Tnpsc Current Affairs in English – 15th December 2023

1. What is the full form of PABS mentioned in the draft pandemic treaty discussions?

A. Public Awareness and Behavioral Study System

B. Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing System

C. Pharmaceutical Advancements and Biomedical Sciences System

D. Pathogenic Analysis and Bio Synthesis System

• PABS stands for Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing System. It is mentioned in Article 10 of the draft pandemic treaty, which asks member countries to establish a multilateral system for access and benefit sharing under PABS. The PABS Standard Material Transfer Agreement shall include a monetary obligation whereby 10% of vaccines and antivirals would be provided to WHO at affordable prices during a pandemic.

2. Captain Fatima Wasim created history by becoming the first woman medical officer to be deployed at__:

A. International Space Station

B. Amazon Rainforest Mobile Medical Unit

C. Siachen Glacier

D. Antarctica Expeditionary Station

• Captain Fatima Wasim created history by becoming the first woman medical officer to be deployed at an operational post in the world’s highest battlefield, the Siachen Glacier. After rigorous training at the Siachen Battle School, she was inducted to a post at Partapur sector at an altitude of 15,200 feet in the Union Territory of Ladakh.

3. ITEC or Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme is administered by which ministry?

A. Ministry of Science and Technology

B. Ministry of Education

C. Ministry of External Affairs

D. Ministry of Commerce

• The Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme (ITEC) is a prominent capacity-building initiative by the Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India. Established in 1964, ITEC is one of the longest-standing international capacity-building programs, having trained over 200,000 officials from more than 160 countries in both civilian and defense sectors.
• Under this programme, recently India and Taiwan have been focussing on collaboration in cutting edge tech areas like 5G, AI, information security, semiconductors etc. ITEC is administered by the Development Partnership Administration-II Division of the Ministry of External Affairs.

4. Recently, a new species of amphipod, ‘Demaorchestia alanensis’ was discovered in which state?

A. Karnataka

B. Odisha

C. Assam

D. West Bengal

• Researchers from Berhampur University in Odisha discovered a new species of marine amphipod in Chilika Lake, which was named Demaorchestia alanensis after renowned crustacean taxonomy expert, Professor Alan Myers. The new discovery takes the number of known Demaorchestia species globally to six.

5. Who was SR Bommai in the famous SR Bommai judgment by Supreme Court in 1994?

A. Owner of a Newspaper

B. Chief Minister of a State

C. A Civil Servant

D. A Lawyer in Supreme Court

• SR Bommai was the former Chief Minister of Karnataka, whose government was controversially dismissed in 1989 by the central government imposing President’s rule in the state by invoking Article 356. Bommai had challenged this decision in courts, leading to the landmark 1994 Supreme Court judgment that ushered in safeguards for protecting rights of states against arbitrary imposition of President’s rule.

6. The Payment Security Mechanism (PSM) for e-buses, that was recently in news, is a joint initiative between India and _______

A. France

B. Germany

C. United States

D. Russia

• The India-US Payment Security Mechanism (PSM) for e-buses is a joint initiative between the Indian and US governments to facilitate the deployment of made-in-India electric buses. It aims to incentivize manufacturers to set up hubs in India, address the financial challenges posed by e-buses, and drive widespread adoption to decarbonize the transport sector.

7. Who is / was the first tribal Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh?

A. Vishnu Deo Sai

B. Ajit Jogi

C. Bhupesh Baghel

D. Arun Sao

• Vishnu Deo Sai is the second tribal leader from Chhattisgarh after Ajit Jogi to be appointed as the state’s Chief minister. He is a five-time MLA from the Kunkuri constituency in Jashpur district, which has a large tribal population.

8. India’s first Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project “Namo Bharat” is being constructed between __:

A. Chennai and Madurai

B. Delhi and Meerut

C. Mumbai and Pune

D. Coimbatore and Bengaluru

• India’s first Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project being constructed between Delhi and Meerut has been renamed as ‘Namo Bharat’ after Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Previously called the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), the implementing agency has also been renamed as Namo Bharat. Namo Bharat aims to significantly bring down travel time between Delhi and Meerut to around 50 minutes.

9. Which four states constitute the Eastern Zonal Council which met recently under Home Minister Amit Shah?

A. Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha

B. Assam, West Bengal, Sikkim and Odisha

C. Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya and Mizoram

D. Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha and Sikkim

• The Eastern Zonal Council comprises four states – Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha. The 26th meeting of the council took place recently in Patna under the chairmanship of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Chief Ministers of all member states are part of the council which meets to discuss and reach mutually agreed decisions on inter-state issues. The meeting provided an opportunity for Centre-state and inter-state consultations at the highest level on important matters of socio-economic development in eastern region.

10. What is the name of the joint military exercise conducted between Indian and US Army Special Forces?

A. Surya Talwar

B. Garuda Shield

C. Shakti

D. Vajra Prahar

• The name of the joint military exercise conducted between Indian and US Army Special Forces is “Vajra Prahar”. The 14th edition of this exercise concluded in December 2023 at the Joint Training Node in Umroi, Meghalaya. It aims at sharing best practices between the special forces of both armies in areas like joint mission planning and counter-terrorism operations. The context is that such military collaborations enhance defense ties and interoperability between India and the US.

11. Who was the president of the 2023 UN Climate Change Conference COP28?

A. Amin H. Nasser

B. Mohsen Khojasteh Mehr

C. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber

D. Sheikh Nawaf Saud Al-Sabah

• Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber is an Emirati politician who is the minister of industry and advanced technology of the United Arab Emirates. He is also head of United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) state-owned oil company, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and the president of the 2023 UN Climate Change Conference COP28.

12. Recently, the trials of vaccine PrEPVacc were stopped in Africa due to ineffectiveness. This vaccine was aimed at_______

A. Malaria

B. HIV

C. COVID-19

D. Cervical Cancer

• PrEPVacc stands for “Preexposure Prophylaxis Vaccine” Trial. It was an African-led clinical trial testing two HIV vaccine regimens, which was recently halted after an interim analysis found them to be ineffective in preventing infections. The stoppage of PrEPVacc is a major blow to HIV vaccine development efforts. With nearly 40 million people living with HIV globally, an effective vaccine has remained elusive despite decades of research.

13. Reserves of which mineral were found in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir in recent times?

A. Iron

B. Bauxite

C. Mica

D. Lithium

• In February 2023, a substantial lithium reserve of 5.9 million tonnes was found in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir by the Geological Survey of India (GSI). This discovery is crucial for India’s efforts to reduce its reliance on imported lithium. In addition to this domestic discovery, India is also actively seeking lithium sources abroad.
• Khanij Bidesh India Ltd (KABIL), a state-owned joint venture, is nearing the final stages of securing lithium blocks in Argentina. As per recent studies, over 5.9 lakh tonnes of lithium reserves can fulfil India’s entire lithium demand for EV batteries over the next 50 years domestically. This would enable self-reliance and reduce import dependency as the EV ecosystem expands.