Daily Current Affairs Quiz: February 27, 2025

Notes:
A new study shows climate change is increasing algal blooms in the River Thames despite a 40-year decline in phosphorus levels. The Thames is a 346-km river in southern England, the longest in England and second in the UK. It starts at Thames Head in Gloucestershire and flows into the North Sea through the Thames Estuary. The river’s basin covers 16,130 sq.km and passes through cities like London, Oxford, and Windsor. It supplies two-thirds of London’s drinking water and has been an important trade route. The Thames has 16 bridges in Greater London, including the Golden Jubilee and Millennium Bridges.

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TRIFED signed MoUs with Reliance Retail, HCL Foundation, and Torajamelo Indonesia to boost tribal entrepreneurship and economic inclusion. Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Limited (TRIFED) operates under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India, to support tribal communities. It was established in August 1987 under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 1984. The organization promotes the marketing of tribal products to improve socio-economic conditions. Its mandate includes institutionalizing the trade of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) and Surplus Agricultural Produce (SAP) collected or cultivated by tribals.

Notes:
The Government e Marketplace (GeM) celebrated six years of the Startups, Women & Youth Advantage through eTransactions (SWAYATT) initiative in New Delhi. SWAYATT was launched on 19th February 2019 to boost participation of women-led enterprises and youth in public procurement. It is based on GeM’s principle of social inclusion and aims to improve ease of doing business. The initiative connects startups, women entrepreneurs, MSEs, SHGs, and youth to government procurement. It focuses on training last-mile sellers, promoting women entrepreneurship, and supporting small-scale businesses in public procurement.

Notes:
NASA is preparing for the PUNCH mission, a first-of-its-kind solar mission to study the solar atmosphere. PUNCH (Polarimetry to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) will be launched by SpaceX. It consists of four suitcase-sized satellites, each weighing 64 kg, placed in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The mission will use three Wide Field Imagers and one Narrow Field Imager to capture polarised and unpolarised images. It will provide 3D measurements of the corona and solar wind using light polarisation. The data will help improve space weather predictions and protect space missions. The mission is expected to last two years.

Notes:
Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated the SARAS Aajeevika Mela 2025 at Noida Haat. The fair runs from February 21 to March 10, showcasing rural arts, crafts, and SHG products. It is organised by the Ministry of Rural Development and National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR). It promotes self-help group (SHG) women as ‘lakhpatis’. More than 450 SHG members from 30 states/UTs are participating, with 200 stalls displaying handloom, handicrafts, and natural food products.