Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2024

Notes:
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.

Notes:
Arunachal Pradesh has successfully implemented the indigenous road construction technology “REJUPAVE,” developed by CSIR-Central Road Research Institute (CSIR-CRRI), Ministry of Science and Technology. This technology has been specifically designed to construct high altitude bituminous roads in low and sub-zero temperature conditions, a scenario prevalent in the region, especially near the Indo-China border. The use of REJUPAVE is particularly significant for the Border Roads Organization (BRO) in their project VARTAK, as it addresses the challenges of building and maintaining durable roads in harsh and cold environments. The technology has proved its efficacy in constructing bituminous road sections at the World’s Highest Sela Road Tunnel and the LGG-Damteng-Yangste (LDY Road) road section, showcasing India’s innovative capabilities in road construction under extreme conditions.

Notes:
Shirshendhu Mukyopadhyaya, a Bengali writer, was awarded the 2023 Kuvempu Rashtriya Puraskar. He is recognized for his contribution to Indian literature through his works in the Bengali language. Mukyopadhyaya has authored over 90 books, including travelogues and children’s fiction. The Kuvempu Rashtriya Puraskar is a prestigious national literary award, named after the late Kannada poet Kuvempu, and honors writers who have significantly contributed to Indian languages.

Notes:
The humanoid robot ALOHA was developed through a collaborative effort by researchers at Google DeepMind and Stanford University. This innovative robot is designed for bimanual teleoperation and is capable of performing a range of tasks autonomously and through user-controlled operations. ALOHA’s development represents a significant advancement in the field of robotics, showcasing the capabilities of combining machine learning algorithms with practical robotic applications. The open-source nature of ALOHA’s hardware and software further emphasizes the commitment of Google DeepMind and Stanford University to contribute to the broader field of robotics research and development.

Notes:
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.) in Bengaluru have observed a significant shift in the habitat of numerous bird species in the Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary, a protected area in the Himalayan foothills of West Kameng District, Arunachal Pradesh. The study attributes this migration to higher elevations to the escalating temperatures in the region. The sanctuary, part of the Eastern Himalayas biodiversity hotspot, boasts over 500 bird species and is renowned as a prime birding site due to its exceptional variety and accessibility of species. With altitudes ranging from 500 meters to 3,250 meters, Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary is characterized by a temperate cloud forest intermixed with bamboo patches, broadleaved evergreen forests, conifers, and rhododendrons.

Notes:
The UAE has recently made a significant stride in space exploration by announcing its collaboration in developing a module for NASA’s Lunar Gateway Station. This joint effort includes participation from the USA, Japan, Canada, and the European Union, emphasizing the truly multinational nature of space exploration. The Lunar Gateway Station is a pivotal component of NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to establish a long-term base on the Moon known as the Artemis base. Unlike its predecessor, the International Space Station (ISS), which orbits Earth in low Earth orbit (LEO), the Gateway will be the first space station to exist outside of LEO. This groundbreaking project involves key space agencies such as NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), Japan’s Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).

Notes:
Peregrine Mission – 1 marks a significant milestone in lunar exploration as it is the first US spacecraft to land on the moon’s surface since the historic Apollo 17 mission in 1972. Recently Peregrine Mission – 1 was launched by the American company Astrobotic aboard the Vulcan Centaur rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida. The spacecraft carries a unique payload, including the DNA of well-known former US Presidents such as John F. Kennedy and iconic figures from Star Trek. The mission’s scientific objectives include studying the moon’s thin atmosphere and water molecule movements. The scheduled landing date for Peregrine Mission – 1 is February 23.

Notes:
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi has developed a ‘Work4Food’ solution that guarantees minimum wages for food delivery workers. The solution was developed by a research team from IIT Delhi comprising Abhijnan Chakraborty, Sayan Ranu, Amitabha Bagchi and PhD scholar Anjali. Professor Chakraborty from the Computer Science and Engineering Department, IIT Delhi said that this solution is an order assignment algorithm to ensure each delivery person earns more than the minimum wage.

Notes:
Legendary Indian classical dancer Kelucharan Mohapatra was born on 8 January, 1926. He is credited with the revival and popularising the Odissi dance form in the 20 th century. He did extensive research on the traditional ‘Gotipua’ and ‘Mahari’ dance forms, which led him to restructure Odissi.

Notes:
Tropical Cyclone Alvaro made a significant impact on southwest Madagascar, hitting the region on January 1st, 2024. This marked the first major cyclone influence during the 2023-2024 in the southwest Indian Ocean. The ongoing season, which spans from late October to May, has posed unprecedented challenges to the area, with Cyclone Alvaro being the latest destructive force.