Assam Current Affairs – December 01-03, 2022

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Assam & NE Current Affairs & GK – December 01-03, 2022

( Covers all important Current Affairs & GK topics for the December 01-03, 2022)

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December 01-03, 2022

Assam govt announces yearly stipend for female PG students

The government of Assam will introduce a scheme under which all female students pursuing post-graduate courses in the state will be provided a yearly stipend of Rs 10,000 each which would be helpful in covering their commutation and other related expenses.

This was announced by Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

The Chief Minister appealed to the female students pursuing PG courses to apply for getting the stipend in the portal to be launched by the Department of Education for the purpose in a few weeks from now.

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also distributed scooters to meritorious candidates who cleared the last higher secondary examination conducted by the Assam Higher Secondary Education Council (AHSEC) with a percentage above a certain threshold at a ceremony held in Guwahati. 

To be eligible for the award, the male candidates had to score a minimum of 75 per cent in higher secondary examination, while for female candidates the cut-off was fixed at 60 per cent.

The 23rd Hornbill Festival 2022 

The 23rd edition of the Hornbill International Festival 2022 begins at the Heritage Village Kisama in Nagaland. The festival commenced on December 1 and will continue till December 10.

The aim of the festival is to revive and protect the rich culture of Nagaland and display its extravaganza and traditions.

About Hornbill Festival

  • The festival is named after the Indian hornbill, the large and colourful forest bird which is displayed in the folklore of most of the state’s ethnic groups.
  • To encourage inter-ethnic interaction and to promote cultural heritage of Nagaland, the Government of Nagaland organizes the Hornbill Festival every year.
  • The 10-day Hornbill Festival represents all ethnic groups of Nagaland for which it is also called the Festival of Festivals.
  • The festival host guests from across states and nations, representing the rich culture of various tribes of Nagaland,
  • The festival provides a colourful mixture of dances, performances, crafts, parades, games, sports, food fairs and religious ceremonies.
  • Traditional arts which include paintings, wood carvings, and sculptures are also on display.
  • The Hornbill Festival has contributed significantly to enhancing the state’s tourism brand.

India-US joint military exercise ‘Yudh Abhyas’ 

The 18th edition of India-US joint military exercise ‘Yudh Abhyas’ is scheduled to be conducted in Uttarakhand.

Exercise Yudh Abhyas is conducted annually between India and USA with the aim of exchanging best practices, Tactics, Techniques and Procedures between the Armies of the two nations. 

Key Points

  • US Army soldiers of 2nd Brigade of the 11th Airborne Division and Indian Army soldiers from the ASSAM Regiment will be participating in the exercise. 
  • The training schedule focuses on employment of an integrated battle group under Chapter VII of the UN Mandate. 
  • The schedule will include all operations related to peace keeping & peace enforcement. 
  •  The joint exercise will also focus on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations.
  • The troops from both nations will work together to achieve common objectives and will practice launching of swift & coordinated relief efforts in the wake of any natural calamity. 
  • In order to derive full benefit from the professional skills & experiences of  both the armies, a Command Post Exercise and Expert Academic Discussions (EAD) on carefully selected topics will be carried out. 
  • The scope of the Field Training Exercise includes validation of integrated battle groups, force multipliers, establishment and functioning of surveillance grids, validation of operational logistics, mountain warfare skills, casualty evacuation  and combat medical aid in adverse terrain and climatic conditions. 
  • The exercise will involve exchanges and practices on a wide spectrum of combat skills including combat engineering, employment of UAS/Counter UAS techniques and information operations. 
  • The exercise will facilitate both Armies to share their wide experiences, skills and enhance their techniques through information exchange.
  • The previous edition of the exercise was conducted at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson, Alaska (USA) in October 2021.

Stephanie Frappart will be the first woman referee at men’s’ FIFA World Cup

Stephanie Frappart will be the first woman to referee a men’s World Cup match after FIFA announced that she will take charge of the Group E match between Germany and Costa Rica. 

Frappart is one of three women referees among the 36 selected for the tournament in Qatar, alongside Rwandan official Salima Mukansanga and Japan’s Yoshimi Yamashita.

She was the first woman to referee in France’s Ligue 1 in 2019, the same year she took charge of the women’s World Cup final in her home country. 

She also officiated the 2019 Uefa Super Cup final between Liverpool and Chelsea, before refereeing the Champions League in 2020 and then the French Cup final last season.

India assumes United Nations Security Council Presidency for December 2022

India assumed the monthly presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the second time in its two-year tenure as an elected member of the Council in 2021-22. India had earlier assumed the Presidency in August 2021.

India has been a non-permanent member of the United Nations security council for 8 terms, with the most recent being the 2021-22 term. 

Key Points

  • India will hold a “high-level open debate” on “Maintenance of International Peace and Security: New Orientation for Reformed Multilateralism (NORMS)” at the Security Council. 
  • New Orientation for Reformed Multilateralism (NORMS) envisages reforms in the current multilateral architecture, with the UN at its centre, to make it more representative and fit for purpose. 
  • The other signature event planned is the high-level briefing on the theme “Threats to International Peace and Security Caused by Terrorist Acts: Global Approach to Counter Terrorism — Challenges and Way Forward”. 
  • This briefing intends to underscore the necessity of collective and coordinated efforts to combat the menace of terrorism.

About United Nations Security Council (UNSC)

  • The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) was established by the UN Charter in 1945.
  • It is one of the UN’s six main organs and is aimed at maintaining international peace and security. 
  • The Headquarters of the UNSC is located in New York City.
  • The Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly, on the recommendation of the Security Council.
  • It is composed of 15 members: 5 permanent and 10 non-permanent. 
  • Five permanent members: China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
  • The 10 non-permanent seats are distributed on a regional basis as follows: 
    1. Five for African and Asian States. 
    2. One for the Eastern European States. 
    3. Two for the Latin American and Caribbean States; 
    4. Two for Western European and other States

Maternal Mortality Ratio in India dips to 97 per lakh live births in 2018-20

According to the report released by the office of the Registrar General of India, The maternal Mortality Ratio in India has dropped from 130 per lakh live births in 2014-16 to 97 per lakh live births in 2018-20.

About Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) 

  • Maternal mortality in a region is a measure of the reproductive health of women in the area. 
  • According to the World Health Organization, “Maternal death is the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management but not from accidental or incidental causes”.
  • The maternal mortality ratio (MMR) is the number of maternal deaths during a specific time period per 100,000 live births during the same period.

Key Points

  • As per the statistics derived from Sample Registration System (SRS), the country has witnessed a progressive reduction in MMR from 130 in 2014-2016, 122 in 2015-17, 113 in 2016-18, 103 in 2017-19 and to 97 in 2018-20.
  • Upon achieving this, India has accomplished the National Health Policy (NHP) target for MMR of less than 100/lakh live births. 
  • Target 3.1 of the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations aims at reducing the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 1,00,000 live births during the same period.
  • According to the data, Assam has the highest MMR of 195, followed by Madhya Pradesh with an MMR of 173 and Uttar Pradesh with MMR of 167 per 1 lakh live births.
  • Kerala has the lowest MMR, followed by Maharashtra at 33 and Telangana at 43.