Daily Current Affairs Quiz: March 1, 2025

Notes:
Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda inaugurated the 9th National Summit on Good & Replicable Practices and Innovation in Public Healthcare in Puri, Odisha, on 28th February 2025. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and other dignitaries attended the event. The two-day summit allows states and Union Territories to showcase best practices and innovations in public healthcare. Participants share knowledge and learn from others’ experiences in tackling public health challenges. The 8th summit was held in Kevadia, Gujarat, in May 2022. The National Health Mission under the Union Health Ministry organizes the summit.

Notes:
The Indian senior women’s basketball team won the 3rd SABA Women’s Basketball Championship 2025, defeating Maldives 107-32 in the final. This was India’s first participation in the SABA Women’s Championship. The tournament was organised by the South Asian Basketball Association and hosted by the Basketball Federation of India. It took place at KD Jadhav Indoor Stadium, New Delhi, from 23-26 February 2025. The SABA Women’s Championship includes eight eligible countries: India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Bhutan.

Notes:
A three-day off-season faunal survey in Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary recorded 14 new bird species, 15 butterflies, and 8 odonates. Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary was established in 1976 and is located in Thodupuzha and Udumbanchola taluks, Idukki District, Kerala. It spans 77 sq.km. of forests surrounding the Idukki Arch Dam. The terrain includes steep mountains, valleys, and hills, with altitudes ranging from 450 to 1272 m. Vanjur Medu is the highest peak at 1272 m. The Periyar and Cheruthoniar rivers flow through the sanctuary, which includes a 33 sq.km. waterbody of the Idukki reservoir.

Notes:
Researchers from western Maharashtra discovered a new endemic frog species named Minervarya ghatiborealis. It was found in Mahabaleshwar, in the north-western Ghats of Sahyadri, Maharashtra. The name comes from ‘Ghati’ (Sanskrit for western) and ‘Borealis’ (Latin for northern), meaning ‘from the north-western Ghats’. It belongs to the Minervarya genus, commonly known as ‘Cricket frogs’. These frogs have parallel lines on their abdomens and nest near standing water or small springs. Their calls resemble nightingales, and the male’s breeding vocalisation is unique within the genus.

Notes:
Tuhin Kanta Pandey, currently Finance and Revenue Secretary, replaces Madhabi Puri Buch as SEBI Chairman after her term ends on February 28, 2025. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, chaired by PM Modi, approved his appointment for three years or until further orders. A 1987-batch IAS officer from Odisha cadre, Pandey served as Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) Secretary from 2019 and became Finance Secretary in September 2024. He played a key role in Air India’s sale and LIC’s public listing.