Current Affairs Quiz - March, 2024

Notes:
The Prime Minister launched the Pradhan Mantri Samajik Utthan evam Rozgar Adharit Jankalyan (PM-SURAJ) Portal, overseen by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Targeting marginalized groups like Scheduled Castes, Backward Classes, and sanitation workers, it offers credit assistance nationwide. Eligible individuals can access support through banks, NBFC-MFIs, and other entities, fostering socio-economic upliftment.

Notes:
In March 2024, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) launched Operation “Rising Sun” to bust a major gold smuggling syndicate. The operation took place across four states on March 12 and 13, 2024 and resulted in the seizure of 61.08 kilograms of gold, valued at around Rs 40 crore, along with 19 vehicles, cash, and other electronic items. The gold was recovered from Guwahati, Barpeta, Darbhanga, Gorakhpur, and Araria.

Notes:
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) releases the Gender Inequality Index (GII) in their Human Development Report. The 2022 GII was released on March 13, 2024, and shows that India has improved its ranking by 14 ranks from 2021 to 2022. India’s rank is 108 out of 193 countries with a score of 0.437. The GII measures gender inequalities based on three aspects of human development, including reproductive health. The index ranges from 0, where women and men fare equally, to 1, where one gender fares as poorly as possible in all measured dimensions.

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Conservationists plan to nominate Kazhuveli watershed region of Tamil Nadu for inclusion in World Monuments Fund Watch 2025, linking local preservation efforts with global attention and action. The World Monuments Fund, founded in 1965, aims to conserve significant architectural and cultural sites worldwide. Headquartered in New York, it operates in 112 countries, partnering with communities, funders, and governments. Its work addresses contemporary issues such as climate change and underrepresentation by leveraging heritage for resilience and inclusivity.

Notes:
Lamphelpat Lake, located in Manipur’s Langol hill range, serves as a crucial reservoir for excess waters from Luwangli and Nambul rivers. Also known as a mini Loktak lake, it sustains Imphal’s ecosystem. Now, the Lamphelpat Waterbody Project, a joint effort of Manipur’s Water Resource Department and Ministry of Jal Shakti, aims to revive it. This project, with six key components including flood control and ecotourism promotion, promises a remarkable revival for the lake.

Notes:
Mumbai won the 42nd Ranji Trophy title in 2024, defeating Vidarbha by 169 runs on the fifth and final day of the final at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The Mumbai team’s performance was marked by Dhawal Kulkarni’s exceptional performance, supported by key players like Ajinkya Rahane, Tanush Kotian, and Musheer Khan.

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Scientists recently discovered a massive volcano on Mars called Noctis, which is located on the eastern edge of Tharsis, a broad regional topographic rise. The volcano is 9,022 meters high and 450 kilometers wide, which makes it almost 200 meters taller than Mount Everest. It’s located south of Mars’ equator, in Eastern Noctis Labyrinthus, west of Valles Marineris, the planet’s vast canyon system. Scientists discovered Noctis using data from NASA’s Mariner 9, Viking Orbiter 1 and 2, Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Odyssey, and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter missions, as well as ESA’s Mars Express mission.

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Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated Nausena Bhawan, Indian Navy’s new headquarters at Delhi Cantonment, consolidating operations from 13 locations. The building, selected through a nationwide competition, features three wings across four stories, incorporating innovative technologies for efficiency and sustainability. This marks the Navy’s first independent HQ in Delhi, emphasizing functionality and aesthetics in its architectural design.

Notes:
The WHO’s “Fair share for health and care” report highlights the gender gap in global healthcare. Women represent 67% of the health and social care workforce but face a 24% pay gap compared to men. Globally, 90% of women’s earnings support family well-being, while only 30–40% of men’s do. Despite comprising 25–60% of doctors, women make up 30–100% of nursing staff in 35 countries. Women perform 76% of unpaid care activities worldwide, with significant imbalances in India.

Notes:
The ‘Startup Mahakumbh’ is set from March 18-20, 2024, at Bharat Mandapam and India Trade Promotion Organization in New Delhi. Rajesh Kumar Singh, Secretary of the Department of Industrial Promotion and Internal Trade, believes it will boost innovation ranking. Over 34 deep-tech startups will exhibit innovations at the NASSCOM Pavilion during the three-day event.