Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2024

Notes:
Union Health Minister and Family Welfare JP Nadda launched the National STOP Diarrhoea Campaign 2024, aiming for zero child deaths from diarrhoea. The two-month drive involves distributing ORS packets and zinc to children under five. Initiatives like the National Jal Jeevan Mission and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan have reduced childhood diarrhoea deaths. Emphasis is on sensitizing health workers and enhancing diarrhoea management. Officials are urged to focus on cleanliness and prevention targets.

Notes:
Gunmen in Russia’s Dagestan Region killed 15 police officers and a priest. Dagestan, officially a part of the Russian Federation, is a predominantly Muslim region with a history of insurgency and terrorism. Its name, “Land of Mountains,” highlights its rugged terrain in the Eastern North Caucasus. The capital, Makhachkala, lies on the Caspian Sea coast. Avars are the largest ethnic group, followed by Dargins, Kumyks, and Lezgins, contributing to its diverse cultural fabric.

Notes:
The UN has introduced ‘Global Principles’ to combat online misinformation amid rising concerns about digital platforms’ role in spreading falsehoods. Technologies like AI escalate misinformation’s volume, velocity, and virality, impacting global stability. The principles aim to safeguard information integrity by promoting transparency, privacy, and responsible content practices among stakeholders. Recommendations include integrating safety measures in tech design, promoting transparency in news media, and enhancing political transparency and access to information.

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:
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs is testing eSakshya, a mobile app developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. It aids police in recording crime scenes and uploading evidence to a cloud-based platform. Each recording can be up to four minutes long, with multiple files per First Information Report (FIR). The app aims to ensure digital evidence integrity, crucial for new criminal laws to prevent potential legal loopholes.

Notes:
India secured a total of 29 medals at the 2024 BRICS Games in Kazan, Russia, comprising 3 gold, 6 silver, and 20 bronze medals. The Indian team excelled across diverse sports disciplines, demonstrating noteworthy accomplishments in this international multi-sport event, highlighting their successful performance.

Notes:
India’s largest leopard safari has opened at Bannerghatta Biological Park, Karnataka. Covering 20 hectares, the safari houses eight leopards, with plans to increase this number. The area is secured with railway barricades and enclosed with 4.5-meter-tall chain-link mesh and mild steel sheets to ensure the leopards remain within the boundaries.

Notes:
After 164 years, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India opened its first museum at Chadwick House in Shimla. Inaugurated by CAG GC Murmu, the museum highlights India’s federal audit heritage. Chadwick House, where Mahatma Gandhi stayed during the 1946 Cabinet Mission, also housed the first training school for Indian Audit and Accounts Service probationers in 1950. Exhibits include Chanakya writing the Arthashastra.

Notes:
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has launched the AI Preparedness Index (AIPI) Dashboard, ranking 174 countries on their readiness to adopt AI technologies. Categories include Low-Income Countries (LIC), Emerging Market Economies (EM), and Advanced Economies (AE). Singapore, Denmark, and the United States lead the AE category, while India, an EM, ranks 72nd with a score of 0.49. China ranks 31st with a score of 0.63, reflecting its higher readiness compared to neighboring countries like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

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.