Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2024

Notes:
Alzheimer’s disease is a prevalent brain condition, responsible for 60-80% of dementia cases, affecting memory, thinking, and daily activities. Recent studies suggest rare medical accidents can transmit the disease between humans. Typically impacting those aged 65 and older, with unknown exact causes, it involves genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. Symptoms range from forgetting recent events to serious memory loss, and while there’s no cure, certain medications and therapies can temporarily manage the symptoms.

Notes:
India has proposed the “Maratha Military Landscapes of India” for UNESCO World Heritage List recognition in 2024-25. Developed between the 17th and 19th centuries, these military landscapes showcase an exceptional fortification system envisioned by Maratha rulers. The network of forts, spanning the Sahyadri mountain ranges, Konkan Coast, Deccan Plateau, and Eastern Ghats, integrates distinctive landscapes. Notable components include Salher fort, Shivneri fort, Raigad, Vijaydurg, and others. The Maratha Military ideology, dating from the 17th century, continued until Peshwa rule in 1818 CE.

Notes:
The mascot for the 2024 Khelo India Winter Games is the snow leopard, named “Sheen-e She” or “Shan” in the Ladakh region. The mascot was chosen to reflect the region’s biodiversity and tradition. The games will be held in Ladakh from February 2–6, and in Gulmarg, Jammu and Kashmir from February 21–25. The mascot symbolizes the spirit of the games and highlights the need to conserve this endangered species.

Notes:
Sports Development and Youth Welfare Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin announced the ‘Kalaignar Sports Kit’ initiative, distributing sports equipment in 12,000 village panchayats to commemorate M. Karunanidhi’s birth centenary. The scheme begins on February 7 in Tiruchi, Tamil Nadu and aims to support young athletes. Udhayanidhi emphasized the government’s commitment to promoting sports, paralleling the provision of books for education. He praised Khelo India 2023 for identifying and nurturing over 5,400 talented athletes across various disciplines, enhancing India’s international competitiveness.

Notes:
Maharashtra topped the medal tally at the 2023 Khelo India Youth Games with 158 medals. The host state, Tamil Nadu, finished second with 98 medals. Haryana came in third. Maharashtra’s medal count included 57 gold, 48 silver, and 53 bronze medals. Tamil Nadu’s medal count included 38 gold, 21 silver, and 39 bronze medals.

Notes:
Recently, Mesolithic rock paintings were unearthed at Sitamma Loddi, Gattusingaram, in Telangana’s Peddapalli district. Discovered on a hillock in a dense forest, the paintings adorned a 1,000-foot-long, 50-foot-high sandstone rock shelter. The Mesolithic, or Middle Stone Age, bridged the gap between the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods, spanning approximately 12,000-10,000 years ago. Notable for the transition from large chipped stone tools to microliths, small tools affixed to bone or wood handles for making implements like saws and sickles, it marked a pivotal era in human cultural development.

Notes:
Tamil Nadu leads India in environmental conservation with 16 Ramsar sites, the highest nationwide. The recent additions, Longwood Shola Reserve Forest and Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary, underscore the state’s commitment to ecological preservation. Ramsar sites, designated under an international treaty, highlight the ecological importance, biodiversity richness, and their crucial role in supporting human life and environmental health. Tamil Nadu’s achievement reflects a robust strategy for sustainable wetland use and underscores the government’s dedication to biodiversity protection.

Notes:
The budget allocation for Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 in 2023-24 is ₹25,449 crore, which is a 6%, increase from the revised estimates of ₹23,913 crore for 2022-23. In 2024, the budget estimate is ₹20,554 crore, which is 1.4% higher than the revised allocation of ₹20,263 crore for 2023. Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 is a part of the Mission Poshan 2.0, which was launched in February 2021 by Finance Minister. The Ministry of Women and Child Development is responsible for implementing this scheme.

Notes:
The GHAR (Go Home and Re-Unite) Portal, developed by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), facilitates the digital monitoring and repatriation of children under the Juvenile Justice Act. It expedites repatriation by tracking cases, transferring them to relevant authorities, and facilitating communication with State Governments for translators or experts. Child Welfare Committees use the portal’s checklist to identify children in need, linking them to government schemes for family strengthening during restoration.

Notes:
A potent atmospheric river storm approached at Southern California, posing a severe threat of life-threatening floods and landslides. Atmospheric rivers, responsible for 90% of moisture movement from tropics to poles, act as Earth’s largest freshwater transport. Formed by aligned weather patterns, they include well-known ones like the Pineapple Express. The impending storm highlights the risks posed by these intense moisture channels.