Current Affairs Quiz - March, 2024

Notes:
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won their second French Open men’s doubles badminton title on Sunday, March 10, 2024. The Indian top seed beat Lee Jhe-Huei and Yang Po-Hsuan of Chinese Taipei in straight games (21-11, 21-17). Rankireddy and Shetty previously won the title in 2022.

Notes:
The Andaman & Nicobar Command marked the 40th anniversary of INAS 318 and International Women’s Day with a historic all-women maritime surveillance mission. The crew, consisting of Lt Cdr Shubhangi Swaroop, Lt Cdr Divya Sharma, and Lt Vaishali Mishra, showcased women’s pivotal role in the Naval Air Arm. The event emphasized gender equality, as women officers handled pre-flight briefing, meteorological briefing, medical check-up, and Air Traffic Control. The mission’s success reaffirms women’s capability in executing independent operational tasks, reinforcing their crucial contributions to national defense.

Notes:
North India’s first government homeopathic college is being established in the Jasrota area of Kathua district in Jammu and Kashmir. The college will be centrally funded and cost around Rs 80 crore. The college will have a hospital complex, administrative block, and hostels for male and female students. The project aims to integrate traditional Indian medicine with allopathy, providing cost-effective healthcare solutions.

Notes:
Chhattisgarh’s Chief Minister Vishnu Deo announces significant funds transfer under the Krishak Unnati Yojana in Balod to support farmers. The scheme, fulfilling PM Modi’s promise, offers Rs 3100 per quintal for paddy procurement. Over 145 lakh metric tonnes of paddy were procured from 24 lakh farmers during the Kharif season, benefiting from the MSP and additional Rs 917 per quintal under the scheme.

Notes:
On March 13, 2024, the Union Cabinet approved an agreement between India and Bhutan in food security. The pact involves cooperation between Bhutan’s BFDA, Bhutan’s Ministry of Health, and India’s FSSAI. BFDA will issue health certificates for Indian exports, simplifying trade and lowering compliance costs. This agreement enhances bilateral trade facilitation and underscores the commitment to mutual prosperity between the two neighboring nations.

Notes:
The FAO’s inaugural national report on AMR surveillance in India’s fisheries and livestock sectors (2019-22) highlights the critical role of antibiotic use in food animal production in driving Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR). Low resistance levels were observed to less commonly used antibiotics like chloramphenicol, but significant resistance to macrolides and quinolones was noted. The report underscores the necessity for prudent antibiotic usage in aquaculture and livestock production.

Notes:
The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting introduced Prasar Bharti – Shared Audio Visuals for Broadcast and Dissemination (PB-SHABD) along with revamped websites for DD News and Akashvani News, alongside an updated News on Air mobile app. PB-SHABD, a news sharing service by Prasar Bharati, offers daily news feeds in video, audio, text, photo, and more formats across fifty categories. The service, free for the first year, aims to provide news stories in major Indian languages, enhancing access to diverse media content.

Notes:
The 54th session of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) took place from March 11–15, 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya. The US government hosted the event, which was the first CCFH meeting in Kenya. At the session, India presented its recently released Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Modernization of Food Streets. The SOP was presented along the lines of the proposed draft guidelines for Food Hygiene Control Measures in Traditional Markets for Food.

Notes:
India’s Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) opened its first overseas liaison office in Dhaka, Bangladesh inaugurated by Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma. NRL Managing Director Bhaskar Jyoti Phukan and other officials attended. Verma highlighted India-Bangladesh relations’ growth, emphasizing bilateral trade and energy sector collaboration. He referenced the Friendship Pipeline Project, jointly inaugurated by Indian PM Narendra Modi and Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina, capable of transporting 1 MMTPA of high-speed diesel, with Bangladesh construction costs exceeding Rs 285 crore.

Notes:
The Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) and the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee (IIT Roorkee) have collaborated to establish a Centre of Excellence and Industry Accelerator in the automotive and electric vehicle (EV) sector. The two ministries signed an MoU to promote innovation and advance the automotive and EV sector. Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami, witnessed the historic event.