Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2024

Notes:
Radha Raturi, a senior IAS officer of the 1988 batch, has been appointed as the first woman chief secretary of Uttarakhand. She replaces Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and is the first woman to hold this top administrative post in the state. Raturi has an extensive administrative career, having served in undivided Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Initially aspiring to be a journalist, she eventually joined the IAS, succeeding in her third attempt at the UPSC exam.

Notes:
Shumang Leela, a traditional Manipuri theatre form, faces challenges due to ethnic violence, impacting its artists and jeopardizing the state’s cultural richness. Originating as a comic genre for royalty, it has evolved into a powerful medium for mass education and entertainment. In this unique theatre, male actors portray female roles (Nupi Shabis), and transgender actors take on female characters. The plays aim to educate the public on social, political, and economic issues, with two types – Nupa Shumang Leela (performed only by men) and Nupi Shumang Leela (performed only by women).

Notes:
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus won the 2024 Australian Open women’s singles title. Sabalenka defeated China’s Zheng Qinwen 6–3, 6–2 to win her second consecutive Grand Slam title. Sabalenka is the first woman to win back-to-back Australian Open titles since Victoria Azarenka in 2012 and 2013.

Notes:
The Defence Budget for the Financial Year 2024-25 has reached Rs 6,21,540.85 crore, constituting 13.04% of the total Union Budget. Finance Minister Smt Nirmala Sitharaman presented this budget with a focus on self-reliance and exports. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) received the highest allocation, marking an 18.35% increase from FY 2022-23. Capital accounts for 27.67%, revenue for 14.82%, pay and allowances for 30.68%, defence pensions for 22.72%, and civil organizations under MoD for 4.11%.

Notes:
China has imposed a ban on the import of ruminants and related products from Iraq due to a bluetongue disease outbreak. Bluetongue is a non-contagious viral disease affecting domestic and wild ruminants, transmitted by insects’ particularly biting species of Culicoides midges. The virus belongs to the Reoviridae family with 24 identified serotypes. Symptoms vary, but sheep are most severely affected. The disease is globally distributed in regions where the insect vector thrives, posing a threat to various species with transmission facilitated by the infected vector.

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:
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:
The formal launch of India’s Unified Payment Interface (UPI) occurred during Republic Day celebrations in Paris, with French President Emmanuel Macron present. The Indian Embassy introduced UPI at the Eiffel Tower, marking its global expansion. Developed by the National Payments Corporation of India in 2016, UPI consolidates multiple bank accounts into a single mobile application, offering a convenient system for managing diverse accounts on one platform.

Notes:
Cameroon recently adopted the Nagoya Protocol, a global agreement enforcing access and benefit-sharing obligations outlined in the Convention on Biological Diversity. Adopted in 2010 and effective since 2014, the Protocol establishes a legal framework facilitating fair and equitable sharing of benefits from genetic resource utilization. It supports biodiversity-based research, ensuring researchers access resources for biotechnology while indigenous communities receive fair returns, respecting the value of traditional knowledge linked to genetic resources.

Notes:
Fitch Ratings predicts India’s fiscal deficit will reach 5.4% in 2025-2026 (FY25-2026), which is higher than the government’s 5.1% target. Fitch’s prediction is due to more conservative revenue forecasts for FY25. Fitch also expects the central government’s fiscal deficit to be 5.4% in FY25, and the aggregate state deficit to remain around 2.8% of GDP. Fitch says that the slow pace of fiscal consolidation after the pandemic could leave India’s public finances exposed if there are major economic shocks.