Current Affairs in English – December 12 2022

National Events:

PM Modi:

PM Modi inaugurated Phase-I of Samruddhi Mahamarg connecting Nagpur and Shirdi covering a distance of 520 Kms. The 701 Km expressway is one of India’s longest expressways.
He also dedicated AIIMS Nagpur to the nation to strengthen health infrastructure in the country. He also inaugurated the Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering & Technology, Chandrapur.

Mopa International Airport:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Mopa International Airport in Goa, which has been named after former Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, in December 2022.
The new airport is capable of handling large aircraft such as the Airbus A380. It has been built at a cost of 2,870 crore rupees. The commercial flights from the new airport will start from January 5 2022.

Justice Dipankar Dutta:

Justice Dipankar Dutta took oath as a judge of the Supreme Court on 12 December 2022. Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud administered the oath to Justice Dutta in the swearing-in ceremony in the Supreme Court.
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 February 8, 2030.

G20:

The 4-day meeting of G20 Development Working Group (DWG) will begin on 13 Dec 2022 in Mumbai under the India’s Presidency.
The Development Working Group meetings aims to discuss developmental issues in developing countries, least developed countries and island countries.
The first G20 Finance and Central Bank Deputies (FCBD) meeting will begin in Bengaluru on 13 December 2022.

Fifth edition of the Kochi Muziris Biennale:

In Kerala, the fifth edition of the Kochi Muziris Biennale, the country’s largest contemporary art exhibition began in Kochi on 12 December 2022.
It will feature 200 major creative projects of 90 artists from different countries across the world and will be exhibited till April 10 2023.
Titled ‘In Our Veins Flow Ink and Fire’, the exhibition is curated by Indian origin artist Shubhugi Rao.

Kashi Tamil Sangamam:

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced a new train Kashi Tamil Sangamam between Kashi in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. He also informed that 7000 crore would be spent in revamping the Varanasi station to make it one of the best in the world.
Kashi Tamil Sangamam is a month – long programme organized by the Ministry of Education, as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.

Ayushman Bharat health account ID generation:

Jammu and Kashmir has been awarded 1st prize in the category for Ayushman Bharat health account ID generation.
It has also won 2nd prize in the category for Teleconsultation conducted during the celebration of Universal Health Coverage Day 2022.
J & K is set to achieve the best model of Health delivery in the country which is evident from the huge improvement in the health indicators.

Carbon-neutral farm:

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan on 10 Dec 2022 declared a seed farm, located in Aluva, as the first carbon-neutral farm in the country. The Kerala government has announced to start of Carbon-neutral farms in all its assembly constituencies.
Women’s associations will be formed to implement this in tribal areas. As many as 170 tons of more carbon have been procured at the farm.

Varanasi:

Union Government has announced that Varanasi will host the G20 development ministers’ meeting. The G – 20 or Group of 20 is an intergovernmental forum of the world’s major economies.
India assumed the Presidency of the G – 20 on December 1.The G – 20 represents more than 80 % of the world’s gross domestic products. The G-20 Sherpa meeting was held at Udaipur in Rajasthan from December 5 to 7.

Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation:

The Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation has announced the winners of the Jamnalal Bajaj award 2022. The Foundation gives 4 awards in different categories. Three are given to Indians and one award, for promoting Gandhian values outside is given to a foreigner.
The Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation was established in 1977. Jamnalal Bajaj was among the stalwarts of India’s freedom movement.

International Events:

COP-15:

The UN Convention on Biological Diversity also called as Conference of Parties (COP-15) is being held in Montreal, Canada on 7-19 December 2022.
The conference was originally scheduled to be held in China in Oct but was shifted to Canada due to covid situation in China.
This is the 2nd part of the COP15, The 1st part was hosted by China. However, the host of the COP-15 in Montreal is still China.

Veena Nair:

Indian-origin teacher Veena Nair in Australia received PM’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in secondary schools in Dec 2022.
She is View Bank College’s Head of Technology and STEAM project leader and has been awarded for demonstrating the practical application of STEAM to students.
She won the Educator of the Year Award by the Design and Technology Teachers Association of Australia in 2018.

UNICEF Day: 11 December:

The UNICEF Day is observed on December 11 every year. The UN General Assembly created UNICEF on December 11, 1946, as the UN International Children’s Emergency Fund to improve the health, nutrition, education, and general welfare of children devastated due to World War II.
The theme for 2022 is: “All girls deserve better the world deserves better”. UNICEF Headquarters: New York.

Sports Events:

Meghna Ahlawat:

Meghna Ahlawat was elected president of the Table Tennis Federation of India in December 2022. Meghna Ahlawat has been elected its first female President.
While, 8th-time national champion K. Mehta took over as the new secretary general of the TTFI, and P.N Reddy has been elected as the Treasurer of the TFI.

PT Usha:

PT Usha was elected as the first woman president of Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on 10 December 2022. Ajay Patel, Gagan Narang and Rajlaxmi S. Deo have been elected as vice presidents.
She is a multiple Asian Games gold medallist and fourth place finisher in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics 400m hurdles final. The elections were held under the supervision of SC appointed retired Supreme Court judge L N Rao.