Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2024

Notes:
Trinidad and Tobago’s prime minister declared a national emergency after an oil spill from an overturned vessel. The spill has coated beaches on Tobago’s southwest coast, including during Carnival season, one of the country’s main tourist attractions. The government has designated the spill as a Level 2 disaster, and is debating raising it to Level 3, which is a national emergency only declared when local resources are overwhelmed and international assistance is required. The government has yet to identify the owner of the vessel, which is only known as “Gulfstream”.

Notes:
World Hippo Day, observed annually on February 15, aims to raise awareness about the endangered status of hippos, with a population estimated between 115,000 and 130,000. Threats include poaching, water loss, mechanized farming, and urbanization. The day serves as a platform to highlight these challenges and advocate for conservation initiatives to safeguard the future of these vulnerable creatures.

Notes:
The 16th World Social Forum (WSF) conference in 2024 started in Kathmandu in February 2024. The conference is a five-day event that aims to promote exchange among civil society organizations, social movements, trade unions, and individuals who oppose neoliberal globalization. The theme of the conference is “Another World is Possible”.

Notes:
Sandeep Kaur, Director of the Women’s Welfare Department, announces a significant increase in grants for the Mukhyamantri Kanya Sumangala Yojana. In response to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s directive, the grant per beneficiary will rise from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000 annually starting April. The initiative, addressing challenges faced by girls in Uttar Pradesh, aims to enhance their well-being from birth through their educational journey.

Notes:
The Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote collaborative biomedical research. The goal of the MoU is to improve the combat medical support and patient care for serving personnel. The Director General (Org & Pers) Lt Gen SK Singh and the Director IIT Roorkee Prof Kamal Kishore Pant signed the MoU on behalf of their respective organizations.

Notes:
The Broadcast Engineering Society (India) hosted the BSE EXPO-2024, the 28th International Conference and Exhibition on Broadcast and Media Technology in New Delhi. Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur will be the chief guest, along with his deputy Dr L Murugan.

Notes:
Renowned Urdu poet Gulzar and Sanskrit scholar Jagadguru Rambhadracharya have been announced as the recipients of the 58th Jnanpith Award by the Jnanpith selection committee. This prestigious award is recognition of their significant contributions to literature. In 2022, the award was conferred upon Goan writer Damodar Mauzo, adding to the distinguished list of laureates. The Jnanpith Award, established in 1961, is one of the highest literary honors in India, celebrating outstanding writers in various Indian languages.

Notes:
Arunachal Pradesh has achieved a significant milestone, becoming the first state in North-East India and the 10th in the country to attain 100% saturation of Har Ghar Jal under the Jal Jeevan Mission. Chief Minister Pema Khandu credited Team Arunachal’s dedication, expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for guidance and support. The mission, launched on August 15, 2019, aims to provide assured tap water supply to every rural household in India by 2024, promoting an improved quality of life.

Notes:
Reliance Industries, in collaboration with top Indian engineering schools, is launching BharatGPT, a ChatGPT-style AI model named Hanooman. Backed by Reliance Jio, Hanooman aims to advance India’s AI in healthcare, governance, finance, and education, operating in 11 local languages with speech-to-text capabilities. Reliance Jio is concurrently developing Jio Brain for its 450 million subscribers. Other startups like Sarvam and Krutrim, supported by Lightspeed Venture Partners and Vinod Khosla’s fund, are also contributing open-sourced AI models for India’s growth.

Notes:
According to Morgan Stanley, India’s GDP growth is projected to drop to 6.5% in the financial year (FY) 2025, from 6.9% expected for FY2024. However, Morgan Stanley also says that GDP growth will remain healthy, with domestic demand improving and all the macro indicators slated to remain stable. The research emphasizes that domestic demand, supported by robust factors, will play a crucial role in sustaining India’s growth trajectory.