Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2024

Notes:
The Rajasthan government introduced the Mukhyamantri Vishwakarma Pension Yojana, offering a monthly pension of Rs. 2,000 to eligible workers aged 60 or above. The initiative aims to support laborers and street vendors, ensuring their welfare by helping them meet daily needs independently. This special scheme underscores the government’s commitment to improving the livelihoods of vulnerable sections in Rajasthan.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the 300 MW Barsingsar Solar Power Plant in Rajasthan’s Bikaner district, advancing India’s renewable energy goals. NLC India Limited, a Navratna CPSE, is implementing the project under the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy’s CPSE Scheme. The initiative, aligned with the Atma Nirbhar Bharat initiative, uses cutting-edge technology, aims to produce 750 million units of green power annually, and marks NLCIL as the first CPSE to achieve a 1 GW Solar capacity milestone in India.

Notes:
A male tiger from the Kanha Tiger Reserve has been relocated to Mukundpur Safari in Satna. Kanha Tiger Reserve, the largest in Madhya Pradesh, spans 940 sq km across Mandla and Balaghat districts. Established on June 1, 1955, and declared a tiger reserve in 1973, it features forested undulations, hills, plateaus, and valleys. The reserve, believed to have inspired Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book, is home to India’s first tiger reserve mascot, “Bhoorsingh the Barasingha.”

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:
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar launched the ‘Van Mitra’ scheme, focusing on community-driven afforestation in non-forest areas. The initiative aims to involve local communities in expanding the state’s green cover, increasing survival rates of newly planted trees, and promoting tree planting beyond conventional forest zones. The scheme emphasizes environmental conservation and underscores the importance of community engagement in fostering sustainable afforestation efforts across Haryana.

Notes:
Sanjay Kumar Jain is the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). Jain is an IRTS Officer from the 1990 batch and a qualified chartered accountant (CA). His career includes leadership roles in policy making, commercial ventures, and developmental ventures of the Government of India and PSUs.  The Government of India’s Ministry of Railways has approved Jain’s appointment until his superannuation on December 31, 2026, or until further orders.

Notes:
The 11th International Puppet Festival was inaugurated at Tagore Theatre in Chandigarh on February 17, 2024. The festival’s inauguration was presided over by the Governor of Punjab and Administrator UT Chandigarh, Banwarilal Purohit, along with Rajeev Verma, Adviser to the Administrator. The festival runs from February 17–21, 2024 and includes special morning shows for students and evening shows for the general public. The festival also features a puppet exhibition that includes live demonstrations of puppet making.

Notes:
A statue of U Tirot Sing, a Khasi Hills freedom fighter who resisted British colonialism 200 years ago, was recently unveiled at the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre in Dhaka. Known as the ‘Hero of the Khasi Hills,’ Tirot Sing’s heroic struggle against British forces in 1829, during the Anglo-Khasi War, has inspired many. Captured and dying in Dhaka on July 17, 1835, Tirot Sing’s legacy is celebrated, with Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar and High Commissioner Pranay Verma attending the unveiling.

Notes:
India’s women’s badminton team won their first-ever gold medal at the Badminton Asia Team Championships in Shah Alam, Malaysia. The team defeated Thailand 3-2 in the final match, with Anmol Kharb’s victory over Pornpicha Choeikeewong in the third singles game clinching the gold.

Notes:
Uttar Pradesh secures ₹740 crore, the highest in India, under the Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM-USHA) Scheme, a revamped version of Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA). The centrally sponsored scheme, under the Ministry of Education, aims to enhance the quality of state higher educational institutions in line with the National Education Policy 2020. PM-USHA emphasizes conformity to prescribed norms, standards, and accreditation for quality assurance in higher education.