Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2024

Notes:
India hosts the 32nd International Conference of Agricultural Economists at the Pusa Institute, New Delhi, from 2 to 7 August 2024, after 66 years since it last hosted in 1958. The conference, held every three years, is organized by the International Association of Agricultural Economists in collaboration with various Indian and international agricultural and economic organizations.

Notes:
Indian Army launched the E-SeHAT module, enabling tele-consultation for Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) beneficiaries from home. The pilot project started at 12 ECHS Polyclinics, including remote areas like Baramulla and Imphal. The initiative, aligned with Digital India’s vision, aims to provide safe video-based medical consultations and will expand nationwide in November 2024. Future phases include pre-consultation checks, medicine delivery, and hospital referrals.

Notes:
Indian badminton star Ashwini Ponnappa emotionally retired from the Olympic stage after her early exit at the Paris 2024 Games. Partnering with Tanisha Crasto, they lost their final match to Australia’s Setyana Mapasa and Angela Yu, ending their campaign with three consecutive losses. Ashwini, a three-time Olympian, is celebrated for her achievements with Jwala Gutta, including gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and bronze at the World Championships in 2011.

Notes:
PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development), a unit within NCERT established in 2023, has recommended including student performance from Classes 9, 10, and 11 in the final Class 12 marks. Its goal is to standardize school board assessments across India, focusing on competency-based assessment, large-scale surveys, and equivalence of school boards. The unit, staffed by assessment experts, aims to align with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and create a common assessment platform.

Notes:
The Tech Leaders Forum of India (TELFI) was launched at the World Education Conference 2024 in Dubai, hosted by Federation of Economic Development Association (FEDA). TELFI aims to empower engineers with resources, knowledge, and networking opportunities through webinars, workshops, and training. Dr. E. Syed Mohamed, President of TELFI, emphasized its role in fostering innovation and professional growth in India’s engineering sector. The conference featured over 150 attendees from diverse academic fields.

Notes:
The Assam government is planning a grand Jhumur dance performance with 8,000 tea tribe artists. Jhumur is a traditional dance of Assam’s tea tribes, performed during autumn. It features young girls dancing in fields or under trees, with male members playing instruments like the Madal drum, flute, and Taals. The dance depicts daily life, joys, sorrows, and aspirations, and serves as recreation, ritual worship, courting, and prayer for rain.

Notes:
Lieutenant General Sadhna Saxena Nair became the first woman to lead the Indian Army’s Medical Services on August 1, 2024. A third-generation armed forces member, she graduated from the Armed Forces Medical College and joined the Army Medical Corps in 1985. She previously served as Director General of Hospital Services and has received numerous honors, including the Vishisht Seva Medal and commendations from top Air Force officials.

Notes:
Scientists discovered a new loach species, Schistura sonarengaensis, in Meghalaya’s South Garo Hills near the Bangladesh border. This freshwater, bottom-dwelling fish was found in three cave-dwelling populations. It has prominent eyes and 13-26 black blotches on a greyish-black stripe over a pale body. Unlike typical cave species, it retains eyes and has reduced pigmentation. It differs from other Schistura species in the region, except for Schistura syngkai.

Notes:
NITI Aayog’s report, “Strategy for the development of Seaweed Value Chain,” highlights the importance of seaweeds, marine plants thriving in water bodies, cultivated in aquaculture. The fishing and aquaculture sector contributes 1.5% to India’s GDP. Seaweed farming has economic significance for bioactive compounds in food and pharmaceuticals, environmental benefits in carbon sequestration and climate resilience, and nutritional value with essential minerals and vitamins.

Notes:
Kerala Police asked people to avoid dark tourism in Wayanad as it could disrupt rescue efforts. Dark tourism, also known as black tourism or grief tourism, involves visiting places associated with death, suffering, or tragedy, such as cemeteries, disaster zones, and battlefields. Defined by John Lennon and Malcolm Foley, it represents inhuman acts for visitors. Notable sites include Auschwitz, Chernobyl, Ground Zero, and Hiroshima. Dark tourism is controversial, with mixed views on its ethics.