current affairs 17 December 2021

Uttarakhand’s Askot Wildlife Sanctuary declared Eco-Sensitive Zone.

• Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), An area of 454.65 square kilometer around the limits of Askot Wildlife Sanctuary in Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand has been declared as Askot Wildlife Sanctuary Eco-sensitive Zone (ESZ).
• The notified area extends from 0 to 22 km around Askot Wildlife Sanctuary.
• Askot Wildlife Sanctuary was established to protect the endangered major species of musk deer and its habitat.
• Askot Wildlife Sanctuary is also known as Musk Deer Park.

Odisha ties up with UNCDF to launch "Mission Shakti Living Lab".

• Odisha inked an agreement with the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) to launch Mission Shakti Living Lab for financial empowerment of women.
• A global center for financial health to launch Mission Shakti Living Lab to empower women financially and promote gender equality.
• With the use of digital technologies and e-commerce, it will increase the income and financial well-being of women, self-help groups (SHGs) and families, by helping them plan, save, borrow or spend better.
• It will remove barriers related to autonomy and financial independence of women.

Elon Musk is Time Magazine's Person of the Year for 2021.

• The prestigious Time magazine has named Tesla CEO Elon Musk as 2021 Person of the Year.
• In 2021, US-based electric-vehicle startup Tesla became a $1 trillion company as Musk became the world's richest person with an estimated net worth of around US$255 billion.
• Musk is also the founder and CEO of rocket company SpaceX, and leads brain-chip start-up Neuralink and infrastructure firm The Boring Company.

The 7th edition of India International Science Festival began in Panaji.

• The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Science and Technology, Dr. Jitendra Singh inaugurated the 7th edition of International Science Festival of India in Panaji, Goa.
• The theme of the 4-day science festival is Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav - Celebrating Creativity, Science, Technology and Innovation for a Prosperous India.
• The first India International Science Festival was held in 2015 at IIT Delhi.
• The main objective of Vigyan Mahotsav is to make use of innovations by the people and develop such technology which is affordable for the masses.

A Book titled "Pride, Prejudice and Punditry" by Dr Shashi Tharoor.

• Former Union Minister and Lok Sabha MP Dr. Shashi Tharoor's 23rd book Pride, Prejudice and Punditry was released in Hyderabad, Telangana.
• The book consists of ten sections, each devoted to a particular topic such as modern Indian history, Indian politics, etc.
• He has won the Sahitya Akademi Award for 2019, awarded to his book - An Era of Darkness.