Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2024

Notes:
General Dong Jun has been appointed as China’s new defence minister, replacing General Li Shangfu who mysteriously disappeared from public view four months ago without any explanation. 62-year old Dong Jun has a Navy background and was previously the deputy commander of the Southern Military Command, overseeing the sensitive South China Sea region. His appointment is seen as a significant move by President Xi Jinping to place a loyalist in charge of the 2.3 million-strong People’s Liberation Army, particularly amidst rising tensions with the US and Taiwan.

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North-East Venture Fund (NEVF), established by NEDFi (North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd.), is aimed at encouraging and collaborating with startup ventures in the North-East region of India. With a commitment of ₹100 crore to the fund, contributed by the ministry, NEDFi, and SIDBI (Small Industries Development Bank of India), NEVF focuses on fostering entrepreneurship and business initiatives in the region. As of November 30, the fund had made investment commitments in 67 projects, amounting to ₹98.18 crore. This initiative aligns with NEDFi’s broader role in providing financial assistance and advisory services for various enterprises and projects in India’s North-East.

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Rajasthan will host the India-UAE joint military exercise ‘Desert Cyclone 2024’. The inaugural edition of this bilateral drill will be conducted from January 2nd to January 15th, 2024 in Rajasthan. The aim is to enhance interoperability between the Indian Army and UAE forces by exchanging best practices in areas like urban operations. This comes under expanding defense ties between the two nations who are strategic partners.

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Bangladeshi economist Muhammad Yunus received the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize along with Grameen Bank he founded, for contributions to alleviating poverty through pioneering microfinance services. Providing small loans to entrepreneurs lacking access to traditional banking, his microcredit model aided millions. Recently, Yunus faced legal troubles in Bangladesh over alleged violations of labor laws by Grameen Telecom, critics calling it political retribution for his opposition to government policies earlier.

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The Free Movement Regime (FMR) is a mutually agreed arrangement between India and Myanmar that allows tribes living along the border to travel up to 16 km inside each other’s territory without a visa. It was implemented in 2018 to improve ties between communities on both sides. However, India plans to end it soon and install fencing across the entire 1,643 km Indo-Myanmar border to stop infiltration and illegal activities.

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Jammu & Kashmir has become the first Union Territory to roll out the PM Vishwakarma Yojana skill training program for craftsmen and artisans. 30 trainees have enrolled in the first batch focused on tailoring and dress design at the ITI center in Shopian. Implementation aims to foster local businesses and self-employment.

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The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) entered an MoU with ISRO’s National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) for 3 years to develop a “Green Cover Index” using satellite imagery to monitor plantation along vast network of national highways across India.

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The Hattee community, which has been at the center of recent legal discussions regarding its inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list, is primarily found in Himachal Pradesh. This issue gained prominence following the Himachal Pradesh High Court’s decision to stay the inclusion of the Hattee community in the state’s ST list. The High Court intervened after the state government issued directions for this inclusion, which was contested by other communities through legal petitions. The Hattees are specifically from the Trans-Giri Area of Sirmour district in Himachal Pradesh, and their potential inclusion in the ST list has been a subject of debate and legal scrutiny.

Notes:
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the “PRITHvi VIgyan (PRITHVI)” scheme of the Ministry of Earth Sciences for implementation during the period from 2021-26. The overall cost of this comprehensive scheme is Rs. 4,797 crore. PRITHVI encompasses five ongoing sub-schemes and aims to augment and sustain long-term observations of the Earth’s vital signs, develop modeling systems for weather, ocean, and climate hazards, and explore and harness oceanic resources sustainably. It also seeks to translate knowledge from Earth system science into services for societal, environmental, and economic benefits. The scheme represents a significant investment in understanding and addressing various aspects of Earth System Sciences, leveraging the expertise of various institutes under the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

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The Al Udeid Air Base, where the United States has extended its military presence for an additional 10 years, is located in Qatar. This base is significant as it hosts the largest US military facility in West Asia. The extension of the US military presence at Al Udeid Air Base underscores the strategic importance of Qatar in the region and the ongoing partnership between Qatar and the United States in military and defense matters. The base plays a crucial role in various US military operations in the region, making this extension a key development in international military and geopolitical dynamics.