Current Affairs Quiz - February 2025

Notes:
Madhya Pradesh’s Ladli Behna Yojana will increase monthly assistance from ₹1,250 to ₹3,000. The scheme aims to economically empower women in the state. ₹1,553 crore has been transferred to 1.27 crore women beneficiaries so far. With the increased amount, more women will benefit and improve their financial condition. The scheme was launched in May 2023, initially providing ₹1,000 per month. The assistance was later raised to ₹1,250 and will now be further increased to ₹3,000.

Notes:
The Crocodile Catfish was recently discovered in the Bahini River, Guwahati, raising ecological concerns. It is one of the largest freshwater catfish species in Asia, found in countries like India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. It can grow over 1.5 meters and weigh more than 50 kg, with a dark body and broad head. Its conservation status is listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN.

Notes:
PM-DAKSH (Pradhan Mantri Dakshata Aur Kushalata Sampanna Hitgrahiis) is a Central Sector Scheme launched by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. It is approved for five years from 2021-22 to 2025-26. The scheme aims to provide skill training through Short-Term Training, Upskilling/Re-skilling, and Entrepreneurship Development Programs. Training is conducted by empanelled institutes. It targets SCs, Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Economically Backward Classes (EBCs), De-notified Tribes (DNTs), and Safai Karamcharis, including waste pickers. A Union minister recently emphasized its importance in empowering marginalized communities.

Notes:
A deep-sea fishing expedition by the Fishery Survey of India (FSI) discovered highly productive, unexplored fishing grounds in the Arabian Sea. FSI operates under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying. It is responsible for surveying and assessing fishery resources in India’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Established in 1946 as the Deep Sea Fishing Station, it became a survey institute in 1974. It was upgraded to a national institute in 1983 and recognized as a Science & Technology Institute in 1988.

Notes:
The Indian Prime Minister gifted French President Emmanuel Macron a Dokra artwork. Dokra art, also called bell metal craft, dates back over 4,000 years. It is a traditional folk art of the Dhokra Damar tribes, known for their metal craftsmanship. These artisans are mainly found in eastern India, including West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh.

Notes:
Scientists at Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad, discovered a new exoplanet, TOI-6038A b, a dense sub-Saturn with 78.5 Earth masses and 6.41 Earth radii. It orbits a bright, metal-rich F-type star every 5.83 days in a circular orbit. TOI-6038A b falls in the “Sub-Saturn” category, absent in our solar system, aiding planetary formation studies. The discovery was made using the PARAS-2 (PRL Advanced Radial-velocity All-sky Search-2 spectrograph) at PRL’s Mount Abu Observatory. TOI-6038A b has high density (1.62 g/cm³), likely formed through high-eccentricity tidal migration. It orbits a star in a binary system, raising questions about its formation and migration.

Notes:
National Women’s Day is celebrated in India on February 13 to honor Sarojini Naidu. She was a freedom fighter, poet, and the first woman President of the Indian National Congress (1925). She was also the first woman governor of an Indian state. Known as the “Nightingale of India”, she played a key role in India’s independence movement. The day highlights women’s empowerment, gender equality, and leadership. The Indian government designated February 13 to recognize her contributions to social justice and literature, inspiring generations.

Notes:
Matsya 6000 is India’s first manned deep-sea submersible, set to launch by 2026 under the Deep Ocean Mission (DOM). Only five nations (US, France, China, Russia, Japan) have developed manned deep-sea submersibles. It is developed under the Samudrayaan Project by National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai. The project is implemented by the Ministry of Earth Sciences with a budget of ₹4,077 crore. It aims to explore deep-sea biodiversity, survey mineral resources, support ocean research, and enhance India’s deep-sea technology capabilities.

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India and the U.S. launched the U.S.-India COMPACT initiative to boost defense, trade, and technology ties. COMPACT stands for Catalyzing Opportunities for Military Partnership, Accelerated Commerce & Technology for the 21st century. It aims to strengthen the U.S.-India Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership. Focus areas include defense collaboration, co-production, and technology exchange. The initiative targets $500 billion in bilateral trade by 2030 (Mission-500). Key sectors include AI, cybersecurity, semiconductors, and space exploration. This marks a major step in advancing Indo-U.S. cooperation across strategic areas.

Notes:
After 40 years, the Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary saw the return of one-horned rhinos and is attracting more water birds than Assam’s Deepor Beel Ramsar site. The sanctuary is located in Nagaon District, Assam, covering 70.13 sq.km. It was designated a buffer zone of Kaziranga Tiger Reserve in 2007 and is part of the Laokhowa-Burachapori ecosystem. The sanctuary is surrounded by human-dominated areas on all sides except the north.