Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2024

Notes:
The 63rd CGPB meeting in Bhopal, chaired by Shri V.L. Kantha Rao, Secretary, Ministry of Mines, discussed the Annual Programme for the 2024-25 Field Season. The Geological Survey of India (GSI) proposed 1055 scientific programs, including 392 Mineral Development projects, aiming to generate auctionable mineral blocks. Notably, 188 projects focus on strategic minerals like REE, RM, Graphite, Lithium, Vanadium, and PGE, marking a 50% increase from the previous year’s target, emphasizing exploration of critical minerals.

Notes:
World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day is observed annually on January 30. Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) are a group of 20 conditions prevalent in tropical areas, affecting impoverished communities. Caused by various pathogens, NTDs like Guinea worm, Chikungunya, Dengue, and Elephantiasis pose severe health, social, and economic consequences. India hosts around 12 NTDs. WHO estimates over 1 billion people are affected, with 1.6 billion needing interventions.

Notes:
Yemen’s Houthi rebels, officially known as Ansar Allah, are an armed religious and political movement. Zaydi Shiites, they constitute a significant minority in Sunni-majority Yemen, advocating regional autonomy since 2004. The Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014, extending control in 2016. Initially focused on tribal autonomy and anti-Western sentiment, they now aim for a greater role in Yemen’s government. Known for anti-American and anti-Semitic rhetoric, some leaders are designated as terrorists by the United States. Recent attacks on Red Sea vessels highlight their ongoing aggression.

Notes:
During the Republic Day parade, Arunachal Pradesh highlighted its Singchung Bugun Village Community Reserve, a 17-square-kilometer biodiversity hotspot near Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary. Established in 2017, the reserve safeguards the Bugun Liocichla, a critically endangered passerine bird named after the Buguns community. The Buguns, an indigenous group of around 2,000 people, inhabit 12 villages adjacent to Eaglenest. Community reserves, introduced in India’s Wildlife Protection Act, serve as vital buffers, connectors, and migration corridors between national parks and forests, ensuring biodiversity conservation.

Notes:
The Prime Minister recently inaugurated the Diamond Jubilee celebration of the Supreme Court of India, the apex judicial body established on January 26, 1950. Article 124 of the Constitution of India states that “There shall be a Supreme Court of India”. The Supreme Court is the highest court in India and the final court of appeal for all civil and criminal cases.

Notes:
The Purple Revolution in Jammu & Kashmir, presented during the Republic Day Tableau (2024), is a Lab-to-Market success story under CSIR’s Viksit Bharat theme. A part of the Aroma Mission by the Union Ministry of Science & Technology, it signifies the remarkable rise of lavender cultivation. This initiative seeks to boost the local aromatic crop-based agro economy, elevate farmer incomes, and foster commercial-scale lavender farming, presenting lucrative startup opportunities for overall regional growth.

Notes:
Karnataka faces human-sloth bear conflicts, posing concerns for communities and wildlife enthusiasts. Scientifically known as Melursus ursinus, sloth bears, one of eight global bear species, are myrmecophagous, favoring bugs and termites. Inhabiting dry and moist forests, as well as grasslands in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and potentially Bhutan, they sport long, shaggy dark fur and curved claws. It is classified as “Vulnerable” by IUCN.

Notes:
India has dispatched $1 million in emergency relief to Papua New Guinea in response to a volcanic eruption. The relief includes 11 tonnes of disaster relief material and 6 tonnes of medical aid, which were airlifted by the Australian Air Force. The volcanic eruption of Mount Ulawun forced the evacuation of more than 26,000 people and created urgent humanitarian needs.

Notes:
The Union Home Ministry announced the appointment of Dr. Sharat Chauhan as the new Chief Secretary of Puducherry. Chauhan is a member of the AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory)cadre and previously served in Arunachal Pradesh.

Notes:
Indian boxer Mandeep Jangra won the National Boxing Association’s (NBA) intercontinental super featherweight title by defeating American Gerardo Esquivel in Toppenish City, Washington. The 30-year-old is undefeated in his professional career and is trained by former Olympic silver-medallist Roy Jones Jr. For the title fight, Jangra moved down from his previous 75kg weight class.