Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2024

Notes:
The Kosi-Mechi Link Project in Bihar aims to connect the Kosi and Mechi rivers to improve water resource management and irrigation. The Centre allocated Rs 11,500 crore for flood control in Bihar in the recent Budget session. The project will support irrigation for 215,000 hectares of agricultural land in the Mahananda river basin during the Kharif season. While it may offer some flood control benefits, the main focus is on enhancing irrigation.

Notes:
Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu launched the ‘Mukhyamantri Bal Paushtik Aahar Yojana’ to provide nutritious food to government schoolchildren. The scheme offers boiled eggs or fruits once a week to students from nursery to class eight. Fresh fruits will be locally sourced based on children’s preferences. It complements the existing mid-day meal scheme, covering 15,181 schools and 5,34,293 students. The state allocated Rs.12.75 crore for the scheme in 2024-25. The CM also launched a scheme to provide free tablets to primary school teachers to enhance digitalization in education.

Notes:
Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren launched the Jharkhand Mukhyamantri Maiyan Samman Yojana (JMMSY). Eligible women aged 21-50 from below poverty line families will receive Rs 1,000 monthly, totaling Rs 12,000 annually via Direct Benefit Transfer.
The state government has also decided to waive agriculture loans up to Rs 2 lakhs. Girls in government schools benefit from the Savitribai Phule Samridhi Yojana, and model schools are strengthening the education system. Loans at subsidized rates are provided under the Mukhyamantri Rojgar Srijan Yojana.

Notes:
A vaccine-derived polio case was confirmed in a two-year-old in Tikrikilla, Meghalaya. This is not wild poliovirus but occurs in individuals with low immunity. India has been polio-free since 2014, with the last wild poliovirus case in 2011. Vaccine-derived polio (VDPV) occurs when the weakened virus in the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) mutates in under-immunized populations. Since 2000, 24 VDPV outbreaks have occurred globally with fewer than 760 cases. WHO recommends multiple rounds of high-quality immunization campaigns to prevent VDPV transmission. Polio is a viral disease that can cause paralysis and death.

Notes:
The EU and India’s external affairs ministry are organizing a regional conference in New Delhi on August 21-22 to address online radicalization. The event, in collaboration with the Global Counter-Terrorism Council, will involve experts from India, Bangladesh, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Europe. The conference aims to enhance counter-terrorism partnerships and align with the EU’s Indo-Pacific strategy. Expected outcomes include strategies to tackle the challenges of technology and terrorism and explore collaboration opportunities to combat violent extremism online.

Notes:
Similipal Tiger Reserve in Odisha will grow bamboo grass in the National Park. It is located in Mayurbhanj District, Odisha. It covers 2,750 sq km and features waterfalls like Joranda and Barehipani. It was designated as a tiger reserve in 1973 and a wildlife sanctuary in 1979. In 1980, 303 sq km was proposed as a National Park, and in 2009, UNESCO added it to its Biosphere Reserves list. The reserve is part of the Mayurbhanj Elephant Reserve and features hilly terrain with diverse vegetation, mainly Northern tropical moist deciduous forests and semi-evergreen patches.

Notes:
Malaysia has launched “Orangutan Diplomacy” to address sustainability concerns about palm oil-linked deforestation affecting orangutans. Orangutans are the largest tree-dwelling mammals, known for their red fur and spending over 90% of their time in trees. They are highly intelligent and share 4% of their genes with humans. Orangutans are found on the Indonesian island of Sumatra and in the Malaysian and Indonesian parts of Borneo. Their habitat ranges from lowland peat swamp forests to mountainous regions. There are three species: Bornean, Sumatran, and Tapanuli orangutans.

Notes:
India launched its first survey of high-risk glacial lakes in Tawang and Dibang Valley, Arunachal Pradesh. The initiative follows a glacial lake outburst flood in Sikkim’s South Lhonak lake last October. It is led by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). It is part of the National Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) Mission. The survey aims to assess risks and feasibility for early warning systems and other preventive measures. It will evaluate lake accessibility, geo coordinates, boundaries, elevation, and land use patterns to install early warning systems and weather stations.

Notes:
The Ministry of External Affairs denied that floods in eastern Bangladesh were due to the opening of the Dumbur dam in Tripura on the Gumti river. The Gumti River is a transboundary river starting from a range in Tripura, India. The river flows through Bangladesh and joins the Meghna river system near Daudkandi.

Notes:
ICGS Sujay, an Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) of the Indian Coast Guard, recently visited Jakarta, Indonesia. It is stationed in Paradip, Odisha, under the Coast Guard Region (North-East) command and frequently deployed for various missions. The 105-meter vessel is equipped with a 30mm CRN 91 gun, advanced navigation, communication systems, and sensors. The ship is designed for extended deployment in maritime zones, conducting missions like surveillance, search and rescue, and law enforcement.