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 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.

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 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.

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.