Current Affairs Quiz - March, 2024

Notes:
Despite conservation efforts, Kashmir’s hangul deer, also known as the Kashmir stag, faces extinction. This shy and sensitive species, the only surviving Asiatic sub-species of the European red deer, is Jammu and Kashmir’s state animal. Endemic to Kashmir’s hills, particularly in Dachigam National Park, it suffers from habitat loss and poaching. Critically endangered according to IUCN and listed in CITES Appendix I, urgent measures are needed to save it from disappearing.

Notes:
India and Mauritania held their 1st Foreign Office Consultations in Nouakchott, discussing bilateral, regional, and global issues. Talks covered political cooperation, economic partnership, and cultural exchanges. Bilateral trade surged to $378 million in 2022-23 from $108 million in 2021-22. India’s Resident Mission, opened in June 2021, has bolstered relations. The meeting highlighted the enduring friendship and collaboration between the two nations.

Notes:
Chris Brown of Britain achieved a historic feat by becoming the first person to reach Point Nemo, the oceanic pole of inaccessibility in the Pacific Ocean. Located far from land, Point Nemo sits at coordinates 48°52.6′ South latitude and 123°23.6′ West longitude. Brown announced his accomplishment via Instagram on March 20, 2024. The nearest landmasses, Ducie Island, Motu Nui Island, and Maher Island, are thousands of kilometers away.

Notes:
Telangana’s Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary faces forest fires in the Tadvai region. Established in 1953, it lies near Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana borders, traversed by the Dayyam Vagu River. Renowned for the Sammakkka Sarakka Jathra, it’s traversed by the Godavari River. Vegetation comprises tropical dry deciduous types with teak, bamboo, and climbers. Notable fauna include Indian gaur, giant squirrel, tiger, leopard, and various others like sloth bear and wild dogs.

Notes:
As of March 2024, water is disappearing from Cuatro Cienegas, Mexico’s vital desert oasis, due to agricultural activities. The oasis is the Chihuahuan Desert’s most important wetland, and scientists say it can help them understand climate change, the origin of the Earth, and the chances of life on Mars. However, water is being used for alfalfa crops and other agricultural activities, causing the oasis to dry up. As a result, communities have to bring in water by truck when there is gasoline, which is a costly expense.

Notes:
The Election Commission aims to ensure inclusivity in voting with new measures. Voters over 85 and those with 40% benchmark disability can vote from home. Polling stations will provide volunteers, wheelchairs, and transport. The Saksham App facilitates voting for PWDs. Permanent Assured Minimum Facilities (AMF) in schools aim to enhance election processes. Polling stations managed by PWDs and women, along with Model Polling Stations, promote accessibility and gender inclusivity.

Notes:
The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters awards the 2024 Abel Prize to Michel Talagrand from CNRS, Paris, France, for his contributions to probability theory and stochastic processes. Talagrand’s work illuminates the role of randomness in various phenomena, crucial for fields like weather forecasting and business logistics. Central to his research is the understanding and application of the Gaussian distribution, evident in seemingly random events such as birth weights, academic performance, and athlete retirements.

Notes:
India recently applied to the International Seabed Authority (ISBA) for rights to explore the Afanasy Nikitin Seamount (AN Seamount) in the Indian Ocean. AN Seamount is a 400 km-long and 150 km-wide feature rich in cobalt, nickel, manganese, and copper. It lies 3,000 km from India’s coast, rising 1200 m above the ocean floor. Seamounts, formed through volcanic activity near mid-ocean ridges, are hotspots for marine life, with potential for active resource extraction.

Notes:
A 900-year-old Kannada inscription from the Kalyana Chalukya dynasty was unearthed in Gangapuram, Telangana. The Chalukyas governed central India’s Deccan plateau from the 6th to 12th centuries, comprising three distinct dynasties: Badami, Kalyani, and Vengi. The Kalyani Chalukyas, primarily Kannadiga, ruled from their capital, Kalyani (modern-day Bidar district, Karnataka). Tailapa II founded the empire while ruling Tardavadi in Bijapur district, Karnataka, under the Rashtrakuta Empire’s suzerainty.

Notes:
The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) released its 3rd Food Waste Index Report in 2024, revealing that in 2022, 1.05 billion metric tonnes of food, 19% of the global supply, were wasted. This waste contrasts starkly with 783 million people experiencing hunger worldwide. The report emphasizes the need to tackle food waste to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 12.3. Households are the largest contributors, responsible for 60% of wastage. Annual per capita food wastage is estimated at 79 kg.