Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2024

Notes:
The Ele-fence project, India’s first AI-based smart fence, is being deployed in Wayanad, Kerala, to mitigate human-wildlife conflict, primarily involving elephants. Implemented by White Elephant Technologies and the Kerala Forest Department, it aims to prevent crop loss and casualties caused by elephants encroaching on human habitats. Human-wildlife conflicts escalate as human populations grow and encroach into animal habitats, affecting biodiversity and local economies. The Ele-fence seeks to protect both wildlife and human livelihoods in affected areas.

Notes:
United Nations Public Service Day is celebrated globally on June 23rd to highlight the importance of public service and honor the dedication of public servants. The day aims to celebrate the value of public service to communities, showcase its contribution to development, honor the work of public servants, and inspire young people to consider careers in the public sector.

Notes:
On June 25, the Madhya Pradesh cabinet decided that state ministers must pay their own income tax, reversing a 1972 rule where the state government covered these taxes. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav announced the decision, emphasizing the end of the state’s financial responsibility for ministers’ income tax on salaries and perks.

Notes:
Russia has approved a draft logistics agreement with India, advancing military cooperation under the Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Agreement (RELOS). This agreement aims to streamline logistics support for joint military operations, providing facilities for troops, warships, and aircraft during peacetime and wartime missions. It enhances India’s maritime influence, supports Arctic research collaboration, and helps balance logistics agreements with Quad countries, countering regional influences from the US and China.

Notes:
China’s Chang’e-6 mission marks a historic milestone as the first to collect and return samples from the Moon’s far side, specifically the South Pole-Aitken Basin. Key achievements include overcoming radio signal blockage with relay satellites, precision landing, and collecting up to 2kg of moon rock and soil. The mission enhances understanding of lunar geology, early solar system history, and Earth-Moon relations, while showcasing China’s growing space capabilities and potential for international collaboration.

Notes:
Flood-affected children in Assam will receive a ‘school in a box’ in 167 relief camps to continue their education. The initiative, aimed at children aged 6 to 18, helps them cope with trauma from losing homes or family members. Each camp will get a UNICEF-designed child-friendly space (CFS) kit with notebooks and learning materials. The Assam State Disaster Management Authority is training officials to maximize the kits’ utility and reduce children’s mental stress.

Notes:
Every June 26th, the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking raises awareness about the detrimental impact of drugs on society. In 2024, the theme is “The evidence is clear: invest in prevention.” Established by the UN General Assembly on December 7, 1987, this day highlights global efforts to combat drug use and trafficking, acknowledging the persistent health risks they pose despite widespread awareness among youth about their dangers for recreational use.

Notes:
The Tamil Nadu government plans to build a high-level bridge to protect the Pallikaranai Marshland, a freshwater and saline wetland 20 km south of Chennai. As one of Chennai’s last natural wetlands, it serves as an aquatic buffer, draining 250 sq.km through Okkiyam Madavu and Kovalam Creek into the Bay of Bengal. A Ramsar site, it supports diverse species including 115 bird species, Russell’s viper, and the glossy ibis.

Notes:
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav announced a new school curriculum chapter on the Emergency of 1975-77, highlighting the “excesses and repression” during that period. This aims to educate the younger generation about the struggle against the Emergency. Additional benefits for ‘Loktantra Senanis’ include air ambulances for serious health issues, fare discounts, state honors for funerals, and increased funeral financial support from ₹8,000 to ₹10,000. Employment training will also be provided to their families.

Notes:
Finland is the first country to offer preemptive bird flu vaccinations to specific workers exposed to animals. Vaccines will target workers at fur and poultry farms, lab technicians, veterinarians, and those in bird sanctuaries and animal by-product plants, aged 18 and over. Finland secured vaccines for 10,000 people through an EU procurement of 40 million doses from CSL Seqirus. Vaccinations start next week, following past bird flu outbreaks in fur farms.