Current Affairs [Monthly]

Notes:
Union Commerce minister Piyush Goyal is visiting New York and Washington DC to participate in India-US Trade Policy Forum.
After roundtable meetings with business leaders and think tanks in New York, he will attend the 13th Trade Policy Forum (TPF) meeting in Washington DC.  The 12th TPF Ministerial meeting was held on 23 November 2021 after a gap of four years in New Delhi.

Notes:
Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a viral illness that affects cattle, caused by the lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) of the Capripoxvirus genus.
This disease is characterized by the formation of nodules or lumps on the skin, accompanied by fever and other symptoms. It causes reduced milk production, weight loss, damage to hides and welfare issues.

Notes:
The world’s first 200-meter-long Bamboo Crash Barrier, named “Bahu Balli,” has been installed on the Vani-Warora Highway in Vidarbh, Maharashtra.
It has also been accredited by the Indian Road Congress and provides an eco-friendly alternative to steel barriers with higher recycling value. The ‘Bambusa Balcoa’ bamboo is treated with creosote oil and coated with recycled High-Density Poly Ethylene (HDPE).

Notes:
Litoria gracilis is one of the five new species of Australian treefrogs found in Papua New Guinea. The other four species are Litoria daraiensis, Litoria haematogaster, Litoria lisae and Litoria naispela.
While tree frogs typically lay their eggs directly into water, the newly described species of the genus Litoria might all use structures like trees and rockfaces to deposit their offspring.

Notes:
The Union Home & Cooperation Minister has recently launched the ‘CRCS-Sahara Refund Portal’. It will facilitate the submission of valid claims by authentic depositors from four cooperative societies associated with the Sahara Group.
This is a part of the refund of Rs.5000 crore to depositors of 4 Sahara group cooperative societies, whose funds are struck.

Notes:
Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) has decided to set up an e-commerce portal that will exclusively feature electric appliances with the highest efficiency ratings.
EESL is a joint venture of public sector undertakings (PSU) under the Ministry of Power. The objective of this exercise would be to create demand and encourage consumers to opt for electric cookers, fans, refrigerators and other devices that were rated five star and above.

Notes:
The Indian Navy’s Annual Refit Conference 24 (ARC 24) and Annual Infrastructure Conference 24 (AIC 24) were held on 08–09 Feb 24 in Mumbai. Chaired by VAdm Kiran Deshmukh, Chief of Materiel, discussions included refit plans for naval ships, infrastructure augmentation, Materiel Cooperation with foreign countries, and digital solutions for maintenance. Challenges in platform maintenance and strategic-level changes for efficient refit processes were deliberated.

Notes:
NTPC Limited, India’s largest power company, launches the latest edition of Girl Empowerment Mission (GEM), aligned with the Government’s Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao initiative. GEM offers a 1-month workshop nurturing girls’ imaginations and fostering opportunities. From April 2024, 3,000 underprivileged children join at 42 locations, totaling 10,000 beneficiaries. Started in 2018 with 392 participants, GEM expanded nationwide, benefitting 7,424 girls till date, despite COVID-19 challenges. 2,707 girls participated in 2023 alone.

Notes:
Researchers from Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) discovered a new marine tardigrade species, Batillipes chandrayaani, on Tamil Nadu’s southeast coast, named after Chandrayaan-3. Found in Mandapam’s intertidal beach sediments, it measures 0.15mm in length and 0.04mm in width. Sporting a trapezoid-shaped head and four pairs of legs with sharp-tipped sensory spines, both sexes share similar morphology. It’s the 39th species under the genus Batillipes. Tardigrades, dubbed “water bears,” are resilient micro-animals, with marine species constituting 17% of known tardigrades, found across all oceans.

Notes:
Enterprises globally are adopting Large Action Models (LAMs), advanced AI models that understand complex goals via natural language and autonomously execute tasks. Unlike Large Language Models (LLMs), LAMs integrate language comprehension with logic and reasoning for task execution. They utilize deep learning and reinforcement learning from vast datasets for strategic planning and real-time decision-making. Applications include personal assistants, autonomous vehicles, robotics, healthcare, and financial modeling.