Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2024

Notes:
The Ministry of Finance released a report titled The Indian Economy: A Review in January 2024. The report was released a few days before the Union Budget for 2024-25 was presented in Parliament on February 1. The Ministry of Finance is made up of five divisions: Economic Affairs, Revenue, Expenditures, Investment and Public Asset Management, and Financial Services.

Notes:
NTPC Green Energy Limited (NGEL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Maharashtra government for the development of green hydrogen and renewable energy. The MoU includes the development of green hydrogen and its derivatives, such as green ammonia and green methanol, with a capacity of up to 1 million tons per year. The MoU also includes the development of renewable energy projects and pumped storage projects of 2 GW.

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:
The German eROSITA consortium has released data from the first all-sky survey conducted by the eROSITA X-ray telescope on the Russian-German SRG observatory. eROSITA stands for extended ROentgen Survey with an Imaging Telescope Array and is the main instrument on the Russian spacecraft Spektrum-Roentgen-Gamma (SRG). Launched in July 2019, it maps the entire celestial sphere every six months, with eight surveys planned until December 2023. The survey aims to provide insights into various astrophysical phenomena, including supermassive black hole evolution and X-ray-emitting solar system bodies.

Notes:
Researchers have discovered a new frog species, Sphaerotheca varshaabhu, thriving in Bengaluru’s urban landscape. Named for its rain-loving behavior, the amphibian emerges from burrows during early showers. With unique characteristics, it adapts to urban challenges, displaying behaviors and physical attributes that set it apart. The team employed genetic analysis, morphological studies, and bioacoustics to confirm its distinctiveness from known frog species.

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, Union Minister Shri Pralhad Joshi launched the C-CARES web portal for the Coal Mines Provident Fund Organization (CMPFO). Developed by C-DAC, it aims to digitize records and streamline processes for 3.3 lakh Provident Fund subscribers and 6.1 lakh pensioners in the coal sector. The portal enables online settlement of claims, ensuring transparency, faster processing, and better record management. Aligned with the vision of Digital India, it signifies a significant leap towards efficient and transparent operations in the coal sector.

Notes:
The Karnataka Government, in partnership with AIGDF and NIMHANS, introduced the Digital Detox Initiative to address mental health challenges arising from excessive technology use. The initiative aims to promote responsible gaming, offering awareness programs, personalized guidance at Digital Detox centers, and community connection through workshops. It responds to issues like decreasing attention spans and strained real-world connections due to over reliance on electronic devices, emphasizing the need for a balanced approach to technology use for improved mental well-being.

Notes:
The theme for World Wetlands Day 2024 is “Wetlands and Human Wellbeing”. The theme highlights how wetlands and human life are interconnected, and how people gain sustenance, inspiration, and resilience from wetlands. World Wetlands Day is celebrated on February 2nd each year. It’s an international day that promotes the sustainable management and conservation of wetlands.

Notes:
Banaras Hindu University (BHU) inaugurates North India’s first human DNA bank, equipped with an Automated DNA Extractor Machine developed indigenously under the ‘Make in India’ initiative. Installed at the Gnyaneshwar Lab in the Zoology Department on January 30, 2024, the machine minimizes plastic usage, ensuring environmental sustainability. It efficiently extracts DNA from various biological materials, accommodating 32 samples in 30 minutes. The initiative stemmed from a three-day conference on Personalized Medicine held in March 2023, where BHU expressed readiness to establish a genome bank inspired by Estonia.