Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2024

Notes:
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched two initiatives: Virtual NQAS Assessment for Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAM) and Integrated Public Health Laboratories (IPHL), ensuring compliance with Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS). The Spot Food License Initiative uses the Food safety and compliance system (FoSCoS) platform for instant licensing and registration across India, aiming to streamline processes. These initiatives support “Healthcare for All” by enhancing real-time monitoring of health facilities and simplifying food safety compliance.

Notes:
India has become the first country to prepare a comprehensive checklist of its entire fauna population, documenting 104,561 species. This milestone, announced by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav in Kolkata, coincided with the launch of the Fauna of India Checklist Portal by the Zoological Survey of India. This portal, vital for scientific research, encompasses 121 checklists of all known taxa. The event also featured the 2nd Animal Taxonomy Summit-2024.

Notes:
The Indian men’s cricket team, led by Rohit Sharma, won the 9th ICC Men’s T20 World Cup by defeating South Africa by 7 runs at Kensington Oval, Barbados on 29 June 2024. This is India’s second T20 World Cup win, following their 2007 victory. The final marked the T20 retirements of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja. It was also Rahul Dravid’s last assignment as coach.

Notes:
A new Android malware called ‘Snowblind’ targets users to steal banking credentials by bypassing anti-tamper mechanisms using the ‘seccomp’ security feature. Snowblind repacks apps to avoid detection and utilizes accessibility services to remotely view screens, disabling biometric and two-factor authentication. It primarily infects devices via apps from untrusted sources and is most active in Southeast Asia, posing a significant threat to banking app security.

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The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) launched the eSankhyiki portal to provide real-time data for planners, policy-makers, and researchers. It aims to streamline data management and sharing, offering access to key datasets like National Accounts Statistics and Consumer Price Index. The portal’s Data Catalogue Module houses over 2291 datasets with detailed metadata and visualizations, enhancing data accessibility and re-usability for informed decision-making and public use.

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Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan Chief Ministers signed an MoU for the Rs 72,000 crore Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal river linking project in Bhopal. This initiative aims to transfer surplus water from Southern Rajasthan’s rivers to water-scarce districts in southeastern Rajasthan and parts of Madhya Pradesh. It will irrigate 2.8 lakh hectares and benefit 13 districts in Rajasthan, along with Malwa and Chambal regions in Madhya Pradesh, fostering interstate cooperation and developmental corridors between religious sites.

Notes:
US-based Space Exploration and Research Agency (SERA) and Blue Origin have partnered with India for their human spaceflight program. They will offer six seats on a future New Shepard mission to citizens from countries with limited space presence. New Shepard, a reusable suborbital rocket, will take the selected astronauts on an 11-minute journey past the Kármán line, the internationally recognized space boundary at 100 km.

Notes:
NITI Aayog launched the ‘Sampoornata Abhiyan’ on July 4, 2024, targeting 100% saturation of 12 key social sector indicators across 112 Aspirational Districts and 500 Aspirational Blocks. Running until September 30, the campaign saw enthusiastic participation from officials, frontline workers, and citizens nationwide. Events included health camps, cultural programs, and awareness yatras, emphasizing community involvement and commitment to the campaign’s goals from Jammu and Kashmir to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Notes:
IIT Bombay and the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) have partnered to develop a ship trajectory prediction tool to improve maritime safety. This tool focuses on disabled ships, offering early warnings and facilitating rescue operations. Integrated with IRS’s Emergency Response System, it aims to enhance response times by locating drifting vessels and rerouting nearby ships. Professors Behera and Srineash emphasize its alignment with national safety goals and industry-academia collaboration.

Notes:
World Zoonoses Day, observed on 6 July each year, commemorates Louis Pasteur’s first rabies vaccine administered in 1885. It raises awareness about diseases transmissible between animals and humans, known as zoonoses. These diseases, caused by pathogens like viruses, bacteria, and parasites, can spread through direct contact, contaminated food or water, or vectors like mosquitoes. The 2024 theme, “One World, One Health: Prevent Zoonoses,” underscores the global effort needed to break transmission cycles and prevent future pandemics.