Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2024

Notes:
Indian team won seven medals at the Junior World Wushu Championship in Brunei. India secured two golds, one silver, and four bronze medals. Aryan won gold in the Boys’ Junior 48 kg category, defeating China’s Gong Huanran. Shaurya won another gold in the Boys’ 48kg (children) category, beating Iran’s Alireza Zamani. Nang Mingbi Borphukan earned a silver in Taolu Jian Shu C Group. Tanish Nagar won bronze in the 56kg category. Abhijeet (60kg), Divyanshi (60kg women), and Yuvraj (42kg) also secured bronze medals. A 24-member Indian team participated.

Notes:
ESA will launch a satellite called DRACO (Destructive Reentry Assessment Container Object) mission in 2027 to study satellite disintegration during reentry. DRACO aims to help reduce space debris by collecting data on how satellites break apart. The mission will also study the environmental impact of reentry, including material interactions with the atmosphere.Deimos, a European company, will build the 200-kilogram satellite. DRACO will carry a 40-centimetre capsule with cameras and sensors to record data during reentry. The capsule will parachute down after reentry, sending crucial information before being lost at sea.

Notes:
Taiwan received the first shipment of 100 land-based Harpoon anti-ship missile systems from the U.S. The Harpoon missile (RGM-84/UGM-84/AGM-84) has been in service since 1977 with air, ship, and sub-launched versions. It is used by over 30 countries, including India. Key features include all-weather, over-the-horizon capability, low-level sea-skimming trajectory, and active radar guidance. It has a 4.5m length, weighs 526 kg, and carries a 221 kg warhead. It can execute both land-strike and anti-ship missions with a range of 90-240 km using GPS-aided navigation.

Notes:
The fiscal deficit for India in the 2024-25 financial year is projected to be 4.9% of the GDP, a reduction from 5.6% in 2023-24. The government aims to contain the fiscal deficit at ₹16,13,312 crore, emphasizing the gap between revenue and expenditure. The fiscal deficit is crucial for understanding the government’s borrowing needs and overall economic health, as it reflects the difference between total expenditure and total revenue.

Notes:
BharatGen was inaugurated by Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh in New Delhi as a generative AI aimed at improving public service delivery and citizen engagement. It is the world’s first government-funded multimodal large language model, focusing on developing efficient and inclusive AI in Indian languages. The project will take two years to complete and will benefit government, private, educational, and research institutions. BharatGen will support both text and speech, ensuring representation of India’s diverse languages and cultures. Its roadmap includes milestones up to July 2026 and aims to scale AI adoption across various sectors.

Notes:
China has begun the second phase of expanding the Five-Hundred Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST). FAST, located in Guizhou Province, is the world’s largest and most sensitive radio telescope, with a diameter of 500 meters and a receiving area equal to 30 football fields. Its goals include detecting neutral hydrogen, discovering pulsars, participating in gravitational wave detection, and searching for extraterrestrial intelligence. FAST also joins international networks for high-resolution celestial studies. The data system is developed in collaboration with ICRAR in Australia and the European Southern Observatory (ESO).

Notes:
INSV Tarini sailed for the Navika Sagar Parikrama II, flagged off by Chief of Naval Staff Adm Dinesh K Tripathi on October 2, 2024. This is the first global circumnavigation by Indian women in double-handed mode, showcasing India’s maritime strength and commitment to women empowerment. INSV Tarini, inducted in 2017, has covered over 66,000 nautical miles and participated in several key expeditions. The vessel is equipped with advanced navigation, safety, and communication systems. The officers trained for over three years, with guidance from Cdr Abhilash Tomy (Retd), preparing for this challenging voyage.

Notes:
NATO will set up a new land command in Finland near the Russian border in 2025 to oversee land operations in northern Europe during conflicts. This move follows Finland’s recent NATO membership after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The new command will work alongside Finland’s existing land force command in Mikkeli.

Notes:
The Prime Minister launched the Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan in Jharkhand with an outlay of about Rs 80,000 crore. It aims to develop 63,843 tribal villages, benefiting over 5 crore people across 30 states/UTs. The scheme addresses gaps in social infrastructure, health, education, and livelihood through 25 interventions by 17 ministries. The total outlay is Rs. 79,156 crore, with Rs. 56,333 crore from the central government. It builds on the success of PM-JANMAN, launched in 2023, which focuses on Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG).

Notes:
The inaugural Kho Kho World Cup will be held in India in 2025, announced by the Kho Kho Federation of India and the International Kho Kho Federation. The event will feature 24 countries from 6 continents, with 16 teams for both men and women. To promote the sport, the KKFI plans to introduce Kho Kho in 200 schools across 10 cities and aims to register at least 50 lakh players. The tournament will include a week of matches with top athletes worldwide, aiming to elevate Kho Kho to an international level. Kho Kho, rooted in India, has a global presence, with 54 countries participating in the sport.