Current Affairs Quiz - March, 2024

Notes:
According to a 2024 analysis by TRAFFIC and WWF-India, Tamil Nadu has topped the illegal trade of shark body parts in India, accounting for nearly 65% of seizures between 2010 and 2022. The study found that 16,000 kilograms of shark fins were seized during this period, which is almost 80% of the total. The confiscated products are headed to Singapore, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Sri Lanka, and mainland China.

Notes:
The Indian Army contingent embarked for Seychelles for the Tenth edition of Joint Military Exercise “LAMITIYE-2024”. This biennial event, meaning ‘Friendship’ in Creole, fosters cooperation between the Indian Army and Seychelles Defence Forces (SDF). 45 personnel from each side will participate, aiming to enhance interoperability in Sub-conventional Operations. The exercise, under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, promotes bilateral military relations, exchanging skills, experiences, and tactical drills in a Semi-Urban environment.

Notes:
The Jammu & Kashmir LG administration has sanctioned 10% reservation for newly-included tribes, such as Paharis, in Schedule Tribe (ST), and included 15 new castes in Other Backward Classes (OBCs). LG Manoj Sinha approved the Social Welfare Department’s proposal to amend Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Rules, 2005. This includes adding Pahari Ethnic Group, Paddari Tribe, Kolis, and Gadda Brahmins to the Scheduled Tribes Order, increasing ST reservation to 20%.

Notes:
The Red Sea crisis has spurred interest in the Eastern Maritime Corridor (EMC), a proposed trade route connecting Chennai, India, to Vladivostok, Russia. The corridor aims to shorten transportation time between Indian and Russian ports in the Far East by up to 16 days. Once operational, it will reduce the shipping duration from India to Far East Russia to 24 days, compared to over 40 days via the Suez Canal.

Notes:
Exporters aiming for duty concessions on shipments to the UK must comply with new British regulations under the Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS). Introduced by the UK Government, DCTS aims to integrate developing nations into the global economy, fostering trade partnerships and strengthening supply chains. It offers simpler, more generous preferential trading terms, reducing or eliminating tariffs on imports from 65 eligible countries, benefiting UK consumers and businesses while excluding certain upper-middle-income nations and those with UK free trade agreements.

Notes:
The Space-borne Assistant and Knowledge Hub for Crew Interaction (SAKHI) is a multi-purpose app developed by Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) and ISRO to help the crew of the Gaganyaan space flight mission with tasks, health monitoring, and communication. The app functions as a digital assistant and knowledge hub. The app helps astronauts with a range of tasks, including: tasks, health monitoring, and communication. The Gaganyaan mission is a manned mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to send four astronauts to an orbit of 400 km for three days and bring them back safely to Earth.

Notes:
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur and the Indian Navy signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in March 2024 to promote technology development, innovative solutions, and joint R&D. The MoU was signed at Naval Headquarters, New Delhi, and will be co-ordinated by INS Shivaji, Lonavala. The collaboration focuses on joint research and development initiatives involving teams from both the Indian Navy and IIT Kharagpur.

Notes:
Rajasthan is the first state in India to develop a system that provides real-time information on the availability of water in dams and canals. The state has launched the Rajasthan Water Resources Dashboard. This initiative aims to enhance water management efficiency and predict floods and droughts. Water Resources Minister Suresh Singh Rawat hailed Rajasthan’s pioneering effort, marking a significant step in water and disaster management.

Notes:
Nvidia unveiled Project GR00T, a groundbreaking initiative set to transform humanoid robotics. GR00T, short for Generalist Robot 00 Technology, is an advanced multimodal AI system empowering humanoid robots with learning capabilities and real-world interaction. It enables robots to comprehend natural language, mimic human movements, and acquire new skills rapidly. This initiative aims to imbue robots with human-like understanding and agility, utilizing AI to drive breakthroughs in robotics and embodied AI.

Notes:
The IceCube neutrino observatory at the Earth’s South Pole has detected neutrinos, subatomic particles. The observatory is made up of thousands of sensors buried in the ice. The IceCube Collaboration, which includes many universities around the world, built and maintains the observatory. The University of Wisconsin, Madison leads the collaboration. IceCube detects 275 atmospheric neutrinos daily and about 100,000 per year, as well as 275 million cosmic rays every day. The observatory is dedicated to detecting mysterious subatomic particles.