:

• Location: Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar in Tibet.
• Cultural Significance: Sacred in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Tibetan Bon religion.
• Mansarovar Lake: World’s highest freshwater lake.
• Access: Via Lipulekh Pass, Uttarakhand.
• Trans-border Rivers: India and China agreed to share data on rivers crossing their borders to improve resource management.
• Border Trade : Trade via Nathu La Passand other routes to be resumed.