Current Affairs Quiz - September, 2024

Notes:
The 7th Rashtriya Poshan Maah began from 1 September at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, focusing on nutrition awareness and well-being. Union Minister Annpurna Devi, Gujarat’s Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel, and other officials attended the event. The day started with a nationwide tree-planting drive called “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam,” promoting nutrition and environmental sustainability. Union Minister Annpurna Devi outlined Poshan 2.0’s pillars: good governance, convergence, capacity building, and community participation. Nutri-baskets were distributed to mothers, and schemes like Vahli Dikri Yojna were highlighted. The campaign will focus on issues like anemia, growth monitoring, and complementary feeding, supporting the vision of a ‘Suposhit Bharat.’

Notes:
Poachers killed two chitals in Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR) and stole a rifle from a forest guard. It is located in Uttar Pradesh’s Pilibhit, Lakhimpur Kheri, and Bahraich districts. It lies near the India-Nepal border, in the foothills of the Himalayas and the Terai plains. The Gomti River originates from Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, with other rivers like Sharda also flowing through it. The reserve has a North Indian moist deciduous type of vegetation. It experiences a hot and dry climate with dry teak forests. Chitals, common in Indian forests, inhabit subtropical grasslands and forests across South Asia.

Notes:
The Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) has postponed granting Environmental Clearance (EC) for Stage-II of the Uri-I Hydroelectric Project. The Uri-I Hydroelectric Project is located on the Jhelum River in Uri town, Baramulla district, Jammu & Kashmir. It is close to the Line of Control (LOC) between India and Pakistan. Commissioned in 1997, the project has an installed capacity of 480 MW. The plant is owned by the Central Government and operated by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited (NHPC). It has four units, each with a capacity of 120 MW.

Notes:
The Ministry of Panchayati Raj and IIM Amritsar conducted a five-day Management Development Programme. The program ran from 2nd to 6th September 2024. It included Elected Representatives and Functionaries of Panchayati Raj Institutions from ten states. Participants came from Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. The aim was to strengthen leadership, management, and governance skills. The initiative focused on improving local governance and enhancing Panchayat services. The program supported the vision of a developed India.

Notes:
An elephant patrol team recently rescued a tusker stuck in a rail barricade in the Maddur range of Bandipur Tiger Reserve. Bandipur Tiger Reserve is located in Mysore and Chamarajanagar districts of Karnataka, at the tri-junction of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala. Geographically, it is an “ecological confluence” of the Western and Eastern Ghats.
The reserve was once a hunting ground for the Mysore kingdom rulers. It was established as Venugopala Wildlife Park in 1931 by the Maharaja of Mysore and expanded as Bandipur Tiger Reserve under Project Tiger in 1973. The reserve is bordered by the Kabini River to the north and the Moyar River to the south. Bandipur experiences a tropical climate with distinct wet and dry seasons.

Notes:
The Digital Bus initiative has impacted over three lakh beneficiaries across India since its launch in 2017. It is a joint venture between the National Digital India Mission and the NIIT Foundation, aiming to bring technology to remote areas and foster innovation. The initiative seeks to reduce the digital divide, connect people to government programs, enhance learning interest, promote collaborative learning, and develop interpersonal skills. The solar-powered, 5G-enabled buses serve as mobile classrooms with computers, internet access, and preinstalled e-courses. The courses focus on basic digital skills and offer career programs to help beneficiaries find jobs in nearby cities or towns.

Notes:
The Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre (GBRC) in Gandhinagar published the first fully mapped genome of the Chandipura Vesiculovirus (CHPV). CHPV causes encephalitis, leading to brain swelling, and was responsible for several cases during the July-August outbreak in Gujarat. Genome mapping identifies the locations of genes and key sequences on a genome. It helps understand a virus’s origin, mutations, and potential changes in transmissibility or severity. There are two types of genome maps: genetic maps, showing relative gene positions, and physical maps, showing absolute positions based on DNA base pairs.

Notes:
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) launched the India Graphene Engineering and Innovation Centre (I-GEIC) as part of the Graphene Aurora program (GAP) in Kerala. The GAP is managed by Digital University Kerala.
The IGEIC is a non-profit organization based in Trivandrum, Kerala. Its goal is to become a leading center for the commercialization of graphene technology. The IGEIC aims to bridge the gap between research and commercialization by offering comprehensive facilities for startups and industries. Previously, MeitY had established India’s first graphene center, the India Innovation Centre for Graphene (IICG), in Kerala.

Notes:
The Indian Navy and South African Navy signed an agreement to enhance naval cooperation, ensuring the safety of the South African Navy’s submarine crew during emergencies. Under this agreement, the Indian Navy will assist by deploying its Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV) when needed. This strengthens the maritime relationship between India and South Africa. The agreement follows a 2023 incident where three South African Navy personnel died off Cape Town’s coast. South Africa, with a few submarines, will benefit from India’s DSRV, which is used for submarine rescues and covert operations.

Notes:
The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) announced a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-based Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) system in India. The system was developed by the Indian Highways Management Company Limited (IHMCL) to reduce congestion at toll plazas. It provides real-time traffic data, enabling officials to manage traffic flow efficiently. Alerts are sent when congestion exceeds limits, suggesting lane adjustments. The system analyzes traffic trends over time and factors in weather and local events to predict disruptions. Toll plazas are mapped using GIS technology for better traffic management.