5 December 2022

1.) In which Indian state International Lusophone Festival has been organized ?

a) Telangana

b) Tamil Nadu

c) Gujarat

d) Goa

Answer : Goa

Explanation : Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in partnership with Indian Council of Cultural
Relations (ICCR) and the Goa government will organize the International Lusophone Festival in Goa
from 3-6 December. It will be inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Goa, Pramod Sawant at Durbar
Hall in Raj Bhavan. Minister of State for External Affairs, Meenakshi Lekhi will be the Guest of
Honour. AIR correspondent reports that Lusophones are people that speak Portuguese as a native or
as a common second language.

The festival seeks to further India’s connect with the Lusophone world. Goa has had historical
linkages with the Lusophone world, which has been nurtured through the presence of Portuguese
cultural institutions like the Orient Foundation and the Camoes Institute which promote Portuguese
language and culture in India.

2.) Tribal Dance festival and ‘rajyotsav’ has been organized in which state ? – Chhattisgarh

3.) In which city Ganga Utsav river festival has been celebrated ? – Delhi
4.) Who has recently honoured with the Emissary of Peace award ?

a) Sadhguru

b) Ravi Shankar

c) Bikram Choudhury

d) Gurumayi Chidvilasananda

Answer : Ravi Shankar

Explanation : Indian Spiritual leader and global humanitarian Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was bestowed with
the prestigious “The Emissary of Peace” award by the National Civil Rights Museum in the US city of
Memphis.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, 66, addressed by followers with honorifics such as Sri Sri and Gurudev, is the
founder of the Art of Living, a volunteer-based, non-governmental organization that offers stress-
elimination and self-development programs based on breathing techniques, meditation and yoga.

He arrived in Memphis on Monday as part of his “I Stand for Peace” tour.“On behalf of the National
Civil Rights Museum, it is our greatest pleasure and privilege to present to Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi
Shankar ‘The Emissary of Peace’ award’

The Indian spiritual leader was presented the award during his global “I Stand for Peace” campaign
which arrived in the Mid-South early this week, according to a press release issued by Arts of Living.

“I Stand for Peace” event in Memphis was attended by over thousands of people affirmed their
commitment to inner and outer peace.

5.) Whose Prime minister has honoured Edward M. Kennedy with ‘Friends of Liberation war’ ? –
Bangladesh

6.) Which state’s government ‘Laxmi Bhandar’ scheme has been given ‘the Scotch’ award ? – West
Bengal
7.) The 12th Edition of Exercise Agni Warrior, a bilateral exercise between the Singapore & Indian
Army, culminated at Field Firing Ranges, Maharashtra.

A) What is Exercise Agni Warrior?

 Exercise Agni Warrior, involved

showcasing joint firepower planning,
execution and use of New Generation
Equipment by the Artillery arm of both
armies.
 Exercise also included participation by
both sides in a joint computer war-game
as part of joint planning process.
 Expert academic discussions were
conducted on modern trends in Artillery
and refinement of the Artillery planning
process.
 The exercise achieved its aim of
enhancing mutual understanding of drills
& procedures and improving
interoperability between the two armies.

B) What are the Other Exercises between India and Singapore?

 Bold Kurukshetra (Army)

 Joint Military Training (Air Force)
 Trilateral Maritime Exercise SIMTEX (With Thailand).

8.) Recently, geologists have suggested to protect the site of Coastal Red Sand Dunes, of
Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

A) What are the Key Points of the Sites?

 About:
o The Coastal Red Sand Dunes is also known as ‘Erra Matti Dibbalu’. It is one of the many
sites of Visakhapatnam, which have geological importance.
o The site is located along the coast and is about 20 km north-east of Visakhapatnam
city and about 4 km south-west of Bheemunipatnam.
o This site was declared as a geo-heritage site by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) in
2014 and the Andhra Pradesh government has listed it under the category of ‘protected
sites’ in 2016.
 Distribution:
o Such sand deposits are rare and have been reported only from three places in the
tropical regions in south Asia such as Teri Sands in Tamil Nadu, Erra Matti Dibbalu in
Visakhapatnam and one more site in Sri Lanka.
o They do not occur in equatorial regions or temperate regions due to many scientific
reasons.
B) What is the Uniqueness of these Sediments?

 Continuous Evolution:
o The red sediments are a part of the continuation of the evolution of the earth and
represent the late quaternary geologic age.
 The Quaternary Period is a period on the Geologic Time Scale that's known mainly
for the spread of humanity and climate change. This period runs from about 2.6
million years ago to the Present Day.
 Different Geomorphic Features:
o With a height of up to 30 m, they exhibit badland topography with different geomorphic
landforms and features, including gullies, sand dunes, buried channels, beach ridges,
paired terraces, the valley in the valley, wave-cut terrace, knick point and waterfalls.
 Badland topography is a dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich
soils have been extensively eroded by wind and water.
 Geochemically Unaltered:
o The top light-yellow sand unit, which is estimated to have been deposited around 3,000
years ago, could not attain the red colouration as the sediments were geochemically
unaltered.
o These sediments are unfossiliferous (not containing fossils) and deposited over the
khondalite basement.
 Khondalite is a regional rock with high-grade metamorphism and granulite rock
formation. It was named after the Khond tribe of Odisha.
C) What is the Significance of Protecting this Site?

 It is significant to protect this site, because its study can help understand the impact of climate
change, as Erra Matti Dibbalu has seen both the glacial and the warm periods.
 The site is about 18,500 to 20,000 years old and it can be related to the last glacial period.
 It is a lively scientific evolution site, which depicts the real-time effects of climate change.
o About 18,500 years ago, the sea (Bay of Bengal) was at least 5 km behind from the
present coastline. Since then, it has been undergoing continuous active changes till
about 3,000 years ago and still the changes are on.
 The site also has archaeological significance, as studies of artifacts indicate an Upper
Palaeolithic horizon and on cross dating assigned to Late Pleistocene epoch, which is 20,000
BC.
 The site was home to the pre-historic man as the excavations at several places in the region
revealed stone implements of three distinctive periods and also the pottery of the Neolithic
man.
9.) Which Para athlete has been given the ‘Para Sports Person of the year’ award ?
a) Devendra Jhajharia
b) Deepa Malik
c) Avni Lekhara
d) Bhavina Patel
Answer : Avni Lekhara
Explanation : At the Turf 2022 and India Sports Awards of Federation of Indian Chambers of
Commerce & Industry (FICCI), former Ranji cricketer Sarkar Talwar was honoured with
the Lifetime Achievement of the Year award. Talwar, the Director-Sports, Manav Rachna
Education Institutions, is also the recipient of the Dronacharya Lifetime Award, given by the
President of India. Apart from Talwar, Avani Lekhara, who won two medals at the Tokyo 2020
Paralympics, was recognized as the Para Sports Person of the Year, while Shrey Kadyan was
recognized as the Special Sportsperson of the Year. Best Male Coach to R.B. Ramesh and Best
Female Coach to Nonita Lal Qureshi.
For his contribution to sports journalism, Rakesh Rao, Deputy Editor (Sports) of The Hindu, was
presented the Special Recognition Award by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and
Industry (FICCI), at the FICCI India Sports Awards 2022 held at Federation House.

10.) To whom Dr. C. Narayana Reddy National Literacy award has been given to ? – Pratibha Ray
11.) Under the Swachh Survekshan Gramin 2022, which state has won the first prize in the
category of large states ? – Telangana
12.) Where has the ICG Advanced Light Helicopter MKIII been commissioned recently ?
a) Ambala
b) Mumbai
c) Jodhpur
d) Chennai
Answer : Chennai

Explanation : In a major boost to further strengthening the Coast Guard Region East, 840 Sqn (CG),
an Indian Coast Guard Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Mk-III squadron, was commissioned by DG
VS Pathania at ICG Air Station, Chennai, said the Ministry of Defence in a release.
The commissioning of 840 Sqn (CG) is indicative of the leap towards self-reliance in the field of
helicopter manufacturing, in line with the government’s vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’. “It will
provide a major fillip to the abilities of Indian Coast Guard in the security sensitive waters off Tamil
Nadu and Andhra region," the ministry added.
The ALH Mk-III helicopters, indigenously manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL),
features state-of-the-art equipment including advanced RADAR as well as Electro optical sensors,
Shakti engines, full glass cockpit, high-intensity search light, advanced communication systems,
automatic identification system as well as search-and-rescue homer.

13.) India’s first private rocket will be launched from which rocket station ? – Satish Dhawan
14.) Space centre (SriHarikota) in which city the country’s first double decker highway has been
announced ? - Noida