Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2024

Notes:
Vikram Misri has been appointed as India’s new Foreign Secretary, succeeding Vinay Mohan Kwatra on July 15, 2024. Known for his expertise in China affairs, Misri served as India’s ambassador to China during the 2019-2021 period, including the Galwan Valley clashes.

Notes:
Goods and Services Tax (GST) Day, observed annually on July 1, commemorates the implementation of India’s transformative tax system. The 2024 celebration marks the seventh anniversary of GST, introduced to simplify the complex tax structure previously managed by central and state governments. GST revolutionized India’s fiscal landscape, significantly impacting the economy by streamlining indirect taxes and fostering economic efficiency.

Notes:
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Government of Haryana and the National Forensic Science University (NFSU), Gandhinagar, in Panchkula. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Minister Manohar Lal, and Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh attended. This collaboration aims to enhance Haryana’s criminal justice system by leveraging NFSU’s expertise. Forensic teams will visit for serious offences, increasing the demand for forensic experts.

Notes:
UNESCO introduced the New World Soil Health Index at an international conference in Morocco to standardize soil quality assessment globally. It aims to monitor soil degradation trends and improvements across different ecosystems. UNESCO will pilot sustainable soil management in ten Biosphere Reserves to develop best practices. Globally, soil degradation affects 75% of land, impacting 3.2 billion people, and is projected to reach 90% by 2050. In India, 32% of land is degraded, with 25% undergoing desertification due to various factors including deforestation and industrial pollution.

Notes:
Air India is establishing South Asia’s largest flight training school in Maharashtra’s Amravati district with an investment of over ₹200 crore. Opening in the next financial year’s first quarter, it will address the airline’s need for 500-700 pilots annually, following a large aircraft order. In partnership with Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC), the 10-acre facility will train 180 commercial pilots yearly using 31 single-engine Piper aircraft and three twin-engine Diamond aircraft.

Notes:
International Plastic Bag Free Day is observed on July 3 to encourage avoiding single-use plastics and combat plastic pollution. Established by Bag Free World, the day saw its first observance in 2008, initiated by Rezero, a member of Zero Waste Europe. In 2015, the EU passed directives to reduce single-use plastic bags. Bangladesh was the first country to ban these bags in 2022, followed by India and others.

Notes:
After several decades, the locally extinct Indian gaur has been spotted in the Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR) in Andhra Pradesh. Known as the largest and tallest wild cattle, the gaur (Bos gaurus) is native to South and Southeast Asia. They inhabit evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, and moist deciduous forests with open grasslands, preferring hilly terrains below 1,500-1,800 meters with large, undisturbed forest tracts and abundant water.

Notes:
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav introduced the Lokpath Mobile App to enhance transparency and public welfare. Developed by the Public Works Department, the app aims to improve the state’s 40,000 km highways by enabling the public to report road issues. It ensures accountability, with officers expected to resolve complaints within seven days. The app is downloadable from the Public Works Department’s website and promotes an open, efficient working system.

Notes:
Sierra Leone’s president signed a law banning marriage for children under 18. In 2020, UNICEF reported about 800,000 girls under 18 in Sierra Leone were married, roughly a third of the country’s girls. Globally, at least 12 million girls marry before 18 each year, particularly in conflict zones. In India, despite the legal marriage age being 18 for girls, around 1.5 million underage marriages occur annually.

Notes:
A lone female gharial has been spotted for over three years in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve. Gharials, or Gavialis gangeticus, are freshwater crocodiles once widespread across South Asia but now found mainly in fragmented populations in Nepal and northern India. They are critically endangered, with a global population reduced to a few hundred. Males can reach 20 feet, while females grow up to 15 feet.