Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2024

Notes:
IIT Madras hosts the 6th Shaastra Rapid FIDE Rated Chess Tournament from March 30 to 31, 2024, in Chennai. It’s the sole IIT in India to conduct an annual Open Rapid Rating Tournament. Over 35 players from IIT Madras join, alongside international players from countries like Australia, England, America, and Singapore. Notable participants include six grandmasters, sixteen International Masters, three female grandmasters, and a Woman International Master.

Notes:
The Decision Support System (DSS) for Delhi’s air pollution, developed by IITM Pune, will resume in September with new features. It forecasts Delhi’s air quality and pollution sources, including emissions from Delhi and neighboring districts. It also assesses the impact of emission interventions and biomass burning. Now, it will extend to eight surrounding NCR districts. DSS, operational in winter, halted temporarily due to forecast discrepancies. It collaborates with SAFAR for comprehensive air quality data.

Notes:
The 56th National Kho Kho Championship 2023-24 saw Maharashtra dominating both men’s and women’s categories at Delhi’s Karnail Singh Stadium and Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. Maharashtra’s men’s team won against Indian Railways in a thrilling final, while the women’s team led by Sampada Maurya triumphed over Airport Authority of India. The championship featured 37 teams in each category, organized by the Kho Kho Federation of India.

Notes:
Deanna Syme Tewari, former Asian Games athlete and torchbearer at the 1982 Delhi edition, died in Dubai at 85. Representing Mysore State, she secured the long jump gold at the 1957 National Athletics Championship and 1958 National Games. She represented India at the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta. Deanna also served as the torchbearer for the 1982 Asian Games. Despite her athletic achievements, she eventually retired from the sport.

Notes:
Mirabai Chanu, Tokyo Olympics medallist, secures her spot at the Paris Olympics, making history as the sole Indian weightlifter to qualify. At the IWF World Cup in Phuket, Thailand, the 29-year-old Olympic silver medalist finished third in Group B of women’s 49kg, earning 11th place overall. After a six-month injury lay-off, Chanu lifted a total of 184kg at the event, solidifying her berth for the 2024 Paris Games.

Notes:
The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP) in Bengaluru unveils OptiDrop, a groundbreaking microfluidic chip-based platform. OptiDrop simplifies single-cell studies, cutting costs and enabling precise analysis within encapsulated droplets. Supported by BIRAC, DST, and MHRD, its features include live data visualization and a ‘closed’ system design. With applications spanning diagnostics, therapeutics, agriculture, and animal health, OptiDrop facilitates drug screening, water contamination monitoring, CAR-T cell sorting, CRISPR-modified cell selection, and single-cell genomics.

Notes:
International Mine Awareness Day, observed annually on April 4th, aims to raise awareness and eliminate landmines. The 2024 theme is “Protecting Lives, Building Peace.” Previously, in 2023, the focus was “Mine Action Cannot Wait.” Established by the UN General Assembly in 2005, it urges national mine-operation capabilities with UN support. The day highlights the dangers of landmines and strives for their eradication, emphasizing peace and safety worldwide.

Notes:
The indigenous wheat variety Kathiya Gehu from Bundelkhand, Uttar Pradesh, earns a Geographical Indication (GI) tag, marking a breakthrough for agricultural recognition. It’s the first farm produce from Uttar Pradesh to achieve this distinction, highlighting the region’s agricultural significance. The GI tag acknowledges the unique qualities and geographical origin of Kathiya Gehu, ensuring its protection and promoting its heritage. This recognition bolsters the cultural and economic value of Bundelkhand’s agricultural heritage.

Notes:
The Odisha government initiated the Rice Fallow Management Project, pioneering sustainable crop practices nationally. Targeting eight crops, including green gram and mustard, it promotes regenerative agriculture through eco-friendly inputs like bio-fertilizers and integrated pest management. Utilizing residual soil moisture post-rice harvest, it cultivates short-duration crops, enhancing land productivity and addressing the challenge of uncropped land in eastern India. This initiative signifies a crucial step towards sustainable crop intensification and ecosystem health.

Notes:
The United States and the United Kingdom have signed an agreement to collaborate on developing tests for advanced artificial intelligence (AI) models, following commitments made at the Bletchley Park AI Safety Summit. Bletchley Park, known as the birthplace of modern computing, will host the world’s first global AI summit in 2023. Both countries aim to share information on AI capabilities and risks, conduct joint testing exercises, and align approaches to deploying AI systems safely.