Daily Current Affairs Quiz 19 December 2022

a) Ireland

Leo Varadkar becomes Ireland’s Prime Minister for the second time. Even though he is in his second term, he remains one of Ireland’s youngest leaders. Varadkar’s Fine Gael and current Prime Minister Micheal Martin’s Fianna Fail party agreed to the rotational premiership as part of a partnership with Ireland’s Greens following the 2020 elections.

d) European Union

The European Union adopted a plan for a global minimum 15 percent tax on multinational businesses, after leaders gave final approval.
The historic agreement between nearly 140 countries is intended to stop governments racing to cut taxes to draw in the world’s richest firms to their territory. The plan was drawn up under the guidance of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

b) 2 only

India has launched the ‘Group of Friends’
The ‘Group of friends’ was launched during India’s current presidency of the U.N. Security Council.

Co-chairs of the ‘Group of Friends’ – India, Bangladesh, Egypt, France, Morocco and Nepal. Hence, statement 1 is incorrect.

Aim – To Promote Accountability for Crimes against Peacekeepers, seek facilitation of capacity building and technical assistance to the host state authorities. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

Recently, India has launched the ‘Group of Friends’ to promote accountability for crimes against peacekeepers.

c) Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi has been awarded the Golden Ball reward in FIFA World Cup 2022. The 2022 World Cup marks Argentina’s third-ever victory and the first after 1986. Messi gets his hand on the coveted trophy and the whole Aegebtina camp is in a celebratory mood.

b) 1 and 3 only

Economic Advisory Council to Prime Minister (EAC-PM) will release the Social Progress Index (SPI) for states and districts of India on December 20, 2022. The report has been prepared by Institute for Competitiveness, and the Social Progress Imperative and was mandated by Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

SPI assesses the performance of states and districts on three dimensions of social progress: Basic Human Needs, Foundations of Wellbeing, and Opportunity. Within each dimension, there are four components. The dimension of Basic Human Needs assesses the performance of states and districts in terms of Nutrition and Basic Medical Care, Water and Sanitation, Personal Safety and Shelter. The dimension of Foundations of Wellbeing evaluates the progress made by the country across the components of Access to Basic Knowledge, Access to Information and Communication, Health and Wellness, and Environmental Quality. The dimension of Opportunity focuses on aspects of Personal Rights, Personal Freedom and Choice, Inclusiveness, and Access to Advanced Education. Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.

A special section of the report provides an analysis of the Aspirational Districts of India, leading to a broader understanding of the social progress at the grassroots level. The report will act as a critical enabler and tool for policymakers in the coming years for achieving sustained socio-economic growth. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

EAC-PM to release the Social Progress Index (SPI) for states and districts.