This is the current affairs of 14 December 2023. Here are questions and answers of daily current affairs for better preparation of competitive exams for government jobs.
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1. On which anniversary of the terrorist attack on Parliament, there was a security lapse and the youth filled the Lok Sabha with smoke from smoke canes?
a. 20th
b. 21st
c. 22nd
d. 23rd
Answer: c. 22nd
– On December 13, 2001, terrorists attacked the Parliament building. During its 22nd anniversary on December 13, 2023, a significant lapse occurred in the security of the Parliament.
– In the Lok Sabha, two individuals jumped into the chamber from the visitor gallery.
– A person named Sagar rushed towards the Speaker, and MPs surrounded and beat him. Security personnel then apprehended them.
– Another person from the public gallery threw a smoke canister into the chamber.
– This caused yellow smoke to spread in the Lok Sabha. Some MPs stayed in place, while others rushed out.
– Chaos ensued in the chamber.
– Outside the Parliament premises, a young woman and a young man also used a smoke canister.
– Five people have been arrested.
Two of them had obtained passes from the office of BJP MP Pratap Simha to enter the Lok Sabha premises. The others were unable to enter.
– Entry using visitor passes has been prohibited since the incident.
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2. Under whose leadership was the inquiry committee formed into the lapse in security of Parliament?
a. DG, CRPF
b. DG, BSF
c. Director, CBI
d. DG, ITBP
Answer: a. DG, CRPF (Anish Dayal Singh)
– In this incident, the Delhi Police have faced considerable scrutiny, and numerous questions have been raised regarding the security of the Parliament.
Case registered under UAPA
– Delhi Police has filed a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against four suspects for unlawful activities (interference).
– Upon the request of the Lok Sabha Secretariat, the Ministry of Home Affairs has ordered an investigation into this incident.
– A committee, led by CRPF Director-General Anish Dayal Singh, has been formed to conduct the investigation. It includes other security agencies and experts.
– This committee will identify the reasons and shortcomings in security. The committee will provide its report, including recommendations and suggestions for improvement.
8 security personnel suspended
– On Thursday, the Parliament Secretariat suspended 8 security personnel.
Total six accused:
– The police have stated that there are a total of six accused. Two had infiltrated inside, while two were demonstrating outside. During the interrogation, the names of two more individuals came to light. Currently, five are in custody, and one is on the run.
– Delhi Police sources claim that the mastermind behind the conspiracy to breach Parliament security is someone other than the arrested accused. Currently, the police are conducting an investigation into the matter.
what did the accused say
– The accused say that they are not getting jobs and are beaten up for protesting.
Accused
– Sagar Sharma: A resident of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. He is a 12th-grade pass and works as an e-rickshaw driver. His father is a carpenter. Two days ago, he left home, saying that he was going to join the protest.
– D Manoranjan: Hailing from Mysuru, Karnataka. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering (BE) degree and has worked in some companies. Currently, he is considering agricultural work. He had obtained a pass from the office of BJP MP Pratap Simha to enter the Lok Sabha.
– Neelam: A resident of Jind district in Haryana. She has been residing in Hisar for the last 6 months, preparing for the Haryana Civil Services Exam and the Haryana Teacher Eligibility Test (HTET).
– Amol Shinde: Residing in Latur district, Maharashtra. He has completed his graduation and works as a daily laborer while preparing for police and army recruitment exams. His parents and two brothers are also engaged in labor work.
– Vikki: Accused Sagar, Manoranjan, Neelam, and Amol Shinde stayed at Vikki Sharma’s house in Gurugram before going to Delhi. According to the police, these four are friends of Vikki Sharma.
– Lalit: A resident of Haryana.
Made the plan one and a half years ago:
– Even before executing the incident, the accused had recorded a video outside the Parliament.
– The police believe that all the accused were connected through a social media page called ‘Bhagat Singh Fan Club.’
– All these accused had met each other in Mysuru about one and a half years ago.
Books of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev found in the room:
– Bags of those causing havoc in Parliament were found in Vikki’s house.
– The accused left their bags there. Books of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev were found in the room.
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3. Who has been appointed as the Youth Voter Awareness Ambassador of Jammu and Kashmir?
a. Virat Kohli
b. Akshay Kumar
c. Suresh Raina
d. M.S Dhoni
Answer: c. Suresh Raina (cricketer)
– The Chief Electoral Officer of Jammu and Kashmir, Pandurang K. Pole, announced this on December 1, 2023.
– The Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court has directed the Election Commission to conduct elections for the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly before September 30, 2024.
Suresh Raina:
– He was born on November 27, 1986, in – Muradnagar, Uttar Pradesh.
– He is an Indian cricketer.
– He is a left-handed middle-order batsman and a left-arm off-spin bowler.
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4. Which country unveiled the world’s first fourth generation nuclear reactor?
a. USA
b. Rusia
c. China
d. India
Answer: c. China
– Chinese state media has stated that China has commenced commercial operation of a new-generation nuclear reactor in December 2023, marking a global first.
– This fourth-generation plant is located in Shidao Bay in northern Shandong province, China.
– It is named the Shidao Bay Plant and is a domestically developed plant in China.
– China aims to generate 10% of its energy from nuclear power by 2035 and achieve 18% of electricity production by 2060.
President of China – Xi Jinping
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5. India announced its participation in the ‘Race to Resilience’ initiative of which international organization?
a. United Nations
b. European Union
c. Commonwealth
d. None of these
Answer: a. United Nations
– During COP-28 in Dubai, India announced its participation in the United Nations’ ‘Race to Resilience’.
– ‘Race to Resilience’ is a global campaign aimed at addressing the challenges of climate change.
– It is a worldwide platform with the goal of uniting non-state actors, investors, businesses, cities, regions, and civil society.
– Its objective is to increase the resilience of the most vulnerable communities to the impacts of climate change by 2030.
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6. Which person of Indian origin was appointed the Chairman of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)?
a. Vikram Shah
b. Rakesh Verma
c. Vinod Das
d. Sameer Shah
Answer: d. Sameer Shah
– The United Kingdom government has appointed Sameer Shah as the chairman of the BBC.
– He is a 71-year-old media executive.
– He was born in Aurangabad and came to Britain in 1960.
– With over two decades of experience in the media industry, Shah has worked in various roles, including serving as a non-executive director at the BBC.
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7. RBI did not change the repo rate in the bi-monthly monetary policy review (December 2023), what is this repo rate?
a. 5.5%
b. 5.8%
c. 6.2%
d. 6.5%
Answer: d. 6.5%
– The Reserve Bank of India’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has decided not to increase the repo rate on December 8, 2023.
– The RBI’s MPC has kept the repo rate unchanged during the last five monetary policy reviews.
– After raising the key repo rate to 6.5% by increasing it by 250 basis points, it has been held steady in five consecutive reviews.
GDP Estimate for 2023-24
– The estimated growth rate for Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the financial year 2023-24 has been revised upward from 6.5% to 7%.
– However, the projection for the average inflation rate has been maintained at 5.4%.
– A cautionary note has been provided, indicating that inflation may increase during November and December.
What is the Repo Rate?
– In simple terms, when banks lend us money, we have to pay them interest on that loan.
– Similarly, banks also need a substantial amount for their day-to-day operations, and they borrow this amount from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
– The interest rate at which the Reserve Bank collects interest from banks on this loan is called the repo rate.
How does the Repo Rate affect the common person?
– The repo rate is a powerful tool for the RBI to combat inflation.
– When inflation is too high, the RBI tries to reduce the money flow in the economy by increasing the repo rate.
– If banks have access to loans at lower interest rates, i.e., if the repo rate is low, they can offer cheaper loans to their customers.
– However, if the Reserve Bank increases the repo rate, it becomes expensive for banks to borrow, and they may pass on the higher cost to their customers by increasing loan interest rates.
Reverse Repo Rate:
– The reverse repo rate is the opposite of the repo rate.
– When banks have a significant amount left after their day-to-day operations, they deposit that amount with the Reserve Bank.
– The Reserve Bank pays them interest on this amount, and the rate at which the RBI provides interest is called the reverse repo rate.
– Monetary Policy Committee Chairman – Shaktikanta Das, Governor of the Reserve Bank of India.
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8. The actor known as Junior Mehmood passed away on 8 December 2023, what was his real name?
a. Ali khan
b. Naeem Syed
c. Kamil Hussain
d. Adeeb Mohmmed
Answer: b. Naeem Syed
– He had been battling stomach cancer for quite some time.
– He was 68 years old.
Which films did Junior Mahmood work in?
– In a career spanning more than four decades, he acted in over 260 films in seven languages.
– Some of his popular films include “Caravan,” “Haathi Mere Saathi,” “Mera Naam Joker,” “Brahmachari,” “Kati Patang,” “Hare Rama Hare Krishna,” “Geet Gata Chal,” “Imaan,” “Bap Numbri Beta Dus Numbri,” “Aaj Ka Arjun,” “Gurudev,” “Chhote Sarkar,” and “Judaai.”
– Apart from these, he worked in several other films.
Junior Mahmood (Naeem Sayyed):
– Junior Mahmood was an actor, singer, Marathi film director, and producer in Hindi films.
– Mahmood Ali gave him the name Junior Mahmood.
– His real name is Naeem Sayyed.
– Junior Mahmood is survived by two sons and a wife.
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9. ‘United Nations Peacekeeping Mission’ was officially ended from which African country?
a. Ethiopia
b. Mali
c. Sudan
d. Libya
Answer: b. Mali
– In response to the request of the Malian government, the United Nations terminated its 10-year peace mission in Mali in December 2023.
– The Malian government had alleged that the force was insufficient to counter the rising extremist violence in their country.
– The UN’s effort in Mali has been the world’s deadliest peacekeeping mission, with over 300 personnel killed.
– Mali has been grappling with an Islamist insurgency since 2012.
United Nations Peacekeeping Mission
– The United Nations Peacekeeping Mission was initiated in 1948.
– The mission aims to establish peace (peacekeeping) in conflict-ridden countries.
– Over the past 70 years, more than one million men and women have served in over 70 UN peacekeeping missions.
– Currently, personnel from over 125 countries, including over 100,000 soldiers, police, and civilian workers, are deployed in 13 ongoing peace missions.
Number of Indians in UN Peacekeeping Missions
– As of October 2022, India is the second-largest contributor to UN peacekeeping missions, with 5,887 soldiers and personnel deployed in 12 missions, following Bangladesh (7,017).
Mali
– Capital: Bamako
– President: Assimi Goïta
– Currency: CFA Franc
– Population: 21.3 million
– neighboring countries: Algeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Senegal, Mauritania
