Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2024

Notes:
Odisha CM Mohan Majhi launched the Subhadra scheme, promising ₹50,000 to one crore women aged 21 to 60. The scheme has a total budget of ₹55,825 crore and will run from 2024-25 to 2028-29. Funds will be disbursed in five annual installments of ₹10,000, with two payments of ₹5,000 each. Payments will be made directly to beneficiaries’ Aadhaar-linked bank accounts. A Subhadra debit card will be issued, and incentives of ₹500 will be given to top digital transaction users in each gram panchayat and urban local body.

Notes:
Scientists detected the heaviest antimatter nucleus, anti-hyperhydrogen-4, at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) in New York. The discovery came from over 6 billion collision events at the particle accelerator. This finding could help understand why the universe is mostly matter, despite equal creation of matter and antimatter during the Big Bang. Antimatter is like ordinary matter but with opposite electric charges, often called “mirror matter.” Antimatter particles include positrons (positive electron counterparts), antiprotons, and antineutrons. Matter and antimatter annihilate each other on contact, releasing energy. Antimatter is created in particle accelerators and naturally occurs in the universe.

Notes:
The Ministry of Environment now requires exotic pets listed under Schedule IV of the Wildlife Act to be registered with state wildlife departments using the PARIVESH 2.0 portal within six months. Exotic species are animals or plants moved from their natural habitat to a new location, often by human actions. The Living Animal Species (Reporting and Registration) Rules, 2024, mandate registration for those possessing Schedule IV species. PARIVESH 2.0 is an online system developed for submitting and monitoring proposals related to environmental, forest, wildlife, and coastal clearances. It is developed by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. It provides a single-window solution for managing green clearances and ensuring compliance.

Notes:
The Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) held a consultation meeting on the Emergency Action Plan (EAP) for Tilaiya Dam, as part of the Dam Safety Act of 2021. The meeting, chaired by DVC Chairman S Suresh Kumar, included government officials, DVC representatives, and local community members. Tilaiya Dam, built on the Barakar River in Jharkhand, India, was constructed in 1953 as the first of four dams in DVC’s initial phase. The dam is 1,200 feet long and 99 feet high, with a reservoir covering 36 square kilometers. It has a hydroelectric plant with two 2 MW units, and a third unit may be added in the future.

Notes:
The Maharashtra government has declared 1,500 geoglyphs across 70 locations in Ratnagiri district as a ‘protected monument’. Geoglyphs are large designs drawn on the earth, typically using stones, gravel, or earth. They are often more than four meters long and best viewed from the sky. There are two types: positive geoglyphs, created by arranging materials on the ground, and negative geoglyphs, formed by removing part of the ground surface. Variations include arborglyphs, made by planting specific designs, and ‘chalk giants,’ carved into hillsides to expose bedrock.

Notes:
Mangaluru district jail started a nursery program where prisoners grow ornamental plants like croton, hibiscus, jasmine, and royal farm plants. The program, led by Superintendent B T Oblesappa, involves 30 inmates and aims to rehabilitate them by teaching valuable agricultural skills. It provides prisoners with a potential way to earn a living after release.
The initiative has been well-received locally, with strong demand for the saplings. It also helps increase government revenue. This program highlights a successful approach to prisoner rehabilitation and promoting self-sufficiency.

Notes:
Moscow hosted the 2nd Meeting of the Joint Russian-Indian Commission on Emergency Management on August 28, 2024. The Indian delegation was led by Nityanand Rai, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs. The Russian delegation was led by Kurenkov Aleksandr Vyacheslavovic, Minister for Civil Defence, Emergencies, and Disaster Management. Both countries agreed to continue sharing best practices and lessons in disaster management. They will also cooperate in emergency management during 2025-26. The first meeting of this Indo-Russian Joint Commission took place in New Delhi in 2016.

Notes:
Namibian cheetah Pawan was found dead in Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh. Pawan was the only free-ranging cheetah to have survived in Kuno. After Pawan’s death, Kuno National Park now has 24 cheetahs, including 12 adults and 12 cubs.
Project Cheetah, started in 2022, aims to reintroduce the cheetah, which was extinct in India. The cheetahs were brought from South Africa and Namibia. The project also focuses on conserving prey species and protecting other endangered species in grasslands and open forests.

Notes:
Gwalior hosted the third Regional Industry Conclave on August 28, 2024, to attract investments to Madhya Pradesh. The city’s strategic location at the intersection of three major national corridors—the North-South Corridor, the Agra-Mumbai Highway, and the East-West Corridor—made it an ideal venue. This positioning aimed to enhance the conclave’s success and positively impact the region’s industrial growth.

Notes:
The annual meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) started on August 26 in Nuku’alofa, Tonga. It was established in 1971. PIF is an intergovernmental organization with 18 member states in the Pacific region. Member countries include Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. The forum aims to boost economic growth, improve political governance, and enhance regional cooperation. Its vision is for a peaceful, secure, and prosperous Pacific region where all people can lead healthy lives. Decisions are made by consensus and implemented by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat. PIF members are working to raise funds for climate action, with the Pacific Resilience Facility currently $380 million short of its $500 million goal.