Current Affairs Quiz - February 2025

Notes:
The Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment chaired a meeting on the PM-AJAY scheme. Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana (PM-AJAY) is a 100% Centrally Sponsored Scheme. It aims to reduce poverty among Scheduled Caste (SC) communities through employment generation and socio-economic development. It focuses on income generation, skill development, and infrastructure improvement. The goal is to uplift SC communities above the poverty line and improve their overall living standards.

Notes:
Seva Bhoj Yojana benefits many religious institutions. It is a Central Sector Scheme launched by the Ministry of Culture in August 2018. The scheme reimburses CGST and the Central Government’s share of IGST on raw food items used for free meals. Institutions must serve free food to at least 5,000 people in a month. Eligible institutions must have been distributing free food for at least three years. The District Magistrate must certify the institution. The GST Authority verifies claims and forwards them to the Ministry for reimbursement.

Notes:
Monitoring lake changes is essential for sustaining ecosystems but is often missing in rejuvenation efforts. Lake Sapanca in northwestern Turkiye faces degradation due to urbanization and industrial expansion. Lake Sapanca is located in Turkey, specifically between the provinces of Sakarya to the east and Kocaeli to the west.

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:
IIT-Madras and ISRO developed and successfully booted the SHAKTI-based semiconductor chip, IRIS (Indigenous RISCV Controller for Space Applications). SHAKTI systems use RISC-V (reduced instruction set computer five), an open-source Instruction Set Architecture (ISA), for custom processor design. The project is backed by the Ministry of Electronics and IT under the Digital India RISC-V (DIRV) initiative. The goal is to promote indigenous microprocessor-based products with top security and transparency. IRIS is a significant step toward India’s self-reliance in semiconductor technology, especially for space applications.

Notes:
SEBI has introduced the digital platform MITRA (Mutual Fund Investment Tracing and Retrieval Assistant). MITRA helps investors track and reclaim inactive or unclaimed mutual fund folios. It addresses issues like lost investments due to outdated contact details or unawareness. Investors can identify overlooked investments and update KYC details. It is developed by Registrar and Transfer Agents (RTAs), it provides a searchable database at the industry level. SEBI has revised the Unit Holder Protection Committee (UHPC) mandate to review inactive folios, unclaimed dividends, and redemptions.

Notes:
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.

Notes:
The carcass of a 45-50-year-old male elephant was found in Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS) near the Indo-Nepal border. Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS) is a protected area in the Upper Gangetic Plain, Uttar Pradesh. It became part of ‘Project Tiger’ in 1987 and is a core area of the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve. The sanctuary has a fragile Terai ecosystem with sal and teak forests, grasslands, swamps, and wetlands.

Notes:
Environmentalists have raised concerns over rising pollution in the Souparnika River near Kollur Mookambika Temple. The river flows westward in Karnataka, originating from the Kodachadri Hills in the Western Ghats. It passes through Byndoor taluk and near the Mookambika Temple before reaching the Arabian Sea. The river is linked to Hindu mythology, named after Garuda (“Suparna”), who is believed to have performed penance on its banks.