Daily Current Affairs: 17 December 2022 | Gkseries

December 17, 2022

Daily Current Affairs 17 December 2022, we have tried to cover each and every point and also included all important facts from National/ International news that are useful for upcoming competitive examinations such as UPSC, SSC, Railway, State Govt. etc.

Current Affairs is the most important area in all competitive exams. But the difficulty level is very high. That’s why; many aspirants get confused, how to select Current Affairs for Preparation of Competitive Examination? In this Post, Daily Current Affairs 17 December 2022, we have tried to cover each and every point and also included all important facts from National/ International news that are useful for upcoming competitive examinations such as UPSC, SSC, Railway, State Govt. etc.

Current Affairs for Competitive Exam – 17 December 2022

Iran Removed From UN Commission on the Status of Women

Iran Removed From UN Commission on the Status of Women: In an unprecedented move, Iran has been expelled from the United Nation’s Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in a vote on which India abstained. In the 54-member elected body of the UN Economic and Social Council, Iran’s removal from the panel was proposed by the US and received 29 votes, eight votes against, and 16 abstentions.

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The vote came after intense lobbying by the US following widespread protests in Iran sparked by outrage against the edict compelling women to wear hijabs.

US Permanent Representative Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the Council that CSW, which is “the premier UN body for promoting gender equality and empowering women” cannot function if it is “undermined from within” by Iran. “Iran’s membership at this moment is an ugly stain on the Commission’s credibility,” she said.

The Immediate Cause For This:

Mahsa Amin, who passed away in September after being detained by the “morality police,” Her death sparked the protests, during which, “government security forces have reportedly detained and tortured thousands of people, killed hundreds of peaceful protestors, and badly injured many more. Men supporting women in the streets are now being targeted with the death penalty.

About UN Women:

The UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) was established in 1946, and has become instrumental in promoting women’s rights, documenting the reality of women’s lives throughout the world, and shaping global standards on gender equality and the empowerment of women. Its 45 members are elected by ECOSOC for terms of four years, with an equitable geographic distribution.

The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, also known as UN Women, is a United Nations entity working for the empowerment of women. In January 2011, UN Women began operations. President of Chile Michelle Bachelet was the inaugural Executive Director, and Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka is the current Executive Director. As with UNIFEM previously, UN Women is a member of the United Nations Development Group.

India Successfully Carries Out Trials of Nuclear-Capable ”Agni-5 missile”

India Successfully Carries Out Trials of Nuclear-Capable ”Agni-5 missile”: The night tests of India’s Agni V ballistic missile, which is nuclear-capable, were successful, capable of striking targets at ranges more than 5,000 kilometers with very high degree of accuracy. Off the coast of Odisha, on APJ Abdul Kalam Island, a missile test was fired. This was the latest test in the Agni missile series. According to defence sources, the test was carried out to validate new technologies and equipment on the missile that are now lighter than before.

December 2022 Current Affairs Quiz

About The Timing:

The trials took place a short time after Chinese and Indian soldiers got into a fight at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh. Several soldiers from both sides are injured, but none of the armies reported any deaths.

Issue With the Chinese:

Last year, China raised concerns regarding India’s launch of an Agni-5 intercontinental ballistic missile citing a resolution of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) 1172. The resolution was issued after India’s 1998 nuclear tests.

What is the Agni-5 missile:

The nuclear-capable missile, which uses a three-stage solid-fuelled engine, has been developed by India’s Defence Research and Development organisation (DRDO).

As part of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program, which was led by scientist and former president Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam, a key player in India’s missile and space programmes, the development of Agni missiles began in early 1980.

Medium to Intercontinental versions of Agni missile systems 1 to 5 have varying ranges — starting from 700 km for Agni-1 to 5000 km and above for Agni-5. In June 2021, DRDO successfully tested Agni P, a canisterised missile with a range capability between 1,000 and 2,000 km. This means that the missile can be launched from road and rail platforms, making it easier for it to be deployed and launched at a quicker pace. Agni-6 is also said to be under development, with a range starting at 8000 km.

What was the latest test for:

Since 2012, Agni-5 has undergone numerous tests with great success. Defence Ministry sources said the latest test was carried out primarily to validate various new technologies on board the missile. The flight performance of the missile was tracked and monitored by radars, range stations and tracking systems all through the mission including by the assets deployed in the sea.

8th India International Science Festival 2022 to be held in Bhopal

8th India International Science Festival 2022 to be held in Bhopal: Indian students will compete for the Guinness book of records and seek to create two new world records at the upcoming India international science festival (IISF) 2022 to be held in Bhopal from January 21 to 24, 2023 said union minister of science and technology, Jitendra Singh.

December 2022 Current Affairs Quiz

Agenda: To celebrate the country’s achievements in the field of science, technology and innovation.

Singh said 14 events will be organised during the four-day event beginning January 21 at the Maulana Azad Institute of Technology, Bhopal. The minister said the participation of the Department of Space (DOS) and the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) in supporting IISF was an added attraction this year.

IISF is the initiative of the Ministry of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences in association with Vijnana Bharati which is a science movement with swadeshi spirit led by eminent scientists of the country.

India will be the first country to Auction SatCom Spectrum

India will be the first country to Auction SatCom Spectrum: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) chairman, PD Vaghela has announced that India will be the first country to auction spectrum for satellite communication (SatCom), and it should be designed to attract investments in the sector.

December 2022 Current Affairs Quiz

Speaking at a Broadband India Forum summit on SatCom, PD Vaghela said Trai will soon make recommendations to make permissions required for satellite communication from various ministries — Information and Broadcasting, Space and Telecom — seamless to enhance ease of doing business in the sector. He also said Trai has received a reference from the Department of Telecommunication for the spectrum required to be put to auction and associated aspects of satellite-based communication.

“I think India will be the first to handle the issue of auctioning the space base spectrum. We are working on it,” PD Vaghela said.

Satellite communication:

It refers to any communication link that involves the use of an artificial satellite in its propagation path. They can be found in geostationary, Molniya, elliptical, and low Earth orbits.

ISRO earns ₹1,100 crore in five years from foreign launches

ISRO earns ₹1,100 crore in five years from foreign launches: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had earned approximately ₹1,100 crore in the last five years from the launch of foreign satellites, Minister for Space Jitendra Singh, told Rajya Sabha on Thursday in response to a query.

December 2022 Current Affairs Quiz

In the last five years, January 2018 – November 2022 ISRO, via its commercial arms, successfully launched 177 foreign satellites from 19 countries — Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Finland, France, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Netherlands, Republic ofKorea, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had earned approximately ₹1,100 crore in the last five years from the launch of foreign satellites, Minister for Space Jitendra Singh, told Rajya Sabha on Thursday in response to a query.

In July, Mr. Singh had said that ISRO had earned — over its lifetime — $223 million (~ ₹1,830 crore) from launching foreign satellite aboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles (PSLV)

The latest figures include revenue from PSLV and launches aboard the Geo Synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-MkIII, now renamed as LVM-3) launchers under commercial agreements. According to the Minister’s written response, these flights brought in $94 million and €46 million for the organisation, which translate to almost $1,100 crore in today’s rupees.

Under commercial agreement, ISRO launched these satellites on-board PSLV and GSLV-MkIII.

NHPC appoints Rajeev Kumar Vishnoi assumes additional charge as CMD

NHPC appoints Rajeev Kumar Vishnoi assumes additional charge as CMD: Rajeev Kumar Vishnoi has assumed the additional charge as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of NHPC with effect from Tuesday. In a BSE filing, NHPC said its “board of directors through resolution by circulation passed on December 14, 2022, has appointed Rajeev Kumar Vishnoi CMD of NHPC Limited”.The charge is with effect from December 13, 2022, it said.

December 2022 Current Affairs Quiz

He is also the CMD of Rishikesh-based THDC India Limited. Earlier, Yamuna Kumar Chaubey, Director of NHPC (Technical) was holding the additional charge of CMD of the company. NHPC Ltd is a Mini-Ratna Category-I Enterprise of the Government of India.

Vishnoi joined THDCIL in 1989 at the level of Engineer and worked in different capacities and rose to the level of General Manager in the year 2013 and was thereafter elevated to Executive Director in 2016. Apart from heading the Design Department, he also held the additional charge of Executive Director, Vishnugad-Pipalkoti Hydro Electric Project (VPHEP). He has also served as a member of the World Bank Expert Group to deliberate and constitute guidelines in respect of contracts during various interactions with World Bank Headquarters, Washington (USA) on their invitation. He is also currently representing India in the International Commission on Large Dams for the Technical Committee on Seismic Safety of Dams.

NHPC HQ: Faridabad, Haryana;

Founded: 1975

India launches ‘Group of Friends’ to promote accountability for crimes

India launches ‘Group of Friends’ to promote accountability for crimes: India has launched a ‘Group of Friends’ to promote accountability for crimes against peacekeepers, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar announcing that New Delhi will soon have a database that will record all crimes against the Blue Helmets.

Along with India, contributing countries like Bangladesh, Egypt, France, Morocco and Nepal were participated as its co-chairs.

December 2022 Current Affairs Quiz

“UN Peacekeeping today has become more challenging than ever before. Peace operations are also being conducted in an ambiguous and complex environment,” Jaishankar said in his keynote address at the launch of the Group of Friends.

Jaishankar said that the Group of Friends represents the “political will” of member states, particularly of the troop and police contributing countries, to champion the implementation of the provisions of UN Security Council resolution 2589, which was adopted in August last year under India’s Presidency of the Council.

It represents the “political will” of member states, particularly of the troop and police contributing countries.

Harvard University appoints Claudine Gay as first black president

Harvard University appoints Claudine Gay as first black president: Harvard University has appointed Claudine Gay, a social scientist and faculty dean, as its next president, making her the first Black person and second woman to lead the prestigious academic institution.

The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Ivy League school announced on Thursday that the Harvard Corporation, the university’s main governing board, elected Gay to serve as its 30th president starting on July 1.

December 2022 Current Affairs Quiz

She will replace Lawrence Bacow, who will retire on July 2023. She will also be the second woman to head the elite college in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Notably, she is the daughter of Haitian immigrants and received her bachelor’s degree from Stanford University in 1992.

“She is a terrific academic leader with a keen mind, great leadership and communication skills, excellent judgment, and a basic decency and kindness that will serve Harvard well,” Bacow said in a statement. “Perhaps most importantly, she commands the respect of all who know her and have worked with her.”

Tata Steel Officially Partnered FIH Men’s World Cup 2023

Tata Steel Officially Partnered FIH Men’s World Cup 2023: On December 13, 2022, Tata Steel Limited and Hockey India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to become the Official Partner of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela.The FIH Men’s World Cup is the pinnacle of men’s hockey tournaments. The esteemed event’s 15th edition will run from January 13 to January 29, 2023, in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela.

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Through a number of elite high-performance residential hockey training facilities, foreign coaches, nutritionists, and mental and physical trainers, Tata Steel has helped to enhance India’s national sport. This journey started with the Naval Tata Hockey Academy which was founded in the year 2017 as a state-of-the-art facility to enable budding field hockey talent at the grassroot level in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand.

In the interiors of 3 districts of Jharkhand, there are currently more than 65 grass-roots programme centres with more than 3000 cadets under the management of Collectives for Integrated Livelihood Initiatives. In addition to this, 9 centres are being run by Tata Steel Foundation in the interiors of other districts of the State with 300+ cadets. These talented cadets from the grassroot centres are promoted to the Regional Development Centre, where they are given advanced training along with a better pitch and match exposure at state levels.

The Odisha Naval Tata Hockey High-Performance Centre (HPC), an initiative of the Sports Department, Government of Odisha, in partnership with Tata Steel & Tata Trusts was inaugurated in 2019. Over the years, the HPC has developed in stature and now comprises 14 centres located throughout 6 different State districts. Around 2200 young trainees are groomed in these centres by 30 experienced coaches. The testimony to the efforts of the hockey HPC & its grassroot programmes in Odisha comes from the selection of 6 cadets in the Indian National Junior women camp in the last 12 months. Moreover, four girls have already made their international debut for the country in the junior women category.

About FIH Men’s World Cup:

The 15th edition of this famous competition, which is second only to the Olympics in importance for men, will be held in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela from January 13 to January 29, 2023. The FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup will be the fourth time that India will be hosting the prestigious tournament after organising it in 1982 in Bombay, 2010 in New Delhi, and 2018 in Bhubaneswar. A total of 16 nations will take part in the upcoming tournament.

Nation Pays Tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on His Death Anniversary

Nation Pays Tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on His Death Anniversary: On the 71st anniversary of his passing, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a number of Union Ministers paid tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Stating that the country will forever be grateful to Patel, PM Modi said, “Remembering Sardar Patel on his Punya Tithi. India will always be grateful to him for his monumental service, his administrative skills, and the untiring efforts to unite our nation.”

December 2022 Current Affairs Quiz

About The Towering Personality Of Sardar Patel:

Indian nationalist Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel was known as Sardar. He served as India’s first deputy prime minister from 1947 until 1950. He was a barrister and a prominent leader of the Indian National Congress who led the country’s independence movement and guided its integration into a single, independent nation. He was a member of the Indian National Congress’s conservative wing.

The “Iron Man of India,” Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, was born on October 31, 1875, in the village of Nadiad in present Gujarat. In India’s freedom struggle, he was a political and freedom leader.

He is known as the Iron Man of India because of his strong views on the union of princely states into one nation, his good attitude toward women’s emancipation, and his active participation in shaping India into what it is now. Vallabhbhai Patel was given the title of ‘Sardar’ by Mahatma Gandhi.

In 1991, he received the Bharat Ratna posthumously. His birthday has been commemorated as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas since 2014. (National Unity Day). Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel joined the princely kingdoms in British Indian territory, preventing India from becoming divided. Due to his role in uniting the shards of princely kingdoms into a single nation, he is known as the ‘Bismarck of India.’

Modern All India Services was founded by him. He served as India’s first Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. Sardar Patel, 75, died of a major heart attack in Bombay on December 15, 1950.

Integration of Princely States:

Sardar Patel, India’s first Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, was instrumental in the union of 565 princely kingdoms into the Indian Union. Among the princely states that refused joining India were Travancore, Hyderabad, Junagadh, Bhopal, and Kashmir. Sardar Patel worked relentlessly to reach an agreement with the princely kingdoms, but he did not shy away from using Sama, Dama, Dand, and Bhed techniques when necessary. He had used force to acquire the princely realms of Junagadh, governed by the Nawab, and Hyderabad, ruled by the Nizam, both of whom had refused to join the Union of India.