Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2024

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The Global IndiaAI Summit, held on July 3-4, 2024, in New Delhi, gathered over 2,000 AI experts, policymakers, and industry leaders. Concurrently, India hosted the 6th GPAI Ministerial Council meeting. Organized by the Ministry of Electronics and IT, both events highlighted India’s leadership in AI. Union Minister Jitin Prasada chaired the GPAI meeting, with India serving as the 2024 GPAI Chair and Serbia set for 2025.

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A 51,200-year-old painting depicting humans interacting with a pig was found in Leang Karampuang cave on Sulawesi island, Indonesia. The scene, in dark red pigment, shows a pig with three human-like figures; one holds an object near its throat, another is upside-down above it, and a larger figure with a possible headdress holds an unidentified object. This discovery predates European cave art and is interpreted as the oldest evidence of narrative storytelling in art, revealing advanced ancient mental capacities.

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Uttar Pradesh passed the Uttar Pradesh Nodal Investment Region for Manufacturing (Construction) Area Bill (NIRMAN)-2024, establishing Special Investment Regions (SIRs) to boost industrial growth and economic development. This includes an MoU between ITPO and MSME to enhance the business environment and the construction of new convention centres in Lucknow and Varanasi. These initiatives aim to promote MSMEs and position UP as a prime destination for industrial investments.

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World Zoonoses Day, observed on 6 July each year, commemorates Louis Pasteur’s first rabies vaccine administered in 1885. It raises awareness about diseases transmissible between animals and humans, known as zoonoses. These diseases, caused by pathogens like viruses, bacteria, and parasites, can spread through direct contact, contaminated food or water, or vectors like mosquitoes. The 2024 theme, “One World, One Health: Prevent Zoonoses,” underscores the global effort needed to break transmission cycles and prevent future pandemics.

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The Ministry of Culture has launched Project PARI (Public Art of India) in conjunction with the 46th World Heritage Committee Meeting in New Delhi from July 21-31, 2024. Executed by Lalit Kala Akademi and National Gallery of Modern Art, this initiative aims to blend India’s rich artistic heritage with modern themes. Over 150 artists will create public artworks, democratizing art and enhancing cultural engagement nationwide.

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The first phase of Adani Group’s Vizhinjam Port, India’s first exclusive trans-shipment port near Kovalam beach, Kerala, is complete. It will receive its first mothership on July 12, marking a major milestone. The port, managed by Divya S. Iyer, is expected to commence full commercial operations by year-end. It will also be India’s first semi-automated container terminal and a global bunkering hub for green fuels like hydrogen and ammonia. With an 18-meter natural draft, it can accommodate large container ships and is strategically located 10 nautical miles from the international shipping route connecting Europe, the Persian Gulf, and the Far East. The project is developed in a public-private partnership by Adani Vizhinjam Ports Private Ltd.

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The Centre has launched the unified Right to Repair Portal India, urging automobile companies and other sectors to participate. Led by the Department of Consumer Affairs, the portal aims to empower consumers with easy access to repair information, promoting reuse and reducing e-waste. Chaired by Nidhi Khare, the meeting involved major automobile associations and companies like TATA Motors, Mahindra, and Yamaha Motors India. The portal, launched on National Consumer Rights Day 2022, integrates information across sectors, enabling affordable repairs by original equipment manufacturers or third-party repairers.

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The India-Taiwan Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) for Organic Products came into effect on July 8, 2024, announced at the 9th Working Group on Trade Meeting in New Delhi. This agreement boosts trade in organic products between the two countries. Certified organic products from India can now be exported to Taiwan and vice versa. Implementing agencies are India’s APEDA and Taiwan’s Agriculture and Food Agency. Key exports include aromatic plants, rice, and herbal tea.

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To boost non-farm livelihoods, the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), Ministry of Rural Development held a webinar on Jute Craft. Key stakeholders discussed the status, challenges, and opportunities of the jute craft industry. Additional Secretary Shri Charanjit Singh highlighted jute’s potential as a “Golden Fiber” for livelihoods and a “Green Fiber” for the environment. The Indian jute industry, predominant in eastern India, plays a significant role in the economy, with jute mills being important in states like Bihar and West Bengal.

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The National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) study revealed that land use patterns and roads in central India severely disrupt genetic connectivity among large herbivores like Gaur and Sambar. Published in Molecular Ecology, the study used genetic analysis from faecal samples across multiple tiger reserves and wildlife sanctuaries. It highlighted how infrastructure expansion fragments populations, reducing genetic diversity critical for species adaptation and survival amid environmental pressures and human activities.