Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2024

Notes:
The Home Ministry approved 113 roads under the Vibrant Village Programme across Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Sikkim to enhance connectivity in border areas. This scheme, active from 2022-23 to 2025-26, aims to uplift villages along the northern border, curbing outmigration and bolstering security. It targets 2967 villages in 19 districts and 46 border blocks of 4 states and 1 UT. Focus areas include infrastructure, livelihoods, tourism, and cultural heritage development.

Notes:
The 2024 World Wildlife Crime Report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime revealed rhinos and cedars as the most trafficked species from 2015-2021. Established in 1997, the UNODC combats drug abuse, trafficking, and crime worldwide. It strengthens international cooperation, promotes crime prevention, and aids criminal justice reform to combat transnational organized crime and corruption.

Notes:
IndiaSkills 2024, the nation’s largest skill competition, kicked off in New Delhi on May 15, 2024, at Yashobhoomi, Dwarka. Organized by NSDC under MSDE, it spans 61 categories, testing skills nationwide until May 18. This biennial event enjoys broad support from state governments, industry, SSCs, SSDMs, corporates, and partner institutes. It provides a crucial platform for youth to exhibit their talents nationally and internationally.

Notes:
Sariska Tiger Reserve, established 46 years ago, awaits land ownership documentation. Located in Rajasthan’s Alwar district, it spans 800 sq km in the Aravali Hills. Once a royal hunting ground, it became a natural reserve in 1955 and a national park in 1979. Renowned for relocating tigers successfully, it also boasts historic sites like Bhangarh Fort and natural wonders like Siliserh Lake. Its terrain features rocky landscapes, scrub forests, and semi-deciduous woods.

Notes:
The Silver Croaker, a top fish predator in Jaguari reservoir, Jaguari River, and Rio do Peixe, has led to a significant decline in native species diversity. Its impact on taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic structure has been detrimental. This large predatory fish, native to the Amazon, is rare among freshwater croakers, characterized by its silvery scales. Vital for subsistence and sport fishing, its decline poses ecological concerns for the region’s biodiversity.

Notes:
The Grande Prairie Forest Area, Canada faces an unprecedented wildfire crisis, with multiple out-of-control blazes. Authorities rate the danger as extreme, hampering helicopter and air tanker operations due to limited visibility. Smoke from neighboring British Columbia worsens the situation. One major fire, GWF029, covers 90 hectares near Valhalla. Overnight, a fire guard was established, but ground crews continue battling surface fires until windy conditions ease.

Notes:
A Muria tribal farmer from Chhattisgarh, settled in the Godavari Valley, uses the traditional ‘deda’ method to preserve seeds. Seeds are wrapped in Siali leaves, layered with wood ash and lemon leaves, and sealed airtight. Each deda supports 5kg of seeds, protecting them from pests and preserving viability for up to five years. This method is effective for pulses like green gram, red gram, black gram, and beans.

Notes:
The central government, in partnership with Microsoft, blocked over 1,000 Skype IDs linked to the Digital Arrest scam. Victims are coerced into staying visible on video calls, resembling police interrogations, until they comply with criminals’ demands. Perpetrators impersonate law enforcement agencies and use AI to mimic victims’ family members’ voices. Intelligence agencies believe this is part of an organized online crime racket involving cross-border syndicates, sourcing victims’ phone numbers from online databases or corrupt bank employees.

Notes:
A recent study in Nature, titled ‘The rise of baobab trees in Madagascar’, sheds light on the origins and spread of baobabs, deciduous trees found in Madagascar, Africa, and Australia. These trees, known for their towering stature up to 50 meters and longevity of up to 2,000 years, face threats. Baobabs also exist in India, with a notable 400-year-old tree near Golconda Fort in Andhra Pradesh.

Notes:
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a USD 148.5 million loan to modernize Sikkim’s electricity supply. The project supports the state’s Power for All initiative, ensuring uninterrupted, quality electricity. It includes upgrading 770 km of power lines, replacing 580 km of old conductors, and upgrading 26 substations. Additionally, 15,000 public street lights will be installed, and electricity conservation and safety programs will be conducted in 28 villages.