Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2024

Notes:
The Mukhyamantri Gramin Solar Street Light scheme is associated with the state of Bihar. Despite the launch of the Mukhyamantri Gramin Solar Street Light Scheme in Bihar 18 months ago, over 80% of rural villages are still without solar street lights. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar initiated the scheme in 2022 to install over a million solar street lights in 8,000 Gram Panchayats, promoting green energy. However, only 106,161 lights have been installed to date, significantly falling short of the target, as revealed by official data from the Bihar Panchayati Raj Department’s digital platform.

Notes:
The Indian Navy’s primary objective for its Very Low Frequency (VLF) communication station is to transmit fleet broadcasts and communicate with ships and submarines. VLF radio waves are used to communicate with submarines that are underwater. The Indian Navy has been operating a VLF facility for the last 24 years. The first VLF station was established at INS Kattabomman Radar Station in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu in 1990. The Navy is currently building a second VLF station in the Damagudem forest area near Puduru of Vikarabad mandal, Telangana. The new station is expected to be completed in 2027.

Notes:
Punjab and West Bengal have challenged the central government’s decision to expand the Border Security Force’s (BSF) operational jurisdiction from 15 km to 50 km. They argue that this move violates federal principles and encroaches on state law and order powers. The BSF, established in 1965 after the India-Pakistan war, is a vital part of India’s security apparatus, operating under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It has over 2 lakhs personnel and is primarily deployed along the borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh, including the Indo-Pakistan International Border and Indo-Bangladesh International Border.

Notes:
The zombie virus is related to global warming and the thawing of Arctic permafrost. The rising temperatures caused by global warming have led to the thawing of previously frozen ice, which could unleash “zombie viruses”. The zombie virus is an amoeba virus that scientists have revived from the melted ice. The new strain has one of 13 viral genomes, with Pandoravirus yedoma, 48,500 years old, being the longest frozen virus to become infectious. Scientists are developing an Arctic surveillance system to detect and contain outbreaks.

Notes:
Two Border Security Force (BSF) personnel, Sanwala Ram Vishnoi and Shishupal Singh, killed in Congo in 2022, were posthumously awarded the President’s Medal for Gallantry on the 75th Republic Day. They were honored for their exceptional contribution to peacekeeping during the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Among the 277 gallantry awards, 119 were given to personnel combating left-wing extremism, and 133 to those serving in Jammu and Kashmir.

Notes:
In western Borneo, the Pinanga subterranea, a rare palm tree, thrives with underground flowers and fruits, defying conventional botanical norms. Local communities have long savored its edible fruits, yet it remained overlooked by scientists due to its unique growth. Discovered by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in 2023, the palm’s underground survival strategy involves saxophone-like stem growth, funnel-shaped leaves facilitating root entry, and short flower clusters hidden below the soil. The mystery of pollination in this extraordinary plant is yet to be fully unraveled.

Notes:
Krutrim, Ola group’s AI firm, becomes India’s first AI unicorn, securing $50 million at a $1 billion valuation in a recent funding round. A unicorn is a privately held startup valued over $1 billion, symbolizing rarity and uniqueness. The pandemic’s impact, fostering digital growth in India, led to a surge in unicorn companies, driven by factors like a thriving digital payments ecosystem, a vast smartphone user base, and digital-first business models, attracting substantial investments.

Notes:
Argentina’s International Health Regulations National Focal Point reported a human case of Western Equine Encephalitis Virus (WEEV) infection to the World Health Organization. WEEV, a mosquito-borne virus with an 11.5 kb RNA genome, is a recombinant of Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus and Sindbis-like virus. Mosquitoes transmit it, with passerine birds as reservoirs and equine species as intermediate hosts. While often asymptomatic, severe cases may result in neurological symptoms, requiring symptomatic care due to the absence of specific antiviral treatment.

Notes:
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited’s (HPCL) Biomass-based Compressed Biogas (CBG) Plant in Budaun. The event, attended by Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and other dignitaries, aligns with India’s goal to reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels. This initiative, part of the National Biofuel Policy 2018, contributes to the government’s aim of decreasing import dependency by 10%, focusing on second-generation biorefineries and Compressed Bio-Gas Plants.

Notes:
According to a Transparency International report, India ranked 93 out of 180 countries in the 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). The CPI is published annually by Transparency International, a non-governmental organization. The CPI ranks countries on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean) based on their perceived levels of public sector corruption.