Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2024

Notes:
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu led the ‘Sarkar Gaon Ke Dwar’ initiative at Amb-Pathiyar, Jawalamukhi assembly constituency. Engaging with locals, he addressed concerns and made transformative announcements, including the establishment of a Block Development Officer office in Surani, a Jal Shakti department division in Jawalamukhi, and a subdivision in Majheen, aiming to propel the region’s development.

Notes:
The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology is pioneering India’s Earth System Model, an open-source software merging atmosphere, ocean, land, ice, and biosphere interactions. It utilizes numerical weather prediction and data assimilation for precise climate change forecasts. Collaborating with the Centre for Climate Change Research, the project aims to enhance climate forecasts, support long-term studies, and predict impacts. Funded with ₹192.28 crores under the Monsoon Convection, Clouds and Climate Change scheme, the model is anticipated to conclude by 2025.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth, inaugurated Unified Payment Interface (UPI) services in Sri Lanka and Mauritius, and RuPay card services in Mauritius via video conferencing. Mr. Jugnauth announced the co-branded RuPay card as Mauritius’ domestic card. This initiative aims to enhance economic ties and connectivity between the countries, providing convenience to their citizens. Sri Lankan President congratulated Modi on the consecration of Shri Ram Mandir and highlighted longstanding economic relations.

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.

Notes:
The Union Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj inaugurated the ‘Smart Gram Panchayat’ pilot project in Paprour, Begusarai, Bihar, aiming to extend PM-WANI services to Gram Panchayats in Begusarai and Rohtas for the Financial Year 2023–24. Funded under RGSA, the initiative, led by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj and Bihar’s Government in collaboration with BSNL, focuses on utilizing digital technologies to improve access to online services in health, education, and skilling for beneficiaries like students, farmers, artisans, and Women SHGs, fostering rural-urban connectivity and local self-governance efficiency.

Notes:
Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik has allocated Rs 150 crore to support kendu leaf pluckers and binders. The package includes a 50% bonus for pluckers, a 10% incentive for binders, and extended social security for temporary workers up to age 62. Temporary workers also gain an extra month of work. Additionally, the state will provide Rs 25,000 assistance for the marriage of a kendu leaf worker’s daughter, with a cap of two daughters per worker.

Notes:
The Consumer Affairs Secretary advocates the infusion of artificial intelligence into the ‘e-Jagriti’ portal to expedite consumer court case resolutions. The portal, under the Department of Consumer Affairs, streamlines consumer dispute redressal through features like online case filing, fee payment, and AI-driven smart search for archived complaints. It integrates various grievance platforms, utilizing AI and ML technologies for voice-to-text conversions, metadata creation, and a virtual court facility, aiming to enhance efficiency and accessibility in consumer complaint resolution.

Notes:
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced the launch of Mission Basundhara 4.0, focusing on surveying land within riverine areas. The government aims to settle land in mission mode, terming it as Basundhara. Basundhara 3.0 will commence after Lok Sabha elections, focusing on comprehensive land management and reserving revenue villages with 100% ST and SC communities. Mission Basundhara 2.0, launched in November 2022, addressed indigenous peoples land rights, settling over 3 lakh bigha in Brahmaputra Valley and 1 thousand bigha in Barak Valley. Mission Basundhara 3.0 will bring reforms, waiving the ‘three-generation’ requirement for tea, Adivasi, Gorkha, ST, and SC communities. Sunsali and Tea Garden Grant areas residents get a one-time opportunity under Mission Basundhara 3.0 for land patta applications.