Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2024

Notes:
The Kilkari program, launched by the Union Ministers of State for Health and Family Welfare, is an m-health initiative for Gujarat and Maharashtra. It provides centralized IVR-based mobile health services, offering 72 free, weekly audio messages on pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare to registered women. Hosted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Kilkari requires no additional investment from states/UTs and is integrated with the centralized RCH portal, presently implemented in 18 states/UTs.

Notes:
Michelle O’Neill, a member of Sinn Féin, became the first Irish nationalist first minister of Northern Ireland. O’Neill’s appointment came after the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) agreed to a new deal with the British government on post-Brexit trade rules. The DUP’s Emma Little-Pengelly is the deputy first minister. Northern Ireland’s government is a result of the 1998 Good Friday peace accord, which equally shares power between the two main communities in the region. These communities are British unionists who want to remain in the U.K., and Irish nationalists who want to unite with Ireland.

Notes:
The Quality Council of India (QCI) and Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) launched the DigiReady Certification (DRC) portal on February 8, 2024. The portal is an online self-assessment tool that helps small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) determine how well-equipped they are to join the ONDC platform as vendors. The DRC portal is a strategic move to boost digital inclusion in the MSME sector. The MSME sector plays a key role in creating employment opportunities and reducing regional imbalances.

Notes:
The President of India will inaugurate Aadi Mahotsav 2024, the annual National Tribal Festival at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi. Organized by TRIFED under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, the event highlights India’s tribal heritage, showcasing talent, craftsmanship, and cultural diversity. With 300 stalls, the festival promotes tribal art, handicrafts, natural produce, and cuisine, fostering interaction and contributing to the empowerment of tribal communities.

Notes:
Recent Maoist-securities clash occurred in Sunabeda Wildlife Sanctuary, located in Odisha’s Nuapada district. Established in 1983, the sanctuary spans 600 sq kms, adjacent to Chhattisgarh’s Sitanadi and Udanti sanctuaries. Featuring diverse habitats like plateaus, canyons, and waterfalls, it serves as Jonk River’s catchment area. Dry deciduous tropical forests house various flora such as Bija, Teak, and fauna including Barasingha, tigers, leopards, and serves as a migration link for rare wild buffaloes between Orissa and Chhattisgarh.

Notes:
Astronomers at Nanjing University, China, using the world’s largest single-dish radio telescope, FAST, detected a radio pulsar in CTB 87 supernova remnant. FAST, located in Guizhou, has a receiving area equivalent to 30 football fields and aims to maintain its world-class status for 20-30 years. Its goals include detecting neutral hydrogen at the universe’s edge, reconstructing early universe images, discovering pulsars, participating in gravitational wave detection, and contributing to the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

Notes:
NASA and SpaceX rescheduled the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, and ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission launch due to weather delays. The mission, exploring ocean-atmosphere connections amid climate change, aims to understand the impact of microscopic life in water and air. PACE will monitor carbon dioxide exchange, atmospheric variables, and ocean health through phytoplankton study. The mission’s aerosol products will aid health advisories for phenomena like wildfires and monitor harmful algae blooms. Scientists express excitement for groundbreaking insights, emphasizing PACE’s significance in advancing Earth system understanding.

Notes:
Australia won the 2024 ICC Under-19 World Cup by defeating India by 79 runs in the final match on February 11, 2024 at Willowmoore Park, Benoni, South Africa. This is Australia’s fourth ICC Under-19 World Cup victory, and the third consecutive time they defeat India in the final. The 2024 Under-19 Cricket World Cup ran from January 19 to February 11, 2024, and used a limited-overs (50 overs) format.

Notes:
World Unani Day is celebrated annually on February 11. The day commemorates the birth anniversary of Hakim Ajmal Khan, a social reformer and Unani scholar. Khan is known for bringing Unani medicine to India and was a founder of Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi. The theme for World Unani Day 2024 is “Unani Medicine for One Earth, One Health”

Notes:
Former Indian cricket captain Dattajiro Krishnarao Gaekwad, aged 95, passed away, making him the oldest living Indian cricketer before his demise. Gaekwad led the Baroda cricket team to victory in the Ranji Trophy during the 1957–58, leaving a significant mark on the sport.