Current Affairs Quiz - March, 2024

Notes:
INS Tir and INS Sujata join India Mozambique Tanzania (IMT) Tri Lateral Exercise, March 21-29, 2024. IMT TRILAT began in Oct 22 with INS Tarkash. The current edition’s harbour phase (Mar 21-24) involves joint training in Damage Control, Fire Fighting, Visit Board Search and Seizure, Medical Lectures, and more in Zanzibar and Maputo. The sea phase focuses on countering threats, maneuvers, firing exercises, and joint EEZ surveillance. Joint debrief at Nacala concludes the exercise.

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:
Swisspod Technologies, a Swiss hyperloop company, has inked an MoU with TuTr Hyperloop, an IIT Madras spin-off, to pioneer hyperloop systems in India. Hyperloop, proposed by Elon Musk in 2013, offers ultra-high-speed ground-level transport powered by solar energy. It’s the 5th mode of transport, employing maglev technology for levitated travel in low-pressure tubes. This collaboration aims to revolutionize transportation in India with airplane-like speeds for both cargo and passengers.

Notes:
ISRO’s PSLV Orbital Experimental Module 3 (POEM 3) Mission aims to tackle orbital debris with PSLV’s PS4 stage, designated as the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module. This marks ISRO’s third deployment of PS4 for orbital experiments, dubbed POEM-3. The module will conduct in-orbit scientific experiments for 4-6 months, powered by solar panels and a Lithium-ion battery. Equipped with 10 payloads, it aims to explore microgravity conditions and advance space research.

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 achieved a Guinness World Record on World Kabaddi Day, March 24, with 128 players participating at Tau Devi Lal Stadium, Panchkula. An MOU between HIPSA and Haryana Govt. facilitated the event, aiming to promote Kabaddi globally. Guinness set a benchmark of 84 players, but organizers aimed for 154. This historic feat highlights India’s commitment to Kabaddi’s growth and global recognition.

Notes:
The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, collapsed when a container ship, manned entirely by Indian crew members, collided with its tower. Opened in 1977, the bridge spans the Patapsco River and Baltimore Harbor, honoring Francis Scott Key, author of the US national anthem. A continuous truss bridge, it ranks as the third longest of its kind globally.

Notes:
World Theatre Day is celebrated annually on March 27, initiated by the International Theatre Institute (ITI) in 1961. Each year, a prominent theatre figure delivers a message. Jean Cocteau gave the inaugural speech in 1962. ITI boasts over 85 global centers. Theatre encompasses various roles including writers, directors, actors, sound producers, costume and set designers, and show callers, all crucial in bringing a performance to life beyond acting and narration.

Notes:
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) completed the strategic Nimmu-Padam-Darcha road in Ladakh. This 298-km road connects Manali to Leh via Darcha and Nimmu on Kargil – Leh Highway. It’s the third axis linking Ladakh to the hinterland, alongside Manali-Leh and Srinagar-Leh routes. Notably, the road is shorter and crosses only one pass, Shinkun La (16,558 feet), where tunnel work by BRO is set to begin.

Notes:
AgriRain and Oorja offer Irrigation as a Service (IaaS) in specific regions. IaaS is a hassle-free, cost-effective irrigation technology for small farmers, operating on a subscription or pay-per-use basis. Benefits include enhanced water efficiency, increased crop yields, and soil health monitoring. Particularly advantageous for water-intensive crops such as sugarcane, this service improves agricultural practices while ensuring fair access to irrigation resources.