Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2024

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Senior IPS officer Nina Singh has taken charge as Director General of the CISF in a first for the 1.65 lakh strong force tasked with securing vital infrastructure. A Rajasthan cadre officer of the 1989 batch, she has served over 3 decades in diverse policing roles like counterinsurgency, VVIP security, training and vigilance. Her pioneering stint is expected to usher a new era of professionalism and welfare initiatives for lower rank personnel. With specialized experience across domains like technology driven systems, HR and industrial security, Singh is well equipped to lead the CISF.

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Vice Admiral Kiran Deshmukh has taken over as the new Chief of Materiel of the Indian Navy from Vice Admiral Sandeep Naithani. The Chief of Materiel is the head of the Materials Branch of the Navy, dealing with logistics and maintenance. Vice Admiral Deshmukh is an alumnus of VJTI Mumbai and a postgraduate from Defence Services Staff College, Wellington.

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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 National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission was launched by the Health Ministry on 1st July 2023 at Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh to screen people across India for sickle cell disease. It aims to screen 7 crore people over 3 years, focusing on tribal populations and other high prevalence areas across 17 states. The mission provides screening, prevention and management of sickle cell anemia. Its goal is to eliminate the disease in India through early detection and intervention.

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Kyrgyzstan has declared the snow leopard as its new national symbol. Snow leopards inhabit the Tian Shan mountain range in the country. They feature in Kyrgyz folklore and are seen as a symbol of greatness, nobility and resilience. Conservation of the endangered species will be promoted under the new status.

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NATO announced signing of a $5.5 billion contract by member countries in Europe to purchase up to 1,000 Patriot air defense missiles to bolster security in view of the threat from Russia. The deal comes as Moscow has unleashed barrages of missile and drone strikes against Ukraine. Patriot systems supplied by nations like the US and Germany have been used by Kyiv to shoot down Russia’s attacks in the 11-month war.

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IHCL’s Managing Director & CEO Puneet Chhatwal assumed charge as Chairman of FAITH after Nakul Anand stepped down following retirement from ITC Hospitality. Chhatwal aims to make FAITH a strong tourism and hospitality policy advocacy body.

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Savitribai Phule, along with her husband Jyotiba Phule, is considered a pioneer of the women’s rights movement in India. In 1848, she established the country’s first school for women. She championed causes like women’s education and empowerment as well as emancipation of marginalized communities.

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The Election Commission of India (ECI) has introduced new rules for Registered Unrecognized Political Parties (RUPPs) regarding the allocation of symbols. These parties are now required to furnish audited accounts of the last three financial years, along with expenditure statements of the last two elections and the signature of an authorized office-bearer, as part of their application for election symbols. This move aims to enhance transparency and accountability among political parties, especially those that are newly registered or have not yet achieved a significant vote share in elections to be recognized as state parties. The new regulations will be effective from January 11.

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S Krishnan, the Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), inaugurated ERNET India’s newly developed integrated web portal designed for educational institutes in India. This event took place at the head office of ERNET India in New Delhi on January 4, 2024. The portal aims to provide various services, including domain registration, DNS, Website as a Service (WaaS), and Learning Management as a Service (LMaaS), leveraging open-source software and emerging technologies like AI/ML. ERNET India, functioning under MeitY, serves as the exclusive domain registrar for educational and research institutes in India and offers a range of other technological services.