Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2024

Notes:
During the 79th session of the UN General Assembly, Bhutan’s Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay expressed strong support for India’s bid for a permanent seat in a reformed UN Security Council. He emphasized India’s significant economic growth and leadership within the Global South as deserving of this status. Bhutan, which recently graduated from the Least Developed Countries (LDC) category, highlighted the need for a more representative and effective Security Council to reflect current global realities.

Notes:
Jordan has become the first country globally to eliminate leprosy, with the World Health Organisation confirming this milestone. This success is attributed to extensive public health campaigns, early detection initiatives, and free treatment programs. Community education played a crucial role in raising awareness and preventing the spread of this historically significant disease. Despite this achievement, Jordanian health officials emphasize the need for ongoing monitoring to avert potential future outbreaks of leprosy.

Notes:
Two people died due to a boundary wall collapse near Mahakal Temple in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, following heavy rainfall.
The Mahakaleshwar Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and located on the banks of the Shipra River in Ujjain. It is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas and dates back to at least the 6th century BC, though it was reconstructed in the 18th century.
The five-storied temple features architecture influenced by Chalukya, Maratha, and Bhumija styles. The temple houses sculptures of Lord Shiva, Ganesh, Parvati, and Karttikeya and includes a tank built in sarvatobhadra style.

Notes:
Gulveer Singh, a 26-year-old Indian athlete, won gold in the 5,000m race at the World Athletics Continental Tour in Japan. He set a new national record of 13 minutes and 11.82 seconds, breaking his earlier record of 13 minutes and 18.92 seconds. Earlier in March, he set the 10,000m national record in California with a time of 27 minutes and 41.81 seconds.
His effort broke Surender Singh’s 16-year-old record. Despite his achievements, Gulveer missed the Paris Olympic qualification time by over 41 seconds.

Notes:
Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka signed an MoU to deploy trained elephants (Kumki) to control elephant issues in AP. The MoU includes elephant capture, mahout training, and knowledge sharing on tranquillising and capturing. Karnataka has transferred 62 Kumki elephants to states like Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. Kumkis are trained Asian elephants used to manage wild elephants, including rescuing and patrolling. India has 60% of the world’s Asian elephants, with 27,312 elephants and 138 corridors. Elephants have a 22-month gestation period, the longest of any land animal. Asian elephants are classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List.

Notes:
Uttar Pradesh will establish three new medical colleges in Baghpat, Hathras, and Kasganj, adding 300 MBBS seats through a public-private partnership (PPP) and the Central government’s Viability Gap Funding (VGF) scheme. This expansion is part of a broader effort to enhance medical infrastructure in the state, increasing the total number of medical colleges from 39 in 2017 to 78. Since 2017, Uttar Pradesh has experienced a 108% rise in MBBS seats and a 181% increase in postgraduate medical seats.

Notes:
Swiss police arrested four people linked to the death of a 64-year-old American woman who used a “suicide pod” called Sarco on September 23, 2024. Euthanasia involves a doctor administering a lethal drug, while assisted dying allows individuals to self-administer a lethal substance with medical support. The Sarco Pod, euthanasia device, created by Dr. Philip Nitschke, is designed for peaceful and controlled assisted suicide. It promotes “death with dignity,” but its legal status varies by location. The pod is portable, enabling individuals to end their lives autonomously without medical help.

Notes:
The National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans Tracker shows that only 10% of countries meet their biodiversity commitments before COP16. This tool, created by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF), helps monitor progress on National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAPs) aligned with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Its goal is to make biodiversity policies clear and accessible, promoting transparency and accountability. NBSAPs serve as essential guides for countries to address biodiversity loss, mobilize action, and secure funding for ecosystem restoration and wildlife protection.

Notes:
Biologists and the public are responding to reports of stranded manatees in Florida following Hurricane Helene. Manatees are aquatic mammals that belong to the Sirenia group, which also includes dugongs. They have paddle-shaped tails, while dugongs have fluked tails resembling those of whales. Manatees live in shallow coastal areas and rivers. There are three species of manatees: the Amazonian manatee, which lives only in freshwater; the African manatee, found in tropical West Africa; and the Caribbean manatee, located in Florida and the West Indies.

Notes:
The Prime Minister’s Internship Scheme was recently launched to improve youth employability in India by giving practical experience in business environments. It aims to offer internships to one crore youth in the top 500 companies over five years. The Ministry of Corporate Affairs will oversee the pilot project via an online portal. Interns will receive a ₹4,500 monthly stipend from the government, plus ₹500 from companies through CSR. A one-time grant of ₹6,000 and insurance under PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and PM Suraksha Bima Yojana will also be provided.