Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2024

Notes:
Rear Admiral Upal Kundu has recently taken over as the Chief of Staff at the Southern Naval Command (SNC). An alumnus of the Indian Naval Academy, he joined the Indian Navy in 1991 and specializes in anti-submarine warfare (ASW). Throughout his career, he has commanded various naval vessels, including the guided missile frigate INS Trikand, missile corvette INS Kuthar, and the erstwhile INS Akshay. Additionally, he has led ashore units such as INS Tanaji and INS Kadamba. Graduating from the Defence Services Staff College (Wellington), Rear Admiral Kundu served as the Commodore at the Bureau of Sailors. Following his promotion to flag rank, he took on the role of Chief Staff Officer (Training) at the SNC headquarters before assuming the position of Chief of Staff, as per a Navy release.

Notes:
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) achieved a milestone with the successful flight-test of the New Generation AKASH (AKASH-NG) missile at the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur. This surface-to-air missile intercepted a high-speed unmanned aerial vehicle at a low altitude, affirming the complete weapon system’s efficacy. Equipped with an indigenously developed radio frequency seeker, the AKASH-NG enhances the Indian Air Force’s capabilities, defending against agile aerial threats. Notably, it can engage up to 10 targets simultaneously within a range of 40 km, showcasing superior performance compared to its predecessors.

Notes:
The Climate Conference 2024, themed “Decoding the Green Transition for India,” was recently held on January 12, in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It was organized by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India. The event highlighted the crucial role of the private sector, climate tech startups, and institutional investors in mobilizing financial resources and technical capabilities to support government initiatives. The conference, under the Green Climate Fund Readiness Programme with UNDP India as the Delivery Partner and Avaana Capital as the Knowledge Partner, featured esteemed dignitaries such as Ms. Leena Nandan, Mr. Amitabh Kant, Mr. K Rajaraman, Mr. Mike Hankey, and Mr. Nadir Godrej.

Notes:
Pongal festival is closely tied to the Tamil calendar, commencing with the arrival of the Tamil month of Thai. Celebrated in mid-January, Pongal coincides with the auspicious transition to the Thai month, signifying the harvest season’s prosperity. It is a time when Tamilians express gratitude to nature for a bountiful harvest and celebrate with various rituals and festivities.

Notes:
In 2023-24, India is set to become the world’s leading lentil (masoor) producer due to expanded cultivation. Primarily consumed as ‘Dal’ after skin removal, lentils are hardy, frost-tolerant, and thrive in cold climates. Optimal growth temperature is 18-30°C, and well-drained, neutral loam soils are ideal. Major lentil-growing Indian states include Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan. Despite ranking second globally in production, India traditionally imports from Canada, Australia, Russia, Singapore, and Turkey, but has diversified sources in recent years.

Notes:
The second International AYUSH Conference in Dubai showcases AYUSH as a reliable and cost-effective healthcare approach for preventing and managing Non-Communicable Chronic Diseases. With over 1500 experts from across the globe, 50 talks, 300 research papers, and 1300 delegates, it aims to highlight traditional medicine’s efficacy in tackling NCDs.

Notes:
William Lai, also known as Lai Ching-te, is the president of Taiwan, succeeding Tsai Ing-wen. Lai is promising to continue Tsai’s foreign policy efforts to resist China’s plans to annex Taiwan. Tsai Ing-wen has been president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) since 2016. She is the first woman to be elected as president of Taiwan, the first unmarried president, and the first president to be of both Hakka and aboriginal descent. The most recent presidential election in Taiwan took place on January 13, 2024. In Taiwan, presidents are elected by relative majority, meaning the candidate with the most votes wins without a runoff requirement. The president can hold office for no more than two consecutive four-year terms.

Notes:
A rare all-white Gentoo penguin was recently spotted in Chilean Antarctica, a species exclusive to the Southern Hemisphere between 45 and 65 degrees south latitude. Typically found along shorelines, Gentoo penguins have distinct head markings with two white wedges around their eyes. Predominantly inhabiting the Falkland Islands, these penguins are classified as “Least Concern” on the IUCN Red List. The unique sighting highlights the diversity of wildlife in the region.

Notes:
The government aims to cut accidental deaths by 50% by 2030, as announced by Road, Transport, and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari at a National conclave on Road Safety in New Delhi. Gadkari highlighted that every hour sees 53 injuries and 19 deaths from road accidents. Emphasizing road safety as a top priority, he outlined government initiatives and stressed the importance of a public education campaign to alter behavior and enhance safety.

Notes:
A team led by Lalit Sahu, an Assistant Professor at NIT Raipur, has developed a ‘Fault Tolerant Inverter’ to address electricity supply faults. This innovation enables uninterrupted use of solar-generated electricity for residential and industrial purposes, compensating for the frequent faults in power conversion devices. The inverter, refined through two patents, enhances power supply stability by regulating solar panel variations. It marks a significant advancement, considering the typical 15-20 years lifespan of solar panels and 10-12 years for power conversion objects.